Embers of Jade: A Soul Rewritten

The study was silent, save for the rhythmic scratch of a brush on parchment.

Aurora leaned over a document sprawled across the table — a hand-written confession drafted in her own graceful calligraphy. Every stroke of ink detailed Vincent and Eva's crimes: embezzlement, manipulation, and attempted murder. But none of it could be submitted officially. Not yet.

"Too soon, and they'll bury it," she muttered to herself. "But in the right hands…"

She dipped her brush again, the scent of pine ink grounding her in the present. Her handwriting — once elegant, now more forceful — carried the weight of two lifetimes. In the Qing dynasty, she had drafted war edicts. Now, she drafted vengeance.

Sebastian entered without a word, placing a folded file beside her.

"What's this?" she asked, dabbing the brush on silk paper.

"Bank statements. Evidence of overseas shell accounts tied to Eva's name."

Aurora's lips curved. "You don't miss a move, do you?"

"I owe a debt," he said simply. "One I intend to pay."

Her hand paused.

"You don't owe me anything," she said, meeting his eyes. "Not anymore."

He sat beside her. "I failed you before. I'll never do it again."

The words hung between them, thick with unspoken memory.

Aurora rolled the brush, watching the ink bleed slightly across the parchment.

"Ink stains were once seen as curses," she said absently. "Now, I see them as reminders. Nothing stays pure forever."

Sebastian's gaze didn't waver. "Neither do people. But we endure."

Outside, the wind rustled bamboo leaves. Inside, blood debts were written in black and white, preparing to shatter everything their enemies had built.