prologue

Empress Lei Ching glided through the opulent halls of her palace, her silk robes rustling softly as she moved. But her mind was elsewhere, lost in a dream that felt all too real.

In her dream, she lay in her bed, surrounded by the trappings of her power. But suddenly, Wren Feng was upon her, pinning her down with a fierce strength. Lei struggled against Wren's grasp, but she was trapped.

Wren's face was twisted in a snarl, her eyes blazing with anger. Lei tried to scream, but her voice was silenced by some unseen force.

Just as Wren's grip began to choke the life from her, her face began to blur and shift. Rose Wing's gentle features replaced Wren's, tears streaming down her cheeks like rain.

Lei's dream-self struggled against the invisible restraints, her heart heavy with a sorrow she couldn't explain. Rose's tears fell like diamonds, each one piercing Lei's soul like a dagger.

The dream shattered like glass as Lei sat up in her bed, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She rubbed her eyes, trying to erase the lingering images. But the memory of Rose's tears lingered, haunting her.

As she rose from her bed, Lei felt a sense of foreboding. The storm that had been brewing in her mind was about to break, and she knew she couldn't escape its fury.