10, February

She stood beneath the tree, Qīnglóng resting lightly in her left hand. A quiet smile curved her lips as she gazed at it with a look of gentle satisfaction.

"For everyone else, you're Qīnglóng," she murmured. Her voice paused, the breeze rustling through the leaves above. Then, with a warmth that flickered like hidden fire, she added,

"But for me… you're Azure."

She lifted the weapon slightly, feeling its weight settle into her palm as if it belonged there.

"I'll call you Azure," she whispered, her smile deepening. "Because from this moment on… you're my partner in this journey."

She planted the cane firmly into the ground, resting both hands atop its dragon-shaped head. For a moment, she stood there silently, the weapon before her like a knight's sword before a vast, unseen army. A faint smile touched her lips.

Then she let out a quiet sigh and lowered herself to sit beneath the tree, leaning back against its rough bark as her gaze drifted to the sky.

Now… what should I do…

The thought echoed through her mind, accompanied by a small, bitter laugh. She closed her eyes, her smile tinged with amusement and resignation.

I doubt I'll be able to set foot in that kingdom again…

Her fingers curled loosely around the cane as she whispered to herself,

After all… I've just been blamed for killing their king.

As she sat lost in thought, a voice drifted into her ears, quiet yet clear.

"You were also blamed for killing their king."

Her chest tightened at these words. For a moment, a strange relief flickered through her shock – she wasn't the only one. But then suspicion returned, coiling in her gut like a sleeping snake awakening.

Her gaze darted between the shadows, searching for the source of the voice. Her tone was low and serious, laced with a hint of confusion as she spoke.

"Show yourself… before I find you."

A lone figure stepped out from the forest near the tree where Lan had been resting. Clad entirely in black, their presence had been so silent, so perfectly hidden, that Lan hadn't sensed them at all.

They approached with an easy, unhurried gait and pulled back their dark cloak, revealing a faintly amused smile beneath the shadows. Letting out a low whistle, they spoke in a playful tone.

"Girl," they said lightly, "put that thing down. I'm here to talk, not to fight."

As the figure drew closer, their hands raised in a gesture of peace, their face gradually became clearer in the dim light.

Lan saw that it was a young man, probably in his twenties. His eyes gleamed a deep, unsettling red, and his black hair fell loosely to his neck. There was a faint smile playing on his lips, giving him an air of casual confidence.

The glow of his eyes under the moonlight sent a chill crawling up her spine.

Lan shifted her stance, bending slightly as if ready to strike at any moment. Her gaze narrowed sharply as she spoke in a cold, guarded tone.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "And why should I believe you're not here to capture me?"

As the young man with black hair approached, he slowly lowered his hands, his gaze drifting upward toward the sky. For a moment, he simply stood there, staring at the moon hanging among the scattered stars. A whisper slipped from his lips.

"Ah… It's been so long since I last saw the moon like this."

Then he turned his eyes to Lan, a faint smile curving his lips.

"I'm Hao," he said softly. The smile lingered for a moment before fading into a hint of disappointment. "I was also… blamed for killing King Zhao."

At his words, Lan's eyes widened in shock. Her guard lowered slightly as she whispered to herself,

"Wait… Zhao? Isn't that my surname? Though… I'm not actually from the Zhao family."

Zhao…

The name brushed against her thoughts, stirring a faint memory beneath the surface.

She saw a woman lying in a hospital bed, cradling a newborn in her arms. The woman wore pale hospital clothes, her light blonde hair falling softly around her shoulders. Her eyes, a gentle sky-blue, looked down at the baby with quiet wonder.

Suddenly, the door swung open with a soft creak. A man entered, his light brown hair slightly tousled, his deep black eyes bright with emotion. In his hands was a bouquet of fresh flowers, petals trembling as his grip shook.

The moment his gaze fell on them – the woman and their newborn child – tears welled up in his eyes. He let out a shaky, joyful laugh, his voice breaking with happiness.

"Thank you," he whispered, stepping closer, overwhelmed. "Thank you for… for giving me the most beautiful gift in this world. I… I didn't even know I could be this happy."

Lan's voice echoed softly in her mind, narrating the memory with a small smile.

"Sunday, 10 February, 2008. The day I was born. In the city of love… Paris, France. The most romantic city in the world."

The man wiped his tears and bent down to kiss the woman's forehead.

"Alice… did you think of a name for this little princess?"

"Lan… Lan Liu," she whispered, eyes glowing with tired joy. "It fits perfectly with your surname, Zhi."

He chuckled, his tears still falling as he stared at his daughter in awe. "Why not give her a French name? After all, she looks so much like you… Look at those eyes."

"No…" Alice whispered back with a gentle laugh, her gaze never leaving her child. "It won't match your surname. And… I love that name for her. I've always loved Chinese culture… You know that."

Lan's narration continued, her tone turning faintly amused, faintly distant.

"My full name was Lan Liu. But as I grew up, people kept saying I looked like a girl from a noble family. And… the fact that my grandma was from the Zhao family – one of the noble clans in Chinese history – well… my surname eventually changed from Liu to Zhao. Even my mom and dad started calling me that.

So… that's how I got the Zhao surname.

Honestly, I don't feel anything about it. But… I guess… It's an honour to be called a member of the Zhao. At least… I think so."

The memory began to fade, slipping away like mist at dawn.

Lan blinked, returning to the present, standing under the tree, facing the black-haired man who called himself Hao. She lowered her guard just slightly, her eyes narrowing with suspicion as she spoke in a serious, quiet tone.

"And… who was this King Zhao? Was he… the previous king before the one I…" She paused, realising what she had almost confessed, and quickly corrected herself, her voice tight with urgency. "I mean… the one I'm blamed for."

A faint smile tugged at Hao's lips as he heard her words. He turned away slightly, placing his hand against the rough bark of the tree beside him, gazing upward through its branches and whispering with a sombre seriousness.

"King Zhao… is the same king you're being blamed for now," he said softly. "The same king I was blamed for killing… two years ago."

Lan's eyes widened, shock flashing across her gaze. Her thoughts raced as she whispered silently in her mind.

Wait… the same king he was blamed for… is the one I'm being blamed for now…

Her grip around Azure tightened, the metal cool against her skin.

Lan's eyes darkened with a cold, focused intensity.

"Then tell me," she whispered, voice steady as steel. "What exactly happened… two years ago?"

Hao remained silent, his gaze lost beyond the tree branches, as if searching for an answer among the scattered stars.

The night breeze rustled the leaves above them, carrying the quiet scent of earth and moonlight. Lan waited, her grip tightening around Azure, her heart pounding with a single thought:

This world… this dream… just how deep does it go?

°°°