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Realms of Balance – Chapter 19: Robb
The forest was still.
Only the whispers of the wind moved between the ancient trees, carrying the faint scent of burnt incense and iron—the lingering trace of blood. Lee Kung moved cautiously through the thick underbrush, his red armor glinting dimly beneath the shards of sunlight that broke through the canopy. Behind him, Mia followed, her bracelet faintly glowing in rhythm with the strange energies around them. Sio Jun walked in front, her sharp ears twitching, her half-wolf senses alert to every movement.
They had barely spoken since leaving Mama Agatha's burial site that morning. The grief of loss still weighed on them, but there was also something else—an unease, a feeling that the forest itself was watching.
Then Sio Jun stopped suddenly.
Her golden eyes darkened, pupils narrowing like a predator's. She sniffed the air once, twice… and froze.
"The smell of blood," she said quietly. "Human blood. Fresh."
Lee Kung instantly gripped the hilt of his sword. "Where?"
Sio Jun pointed toward a narrow trail that twisted into the shadows. "That way." Her voice was low, restrained—but even through her calmness, her claws began to form, and her breath quickened. "We're not alone."
They followed the direction she pointed. The smell grew stronger—metallic, sharp, and thick with fear. The ground became damp, and soon they saw it: a man leaning against a broken tree, a spear lodged deep in his stomach. His clothes were torn, his face caked with mud and blood, but his eyes… his eyes still burned with life.
Sio Jun's nostrils flared. She stopped mid-step.
Her claws extended fully now, gleaming silver in the dim light. "You," she whispered.
The man looked up weakly. His cracked lips trembled.
"Sio Jun?" His voice was rough and soft at once, filled with disbelief.
Mia blinked. "He knows her?"
Lee Kung watched carefully as Sio Jun's whole body shook—not from fear, but from something deeper. Anger. Memories. Betrayal. She stepped closer, her breathing quick and harsh. "You," she growled, "you shouldn't even be alive."
The man tried to speak, but his throat caught in pain. A spurt of blood ran down his chin. He gasped for air.
"You… don't understand…"
"I understand enough!" Sio Jun's claws gleamed inches from his neck. "You were one of them! You left me to die in the Shadow Woods! You let them chain me!"
Lee Kung stepped forward and caught her wrist mid-swing. "Stop!"
Sio Jun snapped her gaze at him, eyes burning red. "Don't you dare—"
Lee Kung's voice rose sharply. "Killing him won't change the past. If he truly wronged you, then his guilt will eat him alive. But right now, he's dying—and we are not Dehaska's monsters!"
The words struck her harder than a sword. Her claws trembled, then slowly retracted. She turned away, growling under her breath, fists clenched.
Lee Kung knelt beside the man. "Mia, help him."
Mia was already at his side, pressing her glowing hands over the wound.
Her bracelet flickered brighter as her power flowed into him.
The man arched his back and gasped as the spear melted away, the wound closing before their eyes. The smell of blood faded into the forest wind.
Five minutes passed before his breathing steadied.
He blinked his eyes open, confusion and gratitude washing over his face. Slowly, he pushed himself upright, wincing. "I… I didn't think I'd see the sun again."
Lee Kung helped him stand. "You should rest. You've lost a lot of blood."
The man shook his head weakly. "No… I must speak." He looked directly at Sio Jun, his eyes soft. "You've grown. You were just a child when I last saw you."
Sio Jun's lips curled. "Don't pretend you remember fondly. You're lucky I don't tear you apart."
He sighed, sadness in his tone. "I deserve that. My name is Armin."
Lee Kung's brow furrowed. The name sounded familiar, ancient even. "Armin? As in… Armin the Shadow General?"
The man hesitated. "Once, yes. Before the war reached Azura."
Sio Jun's eyes widened, and her breath hitched. "You were one of his generals. One of Dehaska's."
"I was," Armin replied quietly, "but not by choice."
He turned his gaze toward the sky where the clouds drifted lazily, hiding their light behind the forest canopy. "I was captured, bound by a blood oath I could not break. When Dehaska invaded the realm of Azura, I led his armies not out of loyalty—but out of survival."
Lee Kung's hand tightened on his sword hilt. "And now you expect us to believe you've changed?"
Armin smiled faintly, weary. "No. I don't expect your belief. I only expect to finish what I started before my curse consumed me."
Mia looked between them, her curiosity rising. "What do you mean?"
Armin reached into the torn fold of his cloak and brought out a small bronze emblem shaped like a serpent devouring its own tail. "This was given to me by your Master Po. Before the war began."
Lee Kung froze. "Master Po?"
Armin nodded. "He told me that one day, I would meet a young dragon warrior who would carry the fire of balance within him. I didn't believe him then… but seeing your sword, your aura—I know now he was right."
Lee Kung stared at him, lost for words. Mia placed a hand on his shoulder. "If Master Po trusted him… then maybe we can hear him out."
Armin lowered himself onto a rock, exhaling deeply. "The war scattered many of us. I escaped to this forest when Dehaska's forces turned on their own. I tried to warn the humans here, but they thought I was a monster. They speared me before I could even speak."
Sio Jun folded her arms. "Serves you right."
He didn't argue. "Maybe so."
For a moment, silence filled the clearing—only the sound of the wind rustling through leaves.
Then Armin spoke again, softer now. "You've come far, haven't you? The mark of the red sword, the girl of light, and the half-blood cursed by both sun and moon. You're the ones he spoke of."
Lee Kung frowned. "Who?"
"Master Po," Armin said. "He saw this journey before any of us were born. He called it the Path of the Equilibrium."
The three exchanged glances.
"What does that mean?" Mia asked.
Armin smiled faintly, though pain still lingered in his eyes. "It means that balance isn't restored by force, but by understanding. But before you can understand, you must transcend."
"Transcend?" Sio Jun echoed, skeptical. "What, you mean float into the sky?"
Armin chuckled weakly. "Not quite. I mean transcend time itself."
They stared at him in disbelief.
Mia blinked. "Time? How—how can anyone transcend time?"
Armin's gaze turned distant, almost haunted. "There are ancient spirits, older than Dehaska, older than even the first dragons. They guard the Keys of Spirit and Knowledge. These keys can open gateways between ages. But only those chosen by balance can wield them."
Sio Jun's voice dropped to a whisper. "Mama Agatha mentioned something about the keys…"
"Yes," Armin said, nodding. "She knew about them. In fact, she was once their keeper."
The realization hit them like thunder.
Lee Kung's eyes widened. "Mama Agatha… she knew how to cross time?"
"She did," Armin confirmed. "But it's not a power you use lightly. She must have kept her secrets hidden for a reason."
Silence fell again. Each of them could feel the weight of what was being said.
Lee Kung finally spoke, his voice steady. "If these keys exist, then we must find them. The realms won't survive another wave of Dehaska's darkness."
Armin nodded. "That's what your master would have wanted."
But before they could say another word, a soft glow broke from Mia's bracelet.
The light grew brighter, illuminating Armin's tired face and casting dancing shadows on the trees.
"What's happening?" Mia asked, looking at it. The bracelet vibrated softly in her palm.
Sio Jun leaned closer. "It's reacting to something."
Armin looked puzzled, then reached into his satchel. "That light… it's searching for this."
He pulled out a sealed scroll tied with a blue ribbon. "Mama Agatha gave me this before she died. She said I was to give it to Sio Jun… if anything happened to her."
Sio Jun's breath caught in her throat as she accepted it. "To me?"
Armin nodded. "She trusted you, child of two worlds. Maybe because your blood runs in both moon and man."
Sio Jun slowly untied the ribbon. The scroll unfurled by itself, glowing with faint golden runes that shimmered like liquid fire. As they watched, the words began to rearrange, forming symbols they didn't recognize.
Mia squinted. "What language is this?"
Armin whispered, awestruck, "It's the language of the First Flame… written by the gods themselves."
The scroll pulsed once, and the air around them changed.
A sudden gust of wind circled them, whispering voices that weren't of this realm. The forest dimmed; even the sunlight seemed to pause.
Lee Kung stepped forward, feeling his sword hum in resonance with the scroll's light. "It's responding to the sword."
"The sword of the Dragon King…" Armin murmured. "Of course. They're linked."
The glowing symbols swirled faster, then burst into golden fragments that floated into the air.
When the light dimmed, three words remained burned into the ground:
"SPIRIT. KNOWLEDGE. TIME."
Mia inhaled sharply. "The Keys."
Armin nodded, smiling faintly. "Mama Agatha kept her promise after all."
Sio Jun rolled the scroll back carefully, eyes still locked on the glowing marks. "So, this is how we'll move across dimensions…"
Lee Kung smiled faintly for the first time that day. "Then our next step is clear."
They all turned toward the direction of the rising sun—toward destiny itself.
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Meanwhile…
In the depths of the Shadow Realm, darkness coiled like smoke around an obsidian throne. The air shimmered with power and malice.
Dehaska sat upon his throne of bones, his eyes glowing like violet flames.
Before him knelt Lee Kang—his body trembling, half of his form human, the other shadowed and cracked like burned stone.
Dehaska smiled cruelly. "Ah, my favorite creation."
Lee Kang lifted his head weakly. "You should stop calling me that. I'm no one's creation."
"Oh?" Dehaska rose slowly, his wings spreading wide. "Then why are you still alive when you should have perished with your brother's blade?"
Lee Kang didn't answer. His breath was ragged, his eyes cold. "You think keeping me alive makes you my master. But you're wrong."
Dehaska chuckled, his voice echoing like thunder. "Still defiant. I like that. It'll make your next assignment more interesting."
Lee Kang scowled. "You know I'll never do your bidding."
Dehaska's grin widened. "Oh, you will."
He raised one clawed hand, and Lee Kang's shadow suddenly rose from the floor, writhing and twisting like a serpent. It wrapped around him, forcing him to his knees. The pain was unbearable.
"You will, because the darkness in you belongs to me," Dehaska whispered, leaning close. "And soon, your brother will see what happens when light tries to fight shadow."
He snapped his fingers.
The chamber filled with screams—and the Shadow Realm trembled.
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