Long ago, in a vast and prosperous Empire, there lived a Duke who was both respected and feared. Yet behind his honor, his family bore an ancient sin. It was said that one of the Duke’s ancestors had once arrogantly insulted and driven away an old woman—unaware that she was, in truth, a demon disguised as a human. Humiliated and filled with wrath, the old woman spoke a terrible curse:

**“Your bloodline will be the end of your family’s glory. The child born from your blood will be the bringer of your ruin.”*

The Duke, then still young, laughed at her words. Consumed by anger, he struck her down on the spot, never once considering the consequences.

Decades passed... At the age of forty-six, after years of being childless, the Duke finally gained an heir. Yet from the moment his wife conceived, her health began to fade for no clear reason. On the day the child was born, she died during childbirth.

The baby was different—on his forehead was a natural mark in the shape of a black crescent moon. From his very first breath, anything he touched withered and died. Plants crumbled into dust at his touch. Anyone whose skin met his would scream in agony as their flesh paled and shriveled into nothing but brittle meat and bone... before death claimed them.

Fear mingled with rage, and the Duke locked the child away in a sealed chamber, served only by attendants who wore thick leather gloves. There was never a warm embrace. No human touch. Only distance... and fear.

Years passed. When the boy turned eleven, the Duke could no longer bear the shame and the “danger” he represented. He was exiled to a crumbling hut deep within the Forbidden Forest—a place no human dared set foot. From then on, he lived alone, accompanied only by wild animals, the rustle of leaves, and the murmur of flowing streams. He always wore the leather gloves his father had given him—not to protect himself, but to protect the world from himself.

Elsewhere, a long and brutal war between humans and demons raged on. For three years, blood soaked the land without cease.

The demon leader was the last living dragon—supreme ruler who reigned with an iron will. Yet his downfall was not born of weakness, but of betrayal. In the final battle, he was surrounded by humans after those he trusted most turned against him. Even his own right hand drove a sword into his back.

Grievously wounded, he staggered, but slew the traitor before fleeing in his dragon form, flying without direction.

His wings carried him to an ancient forest... the very place where the cursed boy now lived.

That day, the young man—now eighteen—was checking his fish traps when he spotted something unusual among the trees: a massive figure lying motionless, its body soaked in blood.

With great effort, he dragged the stranger’s body back to his hut. Though he knew little of medicine, he had grown accustomed to tending small injuries on animals. He ground healing leaves into a paste, pressed the poultice onto the gaping wounds on the man’s abdomen and back, and wrapped them in torn cloth.

In the days that followed, he continued to care for him with quiet diligence, keeping his body warm and making sure he never went thirsty.

Three days later... he opened his eyes. The wounds that should have killed him were already beginning to heal—not because of the crude medicine, but thanks to his own regenerative power. Even so, he knew that without the young man’s care, he would have bled out long before.

Realizing he was in an old, isolated hut, he stepped outside to search for his rescuer.

The sound of running water led him to a riverbank. There... stood someone. His long hanfu was soaked, clinging to his slender frame, the fabric tracing every graceful line of his body. His hair fell over part of his face, and his pale, smooth skin seemed to shimmer softly beneath the shafts of sunlight piercing through the forest canopy.

He froze.

“A human...?” he murmured softly. “He’s the one who saved me?”

His golden eyes traced every line of the young man’s form, his heart pounding for reasons he could not name.

“Damn...” he whispered to himself. “Why does he have to look... so captivating? I’ve never seen a man so beautiful... like a goddess walking the earth.”