Dark clouds covered the evening sky as cold rain slowly fell over the city. The streets shimmered under the streetlights, and the sound of rain echoed through the quiet night.

Zhang Chenxi stood outside her house with her school bag tightly held in her hands. She had been standing in front of the door for several minutes, yet she still could not gather the courage to go inside.

A loud sound suddenly came from inside the house.

Chenxi lowered her eyes.

“Mom is angry again…” she thought quietly.

She never understood why her mother became upset so easily. Sometimes it was because of school, sometimes because she came home late, and sometimes for spending too much time with friends. Her father always told her that her mother cared deeply about the family, but lately, home no longer felt peaceful to Chenxi.

Thunder flashed across the sky.

The rain became heavier.

Chenxi slowly sat down on the front steps and looked up at the dark sky. She had always loved rainy nights. Rain made the world feel quieter, as if all the noise and pressure around her disappeared for a little while.

Her phone suddenly vibrated.

The screen showed the name of Liqin.

A small smile appeared on Chenxi’s face as she answered the call.

“You’re standing outside your house again, aren’t you?” Liqin said immediately.

Chenxi blinked in surprise.

“How did you know?”

“Because every time your mom gets angry, you sit outside like a sad movie character.”

Chenxi laughed softly.

“Don’t forget tomorrow’s school festival meeting,” Liqin continued. “If you skip it again, I’ll personally drag you there.”

“I’ll try to come,” Chenxi replied quietly.

As soon as the call ended, the streetlights around her suddenly began flickering.

Once.

Twice.

Then the entire street went dark.

Chenxi slowly stood up.

Her heartbeat became uneasy.

The air suddenly felt freezing cold.

Not normal cold.

An unnatural coldness that sent chills through her entire body.

She slowly looked toward the empty street—

—and froze.

Across the road, beneath the heavy rain, stood a boy.

Tall.

Silent.

Perfectly still.

He held a black umbrella above his head while most of his face remained hidden in the darkness. But his silver eyes were clearly visible.

And they were staring directly at her.

Chenxi’s heartbeat grew faster.

She had never seen him before.

Yet somehow…

it felt as though she already knew him.

For several long seconds, neither of them moved.

The rain continued falling around them, but the entire world felt strangely silent.

Then the mysterious boy slowly turned around and began walking away into the darkness.

“Wait—!” Chenxi suddenly called out.

But the boy disappeared into the rain without looking back.

At that exact moment, a sharp burning pain spread across Chenxi’s wrist.

“Ah—!”

She grabbed her arm in fear.

A strange glowing symbol had appeared on her wrist, shining with a faint blue light.

Chenxi stared at it with trembling eyes.

“What… is this…?”

And somewhere far away in the shadows of the city…

a quiet voice whispered:

> “She has finally awakened.”

The rain had finally stopped, but the cold feeling in the air still remained.

Zhang Chenxi stood frozen outside her house, staring at the glowing symbol on her wrist. The faint blue light slowly pulsed beneath her skin like it was alive.

Her breathing became uneven.

“This can’t be real…”

She rubbed her wrist quickly, trying to erase the mark, but it refused to disappear.

Suddenly—

the front door opened.

“Chenxi!”

Her mother’s sharp voice made her flinch immediately.

Chenyan stood near the doorway with an angry expression on her face.

“How long are you planning to stand outside in the rain?!”

Chenxi quickly covered her wrist with her sleeve.

“I-I was just coming inside.”

Without another word, she quietly entered the house.

The warm air inside should have made her feel safe… but it didn’t.

Not anymore.

At dinner, silence filled the table.

Her father, Zhang Yuze, noticed her pale face almost immediately.

“Chenxi, are you feeling alright?” he asked gently.

Before she could answer, her mother spoke coldly.

“She’s probably tired from wasting time outside.”

Chenxi lowered her eyes and quietly continued eating.

But under the table, the strange mark on her wrist suddenly burned again.

A painful heat spread through her arm.

She almost dropped her chopsticks.

For a brief second—

she heard whispers.

Soft voices.

Unknown voices.

> “The seal is breaking…”

Chenxi looked around in fear.

But nobody else reacted.

The voices disappeared as quickly as they came.

That night, Chenxi could not sleep.

The glowing mark continued shining faintly in the darkness of her room.

She sat near the window, staring at the rainy city outside while thinking about the mysterious silver-eyed boy.

Who was he?

And why did it feel like her life had suddenly changed forever?

The next morning, the school was crowded because of the upcoming festival preparations.

Students were running through the hallways carrying decorations, papers, and boxes everywhere.

Loud laughter filled the building.

But Chenxi felt distracted.

Her mind kept returning to last night.

As she walked through the hallway with Liqin, someone suddenly bumped into her shoulder.

Hard.

The papers in Chenxi’s hands fell onto the floor.

“Watch where you’re going!” Liqin complained immediately.

But Chenxi froze before saying anything.

Standing in front of her was the same mysterious boy from the rain.

The silver-eyed stranger.

He looked calm as ever, his dark hair slightly covering his eyes.

For a moment, the noisy hallway felt silent again.

The boy slowly looked down at the glowing mark hidden beneath Chenxi’s sleeve.

His expression changed.

Just slightly.

Almost like shock.

Then he quietly whispered—

> “So it’s really you…”

Chenxi’s heart stopped.

Before she could say anything, the boy picked up one of the fallen papers and handed it back to her.

Their fingers touched for only a second—

—but suddenly a powerful blue light flashed between them.

The hallway lights exploded.

Students screamed in panic.

And for the first time—

the mysterious boy looked genuinely afraid.

The entire school had fallen into complete chaos.

Broken lights flickered violently above the hallways while terrified students screamed and ran toward the exits. Papers flew through the air, lockers slammed shut on their own, and the sound of shattering glass echoed through the building.

But in the middle of all the panic, Zhang Chenxi stood completely frozen.

The glowing blue mark on her wrist continued pulsing beneath her skin like a living heartbeat. The strange energy spreading through her body made her breathing uneven.

In front of her stood the mysterious silver-eyed boy—Wang Yan.

For the first time since meeting him, his calm expression looked disturbed.

“We can’t stay here,” he said quietly.

Before Chenxi could ask anything, Wang Yan grabbed her wrist and quickly pulled her into an empty classroom nearby. He shut the door behind them while the sounds of screaming students continued outside.

The room became silent.

Only the sound of rain hitting the windows remained.

Chenxi immediately pulled her hand away from him.

“Who are you?!” she demanded angrily. “And what is happening to me?!”

Wang Yan looked at her glowing wrist for several seconds before speaking.

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?” Chenxi asked. “Since last night, I’ve been hearing voices, strange things keep happening, and now the lights are exploding around me!”

Her voice shook with fear.

Wang Yan slowly walked toward the classroom window. Outside, dark clouds covered the sky once again, making the entire school feel darker than before.

“Because the seal inside you is awakening,” he finally answered.

Chenxi stared at him in confusion.

“…Seal?”

“You are not an ordinary girl, Chenxi.”

The room suddenly felt colder.

“The symbol on your wrist is called the Moon Seal,” Wang Yan continued. “It belongs to the Moon Clan—an ancient bloodline hidden from the human world for centuries.”

Chenxi shook her head immediately.

“No… that’s impossible.”

“I know it sounds insane,” Wang Yan said softly. “But the moment our hands touched, your power reacted to mine.”

Chenxi looked down at the glowing mark on her wrist. The faint blue light continued shining beneath her sleeve.

“My power…?” she whispered.

Before Wang Yan could answer, the whispers suddenly returned.

Cold voices echoed inside her head.

> “The princess is awakening…”

“Find her before the next moonrise…”

“She must return to the throne…”

Chenxi covered her ears immediately.

“Make them stop!”

Wang Yan’s expression darkened.

“They found you already.”

Suddenly—

BOOM!

The classroom windows shattered violently.

Freezing wind burst into the room, throwing papers everywhere. Chenxi stumbled backward in fear while Wang Yan immediately stepped in front of her protectively.

On the rooftop across from the school stood a tall figure dressed entirely in black.

His face remained hidden in the darkness.

But his glowing golden eyes stared directly at Chenxi.

A terrifying pressure filled the air.

The mysterious figure slowly tilted his head before speaking in a deep voice.

“So the Moon Princess has finally awakened…”

Chenxi’s heart stopped.

Wang Yan clenched his fists tightly. Blue energy suddenly surrounded his hands like glowing flames.

For the first time, genuine fear appeared in his silver eyes.

“We need to leave. Right now.”

“But who is he?” Chenxi whispered shakily.

Wang Yan kept staring at the figure on the rooftop.

“He’s one of the Shadow Hunters,” he said coldly. “And he was sent here for one reason.”

The dark figure suddenly disappeared into the shadows.

At the exact same moment—

the classroom door slowly creaked open by itself.

And heavy footsteps began echoing from the dark hallway outside.