Three days of stone grinding against bone. The march had worn their muscles to grit, and each breath was a shard of ice in Ke Munan's lungs. Then the mist shredded, and the lake burned his eyes.

  The Yellow Lake.

  From his shoulder, Krupp launched into the sky, a black slash against the pale morning. A piercing shriek tore the air. All four of its eyes ignited, burning a sudden, cautionary red.

  The lake was a basin of molten, dead gold. A vast, unblemished mirror, unnervingly still. Gilded particles drifted in its depths, swirling into slow, hypnotic vortexes. Wind swept across its surface, but not a single ripple fractured the perfect sheen. The silence was a physical weight, stone packed in his ears. The air was sterile, stripped of the scent of water or life.

  "This must be the place." Jin Luo's voice was a dry rasp, his map crackling as he folded it. Dust and torn fabric were a testament to their flight. "The coordinates mark this as the only entrance to the underwater kingdom."

  A vise of ancient power clamped around Ke Munan's ribs as he neared the water's edge. An immense Five Elements Power radiated from the depths, but it was honed to a razor's edge, profound and alien. His hand clenched the conch Prince Bilin had given him, its cool surface a stone anchor in a swirling storm.

  "Are we sure these horse-merfolk are going to show?" Jin Gan collapsed, his Mechanical Arm whining, a low, weary hum of dwindling power. "There's something wrong with this water."

  "I trust Prince Bilin," Alanka's voice was a thread of steel. Exhaustion had bleached her face, but a fire smoldered in her eyes. "This is the first step to finding the Forest Heart."

  "Best to be certain," Luo Han rumbled. He snapped a gnarled, dry branch from a dead tree, knelt, and dipped its tip into the golden liquid.

  Sssss—

  A plume of green smoke erupted. The wood did not burn or dissolve. It unraveled. It ceased to be. Before their eyes, it vanished into nothing, leaving not a single fleck of ash to stain the perfect, terrible surface.

  A collective, sharp gasp shattered the silence.

  "Gods." Jin Gan scrambled back, his hand trembling as he gestured at his Mechanical Arm. "That would have turned this into a pile of slag. His arm."

  "The corrosivity is off the charts!" Jin Luo stared at his diagnostic tools, their screens screaming red. "Metal ion concentration ten times the fatal limit! Nothing could live in there!"

  Before the words died, the placid surface finally broke. A single ripple bloomed from its center.

  "They're coming," Luo Han said, his body rigid. The spiritual power churning beneath the water was a tremor in the earth Ke Munan stood on.

  Huang Xiaohu's golden wings flared, a gilded shield thrown before his friends. His eyes, molten gold themselves, locked on the disturbance.

  The water shattered. A head emerged—the elegant silhouette of a horse, but with features so delicately, uncannily human it clawed at the mind. Its body was draped in fine scales that fractured the light into a seven-colored rainbow. One by one, more surfaced, their deep, intelligent eyes pinning the strangers to the shore.

  Krupp landed on Ke Munan's shoulder, a warm weight of bristling feathers. Both heads let out a low, guttural hiss that vibrated through his collarbone. Then, the red warning in its eyes bled back to black. It sensed no malice.

  An elder swam from the gathering, his scales the color of antique gold, etched with the fine lines of age. His gaze was a deep and watchful current.

  "Land-dwellers." The voice was not heard, but felt—a low vibration that resonated in the bones, carrying across the water with perfect clarity. "It has been an age since this domain felt the tread of your kind. What purpose brings you to the shores of the forgotten Yellow Lake?"

  "Greetings." Ke Munan stepped forward. The conch felt heavy in his hand as he drew it from his robes. "We come at the behest of Prince Bilin of the Forest Nation."

  The conch was a luminous white, its surface carved with ancient runes that pulsed with a soft, internal light, like a slow heartbeat.

  The elder's calm shattered. His eyes sharpened, and a shockwave of astonishment rippled through the other merfolk, a wave of suppressed, watery murmurs.

  "The Wind Language Conch," the elder breathed, his voice tight as a wire. "Fifteen years. It has finally returned."

  His gaze bored into Ke Munan. "Sound it. If it is true, the lake will answer."

  Ke Munan nodded. He gripped the conch, raised it to his lips, and blew.

  Woooo—

  The sound was a blade of pure melody, a haunting note that sent golden ripples shivering across the water. A moment later, a ghost-wind whispered from within the shell, a remnant of Prince Bilin's will echoing directly in his mind.

  Old friends… fifteen years… The bearer of the Conch can be trusted. They know the truth… Help them find Shuifulin… He beg you… The forest… cannot hold on…

  The voice bled into silence. The wariness on the merfolks' faces dissolved, replaced by a shared, solemn gravity.

  "Bilin…" The elder, Haize, closed his eyes. A storm of emotion raged and was mastered behind his still features. He opened them and gave Ke Munan a slight, formal bow. "I am Haize, an elder of this clan. The prince's request is our command. Follow him."

  "Hold on!" Jin Gan pointed a shaking finger at the corrosive water. "We can't just dive in there! That stuff is acid!"

  Huang Xiaohu folded his wings, a flicker of unease in his posture. "The very vapor stings. It would ruin his feathers."

  A faint smile ghosted across Elder Haize's lips. He dipped beneath the surface and returned holding several shimmering, crystalline bubbles.

  "Water Breath Bubbles," he explained, offering them. "A gift from our ancestors. They will shield you from the water's touch and grant you breath in the deep."

  Ke Munan examined one. It was thin as a cicada's wing, shimmering with an impossible strength. "This can truly protect us?"

  Instead of answering, Haize gently touched a bubble to Jin Gan. It expanded instantly, flowing over him like liquid glass, a perfectly sealed, invisible film that molded even to the intricate joints of his Mechanical Arm.

  Curious, Krupp tilted its heads and pecked at another bubble, letting out a questioning coo. Haize smiled and fitted a smaller one over the two-headed raven.

  Jin Gan swung his arm. Astonishment cracked his face. No resistance. No drag. The Mechanical Arm sliced the air, leaving a silver afterimage. "It's like wearing nothing at all!"

  "It will last but a day," Elder Haize cautioned. "When the time is up, it will vanish. We must not delay."

  Encased in their protective films, they followed Haize into the golden depths.

  The world inverted. The water's buoyancy seized Jin Gan, tumbling him like an untethered balloon. Huang Xiaohu's magnificent wings, his pride in the air, became clumsy stone anchors, dragging him down. Luo Han, a rock in the torrent, moved to steady them. But it was Ya Mei who moved with an innate, astonishing grace. Her long hair fanned out, a silken veil in the liquid gold. She was a silent mermaid, guiding Huang Xiaohu with gestures, showing him how to cup his wings to paddle.

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  When the vertigo finally subsided, the world that opened before them stole the breath from their lungs.

  Fields of golden seaweed swayed, each frond a soft luminescence, a river of embers flowing across the lakebed. Haize led them through massive coral archways and into a sprawling, magnificent city. Structures of translucent crystal and colossal, spiraling shells splintered the light into dreamlike rainbows. At the city's heart, a great crystal tower rose, its peak glowing like a captive moon, bathing everything in a serene, blue-tinged radiance. Shoals of luminous fish streamed between the spires, their passing a brushstroke of liquid light.

  But beneath the beauty, a dissonance clawed at Ke Munan's senses.

  A faint, metallic tang soured the water, a razor blade on the tongue. To the east, a vast reef lay bleached a deathly gray-white—a bone-yard. Worse, their skeletal forms were coated in a black, oily substance that writhed in the current like a living plague.

  A sickness, he thought. This entire kingdom is sick.

  "What is that?" Jin Luo swam closer, his brow furrowed. "It has the signature of industrial runoff, but there are traces of dark magic woven within it."

  Elder Haize's expression turned to granite. "The dead water. It drifts from the east. It has worsened." He pointed into the murky distance. "That way lies the Iron Nation. The waste from their forges has poisoned the underground veins that feed our lake. Our purification arrays can no longer hold it back."

  The city streets were busy, but Ke Munan's perception cut through the illusion. The scales of the young were dull, their luster stolen. The breathing of the elders was a labored, painful rasp. This was a kingdom slowly suffocating.

  They passed through a series of grand gates and into the royal palace. A towering dome inlaid with countless pearls illuminated the chamber like a captured sun.

  Upon a throne of sculpted coral sat the Queen. Her posture radiated a quiet, noble grace, but her deep eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second as they fell upon Ke Munan—a flicker of recognition that sent a chill down his spine—before her composure returned like a mask of ice.

  "Welcome, young mages," her voice was clear as spring water, yet carried the crushing weight of the deep. "It has been too long since the Wind Language Conch has sung in our halls."

  Her gaze, gentle as the tide, passed over each of them, lingering on Alanka. "Stone and Forest. Two ancient presences are entwined in your blood."

  Alanka started, then bowed her head. "My great-grandmother was of the Forest Nation's royal house."

  The Queen nodded, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. She turned back to Ke Munan. "Tell me. What is it you seek, that you would cross mountains and rivers to find us?"

  Ke Munan stepped forward, the weight of their quest settling in his bones. "We seek the Forest Heart," he said, his voice ringing with sincerity. "My companion, Ya Mei, was grievously wounded by dark magic. Only the Forest Heart can restore her. And the Forest Nation itself… it is dying."

  He recounted Bilin's plea, the usurper, the grim state of the forest. The words were stones falling into the deep silence of the hall.

  "We are not ignorant of the Forest Nation's plight," the Queen said, a frost creeping into her voice. "Fifteen years ago, the Wind Language Conch fell silent. That token can only be wielded by the true royal line. Its silence told us the throne had been usurped."

  She glanced around the hall, a weary helplessness in her tone. "But my people are bound by an ancient treaty. We could not intervene. We could only wait… for the one destined to appear." Her gaze locked with Ke Munan's. "When the Conch sang again, I knew you had arrived. Bilin placed his faith well."

  She gestured. "Come. Be seated."

  The Queen rose and swam toward a crystal platform. A servant brought forth a crystal sphere filled with a swirling, golden liquid.

  "Five years ago," she began, her gaze fixed on the sphere, "it appeared at the edge of the Yellow Lake. Wounded. Its essence on the verge of dissipating."

  Within the sphere, a blurry, translucent figure drifted. A ghost. A wisp of smoke.

  "This," the Queen said softly, "is Shuifulin. The guardian spirit of the forest and the water."

  "Shuifulin?" Jin Luo exclaimed. "It should dwell within the underground water veins. How could it be here?"

  "The veins are poisoned," the Queen said, her touch on the sphere full of a profound sadness. "It fled here to survive."

  Ke Munan stared at the slumbering spirit. "Does it know where the Forest Heart is hidden?"

  "It can sense the Heart's location," the Queen replied, turning to Alanka. "But to be awakened, it requires the touch of one who carries the blood of the forest royalty."

  Alanka straightened, fatigue burned away by purpose. She stepped forward, placed her hands on the sphere, and closed her eyes. Spiritual power flooded from her, a storm gathering around the crystal.

  The sphere began to glow, the light searing, intensifying as the energy of the entire kingdom seemed to churn and converge upon it.

  Suddenly, the sphere convulsed. A violent wave of power erupted.

  A hammer blow. It slammed the air from Ke Munan's lungs, throwing them all back.

  A muffled grunt. A sound of tearing.

  Jin Gan.

  A spiderweb of cracks fractured his Water Breath Bubble. The immense pressure of the deep screamed in.

  "Jin Gan!" Jin Luo's cry was a choked sound.

  Jin Gan's face was a mask of blue horror. He clawed at his throat, a silent scream trapped behind his lips as the crushing weight squeezed the air from his lungs. The acrid, metallic taste of the lake flooded his senses. He thrashed, his Mechanical Arm flailing as cracks spiderwebbed across the bubble. Black spots stormed his vision.

  He's dying. Right here. He's dying.

  "Hold on!" Luo Han was there in an instant. His hands formed a seal, and his Earth power solidified, a thin, desperate patch over the rupture. The membrane groaned, cracking under the relentless assault.

  "Quickly!" Elder Haize shot forward, pulling a spare bubble from his belt. "Hold your breath! He will replace it!"

  Jin Gan gave a weak nod, hoarding his last sliver of air. Luo Han withdrew the earthen shield. Haize slapped the new bubble over his head. It expanded with a soft pop, a thunderclap of relief in the crushing silence.

  "Hah… hah…" Jin Gan gasped, his face a deathly white. "I almost… I was gone…"

  Alanka's jaw was clenched, tears of strain carving paths down her cheeks, but she did not stop. She couldn't.

  Driven by her unyielding will, a final, brilliant pulse of golden light detonated from the sphere. A figure materialized within the vortex.

  Three eyes. A body transparent as pure water, rotating slowly.

  You who have awakened him… a weak, ethereal voice echoed inside their skulls. …state your purpose.

  "We need to find the Forest Heart," Alanka answered, her voice trembling with exhaustion.

  Ke Munan stepped forward. "Prince Bilin sent us. He said only you know its location."

  Shuifulin's three eyes dimmed. Fifteen years… He have waited for this day. Its voice was a whisper of sorrow. The moment the Forest Heart was torn from its sanctum, he felt the entire forest scream. The water veins ran dry, the swamps grew stagnant… the bond of life between the forest and this lake… was severed.

  Since then, the poison has flooded the Yellow Lake, and the forest withers. Shuifulin's form flickered as it looked toward the Queen. We are all victims of this crime.

  The Queen inclined her head in solemn agreement.

  Bilin was a true prince, Shuifulin continued, turning its attention to Ke Munan. He loved the forest, every stream, every marsh. He never abused the Heart's power. His brother, Bisen… he coveted only its strength.

  The spirit's voice faltered. The Forest Heart… is now…

  The world held its breath.

  …in the Tearlight Swamp… Shuifulin rotated, a movement that seemed to cost it immense effort. The place is corrupted by dark power, a treacherous mire. But if you can retrieve it… and reunite it with Bilin…

  "The forest will be reborn, the water veins will run clean, and the Yellow Lake will be purified," the Queen finished. "This is not just the hope of the Forest Nation, but of my people as well."

  Shuifulin's form wavered. Alas, he am too weak. He cannot maintain this form for long.

  The Queen's gaze fell upon Ya Mei. "Your affinity with the Water element is exceptionally strong."

  She means… The thought sparked in Ke Munan's mind.

  The Queen nodded. "Shuifulin's essence is too weak to maintain its own form. It can, however, take refuge within Ya Mei's spirit. A passenger, a guiding consciousness."

  Ke Munan looked from the fading light in the sphere to Ya Mei. "Will it be dangerous for her?"

  "No," the Queen's voice was gentle. "It will be as a drop of water merging into a stream."

  "I am willing." Ya Mei's voice was hoarse, still recovering, but her resolve was a pillar of stone.

  The Queen gave a slight nod. Elder Haize swam to Ya Mei's side and gently tapped her forehead three times.

  The crystal sphere floated before Ya Mei. A river of golden light flowed from it, a warm current of pure energy that poured gently into the space between her brows.

  Ya Mei closed her eyes. Ke Munan could feel it through the spiritual connection of their group—a cool, serene presence settling deep within her mind, a quiet consciousness that was not her own, yet felt as natural as a river's flow.

  "It will guide you," the Queen said. "Go. Find the Forest Heart in the Tearlight Swamp."

  Ke Munan bowed, the weight of two nations on his shoulders. "We will not fail."

  Krupp poked its heads out and let out a clear, sharp cry, a vow forged in sound.

  "Elder Haize will see you to the boundary," the Queen said. "May you return safely."

  They followed the elder from the palace. The Queen remained, a silent, regal figure watching them depart. After a long swim, a shimmering curtain of light appeared ahead—the boundary between water and land.

  Elder Haize stopped. "Beyond lies the entrance to the Root Path. Our journey with you ends here."

  "Thank you, Elder," Ke Munan bowed.

  Haize returned the gesture. "Be warned. The Tearlight Swamp is a place of illusion and despair. Tread with care. May the spirits of the water protect you."

  Ke Munan met his gaze and nodded. "We will."

  The guards watched as they passed through the curtain of light, their forms vanishing into the dark, gnarled maw of the Root Path.