Allison didn't sleep.
Like every other day after she met Lin Fan.
The photo Lin Fan gave her sat on her nightstand like a ghost. Her eyes remained glued to the photo, her chest tighthened . Every piece of the puzzle seemed to push her further into an identity she hadn't planned on accepting. A fate that was older than her own memories.
Who was she really?
Who was that woman in the old photograph—the one with her face but a different lifetime in her eyes and an extremely different aura?
Was she… her mother?
Her real mother?
Lucian did mention something like that.
" What did my mom have that made her feared by many ?" She thought.
What made their bloodline so sacred?
That night Allison had a dream.
She saw herself as little girl sitting on a stone step. A woman with a bottom-length hair whispered her name staring deeply into her eyes .
"If you remember me… you'll never be safe again." She said .
The woman's lips moved in slow motion, her face shadowed by moonlight, an extremely beauty that turns heads . Blood trickled from her neck, yet she smiled.
"Run. Don't look back." She said with urgency in her voice." Be safe my little child, mom would see you soon". She touched her forehead with Allison's.
The scene faded into darkness.
Allison bolted upright, gasping, trying to catch her breath. Her hand clutched her chest. Her heart wouldn't slow down.
That wasn't just a dream, it felt real .
She had known her when she was little. She called her 'daughter '.
---
THE NEXT MORNING —VILLA
The storm that passed through the city overnight left behind dew-soaked petals and a heavy fog that clung to the air making people unable to see a thing.
Allison found herself sitting by the fish pond, legs drawn to her chest, starely deeply at the fishes . Lucian approached quietly, his presence like a shadow, and somehow… comfort.
"You didn't sleep well last night" he said, standing behind her.
She didn't turn. "Neither did you." Her tone distant and cold.
"I can explain the notebook—"
"I don't want an explanation," she whispered. "I want the truth , not a half- battered truth, no games. No half-answers."Allison stared deeply at him.
There was silence for a while.
Then, Lucian sat beside her. For once, his shoulders dropped their usual glamour.
"There was a woman," he said. "She was everything to me and is still is . She gave me a reason to climb the tower of the underworld… and she's the reason I started burning it down." His eyes flickered.
"Is she dead?" Yueying asked.
His fingers brushed his jaw. His eyes darkened.
"Dead people don't haunt you like this. I'm looking for clues maybe I can find her " he said bitterly. Allison felt her heartbeat stopped, she was happy for the lady that had a caring lover even love her in her death.
Allison's eyes narrowed. "Why am I involved? Why did my name appear in your list?"
Lucian looked at her.
"You're not a pawn, Allison. You have a special bloodline that awakens your power .There's only one family in the entire universe that awakens that magic. Many are after your blood Allison".
Before she could respond, a crash echoed from the west wing of the villa. There was gunfire and smoke. Guards ran in a coordinated order, bullets sprayed. Dan stormed in, yelling orders. Yueying was grabbed by the arm and dragged behind the corridor walls by Lucian.
"They found us," he hissed. "Get to the vault room. Lock the door. Don't come out until I return."
"But—"
"No time!" he snapped.
She ran, her breath ragged, mind blank.
The attackers were dressed in all-black, military precision in every step. Allison slipped behind the hidden hallway and walked fast toward the underground vault. Her heart pounded with every step she took.
---
Beatrice was already covered in blood.
She had stabbed one, shot two, and now her left arm hung limp. But she didn't stop. The enemy wasn't from a rival gang—this was personal.
One of the masked attackers pulled off his helmet. Her eyes widened.
"You?" she said through gritted teeth.
"Long time, no see, Bae love," the man said with a grin. "Still pretty as always, and loyal to Lucian."
" What are you doing here fighting with blackclad men while your boss is in a warm zone at his house " the man said.
Beatrice eyes narrowed, she never expected them to attack so soon.
"What are you doing in here, Biao?"
"Retrieving what belongs to the Black String Clan," he said. "That girl, Allison, has something in her blood. Something they need."
" Stay away from her, Biao or I'll give you a life worse than death itself," Beatrice threatened him.
Smack. She was pushed to the wall with Biao's hands strangling her.
" I knew you were selling information to Lucian. It's evident now, how much do you like this friend of yours ?" Veins was bulging form his hand. His grip on her was strong to the point of choking her to death.
" Le- let go of me Biao "
" I will. After all you carried master's child" Biao whispered in her ears. Beatrice felt like she was hit by a lightning bolt . All this while she never knew how she got pregnant, she was abandoned by her family, it turned out to be her former Mafia boss. A rival of Lucian in different aspect. The two could be considered as gods on earth.
Beatrice hand involuntarily went to her tummy
Where was her child ?
Was the child really dead? She would never believe that lame story of her child dying in the ward
"Did he take him?"
" Of course, why I'm telling you this is because you can never do anything to him . He said he didn't force you to himself, you pushed yourself to him " Biao chuckled.
Beatrice felt hatred burning through her .
---
INSIDE THE VAULT ROOM
She slammed the steel door and locked it just as the hallway burst with gunfire. Her breath came in sharp, she held her chest as she leaned on the door. The room was pitch black, until the emergency light kicked in, dripping the place in red.
There was something else in the room that caught her attention.
It was a metal box.
It was made of silver and gold plasterings, with the Han family crest etched into the lid.
She hesitated to open it but she couldn't find an opening.
There was a circle on the lid, she took out the ring her dad gave her. Soon it was placed on the lid, it fit perfectly then ' click' it opened .
Inside was a necklace with a ruby pendant… and a letter.
"To my daughter, if you're reading this… it means they found you. That means you're ready to know the truth. The Han bloodline was never ordinary. You are heir to something dangerous—something powerful. And they will kill to control it."
Allison's hands trembled. Her real mother had known this day would come.
Everything felt so surreal.
OUTSIDE
Lucian stood atop the marble staircase that led to the rooftop, blood dripping down his arm. His outfit was spotless in contrast to the carnage around him.
"I won't let you take her," he roared.
The remaining attackers surrounded him.
Then a voice echoed from behind the pillars.
"Stand down."
Everyone froze.
A tall figure emerged, white velvet suit stained with ash. The man Allison had seen only on a surveillance feed.
He clapped slowly. "Impressive, Lucian. But this wasn't about you. Not today. I'm here for someone else."
Lucian's eyes narrowed. "You... You're supposed to be dead."
The man smiled. "I was 'dead'. But your little girl brought me back to life." he laughed hysterically.
"You have no right to touch her," Lucian growled.
"She's not yours to protect," the man said, walking past the guards. "She's mine to awaken".
-------------
Beatrice bled, but she didn't stumble.
Her gun was out of bullets, and her dagger dripped crimson. She leaned against the marble pillar, her breath sharp and shallow.
Then the man she never wanted to see again stepped into view — Biao, the traitor who used to be her partner now working for her former boss, 'that bastard' She thought. He wore a mocking grin like it was a badge of honor.
"You should stay buried, Biao," Beatrice hissed.
"And you should know better than to serve a man like Lucian," he replied, circling her like a vulture. "You're still doing his dirty work? After what he did to me?"
"You betrayed the organization. You sold out the Red Crescent for a paycheck. Don't talk about loyalty," she snapped.
He chuckled darkly. "Loyalty? To Lucian? To the same man who watched my sister die and claimed he loved her?"
Beatrice expression didn't falter, but her grip tightened on her blade. " And you should know he killed many for her sake ". She said coldly.
"You were weak, Biao"
Biao lunged towards her .
Their blades met midair — steel against steel, rage against pain. Sparks flew like the wind. Blood simmered the air. The hallway echoed with the sound of two soldiers tearing each other apart.
"You're not strong enough to protect her," he growled, pinning Beatrice to the wall. "That girl—Allison—do you even know what she is?"
"I know enough to kill you if you touch her," Beatrice spat.
"Touch her?" Biao laughed, lips stained red. "Darling, they're already inside her head. That pendant she found? It's not just a trinket. It's a trigger. She would be awakened soon. She was meant to be awakened anyway. She has the Han blood"
Beatrice's heart dropped. "What do you mean a trigger ?"
"You're too late," he whispered. "When she remembers who she is… she might be consumed with power and you all would have to bow to her feet."
Her knee smashed into his ribs. He staggered back, but she was already moving. Her dagger sliced across his chest, deep.
Biao gasped, blood pooling from his mouth.
"You always had good aim," he murmured. "But this won't stop what's coming."
He slumped against the wall.
Beatrice stood there, panting, watching him slide down like a collapsing shadow. Blood stained the wall like an art work.
"I know," she whispered. "But I can – we can change it."
---
UNDERGROUND
Allison clutched the ruby pendant tightly in her hand.
The letter always in her mind,
"You are heir to something dangerous—something powerful. And they will kill to control it."
Her real name, Han Allison, had been scribbled beneath it — not Feng. Born into this storm, protected behind the shadows. She hought that it was just something concerning Lucian's killing because of his ex-loverthat made people want to take revenge on her.
Footsteps echoed in the hall above. Someone was coming. She flinched… until a knock hit the vault door.
"It's me," Lucian said loudly.
She unlocked the door slowly. He stepped in, wounded and burning with fury — not at her, but at the war around them.
"What did you find?" he asked.
She held up the letter, trembling. "A name, Han."
Lucian froze.
And then… he sighed, as if a weight he carried for too long had finally been spoken aloud.
"So… you remembered," he said.
"No," she replied. "It was written. I don't remember anything. But you do, don't you?"
He looked away.
"I was told to protect you before you ever knew who you were. The others… they wanted to turn you into a weapon, like your mother."his eyes flickered .
"My mother… she's dead, right?"
Lu Quing didn't answer
A HIDDEN CHAMBER
The man in the white velvet suit lit another candle.
Behind him, five figures knelt behind him in robes — the Black String Clam.
"She's waking up," he said.
One of them looked up. "And if she chooses to stay with Lucian?"
"She won't."
He turned to a wall lined with paintings — one of which showed a young girl with crimson eyes, standing amid flames.
Beneath it, written in old brushstroke ink:
Han Allison — The Return of the First Flame.