The dragon landed silently on the edge of Suolong Village, its wings folding against its back to avoid stirring up dust. The moon hung low, painting the empty houses in silver— but where there had once been only silence, there was now movement: door hinges creaking open on their own, windows slamming shut, and faint whispers drifting from the gaps in the walls, as if the village itself was waking up."Something's wrong," Su Xiao whispered, her hand tightening around her herb pouch. "The village wasn't like this before. The taint— it's clinging to the houses, making them… hungry."Lin Chen stepped forward, his bronze key glowing faintly. As he walked, the whispers grew louder, coalescing into fragmented voices: "Help us…" "The Sect took our bones…" "Guard the shard…" He froze when he passed the old courtyard where he'd first met the white-robed woman— its well was now overflowing with black mist, and from the bottom, he saw a pair of glowing green eyes staring up at him."The village's dead," Uncle Wei said, his voice grim. "The Sect used their remains to make 'village puppets'— they're bound to the taint, forced to guard the temple. We have to move quietly."The dragon stayed behind, its amber eyes scanning the treeline. "I'll hold off any puppets that follow," it said in Lin Chen's mind. "Go. The temple's aura is fading— the Sect is already breaking the seal."Lin Chen nodded, and the three of them slipped into the village's main street. The houses leaned inward, their walls covered in new carvings: the Shadow Sect's claw symbol, twisted dragons, and lines of ancient text that Su Xiao translated as "The heart returns to the dragon. The world burns."The temple loomed ahead, its roof still half-collapsed, but its wooden doors now wide open— a black void waiting inside. As they approached, Lin Chen noticed the steps were covered in fresh blood, and above the entrance, a banner hung: "Welcome, Guardian Heir. Your blood will wake the dragon.""A trap," Uncle Wei muttered, drawing his key. "They want us to walk in."Su Xiao knelt, touching the blood with her finger. It was still warm, and when she lifted her hand, the blood had turned black— tainted. "Not just a trap," she said. "They're using the blood to power runes. Look." She pointed to the doorframe, where faint green symbols glowed: "Whoever enters is bound to the taint. No escape."Lin Chen's key hummed, and the dragon scale in his pocket grew warm. He pressed the scale to the runes— the gold light from the scale clashed with the green taint, and the symbols sizzled, fading to ash. "The dragon's magic," he said. "It can break their spells."They stepped inside the temple. The air was thick with incense and rot, and the floor was covered in dust that had been disturbed— boot prints leading to the back, where a stone statue of the first guardian stood, its hands clasped in front of its chest. The statue's eyes were hollow, but as Lin Chen approached, they began to glow gold."There's the shard," Su Xiao said, pointing to the statue's chest. Embedded in the stone was a small, red fragment— the Dragon Heart Shard, pulsing like a tiny heartbeat.But before Lin Chen could reach it, the temple doors slammed shut. Green light flooded the room, and from the shadows, figures emerged: five Shadow Sect members, their robes tattered, their skin blackened by taint. At their head stood a woman with a scar across her throat— the Sect's new leader, Lin Chen realized, recognizing her from the taint walker's memories."Foolish children," she cackled, her voice raspy. "You think you can outrun the Sect? We've been waiting for you— waiting for the guardian's blood and the healer's tears to unlock the statue. Now, hand over the shard… or the village puppets will tear your dragon apart."A roar echoed from outside— the dragon's roar, but it was cut off by a scream. Su Xiao paled. "They're attacking it," she said. "We have to hurry."The Sect members lunged. Uncle Wei charged forward, his key swinging, but a Sect member grabbed his arm, the taint spreading to his skin. He yelled, but Lin Chen tackled the member off him, stabbing his dagger into their chest. The member dissolved into black smoke, but more took their place.Su Xiao ran to the statue, her hands glowing with healer's light. She pressed her palm to the stone, and a silver tear fell onto the shard— but nothing happened. "It needs guardian blood too!" she yelled to Lin Chen.Lin Chen fought his way to the statue, slicing through a Sect member's arm. He pressed his bleeding palm to the stone, beside Su Xiao's. Their blood merged, dripping onto the shard— and the statue's eyes blazed gold. The shard lifted from the stone, floating toward Lin Chen, but the Sect leader jumped, grabbing it mid-air."Finally," she sneered. "With this, the dragon will be whole. And I will be its master."She held the shard up to the moonlight streaming through the temple's broken roof. The shard glowed, and from outside, the dragon's roar turned to a pained cry. The ground shook, and the temple's walls began to crack."The shard is linked to the dragon," Lin Chen realized. "She's using it to hurt it— to force it to submit."He lunged at the Sect leader, but she dodged, holding the shard out like a weapon. "Step closer, and I'll shatter it," she said. "Without the shard, the dragon will fade… and so will your precious pact."The statue behind her suddenly moved. Its arm swung down, slamming into the Sect leader's back. She screamed, dropping the shard, which floated back to Lin Chen. The statue's eyes locked onto the Sect members, and golden light burst from its body— the Sect members screamed as the light touched them, dissolving into smoke.The temple stopped shaking. Lin Chen grabbed the shard, which pulsed in his hand, warm like the dragon's scale. Outside, the dragon's cry turned to a soft huff— relief.Su Xiao helped Uncle Wei to his feet, her light fading the taint on his arm. "The statue," she said, staring at it. "It's not just stone. It's the first guardian's essence— bound to the temple, waiting to protect the shard."The statue's eyes dimmed, and it returned to its original position, as if nothing had happened. Lin Chen looked at the shard, which was now glowing in time with his key. A memory flashed in his mind: the first guardian and the dragon, placing the shard in the statue, their voices saying, "The shard is not just a piece of the dragon's heart. It's a key— to the dragon's true home. To the place where the pact was first made.""The Dragon's Nest," Uncle Wei said, seeing the memory in Lin Chen's eyes. "My grandfather told me about it. A hidden valley where the dragon was born— the only place it can be fully healed. The Sect didn't just want the shard to wake the dragon— they wanted to take it to the Nest, to bind the dragon there forever."Lin Chen looked at the shard. It was now glowing brighter, pointing toward the mountains beyond the village. "We have to take it there," he said. "To the Dragon's Nest. It's the only way to keep the dragon safe— and to stop the Sect for good."Su Xiao nodded, tucking her grandmother's journal into her backpack. "Grandmother's notes have a map of the Nest," she said. "It's in the northern mountains, beyond the Well of Taint. But it's guarded by 'the Nest's Keeper'— a creature made of dragon magic. We'll need the shard to get past it."The dragon appeared at the temple's open doors, its wings slightly damaged, but its amber eyes warm. "The Nest calls to me," it said. "It's time to go home."They walked out of the temple, the village now silent again— the puppets dissolved, the whispers gone. The moon was higher, and the stars shone brightly, as if guiding them north.Lin Chen held the Dragon Heart Shard in one hand, his bronze key in the other. The two glowed together, a golden-red light that cut through the night. He thought of his father, of the white-robed woman, of all the guardians who had come before him.The adventure wasn't over. The Shadow Sect might be gone for now, but the Dragon's Nest held new dangers— and new truths about the pact, the dragon, and his own bloodline.But as he walked beside Su Xiao and Uncle Wei, with the dragon at their side, Lin Chen felt no fear. He had his family's legacy, his friends' trust, and the dragon's loyalty.He looked up at the mountains, where the Dragon's Nest waited."Let's go home," he said.The dragon roared— a sound of hope, not rage— and led them north, toward the next chapter of their journey.And this time, they knew: whatever waited in the Nest, they would face it together.