It didn't take long for them to find someone who knew exactly what happened. It was a teacher and a single student, a boy no longer than eleven, both covered in soot and wrapped in damp cloths, sitting against a well in the village square where the fire hadn't spread.
The teacher's eyes were bloodshot, his hands trembling as he accepted a bowl of water someone handed him. His clothes were half-burnt, and there were streaks of ash down his cheeks, like shadows of the fire they'd barely escaped.
When Shen Moxuan asked what happened, the teacher's voice cracked, hoarse from smoke and grief. "It was supposed to be a peaceful day… just the taming ceremony. We let them choose their beasts like always. But one—one of them must have been provoked. It suddenly went wild, spewing fire without warning. Flames were everywhere before we could even react, and beasts were running everywhere, escaping."
The boy beside him stared blankly ahead, lips parted but silent. His knees were scraped, and one hand clutched a small, half-burned wooden tag—most likely his assigned beast token.
Chen Kangle knelt beside them, her voice barely a whisper. "What about Duan Yu?"
The teacher looked at her, then down. "He was there… he tried to help others. I told him to run—he was near the back... I don't know if he made it out."
Shen Moxuan knelt beside her and gently squeezed her hand, grounding her in the moment before her thoughts could spiral any further. His touch was firm, steady—a silent reassurance in the middle of chaos.
Chen Kangle's fingers trembled under his, but she didn't pull away. Her gaze stayed fixed on the teacher, searching for any hint, any detail at all that might suggest her brother had escaped.
"Are you sure he didn't get out?" she asked again, her voice low, strained.
The teacher shook his head slowly. "I don't know. The flames spread too fast. I saw him trying to help Lin'er…" he nodded toward the boy, "but after that… everything was fire and smoke."
Tears welled in her eyes again, but this time she held them back. She couldn't collapse—not yet. Not until she knew for certain.
She stood up and Shen Moxuan followed suit.
"Then we'll look for him," Chen kangle said quietly, more to herself than anyone else. Her grip on Shen Moxuan's hand tightened, as if drawing strength from it.
"We'll find him," Shen Moxuan said beside her, voice steady like stone.
She looked up at Shen Moxuan, finding his presence a comfort, steadying her even when everything else was falling apart. Even though his face is familiar, after all he's still a stranger. But he was here. He stayed.
"Why are you doing this?" Chen Kangle ask, her voice so low that he almost couldn't hear it.
Shen Moxuan didn't answer right away. His gaze lingered on her, unreadable, as if weighing the question—or perhaps something deeper beneath it.
Then he gave a crooked smile. "Well... just because."
It was a weak excuse. A non-answer. But somehow, it didn't feel empty.
Chen Kangle didn't press him. She simply looked away, her eyes scanning the broken village as the reality of the loss set in like ash settling on her skin.
They walked around the square, the ground beneath them soaked and muddy from spilled water. Villagers moved in frantic as people passing by carrying either buckets of water or staggering under the weight of scorched, unrecognizable corpses wrapped hastily in cloth.
The air was thick with the stench of smoke and burnt wood—burnt lives. Cries of grief rose from every corner, children wept for their dead parents, elders knelt in silence for their youngsters, and the village bell had long gone still, replaced by the quieter horror of what remained.
It was already dawn before the fire was put out. They began mapping the entire area, assessing the damage and what had been lost—homes and lives.
The Village Chief assured everyone that all the burned houses would be rebuilt collectively. But even if houses can be rebuilt, lives cannot.
But still, no traces of Duan Yu.
While they were distracted by the chaotic scene in the village Chen Kangle suddenly felt a tug in here sleeves. Looking behind, she saw a girl, her face filled with soot like she mistook a charcoal ash as a face powder, her hair is messy with its edges a sign of it being half-burnt.
"You are... ?" Chen Kangle ask the girl as she bend her knees slightly to level their height.
The girl with her reddened eyes replies, "My name is Wang Lin'er... I... I heard you are looking for Duan Yu." she gripped something in her hand "He… he stayed behind when I tripped. He helped me up. We were running, but then…" Her voice caught.
"There was a a huge beast, it has wings and...and" she stammers.
Chen Kangle gripped her dress tightly, as if it would lessen the tightness she felt in her chest.
Shen Moxuan crouched nearby, his tone calm but urgent. "It's important, Lin'er. Anything you can remember might help us find him."
The girl drew a shaky breath. "It came out of nowhere and then... its claws grabbed Duan Yu. There was a person behind that beast's back, wearing black I... I think. A mask. They didn't speak. They just flew off with him." She looked up, fear visible in her eyes.
Chen Kangle's heart turned cold. Her hand gripping the fabric of her dress trembling.
No... no. It can't be.
Tears slid down Liner's cheeks. "I tried to scream, but the smoke—I inhaled a lot of smoke and I past out. When I woke up, someone was carrying me out." she said as she calmed herself down.
"Here." Then she opened her palm as she hand Chen Kangle something. "Duan Yu threw it at me when they took off. He said to give it to you."
Chen Kangle reach out her trembling hand and picked the item in Liner's palm.
It was a pendant—a small, worn token carved from dark wood, its edges smoothed from years of wear. A faint engraving shimmered beneath the soot and grime: one character, 守(shǒu), delicately etched.
(A/N: 守 (shǒu) - It meanse to protect.)
Her breath caught.
This pendant... Duan Yu had carved it himself.
Chen Kangle knew it was Duan Yu's silent promise to protect his sister.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. Not now. Not while her brother was out there, alone and in the hands of someone who had ulterior motives.
Shen Moxuan's jaw tightened. "That wasn't a wild accident. This whole thing where the beast suddenly went wild and caused fire to erupt, this is clearly staged."
Chen Kangle turned to him, voice low. "But why? Why take Duan Yu? He's just a boy. He's just my younger brother." her voice cracking at the end as a single tear fell out.
Shen Moxuan didn't answer immediately. His brows furrowed, eyes darkening as if turning inward to piece together threads of a larger, hidden puzzle. "We need to find out who that person was… and why they were here during the ceremony."
Chen Kangle's eyes didn't leave Lin'er. "Can you describe the beast? Anything else?"
The girl wiped her dried tears and said. "The beast has red feathers and the tip of its feathers look like its burning... and when it flew, its wings could span an entire courtyard. Its feet only has three claws and... and it... it looks like a chicken with dog mouth!" the girl Lin'er said with her eyes wide like even now she still couldn't believe what she saw.
Chen Kangle: "..."
Shen Moxuan: "..."
Chen Kangle inwardly felt like laughing or crying. What chicken with a dog mouth?
"I'm going after him," she said.
Chen Kangle's chest tightened with a mix of fear and resolve. She couldn't afford to break now, not when her brother might still be alive out there in the hands of someone dangerous.
Shen Moxuan nodded without hesitation. "Then I'm going with you."
"No. I can't possibly involve you in this, you don't owe us."
"Just think of it as my repayment for your help before. And the food." Shen Moxuan said, his gaze penetrating.
"And I may not look like it, but I'm quite powerful myself." he added.
She looked at him again.
"Thank you," she murmured. Then shift her attention to Lin'er.
"Lin'er thank you for telling me everything." Chen Kangle said to Lin'er.
"Sister, I hope you can rescue Duan Yu. He's a good brother and a classmate." Lin'er said before taking her leave.
They left the shelter, dusk beginning to fall again as the village quieted under a blanket of exhaustion. But for Chen Kangle, sleep would not come. Only questions, and the rising urgency to look for Duan Yu.
Somewhere out there, her brother was waiting.
And she would find him—no matter the cost.
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Hello hello, dear readers. What do you think the masked man wants with Duan Yu? Any theories? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!
Enjoy! :)