Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Beneath the Truth
Amidst the ruins and silence, where breath itself seemed an intrusion, the tower rose. Not tall, but ancient—half-swallowed by earth and moss, bones of its architecture cracked and leaning. The remnants of its shrine gate slanted beneath a crooked beam, upon which a single glyph pulsed like a slow heartbeat.
Li Wei approached it with the caution of a man crossing a river of knives. He knelt, brushing away years of decay with his sleeve until the symbol became clear—etched in fine spirals, a sunburst fracturing into rays of geometric light.
"This must be one of them," he said. "The glyph of Light."
Leng Yue came to his side, the slope of her brow deepening in distrust. "Are you sure?" Her voice was quiet, her hand resting idly against the hilt of her sword. Her eyes never left the glyph.
Li Wei reached into his sleeve and conjured a thread of qi from his fingertip. It shimmered faintly as it connected with the glyph. "The tower was forged to separate light from shadow," he murmured. "That which hides in darkness... and that which pretends to shine."
At his touch, the glyph flared.
~vvmp~
A pulse burst outward, invisible to the eyes of the unawakened. But the earth responded. The ground beneath them groaned as if awakening from deep slumber.
~grrrrrnnkkk~
Stone receded like drawn breath. Before them, a narrow path unfurled, descending steeply. It was flanked by engraved pillars—guardians of memory, etched with scenes of monks bearing masks, scribes hunched over scrolls by candlelight, and warriors cloaked in runes of sorrow.
Leng Yue’s voice lowered to a hush. "These were no common cultivators. They preserved something forbidden." Her gaze lingered on a carving of a monk with a veiled face, arms outstretched toward the sun.
Li Wei stood, brushing dust from his palms. "Or perhaps they sealed away what others sought to release." He stepped toward the path’s mouth. "Come. We will not find understanding by standing still."
The descent was neither swift nor kind. Each corridor was a new maze, each step marked by the echo of not just their own movement—but others. Faint, measured, consistent. A second cadence, matching theirs just enough to slip beneath notice.
"Someone trails us," Leng Yue murmured after the fifth turn. "They make no move to close the gap."
Li Wei didn’t respond at once. He turned briefly, cast a talisman of faint gold into the air behind them. It shimmered—then fractured into dozens of glowing shards, each floating in place like stars.
"If they approach," he said, "we’ll know."
They continued onward until the cavern opened into a chamber that stole breath.
A spire of glass-like stone jutted upward from the center, slick with crystalline sheen. Two glyphs pulsed upon it. One burned with the cold radiance of starlight—Light. The other, darker but more vibrant, hummed a dangerous, resonant blue—Sunder.
Leng Yue exhaled. "Of course they’re both here."
She approached the spire, lifting her blade slowly. "These two glyphs do not bode well for us."
She pressed the edge of her sword against the glyph marked Sunder.
Light leapt up the blade—coiling around her wrist like a snake of cold fire.
Li Wei’s expression grew grim. "Light and Sunder. Illumination and separation."
"Their energy is... erratic," Leng Yue said. Her breath caught slightly as the illumination reached her shoulder, then faded. "If these two powers are awakened together, they might unravel this entire subspace."
She stepped back, eyes meeting his. "This place wasn’t meant to last. These glyphs were never meant to be removed."
They reached for the glyphs in unison.
The chamber responded violently.
A gust of wind, not from the archways nor from cracks above, but from the earth itself, surged upward. With it came a chorus of whispers—language not meant for living ears. Each syllable grated, tasting of iron and salt and rot.
From the corners of the chamber, figures emerged.
They were no longer misshapen beasts or echoes of souls. These were once men and women—now devoured by the very corruption the glyphs had bound. Their skin had become pale parchment, stretched tight across distended bones. Their limbs were too long, their joints too loose. Their eyes—gone. Only sockets remained, dark and leaking ash.
Their mouths, when they opened, bore too many teeth.
One stepped forward. Its head twitched, jaw creaking as it spoke in a voice like rusted bells.
"Unhand the relics... Devour the heretics..."
Leng Yue did not flinch.
She stepped forward, blade unsheathing with a whisper of finality.
"Come forth and meet your demise."
~SHHHING~
The creatures shrieked.
~KKKRRREEEEE~
Li Wei’s fingers snapped. A chain of talismans burst from his sleeve, spinning midair before anchoring themselves around the spire.
"Hold them back," he said, eyes already alight with the weave of qi. "I need time."
Leng Yue moved like a reed caught in wind—bending, flowing, never breaking. Her sword danced, carving arcs of silver through the air. Each strike landed with precision. Each parry sent ichor flying.
One beast leapt from above—she pivoted and drove her blade through its throat, wrenching free with a sharp twist ~CRAK~.
Li Wei, kneeling beside the glyphs, whispered ancient words. His third eye opened—wide, wild, straining to hold the opposing energies in balance.
The glyphs fought against him. Light tried to blind. Sunder tried to tear.
Leng Yue shouted, "They’re coming faster—!"
"I know—!"
He slammed his palm against the stone. The glyphs flared.
A sound cracked through the cavern.
~SHRRRAAKKK~
A wave of blinding force exploded outward, casting the creatures back like leaves in a storm.
When the light cleared, the corrupted lay unmoving. Some disintegrated into ash. Others simply... stopped.
The glyphs had dimmed.
And the spire cracked.
Li Wei staggered to his feet. "We have them... But the seal here is weakened. We’ve no time to linger."
The air felt tighter now—as if the ruin knew its end approached.
Leng Yue nodded. "Then let us return. The mask awaits."
And so they turned—back through the shadowed halls, the glyphs pulsing faintly at their sides, and the weight of something older than death stirring behind them.