She had existed long before the world took notice, a mere breath of air.
Her father had trapped her inside a delicate glass orb, adorning his magical ring, fearing for her very existence—afraid that she might vanish into oblivion.
Yet when he disappeared, the poor thing lost her anchor, her guardian, and became a willful, restless whisper of air.
What had happened, one might wonder?
Her father, Jin Hai, had protected her with all the strength and cunning he possessed.
How could he not, when she was all that remained of his beloved wife?
He hid her from the eyes of the Heavenly Kingdom, knowing well that the elders would condemn her simply because of her lineage, just as they had done to her mother. Though he held a seat among the Council of Elders, his power alone could not shield her from the judgment that awaited.
He concealed her within his ring, waiting for the destined moment—her moment of awakening, her moment of completeness.
Five centuries passed while she slept within the enchanted crystal, and he would wait just as long, longing for the day when her presence would grace him once more.
When one learns that her father, Jin Hai, was the one responsible for destroying the magical weapons of countless souls—those who had perished under the Sword's edge or the Wrath of Lightning—and that he was the final arbiter who decides what remnants of their memories would be burned within the Sacred Furnace,
what would you think?
Surely, you would believe him harsh and unyielding.
Who else could erase the last remnants of others' lives and burn them in that furnace but a stern, unfeeling man concerned only with himself?
Yet the truth was entirely different.
Jin Hai was a name that suited him perfectly—like a calm sea from birth to old age. Gentle, tender, softer than a lilac blossom, as soothing as a cool summer breeze. His personality was delicate, yet his soul shone pure as white clouds untouched by shadow.
He never left his palace, not even to attend the cremation ceremonies at the Sacred Furnace.
He signed the decisions approved by the Council Elders and left the rest to his capable aides.
The presence of the furnace guardian, an ancient sage, relieved him of much of the burden. How could it not, when that guardian had tended the furnace for millennia?
Since his wife's passing, Jin Hai would spend his days gently caressing the crystal within his ring, awaiting the awakening of Huo Feng, his little one. He would take her on walks through the palace gardens, read her stories, and speak of a beautiful, vast world she had never seen—the Earth Kingdom, a distant realm that had flourished long ago.
He always ended with fond memories of his beloved wife, before their union had been discovered in the Heavenly Kingdom. He longed to share every moment of her mother's life with the little girl, so that she would never forget her—even though she had never met her. And Huo Feng delighted in those stories, whirling like a tiny storm inside the crystal in joy and anticipation of these precious moments.
But such moments would not last forever…
Not after that fateful day in the Heavenly Kingdom.
That evening, unusually, Jin Hai removed his ring to gaze more closely at his daughter, Huo Feng—the delicate breath of air dancing inside the crystal, filled with joy at his soothing words.
Suddenly, his aide entered, carrying a tray with several magical tools and the furnace-burning report from the Council. He placed it before Jin Hai on the table for his signature with the ring.
No sooner had he finished than a soldier from the main palace of the Council of Elders burst in, panting, blood covering him.
"Forgive me, Lord Jin Hai," he gasped, "but the enemy has breached the Third Gate. The Council requests your immediate presence to support them, and to summon the elite commander Wu Xin from the border battlefield."
Jin Hai did not hesitate. His usual calm shattered into intense worry. He rose swiftly from his desk, drew his sword, and moved like lightning—no, he was lightning itself.
In his haste, he forgot about the burning of the magical tools he had approved, and he forgot his daughter, resting quietly within the crystal.
Arriving at the gate, he found most of the Council members defending their sky bravely against an enemy long lurking, both openly and in secret. He drew his sword and cut through anyone in his path, alternating courage with recklessness. His only concern was the safety of his kingdom, his clan… and above all, his daughter.
Suddenly, he remembered her. He glanced at his hand, only to find the ring missing. He had left it on the table in his rush—a mistake unforgivable. A mistake that would cost him his life before it could even touch hers.
In that fleeting moment, as he realized his daughter's absence, a treacherous arrow pierced his heart. Perhaps from a Shadow soldier, perhaps from no one at all. He struggled to remove it, but the barbed tip made every movement agonizing.
A masked enemy approached, eyes cold and merciless, whispering into his ear:
"Do not try. Even if you remove it, the poison will not spare you."
Jin Hai paid no heed.
His heart ached, not from the arrow, but from his desperate wish to rush back to his daughter and hide her before she too vanished.
The masked figure smiled, a cruel, mocking smile, and whispered:
"I see you insist on pulling it out. I'll help, just a little."
Without warning, he yanked the arrow violently, tearing into Jin Hai's chest with horrific force. No one could have imagined that tender heart meeting such a cruel fate.
Jin Hai fell to his knees, one hand clutching his Thunder Sword, the other pressing against his shattered chest. Bitter tears fell for the destiny of his daughter, carved by his own errors, and he wailed, begging her forgiveness, hoping she could hear him somehow.
He bent forward, crushed by grief and sorrow, bowing his head in shame before his wife, soon to meet her, for he had failed to protect the precious life she entrusted to him.
The masked assailant observed him strangely, a flicker of grief passing over his features as though remembering a sad event, only to erase it immediately.
A lewd, mocking smile curved his lips as he whispered:
"When I cast her, I will tell her everything. Do not mourn her absence too much; I will deliver her to you swiftly. You will meet her soon enough."
And with that, he laughed and vanished, leaving Jin Hai to his final breaths.
Even in his proximity, Jin Hai could not discern the man clearly—only the sly, wicked smile burned into his memory. Oh, what a smile.
Oh, what misery.
Just the thought of his daughter in those crucial moments had cost him his life… and forgetting her presence at other moments had endangered hers.