The Chains of Blood
---
1. The Matriarch's Welcome
Chen Zhen stood at the threshold of the Red Spire, the heart of Lou Clan territory.
The air was thick with heat, not the warmth of a living fire, but something ancient, simmering just beneath the surface of the land itself. The Valley of Embers stretched beyond the cliffs, its molten rivers glowing beneath the morning sun.
He felt watched, though none of the Lou Clan warriors flanking the entrance moved. Their presence was silent, disciplined, their armor lined with crimson sigils that pulsed faintly with qi.
The Matriarch stood before him, her expression unreadable.
"You've taken your time," she said again, voice both welcoming and absolute.
Chen met her gaze. "I wasn't in a hurry."
A small smile touched her lips, but it did not reach her eyes.
"That will change."
She turned, gesturing for him to follow. The doors to the Red Spire opened without a sound, revealing a grand hall carved from black obsidian, its walls glowing faintly with streaks of vein-like emberstone.
Lou Tian's presence stirred in Chen's mind.
"This place has not changed," he murmured.
"And neither has she."
---
2. The Weight of Expectations
The Matriarch led him through the great hall, its vast chamber lined with Lou Clan warriors standing at attention. Their postures were not hostile, but neither were they welcoming.
They did not see him as an outsider.
They saw him as something unfinished.
Chen could feel the weight of their expectations pressing down on him, the silent whispers of recognition in their stares.
He wasn't just a visitor.
He was Lou Tian's legacy, whether he wanted it or not.
The Matriarch took her seat at the far end of the chamber, on a throne of solidified magma, its armrests carved into the shape of a phoenix's talons.
"You are not a prisoner here, Chen Zhen," she said smoothly. "Nor are you merely a guest."
She rested her hands on the throne's arms, fingers tapping lightly against the stone.
"You are blood. And blood does not stand outside its own house."
Chen remained standing, meeting her gaze evenly. "You assume I want to be part of this house."
A flicker of amusement crossed her face.
"Oh, I assume nothing. I simply recognize what is inevitable."
She leaned forward slightly.
"The world is shifting, boy. The Shanggu Clan clings to ghosts, but here? We prepare for the future. Whether you accept your place or not, your blood has already made the decision for you."
A slow, uncomfortable tension settled in Chen's chest.
He hadn't come here to be claimed.
But the Lou Clan had never been a group that asked for permission.
---
3. The Trial of Blood
"You were born outside the Lou Clan," the Matriarch continued. "Raised outside our ways. Trained by men who feared what we are capable of."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And yet, you carry the strength of our ancestors."
She stood, stepping down from her throne, her presence undeniable as she approached.
"Do you think that strength is yours alone?"
Chen's fingers twitched toward his glaive, but he did not move.
"What are you trying to say?"
She stopped before him, studying him carefully.
"You did not come here to talk. You came to understand. So let us not waste time."
She raised a hand.
The moment her fingers snapped, the ground shifted beneath him.
A wave of scorching energy erupted, flowing in a circular pattern around them, isolating Chen in the center of the chamber.
The walls of the great hall darkened, the glowing embers along the obsidian veins flickering into shadows.
And then, from the darkness—something stepped forward.
---
4. A Duel with the Past
The figure that emerged was not human, nor was it beast.
It was both.
A warrior clad in ceremonial Lou Clan armor, its body flickering between solid and spectral, as if pulled from the memory of the land itself.
Chen's breath hitched.
"This is—"
"One of your ancestors," the Matriarch finished for him.
She gestured toward the warrior.
"We are bound by blood, Chen Zhen. And blood remembers. It does not matter where you were raised. It does not matter who you call ally. When your heart beats, it beats with our history."
The spectral warrior's glaive ignited with molten fire, its energy pressing down on Chen with a familiar yet alien weight.
The Matriarch's voice was calm, final.
"Show us that you are worthy of it."
The warrior moved first.
And Chen had no choice but to meet it.
---
5. A Fight for Identity
The first strike nearly took him off guard.
The warrior's speed was inhuman, the weight behind its blows not bound by mortal limits.
Chen barely twisted out of the way as the flaming glaive carved through the air, the heat licking at his skin. His own weapon clashed against the strike, sending a shockwave through the chamber.
The Lou Clan warriors watched in silence, their expressions unreadable.
They were not here to cheer him on.
They were here to see what he was made of.
"Do not fight as an outsider," Lou Tian's voice warned in his mind. "This is not a test of survival. This is a test of belonging."
Chen gritted his teeth.
He didn't want to belong.
But he couldn't afford to lose.
He shifted his stance, adjusting not just to counter the warrior's attacks, but to move with the rhythm of the battle.
Not as an opponent.
But as one of them.
And when he struck next, it wasn't his power alone.
It was the blood of his ancestors, moving through him.
The warrior staggered as Chen's glaive connected—a direct hit, infused with both void and storm energy.
A ripple passed through the chamber.
The Matriarch's expression did not change.
But her eyes shone with something close to satisfaction.
---
6. The Verdict
The battle ended with the warrior kneeling before him, its form fading into embers, absorbed into the floor.
Chen was breathing hard, his knuckles white around his glaive.
The Matriarch stepped forward.
"Now you understand," she said, voice softer this time. "The blood you carry is not a burden. It is a key."
Chen didn't answer.
Because deep inside, he knew this had never been a test of strength.
It had been a statement.
He wasn't just acknowledged now.
He was claimed.
The Matriarch turned toward the gathered warriors.
"Welcome him home."
And for the first time, the Lou Clan warriors bowed their heads.
Chen Zhen was not an outsider anymore.
---