The southern winds were warmer. Sweet with the scent of wet stone and fallen petals. They followed an ancient trail now—one lost to time, carved into the jungle by something older than any dynasty.
Li Yuan walked ahead, cutting away vines with his blade. Rui followed, his robes damp with dew, silver hair clinging to his temples. He no longer looked like a fragile bride.
He looked like someone born from the mountain itself—silent, watchful, wild.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Li Yuan asked, pausing near a stone arch half-buried in moss.
Rui didn't answer immediately. He stepped forward instead, placing a hand against the cracked stone.
Symbols beneath his fingers flared faintly—silver, like moonlight on water.
"I'm sure," he said.
Inside the Temple
The air changed as soon as they crossed the threshold. It was colder, sharper. Rui drew in a breath and felt it thrum through his bones. Power lingered here—not violent, not malevolent. But deep. Ancient.
Their footsteps echoed as they walked into the ruin. Broken pillars lined the path. A collapsed ceiling opened the way for beams of sunlight to pierce through the dust.
In the center stood a shallow pool of water, perfectly still.
Around it, inscriptions covered the walls—half buried, half glowing.
Li Yuan lit a lantern. "This place wasn't made for mortals."
"No," Rui whispered, stepping closer to the water. "It was made for a union."
Li Yuan's brow furrowed. "A marriage altar?"
Rui knelt before the pool. His reflection stared back at him—eyes shadowed, hair like liquid starlight.
He spoke softly. "My mother once told me a story. About a child born under an eclipse. Marked by both gods and demons. That child's bloodline would determine the fate of the empire."
Li Yuan stiffened. "You think it's you?"
Rui said nothing.
But he didn't deny it.
Prophecies in Stone
The inscriptions on the walls seemed to shift as they looked closer—like the stone itself responded to their presence.
Li Yuan traced the edge of one rune.
It showed two figures: one cloaked in silver flame, the other wreathed in shadow and gold. Between them stood a collapsing city. And above it all, a divine beast—half dragon, half bird—watching with sorrowful eyes.
"They've seen this before," Rui murmured. "Centuries ago."
Li Yuan glanced at him. "This isn't just about you."
"No," Rui said. "It's about us."
Their eyes met.
For a moment, silence swelled between them—not empty, but charged.
"We weren't just brought together by conquest," Rui added quietly. "There's a reason. The land feels it. The heavens feel it."
Li Yuan stepped closer. "Do you?"
Rui looked away. "I don't know."
But Li Yuan did.
He felt it in the way Rui's presence quieted his blood. In the way the world felt more fragile with him in it. And in how, for the first time, power wasn't enough—he wanted to be chosen.
Not feared.
Not obeyed.
Chosen.
In the Shadows
That night, they camped beneath the temple's broken roof. Li Yuan made a small fire, shielding it with his cloak. Rui sat across from him, knees drawn up, his expression unreadable.
Li Yuan finally spoke. "I know you still regret what happened between us."
Rui didn't look at him. "It was a mistake."
"Was it?"
Silence.
Li Yuan's voice dropped. "You think I forced you. That your weakness cost you something."
"No." Rui's fingers clenched. "I hate that I wanted it."
That silenced even the fire.
"I hate that I felt… something. Because it means I'm no longer in control."
Li Yuan stared at him. "And you'd rather be cold?"
"I'd rather be safe."
Li Yuan crossed the space between them. "Then hate me. Curse me. But I won't stop."
Rui's breath hitched.
"I don't want you safe," Li Yuan said, voice trembling. "I want you alive. With me. Even if you burn me."
His hand found Rui's, slow, steady.
Rui didn't pull away.
Elsewhere: A Court Divided
Back in the palace, unrest simmered beneath brocade and gold.
Whispers grew louder in the dark corridors. The emperor's absence left a vacuum. Some called it fate. Others called it weakness.
Minister Zhao stood beneath the moon gate, listening to envoys from the Western Reach.
"He has gone too far," one of them said. "This marriage threatens the balance of our treaties. Your emperor forgets the cost of playing with divine blood."
Zhao's smile was thin. "He forgets much. But he will be reminded."
Another envoy tossed a scroll onto the table. "The High Oracle of the Azure Temple has spoken. The union of the silver line and the conqueror will either save the empire... or destroy it."
Zhao's eyes glittered. "Then we must ensure their separation."
The envoys nodded.
Descent
At dawn, Rui and Li Yuan descended deeper into the ruin. Below the altar, a stair spiraled into the earth.It led them to a sealed chamber, untouched by time. Rui placed his hand on the door—again, the sigils responded to his blood.
Inside, starlight gleamed from nowhere.
Crystals lined the walls, humming.
In the center stood a stone dais, and upon it—an ancient crown, forged of silver and night.
Rui stepped forward, trembling.
"What is this place?" Li Yuan whispered.
Rui's voice was soft. "The resting place of the Skyborne Line. The guardians of balance."
Li Yuan exhaled. "Your ancestors."
"No." Rui reached out to touch the crown. "My destiny."