Chapter 6 – The Hunt Begins
1246 Words
The mountain burned behind them.
Ash drifted like snow as Gu Qingxuan stumbled down the slope, dragging Ye Junli through the smoke. Every breath tasted of iron and panic.
“Keep moving!” Luka shouted from ahead. His silver-gray hair blazed under the sunlight, half-wolf, half-boy. “Oh my good boy, they’re right on our tails!”
“Correction,” Qingxuan panted, “they’re on your tail. Mine’s metaphorical!”
A crossbow bolt hissed past his ear and buried itself in a tree. Another slammed into the ground by Junli’s foot, sizzling with silver fire.
Junli growled low in his throat, eyes flashing crimson. “Hunters.”
“Ten out of ten for observation,” Qingxuan snapped. “Now kindly don’t collapse; you’re dripping smoke again!”
They broke through the tree line into an open ravine. Below, a stream glittered like a blade. Above, shapes moved—Blood Hunters in crimson armor, rifles gleaming with runes.
“Ambush!” Luka yelled.
Junli shoved Qingxuan behind a boulder as the first volley erupted. Silver streaks ripped through the air, burning holes in stone.
Qingxuan peeked out, heart hammering. “We’re trapped!”
Junli’s lips curved into something between a snarl and a smile. “Not yet.”
He stepped from cover, power flaring crimson. His shadow split—one, two, five duplicates rushing the slope, moving like mist. The hunters shouted, firing wildly, chasing illusions.
“Oh my good boy!” Luka breathed. “That’s cheating—and I love it!”
Junli’s real form blurred, appearing behind a hunter. Fangs flashed; the man dropped silently.
Qingxuan exhaled, clutching his satchel. “Right. My turn.”
He scattered a handful of powders into the wind, muttering an incantation. A golden haze formed, twisting into glowing threads.
“Herbal smoke grenade,” he said. “Patent pending.”
The mixture ignited—thick, glittering fog swallowing the ravine. Hunters coughed, blinded.
Luka shifted partially, claws extending. He slashed through the confusion, laughing. “Oh my good boy! They never expect glitter!”
Qingxuan smirked. “Neither did I.”
For a moment, it worked—until a blast of pure light cut through the smoke, scattering herbs and men alike. The shockwave threw Qingxuan backward.
He hit the ground hard, pain flaring through his ribs. A shadow loomed above him: a hunter in black, eyes cold, holding a spear of silver.
“Target secured,” the man said. “Capture the Sun-Heart alive.”
Before Qingxuan could move, the spear plunged toward his chest—then stopped inches short, blocked by Junli’s hand.
Smoke curled from the vampire’s burned palm, but his voice was calm. “You touch him, you die.”
The hunter sneered. “And if I do, you burn with him.”
Junli’s eyes glowed. “Try.”
They moved faster than sight—silver against crimson, sparks lighting the fog. The hunter twisted, slammed a rune against Junli’s chest. Energy exploded. Junli staggered, dropping to one knee.
Qingxuan’s blood-seal flared—pain knifing through his heart. He screamed, clutching his chest. Heat poured from the mark, blinding golden.
Luka skidded to a halt, eyes wide. “Oh my good boy—he’s glowing again!”
The light burst outward like sunrise. Hunters stumbled, blinded. Junli gasped as his burns healed instantly.
Qingxuan rose slowly, eyes shining gold. His voice, when it came, was not entirely his own.
“No shadow devours the sun.”
With a flick of his wrist, the silver spear melted into molten droplets that rained harmlessly to the ground. Energy rippled outward, tossing the hunters like leaves.
Then the light vanished.
Qingxuan collapsed.
Junli caught him, shaking. “Gu Qingxuan! Look at me!”
His eyelids fluttered. “I’m fine. Just… accidentally turned into a lighthouse.”
Luka crouched beside them, tail twitching anxiously. “Oh my good boy, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. No offense, Prince Glowstick.”
Junli ignored him, pressing a hand to Qingxuan’s pulse. It beat steady but faint. “He’s burning from inside. The light consumes him.”
“Well,” Qingxuan murmured weakly, “at least I’m consistent. Everything I touch catches fire.”
Junli’s jaw tightened. “We have to move.”
“Where?” Luka asked.
“Downstream,” Junli said. “The current hides scent. They’ll lose our trail.”
They half-carried, half-floated along the water’s edge. The forest dimmed around them, light fading to dusk. Behind, distant horns called again—closer now.
“They’re regrouping,” Luka said grimly. “Oh my good boy, they never give up.”
“They’ll regret not doing so,” Junli replied coldly.
Qingxuan stirred. “You two sound very confident for people being hunted by an army.”
“Confidence,” Luka said, “is the only thing between bravery and stupidity.”
“Which one are we?” Qingxuan asked.
“Oh my good boy—both!”
They followed the stream until it vanished beneath a waterfall. Luka pointed. “Behind it—there’s a hollow. Temporary hideout.”
They slipped through the curtain of water into a small cavern lit by faint bioluminescent moss. For a moment, the world was only the hush of falling water and the ragged sound of breathing.
Qingxuan sank down on a rock, shaking. “I hate nature.”
Junli crouched before him. “You used power you do not understand.”
“Story of my life,” Qingxuan muttered. He looked up. “What did the hunter mean—‘Sun-Heart’?”
Junli hesitated. “I have heard the prophecy. ‘When the Sun-Heart burns beside the Blood Moon, the old curse breaks.’ Perhaps that is what binds us.”
“Great,” Qingxuan said. “So I’m a walking legend. Do legends get dental plans?”
Luka snickered. “Oh my good boy, you’re the funniest chosen one I’ve ever met.”
“Chosen to suffer, maybe.”
Junli’s expression softened—a rare thing. “You saved me again.”
“Stop keeping score,” Qingxuan said. “Just promise not to explode next time.”
Their eyes met, heat flickering between crimson and gold. For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to breath and light.
Luka cleared his throat loudly. “Oh my good boy! If you two start making heart-eyes, at least let me leave first!”
Qingxuan groaned. “Ruiner of moments.”
Before Junli could reply, the waterfall darkened—shadow falling across the light.
A figure stood silhouetted behind the falling water: tall, cloaked, the crimson symbol of the Blood Hunters burning on his chest. He lifted his hood, revealing a familiar, cruelly beautiful face.
Junli froze. “Impossible.”
“Brother,” the man said smoothly. “You always did have terrible taste in companions.”
Luka whispered, “Oh my good boy… the regent.”
Qingxuan’s pulse spiked. “So this is the family reunion we were avoiding.”
The regent smiled, fangs flashing white. “Run if you like. The Hunt doesn’t end until I have your blood—and his light.”
He raised his hand; silver fire ignited behind him, forming a halo of blades.
Junli stepped in front of Qingxuan, voice like ice. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
“That,” the regent said, “was always the plan.”
The waterfall exploded inward as silver lances shot through. Light and blood collided again.
- Writer
