Celestial Emperor of Shadow

The Weight Beneath the Truth

Victor tilted her chin up gently with his free hand, guiding her eyes back to his own — steady, patient, impossibly soft in a way only she ever earned from him.

"Mother," he murmured, voice low, almost a plea wrapped in steel, "please. Say it. I need to understand."

Her lips parted, trembling around a truth she'd buried for years.

Because…

Because…

But nothing came out — only a shiver in her breath, a tightening in her throat, and that haunted flicker in her gaze. It was the look of someone standing in front of a door that had stayed locked for too long… and finally running out of excuses to keep it shut.

But nothing came out — only a shiver in her breath, a tightening in her throat, and that haunted flicker in her gaze. It was the look of someone standing in front of a door that had stayed locked for too long… and finally running out of excuses to keep it shut.

The room fell tight and silent.

Victor's heartbeat paused in his chest. His fingers unconsciously tightened around her hand.

Anna finally whispered—fragile, breaking, but honest.

"Because…"

She inhaled deeply, the kind of breath someone takes before ripping open an old wound.

"Because… back then… I wasn't just the young miss of the Purpuris clan. I had the most outrageous talent among my generation."

Victor's eyes narrowed. Not in anger — in sheer, concentrated focus.

She continued, her voice gaining shape as memories clawed their way out of her.

"I surpassed everyone. My batchmates, the elders' chosen disciples… even my cousin. You remember I told you about her? The granddaughter of our clan's grand patriarch. She had outstanding talent too — unmatched since childhood. She and I… we grew up like rivals, but not the kind who hated each other." Anna's smile softened, small and sad. "More like sisters. We competed, pushed each other, but never once tried to sabotage one another."

Victor's breaths deepened. "And she never envied you? Never looked down on you?"

"Never," Anna said. "And that was the problem. She didn't understand the world the same way I did. She assumed everyone had the same heart she did. But our clan… they praised her more. Far more. Even when I surpassed her. Even when I shone brightest in front of the ancestors."

Her fingers tightened around Victor's.

"A child can handle a lot. Pride. Pressure. Expectations. But what breaks you… is when your own family pretends not to see you."

Her voice thickened, raw.

"So I pushed myself harder. I didn't care about their praise anymore. I had her. My rival. My sister in spirit. And because she never betrayed me, I… never once watched my back when it came to her. I trusted her blindly."

Victor's jaw clenched. "Someone used that."

Anna nodded slowly. "Yes. And it cost me everything."

She steadied her breathing.

"During the winter competition — the one held on both sides each decade — I became champion. Top ten meant earning access to the caves. The ones that hold the natural gateway to this world. I was chosen to lead the entrants from our side."

She swallowed hard, like the memory tasted bitter even now.

"People from the Other Side — this world — come there too. They seek our cultivation resources. Just as people from Origin come here seeking power as well. It's… a trade of fangs between two realms."

Victor's brows lowered. "And inside the cave…?"

"That," Anna whispered, "is where everything fell apart."

She pressed a hand to her chest, steadying herself.

"When people from the Other Side appeared, a fight broke out. Both sides deployed powerful warriors… too powerful for children like us to be near. But I fought anyway. My clan's pride. My talent. My future… all demanded it."

Her voice broke.

"And some of my own people died."

Victor leaned forward, expression sharp. "Because of you?"

"No," she said firmly. "Because someone betrayed the plan. Because someone wanted me out of the way."

He froze.

Anna took a shaky breath.

"At the moment I was struck — when I should've died — I realized something. The attack wasn't meant to kill our enemies. It was meant to kill me."

Victor's chest tightened. Rage curled deep behind his calm expression.

Anna's eyes shimmered.

"I still remember the feeling. My blood freezing. My spine going cold. The world spinning. And behind me… someone I trusted. Someone I loved like a sister…"

Her voice lowered to a trembling whisper.

"She didn't try to help me. She didn't even call my name."

Victor's voice darkened. "Why?"

Anna shut her eyes, pain folding across her features.

"Because in our clan… the position of 'young miss' isn't small. It comes with heritage. Authority. Access to secrets. Right to lead. And right now?" She opened her eyes, their shine turning wet.

"Our clan… needed a new young miss."

Victor stared at her — stunned, furious, protective all at once.

"And your elders?" he demanded quietly. "They let that happen?"

"They orchestrated it," Anna whispered. "They didn't want me in that position anymore. They didn't want you to ever see that world, or inherit anything from it. So they planned to get rid of me… inside that cave. A clean death. A heroic death. A death that wouldn't stain their reputation."

Her hand trembled.

"And she—my rival, my sister—she just watched. Because if I died… she would take my place."

Silence.

Heavy. Suffocating.

Victor felt something crack under his ribs, a pressure he hadn't felt in years — the urge to destroy, to protect, to tear down anything that dared threaten the people he claimed as his own.

But he held himself steady.

For her.

Anna wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I should've died. I really should have. My blood was draining fast. My breathing stopped twice. My bones were shattered."

Victor reached for her other hand instinctively, grounding her.

"Mother…" he said softly, "then how did you survive?"

She looked up at him — tired, wounded, and holding onto her last threads of strength.

And Victor waited, breath held, eyes locked on hers.

"Mother," he repeated, voice trembling between fear and fury. "Tell me. How did you survive?"