Chapter 10

Han turned away, his gray robes swirling as he barked orders to the scattered disciples, leaving Kai, Jia, and Lian Xue standing in the training yard's fading light. The mountain's rumble faded into an eerie stillness, but the air felt charged, like a storm about to break. Kai's shoulder stung where the corrupted guardian's claw had slashed him, blood seeping through his torn robe, but his qi pulsed steady, dulling the pain. The stone in his pocket thrummed, a quiet call that tugged at his gut.

Jia gripped her staff, her knuckles white, her voice cutting through the tension. "We're not waiting for tomorrow. That cave—my dad's blood's on it. I'm going back."

Kai glanced at her, seeing the fire in her eyes despite the grief weighing her down. "You're hurt. We all are."

"Don't care," she snapped, stepping closer. "You felt it too—that glow, the stone. It's tied to this. You're not sitting it out either."

Lian Xue sheathed her sword with a sharp click, her tone flat but firm. "She's right. Waiting gives it time to hit us again. But we're not charging in blind—plan first, then move."

Kai nodded, wiping blood from his shoulder. "Fine. What's the play?"

"Small team," Lian Xue said, scanning the yard. "Us three, maybe one more. We scout the cave, find what's spawning these things. No elders—they'll lock this down if they know."

"Deng?" Kai suggested, spotting the scarred disciple sulking near a torch. "He's an ass, but he's tough."

Jia snorted. "He'll stab you in the back first chance."

"Or fight," Lian Xue countered. "He's got pride to bruise. I'll grab him."

She strode off, leaving Kai and Jia by the pillar. Kai flexed his hand, qi flickering blue at his knuckles. "You sure about this? After your dad—"

"Don't," Jia cut in, her voice sharp. "I'm sure. You?"

He met her gaze, the stone's pulse syncing with his own. "Yeah. Let's end it."

Lian Xue returned with Deng in tow, his red qi smoldering, his jaw tight. "I'm in," he growled, glaring at Kai. "Not for you—for me. Prove I'm not some weakling you can step on."

"Whatever gets you moving," Kai said, keeping his tone even. "Just don't slow us down."

Deng smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Watch me."

Lian Xue took the lead, her qi flaring briefly as she motioned them toward the grove. "We go quiet, stick tight. Weapons up—those guardians won't wait for us to chat."

They slipped out of the yard, the village's torches fading behind them as the pines swallowed their steps. Kai's qi sharpened his senses, picking up the crunch of needles, the faint drip of sap, the hum of something wrong in the air. Jia's staff glowed green, a soft light that barely pierced the dark. Deng's fists stayed clenched, red sparks dancing at his fingertips. Lian Xue moved like a shadow, her sword half-drawn, every step precise.

The cave loomed ahead, its jagged mouth a black scar against the peak's base. That blue glow flickered within, stronger now, pulsing like a heartbeat. The stone in Kai's pocket matched it, a rhythm he felt in his chest. He gripped it through his robe, unease prickling his spine.

"Tracks," Lian Xue whispered, pointing to fresh claw marks gouging the dirt—bigger than before, leading straight in. "It's active."

Jia's grip tightened, her voice low. "Then we're close."

They crept to the entrance, the air growing colder, heavier, pressing against Kai's lungs. His qi flared instinctively, blue light curling around his fists. Lian Xue nodded, stepping inside, and the others followed, the cave swallowing them whole.

The tunnel sloped down, its walls slick with moisture, veined with blue crystal that pulsed in sync with Kai's stone. The glow lit their path, casting sharp shadows. Kai's shoulder throbbed, but he pushed it aside, focusing on the hum ahead—deep, resonant, alive.

A growl echoed up the tunnel, and Lian Xue raised a hand, halting them. "Ready," she mouthed, drawing her sword fully, qi surging along its edge.

The ground shook, and two corrupted guardians burst from the dark—massive, their stone bodies laced with glowing crystal, claws gleaming like knives. Their roars rattled the walls, dust raining down as they charged.

Kai reacted first, qi flooding his legs as he dodged a claw swipe, the wind of it ruffling his hair. He countered with a Storm Claw Strike, blue talons slashing at the guardian's flank. The blow chipped stone, drawing a snarl, but the beast swung back, forcing him to roll aside. Jia darted in, her staff cracking against its leg, green qi sparking as she aimed for joints. The guardian staggered, but lashed out, catching her arm with a glancing blow that sent her stumbling.

Lian Xue met the second guardian head-on, her sword a blur of silver and qi. She parried a claw, steel clanging against stone, then thrust, carving a deep gash in its chest. Blue ichor sprayed, sizzling on the ground, but the beast roared, slamming its bulk into her. She twisted, taking the hit on her shoulder, and slashed again, aiming for its crystal-veined neck.

Deng charged Kai's guardian, red qi blazing as he drove a Boulder-Shattering Palm into its side. The stone cracked, a chunk breaking free, and the beast whirled, claws raking at him. Deng ducked, barely, and punched again, his fist glowing hotter, smashing into its ribs. The guardian growled, reeling, giving Kai an opening.

He focused, qi coiling tight in his palm, and struck with his own Boulder-Shattering Palm. The blue light compacted, exploding against the guardian's chest, shattering crystal and stone in a burst of dust. The beast lurched, claws slashing wildly, and Kai dodged, heart pounding as he circled back. Jia recovered, swinging her staff two-handed, green qi lashing out to trip it. It crashed to its knees, and Deng leapt, slamming both fists down in a double strike that caved its skull in, reducing it to rubble.

Lian Xue's fight dragged on, her sword weaving a deadly dance. She ducked a claw, rolled under its arm, and stabbed upward, qi flaring as her blade sank into the guardian's crystal core. The beast shrieked, thrashing, and she yanked free, dodging a wild swipe that grazed her leg. Blood welled, but she gritted her teeth, lunging again. Her sword bit deep, twisting, and the guardian's roar cut off as it crumbled, dust billowing around her.

Breathing hard, she wiped her blade on her robe, glancing at the others. "Still alive?"

"Barely," Jia muttered, rubbing her arm where a bruise was forming.

Deng spat on the rubble, smirking at Kai. "Not bad, cripple. Maybe you're worth something."

"Save it," Kai shot back, retrieving the stone from his pocket. Its pulse was stronger now, syncing with the cave's glow. "This isn't over."

Lian Xue nodded, limping slightly as she led them deeper. The tunnel widened into a chamber, its walls thick with crystal, the air humming with power. At its center stood a pedestal, not unlike the one Kai had found beneath the peak, but larger, its surface cradling a massive crystal—blue, radiant, alive. The Heart of the Fang, pulsing like a living thing, its light bathing the room.

Kai froze, the stone in his hand flaring hot. "That's it."

Jia's voice trembled, anger cutting through. "That's what killed my dad."

Lian Xue gripped her sword tighter. "Careful. It's not just a rock—it's awake."

Before they could move, the Heart flared, a wave of qi slamming into them. Kai staggered, his own qi surging in response, blue light bursting from his fists. The ground split, and a figure rose—not a guardian, but a man of stone and crystal, twice their height, its body etched with runes like Kai's stone. Its eyes glowed red, its voice a deep rumble that shook the chamber.

"Intruders," it boomed. "The Heart claims what it wakes."

Deng cursed, red qi flaring. "What the hell is that?"

"Trouble," Lian Xue said, raising her sword. "Spread out—hit it hard!"

The stone man lunged, faster than its size suggested, a fist crashing down where Kai stood. He dodged, qi propelling him aside, and struck with a Storm Claw, blue talons raking its arm. The blow sparked, chipping crystal, but the man barely flinched, swinging back with a force that sent Kai skidding across the floor, his shoulder screaming.

Jia darted in, her staff glowing green as she aimed for its legs, cracking stone with each hit. The man roared, stomping, and she leapt back, barely avoiding being crushed. Deng charged, red qi blazing as he hammered its chest with a flurry of punches, each blow cracking crystal but not slowing it. The man grabbed him, hurling him into a wall with a sickening thud. Deng groaned, sliding down, dazed.

Lian Xue attacked, her sword a whirlwind of qi and steel. She slashed its flank, ducked a counter, and stabbed upward, aiming for a rune on its chest. The blade sank in, blue ichor spraying, but the man backhanded her, sending her sprawling, her sword clattering away.

Kai scrambled up, qi surging wild. He pulled the stone out, its rune blazing, and charged. The man turned, its red eyes locking on him, and swung a fist. Kai slid under it, rolling to his feet, and slammed the stone into the rune on its chest, mirroring Lian Xue's strike. Light erupted—blue meeting blue—and the man froze, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact.

"Hit it!" Kai yelled, ducking as it thrashed.

Jia swung her staff, green qi lashing its legs, toppling it to one knee. Lian Xue retrieved her sword, lunging to stab its back, qi flaring as she twisted the blade. Deng staggered up, red qi smoldering, and drove a final Boulder-Shattering Palm into its head. The combined force shattered it, stone and crystal raining down as its roar faded into silence.

Kai sank to his knees, panting, the stone still hot in his hand. The Heart pulsed slower now, its light dimming. Lian Xue wiped blood from her lip, grimacing. "That was no guardian. That was a sentinel—tied to the Heart."

Jia stared at the rubble, then at the crystal. "It's still alive."

Kai stood, his qi flickering. "Then we shut it down."

He approached the pedestal, the stone's pulse guiding him. The Heart's glow flared as he neared, qi pressing against him like a wall. He raised the stone, ready to strike, when a voice—not the sentinel's, but deeper, older—echoed in his mind.

"Child of the Fang," it whispered. "You wake me. You claim me."

Kai froze, the stone trembling in his grip. The others shouted, but their voices blurred as the Heart's light surged, swallowing him whole.