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Lian · 4/26/2026, 9:40 PM

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The girl did not notice the dragon at her heels at first. Lian's attention was captivated by the jagged spires of the castle, its layers of pale brick and the yawning mouths of glassless window. Vines lush with newgrown leaves and masses of decorative bushes that had not been tended in generations sprawled across the lawn and walls of the castle. Everything was worn and half-devoured by nature, yet the granite bones of the building remained almost untouched by time and the weather alike.

The wind shifted. Lian's nose twitched. Relief touched her heart, but apprehension clenched in her gut. Gentle peach blossom fit the springtime bloom perfectly, and Lian turned to face her distant cousin with a welcoming sway of her tail. Rihe. She had not seen any of her Tianlong amidst the winter chaos of the Door, but Lian had not been looking for them. She had only looked at the bound wolf, vision glassy with tears, and the tragedy and dire effort to wrench balance back into the world had consumed her.

Released from that burden, Lian felt welcoming, even to the woman who had participated in so much chaos within her own Dynasty so recently. The lotus tilted her head to invite Rihe to walk alongside her. Her expression was tea-warmed porcelain. Were you there as well?

Lian did not think of the trial. Of the tears, and Rihe's agonized cries. She did not permit herself to think of Shenlei's losses dragged through the muck of the twin's dishonor. She did not think of it.

She thought of Golden Kin, and Rihe's dawn-like coloring blessing the moors alongside Lian, and gifts from the Crystal Dragon that were mysterious and meant only to be appreciated, not questioned. Lian was not alone. I was going to investigate this strange place, see if any call it their own.

Welcome Back!

Greetings Stranger!

Eastborne

princess of the tianlong