The morning sky over Huaqing Academy blushed pink with the soft light of dawn, as if the heavens themselves were shy witnesses to what fate was about to unveil. Lin Yue stood on the eastern terrace, where the wind tugged gently at her silken robes, her gaze distant. The Academy behind her bustled quietly—some early risers practicing sword forms, others whispering politics over morning tea—but within her, there was a storm.
She hadn't slept. Not after receiving the message sealed in black wax—a sigil she hadn't seen in ten years.
POV: Lin Yue "They finally let him come back," I murmured to myself, fingers clenching over the parchment. My brother. The only person who had ever seen through my masks before I learned to wear them. The one who was cast away by that woman (Liu Meifang – stepmother), exiled to a distant border under the excuse of military service. Now he was returning? Because I entered the Academy? Or because someone told him the truth?
My heart thudded. Not out of fear. Not anymore. But because I was no longer that child who cried behind the silken screens, waiting for someone to save her. I had saved myself. And now... now he would see who I had become.
---
Elsewhere, beyond the gilded gates of the academy, a rider in obsidian armor dismounted, his stallion snorting as the scent of the capital returned to him. The man pulled off his helmet, revealing sharp eyes and a storm-hardened face—General Lin Haoxuan (Brother).
POV: Lin Haoxuan She was just a girl when I left. A bright-eyed creature with her mother's grace and our father's pride. I should have fought harder to stay. I should have taken her with me. But I failed her.
I heard whispers from the soldiers stationed near the capital. Of a girl disgraced. Betrayed. Humiliated. But rising like a blade from ash. Lin Yue. My sister. I did not return for politics or duty.
I returned for blood.
---
Inside the Academy, Lin Yue was summoned to the Great Hall by one of the royal envoys. She walked with grace, flanked by her two personal maids—Lan'er and Xiao Ruo—who exchanged glances but dared not question their mistress's calm expression.
They reached the grand chamber just as the Crown Prince (Rui Shen) arrived from the opposite side. Their eyes met—his cold and stormy, hers unreadable.
"You have a visitor," the Crown Prince said softly, something uncertain flickering in his eyes.
Lin Yue entered.
And then froze.
"Haoxuan..."
The tall man turned.
"Yue'er," he breathed.
In a heartbeat, she ran—not like the poised seductress trained to bring emperors to their knees—but like the girl she had buried.
She flung herself into her brother's arms.
He wrapped her tightly, hand trembling as it cradled her head.
"I failed you. I let her... that woman..."
"No," she whispered. "She didn't break me. I'm still here. Stronger. And you're here now. That's all that matters."
Behind them, the Crown Prince (Rui Shen) watched, expression unreadable. There was something raw in his eyes—regret, perhaps, or guilt. The brother noticed.
"You," Haoxuan said, pulling away from Lin Yue, his eyes now locked on Rui Shen like drawn steel. "Were you not the one who once promised to protect her?"
Rui Shen's jaw clenched. "And I failed. I know."
Silence stretched.
Lin Yue stepped between them. "There is no need for this now. What's past is ash. Let's speak of the future."
The Crown Prince nodded once and left.
Haoxuan's eyes narrowed as the doors closed. "You've changed."
Lin Yue smiled darkly. "No. I've evolved."
---
Later that evening, the siblings sat on the rooftop of one of the quiet towers.
"I heard what she did to you. How Father (Lin Guangyao) turned blind under her spell. Liu Meifang (stepmother)... and her daughter, Lin Shuyin (stepsister)... their crimes should not go unpunished."
"They won't," Lin Yue said, sipping wine. "But justice in this world wears masks. I had to prove myself to the public. Discredit them without staining Father's reputation completely. The Court needed someone else to blame, so I gave them a name no one would question—a treacherous eunuch with debts and a record."
Haoxuan frowned. "That's not justice."
"No," she said. "But it's strategy."
He looked at her for a long time. "You're terrifying."
She laughed, a soft, dangerous sound. "And beautiful. Don't forget that."
They clinked their cups.
---
Down in the courtyard, a few jealous cadets watched the scene from the shadows. Murmurs spread.
"That's her brother? The Black General of the North?"
"I heard he once held back an entire rebellion with just a hundred men."
"No wonder she's fearless. She's not just powerful. She's protected."
But Lin Yue didn't need protection. Not anymore.
She had become the storm.
And the Empire had just begun to feel her winds.