Duàn Lán raised the cursed sword high.

  This time, he would sever her head. End it all.

  But something moved.

  Inside his armor.

  Thin, crawling, twisting—

  He had been so intoxicated by the power of his blade, so sure of victory, that he had stopped paying attention.

  (Tricks won’t save you. This ends—now!)

  He swung the sword wide.

  Her head was supposed to fall.

  Instead—

  Ten of his fingers hit the ground.

  Cleanly severed.

  A moment later, the pain hit.

  He screamed.

  Xiāng Sī tore the cursed blade from her throat, shattered it on the rocks, and stared at him—bleeding, but alive.

  “You never stood a chance,” she said coldly. “The moment you cut through the threads, your fate was sealed.”

  Even after being wounded, she had continued to control the Ryūzanshi—the dragon-cutting threads.

  They had slipped into his armor, merged with the fabric, and sewn themselves throughout every seam.

  And now they tightened.

  The threads became blades.

  His body bled from a hundred wounds.

  The ground turned red.

  “You’re nothing without your sword,” she said.

  Duàn Lán could no longer move. His armor, his clothing, his body—bound and sliced by thread.

  “I… I was supposed to be Emperor…” he gasped. “I was going to drown the world in blood…”

  And so he did.

  His own.

  Thunder rolled above. The clouds churned, wild and black.

  Xiāng Sī stepped back, her voice calm but absolute.

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  “In accordance with the dragon’s law—may Heaven pass judgment.”

  The wind stopped.

  A single moment of stillness.

  Then—

  Lightning fell.

  It struck Duàn Lán like a divine spear.

  His body convulsed. Then burned.

  The cursed blessing vanished in flame.

  Xiāng Sī gave him one final glance—then kicked his body into the waterfall.

  He disappeared into the roaring depths.

  ◆◆◆

  She turned to the shattered blade and sliced it again and again with Ryūzanshi, until it was no more than bronze dust.

  She bound her wounds. Stitched herself shut.

  Above her, the storm broke. The clouds drifted away.

  All but one.

  A great anvil cloud remained—towering, glowing in the light.

  “…You were watching again, weren’t you?”

  She smiled faintly.

  (Thank you. I can’t cry here—not when dragon’s tears can change the world. But still… I love you.)

  “I want to be with you. Just for a while. Let me rest in your arms.”

  The light wrapped around her.

  Scales shimmered across her body. Water-blue, like the ocean at dawn.

  She became a dragon.

  Wings spread, she soared into the sky, entering the clouds above.

  The heavens parted to welcome her home.

  ◆◆◆

  “I saw it… I really saw it…”

  Shíchéng stood below, breathless. He had returned in time to witness it:

  A dragon—beautiful, blue, divine—rising into the sky.

  He knew then: Duàn Lán had been defeated.

  The tears of the dragon had been protected.

  The balance of Heaven, Earth, and Man restored.

  But the dragons’ fight was not over.

  Not yet.

  And in the skies above Qin, the dragons still watch.

  —End—

  Author’s Note (Thank You)

  Thank you for reading to the end of *Tears of the Dragon.*

  This story was born from the image of a girl once condemned, now rising as a dragon—not for vengeance, but for love.

  If the story left an impression, I’d be honored if you shared your thoughts or left a rating.

  More stories are on the way—from distant lands, haunted hearts, and skies that remember.

  —With gratitude,

  The author

  If this story moved you, I’d be grateful if you left a comment or review. Just a few words can go a long way for a new writer.

  If Tears of the Dragon stirred something in you—then get ready for a very different kind of fire.

  HELL’S RETURNERS is an upcoming episodic dark fantasy series set in a world where the dead don’t always stay dead—and vengeance takes on many forms.

  A girl once silenced by cruelty rises as a weapon.A war-torn society hunts those called “Returners”—resurrected individuals with unnatural powers.And in the shadows, a storm gathers.

  Two episodes per week. Starting soon.If you like morally gray heroes, high-stakes action, and psychological twists—you’ll want to follow this one.

  Stay tuned.—K_Nishi