Chapter 38: Frostport’s Calm and the Fifth Fragment’s Whisper

Hai was waiting for them at the Frozen Mug’s door, his fur hat pulled low over his ears. He let out a grunt of surprise when he saw them—especially the prisoner, who walked beside Ling, his rope now loose enough to be just a formality. “You’re alive,” he said, stepping aside to let them in. “Figured the Bone Eaters would’ve swallowed you whole.”

Lin Yue smiled, pulling off his snow-covered coat and hanging it by the door. “We got the fragment. The Bone Eaters are gone—dissolved, once we took it.”

The innkeeper, who’d been wiping mugs behind the bar, dropped his cloth with a clatter. “You… you killed the Bone Eaters? All of ’em?”

Lin Yue nodded, taking a seat at a table near the fire. “All of the ones guarding the fragment. There might be more in the Wastes, but they won’t be a threat without the fragment’s dark qi to feed on.”

The innkeeper hurried over, placing a tankard of hot cider in front of Lin Yue. “On the house. All of you—anything you want, it’s free. You’ve done Frostport a favor. The Bone Eaters have terrorized us for months. We never thought anyone would stop ’em.”

The others sat around the table, ordering stew and cider, their tired faces softening as they warmed up. The prisoner, who’d been quiet since leaving the Wastes, took a slow sip of cider, his eyes drifting to the window—where the moon hung low over the town, its light reflecting on the snow.

Lin Yue pulled the jade box from his coat, setting it on the table. The four fragments inside glowed softly, their blue-red light casting a warm hue over the wood. He opened the box slightly, letting their energy flow out—slow, steady—so he could focus on them. Since taking the fourth fragment, he’d felt a faint hum in his mind, like a whisper just out of reach. Now, with the fire’s warmth and the cider’s comfort, he closed his eyes, letting that whisper grow louder.

He saw it then: a vision, clearer than any before. A cave, deep underground, its walls lined with glowing crystals that pulsed with the same energy as the fragments. In the center of the cave, a stone pedestal—empty, but marked with the same symbol as his father’s journal: three dragons twined around a circle. And above the pedestal, a faint red glow—flickering, distant, but unmistakable. The fifth fragment.

But there was something else. A presence, cold and ancient, lingering in the cave’s shadows. Not the Dark Dragon’s soul—not yet—but a trace of its power, like a fingerprint left on stone. The cave was where the Dark Dragon had been sealed, centuries ago. Where the fragments had been split apart.

“The fifth fragment is in the Dark Dragon’s tomb,” Lin Yue whispered, opening his eyes. The others looked up, their conversations falling silent. “Deep underground, in a cave lined with crystals. It’s where the Dragon was sealed—where the fragments were split. That’s what the prisoner meant by ‘a place only the Dark Dragon can find.’ It’s its tomb.”

His father leaned forward, his eyes wide. “Do you know where the tomb is? The old records—they never mentioned a location. Just that the Dragon was sealed ‘somewhere the sun never shines.’”

Lin Yue closed the jade box, his mind racing to hold onto the vision’s details. “The cave is in the Southern Mountains—beyond the Whispering Gorge. I saw it in the fragments’ memory—crystals that glow blue, a river that runs underground, leading to the tomb. We’ll need maps—detailed ones, of the Southern Mountains. Frostport might not have ’em, but Azure Cloud’s library does.”

Elder Mu nodded, finishing his stew. “Then we’ll leave at dawn. Head back to Azure Cloud, get the maps, gather supplies. The Southern Mountains are just as dangerous as the Wastes—goblins, bandits, and worse. We’ll need to be ready.”

Ling glanced at the prisoner, who was still staring out the window. “What about him? Do we take him back to Azure Cloud? Or leave him here?”

The prisoner looked up, his eyes sharp. “Take me with you. I can help. I know the Southern Mountains—my family lived there, before Lord Xiao’s men took Mei. I can guide you through the Whispering Gorge. I can help you find the tomb.”

Lin Yue hesitated. Trusting the prisoner had worked so far, but the fifth fragment was the last one—the key to stopping the Dark Dragon’s soul. If he betrayed them… if he tried to take the fragment for himself… they’d lose everything.

But the prisoner’s eyes were earnest, his hands tight around his cider tankard. “I know I don’t have much to offer. But I want to make things right. For Mei. For the people I hurt. Let me help you. Please.”

Lin Yue looked at the others—his father nodded, Elder Mu shrugged, Xiao Wei and Ling both gave small smiles. He turned back to the prisoner, opening the jade box just enough to let the fragments’ light glow. “If you betray us… if you even think about touching the fifth fragment… the fragments will sense it. And I’ll stop you. No second chances.”

The prisoner nodded, relief washing over his face. “No second chances. I promise.”

That night, they took rooms upstairs, the prisoner in a room next to Ling’s—close enough to keep an eye on him, but far enough to give him privacy. Lin Yue lay on his bed, the jade box in his hand, his eyes closed as he replayed the vision of the tomb. The crystals, the river, the pedestal—all clear now, as if he’d already been there.

Long Xuan’s voice echoed in his mind, soft with wonder. “The fragments are merging—slowly, but surely. Their memories are becoming yours. By the time we reach the tomb, you’ll know it like the back of your hand. But be careful. The tomb’s power is ancient. The Dark Dragon’s trace will try to 诱惑 (tempt) you—offer you power, offer you answers. Don’t let it.”

Lin Yue nodded, opening his eyes. He knew the danger. But he also knew they had no choice. The fifth fragment was the last piece. Without it, the Dark Dragon’s soul would never be fully neutralized—its remaining power would linger, waiting for another chance to break free.

He closed the jade box, tucking it under his pillow, and drifted off to sleep. Outside, the wind howled through Frostport’s streets, but inside, the room was warm and quiet. For the first time in weeks, Lin Yue felt a sense of calm. They were close—so close—to ending this. To stopping the Dark Dragon. To getting his life back.

The next morning, they packed their things, saying goodbye to Hai and the innkeeper. The villagers gathered in the street to watch them leave, waving and cheering. The prisoner walked beside Lin Yue, his coat pulled tight against the cold, his eyes fixed on the road south.

“We’ll find Mei,” Lin Yue said, glancing at him. “After we get the fifth fragment. We’ll search every village, every town. We’ll find her.”

The prisoner smiled—a small, genuine smile, the first Lin Yue had seen from him. “Thank you. For everything.”

They walked south, Frostport fading behind them, the road stretching ahead. The sun rose higher, warming the snow, and the air grew softer—less cold than the north, more like the spring that would come soon.

Lin Yue looked at the jade box in his hand, the four fragments glowing softly. The fifth was out there, in the Southern Mountains, waiting for them. The Dark Dragon’s tomb was waiting. The final fight was waiting.

But he wasn’t scared. He had his team, his father, the prisoner’s guidance. He had the fragments, and his dragon qi—stronger, steadier, more controlled than ever.

Slow. Steady. Strong.

That’s how they’d come this far. That’s how they’d win the final fight.

And when they did—when the Dark Dragon’s soul was neutralized, when Mei was found, when the realm was safe—Lin Yue would finally be able to breathe.

He took a deep breath, pulling his coat tighter, and kept walking. The road ahead was long, but they were ready.