The Shadow Sect members swarmed forward, their claws glinting in the green tomb light. Lin Chen's golden key light pushed back the first wave, but the Sect's numbers were too great—their dark magic sizzled against the barrier, leaving black scorch marks that spread like rot."Hold them off!" Uncle Wei gasped, pressing his key to Lin Chen's. Their lights merged into a brighter dome, but his hand trembled— the taint was still gnawing at his strength. "Su Xiao, find the spring! It's in the tomb's inner chamber—follow the dragon carvings!"Su Xiao nodded, gripping her dagger. But before she could move, a thick vine shot from the tomb walls, coiling around her ankle. The vine was black and slimy, oozing a sticky sap that burned her skin."Going somewhere, little healer?" the old village woman cackled. She stood with her arms outstretched, her hands glowing with a sickly green light—twisted, corrupted healer's magic. "Your grandmother taught you to heal… but I learned to hurt. These vines feed on taint—just like your family fed on the suffering of my people!"Su Xiao stumbled back, slicing the vine with her dagger. The cut vine hissed, releasing a cloud of miasma that made her cough. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice tight. "The Healer's Clan protects people—we don't cause suffering!"The woman's smile turned bitter. "Oh, you poor thing. Your grandmother never told you? Fifty years ago, the guardians and healers sealed the dragon here—but the seal leaked. Taint spread to my village, killed my husband, my children… and your grandmother did nothing. She said 'the seal comes first'—that our lives were a small price to pay." She raised her hands, and more vines burst from the walls, targeting Su Xiao. "Now you'll pay. Your blood will bind the dragon, and my people's deaths will be avenged!"Su Xiao dodged a vine, her eyes stinging. She thought of her grandmother's journal—of the pages that mentioned "a village lost to taint" and "a choice no healer should make." Had her grandmother really abandoned this woman's family? The guilt weighed on her, but she shook it off—this wasn't the time for doubt.She pulled a handful of dried blue flowers from her pouch—moonwort, the only herb left. "Grandmother didn't abandon anyone," she said, her voice steady. "She spent years trying to cure the taint. These flowers—she grew them to purify it. You twisted her magic… but I'll set it right."She crushed the moonwort and blew it toward the vines. The flowers burst into silver flame, burning the vines to ash. The old woman screamed, clutching her hands—her green magic flickered, then dimmed."Now go!" Su Xiao yelled to Lin Chen. "I'll handle her—get to the spring!"Lin Chen nodded, his key light flaring. He charged past the Sect members, slicing through their dark magic with the silver dagger. The tomb's inner chamber loomed ahead, its walls covered in murals that moved—depicting guardians and healers sealing a dragon, then the dragon breaking free, its flames consuming villages. As he ran, the murals shifted again—now showing a boy with a bronze key standing before the dragon, his light merging with its scales."That's me," Lin Chen whispered. The mural wasn't just history—it was a vision.He reached the inner chamber and froze. At its center, a stone pedestal held the dragon armor: a set of black scales, glowing with faint gold veins, its helmet crowned with curved horns. Two Sect members stood beside it, holding the third key fragment—they were about to place it in the armor's chestplate."Stop!" Lin Chen yelled. He swung his dagger, but a Sect member lunged at him, their claw sinking into his arm. The taint burned like fire, spreading up his shoulder.Lin Chen stumbled back, his key clattering to the floor. The key's light dimmed, and the armor's scales flickered— as if responding to his pain. Suddenly, a memory flashed: his father, holding a bronze key, standing before a similar pedestal. "The armor is part of the dragon," his father's voice whispered. "Guardian blood can bind it… or set it free."Lin Chen grabbed the key, pressing his bleeding arm to its surface. "Bind it," he muttered. "For my father. For everyone."The key blazed. Golden light shot from it, wrapping around the armor. The Sect members screamed as the light burned their hands—they dropped the third fragment, which flew into Lin Chen's palm. He slammed the fragment into the armor's chestplate.A roar echoed through the tomb. The armor's scales shifted, then lifted off the pedestal, hovering in the air. It moved toward Lin Chen, its helmet opening to reveal an empty interior— as if inviting him to wear it. But before he could reach for it, the tomb shook."Lin Chen!" Su Xiao's voice yelled from the entrance. "We have to go—Uncle Wei's awake, but the old woman's gone! She took… she took a piece of the armor!"Lin Chen spun. The armor's shoulder plate was missing, a jagged gap in its scales. He looked at the mural—now the boy with the key stood before a dragon that wore half its armor, its eyes glowing red."The core," Uncle Wei said, leaning against Su Xiao as they stumbled in. His face was still pale, but the taint on his chest had faded to a faint mark. "The shoulder plate is the armor's core. Without it, the dragon can't fully bond with the armor… but if she gives it to the Sect's leader…"He didn't finish, but Lin Chen knew. The Sect would use the core to wake the dragon—half-armored, half-wild, impossible to control.The tomb walls rumbled again, and dust fell from the ceiling. The green light from the dragon skull entrance dimmed, replaced by a faint red glow— the dragon's breath, seeping through the stone."We have to find her," Lin Chen said, gripping the key. The armor hovered beside him, as if agreeing. "Before she reaches the Sect's leader. Before the dragon wakes."Su Xiao nodded, tucking her grandmother's journal into her backpack. The journal's pages fluttered open to a line she'd never noticed before: "When the armor splits, the guardian must choose—bind the dragon, or set it free. Both paths bleed."Uncle Wei clapped a hand on Lin Chen's shoulder. "Your father faced this choice too. He chose to bind it… but he always said the day would come when the dragon's rage could no longer be contained. That day might be now."They walked toward the tomb entrance, the armor following Lin Chen like a silent guardian. The red glow grew brighter, and the air grew hot— the dragon's presence was everywhere, a primal force that shook the very ground.Outside the tomb, the night sky was tinged with crimson. The forest trees swayed violently, their branches cracking under an invisible weight. And in the distance, a scream echoed— the old woman's, cut off mid-cry.Lin Chen froze. "What was that?"Su Xiao pulled out her herb pouch, now empty. "I don't know. But whatever it is… it's worse than the Sect."The armor's scales flickered, and Lin Chen's key grew hot. He looked up at the crimson sky, and for a moment, he saw it— a shadow, massive and scaled, moving behind the clouds.The dragon was waking.Not because of the Sect. Not because of the armor.Because it wanted to.Lin Chen gripped his key tighter. "We can't stop it," he said, his voice quiet but firm. "But we can try to reason with it. My father said the dragon wasn't always evil— it was betrayed, too."Uncle Wei nodded. "Your father was right. The first guardian and the dragon made a pact… until the Sect broke it. Maybe you can rebuild it."Su Xiao smiled, her fear fading. "Then let's go. Healers don't just cure bodies— we heal trust. And guardians don't just fight— they protect. Together, we can do both."They walked into the crimson night, the dragon armor gliding beside Lin Chen. The forest around them fell silent, as if holding its breath. The red glow in the sky grew brighter, and the ground trembled with each beat of an invisible heart.The final confrontation was coming. Not with the Sect. Not with the betrayer.With the dragon itself.And this time, Lin Chen wasn't just fighting to seal it. He was fighting to understand it.To save it.For his father. For Su Xiao. For every life lost to the taint.He took a deep breath, and the armor's helmet lowered over his head. Its scales hummed against his skin, a familiar warmth— like his father's hand on his shoulder."Let's go," he said.And they walked toward the red sky.Toward the dragon.Toward their destiny.