Tian Rui ran.
Down the mountain. Through the forest. Across the cracked stone of forgotten roads. He didn't stop to think. Didn't stop to breathe. Maya's warning echoed in his mind like a storm—"Run before they find you."
But who were they?
His body burned with exhaustion, his muscles screaming with every step, yet the relic's energy pushed him forward. It coursed through his veins like fire and ice, lighting his nerves, sharpening his senses. He could hear everything—the rustle of leaves, the flap of distant wings, even the heartbeat of a deer somewhere deep in the woods.
He wasn't alone.
Something was following him.
He dove behind a thicket of thick brambles and waited, holding his breath. The silence was deafening. Then—a faint crack. A twig snapped. Deliberate. Not an animal. Not random.
A silhouette passed through the mist. Slender. Cloaked. But not Maya.
This one was taller. The movements were mechanical—like a puppet pretending to be human.
Tian Rui's fingers twitched. The relic hummed within his chest, offering him strength. But he didn't know how to control it yet. If he used it recklessly, he might draw even more attention—or worse, lose himself.
He stayed still. Watched. Waited.
The figure moved past. For now.
When the coast was clear, Tian Rui stumbled toward an old shrine deep in the woods. Half-swallowed by roots, its stone walls had long crumbled. Inside, dust and silence reigned.
He collapsed at the center, breathing heavily. His mind whirled. What did Maya mean—the relic consumed her? She had looked strong, fierce, in control. And yet, there was sadness in her eyes. Regret.
Was that his future?
He looked down at his reflection in the cracked mirror on the shrine's wall. For a moment, it was his face he saw. Bruised. Tired. Pale from fear.
Then—it shifted.
The reflection smirked.
He jerked back.
It wasn't him.
The reflection's eyes were black pools, swirling like ink. Its lips moved, whispering in a voice only he could hear.
"Let me in."
Tian Rui's heart pounded. He looked again.
His face was normal. No smirk. No black eyes. Just sweat and confusion.
He touched the mirror.
A pulse surged from it, racing up his arm, slamming into his chest.
He gasped and fell backward, convulsing. His mind blurred, visions flashing like lightning.
—An endless sky torn apart by crimson flame.
—Mountains split by a single scream.
—A child standing before a dragon made of shadow.
—A woman—Maya—bleeding in the rain, reaching for someone who never turned back.
Tian Rui sat up with a cry, soaked in cold sweat. The mirror had shown him... possibilities? Memories? Prophecies?
He didn't know. But the relic in his chest throbbed like a living thing.
And then he felt it.
Another presence.
Behind him.
He stood and turned slowly. A man leaned against the stone archway of the shrine. Tall, elegant, and cloaked in silver and crimson. His face was unreadable, but his presence screamed danger.
"You've done well to get this far, boy," the man said smoothly. "But running won't save you anymore."
Tian Rui's hand moved to the relic's mark over his heart.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled. "A collector of broken things. And you, Tian Rui, are beautifully shattered."