Moonlight spilled gently through the dense silver-leaved canopy as Ethan followed Liora through the inner gardens of the Blue Moon Sect. Every step hummed with ethereal Qi, and even the air tasted faintly of spiritual herbs.
They passed glittering fountains, moon-petal trees, and beasts of light that dissolved upon closer look guardians formed entirely from illusionary moon essence.
This area is off-limits to most disciples,
Liora said quietly,
her tone more reverent than usual. But Lady Seraphina instructed me to show you.
Ethan kept a hand near his sword. The memory of the assassin's ambush was still fresh.
What exactly is hidden here?
Liora gave a mysterious smile,
Answers and warnings.
They entered a secluded grove where silver vines crawled up obsidian stones. At the center stood a crystal tree, glowing faintly with inner light. Beneath its roots, a sealed hatch made from starmetal pulsed with ancient runes.
Only the Moon Goddess and her chosen can open this seal,
Liora explained.
It leads to the Moon vault. A sacred archive of forbidden knowledge, sealed after the last celestial war.
Ethan raised an eyebrow,
Why show it to me?
Because what attacked us wasn't random, Seraphina's voice echoed as she entered from the mist. She walked across the grove barefoot, as though even the soil itself bowed to her. It was a message.
Ethan turned,
From the Dead Lotus Cult?
She nodded,
They were destroyed centuries ago. Or so we believed. But the sigil you saw it's a mark used only by their Inner Sect Assassins.
Liora added,
And they only move when something world-changing has reawakened.
Seraphina approached the sealed hatch, pressing her palm against the runes. Moonlight spread from her fingers, and with a quiet hum, the seal dissolved.
Come, she said,
There is something you must see.
They descended into the Moonvault. Cool air greeted them, and rows of starlit scrolls and crystal tablets stretched as far as the eye could see. In the deepest chamber stood a mural a sprawling depiction of the ancient battle between cultivator clans and something inhuman.
Ethan's breath caught.
The enemy in the mural had no face. Only shifting shadows. And from those shadows bloomed lotuses of black fire.
This war, Seraphina said,
her voice like wind through ice, was erased from the records of most sects. The victors swore an oath of silence to prevent panic.
She pointed to the center of the mural a warrior wielding a blade nearly identical to the Dragon Slayer Sword.
That warrior,
She whispered, was the last bearer of your sword. He vanished after the war, and the weapon disappeared with him. Until now.
Ethan stared at the figure. His blood pulsed. The sword on his back vibrated faintly, resonating with the image.
Why did the Dead Lotus Cult return now?
he asked.
Seraphina answered,
Because the seals are weakening. The past is no longer sleeping. And neither are its monsters.