Married to the Devil I Saved

They didn't speak much as they climbed out of the Valley of Mirrors.

The silence between them wasn't empty—it was heavy, weighed down with the images they had each been forced to face. Even Arin, who usually chattered about everything, walked quietly between Leon and Yun Lan, his eyes focused on the path.

Above them, the skies were shifting. Clouds gathered slowly, as if the heavens themselves were unsure whether to cry or burn. The wind, once gentle, now whistled with a sharp edge through the trees.

Kael led the way this time. His steps were firm but measured, and though he hadn't spoken since they left the valley, there was something different in the way he moved—too quiet, too calculating.

Yun Lan noticed it first.

She narrowed her eyes, stepping a bit closer to Leon. "He's hiding something again."

Leon glanced at her. "He always is."

"No," she said softly. "This time… it feels worse."

They kept walking until the forest around them thinned, and the trees gave way to a charred expanse of land. Blackened trunks stood like broken teeth in the ground, ash swirling with each gust of wind.

"What happened here?" Arin whispered, clinging to Yun Lan's side.

Leon crouched near a tree, running his fingers along the soot. "This was burned. Recently."

Kael finally stopped, turning to face them. "This was once the village of Eldarn. A hidden settlement where guardians of relics used to live."

"Used to?" Yun Lan asked.

Kael's eyes darkened. "They were wiped out. By someone who wanted the relics for power."

Yun Lan's chest tightened. "You mean… the man who wants to open the gate?"

Kael didn't answer.

Leon stood, his tone hard. "Kael. Who did this?"

Kael finally looked at them. And in his eyes, for the first time, there was guilt.

"I did."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Arin took a step back.

Yun Lan stared, disbelieving. "You… what?"

Kael's jaw clenched. "It was a long time ago. I was under his control. I thought what I was doing was right. Until it was too late."

Leon's hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"Because I knew you wouldn't trust me. And I needed to get us through the Valley."

"You lied to us," Yun Lan said, her voice trembling—not just with anger, but with betrayal.

"I protected you," Kael snapped. "Every step of the way."

"But why?" Leon asked. "Why are you helping us now?"

Kael's gaze dropped to the ashes beneath his boots. "Because I saw what he became. What he's planning. And I realized… I didn't want to be a part of it anymore."

There was a long pause.

Then Yun Lan said quietly, "Tell us everything."

Kael looked up. "The man behind the relics—the one gathering them—he wasn't always a tyrant. He was once a protector, like me. We trained under the same order. But he wanted more. He believed the relics were the key to reshaping the world—to erasing pain and weakness. He called it purification."

Leon scoffed. "Sounds like madness."

Kael nodded. "It is. And he won't stop until he opens the gate and unleashes whatever lies beyond it."

Yun Lan wrapped her arms around herself. "What is behind the gate?"

Kael's voice dropped to a whisper. "No one knows. The ancients sealed it for a reason. Some say it holds divine power. Others… that it holds something that should never be set free."

"And the relics are the key?" Leon asked.

"Yes. We have five now. There are ten in total."

Yun Lan exchanged a look with Leon. "So we're close."

Kael's expression hardened. "Too close. He'll come for us now. He can sense the relics. He'll send his beast. And he won't stop."

A sudden rustle in the distance cut through the tension.

Leon immediately drew his sword.

Yun Lan grabbed Arin and pulled him behind her, eyes scanning the horizon.

Kael narrowed his gaze. "Too late."

From the edge of the burnt forest, shapes emerged—cloaked figures in dark armor, their faces hidden beneath steel masks. Their movements were silent, efficient, like wolves moving in formation.

There were seven of them.

"Shadowguard," Kael hissed. "His elite."

Leon stepped in front of Yun Lan. "We fight?"

Kael's hand went to his sword. "No. We run."

They turned and bolted, sprinting back into the forest. Arin was holding the hand to Yun Lan, his breath ragged. The trees became a blur as they dodged fallen logs, leapt over twisted roots, and ducked under broken branches.

But the Shadowguard were fast. Too fast.

One of them leapt ahead, blocking their path with dual blades drawn.

Leon didn't hesitate—he charged, sword clashing against the attacker's steel with a burst of sparks. The force knocked both back, but Leon recovered first.

"Keep going!" he yelled.

Kael pulled Yun Lan forward. "There's a tunnel not far—hidden beneath the ruins of an old shrine. It leads to the next passageway."

They ran until the trees opened into a clearing where the stone remains of a shrine lay scattered across moss and earth. Kael dropped to his knees, brushing aside a broken tile to reveal a round metal hatch.

"Go!" he barked.

Yun Lan climbed down first, pulling Arin after her. The tunnel beneath was narrow, damp, and pitch-black.

Leon followed, slamming the hatch shut just as the remaining Shadowguard burst into the clearing.

The darkness closed around them.

They lit a torch from the embers of Leon's sword, the flames casting flickering shadows on the stone walls.

"I thought you said no one knew about this place," Yun Lan said, panting.

"They don't," Kael muttered. "Unless someone told them."

Leon's eyes narrowed. "You think we were betrayed?"

Kael's jaw clenched. "I think someone followed us. From the valley."

"Impossible," Yun Lan said. "We were alone."

"Not quite," Kael murmured. "The Valley doesn't only show illusions. Sometimes… it opens doors."

Yun Lan stared at him. "Doors for what?"

Kael's answer was barely audible. "For what lies behind the gate."

They walked in silence for a while, their footsteps echoing.

The air grew colder as they went deeper.

Eventually, the tunnel opened into a wide underground chamber with a pool of still water in the center and faint symbols carved into the walls.

Kael approached the carvings. "This is a resting point. One of the last before the sixth relic."

Leon sat down, wiping sweat from his brow.

Yun Lan checked Arin, who had curled up beside her, shaking slightly. She stroked his hair. "It's okay. We're safe now."

But she wasn't sure if that was true anymore.

Kael stood silently, staring at the carvings for a long time.

"What's wrong?" Leon asked.

Kael hesitated. Then turned slowly.

"This chamber is supposed to be sealed."

Yun Lan rose. "What do you mean?"

Kael walked to the far end of the chamber—and stopped.

A single, small flower grew between two cracks in the stone.

A flower that shouldn't have been there.

Leon joined him and stared at it. "That's not just any flower…"

Yun Lan looked at it too. Her heart dropped.

The petals were deep red, almost black, and shimmered faintly under the torchlight.

Kael's voice dropped.

"It's called a Bloodvine Bloom. It only grows in places touched by forbidden magic."

Yun Lan whispered, "So he's been here."

Kael nodded grimly. "Not just him. Something else. Something that's already crossed the boundary."

They all looked at the flower as if it might move.

And for a brief second… it did.

The petals twitched in the still air, as if breathing.

Leon tightened his grip on his sword. "We rest one hour. Then we move."

Yun Lan nodded, her eyes never leaving the bloom.

The enemy was closer than ever.

And the gate?

It might already be opening.