The challenger of Destiny

Secrets of the Forbidden Scroll

The darkness of night enveloped the Five Elements Mountain when Jihan woke up drenched in sweat. It was that dream again-the same dream that had haunted him since they left the underground temple three days ago. In his dreams, he always saw the sadly smiling figure of his mother, standing at the edge of a cliff with an ancient scroll in her hand.

“Forgive mom, Jihan,” Li Wei always said in the dream. “But this is the only way...”

Then Li Wei would jump into the abyss, taking the scroll with him. And each time, Jihan would wake up with a scream caught in her throat.

“Another nightmare?” Lin Mei's voice came from the corner of the cave where they were staying. The woman sat cross-legged, her eyes closed in meditation.

Jihan nodded, knowing Lin Mei didn't see her. “I saw mom... and a scroll.”

Lin Mei's eyes opened slowly. In the dim light of the campfire, her bi-colored irises-ice blue and fire red, exactly like Jihan's eyes now-flashed meaningfully. “The Second Scroll of Destiny,” she murmured. “So that's it...”

“You know something?”

Lin Mei rose from her meditation position, walking towards the mouth of the cave. Outside, the blizzard was still raging. “There are five ancient scrolls that hold the greatest secrets of the Guardians,” she began. “The First Scroll contains the early history of our power. Scroll Two holds a prophecy about the Anomaly-about you. The Third Scroll contains the ritual to awaken the Forbidden Guardians. The Fourth Scroll...”

“And the Fifth Scroll?” Jihan asked when Lin Mei was silent for too long.

“No one knows the contents of the Fifth Scroll,” Lin Mei shook her head. “Not even the elders have seen it. All we have now is the Third Scroll-the one Kai Wen stole from the temple.”

Jihan frowned. “But you said the scroll we took was the Five Elements Destiny Scroll?”

“Yes, that's the other name,” Lin Mei turned to face her. “And Kai Wen let us get it on purpose.”

“What? Why?”

“Because...” Lin Mei hesitated for a moment, “...the ritual in the scroll requires the blood of the Anomaly. Your blood, Jihan.”

Jihan felt her blood freeze. “So all this time...”

“Yes. Our every move, every fight, even the awakening of your powers-all have been calculated by him.” Lin Mei sighed heavily. “Kai Wen may be crazy, but he's a genius at manipulating situations.”

Rage began to stir within Jihan. The fire in his palm flared up involuntarily, while the dew around him froze into sharp ice. “We have to stop him!”

“And we will,” Lin Mei soothed. “But first, you need to fully master your powers. Kai Wen was right about one thing-you're not ready to face him.”

“Then what should I do?”

Lin Mei smiled mysteriously. “Do you remember what Wei Zhang said about true strength?”

“It's in the heart,” Jihan repeated her late teacher's words.

“Exactly. But do you know what that means?”

Before Jihan could answer, the ground beneath their feet shook violently. From the darkness outside the cave, came an inhuman roar.

“They found us,” Lin Mei cursed under her breath. “Sooner than I thought.”

“Who?”

“The Shadow Hunters-the loyal followers of Kai Wen.” Lin Mei took a stand. “They're different from ordinary Hunters. Kai Wen has given them some of his dark power.”

Figures emerged from the blizzard-tall figures sheathed in black robes, with bone masks covering their faces. Their eyes glowed red in the darkness.

“Surrender the Anomaly,” one of them said in a hoarse, unnatural voice. “Then your death will be swift, Lin Mei.”

Lin Mei snorted. “Still as impolite as ever, Zhang Yong.” He glanced at Jihan. “Do you remember the technique I taught you yesterday?”

Jihan nodded, though she wasn't sure. Yesterday Lin Mei taught her how to transform one element into another-something she never even imagined possible.

“Good,” Lin Mei smiled. “Because we're going to need it.”

The Shadow Hunters attacked simultaneously. From their hands, tendrils of darkness shot out like venomous snakes. Lin Mei moved gracefully, her every move turning the enemy's attacks into ice flakes that then turned into blue flames.

Jihan tried to keep up, but her coordination between water and fire was still not perfect. Several times she was nearly hit, saved only by reflexes honed since childhood.

“Focus, Jihan!” Lin Mei exclaimed while fending off the attacks of three Hunters at once. “Don't let them separate us!”

But it was too late. A wall of black ice suddenly appeared between them, cutting the cave in half. Jihan could hear the sounds of fighting from behind the wall, but couldn't see what was happening.

“Lin Mei!” he shouted, trying to destroy the ice wall with a combination of water and fire. But the ice was not normal-every bit of damage she inflicted instantly regenerated.

“Where's your attention, Anomaly?”

Jihan turned around in time to avoid a shadow sword slash. Zhang Yong stood before him, his cracked bone mask revealing a ghastly grin.

“You look just like your mother,” Zhang Yong hissed. “Just as naive, just as weak...”

“Don't you dare mention my mother's name!” Jihan unleashed a wave of boiling water, but Zhang Yong brushed it off easily.

“Ah, and your father's temperament,” he laughed. “What an interesting combination.”

The ensuing battle unfolded at a blinding speed. Zhang Yong moved like a shadow, her attacks coming from all directions. Jihan tried to keep up, but it soon became clear that she was overwhelmed.

“See?” Zhang Yong taunted as he dodged a burst of fire. “You can't even use your two elements together. Shame on you.”

Those words stabbed Jihan deeper than she expected. Because Zhang Yong was right-every time he tried to use water and fire together, one of them was always weaker. It was as if the two elements refused to cooperate.

Suddenly, in the middle of the fight, something strange happened. Time seemed to slow down, and Jihan saw Wei Zhang standing next to her.

“Master?” he whispered in disbelief.

Wei Zhang smiled. “You still don't understand, Jihan. True power is not about controlling the elements.”

“Then what is it about?”

“About accepting who you are fully.” Wei Zhang pointed towards Jihan's heart. “The water and fire in you are in conflict because you still reject one of them. Still rejecting the part of you that comes from Kai Wen.”

Jihan gasped. Wei Zhang was right-all this time he had tried to separate the two elements within him, treating the fire as an enemy to be tamed.

“But how can I accept the power of the one who destroyed my life?” she asked desperately.

“Because power itself is neither good nor evil,” Wei Zhang replied gently. “What decides is the heart that wields it.”

Time returned to normal. Zhang Yong was still attacking, but this time Jihan saw it differently. For the first time, he stopped fighting the conflict within him.

Water and fire... two opposing forces, but also complementary. Like day and night, like life and death. One cannot exist without the other.

“What's wrong?” Zhang Yong mocked when Jihan stopped attacking. “Finally giving up?”

“No,” Jihan smiled. “Finally got it.”

The air around them began to tremble. Water and fire flowed from Jihan's body, but this time it was different. Instead of fighting for dominance, the two elements danced in perfect harmony-creating a mesmerizing spectrum of light.

“No way...” Zhang Yong took a step back. “You can't have mastered it this quickly!”

“You're right about one thing,” Jihan said calmly. “I did inherit my father's temperament.” She raised her hand, and a circle of water and fire began to form around her. “But I also inherited my mother's wisdom.”

The attack he unleashed afterward surprised even himself. Water and fire moved as one, creating a tornado that blended both elements in a deadly dance. Zhang Yong tried to fight back with his darkness, but in vain.

When the tornado disappeared, Zhang Yong had vanished-leaving behind only his cracked bone mask.

The wall of black ice separating Jihan from Lin Mei shattered into pieces. Behind it, Lin Mei stood among the unconscious bodies of the Hunters, smiling proudly.

“You finally understand,” she said.

Jihan nodded. “Yes. But something's still bothering me...” she looked at Lin Mei sharply. “Why didn't you ever tell me that you were like me? An anomaly?”

Lin Mei was silent for a moment. “Because my story is different from yours, Jihan. And... because there's a secret I'm not ready to tell.”

“What other secrets?”

Before Lin Mei could answer, an unnaturally cold wind blew into the cave. The snow outside stopped falling abruptly, and the moon that had been covered in clouds appeared in a blood-red color.

“No...” Lin Mei whispered in horror. “Not now...”

“What? What's wrong?”

“Kai Wen,” Lin Mei replied in a trembling voice. “He's already found the Fourth Scroll.”

“Haven't you told me the contents of the Fourth Scroll yet?”

Lin Mei looked at her with an expression Jihan had never seen before-a mixture of fear and... regret?

“The Fourth Scroll contains the secret of the Sacred Sacrifice,” she finally said. “An ancient ritual that can make a Guardian reach the power level of the gods... by sacrificing the blood of his own descendants.”

Jihan's blood froze. “You mean...”

“Yes,” Lin Mei nodded heavily. “Kai Wen doesn't just want to resurrect the Forbidden Guardians. He wants to be their leader. And for that...” she looked at Jihan with teary eyes, ”...he needs your blood. The blood of his own son.”

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. From afar, a blood-curdling roar echoed out. A roar that made even the unconscious Shadowhunters tremble in their sleep.

“What is it?” Jihan asked, though inwardly she already knew the answer.

“The Forbidden Guardians,” Lin Mei replied grimly. “Kai Wen has already started their awakening ritual. And we...” she looked up at the red moon in the sky, ”...only have until the next full moon to stop them.”

“How?”

Lin Mei picked up the Five Scrolls of Destiny