This is the English version of the novel Huyết Dạ Trường Ca.
I'm Vietnamese and not fluent in English, so please forgive any mistakes or awkward phrasing.
Thank you for your understanding.
The morning breeze gently swept across the scorched fields. Ashes left over from the night before still lingered, yet to disappear. Lioren sat silently by the withered tree, his eyes gazing into the void like someone who no longer belonged anywhere.
They said he was the child of prophecy, the one who bore four elemental souls. They praised him. They feared him. But no one truly understood. No one lived inside his mind.
The fire inside him howled—furious, eager to burn everything down. It was like a fractured scream, a furnace buried deep in his soul. On sleepless nights, Lioren could hear it call his name, whispering with every heartbeat:
"Let me out... let me burn everything that ever hurt you."
But the other three elements were alive too, and they could feel.
Lightning awakened vigilance. Every time the fire surged, it sent jolts through his body, like a warning of something about to spiral out of control.
Ice was quieter. It said nothing, only laid a cold mist over his emotions. At times, Lioren couldn't tell whether he was happy or in pain.
Earth was heavy. It kept him grounded, refusing to let him soar or fall. But sometimes, it made him feel petrified—numb between right and wrong.
On the day he left the village, Lioren wasn't taken to some grand academy, with halls bathed in light. Instead, the old man Talion brought him to an abandoned sanctuary, once a center for elemental study by a now-extinct sect, burned down in an unrecorded massacre.
"Here, no one can hear your screams. Learn to control it on your own." — Talion said, then walked away, leaving Lioren alone amidst moss-covered ruins.
Every night, he meditated, listening to his heartbeat, each breath carrying inner conflict.
Then one night, he failed again—and the fire rose.
The entire sanctuary caught fire. Trees, stone statues, and ancient memories were reduced to ash. Lioren stood among the ruins—his hands unburned, but his heart had lost something irreplaceable.
Talion returned the next morning, silently surveying the remains.
"You've started to understand," he said. "Control doesn't mean suppression—it means coexistence."
But Lioren didn't answer. He just lowered his head, placing one hand on his chest, where the fire still smoldered, waiting to rise again.
"Give me your hand," Talion said sternly.
When Lioren touched the crystal orb Talion held out, shapes of fire, lightning, ice, and earth appeared within it.
"Four elements in one body?" Talion muttered, stunned.
In this world, the basic elemental system includes fire, lightning, ice, and earth. Everyone has magical blood, but those born with talent usually wield only one element. Some, born lucky, wield two. And then there are those known as Fatebound—born with three elements.
"But this kid… he has all four. He's beyond Fatebound," Talion looked at Lioren.
"Unfortunately, the fire has nearly consumed him. Without training to restrain it, he'll become a force of destruction," Talion whispered.
"Kid, let me explain how this rotten world works."
The basic powers consist of four elements: fire, lightning, ice, and earth. When you train to a certain limit, your body demands a class to continue growing stronger.
Me? I'm a Storm Swordsman—a swordsman class with the lightning element.
Those are just the basic elements. Above them are the primal forces of the world: light, darkness, and curses.
"Dinner's ready," Liora said.
"Yes," Lioren replied.