(First-person POV — Lin / Lu Shen)
You know that feeling when the universe looks at you and says, "You're doing great, sweetie," right before throwing another existential crisis your way?
Yeah. That's where I'm at right now.
We were supposed to be heading south quietly, stealthily, very boring if you ask me. Instead, Yan insisted on following a strange pulse of demonic energy radiating from a nearby valley. Because apparently, when you're part cursed and slightly suicidal, glowing death traps becomes "interesting landmarks."
I told him it was a bad idea. I told him it screamed "ancient evil waiting to ruin our day." but he smiled, said, "Stay close," while walking right into it.
And because I'm a certified idiot with attachment issues, I followed.
The valley opened into a clearing of marble ruins. Cracked pillars, fallen statues, and enough ominous mist to qualify as a horror film set. The air humed faintly, not hostile exactly, but charged and ancient.
