The desert was quiet. Too quiet.
Zane trudged forward, sand crunching beneath his boots, the Shadow Ring and Phantom Chain both humming faintly with residual energy. Link lounged lazily on his shoulder, looking thoroughly unimpressed by the heat.
"I swear," Link muttered, fanning himself with a conjured shadow leaf, "if the next artifact is inside another ancient death maze, I'm switching teams."
Nyx rolled her eyes from her usual spot floating beside Zane. "You don't even have a team. You're literally a parasite in his soul."
"Excuse you, I'm a charismatic parasite."
Zane ignored them both, eyes scanning the distance. He wasn't just wandering—he felt it. A pull. Like the Phantom Chain was tugging at something, whispering to him through the static of the Void.
And then—
"…What."
Zane froze.
Under a tall, leafy tree—yes, another tree in the damn desert—sat the same green-haired girl from before. The assassin. The anomaly agent.
She was lounging casually on a blanket with a tea set. Yes. A full tea set. She poured herself a cup, took a dainty sip, and smiled when she spotted him.
"Took you long enough," she said sweetly.
Zane blinked. "How… You—weren't you—How are you—"
"Free?" she offered. "Well, shadow ropes don't hold forever. Especially not when you monologue and forget to double-knot."
Nyx and Link both facepalmed in sync behind him.
"Again with the trees," Zane muttered, pointing at the suspicious greenery. "Seriously, where are these coming from? Is there a tree god trolling me?"
The girl laughed. "Still obsessed with the tree, huh? I thought you'd ask why I'm not shooting you in the face."
"Oh no, that's next," Zane said. "But I'm still stuck on the botanically impossible foliage."
She patted the spot beside her. "Come, sit. I have tea. It's poisoned, obviously. But still, good quality."
"…Pass."
She pouted. "Your loss. So... still chasing your little trinkets?"
Zane's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about the artifacts?"
She sipped her tea with a coy smirk. "Oh, just enough to be dangerous. Let's just say... you're not the only one playing this game. And not everyone wants to wear the artifacts."
Zane crossed his arms. "What, they wanna eat them?"
She tilted her head. "You joke. But you're closer than you think."
That got a reaction. Even Link sat up straighter, suddenly alert.
"Who else is collecting them?" Zane asked.
She shrugged. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Zane stepped closer, shadows curling at his feet. "Keep dodging, and I might forget I already spared you once."
Her expression didn't change. If anything, her grin widened. "You assume you're the one in control."
At that moment, the sand around them trembled—just slightly.
Zane tensed.
She stood, setting down her cup, brushing off her robes. "I'll be seeing you again, Shadow King. But if you want the next artifact... you might want to head east."
Zane blinked, surprised by the genuine lead.
But before he could ask more, she leapt up onto a branch of the very tree she'd summoned from nowhere and disappeared in a blur of wind and laughter.
"…Okay," Link said, scratching his head. "I do kinda like her."
"She's literally trying to kill us," Nyx deadpanned.
"And yet she serves tea."
Zane exhaled, annoyed and intrigued. "Let's just go east. And if we see another tree, I'm burning it."