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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Path Beyond the Hills

Rin's journey began early the next morning, with the first light of dawn casting long shadows over the hills surrounding Hanae. She had packed lightly: a small satchel with dried food, a water flask, and a map that had once belonged to her grandmother, though it had yellowed with age and the ink was faded. Miko had given it to her before she left, saying little beyond "Trust it."

The road ahead was unclear. Rin knew only that she had to find the temple hidden somewhere in the mountains, but where exactly that was, no one could tell her. The ancient stone pathways shown on the map were little more than outlines, and the map's directions were vague at best. Still, Rin felt an undeniable pull, a force stronger than anything that could be explained.

As she walked away from the town, the familiar sights of Hanae—its quiet streets, the scent of the market, the distant laughter of children playing by the river—seemed to fade behind her, as if the very air itself was thickening in preparation for something unknown.

She took the same path she had often walked to reach her hill, but today, it felt different. Every rustle of the wind, every bird call, felt charged with meaning. The hills she had once known so well were now strange and unfamiliar, filled with a sense of weight—like they were watching her.

The sunlight, still low in the sky, broke through the trees in scattered rays, illuminating the path before her in patches of gold. Rin found herself staring at the horizon more than once, as if expecting the answer to reveal itself in the rising light.

By midday, she reached the edge of the forest that bordered the mountains. The trees grew dense here, their branches tangled like fingers reaching toward each other. She paused for a moment at the edge, looking up at the towering peaks ahead. They were shrouded in mist, their tops hidden from view. There was something intimidating about them, but also something that called to her—a voice she could not hear, but could feel deep in her bones.

A flicker of light caught her eye.

It was subtle at first, just a shimmer on the path before her. But then it brightened, a spark like a tiny flame, flickering just beyond the trees. Rin's heart skipped. She had seen this light before.

Without thinking, she stepped forward, following it as it danced ahead of her, always just out of reach but never disappearing. The light wove through the trees like a living thing, its glow soft but constant.

Rin's breath quickened as she followed the flame deeper into the woods. The air grew cooler, and the quiet was now filled with the distant sound of running water, the trickle of a stream she hadn't noticed before. The light led her to a clearing, where the trees opened up to reveal a stone circle. Moss-covered stones, weathered by centuries of wind and rain, formed a ring around the clearing, their surfaces etched with faint, intricate markings.

At the center of the circle stood a pedestal—a single stone block, smooth and unblemished. But what drew Rin's attention wasn't the pedestal itself. It was the thing resting on it: a small, glowing ember, no bigger than her palm, pulsing with a soft, rhythmic light.

Rin's hand hovered over her heart, as if in instinctive recognition. The ember called to her, and in that moment, she knew it was the Emberstone—exactly as the voice had said.

She stepped closer, but just as her fingers neared it, the air around her seemed to shift. The trees groaned, the wind picked up, and the ground beneath her feet seemed to tremble. The ember flickered wildly, its light becoming erratic, as if warning her of something unseen. Rin's pulse raced. She could feel it now—something was watching her. Something in the shadows.

From the darkness at the edge of the clearing, a figure emerged.

It was tall, shrouded in a cloak that billowed around it like smoke, its face obscured by the shadows of the hood. Despite its featureless silhouette, there was no mistaking the presence of power emanating from it, an almost tangible pressure in the air. The figure stepped forward, slow and deliberate, its steps echoing in the eerie quiet of the forest.

Rin instinctively took a step back, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Leave it," the figure's voice rang out, deep and resonant, though strangely hollow. "The Emberstone belongs to the darkness now."

Rin's eyes narrowed. She didn't know who this person was, but she could feel their malice, their intent to take the Emberstone for themselves. There was no mistaking it. She knew she had to protect it.

"No," she said, her voice firmer than she expected, despite the fear that gripped her.

The figure cocked its head, as if intrigued by her defiance. "You are unworthy, child. You cannot wield the power of the Emberstone. It is too great for someone like you."

"I'm not afraid of you," Rin said, though she could feel the lie as the words left her lips. She wasn't sure where the courage came from, but she wasn't about to let this stranger take the Emberstone. Not without a fight.

With a swift motion, the figure raised a hand, and the ground beneath them trembled once more. A blast of cold wind rushed at Rin, forcing her to stumble back. The trees creaked and groaned under the force of the wind, their branches snapping like brittle bones.

But just as the wind surged toward her, Rin's heart surged with an intense, unfamiliar heat. She instinctively raised her hand, and the warmth of the Emberstone seemed to course through her. The air around her shimmered, and for the first time in her life, Rin felt truly powerful.

The wind faltered, its force weakening as the warmth from Rin's hand spread out like an invisible shield. The figure faltered, momentarily taken aback.

"You…" it hissed. "Impossible."

Before the figure could make another move, Rin clenched her hand into a fist, and the ember's warmth flared up in a sudden blaze. The stone at the center of the circle pulsed with light, and in a burst of fire, the figure was forced back, retreating into the shadows from which it came.

The clearing fell silent again. Rin stood there, breathless, heart racing, her fingers still tingling from the energy she had just wielded. The Emberstone had not only responded to her—it had chosen her.

For a long moment, she stood still, the weight of the stone's power settling in her chest. The figure was gone, but Rin knew this was only the beginning. She wasn't just a traveler anymore. She was something more.

The last words of the voice echoed in her mind: Find the Emberstone… before the darkness does.

But as Rin stood there, holding the stone, she realized with a shiver that the darkness was not some faraway threat. It was already here.

And it was coming for her.