Hoolay sneered at the silent Jiaoqiu.
"Then let me tell you the answer you want to know.
"In ancient legends, Du Lan, the progenitor of the Borisin, was dissatisfied with his limited life and strength. He longed to rule the skies and become the master of the stars.
"To that end, he sacrificed countless Borisin and Foxian lives and poured in the spring water bestowed by the Lord of Longevity. Under the influence of Genetic Witchcraft, a miracle took shape in the water-the Quickening Moon.
"After climbing onto the moon's birthing bed, Du Lan obtained what he had always dreamed of: a heart shaped like a crimson full moon. Du Lan cut open his chest and replaced his own heart with this Scarlet Moon."
Jiaoqiu's lips twitched. "A very Borisin sort of myth..."
"Mock its savagery and madness all you like. But only I know that it is absolutely real," Hoolay said.
"This Heart Moon has beaten within the bodies of Borisin War Chiefs for generations. For the ritual by which the Borisin choose their War Chief is for the successor to cut open the previous War Chief's chest and eat this divine flesh, allowing the strong to possess it!
"Devouring is the true essence of how life endures and thrives. It holds the vital essence of the prey we have consumed and makes us ever stronger!
"After seven hundred years of punishment, I once thought all hope was lost. But now, this heart has begun beating again.
"Now, it is your turn to tell me... everything about this General Tianji."
While Hoolay told Jiaoqiu his story, a figure had quietly climbed onto a nearby rooftop.
Moze looked at the courtyard ahead. "Jiaoqiu... I've found you."
Two hours before the Wardance began, at Whirling Stars Haven.
"General, I know