Several days had passed since Kaolin disappeared into the wilds, and the others had continued without him, venturing deeper into the shadowed lands beyond Koryuthan. With each step forwards, the trees had grown taller and the light dimmer, until even the scorching sun seemed reluctant to touch this part of Shenzhou.
The four of them made camp for the night beneath some sheltering branches of a dying tree just as dusk fell over the forest, the wilted branches overhead whispering with each breeze. An open fire crackled at the heart of their makeshift circle, its light pushing back the mist that had crept in before either of them had the chance to notice it.
The forest was still, unnaturally so, as if the land itself knew where they were headed. There was no birdsong here, no rustling of creatures in the underbrush, only the hiss of burning wood and, now and then, the distant cry of something inhuman through the thickets and trees – perhaps some evil spirits roaming about in the darkest hours of night.
They were on their way to Nivarra, the fallen stronghold of the Dragon Clan, once a proud and sacred city, now a grave left behind after the Jinlian Sect's purge during The Long Winter with the help of the Demon Army.
The fire cast flickering shadows across their tired faces. Around it, the group sat in profound silence until Guo Lan, who had grown increasingly restless with each passing day, suddenly stood. His eyes scanned the treeline, which was thick with fog and suffocating darkness as he addressed what the rest of them could not, but in the deepest of their hearts' chambers wanted to.
"This is it! I can't just sit here any longer," he said, "I'm going to find Master Kaolin whether you guys come with me or not!"
Before he could take a step, however, Wei Lan's hand shot out and gripped his arm, dragging him back down onto his seat. "Don't be a fool," he said sharply, though he tried not to sound too harsh. "You'll get lost… or worse."
Guo Lan's eyes flashed, frustration building up in every fibre of his being.
"Why do you speak as if nothing's wrong? Master's missing! Don't you care? Isn't he your friend?"
Wei Lan drew a deep breath as Guo Lan said this statement who knows how many times since the day he met the fella. But instead of confirming or refusing this claim right away, he looked away and let his gaze shift to the fire, where the flames danced wildly.
"Kaolin doesn't have friends or enemies, just how many times do I have to repeat myself?"
"Then why does he treat you like one?"
Wei Lan glared at him this time. "Stop talking nonsense. What matters right now," he said, "is how we're going to retrieve the Scale of Veyrûn without Kaolin." He then looked at the others in turn. "Anybody got a brilliant idea to enlighten the rest of us?"
The name alone made the group stir. The Scale of Veyrûn, the second of the Divine Artefacts, was created from the scale of the dragon spirit representing the Dragon Clan and brought to life with the breath of the Demon God himself. Without it, the forging of the Divine Bone would be impossible.
Commander Taohua's features were gaunt in the firelight as he was the first to break the silence and answer Wei Lan.
"To be honest, I know little of the artefact itself, or even the Ruins of Nivarra, only that it was once the birthplace of the Demon God. When the Jinlian Sect deceived him into lending them his Demon Army to eliminate the Immortals of Han-Yue, they tried countless times to shatter the wards guarding the fallen fortress but failed at every attempt. Fearing the Demon God might one day escape his prison four levels beneath Wujing Yuan and seek vengeance, they wiped out every last trace of the Dragon Clan, thus eliminating the chance of his return… or any reincarnation to come."
Xiyan, who had been staring into the fire until then, suddenly stiffened at Taohua's words. Her hand trembled slightly on her knee, but no one seemed to notice as she recalled what Kaolin had said about the symbol on her forehead back in the Qhinshao Forest.
Wei Lan, "What's left of Nivarra is now a fortress overrun by Demons and Devils, as far as I know. The ones who escaped Wujing Yuan have gathered there over thousands of years, waiting for the Demon God's return."
"If that's the case, then how do we breach the demonic array protecting the fortress, considering not even senior cultivators from Jinlian could?"
"We can't. Not without Kaolin. Only those of the Dragon Clan can cross the seals besides him, also…" Wei Lan paused for a few seconds before carrying on. "He's also the only one who's ever set foot there, unharmed. Even if we find a way to breach the protective charms, there's no guarantee we'll ever find the way out with those demons lying in wait."
The commander, "So, what's your suggestion?"
"Isn't it obvious, Commander? We simply wait. Kaolin is the only one who can gather all the artefacts and forge the Divine Bone for Immortal Lord Zhenhai. Frankly, without him, we wouldn't even have stood a chance against the phoenix spirit. None of us would."
"You seem to know a lot about the master," Taohua said, "so, let me ask you one thing: what's the reason he's helping His Highness? The real reason, that is. Even back then, two hundred years ago, he helped cure Zhenhai with his own life at risk, yet I don't understand why someone like him would do such a thing."
Flustered, Wei Lan briefly averted his gaze, trying to come up with an answer, only to come up with the most ridiculous one he possibly could.
"Well, unlike how he looks on the outside, Kaolin's soft-hearted and kind—"
Xiyan's composure cracked upon hearing this, and she interrupted Wei Lan without even being aware of it, not until it was too late and all heads and eyes turned to her with a mix of perplexity and disbelief.
"What? Kind? He's the most rigid, ungrateful person I've ever met in my life! I saved his life, and he didn't even have the decency to thank me, and now you're telling all of us that—"
"I didn't ask you to," came a booming voice from the edge of the blazing fire, and everyone turned. "Did I?"
There, Kaolin stood, albeit gaunt, shrouded in the deep shadows of the forest. His hollow eyes swept over the group sitting around the fire, filled with fatigue, and without a greeting or an explanation as to where he'd been all these days, he sat beside Guo Lan, who looked up at him in both awe and relief.
"Master…"
Kaolin, on the other hand, didn't take his eyes off Xiyan, who looked pale and flustered by his sudden entrance. "Go on," he said. "Tell me more. What else am I, other than rigid and ungrateful?"
Xiyan's mouth parted, but no sound came. Her fingers curled into her lap, and she dropped her gaze. Commander Taohua, sensing the tension rising, stepped in. He reached for the wooden spit over the fire and pulled off a roasted rabbit, offering it to Kaolin.
"Glad to see you back, Master Kaolin. We were just talking about Nivarra… or rather, how we're going to get in. What's your take?"
Kaolin readily took the spit and tore a piece free and chewed, taking his time responding. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and knowing.
"You can't enter Nivarra. None of you can. Neither of you has demonic blood running through your veins, do you?" His gaze passed over them. "The seals will shred your spirit from your bones the second you try." His eyes then caught on Xiyan for a flicker of a moment, and she immediately looked away. "That's exactly why… I must enter the fortress. Alone."
Commander Taohua hesitated. "Alone? Again? Why do you keep insisting on doing things on your own, Master Kaolin? We may not match your cultivation level, but we're not—"
"Anyone else who objects other than our great commander here?" Kaolin asked, already rising to his feet. His eyes locked onto Xiyan as if expecting another outburst. But she said nothing. He waited a breath longer. Still no answer. "Then it's decided."
He stepped away from the fire, found a patch of earth just outside its glow, and sank into the darkness with arms folded. He fell asleep not long after, though whether it was rest or escape, no one could say. The others exchanged uncertain glances, caught between relief and dread.
And somewhere beyond the trees, the cursed winds of Nivarra stirred, and distant, spine-tingling screams rose like a chorus from the shadows, demonic howls feasting on flesh and downing crimson blood from lives taken too soon and too savagely.