Page 19 of The Wind Dancer
He was silent for a moment, as though the memory weighed on him.
“And then, over the course of five years, several senior officials whom he had collected evidence on died unexpectedly. And no one dared to investigate.” His eyes darkened. “But now... he’s dead.” The last time Mei Lin had heard him talking in such a terrifying tone was when he learned that his son had fallen in battle.
“I want to know who killed him.”
Mei Lin looked up.
“Do you think it was an unauthorized elimination?”
His eyes flashed, and streams of water-elemental energy swirled around him. If he stopped controlling his powers, she was certain her master was already on the verge of a blind rage.
“The order would have had to come straight from the palace to eliminate a figure like him. There was no such order.” He exhaled slowly, and his voice turned icy. “Which means the killer took my brother’s life of his own accord... and hewillpay for it.”
Mei Lin bowed her head, her voice firm.
“I will find whoever is responsible, sir.”
He nodded, his gaze softening, but only for a moment.
“Be careful. And use Wei’s disciple if you can. He could be a threat or a valuable ally. You decide. The priority remains my brother’s legacy, followed by the lives of those who killed him.”
“Understood.”
The figure in the mirror began to fade, but before fully disappearing, he said:
“Do not let me down, Mei Lin. We are the blades that protect the Empire. And blades do not forget their brothers, even if their paths diverge.”
And with that, he disappeared.
CHAPTER 6
I woke abruptly. I was gasping for air, my heart pounding, as if I had emerged from deep waters. I lay there for a few seconds, staring into the dim room as my mind slowly returned to reality.
A dream... It was just a dream. But it felt too damn real.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes, trying to remember all the details. An underground place similar to the First Dynasty temples. The walls were smooth and covered with strange symbols that shimmered in the darkness. I didn’t recognize the language.
Giant columns rising up and disappearing into the darkness. And that bone-chilling voice... lifeless, cold, but full of power. What did it say?
“The bearer has been entered into the Eternal Record. The genetic key has been activated. The transfer of security systems control rights has been confirmed.”
These words were still ringing in my mind. They sounded like complete nonsense. I didn’t know anything about anyEternal Record. I didn’t have whatever a “genetic” key was. It was just a strange dream...
And then I remembered the dragonblood’s words. “Junior member, the remaining security systems will not get triggered by you.” Was this dream a product of the deal, or perhaps caused by the amulet?
I immediately went through my belongings and took out the amulet. I hadn’t had the time to examine it properly at the estate, but now, in the soft dawn light, I held it carefully in my hands. It was a round piece of black jade, adorned with the finest gold veins, which formed a vortex inside a dragon spiral. The smooth surface of the amulet almost seemed alive. When looking at it, I could almost feel movement at the very edge of my senses, as if time moved differently around it.
Turning it over, I saw an ancient sign of the unity of the world — a triangle with a symbol for blood inscribed in it. In ancient books, it was called the dragon seal and symbolized the unity of man, earth, and Heavenly power. But here it was surrounded by characters denoting dragons of the elements, and that made it even more strange.
The golden lines pulsed softly, as if they were comfortable and happy in my hands. And I felt that guiding compass inside me, softly telling me the direction I needed to go in.
“Blood purity exceeds 99%.”I remembered those words, and then the words of the dragonblood.“Heaven knows you’re clean. I don’t feel the blood of the Distortion in you.”What did I get myself into? What were the secrets of the dragonblood? As if I didn’t have enough on my plate with my mentor’s legacy, I also had this whole mess. Those meddling in the affairs of the descendants of the Great Dragons didn’t tend to live very long.The dragonblood made up only a small portion of the Empire’s population, and all were bound to serve it. Of them, only a fraction walked the path of Ascension.
My head was pulsing from tension. There was too little information, too many things I didn’t understand and couldn’t go over. But even a little thought told me that I had touched on something deadly serious from the dragonblood world. So I had to be very careful. I needed to find one of the elders of the House of Fire Mist, deliver the amulet, and keep my head on my shoulders.
I sat up slowly, resisting the urge to fall back into bed. My body hurt, but not as much as it should’ve. The wound on my side and shoulder hardly hurt, and moving didn’t cause any sharp pain. I carefully removed the bandages and stared in surprise.
The cut that had been bleeding yesterday had healed. No, it looked like it had happened days ago. Instead of a scab, a thin strip of pinkish skin covered the wound.
