Chapter 2
The stone bed was too hard, so I turned over.
Moonlight streamed through the stained-glass windows of the temple, casting dappled shadows on the floor. I closed my eyes, and the image of that blood moon night resurfaced in my mind.
Three years ago today.
Lina, dressed in a silver priestess's robe, stood before the ancient altar of the moon goddess. Her silver hair shimmered under the blood moon, making her look like a goddess straight out of legend.
"Are you sure?" she asked me, her voice as soft as a feather. "Once a blood oath is made, it can never be changed."
Foolish talk.
That's what I thought at the time. How could a blood oath be changed? It's a sacred covenant, more important than life itself.
"I'm sure." I took her hand. "I want you to be my blood oath partner."
Her hands were cold, but when our palms touched, I felt the power flowing through her veins. Silver Moon bloodline, the Moon Goddess's final gift.
According to clan law, the union of a guardian and a priest requires a special ceremony. It is not a simple wedding, but a fusion of bloodlines.
"Cut open your palms," the old priest said solemnly, standing beside the altar. "Let the moon goddess witness your vows."
I made a cut on my left palm with a silver ceremonial knife. Blood immediately gushed out, appearing dark red in the moonlight.
Lina did as she was told. But when her blood dripped onto the altar, a miracle occurred.
Her blood turned silver in the moonlight.
Pure Silvermoon bloodline.
The old priest was speechless with shock. The Silver Moon bloodline had been lost for three hundred years, and no one had expected that Lina would still retain such a pure priestly bloodline.
"Quickly," Lina urged me, "while the blood moon is still in the sky."
We pressed our palms together, letting our blood mingle. In that instant, I felt a connection I had never experienced before. Not just an emotional one, but a resonance deep within our very blood.
I could feel her heartbeat, her breath, and the silvery power flowing through her veins.
She can sense everything about me.
"I, Lina Tong, swear by the blood of the Silver Moon," her voice echoed in the night sky, "that I may merge with the blood of the Guardians, share life and death, and never betray them."
"I, Aiden Chen, swear by the bloodline of the Guardians," I gripped her hand tightly, "that I will protect the Silvermoon bloodline with my life, until the end of the world."
The blood moon pulsates in the sky, like a giant heart. The power of the moon goddess descends upon us, forever binding our bloodlines together.
That night, we united at the ancient altar of the moon goddess. Her silver moon bloodline, guided by my guardian bloodline, fully awakened, and she radiated a holy glow.
"I will bear you the most powerful hybrid offspring," she whispered in my ear. "With the blood of a guardian and a priest combined, our child will possess unparalleled power."
"I will protect you," I promised, "with my life."
Back then, we believed that love could conquer all. We believed that a blood oath was more important than life itself. We believed that our union would bring new hope.
But I failed.
I opened my eyes, and the moonlight still shone on the stone bed. But the moonlight was cold now, lacking the warmth of that night.
Reality has cruelly proven everything. When faced with the threat of death, even the strongest woman will choose to yield in order to protect her child.
Lena chose to yield. She was willing to betray her blood oath to protect me and our unborn child.
I don't blame her.
Any mother would make the same choice. But that doesn't mean I would forgive Chad Sheen.
According to Ella, Chad is not simply an ambitious man. A darker force is manipulating him—mysterious figures in blood-red robes have been seen visiting the Steelclaw clan's territory at night. These figures never show themselves, but each time they do, Chad becomes even more violent and paranoid.
He exploited Lina's fear, defiling our sacred blood oath. Even worse, he attempted to control her Silvermoon bloodline.
I've known about the Steelclaw Clan's ambitions for a long time. They've always wanted the power of the Moon Goddess, but their bloodline is too inferior to withstand the purity of the Silvermoon bloodline.
Therefore, Chad chose coercive measures.
He thought he could gain her power by forcing Lina to put her handprint. The bastard didn't know that the Silvermoon bloodline couldn't be stolen; it would only respond to the true guardian.
I sat up from the stone bed, the scar on my chest throbbing faintly in the moonlight. The pain of the broken blood oath remained, but I had learned to endure it.
Pain keeps me alert.
Let me remember who caused all of this.
The cries of night birds drifted in from outside the window, mournful and lonely. I imagined Lina's current predicament, her being forced to wear the rough clothes of the Steelclaw Clan, and the light in her eyes dimming day by day.
I imagine my three-year-old son, the child I've never met, being forced to call Chad "father."
But all of this will soon be over.
I stood up and walked to the window. In the distance, the Steelclaw Clan's territory was brightly lit, and Chad was celebrating his "victory."
The earwigs are enjoying their last moments.
When the blood moon rises again, I will show him what true fear is.
