The room was cold, but Kael barely noticed.
The unrolled scroll lay on the floor before him, its blood-red ink pulsing with faint spiritual light. The name scrawled across it felt like a knife pressed to his throat.
Wu Jinhai.
An inner disciple. Trusted. Soft-spoken. Talented in healing arts, respected for his grace and modesty. Kael had saved his life once—during the poison fog incident in the Mistveil Caverns. Wu had sworn eternal gratitude.
But now, his name was written on a traitor's scroll sealed by the Crimson Throne.
Kael didn't move for hours. He simply stared at the name, emotions swirling beneath his still surface.
Trust was not a luxury he allowed himself often. And yet, Wu Jinhai had seemed harmless. Kind, even.
Now he knew better.
The Azure Feather Sect's inner court bustled with activity the next morning. News of Kael's journey to the capital had spread, though twisted by rumors. Some said he'd been summoned to be executed. Others claimed he'd been offered a noble title.
Kael returned in silence.
He wore a new robe, black with thin silver threads, simple yet impossible to ignore. His eyes—once calm—now held an edge that unnerved even seasoned elders. He walked like a shadow that had learned how to bleed light.
At the training grounds, disciples trained in pairs, swords clashing in elegant duels. Laughter echoed, pride bloomed.
And then Kael stepped in.
Silence followed him.
Wu Jinhai was there—smiling as he demonstrated a healing formation to two juniors. When his eyes met Kael's, he stiffened slightly, then smiled again.
"Kael! You've returned. I was worried."
Kael inclined his head. "So was I."
The words carried weight Wu didn't catch.
"Let's have tea," Wu offered. "It's been too long. You can tell me about the capital."
Kael nodded. "Let's."
They sat in Wu's private courtyard, a tranquil place filled with peach blossoms and hummingbirds. Wu poured tea carefully, as he always had—graceful, composed.
"I heard rumors you met the Emperor himself," Wu said casually.
"I did," Kael replied, sipping slowly.
"And? What did he want?"
Kael looked at him. "To offer me a position."
Wu blinked. "You refused, didn't you?"
Kael smiled. "Of course."
Wu laughed. "You're as reckless as ever."
Kael's smile didn't fade. "He also gave me a gift."
Wu's hand froze over the teapot. "Oh?"
Kael leaned forward, voice quiet. "The name of a traitor within our sect. Someone who knows what I truly am."
Silence.
Wu's smile cracked, just for a second.
Then he laughed again. "And? Did you believe him?"
Kael's eyes glinted. "Should I?"
Wu set the teapot down. His fingers trembled faintly.
"Kael," he said softly, "you know I'd never—"
"You gave the scroll to the Celestial Accord three nights ago," Kael interrupted, voice like ice. "You marked me for execution."
Wu stood up sharply. "You're being paranoid—!"
"Don't lie," Kael said, standing as well. "I followed the scent of your spirit imprint on the envelope. I know you touched it. I know you activated it."
Wu's breath hitched. He backed away slightly, his aura flickering.
"I didn't have a choice," he whispered. "They came to me. They said... if I didn't report your existence, they'd kill my family. My mother's still in the outer provinces. They would have—"
Kael's face remained unreadable. "So you sold me."
Wu looked down, guilt splashing across his face like ink. "You don't understand. The Accord... they're not just a sect. They're a covenant. They know things—ancient truths. You... you're dangerous, Kael."
Kael said nothing.
"You've changed," Wu continued, more desperate now. "You hide your cultivation, walk through shadows, defeat core disciples like they're children. You use techniques no one recognizes. You think people won't fear you? You think they won't want to control you?"
Kael stepped forward.
Wu's breath caught.
"But I never meant for them to hurt you," Wu whispered. "I tried to mislead them. I—"
Kael raised a hand. Wu flinched.
But Kael didn't strike.
Instead, he placed a black jade talisman on the table.
"I'm giving you a choice."
Wu stared.
"This talisman contains a spirit-mark that'll sever your soul link with the Celestial Accord. It will erase your memory of their pact—burn it out of your sea of consciousness. You'll be free. But it'll cost you."
Wu's hands trembled. "What... what will it cost?"
"Your cultivation," Kael said. "Everything you've built."
Wu paled. "You're asking me to cripple myself."
"I'm asking you to prove you regret what you did."
Wu closed his eyes. "If I refuse?"
Kael turned away. "Then don't sleep tonight."
He left without another word.
That evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, a faint burst of black qi rose from Wu Jinhai's courtyard.
A single scream echoed—short, muffled, then gone.
Kael stood atop a nearby roof, watching the blossoms fall.
He closed his eyes.
Another bond severed.
Another illusion gone.
But there was no time for mourning.
That night, Lin knocked on his door again.
She looked different—more composed, more aware.
"I know what you did," she said quietly.
Kael didn't deny it.
"I also know you're not just some genius outer disciple," she added. "You're... something else."
He met her gaze. "Does it frighten you?"
"Yes," she said, then stepped forward, close enough that he could feel her breath. "But it also makes me want to follow you."
Kael's heart stirred. "Why?"
Lin's eyes held fire. "Because I've seen enough fools pretending to be dragons. You're the only one hiding your wings."
She placed a small scroll on his table. "This came from the central archive. Someone's been altering your background records. Even your name is being scrubbed."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"They're preparing something," she said. "Something that involves you."
He nodded. "Let them come."
She stepped back. "I'll stand with you."
A pause.
Kael reached for her hand—and this time, she didn't pull away.
That night, Kael opened the scroll Lin had brought.
It wasn't just his name being erased.
It was his entire origin.
And the signature at the bottom?
A name he hadn't heard in years.
Master Arkanis.
The one who had trained him.
The one who had vanished.
And apparently... the one who had betrayed him first.