The frozen lake shimmered beneath the pale moonlight, its surface smooth as glass. Yun Lan stood at its edge, her breath forming white puffs in the air. Every instinct in her body warned her something was coming. Something dark. Something familiar.
Leon stood beside her, sword drawn. His golden eyes scanned the trees beyond the lake, tense and unwavering.
"He's close," Yun Lan whispered, clutching her staff.
Then—crack.
A single footstep echoed across the ice.
From the shadows at the treeline, Kael emerged, clad in black armor, his eyes like ice.
And behind him… Arin, bound and gagged, stumbling with each step as if he hadn't slept for days. Blood stained the side of his temple, and one arm hung limply at his side.
"Arin!" Yun Lan's voice broke with emotion.
Arin raised his head weakly, eyes meeting hers.
Kael's mouth twisted into a smile. "Touching. Truly. But I didn't come for reunions."
"You'll never get the relic," Leon growled. "Let him go."
Kael laughed, stepping onto the ice with confidence. "Let him go? Oh, I will. As soon as I have what I came for."
He raised a glowing orb—one of the relics—toward the lake.
The eighth relic slept beneath the ice, its pulsing green aura now faintly visible under the surface. As Kael approached, the lake trembled. Cracks webbed across the surface like veins of lightning.
Yun Lan stepped forward. "The relic will never choose you."
"Maybe not," Kael said coolly. "But it will listen when commanded by all others."
He slammed the orb into the ice.
The lake screamed. A shockwave exploded outward, throwing Leon and Yun Lan backward. Yun Lan hit the frozen ground with a sharp cry, her ribs snapping as pain exploded through her chest.
"YUN LAN!" Leon rushed to her side.
Blood poured from her mouth, and her skin was pale as snow. "I… I can't move…"
Kael stalked forward. "It's over."
Leon rose, eyes blazing with rage. "You won't touch her."
But before he could attack, Kael summoned a barrier of dark energy, trapping him in a dome of swirling black mist.
Leon slammed his fists against it, roaring. "KAEL!"
Kael ignored him.
He turned toward the relic beneath the ice, raising his hand to shatter the final barrier.
And in that moment, Arin, forgotten and discarded, stumbled forward.
"No," Kael said, but it was too late.
Arin collapsed onto the ice, his bound hands brushing the surface above the eighth relic.
And the relic responded.
A surge of blue light erupted beneath his fingers, crawling up his arms, filling his body with warmth and ancient power. The ropes around his wrists burned away in an instant. His bruises vanished. His strength returned.
Kael's eyes widened. "No… Not him—!"
The ice beneath Arin shattered as a pillar of energy shot skyward, surrounding him in a vortex of power. His body lifted a few feet off the ground, bathed in blue light. His eyes opened—glowing the same emerald hue.
Arin hovered for a moment, his voice deeper, resonating with the relic's presence. "I see now. I was never just a follower…"
He landed softly, the wind around him calm now.
Kael stepped back. "That power… you're not supposed to—"
"I didn't choose the relic," Arin said. "It chose me."
Then he raised his hand.
The ice around Kael cracked violently, and jagged spears shot upward. Kael leaped back, shielding himself with a barrier. "You're nothing but a child—!"
Arin moved faster than Kael could see, appearing right in front of him. He punched through Kael's shield with raw force, sending the traitor flying across the lake.
Leon's prison shattered as the relic responded to Arin's command.
He rushed to Yun Lan's side, gently cradling her in his arms. "You're going to be okay."
Yun Lan opened her eyes, her voice faint. "Arin…"
He knelt beside her, pressing a glowing palm to her chest. "I can stop the bleeding, but… you need rest. You pushed yourself too hard."
She weakly grabbed his hand. "You… you found your power."
"I guess I did," he said, eyes still glowing. "You gave me strength. Both of you."
Kael groaned, struggling to his feet. "You don't understand what you're doing. That power—it's not yours."
Arin stood, a spear of energy forming in his hand. "No, Kael. I finally understand. It's not about power. It's about protecting those I love."
He hurled the spear.
Kael barely managed to dodge. The explosion sent him tumbling across the snow before he vanished into a cloud of black smoke.
Yun Lan closed her eyes, her breathing shallow. "He's… gone for now."
Leon turned to Arin. "How do you feel?"
Arin looked down at his glowing hands. "Powerful. But… the relic told me something."
"What?"
Arin's expression darkened. "Kael isn't acting alone. Someone else is pulling the strings. Someone worse."
Yun Lan coughed. "Then… we have to stop them before they get to the nine relic."
Leon lifted her gently. "You're not going anywhere right now."
Arin nodded. "There's a cabin nearby. I saw it in the relic's vision. It's safe. We'll rest there. Then we go after the nine relic together."
As the three made their way toward the edge of the frozen lake, the wind howled again.
But this time, Yun Lan smiled faintly, even through the pain.
Because they still had each other.
And now… Arin had awakened.
Comment and let me know what do you think that will happen in chapter 50.