The Mad Ҡìղց

The Phoenix Queen

Meng stood up and walked out of the room, she walked in a few moments later with an ancient chest and placed it in the room. She opened it slowly, revealing a collection of old, leather-bound books and scrolls. She pulled one out—a thick, worn tome that seemed to hum with faint magical energy.

"This," Meng said, holding up the book, "is the last journal of my ancestors. It details a ritual that has never been attempted. It's risky, and the cost of failure is unimaginable, but it might be the only way to break the curse once and for all."

"What kind of ritual?" Duan Dan asked, her voice wary.

"A soul-binding ritual," Chang replied. "It's a forbidden spell that binds the life force of the cursed to someone else. If successful, it would transfer the curse to another being, one strong enough to bear its weight without succumbing to it." my ancestors tried it. It didn't work.

Wang lay still, disbelief coursing through him as he tried to process the words he'd just heard. The room felt heavy, and the silence that followed seemed to press down on his chest, making it hard to breathe. Whether he chose to keep the baby or not, the outcome was the same—both would die. It was an impossible choice, one that shattered him from the inside out. His heart ached with the weight of it all, each beat feeling like a hammer against his ribs.

He couldn't understand how things had come to this, how life could be so cruel. His mind raced, flickering between sorrow and anger. Why hadn't his grandmother told him? Why had she kept something so devastating, so life-altering, from him until now? It felt like a betrayal, a wound that cut deeper than any he'd known.

But now wasn't the time for questions. The decision loomed before him, and there was no escape. He told himself he would ask his grandmother later, demand answers to the secrets she had buried. But for now, the present demanded his full attention, no matter how much his heart screamed for relief.

Meng's eyes widened. "You mean, transfer the curse to another supernatural creature?"

Chang nodded. "Yes. But the creature would have to be incredibly powerful—more powerful than any ordinary vampire, werewolf, or witch. It would have to be a being of immense strength and resilience. And even then, the ritual could go horribly wrong."

"And if it fails?" Duan Dan asked quietly.

"If it fails," Chang said grimly, "both the cursed and the one performing the ritual could be lost forever. Their souls are consumed by the curse, trapped in an eternal limbo, or die instantly."

Meng's heart pounded in her chest. The stakes were unimaginably high, but if they did nothing, Wang would die, and the Lan bloodline would end. They couldn't let that happen.

"I'm a hybrid, can he be linked with me?" Zhan asked, his voice steady but his eyes revealing uncertainty.

The room fell silent, as the group exchanged cautious glances. Linking with a hybrid had never been attempted before. It was a delicate balance between species, powers, and the unknown.

The ritual would kill you. Chang sighed, her weary eyes reflecting the burden of the truth she carried. The weight of destiny pressed down on them both, leaving no escape. "There's no other way," she whispered, her voice heavy with regret, knowing the path ahead was inevitable.

"Who could perform such a ritual?" Meng asked, her voice thick with urgency.

Duan Dan hesitated. "There is only one creature I know of, that might be strong enough to take on the curse. But reaching her will not be easy."

"Who?" Zhan demanded.

"The Phoenix Queen," Duan Dan said, her voice barely above a whisper. "She is one of the oldest and most powerful beings in existence. Her power rivals that of the gods themselves. If anyone could survive the curse, it's her."