The darkness of unconsciousness had claimed Anchhi swiftly, a mercy after witnessing her father's sacrifice. But in the deep void of her fainting mind, a soft light began to creep in, breaking through the shadows.
A place unfolded before her, one she had seen only once before. It felt distant yet familiar, like a fleeting dream from the past. Before her, in this ethereal realm, hovered the Moon Lotus—a radiant flower drenched in a milky glow. The Lotus floated in the air as if gravity had no claim on it. Its beauty was breathtaking, otherworldly—its large, translucent petals shimmered with an unearthly light, as if capturing the very essence of the moon. Each petal glistened like a jewel, dripping in liquid silver that swirled like stardust around it, glowing softly as it pulsed with life.
Anchhi stood still, mesmerized. It was exactly as she remembered it—the same delicate form, the same mysterious glow that seemed to whisper secrets to the soul. She had seen this lotus once before, during a lonely night in the prison cell. Even then, it had captivated her, but its petals had remained tightly closed, guarding something sacred within.
But this time, something was different.
She noticed movement—slow and deliberate. One of its petals, soft as silk and drenched in the same silvery light, began to unfurl before her eyes. She watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend the significance of this moment. The petal opened with a fluid grace, revealing a soft glow from within, as though it held the power of a thousand moons.
Her breath caught in her throat. What did this mean? Why now? Last time, none of the petals had stirred—yet now, this solitary petal had opened, exposing something hidden in the heart of the lotus. She could only stare, enchanted and confused, as her mind grappled with the sight before her. There was something undeniably beautiful in the opening of the petal. It felt like a message, but one she could not understand.
Her fingers twitched, wanting to reach out, to touch the petals that glowed like liquid silver, but she knew better. The Moon Lotus was not meant to be touched by mortal hands. It was as untouchable as destiny itself. She could only admire its beauty, basking in its glow though its words remained elusive.
Before she could make sense of it, the scene dissolved. The glow of the Moon Lotus faded, and the divine realm slipped away.
Anchhi opened her eyes.
The soft silks beneath her told her she was no longer in the prison cell, nor in that strange, heavenly place. She blinked, struggling to focus. Her surroundings came into view—the familiar carved ceilings and embroidered drapes of the royal palace chamber. Her body was weak, her mind still clouded by the vision of the Moon Lotus.
Before she could fully grasp where she was, the doors burst open. Two royal guards entered, their faces grim, each holding scrolls bearing the royal decree. Her heart sank as soon as she saw their expressions.
"Lady Fei Jia," one of the guards began, his voice formal but heavy with the weight of the message he carried. "By order of His Majesty, the Emperor, we bring the royal decree regarding the Fei family."
Her blood ran cold. She tried to sit up, but her body felt leaden. "What... what decree?" Her voice was barely a whisper.
The guard unfurled the scroll and began reading, each word like a hammer driving nails into her heart.
"Fei Jia, daughter of Fei Zhirong, is hereby stripped of all noble status and rights. The Fei family is to be seized from all official positions and removed from the noble registry. Their properties, titles, and privileges are forfeit. The Fei Manor has been sealed, and its occupants disbanded by royal order."
Her breath hitched. The words echoed in her mind, but they felt unreal, distant—as though they were happening to someone else. She was no longer a noble. The Fei family—her family—had been erased from existence. Her father's sacrifice had been in vain. Everything they had built, everything they had stood for, had been wiped out with a single decree.
Her world was crumbling around her, piece by piece. She could hear the royal guards, but their words no longer registered. The world around her blurred into a dizzying haze, and the cold realization gripped her chest like a vice. She was no longer part of the world she once knew. Her family's name was now one of disgrace, their legacy tarnished beyond repair.
The guards left, but Anchhi barely noticed. She was already moving, pushing herself out of bed, her heart racing with desperation. She had to see it with her own eyes—her home, the Fei Manor. She needed to see if it was truly sealed, if her entire life had been taken from her.
She ran through the palace, her legs trembling, her chest heaving with each breath, ignoring the stares of servants and guards alike. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions—grief, anger, helplessness, disbelief. The walls of the world she had known were closing in on her, suffocating her with their injustice. How could this have happened? What had her family done to deserve such cruelty?
Finally, she reached the Fei Manor.
It was locked away, just as the decree had said. Royal soldiers stood guard outside the gates, their faces as impenetrable as stone. The once proud gates of her family's estate were sealed shut, bound with the imperial seal—a mark of disgrace.
Anchhi fell to her knees, staring at the cold iron gates, her chest tight with agony. Tears streamed down her face, her vision blurring as sobs wracked her body. "Why?" Her voice was a broken whisper, but the question echoed in her heart. "Why us? Why now?"
She reached out, gripping the bars of the gate, her knuckles turning white. "Father... I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of her grief. "I couldn't save you. I couldn't save our family."
Her cries filled the empty courtyard, a sound of pure devastation. She had nothing left—no family, no home, no status. Everything had been taken from her, ripped away in the span of a single day. And for what? She had fought to survive, to prove her innocence, only to watch her father die in her place and now face the reality that her family had been erased from the world.
She was utterly alone.
Her hands slipped from the gates, her strength fading. She collapsed to the ground, her sobs quieting into hollow, silent tears. There was nowhere to go, no one to turn to. The weight of the injustice pressed down on her, threatening to crush her entirely.
Her world had crumbled in front of her eyes, her family stripped of its noble title, their name smeared in mud, and the Fei Manor locked up. She was once the pride of the court, now a woman with no status, no family, and no future.
She stared blankly at the ground. How had it all come to this? Every fiber of her body felt exhausted, her legs weak from running to the manor only to find it locked away. Her hands trembled as she tried to make sense of what had happened, but the pieces of her life refused to fit together.
It was then that Shuo Jin appeared, his silent figure looming in the shadows of the courtyard. She hadn't noticed him at first, so consumed by her grief. He watched her, the very picture of fragility, and he hated how it made him feel—weak, vulnerable, even responsible.
"Come with me," he said, his voice deep but strangely soft.
Anchhi looked up, startled, as if she hadn't even registered his presence until that moment. She blinked, dazed. "What...?"
"Come with me," he repeated. "I'm heading into the mountains. It's far from the capital, far from all of this."