Chapter 6: Eyes of the Phoenix
The next day, Fu Gui visited the shrine his mother had once protected. It was overgrown, cracked, half-forgotten. But the moment he stepped inside, the air shifted.
A flame ignited in the center of the altar—soft, golden, flickering.
His heart pounded. "What is this?"
The flame pulsed... and in it, an image appeared: a majestic woman with phoenix wings, her eyes filled with sorrow and longing. She raised her hand—and Fu Gui staggered back.
Her eyes.
They were Mei Lin's.
Suddenly, the vision vanished, and he collapsed to his knees, breathless.
That night, he returned to Mei Lin, more certain than ever.
"You're not just anyone," he told her. "You're someone powerful. Someone lost."
Mei Lin laughed softly, trying to brush it off. "Are you saying I'm cursed?"
He stepped forward. "I'm saying you're the key."
"To what?"
His eyes darkened. "To what comes next."
Mei Lin frowned, unease flickering behind her gaze. "You're hiding something from me, Fu Gui."
"I am," he admitted. "But only until I can protect you from it."
She stared at him for a long, silent moment. Then turned and walked away, her hair catching firelight as it swayed.
Fu Gui stood still, knowing that once the truth unraveled, everything would burn.