In the dimly lit chambers of an ancient temple, hidden deep within the mist-covered mountains of the Eastern Provinces, a solitary figure knelt before a worn stone altar. The flickering flame of an oil lamp cast long shadows across the weathered walls, where faded murals depicted the rise and fall of forgotten dynasties. The air was thick with incense, mingling with the damp scent of the earth beneath.
At the heart of the temple, an elderly priestess, her face etched with the passage of time, whispered words in a language long thought lost to the world. Her gnarled hands clutched an ancient scroll, its edges frayed and fragile from centuries of use. She was the last of her kind—the last to know the secret that had been passed down for generations, a secret that would determine the fate of the empire.
"The Jade Dynasty will return," she murmured, her voice reverberating through the silence like a forgotten hymn. "When the stars align and the bloodline is reborn, the kingdom will either be saved or destroyed by the hands of a child cloaked in mystery."
The words of the prophecy had been passed from one generation of the temple's caretakers to the next, each one a keeper of this forbidden knowledge. Yet, the priestess knew that even the most sacred of prophecies could not be entirely understood until the moment of their fulfillment.
She unrolled the ancient scroll, its inked symbols shimmering in the dim light. The prophecy was clear, yet its meaning had always been veiled in ambiguity. It spoke of a child, born of the jade lineage, who would rise to challenge the throne of the Emperor. The child would possess an extraordinary power—one capable of either uniting the fractured empire or tearing it asunder.
"The Jade Concubine," the priestess whispered, as if speaking the name itself would invoke the fate the scroll foretold. Her hands trembled as she traced the final line of the prophecy, a line that spoke of a blood-soaked path, a throne seized, and a love that would shatter the world.
In the shadow of the temple, a shadowy figure watched in silence, his dark eyes gleaming with a cold, calculating intensity. He had been waiting for this moment, watching as the empire teetered on the brink of destruction. The prophecy had called to him, pulling him to this remote place, to this moment in time.
The time had come. The Jade Concubine would be born. And with her birth, the empire would either fall into chaos or rise to unimaginable power.
As the priestess closed the scroll, her breath caught in her chest. "She has arrived," she whispered, as if speaking to the very winds themselves. "The child of the Jade Dynasty—the one who will change everything."
But as the temple doors creaked open, the figure in the shadows stepped forward. His lips curled into a wicked smile.
"The game has only just begun," he murmured.
...
The priestess, her face drained of color, looked up with horror.
A single figure stood in the doorway, casting a long, menacing shadow.
The figure spoke, their voice cold as ice.
"Do you truly believe the prophecy will unfold as you expect, old woman?"
The priestess' heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice.
It was him. The one who would stop at nothing to claim the throne. The one who had betrayed the Jade Dynasty centuries ago.
And now he had returned.
This prologue sets the stage for the unfolding mystery, hinting at ancient prophecies, power struggles, and a looming threat to the empire—one that will revolve around the mysterious figure of the Jade Concubine.
...
To be continued…