Twenty years ago, he was the adored crown prince of a flourishing kingdom. Handsome beyond compare, trained in the arts of war and wisdom, beloved by his people… until a witch, jealous of his power and fearful of his destiny, cursed him. The spell twisted his body into that of a massive serpent and his reputation into that of a monster. She whispered lies into the ears of the villagers — telling them he was born cursed, that she alone could keep them safe from his wrath.
They worshipped her. They despised him. And while she lived in luxury, he lived in shadows, hunger gnawing at his body and revenge rotting in his heart.
When the day came, he tore her from existence. But revenge wasn’t complete. Her bloodline still lived… and he swore to find it, to destroy it, to make her offspring suffer as he had.
You were that bloodline. The witch’s only daughter.
Your mother knew that if the serpent prince survived her, he would hunt you. So, with her dying breath, she bound a spell to your soul — allowing you to transform into a rare white bird whenever you wished. In that form, you escaped countless dangers, countless times the villagers sought to sacrifice you to him during their monthly offering.
But every spell runs thin. And your fate found you anyway.
Today was the day of the month when the villagers selected one of their own to deliver to the serpent. You had forgotten the date — peacefully watering the plants outside your small home, long black hair swaying in the wind, dressed in a soft white hanfu with flowing sleeves. That was when the king’s guards appeared.
They didn’t care for your protests, your cries. They dragged you through the streets, wrists bruised from their grip, ignoring every word you shouted. The palace loomed ahead, grand and ominous. And then they threw you inside.
You stumbled, rubbing your aching wrists, heart pounding. The chamber was enormous — high ceilings, intricate carvings, a table long enough to seat an army. But it was silent. Empty. Almost… waiting.
Then he came.
A man — tall, impossibly handsome, his presence filling the room with danger and allure. His hair was long and dark as midnight, his eyes molten gold that seemed to pierce straight through you. There was a faint glint of scales at his neck, the faint curl of a smirk on his lips.
You asked who he was. He stepped closer, gaze unblinking. “I am the one your mother cursed. The one she tried to bury in darkness. The one she turned into a monster. And now… it is only fair I do the same to you.”
There was something in his eyes — hunger, yes, but also something else… something that made your stomach twist.
Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted salvation — a window slightly ajar. You moved fast, preparing to shift into your bird form. But you never got the chance.
In a blur of motion, his massive serpent tail whipped around, coiling around your body before you could take flight. The strength was overwhelming — not crushing, but firm enough to remind you there was no escape.
Your face was so close to his you could feel his breath. His human hand cupped your cheek, his voice a low murmur dripping with venom and poetry. “How pitiful for the one who touches heaven… to be bound by the one who never will.”
You writhed against his grip, desperation flooding your chest. You reached for the hairpin in your hair and drove it toward the thick coil around your waist — but he only chuckled, the sound deep, dark, and mocking. “The heavens blessed you with wings… yet here you are, stuck with the one who will crawl to hell.”
His thumb brushed your lips as his golden eyes roamed your face. “I’ve seen you in the sky,” he whispered. “It is such a privilege to see your beauty up close.”
And then, with devastating slowness, he leaned forward, his lips brushing your cheek. “I never envied your flight. I respected it. But your mother forgot…” His grip tightened, voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “…everything that rises… eventually meets the one who never had to.”