Shadows in the mist

Chapter 2:

The forest was alive with fog that night, thicker than smoke, as if the mountain itself had exhaled. Akira followed close behind Haruto, clutching the torch that still flickered in his hand.

“Don’t fall behind,” Haruto said, his eyes never leaving the mist ahead. “The Serpents hunt at night. And the Lantern’s glow will draw them here like moths.”

Akira swallowed, his chest still tight from what he had seen at the gate. “That… thing, that snake. Was it real? Or some trick of the light?”

Haruto’s voice was flat. “Real. But not of this world. They are born of the Serpent Clan’s rituals. Blood-forged beasts, kept hidden until the Lantern awakens.”

The boy’s steps faltered. “So the stories are true…?”

“They always were,” Haruto muttered. “Children just grow up thinking legends are bedtime tales—until the shadows swallow them.”

The mist stirred.

A sudden whistle cut the silence. Haruto snapped his halberd upward—clash! A blade of steel slammed against it, sparks scattering into the fog.

From the branches above, a figure dropped, landing silently like a falling shadow. Slim, graceful, their face hidden by a mask carved into the shape of a koi fish. Another figure followed, taller, heavier, cloaked in dark indigo cloth.

Akira stumbled back, torch flaring. “Blood Serpents—!”

“No,” Haruto corrected, eyes narrowing. “Shadow Koi Guild.”

The smaller figure tilted their head, their voice soft, almost teasing. “So the stories were true. A Flame Lotus child wandering so close to the Lantern.”

The taller one stepped forward, his voice low and sharp as a blade. “And a warrior of the Lotus Clan playing guardian dog. How quaint.”

Haruto raised his halberd but didn’t strike. “Sora. Kai. Still skulking in the dark, I see.”

The smaller figure pulled off their mask—Sora, a young woman with piercing violet eyes and hair that shimmered like ink in the lantern-light. She smirked at Akira.

“And who’s this? A child? Don’t tell me he’s the one the Lantern has chosen.”

Kai remained in the shadows, his eyes barely visible. His presence was heavier, colder—like a blade against the throat. “If the flame is his, then he’s a danger. He should be cut down now.”

Akira’s blood ran cold. “What—what are you talking about?!”

Sora twirled her blade lazily, circling him like a predator. “The Lantern doesn’t shine for just anyone. It calls to those it intends to use. Maybe you’ll burn bright, little lotus… or maybe you’ll just burn.”

Before Haruto could reply, the forest erupted with hissing.

From the mist, two Blood Serpent soldiers emerged—masked men wielding curved blades, their armor marked with crimson scales. The air reeked of poison.

“Lotus… Koi… all the same,” one soldier snarled. “Step aside. The boy belongs to the Serpent Clan.”

Akira’s stomach dropped. “Me?!”

The soldiers lunged. Haruto swung his halberd, striking one aside, while Sora darted forward, her blades flashing silver. She moved like a dancer, vanishing into the mist, reappearing behind her target. Blood sprayed as her blade bit into his back.

Kai melted into the shadows themselves, his figure splitting into three. The Serpent soldier swung wildly, striking only illusions. Then, with one precise thrust, Kai’s real form emerged, his blade piercing the man’s throat.

Akira froze. It was over in seconds.

Sora flicked her blade clean, smiling. “See? That’s how you kill with grace. Not all this wild fire-flinging.”

Akira bristled. “I… I wasn’t even—”

Suddenly, another serpent-beast slithered from the fog, lunging straight at him. Akira’s torch flared instinctively, flames bursting outward—but too wide, too wild. The fire nearly licked Sora’s cloak.

She hissed, eyes flashing. “Idiot! You’ll burn us all if you can’t control it!”

Kai stepped forward, cold and expressionless. “He’s unstable. Just like I said. If the Serpents don’t kill him, his own fire will.”

Akira trembled, glaring at them both. “I’m not weak! I’ll master this fire—you’ll see!”

Haruto planted his halberd into the ground, his voice cutting through the tension. “Enough. The boy has promise. But promise means nothing if we don’t survive the night.”

The mist thickened again, and far off, the Lantern pulsed once more—its glow spilling between the trees, calling silently to all who hunted it.

Sora sheathed her blades, smirking. “Fine. But if he burns me alive, you’ll owe me a new cloak.”

Kai melted back into shadow, his voice trailing. “If he burns, I’ll make sure nothing remains but ash.”

Akira clenched his fists, his flame sputtering like his heartbeat. He had never felt so small—and yet, deep inside, something whispered:

This is only the beginning.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***