The world beyond Yan Province grew stranger with every mile.
Dawn rose thin and cold over the winding Ashen Pass, painting the rocky slopes in washed-out gold. The air here carried a hum — the faint vibration of spirit energy, alive in the soil and sky. Strange birds circled above, their wings trailing glimmers of azure light that vanished like sparks.
Lin Dong and Li Yan moved cautiously along the narrow mountain trail, the remains of the forest long behind them. Every sound echoed — the crunch of boots, the jingle of her bowstring, the faint rustle of his sword against his side.
Neither had spoken for hours.
Finally, Li Yan broke the silence. "You always walk like you're being followed."
Lin Dong didn't look back. "Maybe we are."
She snorted softly. "You're too serious for your age."
"I watched twenty people die two days ago," he said, eyes still on the path ahead. "That kind of thing tends to stay."
Her expression softened, if only for a moment. "Fair."
They rounded a bend in the path — and stopped.
Ahead, the trail split into two: one road leading upward through a ridge of black stone, the other descending into a forested ravine wrapped in mist. At the center of the crossroads stood a small shrine — long abandoned, covered in vines. The statue within had crumbled beyond recognition, but faint runes were still visible along its base.
Lin Dong crouched, brushing dirt away with his hand.
"Old spiritual warding marks," he murmured. "Not from any modern sect."
Li Yan tilted her head. "So what does it ward?"
"Usually? Things that shouldn't be awakened."
A faint wind stirred through the ravine then — cold and sudden, carrying whispers that weren't quite words. Li Yan's hand went to her bow instinctively.
"You hear that?"
Lin Dong nodded slowly. "Voices. But not human."
Before they could decide, the air around them shifted. The sky seemed to darken for a heartbeat, and the runes on the shrine flickered, dim and dying — as though something beyond the veil had just noticed them.
Then came the sound — low, dragging, hungry.
From the shadows of the ravine, shapes began to emerge — Wraith Beasts, their forms twisted and translucent, moving like smoke given shape. Their eyes burned with dim blue fire, and where they walked, the grass turned black.
"How many?" Li Yan whispered.
"Too many," Lin Dong said, unsheathing his sword.
The first wraith lunged, claws slicing through the air — but his blade caught it mid-strike. The spirit's body shrieked like glass shattering, dissolving into mist.
Another came from behind. Li Yan spun, releasing an arrow wreathed in faint golden light — the beast burst apart midair.
But for every one they cut down, two more slipped through the fog.
"They're drawn to the rune," Lin Dong said through gritted teeth. "They can smell it."
Li Yan glanced at him sharply. "Then maybe you should stop glowing!"
He ignored the jab, eyes flicking toward the shrine. "The warding runes — if I can reignite them, it might hold them back."
"Can you?"
"I'll find out."
He sprinted toward the crumbling altar as Li Yan covered him, her arrows streaking through the mist like falling stars. Lin Dong dropped to his knees before the shrine, pressed both palms to the cracked surface, and focused.
The rune within his chest flared — not golden this time, but silver-blue, the same hue as the dead runes etched into stone. Energy surged through his arms, sparking across the ground like lightning crawling over water.
The air boomed.
A ring of light burst outward, slamming into the encroaching beasts. They recoiled, their howls echoing through the canyon as the barrier sealed them out.
When the light dimmed, the world was silent again — save for Lin Dong's ragged breathing.
Li Yan approached cautiously, lowering her bow. "Remind me never to argue with your instincts again."
He managed a weak grin. "I'll remember that."
Then his knees buckled. Li Yan caught him before he hit the ground. His skin was cold, the mark on his chest still pulsing faintly.
"You pushed too hard," she muttered. "That thing's eating your energy."
"I'm fine."
"You're not."
He opened his eyes — hazy but stubborn. "We're still alive, aren't we?"
She sighed, shaking her head. "Barely."
They stayed by the shrine until the sun rose high enough to burn through the mist. The barrier shimmered faintly in the light, holding. The wraiths had vanished, but their presence still lingered like a curse.
When Lin Dong could finally stand again, Li Yan handed him his sword. "Next time, maybe we take the high road instead of the haunted ravine."
He smirked faintly. "Where's the fun in that?"
As they began to move on, neither noticed the faint shadow watching from the trees — a tall man in black armor, his eyes gleaming crimson beneath a hood.
He touched a talisman at his wrist, whispering into it.
"Target confirmed. The heir of the Talisman Seal lives."
Far away, in the depths of some unseen fortress, a voice answered — deep, cruel, ancient.
"Then the hunt begins."
The shadow faded, leaving only the whisper of wings as a raven took flight into the blood-red sky.