Li Shenhai – On the Path to the Mouth of the Forgotten
The forest turned to stone three days into the journey.
Yun'er walked in silence beside Shenhai, wary of the sudden change. Trees once vibrant were now grey statues—each one cracked and leaking faint crimson mist.
"This place doesn't rot," she whispered. "It remembers."
Shenhai said nothing. He was listening to something deeper than sound.
Every step they took, he felt the Bloodmother's heartbeat. Not in the ground. Not in the sky. In him.
"Closer."
"You are almost ready."
At night, the stars above flickered red. Wolves did not howl. Even the insects were quiet. And always—always—there were eyes in the mist.
When they reached a valley of glass bones and prayer towers, they camped. Shenhai stared into the fire.
"If I don't come back… you lead them," he told Yun'er.
"I won't," she said, without hesitation.
"Why not?"
"Because I'll follow you into the fire first."
Wu Feiyan – Crossing the Blistered River
Feiyan had become a ghost without dying.
The animals fled from her. Her own reflection no longer matched her thoughts. Her eyes now shimmered with crimson rings, and her breath left frost where it passed.
She walked alone through haunted lands, and the spirits whispered in recognition.
"She touched you," they murmured.
"And now you burn with her voice."
At the edge of the Blistered River, Feiyan saw something strange.
A child, no older than seven, sitting beneath a burned tree.
She approached cautiously.
"You're not real," Feiyan said.
The child looked up. Its eyes were mirrors.
"Neither are you."
And then it whispered:
"Shenhai dreams of her in fire. You will dream of her in blood."
The child vanished, leaving behind a crimson flower—still warm.
Feiyan took it. Something told her it would be needed.
Xiao Lan – The Exile's Gate
She climbed cliffs carved with warnings.
"Beware the First Marked."
"He speaks no lies—only truths you cannot bear."
"His eyes see the past still burning."
At the summit stood a man frozen in crystal.
His body pulsed faintly with light—his hair silver, skin ageless. A crown of nails encircled his brow.
He was the first bearer of the Crimson Soul.
The one who chose to be sealed away rather than join the Veil.
Xiao Lan bowed before the crystal.
"I seek the truth," she said.
"About the Bloodmother. About Shenhai. About myself."
The man's eyes opened.
"Then you must be willing," he said, "to see what even she could not face."
The crystal shattered.
Elsewhere – The Bloodmother's Realm
A great hall without walls.
Her throne was empty—but her voice filled every stone.
"One walks with honor.
One walks with wounds.
One walks with wonder."
"All three carry pieces of my name.
All three will stand in judgment.
And one will choose…"
A soft laugh.
"…to set me free