The inner sanctum of the Azure Feather Sect pulsed with tension.
Kael stood alone beneath the towering obsidian columns, the light of the soulfire braziers casting long, ominous shadows across his face. Around him, seated in a semi-circle, were the twelve Elders—each a master in their domain, each radiating spiritual pressure strong enough to shatter ordinary minds.
But Kael stood still.
Unflinching.
Observing.
Not reacting.
That alone unsettled most of them more than any outburst could have.
"Kael," said Grand Elder Jinhai, his voice smooth like silk over steel, "you have returned from your trial... unscathed."
Kael bowed slightly. "Yes, Grand Elder."
"Astonishing," murmured Elder Minya. "The Crimson Throne's interrogation is designed to destroy the will."
Kael offered no comment.
Elder Huan leaned forward, his snake tattoo gleaming faintly with dark qi. "Tell us. How did you endure?"
Kael met his eyes. "I remembered who I was."
The room went still.
Elder Yan chuckled nervously. "Ah, the clarity of identity! A fine answer. But vague."
Kael tilted his head slightly. "Some truths are best left vague."
This time, no one laughed.
The Grand Elder steepled his fingers. "Your cultivation has progressed swiftly. Yet, your contributions to the sect have been... minimal."
"A fault I intend to rectify," Kael replied.
"Good," said Elder Minya. "Then you will accept our invitation."
Kael arched a brow. "Invitation?"
"To join the Azure Vanguard," she said. "The elite force of the sect. Reserved for those who protect our secrets and execute our will beyond sect borders."
A trap. Kael knew it instantly.
The Vanguard was a gilded cage.
Those inside it were constantly watched, bound by unbreakable oaths and monitored through spiritual links.
Kael lowered his gaze slightly. "I am honored. But unworthy."
Elder Huan's smile was thin and sharp. "Humble. But your display against the Crimson Throne shows otherwise."
"I fought only to survive."
"And survival is the first skill of a warrior," Huan countered.
Kael pretended to hesitate. "May I request a delay? I must stabilize a recent breakthrough. It would be reckless to endanger others."
The Elders exchanged glances.
Grand Elder Jinhai finally nodded. "One month. Then you will report to the Vanguard."
Kael bowed. "As you wish."
But inside, he was already preparing to vanish.
Later that Night
Kael stood on the rooftop of the west dormitory, overlooking the valley below. The stars flickered like dying lanterns, and a cold wind blew in from the mountains.
Lin joined him, silent.
"You were right," Kael said without turning. "They want to bind me."
Lin clenched her fists. "I told you they feared you."
"Fear is a seed," Kael murmured. "And seeds grow."
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a parchment. "I intercepted this from Elder Huan's raven. It was meant for someone called The Watcher in Grey."
Kael took it.
The words were written in a cipher—one he cracked in seconds.
His hands stilled at the signature.
—By the command of the Serpent Sect.
So it was true.
The Serpent Sect had infiltrated Azure Feather.
And Huan was their mole.
More than that—he was their contact point.
Kael's gaze turned toward the Elder Quarters. "If I disappear now, they'll hunt me."
"Then don't disappear," Lin said quietly. "Expose them."
Kael turned to her, studying her eyes. "That would mean war."
"I'm not afraid."
He stared at her for a long moment.
Then reached into his ring and pulled out the black ring—the one she had given him.
The symbol had changed.
Now it bore a three-eyed phoenix devouring a serpent.
"I don't know what I'm becoming, Lin," he whispered.
She stepped closer.
"Then let me become it with you."
The Next Morning
A public gathering was held at the central plaza.
Disciples gathered in droves, whispering rumors of Kael's audience with the Elders. Some said he was to be promoted. Others whispered he would be exiled.
Then he appeared.
Clad in simple robes, face calm, eyes like cold fire.
He walked to the stage, handed something to the announcer, and said only one thing:
"Read it."
The announcer frowned—then unfolded the scroll.
Silence fell.
Then chaos.
The scroll detailed Huan's correspondence with the Serpent Sect, including dates, names, and planned betrayals. At the end of the letter, a fragment of a soul seal—bearing Huan's signature.
Elder Huan stood up from the pavilion, face pale.
"You dare slander—!"
But Kael lifted his hand.
A golden flame surged upward, revealing a projection of the soul seal—animated and speaking in Huan's own voice.
"I will ensure Kael is bound to the Vanguard. Once controlled, his power will be transferred to the Serpent Sect through the Mirror Pact. Glory to the Serpent."
A gasp rippled through the crowd.
Elder Minya stood. "Elder Huan, do you deny this?"
Huan's face twisted. "This... is a forgery!"
"Then allow a soul-verification."
The soul-verification spell was irrefutable.
He refused.
And that refusal was all the Elders needed.
In seconds, the council acted.
Huan was restrained by Grand Elder Jinhai and stripped of his status.
But as they moved to imprison him—
He laughed.
And exploded into a burst of black flames.
From the sky, a tear in space opened—and from it, emerged a figure in grey robes, his face hidden, aura monstrous.
"The Watcher in Grey," someone whispered.
Kael's heart froze.
He'd expected a backlash.
But not this soon.
The Watcher raised a single finger—and pointed at Kael.
"You are the key."
And the attack began.
The Battle
The Watcher summoned shadows shaped like serpents, tearing through the plaza with unnatural speed. Several disciples were instantly wounded. Elders raised barriers, some shattered in seconds.
Kael leapt forward—not to attack.
To protect.
He caught Lin in mid-air, pulling her away from a serpent's maw, then hurled a formation disk that burst into a protective dome around a dozen junior disciples.
The Watcher turned to him, intrigued. "You hide it well. But I see... the spark."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "Then burn."
He invoked the black ring.
And a surge of flame—ashen and silver—erupted from him.
The Watcher recoiled.
"Impossible—Ashen Flame was destroyed—!"
Kael charged, blade in hand, power roaring like a hurricane.
The plaza became a war zone.
But Kael didn't care.
Because for the first time...
He wasn't just surviving.
He was fighting back.