1. The Moon-Searing Pavilion – Elder Yuexian
Far to the north, in the snow-draped halls of the Moon-Searing Pavilion, an ancient bell rang for the first time in six centuries.
Elder Yuexian, the sect's blind oracle, stood barefoot on the frost-covered tiles. Her milky-white eyes pulsed with crimson light as if remembering a pain long buried.
"He has awakened the Crimson Seal," she whispered. "The storm-child lives."
A dozen disciples knelt behind her, waiting.
"What are your orders, Master?" asked her senior student.
Elder Yuexian turned toward the mountain winds. "Send word to the Five Grand Sects. If the bloodline has returned… then the Prophecy of the Red Eclipse begins anew."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"And prepare the Mirror of Echoes. I must see the boy."
2. The Iron Vow Sect – Grandmaster Huo Liang
At the heart of the Iron Vow Sect's mountain fortress, Grandmaster Huo Liang crushed a jade cup in his fist. Red wine trickled between his fingers like blood.
Before him, a jade tablet had cracked—one tied by soul-thread to the Blood Scroll. Its shattering meant only one thing: someone had passed the Trial of Blood.
"Impossible," he growled. "The lineage should have ended."
His second-in-command, a quiet woman in silver armor, remained silent.
"Double the watchers in the lower provinces. I want the boy's name before the week ends."
"And when we find him?"
"We end him."
3. Wandering Monk – Master Ji Ming
In a quiet tea house by a riverbank far from the chaos, an old monk stirred his tea gently. A raven landed at his table, dropping a scroll sealed with a drop of blood.
Master Ji Ming read it with serene eyes.
Then, with a heavy sigh, he folded the message and looked up at the blood-colored moon.
"Ah… so the storm returns."
He smiled sadly.
"Let's hope the boy is not his father."
4. Xiao Lan
Xiao Lan sat beside a small campfire in the hills beyond the temple. Her sword leaned against her shoulder, her gaze fixed on the sky.
The moon still shimmered crimson, and her heart still raced.
She replayed the assassin's words in her mind:
"You'll have to choose: Shenhai, or the world."
She remembered the look on Shenhai's face after the trial—exhausted but steady, like a man beginning to realize the weight he must carry.
She closed her eyes and whispered, "Whatever comes next… I'll stand with you."
5. The Masked Assassin
The assassin stood atop a wind-carved peak, watching the temple from afar.
He removed his mask for the first time in weeks, revealing a scar that crossed his cheek like a blade's memory.
"The boy walks the path," he muttered. "And the heavens tremble."
He sheathed his blade and disappeared into the mist—heading not toward Shenhai, but toward a far older enemy rising in the south.
6. In the Shadows – Unknown Speaker
In a cavern beneath the ruins of the Flesh-Eating Sect, a hooded figure poured blood onto an altar shaped like a screaming face.
Dozens knelt in silence.
"The last blood heir walks the world again," the figure said. "Let the graves open. Let the cursed walk."
Chains rattled in the darkness.
"Soon, he will awaken more than just the moon."