The wind howled through the dark peaks of Blackmist Ridge, a cursed mountain said to echo the final cries of the damned. Tonight, it echoed with something far worse—betrayal.
Raven Xian stood alone at the cliff's edge, his black cloak fluttering like wings of shadow behind him. The message had been simple: "Come alone. We have something important to tell you."
It was signed by Elias, his adoptive brother.
He should've known.
The chill wasn't from the mountain air—it was from the hollow in his chest, carved by growing suspicion. But still, Raven had come. Despite years of brutal training, territorial bloodshed, and battles as the underworld's youngest rising lord, he still clung to a sliver of trust.
A flicker of footsteps behind him. A rustle of robes.
He turned.
Ten cloaked figures stepped from the darkness, forming a semicircle. In the center stood Elias, golden-haired and smirking, and beside him—Raven's heart clenched—Selene, the woman he had once planned to marry. Her gaze was unreadable, her crimson robes catching the moonlight like blood.
"You came," Elias said, voice laced with mockery. "Loyal to the end."
Raven said nothing. His crimson eyes scanned their weapons, their stances—execution formation.
Selene stepped forward. "You were never one of us, Raven. Just a dog Father took in out of pity."
Her words cut deeper than any blade.
"But I was still the one protecting this family while you hid behind politics," Raven said coldly.
Elias laughed. "And look where that got you."
From his side, a flash of movement—a blade.
Pain bloomed in Raven's side as Elias buried a dagger under his ribs. He gasped, staggering back, blood soaking his shirt. He hadn't even sensed the attack.
"You…" he choked.
Selene's voice was ice. "You were useful until now. But your presence offends the legacy of the Xian Clan. You're an orphan. A nobody."
The others moved in. Blades flashed. Fists pounded. Pain blurred into numbness. They left him broken, kneeling, blood pooling around him like a ritual.
As Elias raised his sword for the final strike, something shifted in Raven.
The pain dulled.
The cold vanished.
A pulse—deep, ancient—awoke in his veins. His blood turned molten. His heart slammed like a war drum.
From somewhere in his shattered memory… a whisper.
> "You are not theirs. You were never theirs.
You are of the True Line.
Awaken."
Elias hesitated. "What the hell…"
A roar of wind erupted from Raven's body, blasting everyone backward. The mountain trembled. His eyes snapped open—no longer crimson, but glowing black with a golden ring at the center.
Selene gasped. "That… that aura…"
Raven stood. His wounds sizzled and closed. Power swirled around him like a black storm. Lightning cracked overhead, painting the sky with omen.
"You should have killed me properly," he said, voice calm—too calm.
He moved. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Elias. One punch—Elias flew backward like a broken doll, crashing into the rocks with a sickening crunch.
The others scrambled to retreat.
Raven didn't follow. His body trembled as the power faded, the exhaustion of awakening overtaking him. He collapsed to his knees, breath ragged.
Selene, pale as death, took a trembling step back. "W-What are you?"
He looked up at her, eyes burning.
"I don't know yet," he whispered. "But when I do… you'll be the first to pay."
Then the world tilted. Darkness swallowed him whole.
---
Somewhere Else…
High above in the celestial realm, a ripple spread through the threads of fate.
Within a hidden sanctuary of the Ebonflame Lineage, an old man opened his eyes, pupils glowing with starfire.
"The lost heir…" he murmured. "He lives."
He turned to a woman in black robes. "Send the shadow hawks. Guard him from afar. If he dies now, all will be lost."
The woman bowed. "As you command, Patriarch Xian."
---
Two Days Later — Deep Forest
Raven awoke in a cave, wrapped in bandages, the scent of herbs and ash thick in the air. He tried to sit up—pain lanced through his chest.
"You're awake," a soft voice said.
A figure stepped from the shadows—a woman in a dark red cloak. She knelt beside him, brushing his long hair from his bruised face. Her eyes were a strange violet.
"Who… are you?" he rasped.
"Just a passerby," she said with a gentle smile. "Call me Lyra."
He studied her. Her hands moved with skill, her spiritual energy was perfectly hidden—but his instincts screamed: She's not normal.
"You healed me?" he asked.
"You would've died otherwise."
"Why?"
"Because you're not meant to die yet," she said cryptically.
He stared at the flickering firelight between them, memories of betrayal burning deeper than the flames.
"I owe you," he said.
"You don't," she replied. "But I'd like to stay with you. For now."
He didn't answer. The fire crackled. Outside, the wind blew softly.
Inside, something ancient stirred.
The path of blood and thunder had only just begun.
---
[End of Chapter 1]