The iron door ground as it closed behind them, sealing Dua and Zian inside the Sanctuary of the Silver Moon. The air here was different—it didn't smell like the damp, salty smog of Shanghai's underground. Instead it carried the faint, ethereal scent of blooming white lotuses and ancient sandalwood.
Dua stared at the bronze mirror. Her reflection was no longer a terrified girl in a dusty shopkeeper's apron. The woman in the mirror wore robes of shimmering silver silk that seemed to flow like liquid moonlight. The Golden Key she held was now a long, elegant staff glowing with a soft, protective amber light.
"That is potential you carry, " The white-haired woman repeated, her voice like the rustle of dry leaves. She stepped forward, her eyes milky white just like the man in the grey suit, but hers held a warmth that was missing from the Shadow General's puppet. "I am Elder Mei, the last of the Weavers. I have waited sixty years for a Qing descendant to find this door. "
"My grandfather never mentioned this place, " Dua whispered, her voice trembling. "He told me stories of the Qing Dynasty, but he always said they were just legends to keep me entertained while we dusted the shelves. "
Elder Mei let out a soft, sad chuckle. "He protected you by keeping you in the dark. But the Shadow General does not care for your ignorance. He only cares for the Geteway you represent. The 'Dust' falling over Shanghai is just the beginning. If the Gateway opens fully, this world will become nothing more than a graveyard for the General's lost souls. "
Zian stepped forward, his sapphire blade still unsheathed, its glow illuminating the dark corners of the chamber. "There is no time for history lessons, Mei. The Shadow Scout was already at the tunnels. The General will find this sanctuary soon."
"Then the training must begin immediately, Mei said, her gaze turning sharp. She pointed to a large, circular platform in the center of the room. " Dua, stand in the center. Please the key on the stone pedestal. To save the city, you must first learn to listen to the artifacts you have spent your life protecting. "
Dua walked to the platform her heart hammer against her ribs. As she placed the Golden Key on the cold stone, a hum vibrated through the floor. The entire chamber began to glow. Thousands of scrolls on the shelves started to unroll themselves, their ancient ink glowing with sapphire and amber light.
"Every item in your shop was a memory, " Mei explained. "A piece of the shield that keeps the shadows at bey. Your grandfather wasn't just dusting realis; he was feeding the barrier with his own life force. Now, that duty falls to you. "
Suddenly, the bronze mirror cracked. A tendril of black mist began to seep through the glass. The Shadow General had found a way in.
"Zian, protect the perimeter! " Elder Mei shouted. "Dua, do not look away! Close your eyes and visualize the shop. Every vase, every scroll, every tiny porcelain doll. They are not objects; they are soldiers. Call them! "
Dua closed her eyes. She felt the heat of the Golden key spreading through her veins again, but this time, it was stronger, more focused. She pictured the 'Eternal Relics' shop. She saw the jade Statue she had touched earlier. In her mind, she reached out and commanded it to wake up.
Outside the sanctuary, the ground shook. A roar echoed through the tunnel—not of a beast, but of a thousand ancient spirits begin summoned to war.
As the black mist clawed its way through the crack in the bronze mirror, the temperature in the sanctuary plummeted. Dua could feel her own breath turning into ice crystals in the air. Elder Mei's hands moved in a blurring rhythm, weaving threads of silver light to patch the cracks, but the Shadow was too hungry, too ancient.
"Dua don't let the fear settle! " Zian's voice barked through the chaos. He was at the entrance, his sapphire blade cutting through Shadow—Wolves that were manifesting from the darkness. "The key isn't just a battery; it's a bridge! You have to pull the memories of your ancestors across it! "
Dua gripped the golden staff—the transformed version of her key—and felt its pulse sync with her heartbeat. Suddenly, she wasn't just in a hidden chamber. She was standing in the middle of her grandfather's shop again. But it was different. Every object was glowing with a distinct aura. The ancient teapot from the Ming Dynasty was radiating a protective blue light. The tattered silk fans were hummed with the power of a thought winds.
"You aren't alone, Grandpa, " She whispered into the vision.
She slammed the base of the staff onto the pedestal. CLANG.
The sound wasn't just a noise; it was a command. A wave of amber energy exploded from the sanctuary, traveling through the secret tunnels and reaching the 'Eternal Relics' shop miles away. Back in the shop, the artifacts on the shelves began to vibrate violently. The jade statue she had touched earlier suddenly shattered, releasing a spirit of a green dragon made of pure energy that roared and spiraled into the sky.
In the sanctuary, the black mist shrieked as the amber light touched it. The cracks in the mirror didn't just close; they fused back together with golden seams, sealing the Shadow General's entry point once and for all.
Elder Mei fell to her knees, gasping for air, her silver robes dimmed. "You....you didn't just call the spirits. You woke the city's soul, Dua."
Zian stepped back from the entrance, the last of the Shadow-wolves dissolving into ash. He looked at Dua with something more than just respect—it was awe. "The Shadow General won't send scouts anymore. He knows now that the Guardian is awake. He will bring the full weight of the 'Dust' to Shanghai. "
Dua leaned on her staff, her body trembling from the sudden drain of energy. The silver robes in the mirror were still there, but they felt heavier now. "I'm not ready for a war, Zian. I just wanted to be shopkeeper. "
"The shopkeeper died when the first Shadow touched your door, " Zian said softly walking over to her. He reached out but hesitated to touch the glowing staff. "Now, you are the only wall between this world and the Void. We have three days before the moon turns silver. That is now long we have to reach the Forbidden City and activate the Great Seal. "
Dua looked at Elder Mei, who was pointing at a hidden staircase behind the bronze mirror. "There is a path beneath the city, older than the subway lines, older than the foundation of the towers. It will take you to the North. But be warned, Dua_the shadows aren't just outside. They will try to enter your mind.
" Let them try, "Dua said, her voice hardening. She picked up the Golden Key, which had returned to its small, inconspicuous from, and tucked it safely into her pocket. " I've think it's time I swept them out for good. "
The secret staircase behind the mirror didn't lead to a normal basement. As Dua and Zian descended, the walls change from modern concerte to ancient, moss–covered limestone that seemed to hum with a low-frequency vibration. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something metallic—the smell of the 'Dust' starting to decay.
These are the Veins of the Dragon, Zian whispered, his sapphire blade dimmed to a soft glow so as not to attract unwanted attention. "Before the skyscrapers and the subways, these tunnels kept the energy of the land flowing. If the Shadow General poisons these, the whole of China will fall without a single sword being drawn. "
Dua kept her hand on tell wall to steady herself. She could feel the pulse of the city through the stone. It felt like a heartbeat that was slowing down, getting weaker with every step they took deeper into the dark. Suddenly, the tunnel opened into a vast underground cavern. In the center sat a rusted, ancient railway track that seemed to stretch into infinite darkness.
"We have to follow the tracks, " Zian said, but his voice sounded distant, as if he were underwater.
Dua stopped. The shadows around her began to swirl. "Zian? Did you hear that? "
A soft, familiar laughter echoed through the cavern. Dua's heart skipped a beat. It was the sound of her grandfather's porcelain tea set being laid out on a wooden table.
"Dua, beta.... Why are you running? " The voice was gentle, old, and full of the love she had missed every single day since he passed.
From the darkness, a figure emerged. It looked exactly like her grandfather, standing in a small circle of light, holding a tray of her favorite jasmine tea. He looked healthy, his eyes sparkling with the same mischief he had when he'd hide a rare scroll from a greedy collector.
"Grandpa? " Dua took a step forward, her hand reaching out instinctively.
"Dua, don't it's a Mirage! " Zian's voice screamed, but he seemed miles away.
The figure of her grandfather smiled, but as Dua got closer, she noticed the shadows at his feet were moving independently. "The Golden Key is too heavy for you, my child. Give it to me. Let me carry the burden of the Qing. You can go back to the shop. I've cleaned everything. The tea is getting cold. "
Dua's fingers brushed te edge of her pocket where the key lay. It was burning hot now, a warning signal firing straight into her nerves. She looked at her grandfather's face—the wrinkles she hed memorized, the way his glasses sat slightly crooked on his nose. It was perfect. Too perfect.
"My Grandfather always said the most valuable things in the shop weren't the ones made of gold, " Dua siad, her voice trembling but growing strong. "He said the most valuable things were the stories they carried. And his story...his story ended with him protecting me. He would never ask to give up. "
She pulled the key from her pocket and held it up. The amber light didn't just glow; it roared. The light hit the figure of he grandfather, and for a split second, his face twisted into a mask of violent fire and hollow shadows. The 'Grandfather' let out a screech that shattered the silence of the cavern before dissolving into a pile of black, oily dust.
Dua fell to her knees, gasping for air. The illusion was gone, but the emotional pain felt real. Zian was at her saide in an instant, his hand on her shoulder. "That was the General's Mind-Weaver. It preys on what you love most. You broke it on your own, Dua. Most Guardians take months to learn how to distinguish a Shadow-Soul from a real one. "
Dua wiped a tear from her cheek and stood up, leaning on the cold stone wall. "He's trying to use my memories against me. He thinks my love for my family is a weakness.
She looked down the long, drak railway tracks. The fear was still there, but now it was wrapped in a cold, hard anger. " He's wrong. Every memory of my grandfather is a reason to fight harder. Let's go, Zian. We have a train to catch.
They began to walk again, their Shadows stretching long and thin against the cavern walls. The journey to the Forbidden City was no longer just a mission to save a city; for Dua, it had become personal. The Shadow General had made the mistake of touching her past, and now she was going to make sure he had no future.