I gaped at the white shard at my feet.
Did he mean that it was … a piece of bone?
Looking up and taking in the scene around us, I understood then why Bai Ye had said what he said. There were bone shards like this scattered all over, some smaller and broken into irregular shapes like the one I tripped over, some much larger and still whole with both ends attached. The remains stretched on as we continued through the chamber, piling high against the corners in some places. Various weapons lay rusted among the debris, along with a few intact skulls, their gaping eye sockets staring at us as we walked by.
The hair on my nape stood up. This must be from dozens, maybe even hundreds of cultivators.. "Did the yazis kill them?" I whispered, subconsciously inching closer to Bai Ye.
He wrapped his arm around me, a gesture that was probably second nature to him by now, but I remembered his injured shoulder and stopped him. He didn't persist.
"It's possible … though unlikely," he said. "The remains that are still recognizable are all from humans. If it was the yazi that killed them, there should be some animal bones as well. I doubt so many cultivators would venture deep down here if they weren't strong enough to slay at least one of those beasts."
He was right. If I could kill a juvenile, then any experienced cultivator should be able to take on an adult without too much struggle. But if it wasn't the yazi … What else was here in this cave?
I must've shuddered from the thought, as he squeezed my hand in reassurance. "I won't let anything hurt you," he promised. "Besides … this is all from hundreds of years ago. Whatever was here might be long gone already. The spiritual power I felt could only be what's left lingering on these bones."
I darted him a glance, and my eyes involuntarily landed on the back of his shoulders. More blood was already seeping through his bandage, dotting his cleansed robe. My heart clenched again. He had done what he said, always protecting me and shielding me whenever I was in danger. I supposed that the knowledge should make me feel safe, relieved, but instead, it was only guilt that battled the fear in my mind.
For the first time in my life, I didn't want his protection. For the first time in my life, I wanted to be stronger so that I would no longer be his burden, so that I could protect myself … and protect him as well.
I squeezed his hand back. "Don't worry about me. I didn't tell you yet that I killed a yazi before you found me, did I? Just a young one … but still, it means I'm not that weak. You don't need to constantly fear for my safety."
A mix of surprise and pride flashed across his face. "It took you this long to tell me such big news?" He raised an eyebrow.
We both smiled, and the creepy atmosphere in the cave lightened.
More and more piles of remains came into view as we continued through the boneyard. We kept eyes sharp on everything around us, but nothing leaped from the shadows, and all was quiet except the occasional sound of dripping water. Our steps didn't halt until we came to a stack of swords leaning against a corner.
The strange spiritual power Bai Ye mentioned before was so strong in this spot that I could sense it as well, and I understood then why he said that the feeling was hard to describe. It was a dark power indeed, pulsing with malice that threatened to devour and destroy, yet at the same time, it felt … luring, like a voice from an old friend beckoning me forward.
I studied the stack of swords. These must've belonged to the dead cultivators. Was this why they were killed? Because someone else coveted their weapons? But why would their enemy simply stack these trophies against a wall and leave them to rust? And why did the strange spiritual power linger the most on the blades?
I saw the same questions in Bai Ye's eyes, along with a sense of alarm. "Do you feel it too?" he asked. "I've been leading us towards where this power feels the weakest, hoping that it would point us to a way out. We were on track until we reached this spot … where the power suddenly grew stronger than ever before. Maybe there's another seal nearby."
Seal? I studied the pile again, trying to remember the fluctuation of spiritual power I felt while being pulled through that first seal earlier. I was too startled and frightened then to see through how it worked, but now that I had time to focus on it, it seemed that somehow … I was able to figure out from memory how the seal functioned. In an unexplainable way, I felt as if that luring familiarity of this power was calling to me, telling me exactly what I needed to do to … use the seal to break through this maze.
"Let's move on," Bai Ye's voice interrupted my musings. "It might not be safe to fall through another one of these."
"Wait," I said as he turned to start moving again. "I think … I might know how to find our way out."
He looked at me. "Through the seal?"
There was no disbelief or shock in his tone, and it delighted me that he didn't doubt my capabilities. "I can feel something," I said. "I think I know how to … change where the seal wants to send us, so that we can come out the other side near an exit." I gave him a somewhat uncertain look. "I won't say I'm completely sure about it though …"
He considered it for a moment. "If following the strength of the power only leads us to walking in circles, it's worth it to try this way instead—as long as we aren't separated again." Before I could respond, he suddenly swept me off my feet into his arms. "Tell me when and where to step. We'll go through it together this time."
"Bai Ye!" I almost thrashed my way out of his arms. Carrying me like this was certainly going to tear his wounds open further. "Your shoulder—"
"Is fine. The seal might only allow one person through before closing again. I won't let you out of my sight this time."
I cursed inwardly. There was no point arguing with him, and I could only try to do this as fast as possible so that he would drop me once we were safe. "Stand next to the long sword on the right with the golden hilt," I said. "Walk left … Step between the two crossing blades over there … careful."
As he followed my commands, I reached out to that strange spiritual power with my consciousness and pushed on it, like I was turning an invisible knob using our shift in positions as leverage. When he stepped between those two blades, I gave the seal my strongest burst of power, and the stack of swords rattled. A familiar force pulled on us from beneath. I wrapped my arms tight around him as the ground started to sink, and darkness enveloped us both.
When we emerged again, we were standing right at the cave entrance where we came in this morning, with a blinding afternoon sun in front of our eyes.
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