The rise&fall

The moon hung above the Village of Xi like a silent witness, silver light brushing snow-covered rooftops. Inside the quiet inn, most had found sleep — but not Huwue. Her mind stirred too loudly for that.

Wrapped in her cloak, she stepped onto the small balcony just beyond their shared room. The air bit her skin, but she welcomed the cold. It reminded her she was still here — still real — even if the world preferred she wasn't.

Beneath her, the alleyways were still. Blue lanterns flickered gently. Somewhere far off, a dog barked, then went quiet.

"I don't belong anywhere," she murmured to herself. "Not really."

She held out a hand, palm up. A snowflake drifted down and landed in her skin.

It melted.

Then she saw it.

Perched on the rooftop across from her, crouched low and silent — was a masked figure, half-shrouded in mist. The jagged fang symbol etched across his shoulder.

Her heart skipped.

He moved.

Blade first.

Huwue twisted sideways as the assassin launched from the roof. Steel sang through the air, grazing her sleeve. She spun low, catching the attacker's wrist and flinging him into the balcony railing. Wood cracked. The Fang recovered instantly, flipping backward and landing on the rooftop again.

Another figure dropped behind her. Then two more.

They circled her, whispering.

> "The cursed child awakens."

"She won't leave Xi alive."

Without hesitation, Huwue's hand glowed with pulsing energy. Her fingers arced with sharp, unnatural blue. A blast rippled outward, throwing the nearest Fang back into the snow.

But they kept coming.

One leapt. She caught him mid-air with a back-kick. Another rushed, and she twisted, dodging two blades narrowly.

> "Too slow," one hissed.

A third slammed her against the balcony post. She winced but pushed off, flipping over them to land in the street below — cracking cobblestones with the force.

The inn lights snapped on.

Windows burst.

> "HUWUE!" Rangi's voice rang out.

In a blur, Rangi dove through the second-story window and landed beside her, twin daggers drawn. Her eyes blazed.

> "You okay?"

> "No time," Huwue muttered. "More are coming."

Gogjen stumbled out next, half-dressed, holding a bun in one hand and his sword in the other.

> "I swear I was dreaming about this exact moment."

Then Leeyang — focused and precise — appeared, dropping beside them in silence. The group faced off against the assassins.

The battle that followed was chaos.

Steel clashed. Magic flared. Blue lightning sparked across stone while fire ignited wooden walls. Huwue's power was raw — bursting in flares she could barely control. Rangi fought like a dancer, moving with deadly grace. Gogjen, wild and laughing, took two on at once.

A support beam snapped.

The inn groaned.

Then exploded in flame and snow.

Screams echoed as villagers scattered.

One assassin shouted:

> "CURSED CHILD!"

Leeyang blocked the attack meant for Huwue, eyes locked on hers.

> "You're not normal," he said under his breath.

They spun to avoid another blade, diving into an alley as the chaos spread.

---

They crouched behind the broken stack of crates, both breathing hard.

The scent of burning wood mixed with the snow-filled wind. It was hard to tell whether the steam rising into the sky came from the collapsed inn or Huwue's energy leaking into the night.

Leeyang kept his sword raised, his sharp eyes on the narrow alley opening. Snow was falling harder now, hissing where it touched the heat-stained ground.

> "You've fought like that before," he said low. "Haven't you?"

Huwue hugged her arms across her chest, shivering.

> "I don't remember when it started. It just... happens sometimes."

> "Fangs don't call someone cursed unless there's history. You didn't just spark lightning — your power bent around them like it knew how they moved."

> "I didn't ask for it," she whispered. "I didn't want it."

> "You almost lost control," he said bluntly. "You could've burned all of us down."

She turned away, eyes stinging.

> "I know."

Silence.

Then:

> "There's something... wrong with me," she said. "They always said so in my village. That I was marked. That I'd bring ruin."

> "You're not cursed," Leeyang said, voice gentler. "You're scared."

> "No." Her voice cracked. "I killed my parents when I was six. With this power. I don't even remember how. One minute they were hugging me... the next... ashes."

Before he could answer—

SHHT.

A hiss.

He grabbed her and yanked her back as two masked figures dropped into the alley.

Blades flashed.

Leeyang intercepted the first strike with a metallic clang that echoed off the walls.

Huwue jumped back, energy flickering like a living flame around her fists.

> "Silent Fang," Leeyang muttered, narrowing his stance.

The first assassin lunged again. Leeyang parried, spun, and drove a knee into the man's gut — but the second Fang came from the side, aiming straight for Huwue's neck.

She caught the blade between two fingers.

Blue light erupted.

A moment of stillness.

Then a scream of power — Huwue blasted the assassin backward with a roar of raw energy.

> "She's not ready," the second Fang muttered, staggering.

> "We take her now — or she becomes something worse."

Another strike. Another dodge.

Leeyang fought silently, blade flashing like ice. He drew them away from her.

But the girl didn't run.

She stepped forward.

Eyes glowing.

Hands trembling.

The snow turned to steam around her.

> "No more running," she whispered.

She slammed her palm to the ground. A thin crack raced through the frost-laced stone, pulsing with light.

The Silent Fang paused.

> "She's waking," one hissed. "We're too late."

> "HUWUE—whatever you're doing—don't!" Leeyang warned.

> "I'm not doing anything," she said, her voice shaking. "It's doing it."

A ripple burst outward — not from her hands, but her chest.

Her eyes dimmed, then blazed brighter.

The last Fang struck.

Leeyang moved.

Blades clashed in blinding sparks.

The alley lit up in silence.

And in that silence…

cursed blood remembered itself