Release Schedule: Once per week.
With no recollection of her past or even her own name, our heroine has merely been existing since waking in a place known as the Obsidian Terraces. Uncertain how to fend for herself or earn coin, she turned to protec...
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The sounds of running water, birds, and distant animals filled the air around me. A canopy of blue leaves swayed far above, sending rays of sunlight dancing across the forest floor and the shallow creek I was standing in. I closed my eyes, taking in the sounds of nature. Almost every speck of darkness I sensed was one of Yahui's disciples.
Almost.
Small flecks of light danced around me as I opened my eyes. Though I didn't sense any Blighted, nor any dangerous animals, there was something else amiss in the forest. Whatever it was, I could tell it was unrelated to the emperor, his clan, and his sect. It seemed likely it was involved with the strange war I had witnessed the previous night.
I continued down the creek, hiking my hanfu up as the water rose past my knees. Glimmers of crystal in the creek bed tempted me to stop, but I was there to hunt—not gather. I pulled out my map and marked the creek with a speck of light. Fully ignoring the presence of crystal felt as if it would be equally as foolish as stopping for it.
After a while, I came to an abrupt stop. Two human boys in, perhaps, their teens stood several yards ahead of me. They appeared to be setting up equipment to fish, but both froze when they spotted me.
"See, I told you if we waited long enough we would find a higher tier spirit beast!" One whispered to the other, pointing in my direction. I glanced over my shoulder to see what they were talking about, but there was nothing there.
"Do you really think we can kill an ancient?" The other whispered. "I...I know we can't grow strong without finding spirit cores for ourselves, but..."
Are...they talking about me? I took a step back, growing my flecks of light into dagger-like shards. Although I didn't want to kill children...
"How else can we protect our village against those things?!" The other boy argued, picking up a bow and notching an arrow. "We're just human! We have to get our power from somewhe—"
The ground and trees trembled as if affected by an earthquake. An enraged roar made the boys' faces drain of color. When the three of us looked up, my eyes widened. Above us, a black dragon with very familiar eyes was poised above the children, pushing the trees back with his forearms. Shadows spilled from his maw as he observed the shaking human boys.
"T-t-the guardian of the mountains?! Why is he here?" The more cowardly of the two boys fell on his rump and swiftly scooted backward, only to have his back meet a boulder. Panicking, he began searching for somewhere to run. "The other one is light, right?! We have to get out of here before they go to war!"
The dragon imploded into a stream of shadows and sped toward me, reforming into an incredibly angry-looking Yahui. His hand rested on the scabbard of a longsword, his thumb pressed against the hilt, clearly prepared to draw it against the boys.
"Why do they think I'm a spirit beast?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes on the two boys.
"They lack perception...interesting." Yahui slowly walked forward. By the way the boys were watching, I could tell they still saw a massive dragon, not a man, stalking toward them. "For wishing to kill you and slay you for your power, I should kill them."
