The night came fast.
Grandma Lian handed each of them a small jade charm, strung on red thread. "Keep these close," she said. "It won't stop the spirits, but it may confuse them. They prey on fear, on weakness. But they hate symbols of life."
Leon tucked his into the collar of his shirt, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his blade. Yun Lan examined hers closely—there was a faint mark carved into the jade, like a crescent moon wrapped in vines.
"What does this symbol mean?" she asked.
The old woman's hands trembled slightly as she lit a final candle and placed it at the center of the floor. "It is a symbol of rebirth," she said quietly. "Of power returning. Of the relic that once protected this village... long ago, before the shadows came."
Yun Lan's eyes flickered with recognition. That mark... it called to the green glow within her, but she remained silent. Now wasn't the time.
Kael was near the window, reinforcing it with wooden planks. "We should take turns keeping watch," he said. "If these spirits are real, we need to be ready."
"I'll take first shift," Leon volunteered, his voice gruff. "You three rest."
"No," Yun Lan said. "I'll stay with you. I have… a bad feeling."
Leon didn't argue. He only nodded, his eyes softer when he looked at her. Arin and Kael settled onto the floor, pulling thin blankets over themselves.
The silence deepened.
Time passed slowly. The candle's flame danced, casting long shadows on the walls. Outside, the wind howled low and long, like something ancient was exhaling over the land.
Then the whispers began.
At first, they were faint—like wind between leaves. But then they grew louder. Clearer.
"Lan…"
Yun Lan stiffened. That was her name.
"Come to us…"
Leon's eyes snapped to her, seeing the sudden paleness on her face. "What do you hear?"
She shook her head slowly. "Voices. Calling me."
Leon stepped closer to her. "Don't answer. Don't even think about it."
But the voices persisted, slithering beneath the door, slipping through cracks in the walls.
"You are the key… you are the door…"
Suddenly, something banged hard against the outer wall.
BAM.
The candle flickered wildly. Kael shot up from his sleep, grabbing his blade. Arin whimpered and pulled his blanket tighter around him.
BAM.
Again, the sound echoed—closer this time. Like something dragging itself across the courtyard.
Then came the scratching.
Nails. Claws. Something scraped along the wood.
Yun Lan stood, gripping her staff—summoned with a whisper of green light. "They're testing us."
Leon's jaw clenched. "They'll regret that."
"You saved Leon… but who will save you?" came another voice.
Yun Lan froze. That voice—it was mocking, twisted.
"They know about Leon," she whispered.
Leon's hand clenched. "Damn them."
The old woman's voice came from the back room. "Don't answer! Don't listen! They use your fears… your sins… your regrets."
Then a new sound pierced the night.
Crying.
A child's sob.
It came from the corner of the room—where there was nothing but shadow.
Yun Lan turned slowly. "That's not real."
But the crying grew louder. Desperate. Painful.
"Help me… please…"
Arin stood, trembling. "It sounds like… my sister…"
"Arin, no!" Yun Lan barked, grabbing his wrist as he moved toward the dark.
"It's not her!" Leon snapped. "Don't fall for it!"
But Arin's eyes were glassy. "But… but the voice…"
Then a face appeared in the shadows—bloody, pale, smiling. Not human.
The staff in Yun Lan's hand flared, and she thrust it forward.
"Back!" she shouted.
The green magic surged outward in a burst, slamming into the spirit and forcing it to dissolve into smoke with a horrible screech.
Arin gasped, falling to his knees. "It was… it was in my head…"
Kael helped him up. "These are not ghosts. They're something worse. Twisted magic. Cursed souls."
Suddenly, the windows rattled. The doors thudded under invisible fists.
Yun Lan held her staff up. "Protect this house."
The vines carved on the staff glowed, and magic spread out like roots, weaving across the floor in a circle. A faint hum filled the air.
The voices screamed in fury.
Leon stood at the door, blade ready. "They're angry."
Kael pressed his hand to the jade charm. "They can't get in. Not now."
But Yun Lan wasn't sure. The power inside her was still unstable. The relic… was strong, but so were the spirits.
The candle in the center flickered… then went out.
Total darkness.
Arin screamed.
Yun Lan grabbed Leon's arm. "Light!"
Leon struck a flint, and the moment the spark caught the wick, light returned.
But something had changed.
The walls dripped with black mist, and in the corner stood a woman in white—her eyes hollow, her smile wide and broken.
"You don't belong here," she whispered.
"No," Yun Lan said. "But I will find the relic. I will cleanse this place."
The spirit hissed and lunged forward, mouth opening impossibly wide.
Yun Lan raised the staff. " Staff! Come!"
The green energy blasted from her hands, engulfing the spirit, burning it with ancient light.
The spirit shrieked, twisting in pain, then vanished with a snap of air.
The silence returned.
And the candle flickered back to full strength.
Leon looked around, breathing heavily. "That one… she wasn't like the others."
Yun Lan nodded. "She was guarding something. Not the relic. But a secret."
They spent the rest of the night in silence, weapons ready, watching the shadows dance.
When dawn came, the spirits faded, like nightmares that had slithered back into the earth.
Outside, the village was eerily still. The people began emerging slowly from their homes, pale and trembling.
Grandma Lian came to them, holding a cup of warm tea. "You survived," she said. "Most don't."
Yun Lan sipped it gratefully. "What are those things?"
"They come from the mountain," the old woman said. "The relic was once there… until someone tried to steal it. The spirits were born from that greed."
"Is the relic still in the mountain?" Kael asked.
"No," she said. "But the path to it might be."
Yun Lan looked at the forest beyond the village. The sun had risen, but the shadow of last night still clung to the land.
They weren't done yet.
Not even close.