The private jet''s cabin air tasted stale against my tongue as I gazed out the window. We were descending toward Cloudinia, the mountainous terrain below shrouded in strange mist patterns that weren''t entirely natural. Conrad sat across from me, his expression contemtive.


    "How are you feeling?" he asked, eyeing me cautiously.


    I flexed my hand, feeling the unfamiliar power surging through my veins. "Different. Stronger."


    The ancestral power I''d reluctantly epted still felt foreign within me. My father''s protective energy had contained it, transforming what would have been deadly poison into usable strength, but it wasn''t truly mine. Borrowed power came with borrowed time.


    "We''ll find them," Conrad said, noticing my distant expression. "ra and Maia will be safe soon."


    I nodded, though uncertainty gnawed at me. "The pilot mentioned a refueling stop before we reach the main airport. How long will that dy us?"


    "An hour at most. We—" Conrad stopped mid-sentence as the captain''s voice crackled over the inte, announcing our imminentnding at the refueling station.


    The descent was smooth, and soon we were taxiing to a stop at a small, private airfield. Through the window, I spotted another luxury jet waiting nearby.


    "Looks like we''re not the only ones with urgent business in Cloudinia," Conrad remarked.


    While the crew refueled our ne, we remained seated, using the time to review what little information we had about Earth Fiend Valley''syout. Twenty minutester, the cabin door opened, and two new passengers boarded.


    The first was a young woman with copper-red hair and bright, intelligent eyes. She wore simple but elegant traveling clothes and carried herself with the easy confidence of wealth. Behind her walked a severe-looking man in his forties, whose vignt gaze scanned the cabin before settling on Conrad and me with obvious assessment.


    "Hello," the woman said cheerfully as she took a seat across the aisle. "I hope you don''t mind us joining your flight. I''m Aislinn Noble, and this is mypanion, Marvin Howard."


    Conrad offered a polite nod. "Conrad Thornton."


    I simply inclined my head without introducing myself, focusing on the map disyed on my tablet. The woman—Aislinn—didn''t seem bothered by my aloofness.


    "Heading to the Ancient Tower?" she asked conversationally. "That''s where most visitors go this time of year."


    "Something like that," Conrad replied vaguely.


    The man, Marvin Howard, leaned forward with sudden interest. "The Ancient Tower is indeed magnificent. I''ve visited three times myself. Are you schrs? Tourists?"


    "Business," I said curtly, hoping to end the conversation.


    Marvin''s eyes narrowed slightly at my tone. "I see. Well, business brings many to Cloudinia these days. The local artifacts market is booming."


    As the ne took off again, Aislinn made several more attempts at friendly conversation, each met with minimal engagement from me. Conrad handled most of the social niceties, allowing me to focus on nning our next moves.


    "You''ll have to excuse my friend," Conrad exined after my particrly terse response to one of Aislinn''s questions. "We''re dealing with an urgent situation."


    "No offense taken," she said with a genuine smile. "Though I do wonder what brings such intensity to your journey."


    Before I could respond, Marvin Howard''s voice cut through the cabin. "Mr. Thornton, if I may ask—you seem familiar. Have we perhaps met at one of the cultivation symposiums in Veridia City?"


    Conrad hesitated, then nodded. "Possibly. I''ve attended several."


    Marvin''s eyes widened slightly. "Wait... Thornton? As in the Thornton family of the Eastern Quarter? Are you perhaps rted to Conrad Thornton, the First Rank Master?"


    The cabin fell silent. Conrad cleared his throat ufortably. "That would be me."


    The change in Marvin''s demeanor was immediate and dramatic. His previously casual posture straightened, and his expression transformed from mild interest to absolute reverence.


    "Master Thornton! What an honor!" he eximed, his voice rising an octave. "I had no idea! I''m Marvin Howard, Peak Form Inner Strength Master from the Noble Family Alliance. To think I''ve been sharing a cabin with a First Rank Master!"


    Conrad shifted awkwardly under the man''s fawning attention. "It''s really not—"


    "Your reputation precedes you, Master Thornton!" Marvin continued, practically vibrating with excitement. "Your treatise on defensive formations was revolutionary! I studied it extensively during my advancement to Peak Form!"


    While Conrad dealt with Marvin''s effusive praise, I noticed Aislinn watching me with curious eyes. Unlike herpanion, she seemed unimpressed by titles and status, which was refreshing.


    "And your friend?" Marvin asked, finally remembering my existence. His tone carried a hint of dismissal as he nced at me briefly before returning his adoring gaze to Conrad. "Is he your disciple?"


    Conrad looked ufortable. "No, he''s my—"


    "I''m just along for the ride," I interrupted, having no interest in revealing my identity or abilities.


    Marvin''s lips twitched in a barely suppressed smirk. "Well, not everyone can be fortunate enough to reach the higher realms. Some are better suited to... supporting roles."


    I merely shrugged, letting him believe what he wanted. Conrad shot me a questioning look, but I gave a subtle headshake. Let the man underestimate me—it wouldn''t be the first time, nor would it be thest.


    For the remainder of the flight, Marvin monopolized Conrad''s attention, peppering him with questions about cultivation techniques and formation theory. asionally, he would throw a condescending nce my way, clearly having categorized me as someone of no consequence.


    "Yourpanion is quite rude, isn''t he?" I overheard him whisper to Conrad at one point, not bothering to lower his voice enough. "Hardly speaks, doesn''t even properly introduce himself."


    Conrad''s response was diplomatic but firm. "He has his reasons."


    ---


    Meanwhile, in a ce far removed from ourfortable flight, ra Vance huddled in the corner of a dank, stone-walled cell. The darkness was almostplete, broken only by thin shafts of light filtering through cracks in the ceiling far above. The air smelled of mold, stale sweat, and fear.


    "We''re going to die here," Maia whimpered from the opposite corner. Her once vibrant face was now streaked with dirt and tears. "We never should have trusted him."


    ra pulled her knees tighter to her chest. "Liam wille," she whispered, more to herself than to Maia.


    "Liam?" Maiaughed bitterly. "It''s because of him we''re here! These people took us because of him!"


    ra couldn''t argue with that truth. The masked captors had mentioned Liam''s name repeatedly as they dragged them into this underground prison. But unlike Maia, she didn''t me him.


    "He''ll find us," she insisted softly.


    From somewhere down the dark corridor came the sound of sobbing—another girl, another prisoner. ra had counted at least eight different voices since their arrival. Young women, all of them, trapped in separate cells along the same hallway.


    Footsteps echoed against stone, growing louder. ra tensed, pressing herself against the wall as if she could disappear into it. The cell door creaked open, and a figure stood silhouetted against the marginally brighter corridor.


    "Water," the masked guard grunted, sliding a metal cup across the floor before mming the door shut again.


    ra waited until the footsteps receded before crawling forward to retrieve the cup. She brought it first to Maia.


    "Drink," she urged.


    Maia took small sips before passing it back. "What do they want from us?" she asked, voice cracking.


    ra thought of the strange device they''d passed on their way into the dungeon—a massive stone basin inscribed with symbols that glowed with an eerie red light. She remembered the other girls who had been forced to ce their hands on it, remembered their screams as something seemed to drain from them.


    "I don''t know," she lied.


    In truth, she had heard enough from their captors'' conversations to understand the horrible basics. They were harvesting something—energy, essence, life force—from young women with certain qualities. What those qualities were, ra couldn''t say, but she knew she and Maia possessed them.


    She closed her eyes, trying to sense the darkness within her that had awakened during her time with Liam. That strange, cold power had grown stronger recently, but here in this ce, it seemed dormant, suppressed by something in the very walls around them.


    "Even if he wanted to, Liam couldn''t find this ce," Maia said after a long silence. "No one could." <dfn ss="in-imprint-b">This version was sourced from *.</dfn>


    ra opened her eyes, staring into the darkness. "You don''t know him like I do."


    ---


    Our ne finally touched down at Cloudinia''s main airport as evening approached. The terminal was surprisingly modern for such a remote location, its architecture blending traditional elements with clean, contemporary lines.


    As we disembarked, Marvin Howard continued hovering around Conrad like an overenthusiastic puppy,pletely ignoring me—which suited me perfectly.


    "Master Thornton," he said as we entered the arrival hall, "I''d be honored to apany you to the Ancient Tower. My knowledge of the localndscape could prove invaluable, and the Noble Family Alliance maintains several safe houses along the route."


    Conrad nced at me before responding. "That''s generous of you, but—"


    "I insist!" Marvin pressed. "The roads can be treacherous, and there are rumors of Earth Fiend Valley disciples growing more bold in their attacks on travelers."


    That caught my attention. "You know of Earth Fiend Valley?" I asked sharply.


    Marvin finally acknowledged my existence with a dismissive look. "Everyone in cultivation circles knows of them," he said condescendingly. "They''re a blight on the region, preying on the weak and unwary."


    "Interesting," I murmured.


    "So what do you say, Master Thornton?" Marvin continued, turning back to Conrad as if I''d already faded from existence. "Shall we travel together? I''ve already arranged for a vehicle, and there''s plenty of room."


    Conrad hesitated, clearly ufortable. "Mr. Howard, while I appreciate—"


    "Please, call me Marvin! After all, fellow masters should dispense with such formalities!"


    I suppressed augh at Conrad''s increasingly pained expression. Aislinn, who had been quietly observing the interaction, caught my eye and gave me a knowing smile.


    "Well," Conrad began again, "as I was saying—"


    "Excellent!" Marvin interrupted, misinterpreting Conrad''s response as eptance. "I''ll have my driver bring the car around immediately. We can discuss yourtest research on the way!"


    Before Conrad could correct him, Marvin pulled out his phone and stepped away to make a call. Aislinn approached us, looking apologetic.


    "I''m sorry about Marvin," she said quietly. "The Noble Family hired him for my protection, but his enthusiasm forworking can be... overwhelming."


    "It''s fine," Conrad replied diplomatically.


    Marvin returned momentster, beaming. "The car will be here in five minutes, Master Thornton! I''ve instructed the driver to take the scenic route so we can discuss your theories on meridian expansion techniques."


    He turned briefly toward me, his expression making it clear I was an afterthought. "I suppose your... friend can follow in a taxi."


    Conrad stiffened at this, but before he could speak, a sleek ck car pulled up outside the terminal. A uniformed driver stepped out and approached our group.


    "Mr. Thornton?" the driver inquired, looking between us.


    Conrad nodded, and the driver bowed respectfully. "Your vehicle is ready, sir."


    Marvin''s expression faltered slightly, confused by the arrival of a car Conrad had apparently arranged beforehand.


    Conrad turned to me then, and what he did next left Marvin Howard staring in shock. He bowed slightly—a gesture of clear respect from a First Rank Master—and said, "Mr. Knight, shall I arrange for our luggage to be loaded while you finish here?"


    The look on Marvin''s face was priceless as he processed not only Conrad''s deference to me but also the name he had used. I could almost see the mental calctions happening behind his eyes as he frantically tried to ce "Knight" among the cultivation world''s important families.


    "That would be helpful, thank you," I replied calmly.


    Conrad nodded and walked toward the car with our driver, leaving me facing a suddenly pale Marvin Howard and an intrigued Aislinn Noble.


    "Knight?" Marvin stammered. "As in... Liam Knight?"


    I smiled thinly. "The very same."