Prologue Chapter One: The Devil's Child

Outside the main city gate, Ling Xiaolei had set up her camera on a hillside. The lens wavered for a moment before settling on a vast carpet of green grass, with a gentle breeze rustling the distant woods and sunlight quietly illuminating the slope.

Soon, her figure appeared in the frame, her face leaning close, large black eyes blinking with curiosity. Her long, pointed ears twitched slightly. This young dark elf maiden, just in her springtime years, had the classic bronzed skin and a cascade of ebony hair. Her features were delicate and refined, though her expression bore more composure than the innocence and liveliness one might expect of her age.

"Um, hello everyone," she said shyly, yet with seriousness and gravity. "I'm Ling Xiaolei, and I love to capture the world around me with my camera. Today..."

She hadn't finished her sentence when a thunderous boom echoed from afar, followed by an uproar of angry curses and desperate screams for help. Startled, she shuddered all over, alertly glancing back, her long ears pricking up.

There, in the vegetable garden to the north of the city gate, a boy in a black mage's robe, clutching a staff, was fleeing in disarray, hoisting up his robe as he ran. The cabbages and giant radishes lay trampled in his wake.

"Stop running! Pay for my vegetables!"

Behind him, a plump aunt in an apron, wielding a rolling pin, gave chase with astonishing speed, her flesh jiggling furiously. Her roar, reminiscent of a lioness from the riverbanks, seemed to carry real force, enough to send chills down the spine.

In her wake, a patch of garden was scorched black, with a few singed rabbit monsters lying belly up, lifeless.

"I didn't mean to! I just... couldn't control my power!" the boy panted, breathless as he ran, his explanation barely audible.

"Blackfeather?!" Ling Xiaolei's heart skipped a beat, then she covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "It's him again, the harbinger of chaos. Wherever he goes, peace is sure to vanish. But perhaps I should follow—where there’s trouble, there’s news. You know what they say: bad news makes for good stories."

With that, Ling Xiaolei swiftly packed up the camera tripod, slung her camera over her shoulder, and dashed after the boy. Behind her, the furious aunt was still shouting:

"Stop, you rascal! Pay for my vegetables!"

Blackfeather had already darted through the city gate, vanishing into the bustling streets.

Inside the city, the lively throng needed no further description. The "Holy City" was the most prosperous metropolis in the central continent, with an endless flow of tourists, merchants, and adventurers from every corner. Ling Xiaolei stumbled and squeezed through the jostling crowds, barely managing to keep Blackfeather in sight.

By now, that slippery fellow had already darted through three streets, leaving the plump aunt far behind.

"Blackfeather—no introduction needed, really. In the Holy City, everyone knows him. They call him the 'Son of the Devil.' It’s odd: though he’s human, he wields the power of darkness. Five years ago, the Lord of Chiyan City adopted him."

On camera, Blackfeather threw a furtive glance behind him. Seeing the aunt had fallen behind, he slowed his pace, hands tucked behind his head, strolling with an air of carefree confidence. He muttered to himself:

"Hmph, I cleared the monsters out of her garden, and this is the thanks I get!"

Groups of young girls passing by caught sight of him and gasped, whispering shyly to one another, cheeks flushing crimson.

"Look! That’s the ‘Son of the Devil,’ the city lord’s third son. He really is striking in person—handsome, but with a hint of wickedness you don’t see in the other noble sons. It makes you want to look twice..."

Blackfeather paid no heed to their glances, striding on with his head held high.

"So that’s how he acts when I’m not around? Handsome? I just don’t see it," Ling Xiaolei murmured with a wry smile. Earlier, she’d hidden behind a stone pillar to avoid being spotted when Blackfeather looked back, but now she slipped out and continued to follow him.

"Stealth mode—can’t let him notice," she whispered to herself as she filmed. "We’ve been classmates at the Junior Magic Academy for six years, and tomorrow we’re both reporting to the Intermediate Magic Academy. Fate is a cruel mistress. As for his character, well..."

Ling Xiaolei recalled his endless list of blunders, not to mention today’s destruction of the vegetable patch, and decided it was best not to comment further. She sighed:

"Definitely someone best admired from afar."

By now, the camera showed a wide avenue, and as she followed the street, the gentle murmur of the fountain in the central square soothed her spirit. A mist from the water drifted on the breeze, brushing her skin like silken threads.

Peace doves ambled leisurely across the square, pecking at grains on the ground. Streets branched from the square in all directions, one of which was the city’s busiest commercial district—lined with shops, overflowing with inns and restaurants, dotted with street vendors. Merchants, travelers, and adventurers from around the world all made it their destination. The local residents, however, seemed to drift by in a state of perpetual leisure and ease.

Several members of the city guard, clad in silver armor and crimson cloaks, patrolled the street at a relaxed pace, occasionally pausing to chat.

"This is the Holy City: live here long enough, and you’ll find yourself wanting nothing but a life of idle comfort. Even the city guard must feel the same—after all, it’s just too peaceful! If someone’s cat or dog goes missing, that’s the biggest news of the day. So, as a diligent chronicler, I’ve learned this one truth: the famous always have news swirling around them. Well, perhaps that’s my own wisdom."

In front of the city lord’s hall on the square, a golden-haired youth of striking elegance entered the scene. A ray of sunlight pierced the tall fountain’s mist, casting a splendid rainbow arching over the grand hall, its gentle light falling upon his shoulders.

Yixin addressed the gathered crowd:

"Outlanders and refugees may receive free food and temporary shelter here in the Holy City. Mages can also claim missions from the guild for work in the nearby forests..."

Many in the crowd, their clothes tattered, revealed heartfelt gratitude. Most were refugees from villages ravaged by monsters—every year, the Holy City received many such souls.

"Sigh, both sons of the Chiyan family, yet worlds apart," Ling Xiaolei muttered, shaking her head. "Let me introduce the Holy City’s most prominent figure—Yixin."

She pushed her way to the front, raising the compact camera hanging from her neck and snapping several close-ups with a soft click.

"He really shines—a figure of admiration. Known as 'the most handsome man in the Holy City,' second son of the Chiyan family, noble by birth, upright in character, talented and virtuous... Yet, rumor has it, no matter how accomplished he is, he’s always compared to his elder brother Yifeng, and always just falls a little short."

She pinched her fingers together, showing just a tiny gap.

(The opening three chapters are all ensemble scenes.)