Three Years Ago…
The Jade Serenade
A tall pavilion stood proudly at the center of Cherry City, green and black exterior with golden accents glimmering in the night.
Inside had the soft sound of music, laughter with murmurs, the occasional clink of jade cups. Even outside, people dressed fancy gazed inside, sad and happy, some even exited.
Tourists visited Cherry City for its moon festivals and lingering magic… but few ever notice the deeper, unsettling silence that blanketed the streets.
And, the Jade Serenade House was a place where the city's elite gathered, and tonight, covered by golden lanterns casting a warm glow on the fluttering silk curtains along the walls.
A rose fragrance lingered in the air, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
The Jade Serenade House is considered neutral ground… even assassins are forbidden to draw blood inside.
Even some merchants kept there gaze on him.
"He has the eyes of someone who has seen ghosts and made peace with them."
Within, the main hall buzzed with activity. Maidens delicately danced of grace, flowing robes like, their faces veiled, movements perfectly timed to the heartbeat of the music, that flowed like a gentle streams… zithers, flutes, and the distant rhythm of hand drums.
Lucian stepped inside quietly, his presence almost invisible at first. As he stepped through the carved doors, the atmosphere shifted subtly. People from prestigious families, merchants draped in fine silks, and nobles with guarded eyes paused, onto him, but none dared speak. His aura was cold, sharp, like a blade sheathed too long, his gaze piercing and unfaltering… Thought they all knew him.
He was younger, he wore more color in the past, robed in red and silver. He swept across the room.
He hadn't come for the wine. Nor for the dance.
As the music shifted… to slow, melancholic, yet brimming with longing… his gaze was drawn to the center of the dais. There, a girl sat alone, her lips parting to sing.
His ears perked up, even his eyes brighten a little through the darkness the same as others who heard, his eyes drinking every detail.
Her soft as snow upon leaves voice, yet filled with an ethereal power that seemed to pull everyone toward her. She wore no veil, her eyes scanning the crowd as she sang. When her gaze met Lucian's, time seemed to stop. His breath caught, and for a moment, nothing else mattered. She didn't look away, and neither did him. Her silent stare spoke volumes… words unspoken. A flutter in both their stomachs.
What did she see in Lucian's eyes that made her heart tremble… fear, recognition or redemption?
Lucian turned and ascended to the second floor, stepping onto the balcony overlooking the performance hall. A servant quietly appeared, offering a pot of wine, but Lucian barely noticed. He sat, his focus entirely on the girl. Her voice wrapped around him, tugging at something deep within, something long buried under layers of darkness.
She was more than beautiful. A beautiful red dragon tattoo across her body, white long braided hair, blue sea blue eyes… It was rare to have him fixated on someone, or changed him.
Though her song never faltered, her eyes continually sought him out. It was as though they both understood the connection between them, a bond neither of them had the words to explain. As the final note of her song trembled in the air, the entire hall seemed to hold its breath.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the sound of something crashed filled the air. The silk curtains were torn, and the carved wooden doors were blasted open, revealing dark, hunched creatures, with claws glinting and eyes glowing of hunger. Screams erupted as chaos broke out. Dancers scattered, patrons overturned tables in panic, as the beasts charged.
The guards reacted instantly, unsheathing their blades, but they were no match for the creatures' speed and ferocity. One guard fell, his throat torn open. Another screamed as he was dragged down by the monstrous claws.
Despite, one guard trying to fight back. "Protect the Lady of Song! Buy her time!" He was merciless slain throat ripped out.
They fought back with attacks… were fast, relentless, driven by something deeper than bloodlust.
"We're all going to die!"
On the second floor. Lucian remained calm, his gaze lingering on the girl for a moment before he looked toward the creatures. His eyes narrowed, recognizing them. ZenSqeukers.
He wasn't here to protect them. He was here for the singer. That was the only truth that mattered.
Without hesitation, he drew a curved dagger from his robe. Stepping onto the railing, he leapt down, landing between two of the creatures mid-pounce.
They froze… He stood still, fire lighting behind his eyes. And then, in a blink, he moved.
His dagger gleamed with deadly intent, but before it could connect…
"Stop!"
Lucian froze at the ZenSqeukerse neck, recognizing the voice. He glanced over to see the girl standing at the bottom of the stairs, breathless, her hair loose from the sprint, her eyes widened with urgency.
She didn't want to be a hero. She wanted to be free. But freedom came with the cost of standing up to the inevitable.
She stepped closer. "Don't kill them…" she pleaded, her voice shaking.
Lucian's blade was still held inches from the creature's neck. His mouth slightly open, unsure whether to speak. "Cassie… They're attacking your people."
"I only showed mercy once. It cost me everything." His blades pressed forward.
He wasn't here to protect them. He was here for Cassie.
"T-they don't want to," she said, her voice trembling with distress. "Look outside."
Lucian's gaze shifted to the shattered entrance. He saw some figures… humans, hidden in the shadows of the street. Their hands moved making signs, energy swirling around them as if they controlled the chaos from afar.
Lanterns were quickly doused, bows held low, and talismans glowed faintly in their hands. They watched, their smirks hidden in the darkness.
"They're being forced to fight," Cassie whispered. "They're controlled... I saw it before it started… they're used cursed binding seals. Those creatures are slaves to fear… To hunger."
Lucian's grip tightened on his dagger, his mind racing. He didn't want to stop, but he knew she was right. He took a reluctant breath, and slowly pulled his dagger back.
ZenSqeukers were former humans, corrupted by a forbidden ritual that twists their forms and strips them of speech… Everything.
Cassie eyes closing briefly in silent thanks and a heavy sigh , but just as she relaxed, Lucian turned, vanishing in a streak of afterimage… He appeared outside the gates, the air growing cold around him as his killing intent flared.
He knew the city's lawkeepers turn a blind eye to what happens inside the Jade Serenade, due to hidden deals with noble patrons.
She was once scouted by multiple noble houses for her beauty and rare sensitivity to energy presence, but she rejected them all.
The humans hiding in the shadows gasped in fear, some trying to flee. His dagger lifted, poised for the kill.
But then, she was there again.
Cassie grabbed his wrist, her hand trembling, but her voice steady. "You don't need to kill them."
Lucian's eyes flared more suspicious and confusion. "They're cowards. They caused this. You'd protect them?"
"No," Cassie whispered. "But death doesn't fix this. Those creatures attacked because they wanted to survive. The humans started a riot because they wanted to steal and cause chaos. Both sides are wrong…but both are desperate. If we keep killing… where does it end?"
Lucian stared at her for a long moment, his thoughts a whirlpool of conflicting emotions. Then, slowly lowered his hand.
The creatures behind them backed away, no longer lunging, no longer hostile. The spell was broken. The chaos faded.
He stared at her hand wrapped around his wrist, not moving their eyes never leaving eac others. A pause. Long enough for the wind to carry her voice away. Then his blade dropped, soundless against the ground
Mercy was never part of his code. Neither was recklessness. Yet here he was, choosing both.
She had always known what it meant to lose…what it meant to watch helplessly as the world tore itself apart. But tonight, in the face of the chaos, she saw something different. Hope.
Cassie's kindness was a light in my darkest days... reminding me that even broken things can still hold value and purpose.
Under the moonlight, surrounded by the wreckage, they looked at each other. Then, without another word, they moved along the streets, leaving the chaos behind.
He really tried to give up killing entirely one his off time with her but somethings never changed it always returned… Thought it wasn't something, he ignored he knew fully about his killings.
He remembered her saying.
Families are more than bloodlines. They're the bonds we choose to nurture, the love we pass on despite all the pain.
She called me back from the edge… not with force, but with a trembling hand and a voice that sang of better days
Did he ever really understand what she meant to him… or what he meant to her?