The Ironleaf Mountains loomed ahead like jagged fangs rising into a sky veiled with mist. Ethan and Elena rode the spirit eagles into the thinning clouds, silent but alert. The talisman Lady Seraphina gave Ethan pulsed faintly, keeping the Shadowroot fragment's energy suppressed. But he could feel it
That it wasn't dormant. It was watching.
The moment they descended into a narrow ravine flanked by blackened cliffs and ancient trees, the winds stilled. Even the birds ceased their song. A heavy spiritual pressure lingered in the air, laced with faded killing intent.
We're not alone,
Ethan murmured, his senses on high alert.
Elena nodded,
Someone's trailing us.
Without warning, black-cloaked figures emerged from the cliffs. They moved like wraiths silent, swift, disciplined. Their blades gleamed with spiritual runes and were coated in faint shadow Qi. A half-circle trap formation shimmered into view, locking them in.
Drop the fragment,
One of the masked figures ordered,
You walk in cursed lands with cursed fire.
Ethan didn't flinch.
We're here to find the Voidheart Sect. If you're part of it, we need to speak with your leader.
For a moment, only silence answered.
Then a new presence descended a man in silver-gray robes with long, dark hair streaked with white and a scar tracing down one eye. His aura was calm yet devastating, like a volcano beneath ice. His cultivation was unmistakable a Nascent Soul Stage.
He studied Ethan and Elena for a long moment before speaking.
I am Master Kieran of the Voidheart Remnants. And you, boy, carry something best left buried.
Ethan met his gaze,
We're not here to awaken it we want to destroy it. The Abyss is stirring again.
Kieran's eyes narrowed. He gestured, and the cloaked figures sheathed their blades and stepped aside.
Come with me. If what you carry is real, then the seals are breaking faster than we thought.
They walked for half a mile through an illusion-veiled path, until they reached a hidden gorge. There, nestled within mountain stone, was an ancient temple carved from obsidian and star-metal. Lanterns fueled by soul essence glowed faintly, casting shadows shaped like runes across the walls.
Inside, relics of long-lost battles lined the walls broken abyssal weapons, spirit bone cages, and paintings of the First Celestial Rebellion. Elena's eyes widened as she passed a mural depicting a warrior who looked strikingly like Ethan, standing at the edge of a battlefield surrounded by black flame.
That can't be coincidence,
she whispered.
Kieran led them to a sealed sanctum and placed his hand upon a circular formation. It lit up with thirteen layers of protective runes before unlocking.
This is the Heart of Silence. Place the fragment inside and let it speak.
Ethan unwrapped the artifact. The room dimmed instantly, shadows creeping along the walls. But Kieran raised his hand, activating protective arrays that silenced its pull.
This piece is real,
He said.
And it's part of the Obsidian Root Core the central weapon used in the last rebellion to corrupt entire sects.
Elena stiffened,
We saw its energy infect a spirit beast in the Abyss ruins. It twisted the creature's core in minutes.
Kieran exhaled,
Then they are trying to reforge the core and if they succeed, the heavens themselves may fracture.
Ethan stepped forward,
How do we stop them?
Kieran's gaze hardened,
We must find the other fragments before they do. And destroy the forge they're using to restore it. But that means venturing into the last place Voidheart ever sealed the Valley of Drowned Stars.
Ethan tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
Then we go.
But before that I need to make a stop. There's a place I've avoided for too long.
A house I once called home.
Elena looked at him sharply,
You mean
He nodded.
It's time I deal with my family and the blood they spilled.