CRIMSON NOCTURNE

CHAPTER 3: The Letter

Yi Fei was cleaning his room when a yellowed envelope fell out from between his books.

He picked it up, and his heart stopped.

The handwriting on the front was his father's. Six years ago — six years — his dad had left this letter behind along with a simple instruction: "Do not open until Yi Fei turns eighteen."

He checked the calendar on his phone. Tomorrow was his eighteenth birthday.

*Eighteen. I've been alone for six years, and I never even thought about celebrating.*

He tucked the letter into his pocket and went downstairs for lunch, his mind already buzzing with questions he couldn't ask the dead.

* * *

The afternoon dragged. By the time Yi Fei finished his homework and collapsed onto his bed, his phone buzzed.

It was his homeroom teacher, Mrs. Yang.

"Yi Fei? The city sports school called. Their scouts saw your game yesterday. They want to recruit you for their soccer team. Can you come to school at three?"

Yi Fei didn't even hesitate. "Sorry, Mrs. Yang. I'm not interested. I want to focus on my studies and get into university. Please tell them thanks but no thanks."

He hung up before she could argue.

The truth was only half a lie. He did want to go to university. But the real reason he'd turned down the offer was simpler: the more attention he got, the more likely someone would figure out what he really was.

His father's words echoed in his mind: *The more ordinary your life, the safer you are.*

He tossed his phone aside and buried his face in the pillow.

* * *

Dinner came fast. Aunt Zhang, his landlady, called him down. His foster sister Zeng Dan was there, looking mysterious. "Yi Fei, stay at school tomorrow during lunch. I need to talk to you about something."

He nodded, not really paying attention. His mind was elsewhere.

After dinner, he tried to go for his usual evening walk, but the streets were blocked. Police everywhere. Curfew.

*A curfew. In peacetime. Because of us.*

He called Yang Yi. The daytime manhunt had turned up nothing — just a lot of sweaty cops chasing shadows. Yang Yi had tagged along with the search party, more for the spectacle than anything else. "You should've seen the robots, man. Eight-meter mechanical units. Like something out of a movie."

When Yi Fei mentioned that he'd turned down the city sports team, Yang Yi wasn't surprised. "Yeah, I always figured you were more of a book guy. Muscles or not."

They talked a bit more. Yang Yi mentioned he was planning to write a reply letter.

Yi Fei knew who the letter was for. Cheng Yao.

*Good for him. She's a great girl.*

But something twisted inside his chest.

* * *

The next morning, Yi Fei watched from the school gate as Yang Yi handed the letter to Cheng Yao. She took it with a small smile, but something in her eyes looked... crushed.

*What did you write, Yang Yi?*

By midday, Cheng Yao's face was still tight with sadness. Yi Fei couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed Yang Yi during break and dragged him behind the teaching building.

"What did you say to her?!"

Yang Yi shrugged, a crooked grin on his face. "I told her I have a girlfriend now. That's all."

"Wait... why would you—"

"Dude." Yang Yi put a hand on his shoulder. "If you like her, tell her yourself. I'm not gonna be your middleman forever."

And he walked away, leaving Yi Fei speechless.

*He did that for me. He stepped aside so I could...*

Yi Fei spent the rest of the morning stealing glances at Cheng Yao, his heart hammering every time. He wanted to say something. Anything. But the words wouldn't come.

* * *

At lunch, just as Yi Fei was staring blankly at his food, a familiar voice cut through the noise.

"Happy birthday, little brother!"

Zeng Dan appeared in the doorway of his classroom, holding a massive cake. Several boys nearby dropped their chopsticks.

"Zeng... Zeng Jie?! What are you doing here?"

"How do you think I knew it was your birthday?" She tapped her nose. "Your library card. I saw the date."

She set the cake on his desk. It was absurdly large for two people.

"Aren't you going to eat with me?"

"Can't. I'm going undercover to find the 'City Hero.'" She winked. "Tell my mom I won't be home for dinner."

And just like that, she was gone.

Yi Fei stared at the cake. It was the first birthday cake he'd received in years.

He cut it up and shared it with the class — including a slice for Cheng Yao. She smiled and wished him happy birthday, but he could still see the sadness behind her eyes.

Yang Yi burst in halfway through, grabbed the biggest slice, and plopped down next to Yi Fei.

"So who was the hottie with the cake?"

"My foster sister, you idiot."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Yang Yi grinned through a mouthful of cream.

* * *

The afternoon bell rang. Yi Fei's body began to feel... wrong.

His muscles twitched. His bones ached. A familiar sensation — the change was coming.

*Not now. Not here.*

He bolted out of the classroom just as the teacher walked in. Students stared. Had he eaten something bad?

He locked himself in the handicap bathroom stall. Stripped naked.

In the past, the transformation had always been painful — bones breaking, muscles tearing, reforming. But this time...

It felt... good.

A wave of warmth washed through his body. A deep, satisfying stretch, like the best massage he'd ever had.

After a few minutes, the sensation faded. He looked at himself. No claws. No fur. No change.

*What the hell was that?*

He dressed quickly and returned to class. The teacher let him off with a nod.

His seatmate, Chen Jing, leaned over. "Yi Fei! I saw you at the game! You're so fast! And so strong!"

"Not interested in joining your expedition," he said flatly.

"I haven't even asked yet!"

"You were about to."

She pouted. "I'm not giving up."

The rest of the afternoon was a blur of Chen Jing's chatter and Cheng Yao's distant silhouette. Yi Fei's body still hummed with that strange, pleasant energy.

*Something's different. I need to check.*

* * *

After school, he ran home without saying goodbye to anyone.

Dinner. Homework. Then — the test.

He crept up to the rooftop, stripped down, and let the change take him.

One breath. That's all it took.

And when he looked down at himself, he gasped.

His body was covered in a thick layer of silver fur. Not patches here and there — full coverage. He looked like a wolf made of moonlight.

*What is happening to me?*

He changed back. His fingers trembled as he pulled on his clothes.

That's when he felt it — the hard lump in his inner pocket.

The letter.

*Not until you're eighteen,* his father had said.

He ripped it open.

**[END OF CHAPTER 3]**