The forest behind them seemed to screen as Dua and Zian slammed the heavy stones doors of the ancient temple. Outside, the red-eyed shadows clawed at the walls, but they couldn't cross the threshold. The temple was protected by an old, holy energy.
Inside, the smelled of incense and dry earth. The walls were covered in glowing silver vines that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"We are safe here.... for now, " Zian said, leaning against the door, his breathing heavy.
Dua walked toward the center of the room. There sat a stone altar, and on it was a statue of a woman holding a flame—just like the one Dua had seen in her father's sketches. But the status was missing something. In its hand was a small, circular hollow.
"The ring, " Dua whispered. She felt her silver ring growing warm on her finger. "Zian, the statue.... It's waiting for my ring."
"Dua, be careful, " Zian warned, stepping forward. "That altar is the 'Heart of the Valley. 'If you place the ring there, you might unlock memories that were hidden for centuries. Are you ready to see the truth about your father? "
Dua's hand trembled. She looked at the iron box she was carrying, then at the statue. She knew that once she did this, there was no going back to her simple life in the tea shop.
She took a deep breath, removed the silver ring, and placed in into the hollow of the state's hand.
For a second, nothing happened. Then, the entire temple shook. The silver vines on the walls turned gold, and a blinding light erupted from the altar. Dua didn't see the temple anymore. She saw a vision—her father, much younger, standing in this very spot, fighting a man made of pure darkness.
"Dua... " her father's voice echoed in the light. "If you are seeing this, the shadows curse, it is a key. Find the Map of the Seven Stars, or the world will fall into enternal night."
The golden light didn't just show a vision; it began to swirl around Dua's right hand. She felt a strange weight appearing in her grip. As the light faded, the golden glow solidified into a beauty, slender dagger. The blade was crystal clear, but inside it, a silver liquid-the legendary Dust of Secrets—was flowing like a river.
"The Star–Slayer, " Zian gasped, falling to one knee. "It's the weapon of the First Keeper. It hasn't appeared in a thousand years."
Dua held the dagger, and suddenly, her fear vanished. She felt the strength of all the women in her family who had fought before her. She looked at the stone doors of the temple, which were now shaking under the pressure of the shadow army outside.
"They're coming in, " Dua said, her voice calm and cold.
"Dua, you aren't ready to fight a whole army! " Zian said, standing up and reaching for his sword.
"I don't need to be ready, " Dua replied. She pointed the Star—Slayer toward the ground. "The temple is ready."
As the heavy stone doors finally burst open and the black shadows rushed in like a tidal wave, Dua slammed the dagger into the floor. A shockwave of pure silver light exploded outward, it didn't just push the shadows back—it turned them into white flower petals that drifted harmlessly to the ground.
The Valley of Veils went silent. The red eyes in the forest vanished. For the first time in centuries, the valley was filled with peace.
The silence that followed the explosion of light was heavy, yet peaceful. Dua stood in the center of the temple, the Star·Slayer still humming in her hand like a living thing. The silver liquid inside the blade glowed softly, illuminating her face.
"You did it, " Zian said, his voice barely a whisper as he stood up from his knee. He looked at the white flower petals on the floor—the remains of the shadow army—with a mixture of fear and respect. "I have spent my life guarding the gates, but I have never seen power like this."
Dua looked at her hands. They weren't trembling anymore. "It wasn't just me, Zian. I felt them. Every woman who came before me, every keeper who held this light. They were standing behind me."
She walked back to the stone altar. The vision of her father was gone, but his last words echoed in her mind: "Find the Map o the Seven Stars".
" Zian, where is this ma? "Dua asked turning to him. " My father said the world will fall into eternal night if we don't find it".
Zian walked to he the wall of the temple where the silver vines were now Turing into golden threads. He traced a symbol on the stone—a star with saven points. "The map isn't a piece of paper, Dua. It's written in the stars themselves. But to see it, we need to reach the Lunar Observatory in the Forbidden City. "
Suddenly, a low, guttural growl vibrated through the temple walls. It wasn't the shadows from before. This was deeper, more ancient.
"The Shadows General knows the seal has been broken, " Zian hissed, his hand flying to his sword. "The White petals were just a distraction. He is sending something much worse then scouts now."
Dua gripped the Star–Slayer tighter. The iron box she had been carrying began to vibrate on the floor. The "Dust of Secrets" Inside was reacting to the danger.
"Let him come, " Dua said, her eyes glowing with a faint silver light. "I'm tired of running."
Dua as spoke, the ground beneath her feet began to crack. Dark, oily smoke started to deep through the floorboards of the ancient temple. It didn't feel like the shadows from the forest; this felt like a cold, suffocating weight.
"Dua, stay back! " Zian yelled, pushti her behind him. He threw a small glass vial at the smoke, and it exploded into blue sparks, but the darkness just swallowed it whole.
From the center of the dark smoke, a figure began to rise. It wasn't human. It was a tall, skeletal knight clad in armor made of obsidian glass. In its hand was a curved blade that seemed to drink the light from the room.
"The Night—Reaper, " Zian whispers, his voice trembling for the first time. "The General's personal execution."
The creature didn't speak. It simply pointed its blade at Dua's silver ring. A telepathic voice, cold as ice, echoed in Dua's mind: 'The light you carry belongs to the void, little girl. Give it back, and I will let your protector live."
Dua felt the Star—Slayer dagger pulse in her hand. It was as if the weapon was talking to her, telling her that the Night-Reaper's armor had one weak spot—the glowing red gem in its chest,
"Zian, distract him! " Dua shouted.
Zia didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, his sapphire sword clashing against the obsidian blade. Spark of blue and black flew everywhere. The Night-Reaper was faster and stronger, knocking Zian back against a stone pillar.
Seeing Zian in pain triggered something inside Dua. The silver flame didn't just stay in her hand; it spread to her eyes. She ran, not away from the monster, but toward it. As the Reaper turned to strike her, Dua slid across the floor, passing right under its blade.
With a scream of defiance, she drove the Star—Slayer deep into the red gem on the creature's chest..
A horrific shriek filled the temple. The Night-Reaper exploded into a cloud of black ash, leaving behind only a small, jagged piece of Obsidian on the floor.
Dua collapsed, the energy leaving her body as quickly as it had come. Zian rushed to her saide, catching her before she hit the ground.
"You're insane, " Zian said, a small, shocked smile touching his lips. "But you're a warrior."
Dua looked at the obsidian shard on the floor. It was glowing with a faint purple light. "This isn't over, is it? "
"No, " Zian replied, his face turning serious again. "This was just a test. The General now knows exactly where we are. We must reach the Lunar Observatory before the next moonrise. "