Chapter 121 - The Pale Crown
Date: Late August X788 — Two weeks after the Grove battle
Location: Eastern Border — Abandoned Shrine Valley
A cold, thin rain fell across the valley, turning the broken shrine stones slick and dark. Mist drifted between the trees, curling around roots like restless spirits. From a distance, the old shrines looked like people kneeling in mourning, heads bowed to the ground.
Teresa moved silently through the mist. Her soaked cloak clung to her shoulders, but she didn't slow. Each step echoed softly against the cracked altars, steady and calm.
Above her, ravens circled, their calls sharp and distorted, like cries echoing through hollow bones. Teresa watched them with quiet focus, her golden eyes steady.
Memory — The Shadow Grove
"The Raven Throne hears all. The Fang waits in the dark — and your silence… your precious center… it will shatter!"
The cultist's final words echoed in her mind. It wasn't a threat anymore — it was a promise she had already chosen to face.
Shrine Dais
Up ahead, a large circular stone platform sat cracked and half-sunk in the mud. Faint glyph lines glowed weakly under moss and rain. Broken shrine pillars lay scattered, as if they had fallen in battle long ago. In the center of the dais stood a single black spear, driven deep into the earth, wrapped with iron rings and black feather charms.
Teresa approached, her hand ready on her sword hilt. She stretched her Yoki sense outward, feeling shallow mana traps hidden below the mud, waiting to be triggered.
She stopped at the edge and narrowed her eyes.
Above — Raven Fang Overlook
On a ridge above, shadowy figures watched. At the center stood Raven Fang's leader, wearing a torn cloak covered in feathers and crawling glyph marks up his neck. His eyes glowed faintly red, flickering like dying embers.
"She comes, just as we hoped," he said, voice sharp and raspy. "The blade that refuses to echo. A ghost from a forgotten kingdom."
A woman stepped forward beside him, her hand resting on a curved blade strapped to her back. Her eyes burned with excitement.
"Let me strike first," she hissed. "I want to see if she can cut sound itself."
The leader shook his head slowly.
"No. We watch her embrace her final silence first. Then… we descend."
Shrine Dais
Teresa locked her eyes on the black spear. She traced the buried mana lines spiraling out from it, connecting the shrines to deeper vault remnants below the valley. The whole site was a trap — a sleeping heart waiting to wake.
She stepped forward. Her boot sank into the mud with a quiet squish, but she didn't hesitate. Rain slid down her face in thin lines.
She lifted her blade slightly, making a careful testing swing. Raindrops seemed to pause at its edge, trembling along her Yoki aura.
A low rumble started under the dais. Cracks split outward, and streams of dark mana rose like black blood. Teresa's eyes narrowed. Her pulse flared through her body, sharp and focused.
She tapped her blade tip against the spear. Instantly, the ground shuddered. She jumped back without a sound as the dais split open in a wide ring.
From the pit below, a massive creature began to rise. It was built from twisted roots, black stone, and warped limbs. Glyph lines glowed weakly along its spine, pulsing like a dying heartbeat.
Its head looked like a warped raven skull, empty-eyed and long. Black feather charms dripped water from their joints as they climbed out.
It took a deep, rattling breath, tasting the rain.
Above — Raven Fang Overlook
The leader raised his hand, signaling the group to stay hidden. His mouth curled into a crooked smile.
"This is just the first chorus," he whispered. "If she survives… then she will hear our true hymn."
Shrine Dais — Fight
The creature lunged forward, shaking the ground with each step. Teresa dashed sideways, her blade humming. Its massive claw-arm swung down, smashing shrine stones into dust.
She ducked and pivoted behind it. Her blade rose in an upward cut, slicing its side. Sparks flew as her blade glanced off dense stone, only partially breaking through.
She stepped back, reading the damage line.
The creature turned, head jerking like a broken puppet. It let out a deep, echoing roar that rolled across the valley like thunder.
Teresa's pulse sharpened. She moved straight toward the roar. Her cloak snapped behind her, and she slashed tightly across its knee joint. The leg buckled and crashed into the mud.
It staggered but stayed upright, swinging a second arm — a whip-like mana strand crackling with energy. Teresa sidestepped and sliced. The whip shattered in the air, mana sparks scattering.
The creature struggled to balance. Teresa closed in, leaping up. Her blade slammed down on its skull-mask, cracking it open with a sharp echo.
The mask split in two. The creature flailed, then dropped forward into the mud with a final groan.
Above — Raven Fang Overlook
The leader leaned forward, eyes wide with a wild, joyful look.
"She moves… like a falling star," he whispered.
Beside him, the woman trembled, caught between awe and fear.
Shrine Dais — Aftermath
Teresa landed lightly beside the fallen creature, her blade dripping rain and mana. She stood still, listening to the valley quiet down. Above, the ravens circled lower, their calls sharper and more frantic.
She lifted her gaze to the ridge. She didn't need her senses to know they were there — she felt them in the air, waiting.
She drew a slow breath, her focus locking in.
"Then come," she said softly. "I'll cut every echo you send."
She raised her blade again. Rain streaked across her face like faint scars.
The next fight was ready.