The entity's words slithered through the shrine, each syllable heavy with an ancient weight that seemed to press to against the stone walls. The greenish lantern light pulsed in time with the thrumming hum, casting the scholar's white hanfu in an eerie glow. his calm blue eyes met the creature's ember-like gaze without flinching, as if he were staring into a familiar puzzle rather than a being of smoke and shadow. Wei stood frozen, his sword raised but trembling, his breath shallow with dread. The girl. still clutching the scholar's sleeve, felt her heart pound, her earlier defiance drowned by the entity's presence. Yet her eyes darted between the scholar and the creature, curiosity battling fear.
"Changed," the scholar echoed, his voice steady as a river carving stone. "What does that mean? Speak plainly - where is Liang, and what have you done to him?"
The entity's form rippled, its serpentine features shifted as if amused. "plainly?" it hissed, its voice weaving through the air like a thread. "Mortal demands for simplicity, yet truth is never simple. Liang sought to unravel the pact. He touched what should not be touched. Now , he is part of the balance - or its breaking."
The entity's ember- eyes flicked to Wei, its smile sharpening. "Bold words, swordsman. but your blade cannot cut cut what is already unbound. He is here." It gestured with a shadowy limb toward the cracked alter, where the dark, glistening ink seemed to pulse faintly, like a heartbeat.
The girl's eyes widened, her grip on the the scholar's sleeve tightening. "That's Liang? In the ink?" she whispered, her voice trembling but tied with disbelief. "How's that even possible?"
The scholar knelt again, his fingers hovering over the altar's surface, not touching the ink but studying it with a focus that seemed to pierce the shrine's shadows. "A binding," he murmured. " The pact wasn't just words - it was a tether. This ink holds the will, not just pigment. Liang's essence is caught in it."
Wei's sword clattered to the stone floor, the sound sharp in the oppressive silence. "Caught?" he choked out, his hands shaking. "You're saying he's... trapped? In that?" He lunged toward the alter, but the scholar's hand shot out, catching his arm with surprising strength.
"Don't," the scholar said, his voice firm but not unkind. "Touching it blindly will only bind you too."
The entity laughed, a sound like wind rattling dry bones. "Wise, starlit sage. You see more than most. The pact was struck to keep the valley whole - life for life, will for will. But mortals forget, and their greed frays the bond. Liang's curiosity was his price. Wil you pay another to free him?"
The girl's fear gave way to frustration, her small fists clenching. "stop talking in riddles!" she snapped, glaring at the entity. "What do you want? just tell us how to get him out!"
The entity's gaze shifted to her, its ember - eyes narrowing with what might have been curiosity. "A child sees clearly," it said, almost approvingly. "Very well. to free the swordsman, one must take his place. A will for a will. Balance demands it."
Wei's face paled, but he stepped forward, his jaw set. "I'll do it. If it saves Liang, I'll."
"No," the scholar cut in, his voice like a blade, sharp and final. he rose, his hanfu flowing as he faced the entity. "You speak of balance, but you twist it. A pact that demands lives is no balance - it's chain. Tell me the truth of the shrine. What are you, and what was the pact's original purpose?"
The entity's form flickered, its smile faltering for the first time. The hum in the air grew jagged, the lantern's green light stuttering. "You dare question me?" it hissed, its voice tied with both anger and intrigue. "I am the keeper , born of the valley's heart to guard its life. The pact was simple, the settlers offered their will to sustain the land - ink and blood to bind their intent. In returns, the valley thrived. But they grew careless, their offering weak. the balance tilts, and I claim what is owed."
The scholar's eyes narrowed, a spark of understanding igniting with them. "You're not a guardian," he said, his voice low but unyielding. "You're a parasite. The pact was meant to be mutual, but you've twisted it to feed on their will, not protect it. Liang's not the first, is he?"
The entity recoiled slightly, its form destabilizing, wisps of smoke curling inward. "Bold words, mortal," it spat. "But you cannot undo what is written. Free him, and another takes his place. Or leave, and the valley falls."
The girl tugged at the scholar's sleeve, her voice urgent. "He's lying, right? there must be another way. You always talk about truth - find it!"
The scholar's gaze softened as he looked at her, then returned to the entity, his expression resolute. "There is always another way ," he said. He stepped closer to the alter, his fingers tracing the air above the ink, feeling its pulse. "The pact was written in will, you said. then it can be rewritten. I'll offer my own - not to trap, but to restore. A truth for a truth."
The entity's eyes flared, its form swelling with agitation. "You think you can rewrite what centuries have bound? your arrogance will be your end."
The scholar smiled faintly, unperturbed. "Arrogance is believing you control the truth, I only seek it." He reached into his hanfu, and took a small, worn book bound in black silk. He opened it, reveling pages filled with intricate calligraphy. each stroke sharp and deliberate. "Ink binds will, you said. Let's see if mine is strong enough."
He dipped his fingers into the air above the alter, as if drawing from the ink without touching it, and began to write in the air - symbols that glowed faintly, mirroring the carving on the walls. The entity hissed, its form unraveling at the edges.
"Stop!" it roared, but the scholar's hand moved faster, his strokes precise, his eyes burning with focus. The girl watched, wide-eyed, as the glowing symbols seemed to pull at the ink on the alter, drawing it upward like smoke.
Wei stumbled forward, hope and fear on his face. "Liang!" he shouted, as a shape began to form in the swirling ink - a human figure, faint but growing clearer.
The entity lunged, its smoky form coiling towards the scholar, but he didn't flinch. "Truth cuts deeper than shadow," he said, his voice steady as he finished the final symbol. The shrine shook, the hum rising to a scream, then falling silent.
The ink collapsed, and with it, a figure fell to the floor - Liang, pale and trembling, but alive. Wei rushed to his side, pulling him up, tears in his eyes. The entity's form dissolved into wisps, its ember-eyes fading with a final, resentful glare.
The girl stared at the scholar, her mouth agape. "You... you did it. You actually did it."
The scholar closed his book, his expression calm but weary. "For now," he said. "The pact is rewritten, but balance is fragile. The valley will need to remember its truth."
Liang stirred, his voice weak. "Wei... what happened?"
"Later," Wei said, helping him stand. "you're back that's enough."
The girl tugged at the scholar's sleeve, her eyes bright with questions. "How would you know what to do? and what was that book?"
The scholar's faint smile returned, though his eyes held a shadow of fatigue. "The book is a record of truths I've found. As for knowing - sometimes, you don't. You ask, and you act." He looked at her, his voice soft. "ready for your next question?"
She grinned, the fear gone, replaced by a spark of determination. "Yeah. What's next?"
The shrine was quiet now, the lantern dim but steady. Outside, the valley waited, its balance restored - "For now."