Muddy water dripped from my hair into my eyes, stinging fiercely. I raised a hand to wipe it away, brushing my palm across my cheek, which was covered in wet mud and dried blood scabs. The alley entrance was just ahead; ten more steps, then a turn into that narrow path on the East Side, which led to the back street of the old junk market.
I didn't manage those ten steps.
Three figures flashed out from around the corner of the wall, the soles of their boots crushing empty tin cans, the sound like a dull knife scraping bone. They didn't speak, just lunged at me. I retreated, my heel hitting the edge of the drainage ditch, and I stumbled, falling into the mud.
Just as my hands braced against the ground, an Iron Chain whipped out and wrapped around my wrist, yanking hard. My bones felt like they were being twisted by wire; the pain made me grit my back teeth. They dragged me up from the ground, my coarse Outer Robe scraping against the gravel, my shoulder blades hitting the wall with a dull thud.
“It’s her,” one of the Guards pulled open my collar, dragging out the Amber Pendant, which swung in front of my chest.
It wasn't heating up, nor was it glowing. It was as quiet as an ordinary stone.
But just now, at the bottom of the ditch, it clearly moved. That Red Light, the Talisman Mark that appeared on the wall—it wasn't an Illusion. But now, it showed no reaction at all.
“Take her up,” another Guard said. “The Gang Leader is waiting.”
I didn't struggle. My arms were twisted behind me, the Iron Chain biting into my flesh, blood dripping down between my fingers. They dragged me forward, the Footsteps pounding on the Stone Slab road, each one heavier than the last.
The door to the Black Market auction house opened. The Torchlight made people’s faces look red. The stage was covered with a dark blanket, its edges embroidered with twisted Runes. I was shoved into the center, kneeling on both knees. With a *clank*, the Iron Chain locked into a ring embedded in the floor, pinning me there.
Many people were seated below the stage. Some wore cloaks, some were masked, and others were bare-chested, covered in drawn-on curse marks. They didn't speak, only stared at me. Their gazes clung to the Pendant, as if they could see something through it.
The drumming stopped.
At the far end of the High Platform, a figure walked over. Black Robe, Bronze Ghost Mask, the exposed part of his right cheek was covered in Scars, like tree bark licked by fire and then cracked by frost. He carried a lamp in his hand; its Lamp Wick was Ethereal Blue, and a few wisps of Gray Shadow floated inside, twisting like they were crying.
Situ Lie.
I had never seen him, but I knew it was him. The head of the Yin Fire Gang, the Executor of the Clan Extermination order thirty years ago. He stopped, looked down at me, and his voice sounded like gravel grinding on a metal plate.
“The blood of the Star Gazing Clan, found only once every thirty years.”
I looked up, not avoiding his gaze. There was a taste of rust in my mouth—the tip of my tongue that I had bitten. The pain kept me clear-headed.
“You have the wrong person,” I said.
He laughed. The corner of his mouth twitched beneath the Ghost Mask, revealing blackened teeth. “The Pendant recognizes its master, the Bloodline lights the lamp. You still want to deny it?”
He raised his hand, and a short knife materialized in his palm. The blade was narrow and long, etched with fine lines on both sides, resembling some kind of script. I couldn't recognize it, but looking at it, my chest suddenly tightened, as if something was falling inside.
“This is a forbidden artifact of your clan.” He brought the knife close to my eyes. “It will recognize you.”
I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I stared at the knife. The blade reflected the light, showing my face—pale, smeared with mud, my Left Ear Copper Ring still in place. But my eyes no longer held the panic they had at the bottom of the ditch.
I remembered.
The Talisman Mark on the wall, winding and dotted with stars. I secretly traced it once in my palm; my fingertips went numb. It wasn't writing; it was a Key. A key to open what, I didn't know. But the Pendant... it was connected to this.
Situ Lie began chanting.
As the first syllable left his lips, my whole body shook. That burning sensation in my Meridians shot up violently, like a fire snake crawling through my Blood Vessels. With the second syllable, my jaw trembled, and cold sweat streamed down my back. With the third syllable, my vision went black, and my knees involuntarily pressed downward.
The Iron Chain made a faint sound. It was seeping into my skin, the patterns spreading along the metal like living things. Demon Markings. A spirit-sealing curse chain.
“The last blood of the Star Gazing Clan, sacrificed to the Gate of Eternal Life.” He raised the knife, the tip aimed at my Heart Area. “You escaped thirty years ago; today—”
I took a sharp breath, pressing my palm hard against the Pendant.
Don't let this happen now. Don't die here.
I kept thinking about the light in the ditch. The shape of that Talisman Mark, the angle of the turns, the curve of the end. I traced it over and over in my mind, my fingers moving along with it, my nails digging into my palm.
The knife fell.
The cold light cleaved downward, aimed straight for my neck.
I closed my eyes.
In that instant, a surge of heat exploded in my chest.
The Amber Pendant suddenly grew scalding hot, like a red-hot piece of iron pressed against my skin. Golden Light burst forth from within, instantly expanding into a circle of Light Shield. The blade struck it, emitting a piercing screech, and was forcefully repelled three feet away.
I opened my eyes.
The Light Shield remained. Pale Gold and translucent, it covered me like a thin layer of ice. The Pendant was stuck to my chest, so hot it felt like it would burn through my skin. It was vibrating, a faint hum traveling through my bones up to my skull.
Someone below the stage stood up.
“The Star Disk Key!” that person exclaimed, voice trembling. “It’s alive!”
The crowd stirred. Some retreated backward, others pushed forward. The flickering light of the Torches made faces shift between light and shadow.
Situ Lie didn't move. He looked down at the knife, then up at me, his eyes beneath the Ghost Mask narrowing to slits.
“So that’s how it is,” he said slowly. “It wasn't you Awakening; it was protecting its Master.”
He raised his hand, and the Soul Devouring Lamp suddenly flared, its Blue Flame shooting up three feet high. The Gray Shadows inside shrieked, twisting into faces, all bearing expressions of agony.
“You think this thing can save you?” He walked closer step by step. “The stronger it is, the more it proves you have the true Bloodline. Kill you, and the Key is mine. The Star Disk opens, and the world is washed clean.”
I braced myself on the ground, trying to stand. The Iron Chain still held me, the Demon Markings crawling up to my elbow, my entire arm numb. The Light Shield was trembling, and cracks were beginning to appear at the edges.
It won't last long.
I stared at him, my voice hoarse and unfamiliar: “You don’t know what it is at all.”
“I don’t need to know,” he raised the knife. “I only need your blood.”
The knife struck down again.
The Light Shield vibrated, the cracks spreading. The Golden Light flickered uncertainly, like a candle in the wind.
I gritted my teeth, pressing my palm hard onto the Pendant. Pain. Heat. But I couldn't let go.
Someone shouted from below the stage: “The Key has appeared! Whoever obtains it controls Samsara!”
Amidst the chaos, Situ Lie’s knife struck down a third time.
The Light Shield shattered.
The Golden Light exploded, scattering like broken glass. I was thrown onto the ground, the back of my head hitting the Stone Slab, my ears ringing. The blade grazed my Shoulder, cutting a deep gash, and blood sprayed out onto the stage floor.
I lay on the ground, unable to catch my breath. The Pendant was still hot, but the light was gone. It quieted down, as if exhausted.
Situ Lie looked down at me, raised his foot, and stepped on my wrist; the Iron Chain rattled.
“This time, no one can save you.”
He bent down, the tip of the knife lifting my chin.
I stared at him and suddenly smiled.
“You’re wrong.”
He paused.
“It’s not saving me,” I slowly raised my other hand, my blood-stained fingertip touching the Pendant. “It... chose me.”