The air in the antique shop felt heavy, like it was filled with invisible dust from a thousand years ago. Dua held the golden key tight in her palm, feeling its unnatural warmth pulse against her skin. Zian, the mysterious stranger, stood before her, his blue-glowing dagger slowly fading as the shadow monster disappeared into the walls.
What was the thing? "Dua whispered, her breath coming in short, terrified gasps.
" A Shadow General, "Zian replied, his voice cold and serious. " They have been searching for that key for centuries. It is the only thing that can unlock the seal of the 'Dust of Secret'—a curse that once buried the old empire. "
Dua looked at her shop, now a mess of broken bases and overturned chairs. She realized that the world she Knew—the world of tea, tourists, and selling old coins—was gone forever.
Suddenly, the key in her hand began to hum. It wasn't just a sound; it was a voice, a thousand tiny whispers speaking in a language she didn't know but somehow understood. The floor of the shop. Began to glow with ancient symbols.
"It's choosing you, Dua, " Zian said, his eyes wide shock. "The key hasn't spoken to anyone in three generations. You are the Guardian they have been waiting for".
But Dua didn't want to be a guardian. She wanted to be safe. " Take it! " She cried, trying to hand the key to him. But as soon as he touched her hand, a spark of amber electricity threw him back against the well. "The key only answers to your blood, 'Zian groaned, picking himself up, " We have to leave. Now. The 'Dust' is rising in the city, and if they find you here, Shanghai will fall by sunrise. "
Dua looked out the window. The neon lights of the modern city were flickering, and a strange, dark fog was rolling in from the Huangpu River. The secrets of the past were no longer buried; they were coming to claim the present.
The air in 'Eternal Relics' felt heavy, like it was filled with the invisible weight of a thousand years. Dua held the golden Key tight in her palm, it's warmth pulsing against her skin like a second heartbeat. Zian stood before her, his sapphire-blue dagger slowly fading as the shadow monster disappeared into the walls, leaving behind only the smell of frozen earth.
"What was that thing? " Dua whispered, her breath coming in short, terrified gasps as she looked at her ruined shop.
"A Shadow General, " Zian replied, his eyes scanning the dark corners for any sign of a second attack. "They are the harbingers of the 'Dust of Secret'—a curse that once buried entire empires. For centuries, the key you hold has been the only thing keeping them locked in the Void. But now, the seal is broken.
Dua looked at the counter where her grandfather used to sit, telling her stories of the Qing Dynasty. She realized now that those weren't just stories; they were warning. The key began to hum in her hand, a sound that grew from a quiet whisper into a low roar.
"It's choosing you, " Zian said, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and pity. "The key of Shanghai hasn't hummed for anyone in three generations. You aren't just a shopkeeper anymore, Dua. You are the Guardian of the Dying Light".
Suddenly, the shop's front door, which had been blown open, began to shake again. A thick, black mist started to seep through the cracks of the floorboards, smelling of rot and ancient secrets.
"We have to leave, " Zian commanded, grabbing Dua's wrist. "The General will return with an army. Shanghai will be the first city to fall if we stay here".
Dua felt a surge of energy from the key. She didn't want this responsibility, she wanted her simple life of dusting relics and drinking tea back. But as she looked at the growing darkness outside, she knew that life was over.
"Tell me where we're going, " Du said, her voice finally finding some strength.
"To the heart of the city, " Zian replied, his blue dagger flashing one last time. "To the only place where the 'Dust' cannot reach....yet".
As they stepped out into the rain-slicked streets of Shanghai, the city felt like a stranger. The neon sign of the Oriental Peral Tower were flickering in a rhythmic haunting pattern—almost like a heartbeat that didn't belong to his world.
"The heart of the city is the only place where the 'Dust' cannot rech.....yet, " Zian repeated, his wywy scanning the rooftops. He pulled Dua into a dark alleyway just as a black SUV with tinted windows screeched past. It wasn't the police; the symbols on the side of the car were ancient, the same ones Dua had seen in her grandfather's forbidden scrolls.
"They are tracking the key's energy, " Zian whispered, pressing his back against the cold brick wall. "We need to mask your presence. "
Dua looked at the Golden key. It was no longer just humming; it was vibrating so hard it made her teeth ache. "How? I don't even know how to turn it off! "
"You don't turn it off, Dua. You feed it, " Zian said. He took her hand and placed it over the central gem of the key. "Close your eyes. Think of the shop. Think of the smell of old paper and the safety of those walls. Imagine pulling all that golden light into a tiny point inside your chest. "
Dua dis as she was told. She breathed in the cold Shanghai air and exhaled the fear. Slowly, the vibrating stopped. The sapphire glow dimmed until it was nothing more than a faint spark.
"Good, " Zian breathed, his posture relaxing slightly. "But we can't stay on the main roads. The Shadow General has eyes in every camera of this city. We take the old tunnels—the ones built during the Ming Dynasty that the modern world has forgotten "
They moved like ghosts through the underbelly of the city. Dua's mind was racing. Just an hour ago, she was worried about her shop being 'draggy' and slow. Now, she was a fugitive in her own home, carrying a weapon that could either save the world or burn it down.
Suddenly, Zian stopped. Their air in the tunnel freezing. Small shards of ice began to form on the walls.
"He's here, " Zian hissed, drawing his blue dagger.
From the Shadows of the tunnel, a man appeared. He wasn't a shadow monster; he looked human, dressed in a sharp, gery suit, but his eyes were a terrifying, milky white.
"The Guardian and the Traitor, the man said his voice smooth and cold. " Hand over the key, miss Dua. Your grandfather was a smart man; he knew when to hide. But you? You're just a gril playing with fire. "
The man in the grey suit smiled, but it didn't reach his milky eyes. He raised a hand, and the very shadows of the tunnel walls began to solidify into sharp, black spears.
"I am not just a girl, " Dua hissed, her voice echoing in the confines space. She felt the Golden key pulsing against her palm, its heat now a comforting fire instead of a terrifying burn.
Zian lunged forward his sapphire blade clashing against the shadow Spears with a deafening metallic ring. "Dua, the tunnel is collapsing! You have to use the key to stabilize the foundation! "
" How?" Dua shouted, dodging a shard of ice that flew past her ear.
"Stop trying to control it with your mind! Control it with your heart! This city is your home, Dua. Command it! " Zian yelled as he parried another blow.
Dua closed her eyes. She stopped thinking about the danger and started thinking about the shop, the streets of Shanghai, and her grandfather's teachings. She pressed the Golden Key into the dirt floor of the tunnel.
Suddenly, a wave of golden energy ripped outward. It wasn't just light; it was a physical force. The crumbling bricks of the tunnel suddenly flew back into place, glowing with a faint amber light. The shadow spears shattered into harmless dust.
The man in the grey suit stumbled back, his composure finally breaking. "Impossible....the seal of the Qing hasn't been this strong in a century. "
"Leave, " Dua commanded, her eyes now glowing with the same golden hue as the key. "Before the history of this city buries you. "
With a snarl, the man dissolved into a puddle of black ink and vanished into the cracks of the floor. The tunnel fell silent, except for the heavy breathing of Dua and Zian.
"You did it, " Zian said, sheathing his blade. He looked at Dua with a new kind of respect. "But we can't stay. He was just a messenger. The General himself will be coming now. "
Dua stood up, dusting off her clothes. The fear was still there, but it was buried under a layer of steel. "Then let him come. I have a city to protect. "
The silence in the tunnel was thick, broken from a rusted pipe nearby. Dua looked at the spot where the man in the grey suit had vanished. The black ink was slowly begin absorbed by the ancient stone, leaving behind a faint scorched mark.
"He was just a puppet, " Zian said, his voice grim as he wiped his sapphire blade. The Shadow General doesn't send his elite warriors for a simple scouting mission. This was a test of your resolve, Dua.
Dua felt a cold shiver run down her spine. "A test? People's lives are at stake, and he's playing games? " She gripped the Golden Key tighter, feeling its warmth seeping into her skin grounding her.
"In the eyes of the General, we are all just pieces on a board that's been in play for thousands of years, " Zian replied gesturing for her to follow him deeper into the tunnel. "But you....you just changed the rules. No Guardian has ever used the Key's defensive pulse without years of training. "
They reached a heavy iron door at the end to the passage. Zian placed his hand on a hidden lever, and with a groan of metal against metal the door swung open. Beyond it lay a chamber filled with scrolls, ancient maps, and a single large bronze mirror that seemed to reflect a sky that wasn't there.
" This is the Sanctuary of the Silver Moon, "Zian explained. It's the only place in Shanghai where the Shadow General's 'Dust' cannot penetrate. Here, you will learn the first truth of your lineage. "
Dua walked toward the bronze mirror. As she approached, her reflection began to change. She wasn't seeing herself in her shopkeeper's clothes anymore; she saw a warrior in silver silk, holding a staff made of pure light
"That is the potential you carry, " a new voice echoed in the chamber. An old woman, her hair as white as the moon, stepped out from behind a silk screen. "But potential is a dangerous thing, child. It can either light the way or burn the world to ashes.