The afternoon sun cast long shadows across Eldoria as I stepped out of the car in front of the Northwood estate. The once-proud mansion looked diminished somehow, with overgrown gardens and closed curtains that spoke of a family in mourning.


    I took a deep breath, steadying myself for what I knew would be a difficult conversation. Three days ago, I had made the riskiest gambit of my life, threatening Conrad Thornton to save Roman and ric. Now I was back in Eldoria to finish what I started.


    The door swung open before I could knock. Ss Northwood stood framed in the doorway, his oncemanding presence reduced to a hollow shell. Deep shadows hung beneath his bloodshot eyes, and his formerly meticulous appearance had given way to rumpled clothes and several days'' worth of stubble.


    "So the rumors are true," Ss said, his voice rough. "Liam Knight has returned to Eldoria."


    "Hello, Ss," I replied quietly. "May Ie in?"


    He stepped aside wordlessly, leading me through the dimly lit hallway to what had once been a vibrant sitting room. Everything was covered in a fineyer of dust, as if the house itself had given up.


    "How is Alistair?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.


    Ss''s face contorted with grief. "My son lies upstairs like a corpse that still breathes. His eyes open, but they see nothing. His heart beats, but he''s gone. The finest doctors in the country call it an unexinablea. I call it what it is—murder by Conrad Thornton."


    I moved toward the window, pulling back the heavy curtains to let some light into the room. "I''m sorry, Ss. Truly. I should have been here."


    "Why are you here now?" he demanded, anger suddenly ring. "What good does your presence do when my son—" His voice broke, and he copsed into a nearby chair, his head in his hands.


    I approached him slowly. "I''m here because I made a promise to protect Alistair, and I failed. But I''ve also made another promise—to make Conrad Thornton pay for what he''s done."


    Ss looked up, skepticism and desperation warring in his eyes. "You? Against Conrad Thornton? The man is a Grandmaster. He destroyed my son with a single touch."


    "I''m not the same man who left Eldoria," I said quietly. "And I haven''te back just to fight Conrad. I''vee to heal Alistair."


    His head snapped up. "Don''t toy with me, Knight. The best medical professionals in the country have examined him—"


    "And they''ve failed because what Conrad did wasn''t medical. It was an attack on Alistair''s spirit and cultivation base." I leaned forward, my voice firm with conviction. "I''ve spent thest year studying ancient healing techniques. I believe I can reverse what Conrad did."


    Hope flickered across Ss''s face before he ruthlessly suppressed it. "When?"


    "After I deal with Conrad," I replied. "First, I need to ensure he can never hurt anyone else."


    Ss stood abruptly, pacing the room with nervous energy. "You''ll die. You must know that."


    "Perhaps," I acknowledged. "But I would rather die trying than live knowing I did nothing."


    A bitterugh escaped him. "You sound like my son before Conrad broke him. That same stubborn idealism."


    "I''ll take that as apliment." I moved toward the door. "I''m going to confront Conrad publicly, but first, I wanted you to hear it from me directly. I also wanted to tell you that I''m going to the Moreaus next."


    Ss''s expression darkened. "Killian is worse off than my son in some ways. At least Alistair doesn''t know what he''s lost. Killian feels his shattered cultivation every waking moment."


    "I know. That''s why I need to see him too."


    As I reached for the doorknob, Ss called out, "Knight!"


    I turned back to see him standing straighter than before, a spark of the old Northwood pride rekindled in his bearing.


    "Make that bastard suffer," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Make him understand what it is to lose everything."


    I nodded solemnly. "I give you my word."


    ---


    Killian Moreau''s apartment was a far cry from the elegant training halls he once owned. The small, bare-bones one-bedroom unit was on the outskirts of town, in a building that had seen better days.


    He opened the door cautiously, his once-powerful frame now thin and stooped. When his eyes met mine, I saw a sh of recognition followed quickly by bitterness. <var ss="in-imprint-b">Help us out by reading on *.</var>


    "Knight," he said tly. "Come to see what remains of the mighty Killian Moreau?"


    "May Ie in?" I asked.


    He shrugged and shuffled back into the apartment. I followed, taking in the sparse furnishings and the unmistakable scent of medicinal herbs and alcohol.


    "Drinking away the pain?" I asked, nodding toward an empty bottle on the coffee table.


    Killian dropped heavily onto the couch. "When your spirit pathways are shattered, conventional painkillers don''t work. You know that, Alchemist."


    I sat across from him. "I heard what happened."


    "Did you now?" Hisugh was hollow. "Conrad Thornton happened. I refused to turn over my training hall to his representatives, said I wouldn''t teach his corrupted methods. The next day, he showed up personally." Killian''s hand unconsciously drifted to his chest. "One touch. That''s all it took to destroy thirty years of cultivation. To turn me into... this."


    The raw pain in his voice struck me like a physical blow. "I should have been here," I said quietly.


    "To do what?" he shot back. "Die alongside me? Conrad Thornton is untouchable. Everyone knows it."


    I leaned forward. "Not anymore."


    Killian scoffed. "Don''t tell me you''vee back on some revenge mission. You might have made a name for yourself out there, but Conrad—"


    "I know exactly what Conrad is," I interrupted. "And I know how to defeat him."


    Killian''s bitter amusement faltered as he truly looked at me for the first time. His eyes widened slightly. "Your cultivation... it''s not possible."


    "Many things that were thought impossible are proving otherwise," I replied. "Including healing shattered spirit pathways."


    His body wentpletely still. "Don''t," he whispered. "Don''t give me hope if you''re not certain."


    "I won''t lie to you, Killian. The process would be excruciating, and sess isn''t guaranteed. But I''ve developed a technique that might restore your cultivation."


    Tears suddenly sprang to his eyes. "Why would you help me? After how I treated you when you first arrived in Eldoria?"


    "Because no one deserves what Conrad did to you." I stood up. "But first, I need to deal with him. I''m challenging him publicly. Three days from now at the Eastern Cemetery."


    Killian''s mouth fell open. "You''re insane. Even if—even if your cultivation is as impressive as it feels, challenging a Grandmaster on his home turf is suicide."


    I smiled grimly. "Then pray I seed, because if I don''t, there will be no one left to heal you."


    As I turned to leave, Killian called out, "Wait." He struggled to his feet, moving to a cab in the corner. After rummaging briefly, he pulled out a small wooden box. "Take this. It was my father''s talisman. It helped him survive three death matches in his youth."


    I epted the box, feeling the faint pulse of ancient energy within. "Thank you, Killian. I''ll return it when this is over."


    ---


    By nightfall, my return had spread through Eldoria like wildfire. I sat in my hotel room, carefully drafting the formal challenge on special parchment with red ink—the traditional method for a death duel.


    The door opened as William entered, his expression grim. "The Thorntonpound is on high alert. Conrad has called in reinforcements from neighboring cities."


    "Expected," I replied without looking up from my writing.


    "Your formal challenge will only make things worse. He might have been content to kill you quietly before, but a public challenge? You''re forcing him to respond with maximum force."


    I finished thest character with a flourish. "That''s exactly the point."


    William sighed. "You''re using yourself as bait."


    "I''m giving Conrad exactly what his ego demands—a chance to destroy me publicly." I sealed the parchment with wax. "His pride won''t let him refuse."


    "And the location? The Eastern Cemetery is hardly neutral ground."


    I smiled thinly. "It''s perfect. Ancient ground, filled with the graves of cultivators. The ambient spiritual energy there will serve my purposes."


    "And the three-day dy?"


    "Gives me time to prepare," I replied simply, though my true reasons were moreplex. Three days marked the exact moment when certain celestial alignments would maximize my particr cultivation method.


    William took the sealed challenge letter. "I''ll have this delivered to Conrad personally."


    "Make sure everyone knows," I added. "I want the entire cultivation world watching."


    After William left, I moved to the window, looking out over the city I''d once fled in disgrace. Somewhere out there, Conrad Thornton was likely nning my death, surrounded by allies and resources I couldn''t match in numbers.


    My phone buzzed with a message from Roman: "Rumors everywhere. People saying you''ve gone mad. Others saying you''ve be stronger than anyone knows. Conrad is furious."


    I smiled grimly. Good. Let him rage. Let hime at me with everything he had.


    ---


    The next morning, I received word that Conrad had publicly epted my challenge, calling me a "dead man walking" and promising to make an example of me for all who would oppose him.


    Caspian Kane, a neutral party with connections to both sides, had been observing the rapidly escting situation from his office overlooking the city center. As reports of my challenge spread, he found himself increasingly drawn into what was quickly bing the most anticipated confrontation in Eldoria''s recent history.


    His phone vibrated on his desk. ncing down, he saw a name he hadn''t expected: Isabelle Ashworth.


    The message was simple but loaded with implication: "I''ming to Eldoria. Meet me at the airport tomorrow. We need to talk about Liam Knight."