Kael moved like a man fleeing a burning city.
"What way?" he snapped. "Tell me. Now."
For a heartbeat, Eya only stared at him. Then her lips curved with maddening calm.
"There is a way." She lifted her chin. "Carry me."
Kael blinked. "...What?"
"You heard me." She glanced down at her injured foot and then back at him as if he were the slow one. "If my leg can't be healed right away, how exactly am I supposed to keep up with you?"
Kael stared at her.
Then he smacked his own forehead.
"Right. Right—damn it, why didn't I think of that?"
He crouched instantly, hooked an arm beneath her legs, and hauled her onto his back.
Eya let out a soft sound of surprise as she settled against him, her arms sliding around his shoulders.
Kael barely noticed.
"Which way to the Ancient Reed?" he demanded.
She lifted one slender hand and pointed through the endless sea of towering Warding-Vase Bamboo.
"If I'm not mistaken... that direction."
Kael exploded forward.
He shot through the forest like an arrow loosed from a war bow, feet hammering root and stone as he drove himself harder and harder.
Wind screamed past them.
Branches blurred.
"Careful," Eya said lazily against his ear. "If you break your legs too, then we'll truly be doomed."
Kael said nothing.
He only ran faster.
That proved to be a mistake.
Eya's body was soft.
Far too soft.
Every stride made her press tighter against his back. Her chest brushed him. Her thighs clung to his waist. Her breath slid across the side of his neck like warm silk.
Kael's entire spine stiffened.
His heartbeat became erratic.
"Honestly," Eya murmured, sounding annoyed, "your Soror can't possibly be in danger this instant."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
He hesitated.
Then said through clenched teeth, "Selene acts clever. Proud. Sharp-tongued. But she trusts people too easily."
Eya went quiet for a moment.
Then she laughed softly.
"Oh?"
Her lips nearly brushed his ear.
"So you spend a lot of time coaxing her, do you?"
Kael's ears turned bright red.
Eya laughed harder.
"Why stop talking?"
Kael gritted his teeth and kept running.
Then he felt it.
A soft breath.
Warm air sliding deliberately into his ear.
He nearly stumbled.
Eya giggled behind him.
"Your ears are burning."
"Stop that."
"Or what?"
"Eya."
Her laughter turned wicked.
"You care for her that much?"
Kael made a strangled noise.
His silence answered for him.
Eya's voice dropped lower.
"So you truly do love her."
Then she bit his ear.
Hard.
Kael nearly leaped out of his own skin.
"Ow—what in the hells was that for?!"
No answer came.
Her laughter vanished.
Her teasing stopped.
Instead, she simply rested her face quietly against his shoulder.
Silent.
Still.
Kael frowned but had no time to think about her strange mood.
The Ancient Reed soon emerged ahead of them.
Even after seeing it before, Kael still felt dwarfed by it.
The colossal bamboo towered over the waters of the Jadebelt Mere like a green god piercing the heavens. Endless branches spread outward like an entire suspended forest.
"There!" Kael shouted.
He rushed to the shore and lowered Eya.
"I'm going up. Wait here."
Her face went white.
"What?"
Kael turned.
"She's up there."
Eya stared at him like he had announced his intention to jump into a dragon's mouth.
"She's WHAT?"
"She was sleeping in the nest."
Kael turned to leap—
"WAIT!"
Eya's scream stopped him for half a second.
"There's a thousand-year phoenix nesting up there!"
Kael gave her a reckless grin.
"It's fine."
Then he jumped.
He landed on the water.
Skimmed across the surface.
And shot toward the towering Ancient Reed.
"Kael!" Eya screamed. "You idiot! Come back!"
He only waved once without looking back.
"Don't run off!"
Then he began climbing.
He surged upward through branches thick as castle towers.
Leaves whipped his face.
Wind tore at his clothes.
Then he reached the nest.
Kael vaulted over the edge—
—and froze.
His blood turned to ice.
Selene was gone.
The two enormous jade-colored eggs were gone too.
The nest was empty.
"No…"
Kael staggered forward.
"No no no…"
He searched wildly.
Nothing.
No Selene.
No eggs.
Nothing but woven branches and silence.
"Sel!"
His voice cracked.
"SELENE!"
His mind erupted into nightmare possibilities.
Had she awakened and left?
Had the male spirit roc returned?
Had Hadrian found her unconscious—
Had he seen her naked—
Had he touched her—
Kael's vision blurred.
Cold sweat poured down his body.
He spun wildly—
Then heard movement behind him.
Hope detonated inside him.
"Sel?!"
He whirled around—
—and found Eya standing there instead.
He stared.
"How did you—"
"What happened?" Eya asked sharply, scanning the nest.
Kael looked half-mad.
"She's gone."
Eya's expression hardened.
She surveyed the nest carefully.
Nothing was broken.
Nothing disturbed.
"No signs of struggle," she said quietly. "That's good."
Kael forced himself to breathe.
Then realization hit him.
He stared at her legs.
"Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
"How exactly did you climb all the way up here with an injured foot?"
Eya's eyes widened.
Then she immediately bent over and clutched her ankle.
"Ahhh—"
Her face twisted in theatrical pain.
"It hurts so much... I-I was worried something happened to you, so I forced myself to climb…"
Kael instantly moved to support her.
Guilt stabbed through him.
"Sorry."
Eya leaned against him dramatically.
Then her eyes locked onto the radiant artifact embedded within the nest.
The mirror.
The Sevenfold Prismatic Mirror.
Her pupils widened.
"What is that?"
Kael followed her gaze.
"That thing?"
He scratched his head.
"Selene said it might be some ancient divine relic. Seven...something mirror?"
Eya whispered the name instantly.
"The Sevenfold Prismatic Mirror."
Kael snapped his fingers.
"That's it."
Her eyes burned with naked fascination.
"I've heard legends…"
She stepped toward it.
Kael grabbed her wrist.
"Don't."
She blinked.
"It burns anyone who touches it."
Eya frowned.
"A defensive restriction?"
"Maybe."
Kael was already turning away.
"I need to find Selene."
He crouched.
"Get on."
Eya reluctantly tore her gaze from the mirror.
He carried her back down.
Leaping branch to branch.
Then across the water.
Then onto the shore.
Kael began circling the enormous lake in frantic loops.
"Sel!"
Nothing.
"SELENE!"
Still nothing.
He searched until panic hollowed him out.
"Where did she go…"
Eya rolled her eyes on his back.
"Running around like a decapitated chicken isn't helping."
Kael stopped.
He hated that she was right.
He forced himself to think.
But his thoughts were chaos.
Every possibility led nowhere.
Every second made his fear worse.
Eya watched sweat pour down his face.
She looked equal parts amused and irritated.
Then she smiled slowly.
"Beg me."
Kael stopped.
"What?"
She leaned against him.
"Beg me properly, and I'll help you find your beloved."
Kael nearly shouted in relief.
"You can find her?"
Eya smirked.
"So she is your beloved."
"Eya—"
She wagged a finger.
"Beg."
Kael inhaled sharply.
Then words exploded from him at machine-gun speed.
"Beautiful lady, kind savior, please help me and I'll remember your generosity forever."
Eya stared at him flatly.
"That was completely insincere."
Kael looked ready to scream.
"Are you serious right now?"
"You helped me earlier because you wanted something in return?"
"That's not what I meant!"
She crossed her arms.
Then looked away dramatically.
Kael nearly tore his hair out.
"Fine. What do you want?"
Eya turned back slowly.
Her eyes gleamed.
"You owe me a favor."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"That's it?"
"For now."
Her smile deepened.
"When I collect that debt…"
She leaned close.
"You don't get to refuse."
Kael cursed internally.
What were the chances he would ever see her again after escaping this cursed valley?
Low enough.
"Fine."
She smiled brightly.
"Good boy."
From her sleeve, she drew a violet ward-script covered in shimmering runes.
Kael leaned closer.
"What is that?"
Eya whispered an incantation.
Then threw it skyward.
White light exploded into the heavens.
BOOM.
A massive burst of brilliance bloomed overhead.
Layer after layer of radiant white spread outward like a giant umbrella of frozen stars.
Silver light rained down across the forest.
The entire region glowed like moonlit steel.
Kael stared upward in disbelief.
"What in the hells…"
Eya looked smug.
"It's called a Snowfire Ward."
"You made that?"
"Obviously."
Kael stared at the impossible light.
"It's beautiful…"
Then blinked.
"Wait. How does this help us find Selene?"
Eya burst into laughter.
"You fool."
She tapped his forehead.
"It doesn't find people."
Kael frowned.
Then understanding hit him.
The light would draw attention.
If Selene was nearby—
she would come.
Kael looked back at the floating brilliance.
It remained suspended in the sky, slowly dimming but still bright enough to illuminate miles of forest.
His obsession with crafting quickly overpowered even his panic.
"What's it made of?"
Eya blinked.
"You're asking that right now?"
"Yes."
She stared at him like he was insane.
Then sighed.
"Ground-breath moss. Scarlet bark fruit. Trickster dates. Fireweed resin…"
She kept listing ingredients.
Kael listened like a starving man at a feast.
Then froze.
"Wait."
He turned sharply.
"Did you say frost wyrm bone?"
Eya grinned proudly.
"Yes."
Kael gaped.
"Where did you get frost wyrm bone?"
"The northern ice rivers of the outer continents."
Kael nearly dropped dead.
"You've been there?!"
She looked offended.
"If treasure exists somewhere, why wouldn't I go?"
Kael stared at her in awe.
The Three Islands and Ten Continents existed mostly in legends.
She had actually traveled there.
"What was it like?"
Eya's expression softened.
"Beautiful."
Then she leaned close against his ear.
"If you want…"
Her voice became honey.
"I could take you there someday."
Kael turned.
Her face was inches away.
Under the silver glow raining from the heavens, she looked unreal.
Like moonlight given flesh.
For one dangerous second—
Kael forgot everything.
Then—
"KAEL!"
His heart nearly burst.
He spun.
Far in the distance, a familiar figure ran toward him.
Slim.
Graceful.
Beautiful.
Selene.
"KAEL!"
He shouted back so loudly his throat hurt.
"SEL!"
Joy hit him like lightning.
He sprinted toward her—
Then Eya whispered urgently behind him.
"Put me down."
Kael lowered her instantly and ran.
Selene rushed toward him as well.
For one perfect second, it looked like she meant to leap into his arms—
Then she saw Eya standing behind him.
Selene slowed.
Her expression changed.
Confusion.
Suspicion.
And something much sharper.
Only then did Kael see who was running behind her.
Hadrian Corvel.
Kael's joy curdled instantly.
His chest tightened.
He rushed to Selene and seized both her hands.
"Are you alright?"
And behind her—
Hadrian kept coming.
"Who do you think I was looking for?" Selene snapped, breathless and flushed from running. "I searched half the valley for you. I was losing my mind." She shot Hadrian a quick glance. "Fortunately, Young Warden Corvel found me first."
Kael barely heard the last part.
His eyes raked over her body in frantic inspection. No torn robes. No blood. No signs Hadrian had touched her.
Still, the question burst out before he could stop it.
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Selene blinked.
Then her cheeks reddened with outrage.
"What exactly do you think he would do to me?"
Her glare stabbed him.
Yet even while scolding him, the corners of her eyes kept drifting toward Eya.
Studying.
Measuring.
Judging.
Kael felt sweat bead down his neck.
He turned quickly.
"This is Eya Verdane," he said. "We met not long ago."
Then to Eya—
"This is my Third Soror."
Eya folded her hands neatly over her stomach and dipped her head with perfect grace, suddenly looking like the most harmless girl in the world.
"It's a pleasure, sister."
Selene gave the barest nod.
"Mm."
Cold.
Reserved.
Then she turned right back toward Kael and jabbed him in the chest.
"And where exactly did you go? You vanished without saying a word, then disappeared for hours."
Kael coughed.
"I'll explain later."
His gaze slid toward Hadrian.
The man was staring at Eya.
Not casually.
Not curiously.
Like a hunter trying to decide whether something in front of him was prey.
Kael instantly disliked it.
He forced a smile.
"Well, Young Warden Corvel returned. I assume that means you successfully secured the Warding-Vase Bamboo?"
Hadrian's expression remained calm.
"Unfortunately not. Poor timing. The master of the valley is away and will not return for another ten days. We'll have to wait."
Kael tilted his head.
"What about the valley heir? You said you were close."
A flicker crossed Hadrian's eyes.
Gone in an instant.
"He's unavailable as well."
Kael smiled wider.
"Oh?"
Hadrian's gaze sharpened.
Kael continued casually.
"For a second there, I thought maybe he simply lacked the authority to help."
Hadrian stared at him.
Something uncertain moved behind his eyes.
Then he abruptly turned toward Eya.
"And you."
His tone cooled.
"Are you from this valley?"
Eya smiled.
"Yes."
That clearly wasn't the answer he expected.
Hadrian narrowed his eyes.
"I've entered this valley many times. Why have I never seen you?"
Eya's laugh was soft and lazy.
"Because I'm not someone people get to meet simply because they wish to."
She glanced sideways at Kael.
His heartbeat skipped.
Then sudden pain stabbed his palm.
He jerked.
Selene had quietly driven a fingernail into his hand.
He turned.
She was smiling.
It was a terrifying smile.
Hadrian's voice sharpened.
"This valley is sacred ground. It is not a place for creatures like you."
Eya tilted her head.
"And what exactly am I?"
"You know who I am." Hadrian stepped forward. "Do not play games with me."
Kael's irritation exploded.
"Wait."
He raised a hand.
"Did you say your surname was Corvel?"
Hadrian blinked.
"…what?"
Even Selene looked confused.
"Have you lost your mind?" she asked. "Of course his surname is Corvel."
Kael widened his eyes in exaggerated innocence.
"That's strange."
"What is?"
Kael grinned.
"Before we entered the valley, I distinctly remember someone loudly proclaiming that if he failed to obtain Warding-Vase Bamboo, he'd change his surname in shame."
Silence.
Then Selene froze—
—and burst into laughter.
She covered her mouth with her sleeve but failed completely.
Her shoulders shook violently.
Eya laughed even harder.
Bright.
Wild.
Completely unrestrained.
Hadrian stood there in absolute humiliation.
His face shifted between red, white, and murderous purple.
Kael stepped closer and clapped him on the shoulder.
"If you'd prefer to keep your family name, maybe stop offending people."
He gestured toward Eya.
"She might be able to help us."
Selene stared at Eya in shock.
"She can?"
Hadrian barked a bitter laugh.
"She can do what I couldn't?"
Kael shrugged.
"I said might."
Then he leaned closer.
"Of course, if changing your surname still sounds appealing, keep insulting her."
Truthfully, Kael wasn't even sure Eya could do it.
But he trusted her far more than Hadrian.
Eya shot him an annoyed look.
"It's only bamboo."
Her eyes narrowed.
"If you do what you promised, I'll do what I promised."
Selene immediately grabbed Kael's sleeve.
"What did you promise her?"
Kael rubbed his nose.
"She wants me to accompany her somewhere."
"Where?"
Selene's eyes sharpened dangerously.
Kael looked toward Eya.
Eya smiled faintly.
"You'll know when we arrive."
Then her smile thinned.
"If you're afraid, don't come."
Kael straightened immediately.
"Afraid?"
He scoffed.
"I am the Little Saint-Lord. My word is iron."
Selene yanked his sleeve harder.
Kael looked at her.
"The bamboo matters too much."
That part was true.
But not entirely.
The other truth sat uncomfortably in his chest.
He simply didn't want Eya to leave.
Selene looked toward Hadrian.
Hadrian remained silent for a long moment.
His pride warred visibly with caution.
Finally he exhaled through his nose.
"Lead."
He stared at Eya.
"I'd like to see this miracle for myself."
Eya smiled sweetly.
"With Young Warden Corvel present, how could I possibly try anything?"
Then she blurred forward.
The Ground-Sprint Art carried her across the forest floor like drifting smoke.
Kael immediately chased after her.
"What about your foot?" he shouted. "I can carry you again!"
"I'm fine."
She didn't look back.
And somehow accelerated.
Kael stared.
So she was faking…
Behind him, Selene and Hadrian surged forward as well.
The four of them raced deeper into the Great Verdant Vale.
---
Selene drifted closer while running.
Her voice lowered.
"Is there something wrong with that girl?"
Hadrian answered before Kael could.
"She is not human."
Kael's heart jolted.
He turned sharply.
"What?"
Hadrian's expression carried arrogant certainty.
"My family has hunted demons and monsters for generations. We do not misidentify such things."
Kael's face darkened.
"You're making accusations without proof."
Hadrian laughed coldly.
"I know what I sensed."
Kael fell silent.
But inwardly—
he believed him.
At least partly.
Eya had already admitted her master was the Fell Sage.
He should have seen this coming.
Selene frowned.
"What does she want with us?"
Hadrian's voice turned colder.
"We'll find out."
His hand rested near his weapon.
"With me here, she won't dare anything."
Kael snorted.
"As if non-humans are automatically evil."
Selene shot him a sideways look.
"Like those beast brothers of yours in the Jade Peaks?"
Kael nearly tripped.
"What?"
She smiled sweetly.
"The bear spirit. The crimson serpent. The flower viper…"
Kael's blood ran cold.
"How do you know about them?"
Selene glared.
"If you don't want people discovering your secrets, stop acting suspicious."
Kael immediately shut his mouth.
She looked like she had more to say—
but Hadrian was too close.
So she swallowed it.
The terrain changed.
Steep slopes rose around them.
The bamboo shifted too.
At first, ordinary giant bamboo mixed with clusters of Warding-Vase Bamboo.
Then the rare bamboo multiplied.
Soon entire forests of pale bottle-shaped stalks surrounded them.
Dense.
Towering.
Claustrophobic.
The canopy blocked nearly all light.
The ground became wet and uneven.
Every step squelched through rot and black mud.
The air smelled wrong.
Wet decay.
Old blood.
Something sweet and rotten.
Selene slowed.
Her face paled.
"This place feels… different."
She pointed upward.
Spider webs hung from the branches.
At first only a few.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
Kael's skin crawled.
Hadrian's expression darkened.
He kept scanning the darkness.
Then Selene screamed.
"There!"
Kael snapped toward where she pointed.
And froze.
A web.
Massive.
Wider than a fishing net.
It hung between towering bamboo stalks.
Bones were trapped inside it.
Animal skeletons.
Half-eaten carcasses.
Broken skulls.
Some still dripped rotten flesh.
Selene gagged.
"That web is enormous…"
Her voice trembled.
"How big would the spider need to be?"
Kael remembered how much she hated insects.
He immediately sped up toward Eya.
He reached her side.
"This path feels wrong."
"It is."
She sounded entirely unconcerned.
"I changed routes."
"Why?"
"Too many patrols on the other path."
She smiled.
"If they caught us, things would become inconvenient."
Kael looked around at the nightmare forest.
"This feels very inconvenient."
Eya smirked.
"Are you scared?"
"Of course not."
Then he muttered—
"Selene hates insects."
Eya laughed softly.
"I thought you said she was powerful."
"She is."
"Then why are you worrying so much?"
Kael opened his mouth—
Eya cut him off.
"You care about her very deeply."
Heat climbed his face.
Before he could answer—
Selene screamed behind them.
Kael spun.
And his blood turned to ice.
A gigantic crimson spider the size of a bear exploded from the darkness.
Its body gleamed like wet blood.
Its eight hooked legs tore through bamboo as it lunged at Selene.
She shrieked.
Water Vitae erupted from her palms.
She struck wildly.
The blast knocked the monster slightly off course—
but not enough.
She stumbled backward—
and slapped her hand directly into a thick sheet of webbing.
Her scream became shrill panic.
The spider corrected instantly.
It launched itself toward her.
Its hooked legs descended.
Too fast.
Kael moved—
too late.
Then—
gold flashed.
Hadrian appeared in front of Selene.
His arm whipped outward.
A blazing golden net exploded through the air.
It spread wide—
then wrapped around the crimson spider.
The beast shrieked.
It thrashed violently.
The net tightened.
And tightened.
And tightened.
Crunch.
The sound made Kael's stomach twist.
The spider compressed violently.
Its shell shattered.
Its body folded inward.
Until the massive creature had been crushed into something no larger than a melon.
Its twitching legs protruded through golden mesh.
Hadrian pulled Selene into his arms.
"Are you hurt?"
Selene looked dazed.
Then noticed exactly how close they were.
And saw Kael sprinting toward them.
She shoved Hadrian away so fast he nearly stumbled.
Her cheeks turned crimson.
Kael reached her first.
"Are you injured?"
She shook her head rapidly.
Then raised her hand.
It was coated in thick white web fluid.
Her face turned miserable.
"My hand…"
Kael reached for his handkerchief—
then remembered he'd traded it earlier.
Damn it.
Without hesitation he grabbed the hem of his own robe and carefully wiped her delicate fingers clean.
Selene made a disgusted noise.
"That's revolting…"
But her eyes softened.
And turned liquid.
She stared at him like she might melt.
Hadrian silently watched.
The crushed spider stopped moving.
He lifted the golden net and examined the corpse.
Then his face changed.
"That's a Fire Spider."
Kael frowned.
Hadrian looked grim.
"If it pierced your skin…"
He looked at Selene.
"Your blood would have boiled alive inside your body."
Selene went white.
Kael's jaw tightened.
Eya merely smiled.
"Impressive knowledge."
Hadrian slowly turned toward her.
His gaze had become lethal.
"Where exactly have you brought us?"
Eya blinked innocently.
"You know this place?"
Hadrian's face darkened further.
"Fire Spiders are exceptionally rare."
He scanned the surrounding webs.
"There are only a handful of places they inhabit."
His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"And within the Great Verdant Vale…"
Realization hit him.
His face went green.
"The Thousand-Web Ridge."
Eya's smile widened.
"So you do know."
Hadrian roared—
"This ridge leads to one of the valley's forbidden zones!"
His killing intent surged.
"Why did you bring us here?"