Yan rushed through the winding staircases, the jinn pursuing her like an unbroken shadow. Reaching the grand dining hall, she leapt across the long tables, her arrows falling like rain—each one glowing like a flash of lightning tearing through the darkness.
But the old woman followed at a deliberate pace, as if savoring the chase. She laughed mockingly and said:
"The great Palace of the Ina family… will be remembered in history as the stage that witnessed Yan's final scream."
Yan came to a halt at the throne room, her breath heavy, a tear of rage glistening in her eyes. She turned toward the old witch, who entered with slow, arrogant steps, surrounded by a swarm of jinn.
Drawing the string of her last bow, Yan's voice thundered through the hall:
"This palace… is not my grave—it will be yours!"
In that very moment, she released a radiant arrow that exploded into the stone ceiling. Massive rocks crashed down, sealing the passage behind the witch and trapping her and her jinn inside the throne room with Yan.
The debris settled, and dust filled the chamber. Yan wiped the sweat from her brow, gripping her bow as if it were a piece of her soul. Across from her stood the old witch amidst the smoke, her staff trembling with a crimson glow, a wicked smile stretching across her wrinkled face.
In a raspy yet powerful voice, she said: "Your bow will not protect you from the shadows… you are merely human."
Yan replied with a mocking smile, her eyes gleaming: "But my arrows… kill what swords cannot."
The witch slammed her staff onto the ground, unleashing chains of black shadows that lunged toward Yan, coiling around her feet. Yan leapt gracefully, spinning like a dancer, and fired a glowing arrow into the ground. It burst into a ring of light that sliced the shadows in half.
"Impudent girl!" the old woman screamed.
One of the jinn charged at Yan—a towering creature with twisted arms—but she did not retreat. She stepped forward, drew her bowstring with all her strength, and released an arrow that pierced its chest. It exploded into black smoke before it could even touch her.