Curse of the Crimson Eyes

I sat at the middle table with a few militia members, holding a map.

“The front will be tough; place our strongest men at the front.” I stared down at the lines drawn in ink, lost in thought of the strength of my troops.

How are we going to win this war?

“How about we lay an ambush, General?” a soldier asked.

I turned to him, giving him a slow nod. “Good. Now….”

I paused mid-speech as a messenger burst through the tent doors, panting; he could barely stand upright.

What could be more urgent than this war?

“Report! My lord, creatures are attacking our kingdom,” he said in a rush, gasping for breath.

“What creature?” My mind almost went blank as he straightened with terror in his eyes.

“Animals… breathing fire.”

My heart rose, and the map in my hands fell.

Impossible…. She can’t transform, not yet.

“So? What of our defenses?”

“His Majesty,” the messenger moved backward upon seeing my gesture; he swallowed hard, trembling. “He has been injured."

I could see the sweat dripping from his head, and I stood up, and my men joined me.

Before I could even process the news, another voice shattered the air from the chaotic field outside. “Report! The realm's port has opened! Creature's breathing fire is intruding on our land!”

“Run!” a voice cried out as a shadow rushed past our open door.

No, no, no, this is bad.

I sprinted outside at once, throwing myself onto my horse. But before my boots could even clear the stirrups, an enemy arrow sliced through the air, striking my mount and crippling it beneath me. I jumped clear, spinning through the ash and landing hard against a pile of dead bodies.

“General! Run!” a voice cried out, and I tilted in the direction as an arrow passed through my favourite soldier's throat.

All around me, my soldiers were losing their lives; my heart ached, and I rose to my feet, taking in a sharp breath of the smoky air.

“Defeated by a bow? No, not of a mere man! Dance to the song you play!” I roared at the sky.

Dark, suffocating smoke erupted from my trembling palms as my body tore apart, changing. A searing liquid dropped from my eyes, sharpening my irises until they sliced the air in two. The battlefield fell into a terrified silence as the enemy looked up at me.

“Run!” a panicked voice screamed from the darkness below. “A demon is in the air!”

I had no choice but to release my secret, even if the consequences were irreversible.

“Run…. A demon is in the air.”

A violent wind blew, and I turned, flying into the sky.



Jùn convulsed on the silk sheets, his chest heaving as a heavy, unnatural chill gripped his body.

Queen Yù Yuè stirred in her sleep, turning to the other side of the bed. She stretched her arm out to reach her sleeping son, but her eyelashes fluttered open at the sound of a heavy breath.

What’s that?

Her gaze fell on her shivering child, his skin soaked in cold sweat; her heartbeat stopped, and a lump blocked her throat.

She swallowed hard, taking off the blanket. “Jùn!” She sat up instantly, drawing his shaky frame tightly against her chest.

My young son, what haunted your dreams this time?

"I'm here,” fear filled her tiny, breaking voice. “Just open your eyes. You are scaring me.”

Tears flooded her eyes as she patted her son’s damp hair. Her trembling lips began mumbling a protective incantation.

Along the stone walls, the lit candles flared, burning with a sudden, intense heat, while the smoke from the incense sticks thickened, filling the room endlessly. Beneath her arm, the boy's heart hammered wildly like a trapped bird.

“Mother,” a faint, strained word escaped his lips as his eyes fluttered open

He gasped for air, his small fingers clutching her silken sleeve, as though she might vanish if he let go.

Lord! Save my son; he's your descendant. She brushed his sweat-soaked hair from his forehead, controlling her trembling arms.

"Tell me what you saw," she murmured softly. He shook his head as tears spilled down his cheeks.

"Don't be afraid." Closing her worried eyes, she pressed a tender kiss to his brow. "Nothing will happen to you. I promise." The lie tasted bitter even as she spoke it.

Lord, my son bears the weight of the throne. I beg you—deliver him from these nightmares that plague his innocent sleep.

Her heart shattered with every fractured sob the boy took. In desperation, she kept her eyes shut tight, praying that his dreams would stop.

Slowly, his rigid muscles released their tension. His breathing leveled out, and he fell back asleep in his mother's arms.

As she sat watching over him, her thoughts drifted to the bitter words the high priest had spoken to her during their last audience:

‘This is weird, and so anomalous; every prince of Huǒyuán carries a birth cultivation. Why is your boy showing no sign of inheriting the divine bloodline?"

Yù Yuè’s jaw tightened at the memory, and she looked down at her sleeping son.

‘Why don't you dare ask your king? I carried his blood and brought it to life. Do not question my sacrifice.’

‘Her Highness is benevolent and a loyal member of the monarch's family. The blood of Tiān runs in the boy's veins; his cultivation can be practiced in time.’

‘Lord Tian Hao, our ancestor, was said to be demonic and destructive and rumored to be an incarnation of god Tian. How was his birth?

‘Our queen is far too educated in the royal histories to be questioned.’



The morning sun finally broke through the eastern clouds, casting its pale light upon the towering spires of the Sì Tiān Temple, the quarter of spiritual force in the kingdom. The sacred inscription on the outer wall shimmered in its ancient, foreign language.

The monarch family arrived at the temple gate in total silence. The grand hall loomed vast and ancient, its massive stone pillars drenched in centuries of heavy incense. Flickering candlelight danced across relics older than the kingdom itself.

“Long live Your Majesty. " May you live long, Your Highness,” a court eunuch murmured, kowtowing low onto the stone pavilion. He pressed his folded palms together, bowing his head to the earth. “We never expected your sudden visit. The High Priest has been locked within the mediation hall for days now.”

At the center of the vest hall, the High Priest sat cross-legged, a thick haze of incense curling around his rigid shoulder. The royal family entered without a sound, settling themselves onto the side meditation mats.

Time stretched unnaturally long. The priest remained frozen in the exact same posture, his eyes tightly shut, but his lips moved in a silent, rapid chant, beating against each other without uttering a single audible word. Sweat drenched his garments.

Tiān Jùn slept fitfully in his mother's lap while the hours stretched on towards noon. The weight of the incantation pressed heavily against the air as the mumbling words became louder.

At last, his eyes flew open.

The tension in the hall snapped as the priest’s voice thundered.

"Let him dream!"

Queen Yù Yuè’s hold on her son tightened.

“When the time is right," the priest continued, his voice dropping into a whisper, "the flame will return to the fire."

Yù Yuè felt blood drain from her face. Beside her, King Tiān Lóngxuān did not move a single muscle. His posture remained rigid, his expression composed—but fear flickered beneath it, swift and unmistakable.

The priest shut his eyes and continued his incantation.

Without a word, King Tiān Lóngxuān rose to his feet, dissolving subtly in the air.

His Highness is in a bad mood. Queen Yù Yuè looked down at her son, who was sleeping peacefully in her lap. She patted his hair as a smile tugged at her lips.

How I wish you could sleep like this every night. She sat still, refusing to wake him as the bright sky slowly matured, darkening into late twilight and then into total nightfall. The full moon hung high in the sky, but the high priest remained seated, still mumbling unknown words.

“Mama…” Jùn’s sleepy eyes opened slowly as she lifted him, cradling him in her arms.

You must have been so tired. “Sleep more, sleep on my arm; we will be home soon.” She rose to her feet, releasing a fracture of her magic. They dissolved in the air, materializing in her palace chamber.

“Mama. I'm tired,” Jùn mumbled, scratching his eyes.

She laid him on her bed, smiling. “I know you will be. Mother is here, sleep, son.”

He held her gown, returning back to sleep. Her heart ached to watch him sleep like a child he is.

Slipping onto the mattress beside him, she began singing a poem, her hand gently patting his back as her gaze drifted out the window to the bright full moon.

It’s barely winter, why is the moon full?

“The moon is bright; the wind is quiet; the tree leaves hang over the window.”

“My baby, go to sleep quickly. Sleep, dreaming sweet dreams….”

Her voice died and her gentle smile faded from her lips as she noticed the air was slowly becoming heavy and poisonous; a gloomy cloud bled across the moon, swallowing its light. She sat up instantly.

It’s not the monarch's night. What was that?

A chilly breeze crept through the window, causing the candles in the lampstand to flicker wildly.

This is abnormal; hmm? Could my son’s mate been put to birth?

She kept her gaze fixed on the darkened sky as her mind drifted; lowering her palm to pat her son; “Ouch!” She yanked her fingers away in panic as a volatile spark ran sharply through her body, releasing her royal energy.

She adjusted sharply, almost to the mattress end, tilting to her son.

What can I do, Lord? You know how willing I’m but I’m just a mere being under your protection.

Jùn turned to his side in his sleep, shivering convulsively as his body released a weird spike of raw energy; the sheer force of it caused a visible spark.

His lip beat in a whisper, and she drew closer to him, holding her bleeding heart.

The fire from the candles turned pure blue, increasing its height to the room's ceiling.

Jùn? Wake up! Tears dropped from her eyes with every blink.

“Jùn! Wake up!” She swallowed her tears, taking a deep breath; pulling him onto her chest, she transferred her life energy into him, holding him tightly as every shook passed through her .

But the venomous air in the room only thickened. One by one, the candles flickered off, plunging them into total darkness. Yù Yuè coughed thick blood as her muscles weakened under the creeping venom; a searing liquid dropped from her son's eyes, falling on her shoulder.

He fell from her grip, and she clutched her chest, panting heavily for air; the liquid burnt her skin, then deepened into her body.

No, no! Nothing will happen to you; you are a royal!

She winced in pain, gnashing her teeth. “Mama…” he mumbled weakly, and his eyes snapped open.

The air in the room returned to normal immediately, and the candle rekindled.

Coughing up a thicken dark blood, pain tore through his chest, releasing a sharp spark through his numb fingers; air rushed back into his lungs and he choked out. “Mama,” his weak lashes fluttered as he looked up to her.

The searing pain disappeared, and her heaved breath slowly returned to normal; her weak eyes, shone as her gaze met her awake son.

She wiped her teary eyes, opening her arms for an embrace.

His Highness may be in a bad mood, but our son….

By the time the morning sun touched the palace statue, Queen Yù Yue already stood outside the King's private hall; the morning breeze tugged at her heavy gown.

Her gaze fixed entirely on the closed wooden door. The door creaked open, and a senior eunuch stepped out, hastily shutting the door behind him.

He startled upon seeing a new status, he strained his gaze taking a step forward.

“Your Highness!” he exclaimed, rushing to her side. “May you live long.” The eunuch stammered, kowtowing instantly and pressing his folded palms together.

“Please retire, Your Highness. His Majesty’s illusory mask has faded, and that will be unhealthy for you. Please adhere to the order.”

Her gaze remained fixed on the door.

Jùn was left alone on the bed. I need to return soon. Her tensed shoulder stiffened, and she forced a smile, facing the sealed door.

“Your Highness is benevolent and merciful. Please attend your last unfinished meeting with Prince Lee.”

Prince Lee? “They are dismissed!” She lowered her head, taking a deep breath.

When the sun climbed high into the midday sky, the doors finally creaked open; the King's personal attendants walked out of the chamber with their heads low.

Queen Yù Yue raised her head, her wearied eyelashes fluttering weakly and she entered the cold hall.

She stopped in the middle of the chamber, bowing deeply toward the throne.

"My lord…" She raised her head, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “How was your night?”

In the Queen's chambers, young Tiān Jùn woke up alone.

Mama?

"Mother?" he called out.

He spun around the mattress, rubbing his eyes.

No answer.

He sat up, turning around.

A personal maid who stood at the side of the bed bowed respectfully as he brought his legs over‌ the edge of the bed. "Her Majesty is with the King, Your Highness."

Jùn crept down from the bed and walked out of the chamber; the maid followed behind him.

Tiān Jùn walked down the palace corridor. The royal guards stood stiffly as he walked past them toward the king’s private hall.

Jùn stopped, looking back at his attendant. "Is my mother inside?" he asked, pointing at the tall wooden door, before him. The maid halted, nodding softly, and he continued forward alone.

He stopped close to his hall’s door and — the silence broken to strained voices from within.

Mama?

He leaned forward and peered through a narrow crack.

Inside, Queen Yù Yuè on her knees, faced her husband, her eyes full of sorrow.

"My king... I don't want our son to die," her voice broke. Her eyes filled with streaming tears. "These dreams — they're not ordinary anymore." She released her shivering, clenched fist, fighting back her tears.

"These dreams are getting worse…"

She choked on her words as a piece of her last night flashed through her teary eyes. "Your Highness…"

The king turned away from her toward the empty throne opposite him, feeling sentiment in her voice, and his shoulders remained rigid.

"I know," he swung a single arm behind his back, walking up the steps toward his throne.

It’s time.

"They will only grow worse. That is why… it may be time to find him a companion."

Yù Yuè’s gaze sharpened, and she raised her head towards him in disbelief; she lost her balance, falling to the marbled floor as her watery eyes poured.

"He is still a child," she cried, beating her chest in agony. “He knows nothing of cultivation, nothing of power—he is our son!"

How can you say that? The immortal Lord will do more harm than good!

Her thoughts filled the hall, and she looked around, breathing heavily. Silence stretched between them; her eyes tracking his heavy footsteps as he paced the dais.

Please don’t do this… my lord.

Her knuckles turned white as the blood in her body slowly disappeared; she released her fist, trembling.

"What would you have me do?" the king roared. Energy emitted from his voice blasting the pillar in the hall; a part of the wall creaked and crumbles of stones fell.

“You humans are weak!”

Too weak to take my blood a second time.

Before her, he dissolved into thin air.

Outside the chamber doors, Tiān Jùn lost his balance, collapsing to his knees.

Far to the southern Huǒyuán, fate took another shape. Lord Chen, a wealthy trader from the Southern Province, was a man deeply respected by villagers and merchants alike.

His estate stood as a symbol of fortune, and after his wedding to a temple keeper, he became more popular in the country; but his nights began stretching longer than a regular day. Dreams meant for the royal priest slipped into his calm night.

“Help! Is anyone there?”

I grumbled in the dark room, patting the empty air before me, trying to find the door.

“Chen… here.” A ragged voice echoed, and the darkness closed in.

I could feel something… it was following my steps.

Hot sweat from my head dripped down my forehead.

“Here’s the key.”

An icy voice blew past my ear. I froze, tightening my fist; quickly, I ran but bumped into a tree.

“Please