Chapter 35: The Prisoner’s Dark Form and a Dragon’s Stand
The prisoner’s transformation sent a shiver through the mist. His body stretched, bones cracking as he grew to twice his original height, his cloak tearing to shreds to reveal gray, scaled skin. Spines erupted from his shoulders, and his fingers elongated into black, clawed talons—each sharp enough to slice through stone. The third fragment pulsed in his chest, now fused with his body, its dark red light seeping into his veins like poison.
“Look what the fragment has made me,” he roared, his voice now a guttural mix of human and beast. “Stronger. Faster. Immortal. This is what you could have, Lin Yue—if you stopped fighting the Dark Dragon. Join me. Help me find the other fragments. We could rule the realm together.”
Lin Yue’s grip on his sword tightened, his dragon qi flaring brighter. “I’d rather die than become a monster like you.”
The prisoner laughed, a sound like rocks grinding together. He lunged, his clawed hand swinging toward Lin Yue’s throat. Lin Yue dodged, the claw slicing through the air where his neck had been, and swung his sword—dragon qi coating the blade, turning it a faint blue. The sword struck the prisoner’s shoulder, but the scales repelled it, sending a shower of sparks flying.
“Foolish child,” the prisoner snarled, backhanding Lin Yue. The blow sent him flying, his body slamming into the jagged rocks of the reef. He gasped, blood pooling in his mouth, but he pushed himself up—his dragon qi already knitting the small cuts on his back closed.
“Lin Yue!” Xiao Wei shouted, charging from the side. He swung his sword at the prisoner’s leg, but the monster kicked him aside, sending him crashing into the churning water. Ling dove in after him, hauling him back to the reef, her hands glowing with healing qi to stop his bleeding.
Elder Mu and Lin Yue’s father attacked next, their swords moving in perfect sync—Elder Mu aiming for the prisoner’s chest, where the fragment pulsed, and Lin Yue’s father targeting his legs to trip him. The prisoner roared, dark qi exploding from his body in a shockwave that sent both men staggering.
“He’s too strong,” Elder Mu gasped, wiping blood from his lip. “His scales are like armor—our swords can’t pierce them. We need to find a weak spot.”
Lin Yue’s eyes darted to the prisoner’s chest, where the third fragment glowed. The light flickered when the prisoner moved, dimmer when he drew breath—like it was tied to his life force. “The fragment,” he shouted. “It’s his weak spot! If we can hit it—hard enough—we can separate him from it!”
The prisoner heard him, his red eyes narrowing. “You’ll never touch it!” He raised his hands, dark qi swirling around them, and hurled a bolt of black energy toward Lin Yue’s father. Lin Yue reacted instantly, summoning a shield of dragon qi—two layers, woven with the energy of the two fragments in his jade box. The bolt hit the shield, and the dark qi hissed, dissolving against the blue light.
“Hold the shield!” Lin Yue shouted to his father and Elder Mu. “Keep him distracted. I’ll find a way to reach the fragment.”
He ducked behind a large rock, pulling the jade box from his robe. The two fragments inside pulsed frantically, their rhythm matching the third fragment’s—calling to it, trying to pull it free from the prisoner’s body. Lin Yue closed his eyes, focusing on the link between the fragments, and let his dragon qi flow into them—slow, steady, like a river merging with the sea.
The two fragments glowed brighter, their blue light cutting through the mist. The prisoner screamed, clutching his chest as the third fragment began to vibrate—fighting against his control, trying to reach the other two. “Stop it!” he roared, dark qi erupting from his body in a wave that knocked Lin Yue’s father and Elder Mu to the ground.
Lin Yue saw his chance. He sprinted from behind the rock, his sword raised, dragon qi and fragment energy flooding the blade until it shone like a blue star. The prisoner turned, his clawed hand swinging toward Lin Yue, but Xiao Wei—now back on his feet, his arm bandaged—tackled the monster’s leg, slowing him down.
“Now, Lin Yue!” Xiao Wei shouted, his voice strained.
Lin Yue jumped, his sword aimed directly at the third fragment in the prisoner’s chest. The prisoner roared, trying to push him away, but the two fragments in the jade box pulsed—sending a surge of energy that pulled the third fragment forward, weakening the prisoner’s grip.
The sword pierced the prisoner’s chest, sinking into the third fragment.
A scream echoed through the mist—loud, 痛苦 (agonized)—as the third fragment shattered. Dark qi exploded from the prisoner’s body, his scaled form shrinking back to its human shape, his spines and claws dissolving into black mist. He fell to his knees, gasping, the remains of the third fragment—now just a handful of dull, gray dust—falling from his chest.
Lin Yue landed on the reef, his sword still in his hand, his breath heavy. The two fragments in the jade box glowed, pulling the dust of the third fragment toward them—absorbing it, merging with it. Their light brightened, now a mix of blue and faint red, and Lin Yue felt his dragon qi surge—stronger than it had ever been, but still steady, still under his control.
The prisoner looked up, his face pale, his body trembling. “You… you broke it,” he whispered, disbelief in his voice. “The fragment… it was my ticket to power. To immortality.”
Lin Yue stepped forward, his sword pointed at the prisoner’s throat. “Why did you do it? Why work with the Shadow Sect? Why help them collect the fragments?”
The prisoner laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “I didn’t have a choice. Lord Xiao’s men took my daughter. They said if I didn’t find the third fragment and keep it safe for them… they’d kill her. I thought if I merged with the fragment, I’d be strong enough to save her. To take her away from the Shadow Sect. But I was wrong. I became a monster. And now… now she’s probably dead.”
Lin Yue’s jaw tightened. He thought of the prisoner’s family—the wife he’d asked to protect, the daughter he’d fought to save. This wasn’t a villain driven by greed. This was a father driven by fear. But fear didn’t excuse the lives he’d taken—the fishermen, the Frost Wolves disciples, the countless others who’d died because of the dark qi he’d unleashed.
“You’re not going to die,” Lin Yue said, lowering his sword. “But you are going to answer for what you did. You’re going to tell us everything you know—where the other fragments are, who’s holding them, what the Shadow Sect’s plan is. And if your daughter is still alive… we’ll help you find her. But only if you help us stop the Dark Dragon.”
The prisoner’s eyes widened, hope flickering in them. “You’d… you’d really help me?”
Lin Yue nodded. “But first, you talk. Start with the other fragments. How many are there? Where are they?”
The prisoner took a deep breath, his hands still shaking. “There are five fragments total. You have three— the two you found, and the one I had. The fourth is in the Northern Wastes, guarded by a group of Shadow Sect remnants called the ‘Bone Eaters.’ They’re worse than the Black Robe Enforcers—they feed on cultivators’ qi to stay alive. The fifth… I don’t know where it is. Lord Xiao never told me. He said it was ‘hidden in a place only the Dark Dragon can find.’”
Lin Yue’s father stepped forward, his expression grave. “The Northern Wastes. That’s where the old Shadow Sect training grounds are. If the Bone Eaters are there… it’ll be harder than the Sea of Mist. Harder than the Ironspine Mountains.”
Lin Yue looked at the jade box in his hand, the three merged fragments glowing softly. He felt their energy—stronger, but still incomplete. They needed the other two fragments to fully neutralize the Dark Dragon’s soul. And they needed to find them before the Shadow Sect did.
“We’ll leave at dawn,” he said, his voice steady. “Hai, can you take us to the Northern Wastes? There’s a coastal town there—Frostport, I think. We can resupply there before heading into the wastes.”
Hai, who’d been hiding behind the ship’s wheel during the fight, nodded quickly. “I can take you. But the Northern Wastes are colder than the Ironspine Mountains. And the Bone Eaters… I’ve heard stories. They don’t just kill you. They drain you. Slowly.”
Lin Yue nodded. He knew the danger. But he also knew they had no choice. The Dark Dragon’s soul couldn’t be stopped with just three fragments. They needed all five.
He turned back to the prisoner, who was still kneeling on the reef. “Get up. You’re coming with us. And if you try to run… if you lie to us… I won’t hesitate to finish what I started.”
The prisoner stood, his head bowed. “I won’t run. I won’t lie. I just… I just want my daughter back.”
The mist began to lift as the sun climbed higher, the dark qi from the prisoner’s transformation dissolving into the air. The churning water around the reef calmed, and The Wave Chaser rocked gently in the waves. Lin Yue looked out at the sea, now clear and blue, and thought of the journey ahead—the Northern Wastes, the Bone Eaters, the remaining fragments.
It would be hard. It would be dangerous. But he had his team—his father, Elder Mu, Xiao Wei, Ling, Hai. He had the three fragments, and a prisoner who might just hold the key to finding the fourth. And he had his dragon qi—now stronger, steadier, and more controlled than ever.
Slow. Steady. Strong.
That’s how he’d won so far. That’s how he’d win the rest of the fight.
“Let’s go,” he said, turning toward the ship. “We’ve got a fragment to find.”
The others followed, the prisoner walking silently among them, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The sun shone bright, warming the reef, and for a moment, the world felt calm. But Lin Yue knew—this was just a pause. The real fight was still ahead.
And he was ready.