CHAPTER 27: THE WEIGHT OF TIME
The fire had burned low.
What remained was no longer flame, but memory—embers breathing faintly at the heart of the camp, glowing red like the dying eye of some ancient beast that refused to sleep. Thin trails of smoke rose lazily into the canopy above, dissolving among the branches where moonlight struggled to reach.
Lee Kung sat close to the embers, his elbows resting on his knees, fingers loosely wrapped around the hilt of his sword. The metal felt colder than usual. He could feel it even through the leather wrap—an unfamiliar chill that crawled into his bones.
The forest around them was quiet.
Not peaceful.
Listening.
It was the kind of silence that pressed back when you breathed too loudly, the kind that made every snapped twig sound like a warning. The night insects had stopped singing. Even the wind seemed cautious, as though afraid of disturbing something unseen.
Now I understand.
The thought settled into Lee Kung's chest like a stone.
He exhaled slowly.
"Now I see why you don't want your powers falling into the wrong hands," he said at last.
His voice was calm, but the realization beneath it cut deep.
Okachu stood a short distance away, half-turned toward the trees. Moonlight traced the faint glow in her eyes—an unnatural shimmer that hinted at centuries she did not speak of. She did not answer him. She did not need to.
Her silence carried weight.
It carried loss.
"These dumb heads follow us everywhere we go," Sio Jun muttered, pacing near the edge of the clearing. Her fingers twitched near the daggers at her waist. "Which means they know our location… and worse—they know what we're trying to do next."
Her words lingered in the air like a curse.
Mia shifted closer to Lee Kung, instinctively. "You think they've been watching us this whole time?"
Sio Jun stopped walking.
Her expression changed.
"…Wait."
Everyone turned toward her.
Her eyes narrowed, scanning the treeline, her body going still in the way only hunters and assassins ever truly did.
"Now that I say it," she continued slowly, "I remember seeing that same crow."
She raised a finger and pointed.
"That bird. It was outside Mama Agatha's hut. It was near our camp when we arrived. And it's been watching us ever since we got here."
High above them, perched on a twisted branch, a black crow sat motionless.
Its eyes gleamed.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then the crow tilted its head—almost knowingly.
And took flight.
Its wings snapped violently through the air as it vanished into the trees, leaving behind a silence that felt sharper than any blade.
Okachu's jaw tightened.
"Scouts," she said quietly. "…Or worse."
A chill passed through the group.
Lee Kung's grip tightened on his sword.
"So," Okachu added after a pause, forcing a faint smile into her tone, "are you ready to leave now?"
Lee Kung shook his head.
"Not yet," he said. "First we pack up. Then we say goodbye to Armin."
Okachu nodded.
Morning Without Peace
They returned to camp quietly.
Armin lay near the edge of the clearing, asleep on his side, one arm curled beneath his head. His chest rose and fell steadily, untouched by visions of gods, dragons, or fractured time.
For a moment, Lee Kung envied him.
To sleep without destiny pressing against your spine…
Fatigue finally caught up with Lee Kung.
"We should rest," he said softly. "Tomorrow, our journey truly begins."
No one argued.
One by one, they lay down.
Okachu hesitated.
She stood there longer than the others, staring into the dying embers as if they were a mirror reflecting lives long gone. Then, almost shyly, she stepped closer to Lee Kung and leaned against his side.
His arm moved around her without thought.
"It's warm," she murmured. "Comfortable."
Lee Kung didn't reply.
But he didn't pull away.
The forest swallowed the camp.
High above, unseen eyes watched.
"Sure they're asleep now," a whisper slithered through the darkness. "Let me send an ambush."
Vattu smiled from the shadows, his presence little more than a stain in the air.
Far away—beyond mortal sight—another voice answered him.
"Haven't I always told you to be patient?" Dehaska's voice thundered softly through the void. "Let them have their peace… while it lasts."
Steel and Misunderstanding
Morning came too quickly.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, brushing gently across the camp as though nothing terrible had ever existed in the world.
Okachu stirred first, stretching slowly, joints popping faintly. For a moment, she forgot where she was—forgot the burden of time.
Then reality returned.
Lee Kung woke next.
Then Armin.
Then Mia.
Then Sio Jun.
They exchanged quiet greetings, already feeling the pull of the road ahead.
Armin stood and moved to dismantle the camp—
Then froze.
A presence behind him.
His instincts screamed.
Steel rang as he spun and drew his sword in one swift motion, blade aimed directly at Okachu's throat.
"DON'T MOVE!" he shouted.
Time slowed.
Okachu lifted her hand instinctively.
The world paused.
Armin froze mid-strike, eyes wide, body locked in motion.
"Oh—uh—guys," Okachu said, blinking. "I don't know who this person is, so… I paused him."
Mia gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Oh no!"
She rushed forward as Okachu drifted back.
"That's Armin—our friend," Lee Kung said quickly. "We probably looked like spies from Dehaska's forces."
"Oh," Okachu said sheepishly. "Okay."
Time resumed.
Armin's sword swung wildly.
"Stay alert!" he barked.
Okachu laughed.
Armin lunged again—
CLANG.
Lee Kung blocked the strike effortlessly.
"She's with us," Lee Kung said firmly. "Calm down."
Armin stared between them.
"…Okay," he muttered. "Someone explain. Slowly."
Food, Truth, and Trust
Sio Jun returned moments later dragging an antelope behind her.
"Guys, I got a good game."
Okachu clapped. "Yay!"
Armin sighed. "Guess it's time for my signature barbeque."
As meat cooked and smoke curled upward, Lee Kung told Armin everything.
About Okachu.
About time.
About Dehaska.
Armin listened silently.
When Lee Kung finished, Armin leaned back.
"…So she's not just dangerous," he said. "She's necessary."
Okachu smiled faintly.
The Fusion
When the sun dipped low, Lee Kung stood.
"So," he asked, "how do you fuse with my sword?"
The blade pulsed.
Obsidian red light spilled from it in violent waves.
It tore itself from his grip and embedded into the ground.
Okachu stepped forward.
She cut her palm.
Blood fell.
The sword screamed.
Time twisted.
Light exploded.
Okachu collapsed—no longer small, no longer distant.
Armin caught her.
Lee Kung caught his sword.
And time shattered inside him.
He saw the past.
The present.
The future.
And a throne of shadow waiting.