The Naga tunnel smelled of damp earth and the memory of stone—like the mountain itself was breathing.
The bond stone's light flickered over carvings that wound across the walls—serpents coiled around lotuses, figures raising jade toward some unseen sky.
Bright kicked a loose rock, wincing as it clattered down the dark stretch ahead.
"Remind me again why we traded a mango-filled valley for a damp hole in the mountain?" he muttered, brushing dirt off his sleeve. "My feet haven't forgiven me for the last cave. Now this? I'm gonna turn into a mushroom."
Lina glanced back, the bond stone glowing steady in her palm.
"These tunnels were carved by the first Naga," she said. "They lead to the Heart of the Mountain—where the old ones hid their strongest magic. Safe from Heaven."
Tong frowned, keeping Lila close. "How do you know it's safe? What if it's a dead end?"
Agus ran his hand along the wall, tracing the grooves of an ancient lotus.
"We've been here before," he murmured. "When Heaven first hunted us. The Heart has a barrier—Heaven's steel can't pierce it." He paused, his eyes softening. "And it has water. Food. Even wild mango vines, if you know where to look."
Bright's ears perked. "Mango vines? You're telling me there are mangoes in this tunnel? Why didn't you lead with that?"
He sped up instantly, scanning the walls like a fox on the scent.
Yara laughed, squeezing Tan Kai's hand. "Only Bright would care about fruit while Heaven's army is on our heels."
Tan Kai smiled faintly, but his focus stayed on the jade in his palm. It hummed—soft but steady, like it followed a rhythm only it could hear.
He pressed it to the wall, and the carvings lit up for a heartbeat—green light seeping into the stone.
"Did you see that?" he said quietly.
Lina hurried over, her eyes wide. "The jade recognizes the old marks. It's guiding us. The Heart's closer than I thought."
They moved on, the bond stone's glow syncing with the jade's hum. The tunnel widened, and Lila pointed to a faint orange smear on the wall.
"Is that… mango pulp?"
Bright darted over, scraped some with his finger, and tasted it. "Wild mango," he grinned. "A little old, but still good. Someone was here recently."
Agus's jaw tightened. "Nagas. Some stayed to guard the Heart. They'll help—if they still trust us."
A low, distant drumbeat echoed down the tunnel.
Everyone froze.
Tan Kai's hand clenched around the jade. "Heaven's army."
The drumbeat grew louder—steady as a heartbeat, heavy as doom. The walls trembled; dust rained from the ceiling.
Lila clutched Tong's arm, her eyes wide.
"They've found the tunnel entrance," Agus said sharply. "We need to move—fast. The barrier won't activate until we reach the Heart."
They ran.
The drumbeat chased them, a pulse of war echoing through the stone. Bright stumbled once, catching himself on a carving—and yelped.
"Mango sap!" he shouted, pointing to a thin vine glistening on the wall. "I told you there were vines! This way—follow it!"
The vine led left at a fork, glowing faintly under the jade's light. The drumbeat thundered down the right passage.
"Left," Lina said. "The vines grow toward the Heart's light."
They ducked into the left tunnel. The air shifted—warmer, sweeter. The bond stone flared, and the jade pulsed in harmony.
The passage opened into a small chamber.
At its center stood a stone platform carved with the same lotus-serpent emblem as the jade. A pool of glowing water shimmered on top, green like liquid jade.
"This is a waypoint," Lina said softly. "The old Naga used it to renew their magic. Dip the jade—the light will show us the way."
Tan Kai lowered the jade into the water.
It blazed. Green light surged outward, filling the chamber. The carvings came alive—serpents slithered, lotuses bloomed, figures lifted jade toward the ceiling.
A new path opened in the back wall, shining with the same green glow.
"Let's go," he said.
They slipped through, the drumbeat now distant but still there—like a shadow clinging to their heels.
Bright brushed the vines as he passed, whispering to them as if they could hear.
"Hey, Lina," he said, half-joking. "When we get to the Heart, can we stop for a mango? I'll even share with Tong. Maybe."
Tong rolled his eyes. "You're impossible."
Lila laughed, her first real laugh since they'd left the valley. "Grandma used to say mangoes were nature's way of saying 'take a breath.' She'd want you to have one."
The tunnel widened again—into a vast cavern.
The Heart of the Mountain.
A massive pool of glowing water lay in the center, its surface rippling like jade under moonlight. Vines curled along the walls, heavy with small, orange mangoes. Around the pool stood stone pillars carved with Naga figures, their eyes glowing faintly green.
But they weren't alone.
Three figures waited by the pool, their skin traced with lotus-serpent markings. Staffs glowed in their hands.
"Agus. Lina," said the leader—an older woman with silver hair braided with lotus petals. "We thought you'd never come."
"Mara," Agus breathed, relief softening his face. "The judge is here. With Heaven's army."
Mara's expression hardened. "We heard the drums. The barrier's up, but it won't hold forever."
Her gaze turned to Tan Kai and Yara. "You carry the lotus heart jade. The old ones said it would return when the valley needed it most."
Yara stepped forward. "How do we use it? How do we stop them?"
Mara dipped her hand into the pool. The water glowed brighter, showing rippling visions—Heaven's soldiers surrounding the mountain, the judge's broken mask gleaming in the dark.
"The jade's power isn't meant for destruction," she said. "It's for unity. The Naga, the humans, the valley—they're all bound by the same life-thread. The jade can amplify that bond, make the barrier strong enough to repel Heaven. But it needs both of you."
Her eyes softened. "Your bond—half-human, half-Naga—is the same as Agus and Lina's. The jade knows it. Only you can wake its full strength."
Bright leaned against a pillar. "So, we just hold hands and glow? No mango first?"
Mara smiled faintly. "There are mangoes by the pool. Help yourself—but make it quick. The drums are close."
Bright whooped, sprinting to the vines. He tore off a mango and bit into it, juice running down his chin. "Best. Escape. Ever."
Lila picked a smaller mango, offered it to Tong. He tried to refuse—then took it anyway.
Nam knelt beside the pool, dipping her herbs into the glowing water. "This will make them stronger," she said quietly. "In case the barrier fails."
Agus turned to Tan Kai. "When Lina and I first held the jade, we were afraid—of Heaven, of what we were. But you… you're not. That's why it chose you."
Tan Kai looked at Yara, who smiled and reached for his hand. The jade flared.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Together," she said.
They stepped into the pool. Warm light wrapped around them, rising like breath.
Visions filled Tan Kai's mind—the first Naga carving these tunnels, Agus and Lina hiding the jade, the valley blooming again, the corruption sleeping beneath the roots.
The bond stone flew from Lina's hand, merging with the jade. Light burst outward, flooding the cavern.
Outside, the drumbeat stopped.
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then came the roar—the judge's voice, furious and vast. The mountain trembled. The barrier flickered.
"He's trying to break it," Mara warned. "Keep going—the jade needs more time!"
Tan Kai squeezed Yara's hand. The jade pulsed brighter, drawing strength not just from them but from the mountain, the vines, the carvings—from everything alive and bound to this place.
The barrier steadied, its light turning pure and strong.
Outside, the roar faded. The drums fell silent.
Tan Kai and Yara stepped from the pool, dripping but unharmed.
Mara smiled, weary but hopeful. "It worked. Heaven can't get in."
Bright ambled over, mango in hand. "So… we won? No more soldiers? No more judges? Just mangoes and caves?"
Agus chuckled. "Not forever. But for now—we're safe."
Lina touched the pool, watching the glow ripple outward. "The valley's still there. Nagasith sleeps. The corruption waits. When the time is right, we'll return."
Lila's eyes sparkled. "Home," she whispered.
Tong nodded. "Yeah. Home."
Tan Kai looked at Yara. The jade was warm in his palm. Around them, the Heart of the Mountain shimmered softly, alive with peace.
He thought of the lotus tree, of the valley's golden light, of mango groves and laughter.
Home wasn't just a place.
It was them.
The bond stone glowed faintly. The jade hummed. Outside, the world was quiet—no drums, no horns, no judge.
Only peace.
For now.
Bright bit into another mango, grinning. "So, uh… how long do we get to stay? A few days? Maybe name a tree after me?"
Nam smirked. "Try it, and I'll hide your herbs."
Bright gasped. "You wouldn't."
She raised an eyebrow. "Watch me."
Laughter filled the cavern, echoing softly against the glowing walls.
Agus and Lina stood by the pool, hands entwined.
Tan Kai squeezed Yara's hand. The Heart of the Mountain pulsed around them—warm, alive, eternal.
Heaven would return. The corruption would wait.
But for now, there was laughter, light, and the taste of mangoes.
Peace—fragile, but real.
And for now, that was enough.