The mist clung to their skin, cold and damp, blurring the world into soft, green-gray shadows. Sounds warbled—distant water, rustling leaves, a whisper that might've been wind, or something else.
Bright waved a hand in front of his face, coughing. "Ugh, this mist's thicker than Nam's healing paste. Can't see three feet ahead." Prodding the air with his stick, as if poking the fog would clear it, he nudged Tong. "Hey, snake bait—you gonna warn us if your boss is slithering this way?"
Tong's jaw tightened. The cloth around his mouth had loosened, but silence hung from him—he only stared at the glowing mark on his arm. Faster now, it pulsed, a sickly green beacon, matching the rhythm of a distant, growing hiss.
Nam grabbed Bright's stick, yanking it down. "Quit yelling. Sound carries in this mist—we'll attract more than just Nagasith." From her pouch, she pulled a small vial, dabbing a drop of clear liquid on each of their wrists. "Lotus dew. Cuts through illusions—this mist isn't natural."
The moment the dew touched Tan Kai's skin, the fog wavered. For a split second, a flash: silver-green hair, a hand clutching a jade shard—Lina, running through the same mist, Agus right behind her. Then the vision vanished, the fog settling back thicker than before.
Yara's hand tightened around his. "Did you see that?" she whispered. "Lina—she was here, just like us."
Tan Kai nodded, his pendant thrumming against his chest. Faintly glowing, the jade shard cast a soft green light over their hands. "The valley's showing us the past," he said. "Like it's trying to tell us something."
A low, mocking laugh cut through the mist.
"Cute, isn't it?"
Nagasith's voice—smooth, cold, like ice sliding over stone—echoed all around them. No sign of his body, just that voice, coiling around the team like a snake.
Bright tensed, gripping his stick. "Hey, scale-face! Show yourself! Or are you too scared to fight us head-on?"
Another laugh. "Scared? I'm savoring the moment. You're walking right into my trap—just like Agus and Lina did, two hundred years ago."
The mist swirled. Figures materialized: Heavenly Soldiers, spears glowing, chasing a pair of shadows—Agus and Lina. Lina stumbled, a jade shard slipping from her hand into the grass. Agus stopped to help, a spear grazing his arm.
"Stop it!" Yara yelled. Her mark blazed, and the illusions flickered. "That's not real—you're twisting their story!"
"Am I?" Nagasith purred. "They ran, just like you're running. They hid, just like you're hiding. And in the end… they lost."
The mist cleared for a heartbeat.
Ahead of them stood Nagasith.
Taller than Tan Kai remembered, his skin shimmered like polished snake scales. Slitted gold eyes, cold as frost, locked on Tan Kai's pendant—and around his neck hung an empty chain, as if waiting. A smile curled his lips.
"Found you," he said.
Before anyone could move, venomous mist erupted from his palms—thick, black, streaking straight for Bright.
Nam reacted first. A handful of dried herbs tossed into the mist; they exploded in a burst of golden light, burning through the venom. "Move!" she shouted.
Bright rolled out of the way, coughing. "Thanks! Next time, warn me before you blow stuff up!"
Tan Kai pulled Yara behind him, their palms pressed together. Surging gold and green light formed a shield between them and Nagasith. "Why are you so obsessed with the jade?" he yelled. "What do you want with it?"
Nagasith tilted his head, as if the question amused him. "The jade controls Naga blood—your little friend Yara's, mine… Lina's. With both shards, I'll be unstoppable. Heaven can't touch me. And you?" Sneering, he added, "You'll be nothing but a memory, just like Agus."
The mist swirled again. This time, the illusion was clearer: a younger Nagasith, scales less dull, offering Lina a hand. "Join me," he'd said. "With the jade, we can fight Heaven together." Lina had shaken her head, clutching Agus's hand. "Never."
The vision faded. Yara's breath hitched. "You tried to trick her," she said. "Just like you're trying to trick us."
Nagasith's smile dropped. "Trick? I offered her power. She chose weakness—chose him." He nodded at Agus's faint image, still lingering in the mist. "And look where it got her."
A vine erupted from the ground behind him, coiling toward his legs. Bright, having snuck around, jabbed the vine with his stick to spur its growth. "Hey, snake! Over here!"
Nagasith snarled, kicking the vine away. But the distraction was enough—Tan Kai and Yara lunged forward, their combined light weaving into a blade. It sliced through the mist, grazing Nagasith's arm.
A hiss escaped him; silver-green blood, shimmering like his scales, dripped from the wound. "Fools," he spat. "You think you can beat me? You're just kids playing at heroes."
Master's phantom flickered into view, faint but fierce. "They're more than that," he said. "They have something you never will—each other."
Nagasith's eyes narrowed. "You again. Still clinging to life, old man? Pathetic." His hand raised, summoning more venom. "This ends now."
But Tong lurched forward first. The cloth torn from his mouth, his eyes wild, he yelled, "Stop!" His arm's mark blazed so bright it hurt to look at. "You said you'd let my sister go if I helped you! You lied!"
Nagasith froze. "Tong—"
"I heard you!" Tong shouted. "You told your men she's still locked up! You never meant to free her!" Stumbling toward the team, hands outstretched, he begged, "I'll help you. I know where the other jade shard is—Lina hid it in the valley's heart. Just… let my sister go."
Nam stepped forward, hand on her herb pouch, but Tan Kai shook his head. Looking at Tong—pale, trembling—he saw not an enemy, but someone desperate.
"Prove it," Tan Kai said. "Lead us to the shard. If you're telling the truth, we'll help your sister."
Nagasith roared. "Traitor!" He lunged for Tong, but Tan Kai and Yara stepped in front, their shield flaring.
A sudden wind swept through, blowing the mist away. Ahead, through the trees, a glint of gold—the valley's heart, a clearing where a single, massive lotus tree stood.
"There," Tong panted, pointing. "The shard's under the tree."
Nagasith snarled, backing away. Outnumbered—for now. "This isn't over," he said, voice cold as ice. "I'll find you. And when I do, I'll take the jade, your precious bond… and destroy it all."
He turned, vanishing into the last of the mist. The hiss faded, leaving only silence.
Bright let out a breath, dropping his stick. "Well. That was fun. Anyone up for mangoes? Wait—oh, right, I ate 'em all."
Nam rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. Turning to Tong, her tone softened. "You better not be lying. If this is another trap—"
"I'm not," Tong said, shaking his head. "I just… want my sister back."
Tan Kai looked at Yara, then at the lotus tree ahead. The pendant and jade shard pulsed, guiding them forward.
"Let's go," he said.
Yara squeezed his hand. "Together."
They walked toward the tree, Tong leading the way. The mist was gone, the valley bathed in golden light. But Tan Kai could feel it—Nagasith wasn't far. And the jade shard wasn't just a prize. It was a test.
For Agus and Lina's past. For their future. For the bond that held them all together.
The lotus tree loomed ahead, branches heavy with flowers. Somewhere beneath its roots, the other jade shard waited.
And somewhere in the shadows, Nagasith watched.
The real fight was just beginning.