Chapter 1: The Forest of Shadows

Chapter 1: The Forest of Shadows

The mist swallowed the trees in silence, broken only by the sound of her ragged breaths and the faint cries of her children. She stumbled, clutching her swollen belly, her legs trembling beneath the weight of her pain.

Ahead of her, a man moved with quiet determination, his broad shoulders cutting through the fog like a beacon. He carried two of their children, his arms steady despite the strain, while the other two clung to his sides, their tiny hands clutching his tunic.

Li Wei.

She had not spoken his name aloud in weeks. It felt too fragile, too real—a name tethered to a past neither of them could fully escape.

She hadn't chosen him, just as he hadn't chosen her. The twisted men who had stolen them from their lives had forced this bond upon them, reducing them to nothing more than tools in their vile experiments. Yet, against all odds, a fragile partnership had formed between them, born not of love but of necessity.

He was her strength where hers faltered, her shield when the world threatened to crush her. She hated him for it as much as she was grateful.

"Keep going," he urged without turning back, his voice low and calm despite the chaos.

"I'm fine," she lied, though her body screamed otherwise.

The foggy forest loomed around them, a place spoken of in hushed warnings. It was said to devour those who entered, swallowing them whole. But they had no choice. The immortality-seekers would never stop hunting them, and this cursed place was their only hope.

---

She watched him from behind, his movements precise and deliberate. He had once told her he was a prince in his former life, stolen from his kingdom and stripped of his name. It was hard to reconcile the image of a royal with the hardened, silent man before her, but she had seen glimpses of it in the way he carried himself.

The children adored him, clinging to him like he was the sun in their stormy world. She envied the ease with which he earned their trust, though she knew it was born from necessity. In this unforgiving life, he was their protector, their anchor.

"Li Wei," she whispered, her voice trembling.

He stopped immediately, turning to her with a look of concern. His dark eyes, always so intense, softened slightly as he took her in. "What is it?"

"The twins..." She winced, clutching her stomach. "They're coming."

His jaw tightened, and he immediately knelt, setting the children down. "We need to stop."

"No!" she hissed, shaking her head. "They'll find us."

"They won't," he said firmly, his voice like steel. He guided her toward a sheltered hollow beneath a cluster of trees, his movements careful but swift.

As the labor began, she clenched her fists, biting back screams. The pain was unlike anything she had endured before, and yet, through the haze of agony, her eyes found his.

Li Wei stood at her side, his expression unreadable but his presence unwavering. He didn't flinch as she gripped his arm, her nails digging into his skin. Instead, he pressed a hand to her shoulder, grounding her.

"You've done this before," he said quietly, his tone oddly soothing. "You can do it again."

She managed a weak laugh between gasps. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one dying."

His expression darkened, but he said nothing.

When the first cry of a newborn echoed through the forest, she felt a fleeting moment of relief. But it was short-lived. Her body was failing, her vision dimming. She forced herself to look at him, to memorize his face one last time.

"Li Wei," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I'm here," he said, leaning closer. His face was tense, his eyes shining with a rare emotion she couldn't place.

"Protect them," she pleaded, her voice breaking. "Promise me."

"I will," he vowed, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands.

Her world began to blur, the fog around them thickening. The artifact in her pocket, her last link to something beyond this life, began to glow faintly. She felt its pull, the strange warmth wrapping around her like a cocoon.