Married to the Devil I Saved

The sun had risen high by the time the group crossed the final ridge of the forest. A faint breeze stirred the leaves overhead, brushing the heat off their faces as they made their way down a winding path of rocks and damp moss. The tension from the night before still lingered in the air like smoke.

Leon led the group in silence, every muscle in his back taut with focus. Yun Lan walked beside Arin, her hand occasionally brushing the hilt of her dagger, ever alert. Kael, now part of their journey whether they trusted him or not, walked at the rear, his cloak billowing behind him with each quiet step.

They hadn't spoken much since the fight with the shadowcrests. Not out of fear—but because they knew the silence was safer. The forest wasn't done with them yet.

It was Arin who finally broke the quiet.

"Where are we going now?"

Leon glanced back at him. "Southwest. Toward the Valley of Mirrors."

Kael raised a brow. "The next relic?"

Leon nodded. "If the map is right."

Kael let out a short breath. "It is. But the Valley isn't just a place—it's a test. And not everyone who enters comes out the same."

Arin frowned. "What kind of test?"

Kael didn't answer. He simply looked ahead, his expression unreadable.

Yun Lan narrowed her eyes. "You've been there before."

Kael gave a slow nod. "Once. A long time ago."

"And you survived?" Arin asked.

Kael didn't respond. Instead, he looked at the boy with something close to pity. "You don't survive the Valley. You endure it."

A chill settled over them again, not from the wind, but from the weight of his words.

By nightfall, they had reached a high ridge overlooking the beginning of the valley. From above, the terrain looked deceptively serene—a wide expanse of silver grass and pale blue stones scattered like forgotten stars across the earth. But at the heart of the valley, visible only when the light hit just right, stood a spiraling formation of crystal—like a shattered mirror standing upright.

"That's it," Leon said quietly. "The fifth relic is in there."

Kael stepped beside him. "Then you'd better prepare yourselves."

They made camp in the shadow of the ridge. The fire was small this time, hidden behind a ring of stones, just enough to provide warmth without drawing attention. Yun Lan pulled her cloak tighter around her as she watched the flames dance, her thoughts heavier than usual.

Leon sat beside her, silent for a while. Then he spoke.

"You're worried."

She looked at him. "Wouldn't you be?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Whatever happens in that valley—we face it together."

She held his gaze. "Even if it shows us things we don't want to see?"

Leon's jaw clenched. "Especially then."

Behind them, Kael sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. His blade lay across his lap, glowing faintly under the moonlight.

Arin had already fallen asleep, curled in his blanket, his breathing soft and steady.

It was a rare moment of calm, but none of them truly rested.

When dawn broke, they began their descent into the valley.

From the first step past the ridge, everything felt… strange. The air was heavier. The sounds of the forest behind them faded until there was only silence. The grass beneath their feet shimmered faintly, like moonlight trapped in green blades.

Kael walked ahead this time, guiding them with a strange confidence, his eyes locked on the distant structure of mirrored crystal.

But it wasn't long before the valley began to shift.

It started subtly—shadows flickering where there shouldn't be any. Then came the voices. Not loud, but whispers—soft, familiar, echoing in each of their minds.

Yun Lan stiffened. The voice in her ears sounded too real.

"You'll never be enough… you failed her…"

She spun around. No one was there.

Leon's steps faltered. He heard his father's voice—cold, cruel, the way it had been the last time they spoke.

"You were born for war, not love. Don't forget that."

Arin whimpered softly. "Sister…?"

Kael turned, face pale but composed. "The valley shows what we fear. What we regret. You must ignore it."

"But the voices—" Yun Lan began.

"They're not real," Kael said sharply. "Not unless you let them be."

As they pressed on, the terrain shifted again. The crystal formation was closer now, but the path wound in impossible ways—curving when it should have been straight, stretching endlessly when it should've been short.

At one point, they walked for what felt like hours, only to arrive at the same cluster of rocks they had passed before.

Leon cursed under his breath. "We're going in circles."

Kael closed his eyes. "It's testing us. Each of us."

And then, the valley did more than whisper.

It split them.

One moment they were together—the next, Yun Lan stood alone.

"Leon? Arin?!"

She spun around. The mist had thickened again, swallowing everything. Her voice echoed uselessly in the void.

Panic rose in her chest, but she forced herself to stay still.

"Think," she whispered. "It's an illusion. It's trying to break you."

And then a figure stepped from the mist.

Yun Lan gasped.

It was her—herself—dressed in royal robes, a crown on her head, her face cold and proud.

"You could've ruled," the mirrored version said. "You threw it all away for what? A man who kidnapped you? A boy who needs protecting?"

"I chose my path," Yun Lan said, fists clenched.

"No. You ran from the truth."

Yun Lan stepped forward. "And what's the truth?"

"That you're afraid of your own strength. Afraid of what you could become if you stopped pretending to be kind."

She looked into her own eyes—and then raised her dagger.

"I'd rather be kind than cruel."

With a swift motion, she stabbed the illusion—and the mist shattered.

Elsewhere, Leon fought his own demon—an illusion of himself, bloodied and monstrous, sword soaked with the blood of those he loved.

"You'll destroy them all," the illusion whispered. "You don't know how to protect."

Leon growled, swinging his blade.

"I do now."

The illusion faded in a burst of blue light.

Arin faced his mother's ghost, crying, begging for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry I left you…"

And in the softest voice, the illusion replied, "I'm proud of you."

Then it vanished.

One by one, they broke through.

And when they emerged from the mist—they stood before the crystal.

It pulsed with a soft, golden light.

The fifth relic.

Kael approached it slowly. "Only one of you can take it."

Yun Lan stepped forward.

But Leon stopped her. "Wait."

She looked back at him, and he shook his head.

"You've suffered enough."

He stepped forward, placing his hand on the crystal.

Light exploded around him.

Visions swirled in his mind—his past, his pain, his love for Yun Lan.

And then, calm.

The light dimmed.

The crystal shrank into a small golden orb—another relic, now bound to him.

He turned back to them, breathless.

"We have it."

Kael nodded. "Then we must go. The valley won't let us stay much longer."

As they climbed out, Yun Lan looked back one last time.

The Valley of Mirrors shimmered behind her, peaceful again.

But she knew what she had seen.

What they all had seen.

And something deep inside her had changed.

They were no longer the same people who entered.

And the road ahead would be even harder.