Chapter 38: Traces of the Fallen
The night was heavy with silence. Adrian sat alone in the warehouse, pendant glowing faintly against his chest. Elias's story of Armand lingered in his mind, each word pressing like a weight. A cultivator who had carried scars, who had risen too fast, who had broken under the burden.
Adrian clenched his fists. "I won't end like him."
Leah entered quietly, her golden aura flickering faintly. "You've been thinking about him," she said softly.
Adrian nodded. "If Armand carried a relic like mine, then his downfall holds answers. If I can understand what broke him, maybe I can avoid it."
Leah frowned. "But Elias said his relic consumed him. What if that's the fate of all vessels?"
Adrian's chest tightened. He thought of the cavern, of the fragments humming with energy, of the visions of ordinary people carrying scars. He thought of the pendant's voice: Chosen vessel. Guardian of roots. Defy fate.
He whispered, voice hoarse. "Then I'll defy it. I'll uncover the truth."
The next day, Adrian confronted Elias.
"I need to know more," Adrian said firmly. "Where did Armand fall? Where did he leave traces?"
Elias's jaw tightened. "You're chasing ghosts. His relic consumed him decades ago. His body was never found. Only fragments of his cultivation remain — whispers, ruins, scars in the city's history."
Adrian's pendant pulsed faintly, as if responding. "Then show me where those whispers lead."
Elias studied him, silent for a long moment. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. There's a place. Old archives beneath Intramuros. My master once told me Armand's name was etched there, alongside warnings. If you want to chase his shadow, that's where you start."
Leah's eyes narrowed. "Archives? Hunters will be watching. They know relic-bearers search for history."
Elias nodded. "Which is why you move carefully. If you go, you go prepared."
That night, Adrian sat with the pendant in his hands. It pulsed brighter, flooding his chest with warmth. He felt the scars burn sharper, but he steadied himself. He whispered to himself, voice hoarse. "I'll rise. I'll uncover the truth. And I'll survive. Scars or not."
The pendant pulsed again, brighter than before.
Visions flickered in his mind — streets bathed in emerald light, hunters scattering, ordinary people carrying fragments. But this time, he saw something new: a shadowed figure, broken, consumed, fading into the dark. Armand.
Adrian gasped, clutching his chest. The pendant wasn't just warning him. It was showing him the past.
Leah rushed to his side, alarmed. "What did you see?"
Adrian swallowed hard. "Armand. The relic showed me his fall. He wasn't just consumed. He was alone. That's why he broke."
Leah's gaze hardened. "Then we won't let you carry it alone."
Adrian met her eyes, pendant glowing faintly between them. For the first time, he felt the weight of trust pressing down, heavy but steady.
And for the first time, he understood — Armand's downfall wasn't just about scars. It was about isolation.