The mist had thinned to a faint haze by the time Lin Che, Su Qing, and Xiao Ya left the clearing. The broken remains of Old Man Zhao's staff lay abandoned on the ground, the shattered Shadow Shard glinting like dark glass in the moonlight. The forest was quiet now—too quiet, as if holding its breath after the ritual's disruption.
Xiao Ya walked beside Lin Che, her hand still in his. She'd grown quiet again, her eyes fixed on the ground as they walked. "The plants are calm now," she said softly, her voice breaking the silence. "They say the darkness is gone… for now. But they're scared it will come back."
Lin Che squeezed her hand. "We won't let that happen," he said, though doubt lingered in his mind. Old Man Zhao's words echoed in his head—more Shadow Shards. Many more. They'd stopped one ritual, but how many more were there? How many Shards did the Zhao family—or whoever was behind them—have?
Su Qing walked ahead, her Arcane Manual open in her hands. She'd been flipping through its pages, her brow furrowed in concentration. "My grandmother's notes mention other Shadow Shards," she said, looking back at them. "She wrote that they're 'fragments of an ancient darkness'—left behind after the Guardians pushed it back centuries ago. They're scattered across the land—some in the forest, some in the city, maybe even beyond."
Lin Che frowned. "How do we find them? We can't search everywhere."
Su Qing closed the manual, slipping it into her pocket. "The crystal," she said, nodding to the pocket where Lin Che kept the light shard. "It reacts to the Shadow Shards—like a magnet. When we're near one, it'll glow. Just like it did when we were close to Old Man Zhao's staff."
That was a small relief, at least. They had a way to track the Shards. But they also had a problem— the Zhao family would be looking for them more than ever. Old Man Zhao had escaped, and he'd tell everyone about the Star Marrow, the light shard, and Xiao Ya's ability to talk to plants.
They reached the stone arch where they'd first met Xiao Ya an hour later. The symbols on the arch were dim now, the portal to the Spirit Plant Ruins closed. Lin Che leaned against the cold stone, exhaustion washing over him. He'd been running, fighting, hiding for days—since the moment Zhao Kun had attacked the Iron Rust Workshop.
Xiao Ya sat down on a mossy rock, pulling a small bundle of dried herbs from her pocket. She began to crush them between her fingers, her movements slow and deliberate. "The clover says there's a village on the forest's northern edge," she said, looking up at them. "A small one—mostly farmers and herbalists. They don't like the city folk… but they might help us. The plants say they're kind."
Su Qing nodded. "It's better than going back to the slums. Li Wei was helpful, but the Zhao family will be watching there now. A village might be safer—at least for a while."
Lin Che agreed. They needed a place to rest, to plan. They needed to figure out their next move—how to find the Shadow Shards before the Zhao family did, how to protect the light shard and the Star Marrow, how to stop the darkness for good.
They set off north at dawn, the forest lightening around them. Xiao Ya led the way, talking to the plants as they walked—asking for directions, for warnings of danger. The forest seemed friendlier in the daylight, the trees' branches no longer twisted into threatening shapes, the mist gone.
They reached the village by midday. It was small—no more than twenty wooden houses, clustered around a central square. A well stood in the square, and a few villagers were gathered there, drawing water and talking. When they saw Lin Che, Su Qing, and Xiao Ya, they fell silent, their eyes narrowing with suspicion.
A woman stepped forward—tall, with gray hair tied back in a braid, her hands calloused from farming. She held a pitchfork in her hand, her stance defensive. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice sharp. "What are you doing here?"
Su Qing stepped forward, her hands raised in a gesture of peace. "We're travelers," she said. "We're hiding from the Zhao family—from the men who hurt the forest last night. We don't mean any harm. We just need a place to rest."
The woman's eyes softened slightly at the mention of the Zhao family. "The Zhao family?" she said. "They've been coming here, asking questions. Looking for a boy with a birthmark, a girl with a book, and a kid who talks to plants." She nodded to Xiao Ya. "That's you three, isn't it?"
Lin Che tensed, but Xiao Ya stepped forward, her hands glowing faintly green. She knelt down, touching the grass at her feet. "The clover says you're Ma Lan," she said, looking up at the woman. "It says you help the forest—you plant new trees when the old ones die. It says you're kind."
Ma Lan's eyes widened. She lowered her pitchfork, staring at Xiao Ya. "You're a Spirit Plant Speaker," she said, her voice softening. "My grandmother told me about you—said you'd come when the forest needed you." She turned to the other villagers, who were still watching. "They're safe. Let them stay."
The villagers murmured among themselves, then nodded. Ma Lan led them to a small house on the edge of the village—empty, she said, since her son had moved to the city. It was simple—one room with a cot, a table, and a fireplace—but it was warm, and it was safe.
"You can stay here as long as you need," Ma Lan said, setting a basket of bread and dried fruit on the table. "But be careful. The Zhao family's men come through here sometimes. If they see you…." She trailed off, shaking her head.
"Thank you," Su Qing said, smiling. "We won't cause any trouble."
After Ma Lan left, they collapsed onto the cot and the floor, eating the bread and fruit. The silence was peaceful, a welcome change from the chaos of the past few days.
Xiao Ya fell asleep first, curled up on the cot, her head resting on Lin Che's shoulder. Su Qing sat by the fireplace, flipping through her Arcane Manual again.
Lin Che stared at the light shard in his hand. It glowed softly, its silver light casting shadows on the wall. He thought of Old Man Zhao's words, of the Shadow Shards, of the darkness waiting to return.
"We need to find the other Shards first," he said, breaking the silence. "Before the Zhao family does. Before they can start another ritual."
Su Qing nodded, looking up from her book. "We will. But first, we rest. We heal. We can't fight if we're exhausted."
Lin Che agreed. But even as he said it, he knew he wouldn't sleep well. The darkness was out there, and the hunt for the Shadow Shards had only just begun.
He looked at Xiao Ya, sleeping peacefully, and at Su Qing, her face determined as she read. They were his family now— the only family he had. He would protect them. He would protect the forest. He would stop the darkness.
No matter what it took.
Outside, the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange. The village grew quiet, and the forest's gentle rustle filled the air. For now, they were safe.
But tomorrow, the journey would continue.