LOGINWeathered by a thousand years of wind and rain, its surface was scarred with deep and shallow cracks, with moss creeping through the gaps. It looked ancient and imposing, carrying a deathly stillness that seemed to cut it off from the living world.The wall rose several feet high. It stretched endlessly to either side before vanishing into the dense forest and swirling mist, like a barrier between life and death.The blood trail stopped at the base of the wall. It didn't continue forward or turn back. It simply ended there, as if it had never existed. Aria slowly crouched down. Her trembling fingertips traced the cold stone, then moved over the dirt at the base of the wall, the scattered gravel, and the dried leaves. She searched again and again for any traces of Landon—one strand of hair, a shred of fabric, or even a single drop of dried blood.However, she found nothing. The place was so clean it looked as though no one had ever come here.Every clue she had followed, every stu
An ancient and tranquil presence filled with the scent of stone and wood replaced the eerie atmosphere around her. At last, the dense forest ahead began to thin. After walking a few more steps, Aria came to a stop at a towering gate. This was already her second time here.The gate, made of massive greenish stones, rose several feet high. Three robust, ancient characters were engraved on its lintel—Grayburn Sect. Time had etched its mark across the gate, each scar telling the story of countless battles. Despite being weathered and mottled, the two solemn stone beasts still stood proudly on either side of the gate.However, the place no longer carried the grandeur it had when she first arrived. Only a heavy silence hung in the air. Aria stood before the gate, drained of strength and barely able to remain upright. She reached out and braced herself against the cold, rough stone wall beside her. The chill from the rock spread through her palm and up her arm, clearing the fog in her
It was so dark that Aria could barely make out her surroundings. All around her, the shadows of trees twisted and clawed at the darkness, resembling the man-eating demons from ancient legends.Aria was only human, and the unknown still filled her with fear. Yet here she was, alone in a deep and dangerous mountain forest, and not once did she think of turning back.She had to find Landon. She would never leave him here alone. She had to bring him home.She moved slowly, each step taking everything she had left. Weakness and fatigue engulfed her body, and her vision kept darkening. Whenever it did, she would stop and brace herself against a tree to catch her breath. Once the dizziness passed, she forced herself forward again.She had no idea how long she had been walking. The ache in her chest burned, and her breathing turned ragged and uneven. Her throat felt so dry it almost burned. When she licked her cracked lips, she tasted a faint hint of blood. She must have broken the skin
Landon's energy well had collapsed and rebuilt itself more times than he could count. Each time it came back smaller than before, but there was something tougher about it now. It was as if the life force holding it together had fused into the foundation.The pain never let up. It went through his body and his soul, through muscle and bone, tearing at every inch of him over and over. He bit down on gums that had no flesh left on them, and when his jawbone cracked, he still didn't make a sound. He shoved all the agony, exhaustion, and despair down as far as it would go. The only thing he held onto was Aria. She was the reason he was still breathing, and that was all he needed. He could feel her from a thousand miles away. Her worry, her fear, the way she missed him so badly it had sunk into her bones. That connection between them held him like a line tied to his soul, and every time he came close to slipping away for good, it pulled him back. The spring in the sanctuary had turned
The lights in the VIP ward had been turned down low. Warm lamplight spread across the white bedding, but it couldn't touch the cold knot of worry sitting in Aria's chest. She'd stopped asking questions. But the dread had already taken root somewhere deep and was spreading through her like vines, winding tighter until she could barely breathe. Her eyes were red and dry, and every blink stung. Yet, she didn't notice it. Every thought and every scrap of focus of hers was locked on the phone in her hands. The cold metal frame pressed against her burning palm. The screen lit up and threw light across her pale, drawn face. She opened her contacts and found Landon's name. Her fingers were shaking so badly she could barely hit the right spot on the screen. In fact, her nails had gone white from how hard she was pressing. She tapped the call button again and again. The dial tone rang out through the quiet room, and each one landed on her heart like a hammer. But after a few seconds of
Blood dripped the entire way as Landon walked on. It fell from the hem of his coat, his fingertips, and every open wound. The trail it left was long and vivid, a red line stretching from the sect gates all the way into the deep mountains. Every drop carried the pain of heaven's punishment, which was the price he'd paid to keep Aria safe. The pain had burrowed into him like something alive. It gnawed at his mind without rest, every second worse than the last. He nearly went down in the forest more than once. His vision would dim, and he'd feel himself slipping right to the edge of blacking out. But every time, the same thing pulled him back. He'd see Aria's pale little face in that hospital bed. He'd think of the Carvers still waiting for her. Whenever he imagined her waking up and not finding him there, something quiet and stubborn inside him would jolt him back up. He couldn't afford to fall or pass out. If he made it to the sanctuary and stabilized his wounds, he had a chan
Philip knew he couldn't keep this a secret. If the Layne family wanted answers, they'd find them. Witnessing his friends' torment, he confided in Samuel about the fortune teller's warning on Panne Street.Samuel frowned. "Someone predicted something bad would happen if you raced?"Philip nodded, still
"Give me a couple minutes," Aria said, then turned to Ignatius. "I'm teaching them to follow the current trends."Ignatius said obediently, "I'll do it immediately.""Wait till the area is no longer barricaded." Aria handed him three cherry wood branches, freshly taken from the tree, and told him to s
The employees turned their gazes away from the mysterious box to focus on the stunning woman in their midst. Aria had a captivating figure, slender legs, and a radiant smile."It's indeed ominous." Aria handed the rhabdomancy sticks to Keith.Keith was fuming when he saw what was written on the sticks
Across the suite, Sam, tasked with guarding Fiona, bolted upright, his eyes gleaming with excitement.Fiona's brow furrowed. "What's gotten you so riled up?"Sam licked his lips, his gestures animated. "I'm hungry! There's a whole buffet out there, just begging to be eaten. But the boss told me to sta







