Chapter 4: The Ascent of the Claw

Ren Kai stood in the pulsing cavern beneath Iron Fang Peak, his breath steadying as the rush of his awakened qi settled into his bones. The shard's power thrummed within him, a wildfire where there'd once been only embers. His meridians, long dormant, now hummed with energy—raw, unrefined, but alive. He flexed his hand, marveling at the faint heat radiating from his skin. The stone from Old Man Shen lay at his feet, its rune dim but its presence a quiet anchor.

Above, the cavern ceiling shuddered, dust raining down. Jia's voice had faded after the collapse, leaving Kai alone in this glowing underworld. He had a shard—or its essence, fused into him—but the Trial wasn't over. He needed to reach the summit, find Jia, and return to Stone Hollow by dawn. The mountain didn't reward half-finished climbs.

He scanned the cavern. The pedestal where the shard had rested was empty, its surface cracked from the fusion. The walls, veined with blue crystal, pulsed faintly, their light guiding his eyes to a narrow tunnel at the far end. It sloped upward, steep and jagged, but it was his only way out. He retrieved the stone, tucking it into his pocket, and started toward the tunnel, his steps firmer than before. The qi in his veins sharpened his senses—the scrape of rock, the cool dampness of the air, the distant rumble of the peak.

The tunnel twisted and climbed, its walls tightening until Kai had to crawl, scraping his knees and elbows. The qi kept him moving, dulling the pain, but his mind raced. What was this power? The shard hadn't just awakened him—it had changed him, sinking into his flesh like a second heart. And the stone—its reaction to the wraiths, its pulse in the cavern—hinted at secrets his mother hadn't told him. He gritted his teeth. Answers would come later. Survival came first.

After what felt like hours, the tunnel widened, spilling him onto a windswept ledge high on the peak. The mist had thinned, revealing a sky bruised with twilight. The summit towered above, its jagged crown studded with crystalline spikes that glowed faintly blue. Below, the ravine stretched like a scar across the mountain, its depths lost to shadow.

"Jia!" Kai called, his voice echoing. No answer came, only the howl of the wind. He cursed under his breath. She'd had a shard—had she pressed on alone? Or had the mountain claimed her too?

A shadow moved ahead, and Kai tensed, hand dropping to his empty belt. His dagger and sack were lost in the fall, leaving him weaponless. But the figure wasn't a wraith—it was Lian Xue, the inner disciple, her silver-edged robes whipping in the wind. She stood at the edge of the ledge, her shortsword drawn, its blade gleaming with a faint qi sheen.

"You're alive," she said, her tone flat but her eyes narrowing as they studied him. "And different."

Kai straightened, meeting her gaze. "The mountain threw me a curve. I adapted."

She stepped closer, her qi pressing against him—a steady, controlled storm compared to his wild flicker. "You've awakened," she said, almost to herself. "Unorthodox, but real. How?"

"A shard," he admitted, keeping it vague. "It… chose me."

Lian Xue's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "The Fang Crystal doesn't choose lightly. You're either lucky or cursed. Maybe both."

Before he could respond, the ledge trembled. A low growl rumbled from the slope above, and three Fang Wraiths emerged from the mist, their stone bodies scraping the rock. These were smaller than the last, but their claws gleamed sharper, and their eyes burned with a hunger Kai hadn't seen before.

"Move!" Lian Xue snapped, lunging forward. Her sword flashed, qi surging along its edge as she cleaved through the first wraith's arm. It shattered into dust, but the other two charged, one at her, one at Kai.

Instinct took over. Kai dodged a claw swipe, the qi in his legs propelling him faster than he'd ever moved. He felt it now—a current he could tap, clumsy but potent. He focused, channeling it into his fist, and struck the wraith's chest. The blow cracked stone, sending a jolt up his arm, but the beast barely staggered.

"Too weak," Lian Xue called, parrying her own foe. "Focus your qi—sharpen it!"

Kai gritted his teeth, ducking another claw. He closed his eyes for a split second, picturing the heat in his veins as a blade, not a flood. When he struck again, his fist glowed faintly blue, and the wraith's chest caved in, crumbling to rubble. He stared at his hand, panting. It wasn't the Iron Fang Fist—not yet—but it was something.

Lian Xue dispatched her wraith with a final slash, then sheathed her sword. "Not bad," she said, brushing dust from her robe. "For a beginner."

"Why are you here?" Kai asked, catching his breath. "The Trial's ours to face."

"Elder Han sent me," she replied. "Too many initiates were dying. I'm to ensure some of you make it back." She glanced at the summit. "Jia's up there. She signaled a flare—hurt, but alive."

Relief washed through Kai, followed by urgency. "Then let's go."

They climbed together, Lian Xue leading with a predator's grace, Kai trailing with his newfound strength. The qi steadied him, but it was wild, slipping from his grasp when he pushed too hard. Lian Xue noticed, throwing him tips between strides—"Breathe with it," "Let it flow, don't force it." He listened, adjusting, each step a lesson.

The summit was a plateau of cracked stone, its center dominated by a massive Fang Crystal, its facets pulsing like a heartbeat. Jia knelt near it, her staff propped beside her, one leg bleeding through a torn robe. Her shard glowed in her hand, casting light on her pale face.

"Kai!" she rasped, relief flashing in her eyes. "I thought you were gone."

"Almost was," he said, kneeling beside her. "You okay?"

"Twisted ankle," she said, wincing. "Fell after the collapse. Got this, though." She held up the shard, its glow steady.

Lian Xue inspected the wound. "You'll live. Can you walk?"

"With help," Jia said, glancing at Kai.

He nodded, but before he could offer a hand, the crystal in the plateau's center flared, its light searing the mist away. The ground quaked, and a voice boomed—not human, but deep and resonant, like the mountain itself speaking.

"Two shards claimed. One soul awakened. The Trial shifts."

A crack split the plateau, and from it rose a figure—not a wraith, but a man carved of stone, his body etched with glowing runes. His eyes were twin crystals, blue and unblinking, and a spear of jagged rock rested in his grip. He towered over them, twice Kai's height, his presence crushing the air.

"The Fang Guardian," Lian Xue whispered, drawing her sword. "It's rare—only appears when the crystal deems a climber worthy."

"Worthy of what?" Kai asked, helping Jia to her feet.

"Of death," she said grimly, "or greatness."

The guardian moved, its spear thrusting at Lian Xue. She parried, her blade sparking against stone, but the force drove her back. Kai pulled Jia behind a rock spike, his mind racing. His qi was new, untested against something this strong. But he couldn't just hide.

"Stay here," he told Jia, stepping out.

"Kai, don't!" she hissed, but he ignored her.

The guardian turned, its spear arcing toward him. Kai ducked, qi surging to his legs, and rolled beneath the blow. He struck its knee, his fist glowing blue again, but the stone barely chipped. The guardian swung its arm, catching him in the chest and hurling him across the plateau. He hit the ground hard, air exploding from his lungs.

Lian Xue charged, her sword a blur, carving gashes in the guardian's side. It roared, slamming its spear down, and she leapt aside, barely dodging. "Hit the runes!" she shouted. "They're its core!"

Kai staggered up, spotting a glowing spiral on the guardian's chest—eerily like the stone in his pocket. He drew it out, its warmth flaring as he gripped it. The guardian's eyes locked onto him, and it charged, spear raised.

He didn't dodge this time. He planted his feet, qi surging to his arm, and hurled the stone. It struck the rune dead-on, embedding with a flash of blue. The guardian froze, cracks spiderwebbing from its chest, then shattered into dust, its spear clattering to the ground.

Silence fell. Kai sank to his knees, exhausted. Lian Xue sheathed her sword, her expression unreadable. Jia limped over, staring at the rubble. "What are you?" she asked, half-laughing.

"I don't know," Kai muttered, retrieving the stone. It pulsed once, then dimmed.

The crystal in the plateau dimmed too, its light softening. Lian Xue approached it, cutting free a shard with her sword. She tossed it to Kai. "Yours," she said. "You've earned it—twice over."

He caught it, its glow warm in his hand. The Trial was his. But as dawn broke, painting the summit gold, he knew the mountain held more secrets—and he'd only scratched its surface.