Chapter 3: The Pulse of the Peak

The mist thickened as Ren Kai climbed, wrapping Iron Fang Peak in a shroud that muffled sound and blurred sight. His boots scraped against the rocky trail, each step a battle against exhaustion. The encounter with the Fang Wraith lingered in his mind—Wei Lun's scream, the snap of his spear, the red glow of the beast's eyes. Kai's hand tightened around the dagger at his belt, its dull edge a poor comfort. He'd survived, but survival wasn't enough. He needed a shard.

The stone in his pocket pulsed again, a faint rhythm against his thigh. He pulled it out, holding it up in the dim light. The spiral rune etched into its surface seemed to shimmer, though the mist dulled its edges. Old Man Shen had called it a trinket, a lucky charm, but it had stopped the wraith in its tracks. Kai turned it over, frowning. It was heavier than it looked, warm despite the biting chill. Whatever it was, it wasn't ordinary.

A distant howl snapped him from his thoughts. He shoved the stone back into his pocket and pressed on, the trail steepening into a near-vertical scramble. Jagged rocks bit into his bandaged hands as he hauled himself up, his muscles screaming. The air grew thinner, each breath a rasp in his throat. Below, the ravine yawned, its depths hidden by mist and shadow. One slip, and he'd join Wei Lun.

Hours passed—or maybe minutes. Time blurred on the mountain, warped by the mist and the pounding of his heart. The trail leveled into a plateau, a rare reprieve, and Kai sank to his knees, gulping water from his skin. His tunic clung to him, soaked with sweat despite the cold. Ahead, the mist parted slightly, revealing a cluster of stone spires jutting from the ground like the claws of some buried giant. Beyond them, the summit loomed, closer now but still veiled.

He stood, wiping his mouth, when a rustle broke the silence. Kai spun, dagger raised. The mist shifted, and a figure emerged—not a wraith, but a girl. It was the initiate with the braid, the one who'd asked Elder Han about the shards. Her gray robe was torn at the sleeve, her face streaked with dirt. She clutched a short staff, its tip splintered.

"You're alive," she said, her voice shaky but relieved. "I thought… after the wraith…"

Kai lowered his daggerslightly. "You saw it?"

She nodded, stepping closer. "It came out of nowhere. Took Wei Lun and the others. I ran—hid in a crevice until it passed. I'm Jia, by the way."

"Kai," he said, eyeing her warily. Lian Xue had forbidden fighting, but trust was scarce on the mountain. Still, Jia's wide eyes and trembling hands suggested she was no threat—at least not yet.

"You're the unawakened one," she said, not mocking, just stating a fact. "How'd you get this far?"

"Same as you," he replied. "Kept moving."

Jia managed a weak smile. "Fair enough. Want to stick together? The summit's close, but I don't think we've seen the worst of it."

Kai hesitated. He'd planned to climb alone, relying on his own grit. But the wraith had shaken him, and the stone's pulse hinted at dangers he couldn't predict. "Fine," he said finally. "But we split if it slows us down."

"Deal," Jia said, gripping her staff tighter.

They moved together through the spires, the mist swirling around them. Jia was smaller but quick, her steps light where Kai's were heavy. She talked as they went, her voice a thin thread against the mountain's silence. "My brother took the Trial last year," she said. "He didn't come back. I'm doing this for him—to prove the mountain doesn't win every time."

Kai grunted, unsure how to respond. His own reasons were simpler: escape the kitchens, lift his mother from poverty, prove he wasn't broken. But Jia's words echoed in him, stirring something he couldn't name.

The plateau narrowed into a choke point, a natural bridge of stone spanning a chasm. Wind howled through it, tugging at their clothes. On the far side, a faint blue glow pulsed—sharp, crystalline, unmistakable. A shard of the Fang Crystal, embedded in a slab of rock.

"There," Jia whispered, her eyes bright. "We found it."

Kai's pulse quickened. One shard could make him a disciple. Two, and he'd be a legend like Lian Xue. But as they stepped onto the bridge, the air grew heavy, pressing against his chest. The stone in his pocket flared, its warmth spreading up his leg.

"Something's wrong," he muttered.

Before Jia could reply, the ground shuddered. Cracks spiderwebbed across the bridge, and a shape rose from the chasm—a second Fang Wraith, larger than the first, its body a mass of jagged stone and shadow. Its claws scraped the rock, sending sparks flying, and its eyes burned red as it roared.

Jia stumbled back, raising her staff. "Run or fight?"

"No running," Kai said, gripping his dagger. The bridge was too narrow, the chasm too deep. He glanced at the shard, so close yet guarded by death. "We take it down."

Jia nodded, her qi flaring—a thin, green shimmer around her staff. She lunged, striking the wraith's leg. The blow cracked stone, but the beast barely flinched. It swiped at her, and she ducked, rolling to the side. Kai darted in, slashing at its flank. His dagger sparked uselessly against the rock, the impact jarring his arm.

"It's too strong!" Jia shouted, dodging another claw.

Kai gritted his teeth. His qi was a trickle, useless in a fight like this. But the stone in his pocket pulsed harder, syncing with his heartbeat. He yanked it out, holding it up. The wraith froze, just as the first one had, its eyes narrowing.

"Jia, the shard!" he yelled. "Now!"

She sprinted across the bridge, staff raised, while Kai waved the stone, keeping the wraith's attention. Jia reached the slab and drove her staff into the rock, prying the shard free. It pulsed blue in her hand, bright as a star. The wraith roared, lunging at Kai, but he rolled aside, the claw missing him by inches.

"Got it!" Jia called, retreating.

The wraith turned, its focus shifting to her. Kai acted on instinct, hurling the stone at its head. It struck true, embedding in the beast's skull with a crack. Blue light erupted from the impact, and the wraith shrieked, its body crumbling into dust. The stone fell, rolling to a stop at Kai's feet, its rune glowing faintly.

Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing. Jia clutched the shard, staring at Kai. "What was that?"

"I don't know," he admitted, picking up the stone. It was cool now, dormant. "But it saved us."

Jia hesitated, then held out the shard. "Take it. You earned it."

Kai shook his head. "You grabbed it. It's yours."

She frowned. "There's more up there. We'll both get one."

He nodded, surprised by her fairness. "Then let's keep moving."

The summit was near now, its jagged peak piercing the mist. They climbed in silence, the shard's glow lighting their path. But as they neared the top, the air grew colder, denser, and Kai felt it—a pressure in his chest, faint but growing. His qi, that pitiful trickle, stirred for the first time, like a dam cracking under strain.

"Jia," he said, stopping. "Do you feel that?"

She tilted her head. "The air? It's heavy, but—"

"No," he cut in. "Inside."

Before she could answer, the ground split beneath them. A chasm yawned, and Kai shoved Jia aside as he fell, tumbling into darkness. He hit stone, rolling to a stop in a cavern lit by veins of blue crystal in the walls. Above, Jia's voice echoed, faint and frantic, but the gap had sealed.

Kai groaned, pushing himself up. His sack was gone, lost in the fall, but the stone remained in his hand. The cavern stretched ahead, its walls pulsing with the same blue as the shard—and the glow he'd seen beneath his mother's floorboards.

At its center stood a pedestal, a single Fang Crystal shard resting atop it, larger than Jia's, its light almost blinding. Kai approached, his qi surging now, a faint warmth spreading through his meridians. The stone in his hand flared, and the shard responded, its glow syncing with his breath.

He reached for it, fingers trembling. The moment he touched it, pain lanced through him—sharp, searing, like fire in his veins. He gasped, falling to his knees, but the shard fused to his palm, its light sinking into his skin. His qi roared to life, no longer a trickle but a torrent, flooding his channels.

When the pain faded, he stood, flexing his hand. The shard was gone, but its power thrummed within him, raw and untested. The stone pulsed once more, then dimmed, as if its task was done.

Above, the cavern rumbled. Kai looked up, jaw set. He'd claimed a shard—not just a piece, but something greater. Now he had to escape—and find Jia.

The mountain wasn't done with him yet.