## Liam''s Perspective


    The Fifth Elder paced nervously across the meeting hall, his normallyposed face lined with worry. Twenty alchemists had already packed their belongings, ready to abandon the Guild.


    "Please reconsider," he pleaded to the group. "Our strength lies in unity."


    A senior alchemist stepped forward. "The First Elder is a tyrant! He killed Master Chen for simply questioning him!"


    I observed this scene from the shadows of a hidden passage. The Man with the Mustache had shown me these secret corridors—Mariana''s privatework for monitoring Guild activities. Perfect timing too. I needed to understand what we were facing.


    "Lower your voice," the Fifth Elder cautioned, ncing around. "The First Elder has spies everywhere."


    While they argued, I slipped away. I needed to see what the so-called new leader was doing.


    ---


    The First Elder strutted through the grand corridors, four guards nking him. Power had changed him. His shoulders were straighter, his chin higher. Disgusting.


    He stopped at a heavy oak door reinforced with spirit metal. The Second Elder''s quarters—now his prison.


    "Leave us," the First Eldermanded his guards.


    I pressed against the wall in an adjoining passage, enhancing my hearing with cultivation energy.


    The door creaked open. "Enjoying your amodations, old friend?" the First Elder''s voice dripped with mockery.


    "You won''t hold this position for long," the Second Elder replied calmly. "Youck vision."


    "Vision?" The First Elderughed. "I see clearly enough. The Pavilion Master is gone. Knight is in hiding, if he''s still alive. The Guild is mine."


    "Liam Knight will return," the Second Elder said with absolute certainty. "And when he does—"


    "He''ll die," the First Elder interrupted. "I''ve allied with the Umbral Covenant. Ten half-step Martial Marquis have already epted my payment to hunt him down."


    My fists clenched. Ten half-step Martial Marquis? Even with my new power, that would be challenging.


    "You fool," the Second Elder''s voice hardened. "You''ve sold your soul and this Guild for a moment of glory."


    "Save your lectures," the First Elder snapped. "The old ways are dead. The future belongs to those who adapt."


    Footsteps moved toward the door. I retreated deeper into the shadows.


    "Oh, and don''t count on rescue," the First Elder added. "Your precious Pavilion Master can''t save anyone now." <strong ss="in-imprint-a">Enjoying the story? Find more at *.</strong>


    ---


    Miles away, in the darkest depths of the Ascendant Saints Order''s prison, Mariana Valerius hung suspended by spirit chains, her once immacte robes torn and bloodied.


    Josiah Hale circled her slowly, a cruel smile twisting his thin lips. "How the mighty have fallen," he mused, touching her cheek with the tip of his ceremonial dagger.


    Mariana didn''t flinch. Her eyes, though weary, burned with defiance.


    "Still proud," Josiah observed. "Even now. It always infuriated me how you looked down on everyone."


    "I never looked down on you, Josiah," Mariana replied, her voice hoarse but steady. "You simply never looked up from the mud you wallowed in."


    The blow came swiftly—a backhand that snapped her head to the side. Blood trickled from her split lip.


    "Twenty years ago, you humiliated me before the Council," Josiah hissed. "You blocked my ascension to Martial Marquis."


    "You were unworthy then," she replied. "You remain unworthy now."


    Josiah''s face contorted with rage. He turned to Elder Foster, who stood silently in the corner. "Strip her. Let''s see how much pride remains when she''s been properly humiliated."


    Foster stepped forward hesitantly. Even fallen, Mariana Valeriusmanded respect—and fear.


    "Now!" Josiah barked.


    Just as Foster reached for Mariana''s robes, the prison door swung open. Two figures entered, wearing the unmistakable insignia of the Veridia City Martial Guild.


    "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" Josiah demanded.


    The taller figure stepped forward. "By order of Grand Master Sullivan, the prisoner Mariana Valerius is to be transferred to Veridia City immediately."


    "This prisoner falls under my jurisdiction," Josiah protested.


    "Your jurisdiction has been overruled," the man replied emotionlessly. "Her knowledge of alchemical forms is required for Project Ascension."


    Josiah''s face paled. Even he wouldn''t challenge the Grand Master''s authority directly.


    "Very well," he conceded bitterly. "Take her."


    As the Martial Guild representatives unchained Mariana, Josiah leaned close to her ear. "This isn''t mercy. What awaits you in Veridia City will make you beg for mypany."


    Mariana''s eyes met his. "Nothing you or they do to me matters anymore. My sessor rises. He will burn your world to ash."


    ---


    Deep within the Celestial Apothecary Guild''s most secure storage room, my body floated three feet above the floor. Golden light pulsed from beneath my skin, growing stronger with each heartbeat.


    The transformation had begun when I''d ced my mother''s pendant beside my father''s. Theirbined power triggered something dormant within me—something ancient and overwhelming.


    Inside my consciousness, I stood before a vast golden sea. Waves of pure energy crashed against invisible shores, each one bringing new understanding, new power.


    "The full legacy of your bloodline," a voice whispered—neither male nor female, but somehow familiar. "Few have ever carried both light and dark in perfect bnce."


    The golden sea surged toward me, and I opened myself to it. Knowledge flooded my mind: cultivation techniques, forgottenbat arts, alchemical forms beyond modern understanding.


    My physical body absorbed this power, cells restructuring, meridians widening, every part of me bing something more than human.


    Hours passed like seconds. Dayspressed into moments. Pain and pleasure became indistinguishable as I was unmade and reforged.


    Then, suddenly, everything stilled. The golden light concentrated, condensed, and sank into my flesh, bing part of me rather than something separate.


    My eyes snapped open.


    I clenched my fist, feeling strength beyond anything I''d known before. The air around me crackled with energy. When I exhaled, golden mist escaped my lips.


    The transformation wasplete. And none too soon.


    I sensed them now—the ten half-step Martial Marquis from the Umbral Covenant, already closing in on the Guild. The First Elder''s insurance policy against my return.


    I smiled coldly. Let theme.


    I flexed my fingers, watching golden light dance between them. This power—my birthright—would be more than enough.


    Rising to my feet, I moved toward the door. It was time to reim what was mine. Time to save Mariana. Time to rescue Isabelle.


    And anyone who stood in my way would learn exactly what this golden awakening had made me capable of.