The first thing she felt was cold.
Not the deathly cold of shadows—but the living kind, that whispered through her veins like the first breath after drowning.
Liana's eyes flickered open.
She was lying in Han Jian's arms, her head resting against his blood-stained chest. The storm outside had quieted, leaving behind the soft hum of the shattered palace walls. The air still tasted of ash and magic.
"Liana," Han Jian whispered, his voice breaking. His fingers trembled as he brushed the hair from her face. "You're awake…"
She blinked slowly, the world swimming in and out of focus. "Han Jian… how long?"
"Three days." His eyes glimmered with exhaustion and relief. "You wouldn't wake up. I thought—"
She pressed a finger to his lips, weak but steady. "I told you before… you worry too much."
Han Jian laughed softly, his voice hoarse. "You nearly tore eternity in half, and I'm not allowed to worry?"
But then his expression shifted, the smile fading into something unreadable. "Your aura… it's changed."
Liana sat up slowly, her gaze falling to her hands. The faint glow that once danced around her fingers was gone. In its place was something darker, quieter—like starlight trapped under skin.
She closed her eyes, remembering Amara's last words: "The vow never dies."
When she opened them again, Han Jian was watching her carefully, his jaw tense. "Liana… what happened in there?"
Her breath caught. "I met her."
His eyes darkened. "Her?"
"Amara."
The name fell from her lips like a spell. The air itself seemed to shiver.
Han Jian's hand tightened around hers. "And?"
"I ended it," she whispered. "I thought I did."
He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head slowly. "You don't sound sure."
"I'm not." Her voice broke. "I killed her, Han Jian. But when the light faded… I still felt her heartbeat. Inside me."
Han Jian's expression hardened, but his hand didn't let go. "Then we'll deal with it. Together."
She wanted to believe him. But somewhere in the corners of her mind, a whisper stirred—soft, familiar, dangerous.
'Together? You said that before, too… before you left me in the dark.'
Liana froze. Her heart pounded. She didn't speak, afraid that if she did, that voice would grow stronger.
Han Jian's thumb brushed her cheek gently, grounding her back into reality. "You're safe now," he said quietly. "We're safe."
But deep inside, Liana knew safety was a lie.
Something ancient had awoken again—something neither alive nor dead.
---
Night fell like ink spilled across the sky.
The palace had fallen silent. Han Jian finally slept beside the dying hearth, his arm draped protectively over Liana even in his dreams.
But Liana couldn't sleep.
The voice wouldn't let her.
Every time her eyes fluttered shut, the air thickened around her — like the darkness itself was breathing.
"You stole what was mine…"
Liana sat up sharply. The voice wasn't inside her head this time. It came from the mirror at the edge of the room, fractured but faintly glowing.
Her pulse quickened. "Who's there?"
"You know me, little heart. You made me a promise."
Liana's chest tightened. Amara's reflection shimmered through the cracked glass — not whole, but twisted. The edges of her figure flickered like static, her eyes pale silver, void of humanity.
"No," Liana whispered. "You're gone. I ended you."
The reflection smiled. "Ended me? No, darling. You absorbed me."
The words hit her like a blade.
She stumbled backward, clutching her temples as memories—hers and Amara's—merged and collided.
The screams of forgotten gods.
The fall of the Moon Citadel.
The vow sealed under the blood moon: Two souls, one eternity.
Liana gasped for air.
Han Jian stirred in his sleep, sensing the shift, but before he could wake, Liana whispered a spell—her fingers glowing faintly black—and silenced the room.
She didn't want him to see this.
The reflection stepped closer to the glass, her voice dripping like honey and venom. "You thought you were chosen, Liana. You were merely the vessel."
"Stop," Liana hissed, but her body trembled. "I'm not you."
"Aren't you?" The mirror flickered. "You feel what I feel. You crave what I craved. His blood, his heart, his power…"
Liana pressed her palms to her ears. "Stop!"
But instead of silence, the room answered with a low hum — a vibration that came from beneath the palace itself.
The ground quivered.
The fire dimmed.
And a deep voice, ancient and unyielding, echoed through the shadows:
> "So, the daughter of the vow still breathes."
Liana froze.
That voice didn't belong to Amara. It belonged to someone far older — someone who should've been sealed beyond the realm of light.
The mirror cracked further. Shards floated mid-air, orbiting her like a halo of broken stars.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
> "Your beginning," the voice said. "And her end."
Before she could react, Han Jian woke with a sharp gasp, his eyes burning crimson. "Liana—move!"
The walls shattered in a burst of black wind as a tall, shadow-cloaked figure emerged from the ruin. His presence distorted the air, pulling warmth out of everything around him. His silver hair fell over his shoulders like threads of frost, and his eyes—those impossible, cold gold eyes—met hers.
> "You carry Amara's soul," he said softly. "And yet… you are not her."
Han Jian stood in front of her, swords drawn. "Who are you?"
The stranger tilted his head. "Names don't matter to mortals. But once, they called me Kael, the Forgotten King."
Han Jian's jaw tightened. "You were sealed centuries ago."
Kael's smirk was almost tender. "Yes. By her."
He looked straight at Liana. "And now her light burns in you. How poetic."
Liana took a trembling step back. "What do you want from me?"
Kael's gaze softened, but it only made his words more chilling. "What was taken from me — my half of the vow. The half you now carry."
Han Jian raised his sword. "You'll touch her over my dead body."
Kael's smile widened slightly. "That can be arranged."
Before Han Jian could strike, Kael lifted his hand. The air itself obeyed him — time stilled for a heartbeat. Liana screamed as shadows coiled around Han Jian, freezing him mid-motion.
"Don't hurt him!" she cried.
Kael's eyes flickered with something like amusement. "You love him?"
Her voice shook. "I do."
"Then remember this, little vessel," Kael murmured, stepping closer until his breath brushed her ear. "Love is what destroyed Amara. Let's see what it does to you."
He vanished into the shadows, leaving behind a single silver sigil glowing faintly on Liana's wrist — a mark that pulsed with her heartbeat.
The moment he was gone, Han Jian fell to his knees, gasping.
Liana rushed to him, tears in her eyes.
"He's back," Han Jian whispered. "The Forgotten King…"
Liana held his face in her trembling hands. "Then so am I."
And as the night deepened, the mark on her wrist burned brighter — a silent promise that the next dawn would not come without blood.
---
❓️❓️❓️❓️
If Liana truly carries Amara's soul within her… then when Kael marked her,
did he awaken Amara's love for him — or Liana's curse tied to that forgotten vow?
And when the line between them starts to fade…
which of the two will Han Jian actually be fighting for — the woman he loves, or the soul that's destined to destroy him?