The Moon Supreme, Dongfang Qingcang

Chapters 1 & 2 - Meilin & Deming

Deming's pulse quickened, gaze hardening as he fixed it on the lieutenant with a piercing glare. "You..." his voice trembled.

The lieutenant sneered, savoring his victory while maintaining his facade in front of the fairy leader. "In exchange for my life and the Supreme Throne of Astara, I present Feng Deming—the crown prince."

Disgust etched itself into Deming's features as he glared at the lieutenant. "You despicable traitor!" he spat, voice quivering with rage. "My father was a blind man to trust a coward who stoops to slavery. You are a mockery of a king."

The lieutenant stepped back, eyes darting between Deming and Lord Muchen, sweat trickling down his forehead. 'I have no choice... If I don't hand over the prince, Astara is doomed. The fairies would wipe us out,' he agonized, guilt tearing at his soul. "I am aware that slavery goes against our principles. However..." He acknowledged his treason and the strict prohibition against slavery, a code ingrained within his tribe since its foundation millions of years ago. 'There's nothing I can do now.'

In a final attempt, Deming's eyes pleaded with the lieutenant, silently begging for compassion, even as the chains held him firmly in place.

His troubled gaze shifted, unable to meet Deming's eyes, and he stated, "He is all yours," and walked away without turning back.

Lord Muchen's eyes flickered with pleasure as he stepped forward with grace, eyeing the prince with satisfaction. "A most generous offering, indeed."

Deming's fists clenched, fury blazed in his eyes, molten lava raging within them as his once-prestigious life crumbled into a living hell. "One day, the Fairy Realm will fall, and its name will be forgotten forever—along with yours," he declared, voice fuming with anger. "I promise you this!"

As the fairies approached Feng Deming, their footsteps pounded like drumbeats against his chest. His breaths grew shallow as the general shrank from view, and the fairies drew nearer.

"You will all regret this, mark my words!" Deming raged, a storm brewing in his eyes. His muscles strained against the phantom chains of his captors, his limbs heavy and unresponsive. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he fought against the overwhelming force pressing down on him. Resisting tears, memories of his father's teachings echoed in his mind, urging him to stand firm in the face of hardship.

"Listen closely, my son—never allow yourself to be trapped... You are our only hope against their millions of years of oppression. The fairies want to crush our pride and destroy our culture. If we lose our identity, everything our ancestors achieved will turn to dust. We will be nothing... They want to weaken us by making us less protective of our heritage, which will divide Astara. If they succeed, fairy worship will occur here and doom us all... that even death is a mercy.

Even if they take away our lands and try to break our spirit, we must never turn the other cheek and abandon our ideology... We are Astarans; we never surrender to oppression or lose our dignity, even if death comes near.

One day, you must lead our people, because only you can stand up to the fairies until the end... When the time is right, I will reveal who you truly are. Until then, never forget our legacy, our culture, and who we are as a people... Always remember who you are, Feng Deming."

Hope brightened Deming's eyes. He frowned with determination, lips pressed tightly together as he exhaled sharply through his nose. 'Now I see why he never wanted me to waste time and play like the other kids...' Memories of grueling training sessions flooded his mind, his muscles tensing with each remembered exertion. 'That deciphering technique... I haven't mastered it yet, but I will... Father, I promise I'll never slack off, and I'll restore Astara's glory... and once I decipher those seals, I'll break free...' A knot of dread tightened in his chest, constricting his breath as he imagined the suffocating consequence of entrapment. His jaw clenched, and he released a shaky breath. 'But what if I fail after breaking out... and be trapped again... and never see my home again until I die? What will they do to Astara and... to my people?'