Pov Author
The mountain was still breathing.
Not collapsing anymore. Not roaring.
Just… settling.
Snow drifted slowly through the air, lazy and harmless, as if nothing ancient had nearly torn itself apart minutes ago. The broken peak loomed behind them—cracked, scarred, but quiet now. The sky above churned in wide spirals, clouds pulled into soft motion by the newly freed wind.
Anna stood at the edge of it all, unmoving.
The Wind Whisperer rested against her shoulder like it belonged there.
It felt wrong how light it was.
Not in weight—but in presence.
Something that powerful should have felt heavy. Demanding. Loud.
Instead, it was… patient.
The wind brushed past her cheek, gentle enough to feel like a question.
Are you all right?
She swallowed.
"I think," Anna said slowly, "I might need to sit down."
Mong clapped his hands together far too loudly. "YES. GREAT IDEA. Sitting is underrated. Sitting is safe. Sitting does not involve ancient weapons bonding to your soul."
Shou Feng was already there.
He didn't grab her. Didn't pull.
He simply placed his hand at the small of her back, steady and sure, guiding her down onto a flat stone half-buried in snow. The moment she sat, the wind shifted—curling around her knees, her ankles, blocking the cold like an invisible shield.
Anna blinked. "Did I—"
"Yes," Kiyoshi said calmly. "You did."
She stared at her hands. "I didn't tell it to."
"You didn't have to."
Shou Feng remained standing beside her, gaze sweeping the horizon, alert even now. His presence felt… different.
Still dangerous.
But quieter.
"You don't command it," Kiyoshi continued. "You coexist."
Anna let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "That sounds… healthier than what everyone warned me about."
Mong snorted. "Don't worry. Something will definitely go wrong later."
Shou Feng shot him a look.
"What?" Mong shrugged. "I'm emotionally prepared."
Despite herself, Anna laughed.
It came out soft. Breathless.
The wind stirred in response—warm, playful—sending a swirl of snow into the air like scattered petals.
Mong squinted at it. "Okay. I officially like it. It's polite."
Shou Feng looked down at Anna.
"You're smiling," he said.
She touched her face, surprised to find it was true. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Not completely.
But the constant, crushing pressure in her chest—the feeling of being torn open from the inside—had faded into something manageable. Present, but no longer unbearable.
The cracked stone in her heart felt… quiet.
Watching.
Waiting.
Kiyoshi's expression softened—but only for a moment.
Then his gaze sharpened.
"This will not go unnoticed," he said.
Anna followed his eyes.
The sky.
The wind had changed the way the clouds moved—not violently, not unnaturally—but noticeably . The air carried a charge now, subtle but undeniable. Like the world itself had taken a deeper breath.
"Other realms will feel this," Kiyoshi continued. "Other gods."
Mong groaned. "Of course they will."
Shou Feng's jaw tightened.
"And the council," Yuvan added, approaching from where he'd been speaking quietly with the guards. Snow dusted his dark hair, his expression composed as always. "They will not be pleased."
Anna glanced up. "With… me?"
"With change," Yuvan corrected gently. "You are merely the most visible part of it."
That did not make her feel better.
Shou Feng turned slightly, shadow rippling at his feet. "Let them be displeased."
Mong grinned. "That's the spirit."
Anna shifted, fingers tightening around the Wind Whisperer. "What happens now?"
The question hung there.
No one answered immediately.
Kiyoshi broke the silence first. "Now, we move."
"Move where?" she asked.
"Somewhere safer," Yuvan said. "Somewhere shielded."
Shou Feng's gaze dropped to her chest—not in fear, not in doubt—but with something sharper.
Calculation.
"You cannot stay still anymore," he said.
Anna met his eyes. "I didn't plan to."
For a brief moment, something like approval flickered across his face.
"Good."
They began the descent from the mountain as dusk settled in, the sky bleeding into shades of violet and steel. The wind guided their path, clearing snow where footing was treacherous, lifting when jumps were too far, slowing when Anna's breath hitched.
She didn't ask it to.
It simply did.
By the time they reached the lower camp, firelight flickered between the tents. Servants and guards alike froze when they saw her—then bowed, one by one, instinctive and reverent.
Anna stiffened. "Oh no."
Mong leaned in. "Oh yes."
"I didn't do anything," she whispered.
Shou Feng glanced at the bowed figures, then back at her. "You freed something that was caged."
"That's not—"
"In this world," he said quietly, "that is enough."
The air shifted.
Not celebratory.
Observant.
Anna felt it then—like distant eyes turning in her direction. Awareness brushing against her thoughts, testing the edges of her presence.
She shivered.
Shou Feng noticed immediately.
"Inside," he said.
They didn't argue.
The tent was warm, lantern-lit and shielded with layered runes that hummed faintly as the wind brushed past. Anna sank onto a cushioned bench, exhaustion finally crashing down on her now that adrenaline no longer held her upright.
Mong flopped dramatically onto a pile of furs. "I survived. Again. Truly inspirational."
Kiyoshi removed his flute and set it carefully aside. "You need rest."
Anna nodded. "I know."
Shou Feng did not sit.
He stood near the entrance, arms crossed, shadows coiled low at his feet. Guarding. Watching.
Anna studied him.
"You're tense," she said.
He did not deny it. "You changed the balance."
She hesitated. "Is that… bad?"
His eyes met hers.
"Balance is a lie people tell themselves to sleep at night," he said. "Power always moves."
That didn't help.
Mong popped his head up. "For what it's worth, I think you're doing great."
She smiled faintly. "Thank you."
"Also," he added, "if the world ends, it definitely won't be boring."
Kiyoshi sighed.
Anna closed her eyes.
For a moment—just a moment—she let herself believe they had time.
---
The dream came without warning.
She was not on the mountain.
She was in a hallway she knew too well.
White walls. Harsh fluorescent lights. The smell of antiseptic.
A hospital.
Her heart stuttered.
"No," she whispered.
Footsteps echoed ahead of her.
She followed them, bare feet silent against the polished floor, passing doors with familiar names. Familiar rooms.
Then—
A turn.
A room she had never entered before.
The door creaked open.
Inside, darkness waited.
And something else.
A voice—low, amused.
"So," it said, "this is where you ran off to."
Anna jolted awake with a sharp gasp.
The tent was quiet.
Lanterns dimmed.
Snow tapped softly against the canvas.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
The cracked stone pulsed once.
Just once.
Like a warning.
She pressed a hand to her chest, breathing slowly until the panic faded.
Outside, unseen—
The wind shifted direction.
---
William stood in the ancient room, surrounded by candles, red paint, and the smell of iron. The walls were covered in chaotic symbols, the floor smeared with dark stains that could have been blood.
He looked at the witch, who studied the open book of spells with unwavering focus.
"This book," William said, voice low, eyes wide, intense, "holds the most powerful spell—even with time travel or time turning."
The witch's eyes lifted from the pages. "Yes. But why?"
He looks at her with wickedness in his eyes and smirked.
To be continued