I stood frozen as the conversation between Sammy Ashworth and the martial masters continued, each word cementing my precarious position. The green hat felt heavier on my head with every passing second, marking me as both Evelyn''s pawn and a potential sacrifice for these power-hungry martial artists.


    "Before we proceed further with our alliance discussions," Sammy continued, his voice carrying an authority that belied his youth, "I have one more purpose for gathering you all here today."


    The atmosphere shifted instantly. Reed''s eyebrows raised in silent question.


    "As founding members," Sammy said, leaning forward conspiratorially, "you should know that our alliance has its first enemy—a man who dared to strike at the heart of the Ashworth family."


    My muscles tensed as I kept my face carefully neutral, pretending to be nothing more than a pathetic pathfinder.


    "The murderer Liam Knight," Sammy spat, hatred dripping from each syble. "He killed my grandfather, Michael Ashworth."


    Gasps erupted from the gathered martial artists. Even Talbot and Holt, hardened fighters that they were, looked shocked.


    "Michael Ashworth?" Reed''s voice held disbelief. "The Gentle Dragon of the North? I thought he died of illness months ago."


    "A convenient cover story," Sammy replied bitterly. "In truth, this Liam Knight murdered him in cold blood. My uncle Corbin has confirmed it."


    I fought back a surge of rage. What brazen lies. Michael had died in my arms after Corbin poisoned him. Now they twisted even this sacred memory to serve their ambitions.


    "I vow before all of you," Sammy continued, his voice rising with emotion that I knew was entirely fabricated, "that the first act of our alliance will be to hunt down this criminal and make him pay for his crimes against the Ashworth family."


    Reed nodded solemnly. "The Reed family stands with you in this. No one should be able to strike down a martial master like Michael Ashworth and live."


    One by one, the other masters pledged their support. I stood there, head bowed, as they promised to hunt me down and exact vengeance for a crime I nevermitted.


    "Excellent," Sammy said, satisfaction evident in his tone. "After we explore this battlefield and gather its treasures, we begin the hunt immediately."


    A slender man who had been silent until now stepped forward. His eyes were unsettlingpletely ck, with no visible whites. Power radiated from him in waves that made my skin crawl.


    "Allow me to introduce Mr. Noble," Sammy said with obvious pride. "A specialist in mental power from the western provinces. He''ll be instrumental in tracking down Knight."


    Mr. Noble surveyed the group, his ck eyes eventually settling on me. A chill ran down my spine as his gaze lingered longer thanfortable.


    "You there, pathfinder," he called out, his voice eerily melodic. "Come here."


    With no choice, I approached, keeping my eyes downcast and my qi suppressed to a pitiful level.


    "Look at me," hemanded.


    I reluctantly raised my eyes to meet his, preparing to defend against any mental probe. But instead of attacking, he smiled thinly.


    "Perfect," he said. "You''ll be ideal for whates next."


    Before I could react, his hand shot out, index finger pressing against my forehead. A sharp painnced through my skull as something foreign entered my mind—a wisp of his consciousness, creating what felt like a mental tether.


    I stumbled back, hand flying to my temple as pain radiated through my head.


    "I''ve marked him," Mr. Noble exined to the others. "Now he''ll scout ahead for us, unable to disobey mymands."


    I wanted to rip his throat out, but the mental mark buzzed painfully when I even thought about resistance. My divine sense was far superior to his primitive mental techniques, but breaking the connection now would reveal my true power.


    "Excellent," Sammy nodded approvingly. "Let''s proceed deeper. This battlefield is said to contain treasures from the War of Ancient Kings."


    Mr. Noble turned to me, his ck eyes gleaming. "Walk east, pathfinder. There''s arge concentration of artifacts about a mile in that direction. Report any dangers you see."


    The mark in my mind pulsed,pelling me forward. I could resist it, but doing so would blow my cover instantly. Instead, I channeled just enough of my divine sense to weaken the mark''s hold while appearing toply.


    "Yes, master," I mumbled, ying the part of the subservient tool.


    As I trudged eastward, the group followed at a safe distance. Dark energy swirled around us, growing thicker with each step. The battlefield was ancient, its soils saturated with the residue of countless deaths. For most, this energy was oppressive—but for me, it was nourishment. I absorbed it subtly, strengthening my damaged meridians as I walked.


    "This ce gives me the creeps," I heard Holt mutter behind me. "The energy here is wrong."


    "All battlefields hold the echoes of violence," Mr. Noble replied. "But this one is special. The War of Ancient Kings wasn''t just fought with physical weapons—it was a conflict of spiritual powers now lost to time."


    I processed this information carefully. If true, this battlefield might hold energies simr to what I needed to heal my corepletely.


    After walking for nearly an hour, we reached a section where the dark energy was so thick it was visible—swirling purple-ck mist that clung to the ground like spectral hands. Ancient weapons jutted from the earth at odd angles, some still gleaming despite centuries of exposure.


    "Stop here," Mr. Noble called out. "What do you see ahead, pathfinder?"


    I peered through the mist. "There''s a clearing up ahead. Looks like someone''s been digging."


    "Proceed with caution," hemanded.


    As I approached the clearing, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. Someone had indeed been here recently—a massive pit had been excavated, at least thirty feet across and so deep I couldn''t see the bottom. Dark energy poured from it like water from a spring, creating the mist that surrounded us.


    But what made my blood run cold wasn''t the pit itself. It was who sat beside it.


    ra Vance.


    The young girl I''d rescued months ago, who possessed a pure dark energy body—a rarity I''d never encountered before. She sat cross-legged at the pit''s edge, her small form silhouetted against the swirling darkness. Her eyes were closed in what appeared to be deep meditation.


    What was she doing here? How had she even found this ce?


    I fought to keep my expression neutral as shock and horror coursed through me. If Sammy Ashworth discovered her unique constitution, she would be an immediate target. And if Mr. Noble realized my connection to her, both our lives would be forfeit.


    "What do you see?" Mr. Noble called impatiently.


    I needed to think fast. ra hadn''t noticed me yet, absorbed in whatever meditation technique she was practicing. I could feel the dark energy flowing into her body, strengthening her unique constitution.


    "There''s a pit ahead," I called back. "Very deep. Strong dark energying from it."


    "Is it safe to approach?" Sammy''s voice carried forward.


    I turned back to face the group, positioning myself to block their view of ra. "The ground looks unstable. I should check it alone first."


    Mr. Noble''s eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You seem suddenly eager to help, pathfinder."


    I feigned fear, something I''d be adept at during my years with the Sterling family. "I just don''t want to fall into that pit, master. It looks bottomless."


    "Approach it," Mr. Noblemanded, his mental mark pulsing painfully in my head. "Tell us exactly what you see."


    I walked forward slowly, mind racing. ra was just twenty feet away now. If she opened her eyes and recognized me, everything would fall apart. And if these martial masters discovered her, her fate would be sealed.


    The dark energying from the pit was intoxicating—pure, ancient power that called to the depths of my being. Under different circumstances, I would have been delighted to find such a resource. Now, it was just anotherplication in an increasingly dangerous situation.


    I reached the edge of the pit, standing just a few yards from ra. Her breathing was rhythmic, her small face serene despite the malevolent energy swirling around her. This close, I could sense how much dark energy she had already absorbed—her body glowed with it, visible only to my enhanced perception. <samp ss="in-imprint-a">First published on *.</samp>


    "It''s a pit," I called back, stating the obvious to buy time. "Very deep. I can''t see the bottom."


    "Is there anything in it?" Sammy asked, his voice closer now. They were approaching despite my warning.


    I needed to wake ra, to somehow warn her without alerting the others. But before I could act, her eyes snapped openpletely ck, like twin pools of ink.


    She stared directly at me, recognition dawning on her face.


    "Liam?" she whispered, her voice carrying clearly in the stillness around the pit.


    And just like that, my cover was blown.


    Behind me, I heard Sammy''s sharp intake of breath. "Did she say Liam? As in Liam Knight?"


    I turned slowly,ing face to face with seven of the most powerful martial artists in the North, all now realizing exactly who their pathfinder was. Mr. Noble''s ck eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in calction.


    "Well," he said, a slow smile spreading across his face, "this is an unexpected prize. The very man we were hunting, delivered right into our hands."


    As they advanced, weapons drawn, ra rose to her feet beside me. Dark energy swirled around her protectively, responding to her emotions.


    "Who are these people, Liam?" she asked, her childlike voice at odds with the power emanating from her small form.


    Sammy Ashworth''s face contorted with rage and triumph. "He''s the murderer of my grandfather! And now, he''ll pay for his crimes!"


    I moved in front of ra protectively, mind calcting odds and escape routes. Seven Peak Form Grandmasters, plus Sammy and his fourpanions, against me—still damaged—and a girl with power she barely understood.


    The situation couldn''t get much worse.


    Then Mr. Nobleughed, a sound that chilled the air around us. "Oh, this is perfect. Not just Liam Knight, but the dark energy vessel as well. Two prizes instead of one."


    And I realized with sinking horror that it absolutely could get worse. Mr. Noble knew what ra was. And now, trapped between a bottomless pit radiating ancient dark energy and a semicircle of enemies who wanted us dead or captured, we had nowhere to run.