Eclipsed Fate: Bound by Destiny

Our footsteps echoed through the narrow corridor, the air cold and damp. The wet stone walls pressed in around us, their chill seeping into my skin. A faint, metallic scent of blood lingered in the air, adding to the unease that already weighed heavily on us.

The two cloaked guards moved silently at our sides, keeping a careful distance. I could feel their watchful gazes, their sharp vigilance tracking our every movement.

Zxia walked beside me, her hand still clutching mine. The trembling in her fingers had grown more pronounced. I could feel her fear, but I refused to let mine show.

We moved in silence, our footsteps the only sound breaking the oppressive stillness. I used the moment to observe our surroundings, searching for any possible escape route, no matter how small. Every detail—the cracks in the walls, the subtle shifts in the stone's texture—was etched into my mind. The ability to read the environment, to anticipate danger, was the key to survival.

Suddenly, one of the guards halted, pressing a hand against the wall.

"There's something here," he whispered, his voice rough and low.

He placed his ear against the stone as if listening for something beneath it. The second guard stopped as well, stepping closer.

Zxia and I came to a halt, my heartbeat quickening.

This was it. An opportunity.

I felt the tension in the air, something beyond mere caution. I glanced at Zxia, my eyes signaling her. She gave a small nod. She understood.

"What did you find?" the second guard asked in a hushed voice.

The first one pointed at a loose stone in the wall, barely noticeable. "It looks like there's a chamber behind this."

A brief exchange of whispers followed, their voices too low for me to catch.

I didn't wait.

With swift, practiced movement, I pushed Zxia back before delivering a sharp, forceful kick to the loose stone.

The wall gave way with a dull crack, revealing a small opening—just large enough for the two of us.

"Go!" I whispered.

Without hesitation, we slipped through the gap. The stone crumbled behind us, sealing the entrance shut.

We found ourselves in a narrow passage, shrouded in complete darkness.

But now, we were beyond their reach.

The game was still in motion.

---

The air in the narrow passage was stifling, thick with the scent of damp earth and decay. Zxia ran her trembling fingers along the rough stone wall beside her, seeking stability in the darkness.

I struck a small flame from the tinder I carried, the faint glow casting flickering shadows across the winding corridor. It was just enough to see a few steps ahead. Silence pressed in around us, broken only by the sound of our breathing.

"We need to find a way out," Zxia whispered, her voice unsteady.

I could feel her fear, but there was determination beneath it.

"We will," I assured her. "Stay calm."

We moved cautiously, each step deliberate. The passage stretched endlessly before us, its damp stone walls cold against our skin.

Then, the soft sound of dripping water grew louder, an indication of an open space ahead.

At the corridor's end, the dim flame of my tinder revealed a larger chamber bathed in pale moonlight, which filtered in through a jagged opening in the ceiling.

The room appeared to be an old storage area, filled with aged wooden crates and clay urns covered in a thick layer of dust. Everything about it felt abandoned, long forgotten.

"What is this place?" Zxia whispered, her eyes glimmering with curiosity. She had always been drawn to the hidden and unknown.

I scanned the chamber carefully, searching for signs of traps or lurking dangers. Something about this place felt... off.

"Be careful," I murmured. "This place... something isn't right."

As I approached one of the large, worn crates, a faint rustling sound came from within.

I shot a glance at Zxia, silently warning her to stay alert.

Slowly, I pried open the lid.

Inside, beneath layers of tattered cloth, lay an ancient scroll and an object that glowed faintly in the dim light.

I carefully lifted the scroll, undoing its fragile binding.

It was a map—old, its ink faded with time. But some markings remained clear: pathways leading to an unknown location and an unfamiliar symbol etched in the corner.

That symbol… it felt strangely familiar.

I couldn't quite place it, but a deep instinct told me this map was important. That it would lead us further into danger.

And perhaps... toward a long-buried truth.

---

The night air was crisp, biting against my skin. A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a pale glow over the narrow path leading to the Black Lotus Temple. The only sounds were the whisper of the wind and the soft rhythm of our footsteps.

Fatigue still clung to my body, and the lingering pain from our previous battle throbbed faintly beneath my skin. Zxia walked beside me, equally weary, yet her eyes sparkled with curiosity as always. She absentmindedly toyed with her white lily pendant, her small fingers tracing the delicate engravings on its surface.

Then, faintly, the distant strains of music reached my ears.

A gentle melody, beautiful yet laced with melancholy.

As we drew closer, the music became clearer, guiding us toward a small village nestled near the Black Lotus Temple. Warm firelight flickered against the faces of its people, who appeared welcoming, at ease.

At the heart of the village, beneath the sprawling branches of an ancient tree, a small group of musicians played.

An elderly woman with flowing white hair plucked at a guqin, her fingers dancing effortlessly across the strings. A young man beside her played a bamboo flute, the soft notes weaving seamlessly with the guqin's harmony. Around them, a few villagers moved in slow, graceful steps, their dance flowing in perfect rhythm with the music.

The atmosphere was serene, peaceful—so unlike the constant tension that had shadowed our journey.

Zxia halted beside me, captivated by the beauty of the scene.

I remained still, watching from a distance, my instincts unwilling to lower their guard.

Despite the tranquility of the music, something about this place felt… off.

Too quiet. Too peaceful for a world as unforgiving as ours.

There was something hidden beneath this illusion of calm.

My gaze locked onto the musicians, a sense of familiarity nagging at the edges of my memory.

A faint scent drifted through the air—the fragrance of white lilies, mingling with damp earth and burning wood.

I turned to Zxia. Her expression was peaceful, almost entranced by the melody.

This music… it was affecting her.

And I couldn't shake the feeling that we had just stepped into something far more dangerous than it appeared.

---

The music stopped abruptly.

The silence that followed was heavier than before—oppressive, suffocating.

Zxia remained frozen, her gaze locked onto the spot where the musicians had stood just moments ago. Now, there was nothing—only emptiness and stillness. But I felt it. Something was wrong.

The world around me began to spin. Slowly at first, then faster. Colors blurred, twisting into streaks of light and shadow. Sounds clashed together, forming an overwhelming roar that pressed against my skull.

And then—darkness.

When my vision returned, I was no longer in the village.

No longer near the Black Lotus Temple.

No longer anywhere I recognized.

I stood in the middle of an endless field of white lilies, stretching as far as the eye could see. The flowers bloomed in eerie perfection, their petals glowing with a cold, almost icy light. The air was frigid, seeping into my bones.

And in the center of the field stood a woman.

She looked ancient, yet breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was as white as snow, flowing past her shoulders. Her eyes, deep and dark blue, like the ocean's depths, held a sorrow that felt centuries old. She wore a flowing white gown, rippling in the wind that carried the scent of lilies.

She smiled.

A beautiful, yet profoundly melancholic smile.

Raising her hand, a soft blue light flickered from her palm, swirling into shifting images that floated before me.

They were familiar, yet blurred, like half-forgotten memories. Faces I didn't recognize, swords flashing in battle, shadows twisting and writhing in the darkness.

Her voice drifted to me—soft, like a whisper carried by the wind, yet the words were indistinct, slipping through my grasp like sand.

I wanted to move closer.

I wanted to ask her who she was, what this place was.

But my feet refused to move.

A cold fear coiled around my spine, creeping into my veins. This wasn't a dream. It was too vivid, too real. The chill against my skin, the overpowering scent of lilies, even the woman's voice—it all felt real.

And yet, deep inside, something told me this wasn't reality.

This was an illusion.

A carefully woven hallucination, trapping me in a labyrinth of memories and shadows.

And in the middle of it all, I felt utterly alone—confronting ghosts of a past I did not yet understand.

---

The old woman's silhouette slowly faded, leaving behind traces of blue light that lingered in the air before vanishing completely. The vast field of white lilies dissolved with her, swallowed by an encroaching darkness that consumed everything in its path.

And then, the darkness lifted.

I was back.

The small village near the Black Lotus Temple stretched before me once more, its warm glow from the bonfires unchanged. Zxia was still there, sitting beneath the large tree, her face pale, her eyes closed as if she were still lost in the melody that had long since disappeared.

I approached her, my steps slow, cautious.

"Zxia," I called, my voice rough.

Her eyes fluttered open, vacant and unfocused. "xKARMA… what happened? It felt… like a dream, but too real."

I sat beside her, silent for a moment, struggling to process the experience myself. That was no ordinary dream. It was a vision—vivid, unsettling, suffocating in its intensity.

"I don't know exactly," I admitted. "But I saw… an old woman. And a vast field of white lilies. It felt like… a memory buried deep."

Zxia bit her lip, deep in thought. "White lilies… that reminds me of Master Elara," she whispered. Her fingers traced the delicate carvings on her lily-shaped pendant. "This necklace… maybe it's connected to what we saw."

I studied her, my mind racing.

Master Elara… The old woman from the vision… The Moon Dragon Blade…

A thread linked them all together, but it remained tangled, obscured.

"We need to get to the Black Lotus Temple," I said, shifting focus from the lingering hallucination. "Ren might be able to help us make sense of this."

Zxia nodded, her eyes now filled with quiet determination. Rising to her feet, she walked beside me as we set off toward the temple.

The night air pressed against us, heavy with unspoken questions.

The journey ahead felt far more daunting than before, burdened by the weight of mysteries yet to be unraveled.

Yet, no matter how deep the darkness ran, my resolve burned stronger.

I had to uncover the truth.

And I had to protect Zxia—no matter what awaited us.

---

The Black Lotus Temple loomed in the distance, its dark silhouette etched against the crimson sky of dusk. The air here was colder, sharper, carrying the whispers of the wind as it wove through the crumbling ruins surrounding the temple. It carried more than just the scent of damp earth—something else lingered in the air.

Lilies.

That same scent from my hallucination.

That same scent that sent my pulse racing.

Zxia walked beside me, her steps steady despite the weariness still evident on her face. She remained silent, but I could sense her unease—the same unease that gnawed at me. The mystery of the old woman, the vast field of lilies, and its connection to the pendant she wore… it all remained a tangled enigma.

The Moon Dragon Blade rested heavy at my side, as if it, too, could feel the weight of the unknown pressing down upon us.

At last, we reached the temple's entrance—an ancient gate of blackened wood, adorned with intricate carvings of intertwined dragons. The massive doors stood slightly ajar, revealing a darkened corridor beyond. The silence around us was unnerving, broken only by the distant calls of night birds.

"xKARMA…" Zxia's voice cut through the quiet.

"Do you feel it?" she asked, her tone barely above a whisper. "Like we're being watched?"

I frowned, my senses sharpening.

Yes.

Something was there.

Not just one presence, but several. A cold, piercing sensation against my skin, like unseen eyes lingering just beyond the edge of the darkness.

"We're not alone," I murmured, my hand instinctively gripping the hilt of the Moon Dragon Blade.

We stepped into the shadowed corridor, our movements slow and deliberate. The dim light of the moon seeped through cracks in the ceiling, casting shifting shadows across the walls. The scent of lilies was stronger now, as if guiding us forward.

Then, from the depths of the darkness, a voice rasped through the stillness.

"It's been a long time, xKARMA… I didn't think you would come here."

---

The voice came from behind a massive pillar of dark wood. I focused all my senses, trying to pinpoint the number and position of our potential enemies. Zxia stood behind me, her hands trembling as she clutched a small vial of potion.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice hoarse but steady.

The Moon Dragon Blade was already halfway drawn from its sheath, its familiar weight grounding me.

From behind the pillar, a middle-aged man emerged, clad in a dark robe. His face was shrouded in shadows, but his eyes—sharp like an eagle's—gleamed in the dim light. He held a simple wooden staff, yet an unmistakable aura of power radiated from it.

Behind him, three more figures stepped out of the darkness, each wielding a different weapon—a sword, a spear, and a pair of daggers.

"My name is of no importance, xKARMA," the robed man rasped. "What matters is that we share a common interest."

He lifted a hand and pointed toward Zxia.

"The girl… and her pendant."

I shifted my stance, placing myself between them and Zxia. My voice was unwavering as I spoke.

"You're not laying a finger on her."

Zxia pressed closer to my back, her body trembling, yet her eyes burned with silent determination.

The man chuckled, a dry, piercing sound that echoed through the chamber.

"You're too confident, xKARMA. A killer, yes… but not a god." His lips curled into a smirk. "We have been waiting for you—watching you—for days. We know everything. About you. About the girl. And about that gleaming sword at your hip."

A cold dread settled in my gut.

They knew too much.

Far too much.

"What do you want?" I asked, buying time, trying to extract information.

These weren't mere mercenaries. This was a well-planned ambush.

The air around us grew heavier, the darkness pressing in.

The scent of lilies thickened, wrapping around us like an omen.

---

The robed man smirked, then suddenly burst into laughter. The three men behind him hesitated for a moment before forcing out their own chuckles, though theirs sounded slightly strained.

"Oh, xKARMA, are you really that serious?" he said between fits of laughter, wiping away what looked like a fake tear from the corner of his eye. "How dramatic!"

He gestured toward the Moon Dragon Blade in my hand.

"We're not here to fight you. We just wanted to… admire your skills."

His smirk widened.

"That sword—what a magnificent weapon! You know, I've always wanted to see it up close. Ever since I read about the 'Terrifying Shadow Assassin and His Glowing Blade' in the gossip tabloids!"

The three men behind him erupted into laughter again, this time more genuine. One of them—the one holding the spear—patted the robed man on the shoulder, grinning.

"That's right, sir! The story was hilarious! Even better than that mermaid princess drama series!"

I stared at them in disbelief.

I had been seconds away from unleashing a killing strike, and they… they were saying this?

This was beyond unexpected.

Behind me, Zxia let out a quiet, stifled giggle.

"They… they think you're some kind of celebrity in a gossip tabloid?" she whispered, her voice laced with bewilderment.

The robed man raised his wooden staff.

"Truly, we're just big fans! Could we, perhaps, get your autograph?"

With an exaggerated flourish, he pulled a sheet of parchment and a quill from his robe.

"Better yet, would you sign it directly on your glorious, glowing sword? It would make a splendid keepsake!"

The situation had gone completely absurd.

I still held the Moon Dragon Blade, but my grip had gone stiff, uncertain.

The lingering scent of lilies was still in the air—but now, it was mixed with the sharp tang of ink and something that smelled suspiciously like… cheap perfume.

---

Silence suddenly fell.

Their laughter faded, replaced by the pounding of my own heartbeat echoing in my ears.

I stood frozen, the Moon Dragon Blade heavy in my grip. This wasn't the enemy I had expected. This wasn't the deadly ambush I had anticipated.

This was… fans?

"You're mistaken," I said, my voice rough—not from anger, but sheer disbelief.

Zxia peeked from behind me, her wide eyes filled with confusion.

The robed man—the apparent leader of this absurd group—seemed momentarily startled. The forced laughter from earlier vanished, replaced by a look of genuine puzzlement. He studied me closely, as if trying to determine whether I was joking.

"Mistaken? Of course not!" he finally said. "We've followed your journey through The Shadow's Adventures tabloid! You and… the little healer," he gestured toward Zxia, who still lingered behind me, "are fascinating."

One of his followers—the one wielding a spear—grinned. "Yes! I've bought every single issue! My favorite part was when you fought that giant monster in the Forbidden Forest!"

Absurd.

The reputation I had built—one forged in blood and fear—had somehow been reshaped into a sensationalized story for entertainment. The shadows of my past, the ones I had kept so carefully hidden, were now exposed in the most unexpected way possible.

I felt something stir inside me—not anger, not frustration, but… deep, unsettling confusion.

Zxia, apparently more adaptable to nonsense than I was, finally stepped out from behind me. She eyed them warily, though a faint smile touched her lips.

"Well… nice to meet you, xKARMA's fans," she said, her voice still slightly unsteady.

The robed man stepped forward again, still holding out the parchment and quill.

"Perhaps we misjudged you. We thought you were the hero the tabloids described—the warrior with a glowing sword, fighting to save the world. But now… we understand it's not that simple."

His smile softened.

"Still, would you share a bit about your adventures? Or, at the very least… give us an autograph?"

He extended the parchment and quill once more, this time with a sincerity that caught me off guard.

The air around us grew heavier, thick with an unfamiliar discomfort.

I still hadn't decided how to respond.

The Moon Dragon Blade felt even heavier in my hand—not just from its metal, but from the weight of its history, and a reputation now twisted beyond recognition.