Page 127 of Empire's Curse

Muyang roared, loud and piercing as if to announce his arrival. A grin stretched up Daiyu’s lips despite the direness of the situation. It was exhilarating being so high up, soaring up and up and watching the people down below. Watching the world wake up.

In mere minutes, the royal palace came into view. The sun gleamed against the polished, emerald-glazed roof tiles, the vermillion-lacquered balustrades, the raised pavilions, and the sprawling walled compound; the palace was even grander from above, appearing like a giant, beautified fortress.

They grew closer to it, but Feiyu didn’t slow down. Closer, and closer, andcloser.

“M-Muyang!” Daiyu held on tighter.

They were going to crash?—

Right when she thought they would dive through one of the walls, he bucked his powerful wings and slid across the shingled roof. She screamed, holding on with all her might. Feiyu flapped his wings, threw his head back, and roared even louder. The whole world seemed to be watching them right now.

She could see the courtyard, the gardens, the city square—all of it full of people staring up at them with gaping, slack jaws. Daiyu’s legs quivered, her gaze flicking from the royal palace to the rest of the capital.

He roared again, louder this time. Enough to shake the wallsand the city. It took her a second to realize where they were—the rooftop where the lantern lighting ceremony had taken place. It was like he wanted the whole capital to view them.

“W-What are you doing?” she shouted at him.

Seconds ticked by and palace guards swarmed the rooftop venue. They trembled whilst holding their spears, like they weren’t sure what to do. There was no way they could beat Feiyu, they seemed to realize that immediately.

“Don’t attack!” Daiyu yelled.

“Y-your Majesty?” one of the guards said, bewildered. “G-Get down from there!”

“He won’t attack you!” She scanned the crowds of soldiers for a familiar face, but she couldn’t see anything beyond the gleaming steel helmets and spears. “Bring His Majesty here, now!”

Nobody moved. They just stared at Feiyu with bug eyes.

“Bring—” Her words cut off when she spotted Commander Yao Bohai pushing through the sea of soldiers, his face colored in surprise. Behind him, she spotted Muyang. Even from here, she could see that he was on death’s doors. He could barely stand, his skin pallid and ghostly, and his cheeks gaunt. Her heart sank. It had only been a day and yet he had deteriorated so much.

“What are you doing?” Muyang stopped a dozen feet away from Feiyu, his shadowed, dark-circled eyes narrowing at the sight. The guards parted for him and even though he was so sickly, even though he probably wanted to keel over and pass out, he stood tall and proud and so like the man she had fallen in love with. He appeared fearless, even at the sight of the dragon.

“Muyang—” Daiyu’s eyes filled with unshed tears. He was still alive, at least.

“Daiyu, get away from him.” Muyang stared at Feiyu with such a look of disdain that she flinched back. His words whipped out of him like angry torrents. “Feiyu, what are you doing here? I thought you would never come back?—”

“Neither of you is dying today.” She wiped her eyes andsteeled her resolve. She peered down at him, watching the surprise on his face. “I told you I’d be back with Feiyu.”

“Daiyu—” he began.

She could tell that he didn’t want her there. That he would rather be in bed, dying alone. That he wished she had gone somewhere far away and lived a life without him. Well, she wasn’t going to let him have that peace. He was stuck with her now, she thought with a faint grin.

“If you thought you could die peacefully, away from all your troubles, then you’re wrong. You’re going to have to continue being the emperor, Muyang. You shouldn’t have chosen me as your bride if you thought I wouldn’t try to save you.”

He blinked over at her. “What are you saying?”

“You don’t remember who you are, do you? Yourrealname?”

“Daiyu.” There was a warning in his tone that told her she was crossing into boundaries she had no business being in, but behind that veil of anger wasterror. He didn’t want to know who Feiyu truly was—what kind of past they both shared.

“Your real nameisn’tDrakkon Muyang,” she said, her voice growing louder. “But you knew that, didn’t you? You knew you discarded a part of your soul so that you could keep your sanity. You never wanted to find out what really happened to you?—”

“Daiyu!” His eyes were wide now, so black and void-like. “I can’t find out?—”

“I’m not losing you! Not to yourself.” She pleaded with him with her gaze alone, wishing he could just accept who he was. But she didn’t want to tell him right away, she didn’t want to force it onto him. “You have to save yourself, Muyang.Please!”

Feiyu shifted on his feet, lowering his head to better stare at Muyang. As if that was enough to make him realize who he was.

“What have you done?” Muyang whispered, backing away. “You convinced him to come back?”

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