The canyon was silent save for ragged breathing and the crunch of ash underfoot. Shen Yuan led the way along the narrow path, the branded captive leaning heavily against Yun Xue for support.
They reached a hollow at the canyon's base just as dusk bled across the broken sky. It wasn't much—just a shallow cave half-hidden behind a jagged outcrop—but it was defensible and dry.
"Here," Shen Yuan said.
The survivors moved wordlessly, too exhausted to protest. A fire was coaxed to life with scavenged kindling. People collapsed around it in clumps, shoulders slumping as the first trickle of warmth reached them.
Shen Yuan stayed at the cave's entrance, spear in hand, eyes fixed on the canyon beyond.
[ SUPPRESSION FIELD INTENSITY: 61% ]
The readings pulsed faintly on my interface. Lower than the camp but still heavy.
They'll find us eventually, I said. We need to work fast.
Shen Yuan's gaze flicked toward the branded captive lying at the fire's edge. The man's breath came shallow and uneven, the brand crawling faintly with suppression light up his neck.
He crossed the cave in three long strides and knelt beside him. "What's your name?"
The man stirred, opening one bloodshot eye. "Han. Han Fei."
Shen Yuan nodded. "We're going to try to remove the brand, Han Fei. You'll need to hold still."
Han Fei gave a bitter laugh. "You can't. I've seen others try. They all died screaming."
Shen Yuan's jaw tightened. "We'll be careful."
[ BRAND SCAN INITIATED ]
I reached out through the tether, threads of diagnostic code probing the talisman network fused to Han Fei's meridians.
[ BRAND ANCHORS: SKIN / MERIDIANS / SPIRITUAL CORE ][ ESTIMATED REMOVAL FATALITY: 88% ]
If we attempt a full extraction, he dies, I said flatly. The brand's hooks are too deep. But I might be able to sever one layer at a time.
Yun Xue knelt opposite Shen Yuan, expression grim. "And if it doesn't work?"
Then he dies screaming, I admitted.
Han Fei's lips curved in a humorless smile. "You heard your… whatever it is. Might as well get it over with."
"No," Shen Yuan said sharply. "Not until you're ready."
"I was ready the day they chained me," Han Fei rasped.
Shen Yuan didn't respond. He steadied his hands over the brand and gave me a single nod.
Beginning first phase, I said.
[ BRAND ANCHOR – EPIDERMAL LAYER TARGETED ]
Silver threads of code extended through Shen Yuan's fingers, probing the surface layer of the brand. Han Fei stiffened, his jaw clenching as the talisman marks began to glow.
"Hold still," Shen Yuan said.
The brand flared, lines of suppression light crawling across Han Fei's skin.
[ WARNING: RESISTANCE SPIKE DETECTED ]
It's fighting back.
Han Fei's back arched as the tether's threads dug deeper. "Stop—!"
Shen Yuan pressed down harder. "Almost there—"
The brand pulsed violently.
[ TETHER INSTABILITY: 47% ]
The backlash slammed into Shen Yuan like a physical blow. He staggered, vision swimming, but forced himself to keep hold of the threads.
"System—now!"
Done!
The brand's outer layer peeled away with a hiss, leaving a jagged scar along Han Fei's neck.
He collapsed, gasping.
[ BRAND ANCHOR – SURFACE LAYER REMOVED ]
Shen Yuan exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from his brow.
Yun Xue pressed a waterskin to Han Fei's lips. "Is it over?"
No, I said. One layer down, two to go. But we can't attempt the next phase yet. His body won't survive it.
Han Fei rolled onto his side, trembling. "Feels… lighter," he whispered.
Shen Yuan looked at the mark still etched into the man's meridians. "Rest. We'll try again when you're strong enough."
The survivors watched the procedure in tense silence. When it was done, they avoided Shen Yuan's eyes.
He felt their stares anyway.
Yun Xue came to him later as he rewrapped his side wound with the last of their clean bandages. "They're scared," she said quietly.
"They should be," Shen Yuan said.
"That's not what I meant. They're scared of you."
Shen Yuan glanced at the branded captive, still trembling in his sleep. "Because I failed?"
"No," she said. "Because you didn't."
Shen Yuan didn't reply.
That night, the survivors huddled together for warmth. The branded captive stirred fitfully in his sleep, muttering words Shen Yuan couldn't make out.
He stood at the cave's mouth, spear resting lightly in his hand, and stared into the wind-swept canyon beyond.
[ SURVIVAL PROBABILITY: 34% ]
I pulsed the number across the tether.
You can't save everyone, I said. You know that, right?
"Not everyone," Shen Yuan murmured. "But as many as I can."
That will make you predictable. Predictable men die quickly in Grave Omega.
Shen Yuan gripped the spear tighter. "Then I'll die quickly. But I won't turn my back."
They left at dawn, moving slowly so Han Fei could keep up. The scar from the brand glistened angry and red on his neck, but he didn't complain.
The canyon narrowed the further they traveled east. Shen Yuan kept them moving single-file, the spear in his hand and his eyes constantly scanning the ridges above.
Yun Xue walked just behind him. "How long before the Bone Court finds this place?"
"Not long," Shen Yuan said.
They'll already be tracking the brand, I added. Even partial removal sends out a resonance pulse. It's like lighting a beacon in the dark.
Yun Xue's jaw tightened. "Then we need to move faster."
They pressed on.
By the time the sun reached its zenith, the survivors were slowing. Shen Yuan called a halt at a sheltered alcove beneath a crumbling overhang.
"Rest here," he said.
Yun Xue distributed the last of their food—thin strips of dried meat and a few mouthfuls of ashwater. Shen Yuan didn't take a portion.
One of the older survivors, a woman with a limp, approached him hesitantly. "Captain…"
"I'm not your captain," Shen Yuan said.
"You are to us," she said, voice trembling. "We… we wouldn't have made it this far without you."
Shen Yuan's expression didn't soften. "We're not out of danger yet. Keep your strength."
She bowed her head and stepped back.
Yun Xue watched the exchange from a distance, her expression unreadable.
That night, as the survivors settled into uneasy sleep, I extended my sensors once more.
[ SCAN: SUCCESS – HOSTILE SIGNATURE DETECTED ]
A single, massive life-force registered at the edge of my range.
Shen Yuan.
He opened his eyes immediately. "What is it?"
Something's coming. Strong. Stronger than anything you've faced yet.
A cold wind swept through the canyon, carrying with it the faint echo of heavy footsteps.
[ WARNING: WARDEN Jurok Ironveil – PROXIMITY DETECTED ]