[11:47 PM – Mishima High Dormitory Rooftop]
The wind howled like a grieving beast. The rooftop lights flickered—buzzing, dim, dying.
Xao Min Feng stood alone at the edge. Her phone fell from her trembling hand, clattering to the wet rooftop tiles. Her face was pale, eyes wide with a storm that refused to be contained.
The call had ended. But her world had just begun to collapse.
Arranged marriage. Wing Chun Zhao heir. Leave the tournament. Return to Beijing. Obey.
She exhaled—and the breath came out broken.
> "This isn't happening…" she whispered.
Footsteps behind her. Steady, unsure.
Genji Takashima emerged from the stairwell, hoodie half-zipped, eyes still soft from sleep. But when he saw her—saw the pain wrapped in silence—his body froze.
> "Min?" he called.
She didn't answer.
Just stood there—her back to him, shoulders trembling.
> "Hey," he said again, gentler now, approaching. "What's going on?"
> "They're taking me back," she said.
He blinked.
> "Who?"
> "My father. My clan. The Zhao house."
She turned to him.
Her eyes weren't lightning now.
They were thunderclouds.
> "They've arranged my marriage."
The silence that followed was so loud it drowned the wind.
Genji's breath caught in his chest.
> "You're… getting married?"
> "To a Wing Chun master. Zhao Qiang. 'Heir to the Thunder Palms.' Apparently, he compliments me."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"Like I'm a sword pairing with the right sheath."
Genji looked at her like someone trying to piece together a shattered mirror.
> "That's insane. You're your own person. They can't just—"
> "They can," she said flatly. "Because I let them. Because that's the price of being born into a legacy."
Genji stepped closer.
> "So that's it? You're leaving? What about the tournament? Your dream? Us—"
She flinched.
> "Don't say 'us.' That makes it worse."
Her voice cracked.
> "I shouldn't have let myself… feel anything. You were the one real thing in this damn circus."
> "Then fight for it," he said, eyes burning. "Fight for yourself. Stay."
> "It's not that easy."
> "Yes, it is!" Genji's voice raised, hurt leaking through. "You don't have to obey them."
> "You don't get it," she shouted, finally snapping. "You were born to rebel. You don't carry your family on your back. I do."
Tears now. Hot. Shamed.
> "If I don't go, my father loses face. My siblings suffer. My clan gets mocked. Do you understand what that means where I'm from?"
He stared at her—angry, helpless, hurting.
She took a step back.
> "You were the only thing I chose. And I still can't have you."
Then she turned—and walked away.
---
[Five Minutes Later – Dormitory Hallway]
Asumi was coming down the hallway, hair in a messy bun, hoodie halfway zipped. She saw Xao Min storming past.
> "Min? Where are you going?"
> "Home."
> "What?"
Blaze stepped into view behind Asumi, barefoot and confused.
> "Yo, something happen?"
> "They're forcing her into an engagement," Genji's voice came from behind, slower, rougher.
They turned.
Genji looked like a storm had gutted him.
Xao Min's fists clenched.
> "I don't need pity. Or hero speeches."
> "You're not getting one," Asumi said. "But if you leave now… they win. And you lose."
> "Easy for you to say. You already made peace with your blood."
Asumi stepped forward, her eyes steely.
> "No. I made war with it. Every day. I chose to keep fighting. Even when it meant bleeding."
Blaze put a hand on Xao Min's shoulder.
> "Look, you're not alone. You got us. Hell, I've had to deal with five brothers, an alcoholic mom, and a prison record hanging over my dad's name. But I stay. For me."
Xao Min looked between them. Her eyes wavered.
Then she whispered:
> "You really think I can walk away from everything I was raised to protect?"
> "Yes," Asumi said. "Because you already did once—when you stepped into that ring."
Xao Min trembled.
But then—
> "You don't get it," she said again, backing away.
> "Maybe we do," Genji said, stepping forward. "But you're the only one who can choose what you want."
She looked at him.
Then turned—and ran down the hall.
Genji made a move to follow.
Asumi stopped him.
> "Don't."
> "Why?" he snapped. "We can't just let her go!"
> "She has to want to stay. We can't drag her back."
Genji stared at her.
> "So that's it?"
Asumi looked at him—cool and distant.
> "She made her choice. Now I make mine."
> "What the hell does that mean?"
She turned.
Blaze followed her.
> "It means this story doesn't end with you being everyone's hero."
The hallway emptied.
Genji was left alone.
Staring at the space where lightning used to live.
---
[1:12 AM – Private Penthouse, Eastern Tower]
In the shadows, the Cloaked Woman stood by the window, watching the rain fall.
A glass of wine shimmered in her hand.
> "So the Dragon Prince bleeds."
Behind her, a voice: Juliet Carl.
Calm. Cold. Curious.
> "He's interesting," Juliet said.
The Cloaked Woman chuckled.
> "You like him?"
> "I'm intrigued. There's something inside him. Something ancient."
> "There is," the woman replied, sipping. "But even he doesn't know yet."
Just then, a silver envelope slid beneath Genji's dorm door.
An invitation.
> "Shin Mishima requests your presence. Come alone."
---
To be continued…