Chapter 1
PHANTOM'S BUTTERFLY — VOLUME I, CHAPTER 1: THE SILVER BUTTERFLY
The first time Shen Lian saw the silver butterfly, she was dreaming.
She stood alone beneath an ancient peach tree, its pale blossoms drifting through the moonlight. The air was strangely cold, yet she could hear someone breathing behind her.
She turned.
A man stood beneath the tree.
He wore a long black robe, his dark hair falling over his shoulders. His face was beautiful, but his eyes held a sadness she couldn't understand.
“Lian…”
Her heart stopped.
He knew her name.
She took one step toward him. “Who are you?”
The man didn't answer.
Instead, a silver butterfly landed on his finger.
The moment its wings opened, the entire world shattered into darkness.
Shen Lian woke suddenly.
Morning sunlight filled her room.
She sat up, breathing heavily.
Another strange dream.
She pressed a hand against her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat.
Then something fluttered beside her window.
She slowly turned.
A silver butterfly rested on the glass.
Shen Lian froze.
It was exactly the same butterfly from her dream.
And beneath it, written across the misty window, were three words:
“You found me.”
Her blood ran cold.
Because she had never seen those words before.
But somehow…
She knew exactly who had written them.
