Ishin’s mouth tasted like bile when he finally opened his eyes. He was resting beneath a tree, thin traces of amber sunlight piercing through the branches overhead. Blinking the sleep away, he stretched his arms—only to wince as pain shot through his left limb.

  That’s right. The Vampire Ape got me pretty good there.

  He recalled being swatted aside by the large vampiric spirit beast, losing his spear in the process.

  Half a spear at that.

  That was a depressing thought. Just like when he had left the Nine Striped Hills months ago, he was without a proper weapon again. It felt wrong.

  Ishin rubbed at his eyes, then shook his head, forcing the lingering fatigue away.

  At least I killed it.

  “Good. You’re up.”

  Ishin turned to find Long leaning against a nearby tree, the archer’s eyes scanning the surroundings. His bow was in hand, an arrow knocked but held loosely—ready if danger appeared. Ishin noticed the five arrows still in Long’s quiver.

  “You found more arrows?” Ishin’s throat felt dry, confirming he’d been asleep for quite some time.

  “Retrieved them after you defeated the Vampire Ape,” Long replied. He gave Ishin an inquisitive look. “I didn’t know you had such a powerful technique.”

  With a groan, Ishin stretched. “I’m just glad it worked.”

  “Why didn’t you use it earlier?” Long asked. “Against Isho Nel.”

  Ishin paused before answering. There was no malice in Long’s tone—only curiosity. “I can only use it once before it exhausts my chakra,” Ishin admitted. “If I miss, then I’m useless afterward.”

  “Like how you fainted,” Long noted.

  “Yes.” Ishin pushed himself to his feet, stretching again as he stood. “Isho Nel was too fast. The Vampire Ape was slower—and we were running out of options.”

  “A cautious weapon,” Long summarized with a nod. “One that needs to be wielded with wisdom.”

  Ishin was glad his friend understood. “Where are the others?”

  “They went back to the crater,” Long answered, pointing through the trees. “You’ve been asleep for a day. The Pill Drop is over.”

  We’ll be here for another week then.

  That irritated Ishin, but it was the price they had accepted when they pursued Isho Nel. Searching the forest floor, he found a waterskin and took a drink. The water was warm and tasted faintly of moss, but it soothed his throat.

  We’ll need to get more food and water if we’re stuck here another week.

  They were running low on jerky and supplies—even with half their original group gone.

  “Why’d they go back to the crater?” Ishin asked, wiping sweat from his brow. The humidity still pressed on him like a heavy blanket. He took another gulp of water.

  “Rhee thought some pills might have been abandoned,” Long replied.

  “Abandoned?”

  Long shrugged. “Other candidates might not take lightning or ice pills if they don’t cultivate those aspects. Who knows? We’ll find out when they return.”

  “I see.” That was a fair point. What were the odds there were other lightning or ice cultivators on the island?

  I suppose that’s one benefit of not cultivating one of the primary eight elements.

  “Did you find any pills on Isho Nel or the others?” Ishin hoped that something at least came from that fight. Chen, he thought sorrowfully.

  Long pursed his lips. “Yes.”

  Ishin read the conflict in the man’s expression.

  “What is it?”

  “They only carried a blood pill, a wind pill, and a metal pill.”

  A frustrated groan escaped Ishin’s lips. “Useless then.”

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  “Yes.”

  After all that, they acquired nothing that would help them leave this damn place. If Chen had made it she could have at least taken the wind pill.

  That was a depressing thought that Ishin couldn’t deal with. Not now at least.

  I just have to hope that Rhee and Mei find something useful from the crater.

  Then Ishin recalled the animosity Rhee had shown toward Mei—the argument that had nearly turned violent before the Vampire Ape appeared. “Do you think it’s safe for those two to be alone?”

  “Yes,” Long answered without hesitation.

  “You’re not concerned about them fighting again?” Ishin asked carefully.

  “No.”

  Ishin blinked, staring blankly at Long, who seemed far more focused on the trees than the conversation. Realizing he wasn’t getting anywhere, Ishin tried a different question.

  “Do you think Mei betrayed us by not sharing the truth about her robes?”

  “No.”

  “No?” Ishin frowned. “That’s all you have to say?”

  “To me, it’s no different than you not revealing your blue and white lightning technique,” Long said calmly.

  Ishin was stunned by the comparison.

  He makes a good point.

  “You both had your reasons,” Long continued. “And from what I observed, neither of you concealed those facts out of malice or with the intent to harm the rest of us.” His gaze drifted to the forest floor. “I’m sad that Chen is dead, but I don’t blame Mei for it.”

  No… he blames himself.

  Ishin’s eyes wandered until they found a charred skeleton a few yards away.

  Is that Chen’s body?

  It didn’t take long for Ishin to understand what had happened.

  “It wasn’t your fault either,” Ishin said quietly.

  Long didn’t respond, returning his attention to the woods. A cool breeze stirred the air, rustling the gray leaves around them.

  “Is the flute player dead?” Ishin asked, hoping to shift the topic away from grief.

  “He is. Rhee killed him after you passed out.”

  “She did?” Ishin blinked in surprise.

  I thought that arrow would have killed him on its own. Was it not a fatal shot?

  “I was surprised too,” Long admitted. “He would have died on his own eventually. But she went over and finished him off. I’m not sure why.”

  “That is… surprising.”

  The two stood in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts about all that had transpired.

  Three hours later, Rhee and Mei emerged from the trees as the sunlight began to fade. Both appeared empty-handed and weary. Ishin noticed the bruise on Mei’s cheek had deepened to a dark purple, but thankfully, the two women weren’t arguing. Hopefully, that meant Rhee had worked through her frustration.

  “You’re awake!” Rhee exclaimed when she spotted Ishin.

  “I am,” he smiled.

  Rhee rushed forward and, to Ishin’s surprise, wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. “Thank the Heavens,” she whispered, pressing her face against his chest.

  For a moment, Ishin was too surprised to react. Then he smiled and returned the hug, squeezing her gently. It felt good holding Rhee close, feeling her heartbeat against his. One hand brushed through her tangled hair, damp and frayed from exhaustion.

  “I’m still here,” he murmured.

  “Good.” She looked up at him, genuine relief shining in her eyes. “You’re not allowed to die. Understand?”

  A smile spread across Ishin’s lips, and he chuckled softly. His chest vibrated against her cheek. “Understood. And neither are you.”

  The two locked eyes—an unspoken understanding passing between them, a quiet bond forged by shared danger and loss.

  “Did you find anything?” Long asked.

  Ishin felt heat rush to his face, remembering that Long and Mei were both watching. He noticed a faint blush on Rhee’s cheeks too. They quickly separated.

  Clearing her throat, Rhee replied, “No. They were all gone.”

  Ishin rubbed the back of his head, then glanced toward Mei, who was studying him with an unreadable expression. “Are you alright, Mei?”

  “Oh, um… yes,” she stammered, diverting her gaze. “So now what? Should we just hide for the next week?”

  “We don’t really have a choice,” Rhee said, regaining her usual composure now that strategy was back on the table.

  “We’ll need to go hunting,” Long added. “We only have enough food for another two days.”

  “I cannot wait to get off this island and eat something that isn’t Vampire Monkey meat.”

  “The Vampire Ape,” Ishin said suddenly, realization dawning.

  “What about it?” Long asked.

  “We don’t need to hunt other game—we can butcher it for meat.”

  I can also get my spear back.

  Even if it was only half a spear, having some kind of weapon would make him feel whole again.

  Scratching his chin, Long nodded. “That’s a good idea. I can use my technique to start a fire for cooking.”

  “Do any of you know how to cut up the meat?” Mei asked hesitantly. “I… regrettably don’t know how.”

  “I can,” Long assured her. He pulled out a small carving knife from within his robes. The curved, serrated blade was no longer than two fingers. “It’s designed for combat, but it’s useful for this.”

  “You’ve done something like this before, haven’t you?” Rhee asked.

  “Fend for my life on an island filled with spirit beasts and cultivators trying to kill me?”

  “Funny,” she said dryly. “I meant survive in the wilderness.”

  “You are quite skilled,” Ishin added. He gestured toward Long’s knife. “Between that, your tracking and hunting skills, and your fire techniques, you clearly have the experience of someone used to the wild.”

  Long returned the knife to his robes. “I knew I wanted to explore the corners of the world,” he said simply. “So I developed the skills necessary to do so.”

  “Is that your dao then?” Mei asked curiously.

  “One of them,” Long admitted.

  Huh.

  Once again, Ishin realized just how little he knew about the archer.

  “We should hurry,” Long suggested. “If we go now, we can reach the corpse before nightfall.”