The air split.
One moment, Sheung stood in his bedroom. The next, the world bent inward—an ink stroke across reality—and he was pulled through a spiraling vortex of sigils and golden mist.
But before he reached the end, something interrupted.
A presence. Ancient. Feminine.
He found himself standing in a landscape unlike anything he'd seen before. A serene garden under a peach blossom tree. A gentle wind carried petals across a jade pond. In the distance, a golden nine-story pagoda rose behind misty bamboo groves. It was beautiful—perfectly still, yet alive.
"You took long enough to awaken me," came a playful voice.
He turned to see a figure forming from a glowing golden pattern hovering in the air—a woman with dragon horns and flowing sleeves, her hair trailing like calligraphy ribbons in the wind. Her eyes gleamed with mischief and power.
"I am the Brush Spirit," she said, floating just above the grass. "I've been sealed in the Heart Palace waiting for this occasion when you come of age." You may call me Longyin.
Sheung blinked. "This… is my heart?"
"Your Heart Palace," Longyin corrected. "Upgraded to this lovely scene, courtesy of your grandfather, and your bloodline. This place will grow as you do."
"He left a note for you." Longyin gestured to a low stone table and chairs under the peach blossom tree. Upon it, a letter.
Sheung opened it with trembling hands.
"To my grandson Sheung Longyao,
If you are reading this, then the inheritance has awakened. I am sorry that you must face this world without guidance, but it is not by my choice. There are reasons for the silence… for the disappearance of your father… reasons I hope will someday be made clear.
For now, know this: You are of the Dragonblood. The brush you carry is not a tool, but a key. The journal holds ancient paths of power that the world has forgotten. Do not let others mock what they don't understand. Walk forward with courage. Survive the academy. Grow strong.
I am proud of you.
– Your Grandfather"
Sheung stared at the letter for a long time.
Longyin hovered beside him. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I can't hold off the summoning any longer."
"What do you mean?" asked Sheung.
"It's time. They're waiting," she said as she waved towards a glowing golden portal that suddenly opened in front of them. Longyin gently pushed Sheung towards it, saying "I'll see you later."
With a big sigh, Sheung stepped through.