Pov Anna
Child of shou feng .
The words echoed through the museum hall.
Anna's breath slowed.
For Alex, it might have sounded like nonsense.
But Anna knew exactly what it meant.
She could still feel it.
The wind.
The power that Shou Feng had placed in her hands in another world.
Beside her, Alex blinked in confusion.
"Okay," he said slowly, pointing toward the cracked floor, "I feel like we skipped about twenty explanations."
Anna didn't answer.
Her eyes moved instead to the man standing a few steps away.
The man with the serpent draped across his shoulders.
The man who had walked out of the painting.
The man who had been watching her from the moment he appeared.
"You know i am not child of shou feng , i am his—" Anna said quietly.
The man tilted his head slightly.
His golden eyes gleamed under the red emergency lights.
"His what? Lover?"
Anna stepped forward.
"Partner."
For a moment, the room was silent except for the faint rumble coming from beneath the floor.
Then the man smiled.
Slowly.
And the smile carried no warmth.
"Of course I did."
Alex looked between them.
"…What?"
The serpent shifted around the man's shoulders, its scales sliding softly against the fabric of his robes.
"You opened the Wind Whisperer's case," the man continued calmly.
"There are not many people left who could do that."
Anna's jaw tightened.
"You planned this."
The man chuckled quietly.
"Planned?" he repeated.
"No."
His gaze drifted briefly toward the massive painting of Shou Feng at the end of the hall.
"But I did hope you would come."
Alex frowned.
"Alright," he said, raising a hand, "I'm going to need someone to explain why my museum just turned into a fantasy movie."
Anna ignored him.
Her attention never left the man.
"Why?" she asked.
The serpent lifted its head slightly, its tongue flicking through the air.
The man's golden eyes darkened.
"For centuries," he said softly, "this place has held far too many secrets."
He gestured lazily toward the artifacts lining the room.
"Kazan's blade."
"Renji's whatever."
"Tomika's seal."
"And Shou Feng's relics."
His gaze returned to Anna.
"But none of them matter as much as the wind he left behind."
A faint breeze stirred through the hall.
Anna felt it immediately. It's still here , the power . She glanced back at the wind whisperer as it was calling for her .
The wind wasn't coming from outside.
It was responding to her.
The man noticed.
A flicker of interest crossed his expression.
"So it's still there," he murmured.
Alex stared at Anna.
"Please tell me that breeze is the air conditioning."
Anna ignored him again.
"You're trying to break the seal," she said.
The man's smile widened.
"Very good."
The marble floor trembled again.
The crack near the center of the room spread another inch.
Dark smoke curled upward from the opening.
Alex backed away nervously.
"Yeah, I really don't like that."
The man didn't even glance at it.
His attention remained entirely on Anna.
"You see," he continued softly, "the prison beneath this building was never meant to last forever."
His golden eyes gleamed.
"It only needed one small push."
Anna's voice turned cold.
"And I was the push."
The man gave a small nod.
"Yes."
For a moment, silence filled the hall.
Then Anna stepped forward again.
The wind around her grew stronger.
Invisible currents swirled along the marble floor, lifting small pieces of broken glass into the air.
Alex's eyes widened.
"…Okay," he whispered.
"That's definitely not air conditioning."
The man watched the rising wind with fascination.
"Beautiful," he said quietly.
"The same power that stood beside Shou Feng himself."
Anna's voice dropped.
"You're not getting it."
The serpent slid slowly from the man's shoulders onto the floor.
Its body stretched across the marble like a dark river of scales.
The man's smile turned sharp.
"Oh," he said softly.
"I already have."
The snake suddenly grew larger.
Its body expanding as it coiled across the hall.
Alex stumbled backward.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me."
Anna raised her hand slowly.
The wind gathered instantly.
The air in the museum began to roar.
Across from her, the man lifted his own hand.
Golden energy flickered around his fingers.
The emergency lights above them flickered violently.
Two forces filled the hall.
Storm.
And venom.
The man's golden eyes locked onto hers.
"Well then," he said quietly,
"let's see if the legend was telling the truth about you."
And the battle began.
To be continued...