Chapter 163 – First Spark
Shen climbed back to the top floor alone.
The doll waited exactly where he left it—perfectly still, sword lowered, eyes hollow yet somehow watchful.
Its wooden skin was etched with faint silver runes that pulsed once when Shen stepped into range.
He drew his own blade slowly.
The air grew heavier, like the cave itself was breathing.
"Show me what you've got," Shen muttered.
The doll moved.
One step. Clean. Impossible speed for something made of wood and memory.
The sword came down in a perfect crescent arc—same form Shen had seen carved into temple walls back in the surface world.
God-slaying stance. Fifth form: Moon Reaping.
Shen barely parried. The impact rattled his bones and sent him sliding back three meters.
Lare's tiny voice squeaked from the bottle still clipped to Shen's belt.
"That thing is no joke! You okay?!"
Shen grinned through gritted teeth, already resetting his stance.
"Better than okay. It's teaching."
He lunged this time—testing, not committing.
The doll answered with a sidestep so smooth it looked like water flowing around stone, then countered with a thrust aimed straight at Shen's heart.
Shen twisted at the last second. Blade grazed his sleeve. A thin line of blood appeared.
He laughed once—short, sharp, alive.
"Again."
Floor after floor echoed with steel meeting steel.
Every clash woke something older in the palace walls.
Runes Shen hadn't noticed before began to glow faintly along the ceiling.
Lare floated closer, eyes wide.
"Shen… the cave is responding. Look—the murals are shifting."
Shen spared a glance.
The carved figures on the wall—forgotten gods, ancient drifters—were no longer frozen.
Their stone eyes followed him.
One mural even seemed to nod.
Shen felt it then: the palace wasn't just a ruin.
It was waiting. Judging.
Maybe even choosing.
He lowered his sword for a moment,
breathing hard.
The doll mirrored him—stance relaxed, waiting.
Shen looked at Lare.
"Food first. Then we come back tomorrow… and the day after… until I can make it flinch."
Lare gave a nervous little salute.
"Deal. But promise me you won't die before we find a kitchen."
Shen smirked.
"No promises. But I'll try not to embarrass you."
He turned back to the doll.
One more round.
The silver runes flared brighter.
Somewhere deeper, on floor 23 that Shen hadn't reached yet, a sealed stone door trembled—just once.
End of Chapter 163