The air outside the vault is colder than before, a biting chill that sinks deep into the bones. Li Wei's heart pounds in her chest, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps as she stumbles out of the collapsing chamber. Jian's grip on her arm is tight, his presence a constant, grounding force as they make their way through the twisting passageways of the mountain.
"We need to move faster," Jian says, his voice low but urgent. "The collapse may have triggered something worse."
Li Wei doesn't need to be told twice. Her mind is reeling, still trying to process the encounter with the woman in the orb—the woman who claimed to be the source of the curse. The way she had spoken, so coldly, as though she knew everything that was going to happen, made Li Wei's skin crawl. She can't shake the feeling that whatever she's involved in now, it's far beyond her control.
The cave trembles once more, a deep, resonating growl from within the earth, and Li Wei glances over her shoulder. The shadows seem to be moving, swirling as if alive, creeping toward them in the dim light of their lantern.
"Jian," she says, her voice tight with fear. "We're being followed."
Jian doesn't respond immediately, but his hand instinctively tightens around the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning the shadows. "Stay close," he warns, pulling her forward at a faster pace. "Whatever is chasing us… it's not natural."
The walls of the cave seem to close in, the air thickening with an oppressive energy that makes it hard to breathe. Li Wei's skin prickles, and she feels the unmistakable weight of something—or someone—closing in on them. She tries to focus, her mind racing, but the world around her seems to blur with the growing sense of danger. The whispers from the vault still echo in her ears, haunting her every thought.
The end is coming.
Her pulse quickens as she stumbles over a loose stone, but Jian catches her, steadying her with a sharp glance. "We're almost out. Just hold on."
The passageway ahead opens into a larger cavern, its high ceilings lost in shadow. The light from their lantern barely cuts through the darkness, and the cold air presses against them like an unseen force. Li Wei's instincts scream at her to run faster, but the shadows seem to be growing thicker, coiling around them like a tightening noose.
Without warning, a shadow detaches from the wall, moving with unnatural speed, and Li Wei's breath catches in her throat. The figure is tall, its outline shifting, flickering in and out of existence like a specter. Its eyes glow faintly, a cold, malevolent light that makes her skin crawl.
Jian steps in front of her, his sword raised in a defensive stance, but the figure doesn't move closer. Instead, it hovers just out of reach, watching them with an intensity that sends a chill down their spines.
"Who are you?" Jian demands, his voice steady but filled with a tension that mirrors Li Wei's own fear.
The figure doesn't respond immediately, but its presence is suffocating, like the air itself is being drained of life. Finally, it speaks, its voice low and raspy, as if coming from deep within the earth.
You cannot outrun the darkness. It will follow you, no matter where you go.
Li Wei's heart skips a beat as the words settle in. "What do you want from us?" she asks, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to remain calm.
The figure's eyes flicker with something like amusement. Nothing, and everything. You are too close to the truth, too close to the end. You cannot escape your fate. The curse will claim you, as it claimed all those who came before you.
Jian's grip tightens on his sword, his jaw set with determination. "We will fight it. We'll stop it, no matter what it takes."
The figure tilts its head, the motion almost curious, as though it's contemplating Jian's words. You cannot stop what has already begun. The curse is not something you can fight. It is something you must accept. And you will soon learn… there are no escapes.
With a final flicker, the figure dissolves into the shadows, leaving behind nothing but a chill in the air. The oppressive silence that follows is suffocating, and Li Wei can feel her heart pounding in her ears as she looks around, trying to make sense of what just happened.
"Do you think it's right?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can we stop it?"
Jian looks at her, his expression hard and unreadable. "We have to try. But we need more answers."
Li Wei nods, knowing that he's right. But deep inside, a nagging doubt begins to take root. The figure's words were more than a warning—they were a prophecy. The curse is not something they can simply defeat. It's something that has already taken hold, something that is woven into the fabric of the world they inhabit.
And that thought chills her more than the cold winds of the cave ever could.
The two of them continue moving, each step heavier than the last, as the shadows seem to stretch farther around them, whispering of an end that is coming, one they cannot outrun.
As they emerge into the fresh air outside the mountain, the sun has begun to set, casting a blood-red glow across the horizon. Li Wei's gaze flickers toward the distant peaks, where the vault lies buried, hidden from the world. She knows now that whatever lies within that chamber is tied to everything—the curse, the shadows, and the woman in the orb.
But she also knows that the answers they seek will not be easy to find. The road ahead will be long, fraught with danger, and yet, there is no turning back now. The darkness is waiting. And soon, it will be impossible to tell where it ends, and where they begin.