The mountain wind howled through the trees as Yun Lan tightened the cloak around her shoulders. The seventh relic—the crescent moon pendant—hung from a thin silver chain around her neck, warm against her skin. Its pulse matched her heartbeat, a rhythmic reminder that she was one step closer to her destiny.
Only three relics remained.
The forest path ahead was quiet, too quiet. Even the birds had grown silent, as though sensing the storm that loomed just beyond the horizon. Yun Lan glanced up. The sky remained stained with an unnatural red hue ever since she claimed the seventh relic.
Leon walked beside her, brooding and watchful. His sword remained unsheathed. Arin trailed behind them, eyes scanning the dense trees for movement. Kael was up front, unusually quiet, his shoulders tense beneath his dark cloak.
They had walked in silence for over an hour since leaving the ruins.
Yun Lan broke the silence first. "The next relic… I think it's near the northern ridge. The pull is getting stronger."
Kael nodded. "There's a canyon up ahead. Locals call it the Hollow Veil. It's said to swallow sound and light. No one dares cross it at night."
Leon's eyes narrowed. "And yet that's exactly where we're going."
Yun Lan grinned faintly. "Of course. We're not just travelers."
The moment light faded behind the trees, the Hollow Veil came into view.
A massive gorge, cutting through the forest like a scar. Its depths were hidden by swirling black mist, and ancient wooden planks formed a fragile bridge that hung over the void. The ropes creaked as wind whipped through the canyon.
"We'll cross one at a time," Kael said. "Too much weight and it'll collapse."
Yun Lan stepped forward, the staff clutched tightly in her hand. "I'll go first."
Leon grabbed her wrist. "I'll go ahead and wait on the other side. You come after me. If anything happens—"
"I'll call the staff," she said gently, touching his hand. "Trust me."
Reluctantly, he nodded and stepped onto the bridge. The planks groaned under his weight, but held. Yun Lan watched as he made it safely to the other side, then turned and waved her forward.
She stepped onto the bridge, heart pounding.
One plank. Then another.
The wind howled harder here, like screams trapped beneath the mist.
Halfway across, the pendant at her neck flared.
Something's coming.
"Move!" Leon shouted from the other side.
Yun Lan didn't hesitate. She sprinted the rest of the way as the ropes snapped behind her. The bridge collapsed entirely just as she dove into Leon's arms, landing hard against him.
From the forest, Arin ran to the edge, wide-eyed. "What the hell—?"
Kael didn't move. He stood on the other side, eyes cold.
"Kael?" Yun Lan called. "We'll find another way for you and Arin—"
"No," Kael said.
Something about his tone made her stomach drop.
"I won't be following you," he said. "Not anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Arin shouted, stepping toward him. "Kael—"
Kael turned his blade and placed it at Arin's throat.
"I'm sorry, Arin. But I didn't come with you to help."
Yun Lan's heart sank. "No…"
"You led me right to what I wanted," Kael said, looking directly at Yun Lan. "Seven relics in your possession. The eighth is close. I don't need you anymore."
Arin tried to move, but Kael pressed the blade tighter. "Don't."
"You betrayed us," Yun Lan said, trembling.
"I never lied," Kael said calmly. "I just didn't tell you everything. I work for someone far more powerful than you can imagine. And he wants the relics."
Leon's expression turned murderous. "I'll kill you."
"You can try," Kael said, and with a shimmer of dark magic, he vanished into the trees—dragging Arin with him.
Yun Lan's scream echoed through the canyon. "Arin!"
"YUN LAN!" Arin's voice grew fainter, carried away by the mist and Kael's spell.
Leon caught her before she could run after them.
"Let me go! He has Arin!" she cried, struggling in his grip.
"Running blindly won't help him," Leon said through gritted teeth. "Kael's gone. And he took Arin as leverage. If you die now, he wins."
Yun Lan collapsed against him, trembling. "He was our friend…"
"No," Leon said. "He was pretending to be one. But now we know who he really is."
She clenched her fists. "He'll use Arin to find the eighth relic."
"Then we need to get there before he does."
Yun Lan wiped her eyes and stood straight. "Let's move."
They pressed on through the northern ridge, traveling without rest. The path grew harder, the relic's call fainter now—almost as though the eighth relic itself was afraid. As if it had sensed Kael's betrayal.
Night fell again by the time they reached a frozen lake, its surface glowing with a strange silver light. Yun Lan knelt at its edge, brushing the icy surface with her fingers.
"The relic is here," she whispered.
"Where?"
She looked up at the full moon overhead, then down at the shimmering surface. "Beneath us."
Leon's brow furrowed. "Under the ice?"
Before she could answer, the pendant around her neck pulsed violently—and a vision filled her mind.
She stood alone at the center of the lake. The ice cracked beneath her feet. A shadow rose from beneath—Kael, wearing black armor, holding all eight relics. Behind him, Arin stood in chains, bruised but alive.
"You failed," the vision-Kael sneered. "You trusted too easily. You loved too deeply."
Yun Lan gasped as the vision ended, falling back into Leon's arms.
"What did you see?" he asked, voice sharp with concern.
"Kael… He's going to try to get the relic here. And he has Arin. But… he doesn't know how to access it. I saw the lake cracking under my feet. He's going to fail. Unless—unless we stop him first."
Leon helped her up. "Then we prepare. We rest for a few hours. You'll need strength. When he comes, we strike."
Yun Lan nodded slowly, but her heart remained heavy. Not just from Kael's betrayal… but from the fear that Arin would pay the price for it.
That night, as she lay beside Leon near the embers of a dying fire, she whispered into the cold air.
"I won't let him take anything else from me."
Leon turned to her, eyes glowing faintly in the moonlight. "I'll be with you. No matter what."
She leaned her head against his chest. "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"If I ever fall… if I ever lose myself to the relics or the power inside me… bring me back."
"I swear," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I'll never let you go."
But neither of them knew that Kael was already on his way.
And with him… came darkness.