The moon hung low over the hills, casting pale light across the courtyard where Shen now stood barefoot.
Ru Chen stood at a distance, arms crossed.
"Are you ready to learn the First Flame Technique?" he asked.
Shen nodded. "I'm tired of reacting. I want to burn forward."
The Phoenix Flame Awakens
Ru Chen raised his hand, and a sigil appeared—a burning rune shaped like wings.
"This technique is forbidden in the Empire," Ru Chen said."Once you awaken it, there's no turning back. You'll carry the phoenix's curse forever."
"I already carry worse," Shen replied.
He pressed his palm against the sigil.
Fire rushed through his veins.
His vision went white.
Within the Flame
In his mind, he stood inside a furnace. Shadows of men and women bowed before him. Their voices rose in unison:
"To the lost prince of fire… we gift this curse."
He screamed as his arms ignited, burning red like molten steel.
But he did not fall.
He stepped forward.
The fire wrapped around him like armor, and when he opened his eyes again—the air around him shimmered with heat.
The Flame's First Form
Ru Chen's expression shifted from calm to awe.
"You… mastered it?"
Shen's hands glowed crimson. His voice was hoarse, but steady.
"No. I remembered it."
Without warning, he punched the stone slab beside him—and it melted.
Even Ru Chen backed away. "That's not the beginner level…"
Shen looked at his own fists. "Then what level is it?"
Ru Chen whispered:"One only royalty should know."
A Storm Gathers
Far from the village, a black-cloaked figure knelt in front of a pool of water, watching Shen's breakthrough.
Behind him stood the Crown Prince of Xiyuan, dressed in imperial robes.
"So the bastard twin has inherited the flame," the prince sneered. "Then I'll crush him before he learns to fly."
He turned to the shadowy assassin.
"Release the Demonhand Mercenaries. Burn that province to ash."
The Phoenix and the Blade
That night, Yueyin found Shen sitting atop the watchtower, arms still glowing faintly red.
"I should be scared of you," she said. "But I'm not."
"You should be," he replied. "I don't know what this power will do to me."
Yueyin sat beside him. "Then let me watch. If you burn… I'll burn with you."
Shen said nothing.
But he did not move away.