Chapter 11

The Heart of the Fang's light burned through Kai, a surge of qi that drowned his senses, pulling him from the cave's chamber into a void of endless blue. His body felt weightless, the stone still clenched in his fist, its rune pulsing hot against his palm. The voice—deep, ancient, not his own—rumbled again, vibrating in his skull. "Child of the Ascent, you wake me. You claim me."

Kai's vision cleared, and he landed hard on a platform of cracked stone, floating in a sea of swirling mist. The air crackled with qi, thick and heavy, pressing against his chest. He staggered up, his shoulder wound throbbing, blood dripping down his arm, but his own qi flared blue, wild and eager, pushing back the pain. The Heart loomed ahead—a massive crystal suspended in the void, twice his height, its facets alive with shifting light. Beside it stood a figure—not the stone sentinel, but a man, or what had once been one.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, his robes tattered gray, his face obscured by a hood of shadow. Qi poured off him, blue laced with black, mirroring Kai's own. The stone in Kai's hand pulsed harder, and the man tilted his head, his voice a low rasp. "You carry my key."

Kai's gut tightened. "Dad?"

The figure stepped forward, shadow peeling back to reveal a face—hard, weathered, eyes glowing with the same blue as the Heart. Ren Tao, or a piece of him, stared back. "Not anymore," he said. "I'm what's left—bound to this place, to the Heart. You shouldn't be here."

Kai gripped the stone tighter, qi surging to his fists. "I didn't choose this. The Heart did. What's it want?"

"To test you," Tao said, drawing a blade of jagged crystal from the air. "To break you—or forge you. It woke when I failed. Now it's your turn."

Before Kai could respond, Tao lunged, the blade slashing down with a burst of qi that split the platform. Kai dodged, qi flooding his legs, and rolled aside, the strike grazing his robe. He countered fast, blue claws forming as he swung a Storm Claw Strike at Tao's chest. The talons sparked against crystal armor hidden beneath the robes, driving Tao back a step, but he barely flinched, swinging again.

Kai ducked, the blade whistling over his head, and struck with a Boulder-Shattering Palm, qi compacting into his palm. The blow slammed into Tao's side, cracking the armor, but Tao twisted, grabbing Kai's arm and hurling him across the platform. Kai hit the ground rolling, skidding to the edge, his shoulder screaming as fresh blood welled.

"You're weak," Tao growled, stalking forward. "Your qi's raw—unshaped. I was stronger at your age."

"Then teach me," Kai snapped, pushing up. "Not this crap—help me stop it!"

Tao's eyes flickered, a shadow of regret, but he swung again, the blade arcing wide. Kai leapt back, qi flaring to his feet, and charged, weaving past the strike. He hammered Tao's chest with a flurry of Storm Claws, blue talons slashing in rapid bursts—once, twice, three times. Crystal chipped, and Tao grunted, staggering, but countered with a backhand that sent Kai sprawling, his cheek bruising from the impact.

Kai spat blood, scrambling up. "What's the point? You're dead—why fight me?"

"Not dead," Tao said, raising the blade. "Trapped. The Heart took me when I tried to seal it. Now it wants you—or your blood."

Kai's qi surged, anger mixing with the blue light. He focused, claws sharpening, and darted in, feinting left before striking right. The Storm Claw raked Tao's arm, tearing through robe and crystal, drawing a hiss. Tao swung low, aiming for Kai's legs, but Kai jumped, qi boosting him high, and slammed a Boulder-Shattering Palm down on Tao's shoulder. The blow cracked armor, forcing Tao to one knee, but he roared, qi exploding outward in a pulse that threw Kai back, slamming him into the platform's edge.

Breathing hard, Kai pulled the stone from his pocket, its rune blazing. "You left this for me. Why?"

Tao froze, staring at it, his voice softening. "To find me. To finish what I couldn't."

"Then let me!" Kai yelled, charging again. He ducked a wild swing, qi coiling tight, and drove the stone into Tao's chest, right where the armor had cracked. Light flared—blue meeting black—and Tao's blade dropped, his body shuddering. Cracks spread from the impact, qi leaking like smoke, and he sank, his form flickering.

"You're stubborn," Tao rasped, a faint smile breaking through. "Like me. The Heart's yours now—but it's not done. It's waking something bigger."

"What?" Kai demanded, kneeling beside him.

Tao's eyes dimmed, his voice fading. "The Sovereign. It's… below."

The platform trembled, and Tao dissolved into mist, leaving Kai alone with the Heart. Its light pulsed faster, qi flooding into him, searing his meridians. He gasped, dropping to his knees, the stone falling from his hand as his body shook. The rune on his palm—the Heart's brand—glowed, and his qi stabilized, stronger, sharper, pushing him past early-Copper into mid-Copper in a single rush.

The void shifted, the platform crumbling, and Kai fell, the Heart's light spitting him back into the cave. He hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop beside the pedestal, the massive crystal dim now, its pulse slow. Jia's voice cut through the haze. "Kai!"

He looked up, vision blurry, to see her limping toward him, staff glowing green. Lian Xue and Deng flanked her, bruised and bloodied, their qi flickering low. The chamber was a mess—rubble from the sentinel scattered, walls cracked from the fight.

"You alive?" Lian Xue asked, sword still in hand, her leg bleeding through her robe.

"Barely," Kai croaked, pushing up. The stone lay nearby, its rune dull. He grabbed it, pocketing it, his qi humming steady despite the ache in his bones.

Jia stared at the Heart, her voice tight. "What happened?"

"It tested me," Kai said, wiping blood from his lip. "My dad—he's gone, but he was here. Said the Heart's waking something. The Sovereign."

Deng snorted, rubbing his bruised ribs. "Great. More crap to fight."

Lian Xue's eyes narrowed. "The Sovereign? That's myth—old clan tales about a god under the mountain."

"Not myth," Kai said, standing, his qi flaring blue at his fists. "Real. And it's coming."

Before they could argue, the cave shook, a deep growl echoing from below—not the chamber, but deeper, through the stone itself. Cracks split the floor, and a claw—massive, crystal-laced—burst through, followed by a roar that rattled their skulls. A beast climbed out, bigger than the guardians, its body a mix of stone and shadow, its eyes red with fury. Spikes of blue crystal jutted from its spine, pulsing in time with the Heart.

"Move!" Lian Xue yelled, shoving Jia back as the beast charged.

Kai reacted, qi surging to his legs, and dodged a claw swipe that shattered the pedestal. The Heart fell, rolling across the floor, its light flaring wild. He darted in, striking with a Storm Claw, blue talons slashing its flank. The blow sparked, chipping crystal, but the beast roared, swinging a spiked tail that forced him to leap back.

Jia swung her staff, green qi lashing out in a whip-like arc, cracking the beast's leg. It snarled, lunging at her, but Deng intercepted, red qi blazing as he hammered its snout with a Boulder-Shattering Palm. The strike staggered it, nose bleeding ichor, but it swiped, catching Deng's arm and hurling him into a wall with a crunch. He groaned, slumping, blood trickling from his mouth.

Lian Xue attacked, her sword glowing with qi as she slashed its side, carving deep. The beast twisted, claws raking at her, and she parried, blade clanging against stone, but the force drove her back, her injured leg buckling. Kai saw an opening, qi coiling tight, and leapt, slamming a Boulder-Shattering Palm into its chest. The blue light exploded, cracking crystal, but the beast roared, headbutting him. He flew back, hitting the ground hard, ribs aching.

Jia circled, staff spinning, and struck its hind leg, green qi bursting on impact. The beast stumbled, and Lian Xue lunged, stabbing its neck, qi flaring as she twisted the blade. Ichor sprayed, but it thrashed, knocking her away. Kai rolled up, grabbing the stone, its rune flickering, and charged again. He ducked a claw, slid under its belly, and drove the stone into a crystal spike on its chest. Light flashed, blue and red clashing, and the beast froze, cracks spreading.

"Hit it!" Kai shouted, diving clear.

Jia swung her staff, green qi smashing its head. Lian Xue recovered, slashing its throat, and Deng staggered up, red qi flaring as he punched its chest where the stone stuck. The combined force shattered it, crystal and stone exploding in a cloud of dust, the roar cutting off as it collapsed.

Kai panted, retrieving the stone, its warmth fading. The Heart lay cracked on the floor, its light dim but alive. Lian Xue limped over, wiping her sword. "That's no guardian. That's a herald."

"For what?" Jia asked, leaning on her staff, her arm bruised.

"The Sovereign," Kai said, staring at the Heart. "It's waking up—fast."

Deng spat blood, glaring at him. "You stirred this, didn't you?"

"Maybe," Kai admitted, qi steadying at his fists. "But I'll stop it."

Lian Xue grabbed the cracked Heart, shoving it into her pack. "Not here. We need the elders—Han's hiding something."

The cave rumbled again, deeper, angrier. Kai squared his shoulders, the stone's pulse a quiet promise. They'd barely survived this—whatever came next would be worse. He glanced at Jia, then Deng, then Lian Xue. "Let's go. We've got a fight coming."

They moved, battered but alive, the Heart's whisper trailing them out.