The Blackening Gold

The Forest of Misfortune lived up to its name.

The trees were twisted, weeping black sap. The fog smelled of old pennies and regret. As they ventured deeper, the attacks became relentless.

Roots lashed out to snare Luo Yi’s ankles. Sinkholes opened up beneath his feet. Venomous vipers dropped from the canopy.

And every single time, Shen An was there.

He slashed the roots. He pulled Luo Yi from the mud. He caught the snakes in mid-air and crushed them.

But something was changing.

Luo Yi noticed it after the third hour. Usually, Shen An’s sword glare was a brilliant, blinding gold. Pure Yang energy. But as he deflected a cursed rock slide meant for Luo Yi, the light flickered.

A streak of black appeared in the golden aura.

"Shen An?" Luo Yi called out. "You okay? You look pale."

"Focus," Shen An grunted. He stumbled slightly—something Luo Yi had never seen him do.

They reached the heart of the forest. A clearing filled with gray ash. In the center stood the source of the corruption: a Karma Beast.

It looked like a massive, rotting lion, its fur made of shadows and broken mirrors. It roared, a sound that vibrated in the teeth.

"Two morsels," the Beast hissed, its voice scraping like sandpaper. "One sweet with rot. One bright with gold."

Luo Yi drew his sword—a rusty thing that usually jammed. "Stay back, Shen An. I’ll distract it, you hit the flank."

"No," Shen An said. He stepped in front of Luo Yi.

The Beast laughed. "You shield him? You fool. Do you not feel the weight?"

Luo Yi paused. "What weight?"

The Beast grinned, exposing rows of jagged glass teeth. "Karma cannot be destroyed, boy. It can only be moved. Every time he saves you... he takes it."

Luo Yi froze. He looked at Shen An’s back.

The white robes were immaculate, but the aura...

Shen An flared his Qi. It wasn't gold anymore. It was streaked with heavy, oily black veins. The bad luck. The trips, the falls, the lightning. Shen An hadn't been nullifying them. He had been absorbing them.

"Is that true?" Luo Yi whispered, horror dawning on him. "Shen An?"

Shen An didn't turn around. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters!" Luo Yi screamed. "You're poisoning yourself! Why? Why would you do that?"

Shen An looked back over his shoulder. His face was pale, sweat beading on his forehead, but his eyes were clear.

"Because," Shen An said simply, "I would rather be unlucky with you than lucky without you."