CHAPTER 18 – Shadows Over the Village
The forest was quieter than usual.
Too quiet.
Lee Kung, Mia, and Sio Jun moved along the narrow dirt path back toward Mama Agatha's home, each step crunching softly over fallen leaves. Above them, sunlight filtered in golden shafts through the tall trees, but it felt… muted. Not warm, not safe — more like the sun was holding its breath.
Lee Kung walked at the front, his fingers resting lightly on the hilt of the Sword of the Dragon King. Something in his gut itched — a warning, faint but insistent. They had left Mama Agatha not long ago, her cryptic words guiding them toward the White Dragon's Den, where they had faced the truth of Lee Kang's captivity in darkness. She had given them knowledge, hope, and direction. Now they returned to offer thanks.
But the deeper they went into the clearing that led to her cabin, the more the air felt… wrong.
There were no birds. No insect hum. No gentle rustling of wind. The forest itself felt strangled.
Mia slowed her steps, her eyes darting between the trees. "Something's not right," she murmured.
Sio Jun's wolf ears twitched. "It's too still. Even the air smells… stale." Her nostrils flared, catching traces of something faintly metallic.
Lee Kung didn't reply. His grip on the sword tightened.
When the cabin came into view, all three of them froze.
Mama Agatha was standing in the doorway — but she wasn't the woman they had left earlier. Her usually upright posture was bent, her shoulders trembling. Her face was pale, the deep wrinkles more pronounced, sweat beading along her forehead. And there was something else — something far worse.
A sword tip rested against her chest.
Her knuckles were white as she clutched the blade with both hands, preventing it from fully piercing her heart. Blood had already begun to stain the front of her robe.
"Mama!" Mia's voice cracked with panic. She sprinted forward, her hands already glowing with healing light. She pressed them to the wound, her magic spreading warmth into the old woman's body. "Stay with me. I can fix this. I can—"
But Mama Agatha's hand, trembling but firm, rose to stop her.
"No… child." Her voice was a frail whisper, but it carried the weight of command. "It is… too late for that."
Lee Kung was at her side in two long strides, his sword lowering but ready. "Who did this?"
Her gaze locked onto his. "Your… brother."
Lee Kung's breath caught. "Lee Kang?"
"He followed you," she rasped. "He was at the White Dragon's Den. Watching. You did not see him… but he was there."
Lee Kung's jaw clenched. He should have sensed him. He should have felt even a trace of his brother's presence. But nothing — Lee Kang's concealment had been perfect, terrifyingly so.
Sio Jun's lips peeled back into a snarl, her claws extending. "He was here… all along?" Her voice trembled with rage. Her golden eyes glowed, and her teeth sharpened as the first hints of her wolf form broke through.
"Don't," Mama Agatha wheezed. "Don't waste your strength here. Save this village… save my surroundings. That… is my wish."
Her arm dropped.
"Mama!" Mia's hands glowed brighter, her magic surging desperately into the wound. But the old woman's eyes fluttered closed. Her chest rose and fell once, twice… and then stopped.
Silence fell over them like a heavy blanket.
For several minutes, they didn't move. Even Sio Jun, still trembling with rage, lowered her head. Lee Kung stared at the ground, his thoughts a mess of guilt, anger, and disbelief. He had failed her — just as he had failed too many others.
A sound broke the stillness.
Low. Heavy. Wrong.
It came again — a rumble that seemed to vibrate in their bones. Lee Kung lifted his head, his hand already finding the hilt of his sword again.
They stepped outside the cabin.
And froze.
The village beyond the clearing was under siege. Shadows — dozens of them — moved like living smoke, twisting into monstrous shapes with claws and fanged maws. They tore through walls, shredded crops, and cut down fleeing villagers without hesitation. The air was filled with screams and the crack of breaking wood.
Above the chaos, at the far edge of the village, stood Lee Kang.
Half his hair was white, the other half black, his body a mirror of light and shadow. The darkness around him pulsed and writhed like living chains. His expression was unreadable — cold, detached, almost bored.
Lee Kung stepped forward. "Is this the 'good' they say hides in you?" His voice was like a blade — sharp, bitter, and laced with contempt.
Lee Kang met his gaze but said nothing.
That was enough. Rage burst through Lee Kung's chest like a storm breaking free. His feet moved before thought could catch up.
He blurred forward at lightning speed, the Sword of the Dragon King a gleam of death in the sunlight.
"Lee Kung, wait!" Mia shouted, but her words couldn't reach him now.
He closed the gap in a heartbeat, his blade thrusting straight for Lee Kang's heart —
—and hit nothing.
Lee Kang vanished in a shimmer of shadow, reappearing a dozen paces away.
Lee Kung landed hard, his boots cracking the ground beneath him. He whirled, teeth gritted, scanning for movement.
Then it came — the fury.
Not the cold, calculated kind, but raw and consuming. His veins felt like molten metal. Lightning began to dance over his skin, crackling with every breath.
Mia's eyes widened. She knew this. She had seen this before — the loss of control, the storm that could destroy everything around him. "No… not again…" She ran toward him, her hands reaching out.
The air around Lee Kung pulsed. Shockwaves exploded from his body, slamming into everything within reach. Mia was thrown back, hitting the ground hard. Sio Jun dug her claws into the dirt just to keep from being hurled away.
The earth beneath Lee Kung's feet split and fractured. Lightning arcs leapt from his body, tearing gouges into the ground. The sword in his hand pulsed with the same furious energy. His eyes burned with light.
He raised his sword high, the energy peaking — moments from exploding outward in a wave that could tear through the village and everything in it.
And then—
"Lee Kung… please… help me."
The voice was soft, trembling, but unmistakable.
It was Lee Kang's voice.
Lee Kung froze mid-swing. His breath caught. His grip on the sword loosened slightly.
"He… locked me away… in this torment… in this dark torture…" The voice was broken, desperate. "Help me… please…"
The storm inside Lee Kung faltered. The lightning dimmed. His eyes darted around, searching for the source — for the brother he remembered, not the shadow before him.
The battlefield seemed to blur at the edges. The screams, the chaos — they faded under the weight of those words.
Lee Kung's heart pounded.
His brother was calling for help.
And for the first time in years, Lee Kung wasn't sure whether he was facing an enemy… or someone begging to be saved.