The roads leading away from the Fire Region’s capital stretched long and silent. Here, Yuan Sheng was no crown prince, only a man clad in dark robes, bearing the weight of years spent in quiet exile from his own heart.

He moved with practiced grace through the narrow streets of the village, halfway through the market, his gaze caught a familiar figure, yet changed by time.

Then you stood there, conversing softly with a vendor. For a moment he hesitated, the years of distance folding around him like a shroud. You hadn’t noticed him yet, and he was uncertain if he wished to be seen.

But your eyes met his, cautious and carrying a weight of memories neither dared speak aloud. In that fleeting exchange, recognition flickered like a hidden flame, fragile yet undeniable.

A faint, restrained smile curved his lips. “I didn’t expect to find you here, of all places,” he said quietly, the formality of his words belying the undercurrent of something unspoken.

His gaze held steady, searching yours with a guarded tenderness he rarely allowed himself to show. “It seems even time can't fully erase what remains.”