The high—speed train roared through the rainy night, a silver bullet cutting through the darkness of the Chinese countryside. Inside Carriage 4, the air suddenly turned ice-cold. Dua noticed that the frost was forming on the inside of the windows—not I'm patterns, but in the shape of screaming faces.
"Zian, look, " Dua whispered, pointing at the glass.
Zian didn't answer. He was staring at the far end of the aisle. A tall, thin figure dressed in a tattered grey suit was walking toward them. But he wasn't walking on the shifting smoke, except for two burning yellow eyes.
"The Soul Collector, " Zian hissed, drawing a small, glowing jade seal from his pocket. "He's a high-level spirit. He doesn't want the box, Dua. He wants your soul to fuel the Shadow Gate. "
The ghost let out a piercing shriek that only Dua and Zian could hear. Suddenly the shadows under the seats came alive, stretching out like long, black fingers to grab Dua's ankles.
"Don't let him touch you! " Zian shouted throwing the jade seal. It hit the ghost and exploded in a shower of green sparks, but the spirit simply absorbed the energy and grew larger.
Dua felt the cold gripping her legs. Her heart started to slow down, and for a second, she felt like she was drowning in deep, black water. But then, she remembered Zian's words from Chapter 6: 'Be the eyes of the storm. "
She didn't scream. She closed her eyes and reached deep into her chest, searching for thatt silver spark. 'This is my firs, 'she thought. 'And no shadow can put it out.'
Suddenly, Dua's eyes snapped open. They weren't brown anymore—they were pure, molten silver. A shockwave of white heat exploded from her body, shattering the frost on the windows and burning the Shadow-fingers to ash.
The ghost recoiled, its smoke-face twisting in agony. Dua stood up, her hair floating as if she were underwater, surrounded by a halo of silver flame. She looked at the Soul Collector and pointed her finger.
"Get. Off. My. Train, " she commanded.
A beam of silver light shot from her hand, hitting the ghost right in its yellow eyes. The creature didn't just disappear; it disintegrated into a thousand tiny sparks of light that vanished into the night air.
The silence that followed the ghost's disintegration was deafening. The passengers around them were still frozen in a deep, magical sleep, unaware that a battle for their souls had just taken place. Dua fell back into her seat, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The silver glow in her eyes faded, leaving behind a stinging ache.
"You didn't it, " Zian whispered, his voice filled with genuine awe. He reached out to steady her hands, which were still trembling with residual energy. "That wasn't just a spark, Dua. That was a direct strike. You've mattered in second what takes most keepers years. "
Dua looked at her palm; it was red and hot, as if she had been holding a boiling cup of tea, "it felt... angry, Zian. The light didn't just want to protect me; it wanted to destroy him."
Before Zian could respond, the train's intercom crackled to life with a distorted, screeching sound. "Next..... Stop..... Nowhere...." a voice ground, sounding more like grinding metal than a human.
Suddenly, the emergency brakes slammed on. The screen of metal against metal echoed through the cabin as the train began to skid. Sparks flew outside the windows, lighting up the dark forest like fireworks. Dua and Zian were thrown forward as the massive machine groaned to a violent halt in the middle of a pitch-black valley.
"Why are we stopping? " Dua asked, grabbing the iron box tightly. "We aren't at the station yet! "
Zian looked out the window, his face turning pale. Outside, the forest wasn't empty. Thousands of tiny, glowing red eyes were appearing between the trees. The "Soul Collector" was just the bait. The real army was waiting for the train to stop.
"It's a trap, " Zian said, his hand moving to the door lever. "They didn't want to kill you on the train. They wanted to stop the train in their territory. We are in the 'Valley of Veils' now, Dua. Here, the shadows don't just follow you—they own the air you breathe."
The doors of the carriage hissed open, and a thick, unnatural fog began to roll in, smelling of old graves and cold iron.
The fog was so thick that Dua could barely see her own boots. Every step she took felt like walking through heavy, cold water. Beside her, Zian had his sapphire dagger drawn, the blue light cutting through the mist like a lonely lighthouse.
"Stay close, " Zian warned, his voice low. "In the Valley of Veils, the forest plays tricks on your mind. You might hear voices of people you know, or see things that aren't there. Do not—under any circumstances—break the circle of my light."
Dua nodded, her hand clutching the iron box so hard her knuckles were white. Suddenly, a soft voice whispered her name.
"Dua... help me... "
It sounded exactly like her father. Dua froze. The voice came from a cluster of twisted, black trees to her left. For a second, she almost stepped out of Zian's blue circle.
"Dua, no! " Zian grabbed her arm, pulling her back just as a massive, clawed shadow swung through the spot where she had been standing. "It's illusion! Your father isn't here."
Dua took a shaky breath, her eyes filling with tears of anger. "They're Using my memories against me. That's low, even for ghosts."
"The're desperate, " Zian said, pointing ahead. Through the trees, a ruin emerged—an ancient stone temple covered in silver vines that glowed with a faint, natural light. " There! That's the Sanctuary of the First Flame. If we can reach it, the shadows can't follow."
With one last look at the red eyes watching them from the dark, Dua and Zian ran toward the temple, the sound of their boots echoing through the silent, haunted valley. They had survive the train, but the real mystery of the 'Dust of Secrets' was waiting for them instead those ancient stone walls.
The heavy stone doors of the sanctions ground as Dua and Zian pushed them open, slamming shut just as the first wave of red—eyed shadows reached the steps. Inside, the silence was heavy, broken only by the soft hum of the glowing silver vines that covered the walls.
"We're safe, " Zian exhaled, his sapphire blade finally dimming as he leaned against the cold stone. "The shadows cannot breathe the air of the First Flame."
Dua didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on the center of the hall, where a stone alter stood beneath a shaft of moonlight. On the alter sat a small, crystal basin filled with a shimmering, metallic sand.
"The Dust of Secrets, " Dua whispered, her hand moving instinctively toward the iron box she had carried through the valley.
Suddenly, the silver vines on the walls bagna to pulse in rhythm with Dua'a heartbeat. A soft, warm light erupted from the basin, projecting a ghostly image into the air. It was a woman with eyes like Dua's wearing the se silver robes Dua had seen in the bronze mirror.
"You have returned keeper, "the ghostly figure spoke her voice sounding like the rustle of dry leaves. " But you come with an empty heart. To activate the Star–Slayer, you must give the flame what it desires most—your truest memory."
Zian stepped forward his face pale. "Dua be careful. The First Flame doesn't just take memories; it judge them. If the General finds us here before the seal is sat, this sanctuary will become our tomb."
Dua looked at the glowing dust, then at Zian. She knew what she had to do. She reached into the basin, her fingers touching the cold, silver sand. "I am not afraid of the past anymore, " she declared.
As her skin touched the dust, the temple exploded in a blinding white light.