Three nights had passed since Seris slipped him the Ember Fang Technique scroll. Ryu had practiced until his arms felt like stone, muscles screaming in pain. But progress was steady.
[Ember Fang Technique – Level 2 → Damage Boost +12%, Fire Qi Affinity unlocked.]
The flame that once flickered at his fists now coiled like a serpent, waiting to strike.
Still, something gnawed at him.
Seris hadn’t returned to the library. Not since that night.
And then, at the strike of midnight, he found a note slipped under his chamber door.
“West Wing Courtyard. No guards. Don’t be late. Bring courage—not questions.”
No signature, but he knew that handwriting.
West Wing – Abandoned Courtyard
The place had long been forgotten. Weeds pushed through broken tiles. Ivy choked the archways. Statues of old emperors lay toppled and moss-covered.
And in the center, standing with her hood up, was Seris.
“You came,” she said, not looking up.
“I’m a prince. I go where I want,” Ryu replied with a smirk, hands in his cloak pockets.
“Then I suppose a prince won’t mind committing a little treason tonight.”
Ryu raised a brow. “You’re serious.”
Seris tossed him a silver key with the imperial crest. “The upper library vault. Sealed since the reign of Emperor Vireon the Cruel.”
“Sounds lovely.”
“They say he kept forbidden techniques from conquered sects—ones that twisted men into monsters. The current Emperor banned them, but your bloodline is the only one that can open the door.”
Ryu eyed her. “And you want me to do it.”
“I want to know the truth,” Seris said quietly. “About this empire. About what they buried.”
Her voice trembled—not from fear, but something deeper.
Pain.
Upper Library Vault – One Hour Later
Torchlight danced across the marble floor as they descended the spiral staircase behind a hidden shelf. Ryu used the crest-key. Ancient gears shifted. A heavy door groaned open.
Inside: silence.
Scrolls floated midair in sealed crystal tubes. Each was marked with symbols that shimmered with warning.
Cursed|Unstable|Bloodbound
“Which one are we looking for?” Ryu asked.
Seris pointed to the far wall. “That one. The scroll with the black flame seal. That’s the one Emperor Vireon used when he wiped out the Flamewing Sect.”
Ryu approached it slowly. A sense of heat pulsed from the crystal—even though no fire burned.
As he reached out, the System chimed:
[New Technique Detected: Black Phoenix Talon(Tier: Earth Low)]
“A forbidden fire-based strike technique. Converts internal energy into black flame. Burns the soul of the target. May damage the user if control is lacking.” Ryu’s pulse quickened.
“You’re not supposed to touch that,” a voice said sharply.
They both turned.
A man stood at the entrance, clad in crimson armor with a blade resting lazily on his shoulder.
Commander Talrik—personal enforcer of the Emperor.
“You’ve broken at least five imperial laws,” Talrik said, cracking his neck. “But for you, Prince Ryu… I’ve been told to make this look like an accident.”
Ryu stepped in front of Seris. “You’ll have to try.”
[Combat Initiated]
[Combat Boost: Ember Fang Technique activated – Lv. 2]
[Heat Surge: +10% Speed in Fire Qi zones]
Ryu lunged forward, flames bursting from his fists. Talrik met the strike with his blade, but the sudden heat knocked him off balance.
The scroll behind them pulsed.
[Would you like to bind: Black Phoenix Talon? Warning: Use may cause internal backlash.]
Ryu gritted his teeth. “Do it.”
[Technique bound.]
He spun, fire coiling around his arm in jagged shapes. His voice echoed in the vault:
“Black Phoenix—TALON STRIKE!”
He launched the attack.
A wave of dark flame exploded from his palm—spiraling like a winged beast. It smashed into Talrik, sending him through the vault wall with a deafening roar.
Silence.
The crystal tubes cracked.
Smoke filled the chamber.
Seris rushed to him. “That flame… it wasn’t normal fire.”
“It burned through my veins,” Ryu said, coughing. “But it worked.”
She touched his wrist. “You're burning up. The scroll warned about backlash.”
“I’ll survive.”
He smiled faintly, eyes glowing like embers.
“I always do.”
Then—laughter.
Talrik stood, steam rising from his shoulder. “That technique… it’s cursed.”
Ryu staggered. The backlash hit him—blood at his lips. His bones ached. The fire wanted to consume him, too.
Seris rushed to his side.
“We need to go,” she whispered.
He nodded, barely holding on.
But before they fled, Ryu turned back once, and said:
“This isn't over, Talrik. Tell the Emperor… I’m not the same boy he ignored.”
Back in the Shadows
They escaped through the underground archive tunnel. By dawn, the scroll was hidden, and the fire had dimmed.
Seris handed him a vial.
“What’s this?” Ryu asked.
“Something old,” she said. “To calm the soul. You’ll need it now.”
Ryu drank it slowly, the warmth settling into his chest.
“You risked a lot,” he said.
“So did you.”
They sat quietly under the ruined shrine of a long-dead emperor, the world slowly waking up around them.
And neither of them said what they both felt—that something much bigger had just begun.
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