As dawn lit the imperial skyline, Shen stood before a scroll sealed in gold wax — bearing his new title:
"Shadow Fang of the Throne."
Inside, the Emperor's order was written in a single line:
"Investigate the disturbance at Whispering Lantern Temple. Do not return without a name."
No escort. No herald. No insignia.
Just a plain traveling robe, a forged monk's pass, and the silent pressure of imperial expectation.
The Whispering Lantern Temple lay deep within Mount Luofan, abandoned for decades. Once a shrine to the stars, now nothing more than moss-choked ruins — or so the empire believed.
But Shen had heard rumors in the army before.
"Lanterns flickering with no flame.""Old monks muttering in sleep about twin kings and silver-eyed ghosts.""Footsteps beneath the earth."
Now, he would see for himself.
Three days into the journey, Shen arrived at the outer ridge.
The temple was empty. Stone cracked. Roofs collapsed.
But the lanterns…They burned.
Faint, ghostly flame — cold blue.
No oil.
No wick.
Just memory.
He walked silently through the hall.
And then he heard it.
A voice.
Low. Rhythmic. Chanting in a tongue older than the empire.
Shen drew his blade — but held it low.
He followed the sound.
It led to a shattered altar, beneath which stairs had once been sealed.But the stone had been disturbed. Recently.
"Someone else is here."
He descended slowly.
The air grew cold. Wet. Heavy.
And then he entered the Burial Chamber.
It was a tomb. A royal one.
Old banners decayed along the walls — the Twin Dragons barely visible.
In the center lay a massive coffin… made of black iron and jade. Carved in runes that shimmered as Shen approached.
He stopped.
"This isn't just a grave. It's a prison."
And then — a whisper echoed behind him.
"You've come home."
Shen spun — blade ready.
But no one was there.
Just the walls, shifting slightly with the windless air.
And then he saw it.
On the far wall, half-covered in dust:
A mural.
It showed two infants in the arms of a dark-haired prince — fleeing a burning city under twin eclipses.
The prince wore Shen's face.
Suddenly, the iron coffin began to glow.
And Shen's medallion — the one given by General Li — pulsed in sync.
He raised it slowly.
The jade lines on the coffin began to move… shifting…
As if waiting for him.
But before he could reach out, a dart slammed into the stone beside him.
He rolled back.
A figure in red armor dropped from the shadows. Masked. Fast. Deadly.
"Too late," the attacker growled."The secret dies here."