Embers

The carriage creaked to a halt, jolting its passengers. Wenji barely moved, long accustomed to such stops, but Lianxue pitched forward with a soft gasp—only to be caught by a steady hand. The older man sighed, not out of irritation, but with the quiet fatigue of someone watching a child make a familiar mistake. He eased her back to her seat with the gentleness of a man more used to command than comfort.

His large hands, rough from years of swordsmanship and command, lingered a moment before withdrawing. Ming'er pulled back the curtain, ushering in a breeze along with her wide, easy smile—like a burst of fresh air.

"Is everything okay out there?" Wenji asked. His tone was clipped and authoritative, more fitting for the battlefield than the quiet streets.

Ming'er dipped into a deep bow, her hands folded one atop the other in a prayerful pose. The movement of her long sleeves caught the wind, drifting around her like trailing banners. She held the pose, head bowed, awaiting permission to move.

"Apologies for the abrupt stop, General," she said. "The road ahead is too crowded. We'll need to continue on foot."

Lianxue watched the exchange, absorbing every detail. Ming'er's mannerisms were graceful and obedient, but there was a playful warmth in her voice that seemed to soften the stiffness of formality. It made Lianxue smile unconsciously—though she wasn't sure if it was because of Ming'er herself or the momentary lightness she brought.

Wenji exhaled slowly, a subtle sign of frustration. He'd hoped for more time alone with his daughter—uninterrupted. Moments like this were rare, and it had taken so long to coax even a sliver of openness from her. Still, he kept his expression neutral, merely stroking his beard in thought. He'd picked up the habit after quitting tobacco, and now he reached for it without thinking, a substitute for the pipe that had once accompanied him on every march.

"There's no other route to the textile market?" he asked, brow slightly raised.

"No, sir. Some roads are closed because of the attack last night. Repairs are still underway."

Lianxue's ears pricked at the mention of the attack. She swallowed her questions—curiosity could be dangerous. She was already feigning memory loss; asking too many questions might make her father suspicious. And if he turned against her, she wouldn't last long. Her only hope was to win trust, to gather allies, and to survive until she understood this world and her place in it.

Her sleeve hid the slight strain behind the smile, the forced curve of her lips. Her cheeks rounded with the smile, lifting small lines near her eyes—faint, but there.

"It's okay," she said gently. "You can show me around and tell me some history."

The effect was immediate. Wenji brightened. A rare, genuine smile stretched across his face, softening the stern lines. He sat up straighter, pride and nostalgia warming his features. Leaning forward quickly, one elbow resting on his knee, he nodded happily, a pleased glint in his eyes.

"I can show you where your mother and I first met," he said.

Lianxue's breath caught in her throat. That one sentence carried more weight than he likely knew. She held the smile, afraid it would crack if she let it go. Too much of this world was still a mystery. And yet, the idea that her mother had lived, had loved, had walked these same streets... It made her chest hurt. This was Lianxue's life. Wasn't it? Did she have a right living it?

Wenji waved Ming'er off with casual authority. He was clearly more comfortable in the old hierarchies of command than Lianxue was in her new role as a noble daughter. She watched Ming'er bow again, taking several large steps back before standing at attention. The girl's grin remained fixed in place—silly, earnest, and disarming. It made Lianxue ache. There was something heartbreakingly pure in that smile, something untainted.

Slowly, the father and daughter exited the carriage.

Street actors blew fire on street corners, filling the air with the pungent scent of burning oil and rags. Bridges spanned between stacked, narrow buildings—rooftops layered like steps to the sky. The air swirled with spices, roasted chicken, and the oily scent of fire-breathers. Children shrieked with laughter as they tossed popping fireworks, their joy echoing through the alleyways.

The architecture rose skyward rather than sprawling out, a testament to cramped but clever design. The homes were tightly packed, yet sturdy. People hung clothing from the lines that crossed the roads and alleyways. 

Lianxue looked around her, drinking in the riot of color and motion. Birds with jewel-toned feathers chirped from twisted trees laced with glowing blue veins of Qi. Prayer papers fluttered from the branches, their wishes tangled in the breeze.

Wenji stepped down first, then turned, gesturing for her to wait. His large hand held up to stop her, snapping her out of her daze.

"Hold on. Let the stairs come down first."

"I can manage," she murmured under her breath, half hidden by her sleeve.

"Lianxue," he said with mild reprimand, speaking quietly but firmly, "how many times has your auntie told you to wait for the stairs?"

Startled, she looked up at him, then quickly glanced away. She stepped to the edge of the short carriage doorway, her heart fluttering uncomfortably. The chimes in her hair gave a soft jingle as she moved.

"I don't know... I don't even remember what I had for breakfast yesterday..." she thought, her pulse quickening.

Before she could think of an answer for Wenji, a scraping noise pulled her attention downward. Wood against stone. She jumped slightly. A guard had placed a set of red-lacquered stairs before her.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning out the bustle. The world narrowed to a pair of eyes she couldn't place—but couldn't ignore.

Their eyes met for a heartbeat. Something about him twisted her gut—familiar, but wrong. Her pulse quickened. Those eyes didn't belong here. Not with the soldiers. Not with safety.

Then the moment passed. The guard dipped his head and stepped away, vanishing into the cluster of soldiers.

Wenji was already barking soft commands, organizing the escort. The guards wore matching armor, rigid and uniform. He disappeared into them easily, just another figure among dozens. With their helmets on, they were impossible to distinguish.

"Lianxue," her father's voice called out again. "I've got a group ready to go with us."

She turned, blinking away the residue of unease. His outstretched hand waited—steady, weathered. She hesitated just a moment, then placed hers in his.

As soon as her hand touched her father's, the world exploded.

The shockwave hit with a deafening crack, and before Lianxue could even react, the ground beneath her feet vanished in a violent burst of heat and sound. Her scream swallowed by the roar of fire.

Pain, sharp and immediate, tore through her body. Dust and ash filled the air, coating her lungs and stinging her eyes. The world spun. Her body hit the ground with a sickening thud, her knees scraping against jagged stone, and the world seemed to shatter into a thousand fragmented pieces of sound and sensation.

She gasped, struggling to breathe. The acrid scent of burning wood and flesh stung the air. Her dress, once elegant and pristine, was now torn, blackened with soot, and soaked with blood from the cuts that crisscrossed her arms and legs. Her skin felt raw, her body aching with every breath. Her head rang like a bell, and her ears throbbed with a constant high-pitched whine.

The flames roared around her, devouring the once-vibrant streets with a ferocity that felt alive. The heat was unbearable, licking at her skin even as she tried to shield herself. Her chest tightened, and she choked on the dust that filled the air, but she could barely think past the agony.

Through the haze of smoke and flame, she could hear the distant voices of guards, shouting in alarm, but one voice stood out, cutting through the chaos like a blade.

"Lianxue!"

It was Wenji. His voice was frantic, terrified, calling her name over and over as though he could will her back into existence. The sound of his desperation pushed her forward, through the pain and the ringing in her ears. She forced herself to move, each movement sending spikes of agony through her body.

Dragging herself to her hands and knees, Lianxue gritted her teeth against the sharp pain in her legs. She wasn't sure how she was still conscious, but there was something inside her that refused to let her give in. She couldn't—she wouldn't—stay down. Not here. Not now.

Blood mixed with soot and dirt as she pulled herself away from the fire, her hands scraping over broken glass and stone, anything she could find to push herself forward. Every inch was a struggle, but her body moved instinctively, crawling towards the distant sound of her father's voice.

Her dress, now in tatters, exposing raw, scratched skin beneath. Her knees raw, scraped and bleeding. Still, she didn't stop.

More explosions rang out in the distance, their force shaking the very ground beneath her. She could see the plumes of smoke rising into the sky, black and thick, suffocating the sun. The flames spread with terrifying speed, devouring the marketplace, the streets—everything in their path. The cries of the injured and dying filled the air, mingling with the roar of the fire. People scattered, fleeing the destruction, but for Lianxue, She had to keep moving.

"Father!" she shouted, her voice breaking with the strain, barely carrying over the din of the fire and destruction.

Her legs buckled as she tried to stand, but she reached out, her hand clutching the remnants of a shattered wooden beam. Her fingers trembled as she wrapped her hands around the jagged edges, using it to pull herself upright. The pain in her ribs flared with every breath, but she couldn't afford to slow down. The path ahead was the only one she could see, the only one that seemed clear.

The fire roared behind her as she made her way through the wreckage, each step careful, her breath shallow. She was dimly aware of the chaos around her—the crumbling buildings, the heat that seemed to burn everything in its wake, the flames that reached toward the sky with explosive bursts of fire Qi.

Lianxue's eyes watered from the smoke, her vision swimming. But she focused on the path ahead, on the sound of her father's voice.

"Lianxue! Where are you?!"

The panic in his voice made her heart pound harder in her chest. She wasn't sure how much longer she could last—her strength was waning, her body heavy with the weight of pain. 

Through the haze, she saw him—Wenji, his face streaked with soot, his eyes wild with fear. He pushed through the crowd of soldiers, barking orders to clear the path, his gaze scanning frantically over the wreckage for her.

"Lianxue!" He screamed again, but this time, she managed to croak back, her voice hoarse and strained.

"I'm here!" she shouted, her chest heaving as she finally staggered to her feet, the guards and civilians racing around with buckets of water, channeling Qi techniques or summoning spiritual beasts to help put out the flames. However, that wasn't all there was to it.

As Lianxue went to scream for Wenji once more, her body stumbling forward with the wood beam in hand. The wood clattering to the ground as she fell forward with a groan. The ground shook behind her, stone and wood from the broken and crumbling buildings on fire falling down even more from the shock.

A large demon stood looming over her, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. 

Large claws that curled inward, horns that came out in rows on top of its head, a detached mouth that opened far to wide revealing rows of sharp shark like teeth. Blacken eyes that were sunken in, peering directly into her soul. Its large body spreading out the webbed wings as it took a step forward. Its large body leaning forward to walk on its toes and knuckles. 

Lianxue felt her blood go cold, her hand twitched around the board while the cries and screams of Wenji were drowned out. Only her pounding heart sounding in her ears while she staggered to get on her feet, the wood beam dragging along the broken stone and dirt path leaving a small trail. She would fight... She couldn't die... Wenji would be beside himself.

Holding the broken and slightly burnt beam in front of her like a two handed sword, she narrowed her eyes and placed her feet in the dirt, unsure if she was even in a proper stance. All Lianxue knew, was that she needed to fight!