Night draped itself over the Gale Mountains like a black veil. The wind howled through the jagged cliffs, carrying whispers that weren't entirely made by nature. The stars above burned bright — cold, unblinking witnesses to what stirred below.
A fire crackled in a shallow cave carved into the mountainside. Lin Dong sat near the edge of the flame, sharpening his blade with slow, deliberate strokes. The metal hissed softly each time the whetstone passed. Across from him, Li Yan roasted what little they'd managed to hunt — a skinny mountain hare skewered on a stick.
They hadn't spoken since sundown. Both were listening.
Somewhere beyond the cave's mouth, the mountain murmured — the distant cry of a hawk, the scuttling of stones. But beneath it all was something else. Footsteps. Soft. Rhythmic. Wrong.
Li Yan looked up first. "We're not alone."
Lin Dong's hand froze mid-motion. Without a word, he set the whetstone down and reached for his sword.
The wind shifted — and then, silence.
A sudden gust extinguished the fire. Darkness swallowed the cave whole.
Li Yan cursed under her breath, bow already in hand. "Show yourself!"
A voice floated from the shadows — smooth, mocking, touched with amusement.
"Such sharp reflexes for travelers so far from home."
A spark flared at the cave entrance — the brief glow of a torch revealing a man in black armor, his cloak fluttering like raven wings. His face was hidden behind a mask of onyx and red, but his eyes gleamed like embers.
"You're a long way from Yan City," the stranger continued. "Carrying something you shouldn't."
Lin Dong stepped forward, blade raised. "Who sent you?"
The man tilted his head, the gesture oddly graceful. "Let's just say I serve the order that keeps balance. You, boy, have disrupted it."
He flicked his hand — and the torch went out.
Darkness returned.
The next instant, the cave exploded with motion. Steel clashed. Sparks flared. Lin Dong barely parried the assassin's strike — the force sent shockwaves up his arm.
Li Yan loosed an arrow — it sliced through the dark and struck the man's shoulder, but he barely flinched. Instead, he vanished, reappearing behind her in a blur of crimson smoke.
"Fast—!"
She twisted away just in time, the dagger meant for her throat cutting a lock of her hair instead.
Lin Dong charged, blade glowing faintly with the rune's power. Their swords met midair — clang! — the shock of it sending dust cascading from the cave ceiling. The masked man laughed softly.
"Ah… the Talisman answers. You really are the one they warned us about."
He struck again — faster this time. Lin Dong blocked, barely. Each blow carried strength beyond human, something fueled by dark magic. His arm numbed, his grip slipping.
Li Yan rolled behind the assassin, aiming another arrow — but before she could fire, a flock of black ravens burst from his cloak, their wings slicing through the air like blades. The arrow never released.
"Ravens?" Lin Dong gasped, ducking as one swooped past, its beak gleaming with metal.
The man's voice echoed, disembodied among the chaos.
"Every Blood Raven carries a message… and death is the signature."
Rage flared through Lin Dong's chest. He slammed his sword into the ground, channeling energy outward. The rune ignited, casting the cave in golden-white light. The ravens screamed, their forms burning away into smoke.
The assassin hissed, staggering back. The light hit him full in the chest — for a heartbeat, Lin Dong saw what lay beneath the mask: a scarred face, veins blackened by corruption.
Then the man smiled — a thin, cruel curve.
"So the stories were true. The seal chooses."
He hurled a dagger straight at Lin Dong's heart. The blade shimmered midair — then shattered against an invisible barrier.
The rune had shielded him.
But the power's recoil hit hard. Lin Dong stumbled to his knees, clutching his chest as light seared through him.
Li Yan fired her last arrow, the shaft glowing faintly with energy drawn from the residual rune-light. It struck the assassin square in the mask, shattering half of it.
Blood spattered the ground.
The man staggered, laughter bubbling through the cracks of his breath.
"You're stronger than I thought… but strength alone won't save you."
He stepped back into the shadows — and dissolved into a storm of black feathers.
Only his final words lingered, whispering through the dark like a curse.
"The Blood Raven flies for the Shadow Sect. The hunt has begun."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Lin Dong exhaled shakily, the glow from his chest fading to a dull ember. "Shadow Sect…"
Li Yan retrieved her bow, eyes still scanning the dark. "I've heard of them. A guild of assassins. They deal in forbidden contracts — the kind that even nobles fear to whisper about."
He sheathed his sword, looking out toward the mountain horizon. The clouds there were heavy, tinged crimson by the moon.
"If they're after the rune," he said quietly, "then the world's darker than I thought."
Li Yan gave him a sideways glance. "You still think heading to the Stone Dragon Cavern is smart?"
He smiled faintly, though there was no humor in it. "It's not about smart. It's about necessary."
She sighed, but nodded. "Then let's move before more birds come calling."
They left the cave as dawn began to break — two silhouettes moving along the mountain ridge, the rising sun painting their path in gold and blood.
Behind them, a single raven feather drifted to the ground. It shimmered once, then burned away — leaving behind only a faint whisper that the mountain winds carried onward:
"He has awakened. The heir of the Talisman walks again."