---
CHAPTER 26 — EYES THAT NEVER SLEEP
The fire had burned low.
Only faint embers glowed at the heart of the camp, breathing softly like a resting beast. Every so often, one would crackle and collapse inward, sending a brief spark spiraling into the night before vanishing like a forgotten thought.
Lee Kung sat near the dying flames, knees drawn close, elbows resting on them, his gaze fixed on the embers as though they might answer the questions grinding inside him. The Sword of the Dragon King lay beside him, half-buried in dirt and ash, its presence heavy even in stillness.
The forest around them was quiet—but not peacefully so.
It was the kind of silence that listened back.
Crickets had stopped singing. Leaves no longer rustled. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath, as though the world itself waited for something to go wrong.
Now I understand.
Lee Kung exhaled slowly, the breath leaving him like a confession.
So this is why the realms fear time magic.
"So," he said at last, breaking the hush, his voice calm but edged with something deeper—realization, maybe even dread. "Now I see why you don't want your powers to fall into the wrong hands."
Okachu stood a short distance away, near the shadowed edge of the camp. Moonlight traced the faint glow in her eyes, catching in her silver hair like starlight trapped in motion. She did not turn. She did not answer.
But her silence spoke louder than words.
It carried centuries of caution. Of loss. Of regret carved so deeply into her existence that even time itself had failed to erase it.
Sio Jun paced near the opposite side of the clearing, boots crunching softly against fallen leaves. Her movements were restless—sharp, alert, like a blade that refused to stay sheathed.
"These dumb heads seem to follow us everywhere we go," she muttered, arms crossed. "Which means they know our location… and what we want to do next."
Her voice was low, but the accusation in it pierced the night.
The unseen was listening.
Suddenly, Sio Jun stopped.
Her body went rigid.
"Wait," she said.
Everyone looked up.
She narrowed her eyes, staring toward the treeline. "Now that I say it… I remember seeing that same crow."
The word crow settled uneasily among them.
"That bird," she continued, raising a finger and pointing sharply upward. "It was outside Mama Agatha's hut. It was near our camp when we arrived. And it's been watching us ever since we got here."
High above, perched on a gnarled branch, a black shape shifted.
The crow froze.
Its head tilted unnaturally, one eye gleaming in the darkness.
For a heartbeat, it felt as though the bird were staring directly into Lee Kung's soul.
Then—almost as if it understood—
The crow took flight.
Its wings snapped violently through the air, feathers cutting soundlessly as it vanished into the trees, swallowed by shadow.
Okachu's jaw tightened.
Her fingers curled slightly at her side.
"Scouts," she said softly.
She paused.
"Or worse."
A chill crept through the camp.
Even the embers seemed to dim.
"So," Okachu added after a moment, forcing lightness into her tone as though she could simply bend the mood the way she bent moments, "are you ready to leave now?"
Lee Kung shook his head.
"Not yet," he replied. "First we pack up. Then we say goodbye to Armin."
Okachu studied him for a long moment, then nodded.
They returned to camp in silence.
Armin lay near the edge of the clearing, still deeply asleep, one arm flung across his chest, the other resting near his sword. His breathing was steady, untroubled.
For a brief, selfish moment, Lee Kung envied him.
The innocence of rest.
The luxury of not knowing what hunted you.
Fatigue finally crept into Lee Kung's limbs, heavier than any wound he had carried before.
"We should rest," he said quietly. "Tomorrow… our journey truly begins."
No one argued.
The forest had already decided for them.
One by one, they lay down.
Mia curled near Sio Jun, whispering softly about nothing at all. Sio Jun listened with half an ear, eyes never fully closing.
Okachu lingered.
She hesitated—just for a heartbeat—then stepped closer to Lee Kung and gently leaned into his side. His arm wrapped around her without thought, instinct guiding him more than intention.
"It's warm," she murmured. "Comfortable."
Lee Kung did not reply.
But he didn't pull away either.
Night swallowed the camp.
Above them, clouds drifted lazily across the moon.
And higher still—
Unseen eyes watched.
"Sure they're asleep now," a whisper echoed through the darkness, carried on a voice that did not belong to the forest. "Let me send an ambush."
Vattu smiled from the shadows between moments, his presence flickering like a wound in reality.
Far away—beyond mortal sight, beyond time's gentler currents—another voice answered him.
A voice like grinding stone and collapsing stars.
"Haven't I always told you to be patient?" Dehaska's voice thundered softly through the void. "Let them have their peace…"
A pause.
"…while it lasts."
---
Morning came too quickly.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, brushing gently across the camp as though nothing were wrong. Dew clung to leaves. Birds cautiously resumed their calls.
Okachu stirred first.
She stretched slowly, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off the weight of the night. Time felt… thinner here. Uneasy.
Lee Kung woke next, eyes snapping open at the faintest sound.
Then Armin.
Then Mia.
Then Sio Jun.
They greeted one another quietly, movements efficient, already feeling the pull of the road ahead like gravity tugging at their bones.
Armin stepped forward to dismantle the camp, reaching for a bedroll—
Then froze.
Every instinct he had screamed at once.
He turned.
Okachu stood behind him.
His training took over before thought could catch up.
Steel rang as he drew his sword in one fluid motion, blade flashing upward, stopping inches from her throat.
"Don't move!" he shouted.
The world shattered.
Time slowed.
Sound warped.
Dust hung suspended in the air like stars trapped in amber.
Okachu's eyes widened slightly.
She lifted her hand instinctively.
The world paused.
Armin froze mid-strike, eyes wide, muscles locked, breath trapped in his lungs.
"Oh—uh—guys," Okachu said, blinking as she glanced around. "I don't know who this person is, so… I paused him."
Mia gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.
"Oh no!"
She rushed forward, heart pounding. "That's Armin—our friend!"
Lee Kung stepped in quickly. "We probably thought you were a spy from Dehaska."
"Oh," Okachu said, lowering her hand. "Okay."
Time resumed.
Armin's sword came down in a wild arc.
"Stay alert!" he barked, adrenaline flooding him.
Okachu laughed lightly, drifting backward.
Armin lunged again—
CLANG.
Lee Kung intercepted the blade effortlessly, sparks flying as steel met steel.
The forest echoed with the sound.
And somewhere far away…
Something smiled.
.