The forest was silent, but Shen Yun could still hear the screams.
Even after a day had passed, the sounds of his sect burning haunted his ears. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the flames. The ashes. His shifu's hand going limp in his own.
His white robes were torn, now mixed with dried blood and dirt. He hadn't eaten. He hadn't rested. All he had… was the scroll his master had given him and the mark on his wrist — still glowing faintly beneath his sleeve.
Shen Yun didn't know where he was going.
He only knew he had to keep moving.
Because they were still chasing him.
Who were they? He had no idea.
But he could feel it — someone was watching.
Meanwhile… deep in the Nine Gates Sect
Li Feng stood at the edge of a massive stone balcony, looking out over his people training in the courtyard below.
He didn't smile. He rarely did. His eyes sharp looking for perfection in everyone.
From above, he looked like a carved statue — tall, sharp, with long dark hair tied high behind him, red robes fluttering with the wind. The mark between his brows pulsed faintly, a sign of the immense power hidden in his body.
Suddenly, a figure approached behind him.
"Young Master," the elder bowed. "We've confirmed the Scarlet Mark has appeared… on a boy from the Crimson Wing Sect."
Li Feng turned, slowly. His eyes narrowed.
"Crimson Wing Sect huh? That sect has always been a weakling in martial world"
"Yes. But… the entire sect was destroyed."
He said nothing for a while. Then quietly, "So did the boy survived or not?."
The elder hesitated. "Yes master..he did. So shall we… bring him here? Use him?"
Li Feng's lips curled, just a little.
"No."
The elder blinked. "No?"
Li Feng stepped forward, voice low and cold.
"If the phoenix mark has returned… I want to see what the boy will do. Whether he'll run… or rise."
And then he added, like a whisper:
"Let the world burn first. I have already waited for years I can wait a bit more"
Back to Shen Yun
Night had fallen again.
He hid in a small cave at the edge of a cliff, using a broken sword to keep animals away. The mark on his wrist pulsed — like it wanted to guide him somewhere.
He looked down at it.
"...Is this really power like the Shifu said? I also heard some people talking about this mark...they were talking about some vessel..maybe it's the key to be safe"
He felt nothing but grief. And guilt.
He missed his master. His friends. The warm meals in the dining hall. The peach trees near the entrance. The laughter during sword training.
Now there was only silence.
And yet…
He couldn't die here.
If this power could destroy, maybe it could also protect.
If he had to run now, he would return one day — not as a frightened boy, but someone who could protect what mattered.
He pressed a hand over the glowing mark and whispered:
"I'll find that Vessel of Flame. And I'll become strong… strong enough to never lose anyone again."
Somewhere far away, as if answering him, the wind carried the faint sound of distant bells — from the Nine Gates Palace.
Elsewhere...
In a dark hall lit by flickering lanterns, Li Feng sat alone.
A crimson tea cup in his hand. Golden threads embroidered across his robes. His eyes were half-closed, but his mind was alert.
He thought of the stories his father had told him. About the phoenix. About the Vessel. And about the chaos that came with it.
"To hold that power is to be hunted. To chase it... is to be consumed."
He remembered that line clearly.
But he wasn't afraid.
Li Feng had power. Influence. Soldiers. Talismans and ancient techniques. He had crushed entire sects in silence.
Yet it wasn't enough.
The Vessel of Flame—if it truly existed—would be the final key.
"The boy won't last long on his own," he murmured.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Unless... he learns to survive."
And survival, he thought, always begins with pain.
Back to Shen Yun - Dawn
The sun rose slowly behind the mountains. Light crept into the cave, touching Shen Yun's sleeping face. He stirred, sweat on his forehead. Another nightmare.
He sat up, breathing hard. His heart raced as he checked his wrist.
The mark was glowing stronger today.
He could feel a pull.
Not just fear anymore, but something else.
A direction.
Somewhere out there, something was waiting.
And he had to find it.
He stood, tying up his robes with determination in his eyes.
He didn't know the path. He didn't have allies.
But the fire in him… had only just begun to burn..
End of Chapter 1