Chapter 27: Embers of the East
The dawn was red again—but this time, it did not bleed.
The Red Gate stood behind them, silent and sealed. Before them stretched the eastern range: scorched hills, broken rivers, and ruins that once formed the eastern provinces. Somewhere beyond those peaks lay Hualin, a city under siege.
Yu Zhen adjusted the scroll given by the Aether Riders, then turned to face the group.
"We move east. Six days, if we keep pace. Fewer, if the land is kind."
Kaiwen muttered, "It won't be."
Still, they marched.
---
The path wound through valleys where the trees had burned down to bone-white trunks. Wind howled through gaps in the hills like a mournful chorus. Here and there, they saw signs of the old empire—broken statues, collapsed watchtowers, rusted swords half-buried in the dirt.
Yu Lian moved to Yu Zhen's side. "This was once the High Road, wasn't it?"
Yu Zhen nodded. "Long before our time."
"Do you think Hualin will still stand?"
He paused. "I think it will fight."
She nodded, then moved back to assist a limping elder.
Lan Yueran stepped beside him. "You're quieter than usual."
"I'm listening," Yu Zhen said.
"To what?"
He glanced up at the sky. "To whatever watches."
---
That night, they made camp near the remains of a shattered fortress.
Madam Yue brewed bitter tea, rationed with dried roots and fungus. "For digestion and alertness," she declared. No one dared complain.
Yu Hao and a few youths stood guard at the edge of the cliff. Below, they saw distant flashes of flame—too far to be natural.
Kaiwen studied the scroll under firelight. "Hualin is surrounded. From three sides. But there's something else."
Yu Zhen leaned closer. "What?"
Kaiwen pointed at a corner of the parchment. "This seal—ancient. Not Rider-born. It predates even the Veil Wars."
Lan Yueran frowned. "So the message didn't come only from the Riders."
"No," Kaiwen said. "Someone older called to you."
Yu Zhen's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the voice from the Gate.
> "Seal us, and suffer. Free us, and burn."
The fire cracked. No one spoke for a long while.
---
On the second day, the land turned cruel.
Storms came without warning. Black clouds spiraled from nowhere, lashing them with cold rain and stinging winds. Trees moaned in protest. The path vanished beneath shifting earth.
Yu Hao's group nearly fell into a sinkhole masked by mist. Only Yu Lian's sharp eyes saved them.
They pressed on.
By nightfall, Kaiwen collapsed again after warding off a phantom storm. His breathing was shallow, his hands scorched.
Yu Zhen stayed beside him, whispering a prayer he hadn't spoken since the fall of the last city.
Kaiwen opened one eye. "You're doing the thing again."
"What thing?"
"The martyr thing."
Yu Zhen almost smiled. "It suits me."
Kaiwen chuckled, then winced. "Remind me not to die. I don't want to hear your philosophy in the afterlife."
---
On the third day, they reached the River Yan—or what was left of it.
Once wide and glimmering, it now ran thick with ash and sulfur. Fish floated belly-up. The far bank shimmered with heat despite the wind.
Lan Yueran frowned. "Poisoned."
Yu Zhen nodded. "And cursed."
Kaiwen limped to the front. "I can open a crossing. Barely."
Madam Yue handed him a flask. "Drink. You're no good to us if your soul burns out."
He drank—then drew a circle of salt and ash. Blue light flickered upward, forming a narrow bridge across the corrupted water.
One by one, they crossed.
At the center of the river, Yu Zhen paused.
A voice rose from below.
"Rael…"
He froze.
"Rael… you sealed the Gate. But the fire still remembers."
He drew his sword. "Who speaks?"
From the depths, a shape rose—twisting, made of black flame and water. A face half-formed, like a mirror of his own.
Kaiwen shouted from the bank. "Don't answer it!"
But it was too late.
The shape lunged.
Yu Zhen reacted by instinct. He slashed, not with rage—but with clarity.
The flame shattered.
And the bridge held.
They crossed in silence.
---
By the fourth day, they found survivors.
A small group—no more than twenty—camped in a crumbling granary. Children, elders, and three wounded soldiers. Their eyes lit with both hope and disbelief when they saw Yu Zhen's group.
"We thought everyone was gone," one said.
Yu Zhen knelt. "We walk to Hualin."
The soldier—young, bandaged, voice hoarse—spoke. "Then walk fast. The city's dying."
Lan Yueran offered them supplies. Madam Yue examined wounds. Yu Hao repaired a broken shield with quiet hands.
Before leaving, Yu Zhen handed the soldier a charm—one from the temple in Jingyang.
"Light it if they return."
The soldier bowed low. "Are you a general?"
Yu Zhen hesitated.
Then said, "No. Just someone who remembers what we're fighting for."
---
On the fifth night, the dreams returned.
Yu Zhen stood in Hualin.
The city burned. Walls cracked. Bells rang in panic. Specters danced through the streets. And at the heart of it all—a second Gate. Larger. Darker. Breathing.
He stood before it, sword in hand.
But this time, a second figure appeared beside him.
Rael.
His old self. Armor of gold. Eyes of fire. Voice steady.
"You're almost ready," Rael said.
Yu Zhen whispered, "I'm not him."
Rael nodded. "Not yet."
Then the dream shattered.
And dawn came too soon.
---
On the sixth morning, they saw it.
Hualin.
The city perched along the cliffs, its white walls now blackened. Towers leaned from damage. Smoke coiled from inner districts. But still—the banners flew. Phoenixes in red and gold.
Yu Hao whispered, "They're still fighting."
Lan Yueran narrowed her eyes. "But not for long."
From their vantage point, they saw the siege: legions of shadow-creatures, siege towers forged from bone and steel, and fires that burned with green flame.
Kaiwen studied the pattern. "They're not just attacking. They're draining the city."
Yu Zhen turned to the group.
"This is not a rescue."
Lan Yueran raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it?"
"A reckoning."
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