## Liam''s Perspective


    I walked toward Dudley Lowell with slow, measured steps. The courtyard had fallen silent. Only the sound of his ragged breathing filled the air.


    "Three breaths," I repeated. "That was my promise."


    Lowell''s eyes darted around like a cornered rat''s. "I''m not afraid of you!"


    His words contradicted the fear etched across his face. His body betrayed him further as he shifted into a defensive stance. A half-step Martial Marquis, once untouchable to me, now reduced to prey.


    "You should be," I said simply.


    Without warning, Lowell attacked. His fist shot toward my face, trailing a weak golden light. Just weeks ago, this attack would have been lethal to me.


    I caught his fist without effort. The impact didn''t even rock me back.


    "Is that all?" I squeezed, feeling his bones creak under my grip.


    Lowell''s face contorted in pain. "You''re just a freak! A nobody from nowhere!"


    I tightened my grip further. "A nobody who has you at his mercy."


    With a single pull, I yanked him forward and grabbed his throat with my free hand. His feet dangled uselessly as I lifted him off the ground.


    "Before I kill you, you''re going to tell me about Evelyn Norton," I growled. "Everything you know."


    Lowell''s eyes widened. "I don''t know what you''re—"


    I squeezed his throat, cutting off his lie. "Wrong answer."


    Reaching into my knowledge from the Celestial Apothecary Guild, I pressed my thumb against a specific nerve point beneath his jaw. It was a technique designed to cause excruciating pain without permanent damage—perfect for interrogation.


    Lowell''s scream echoed across the courtyard. His body convulsed in my grip.


    "Let''s try again," I said calmly. "Evelyn Norton."


    "Please... stop..." he gasped.


    I released the pressure slightly. "Talk."


    His eyes rolled wildly. "She''s working with... someone powerful. I don''t know who!"


    Before I could press further, something strange happened. Lowell''s eyes suddenly zed over. His body went ck in my grip.


    "Would you like power, Dudley Lowell?" a voice whispered. It seemed toe from Lowell''s mouth, yet it wasn''t his voice.


    I frowned, uncertain if I was actually hearing this.


    "Power to kill this man who humiliates you?" the voice continued. "Power to escape this fate?"


    Lowell''s lips moved in response, though I couldn''t hear what he said.


    "Then surrender your body to me," the voice whispered, now clear enough that I was certain others must hear it too. "I will grant you the strength to defeat him."


    "Yes!" Lowell suddenly shouted aloud. "Anything! Give me the power!"


    A cold chill swept through the courtyard. Mariana stepped forward, her face tense.


    "Liam, release him now!" shemanded.


    Before I could react, Lowell''s aura transformedpletely. Dark red energy erupted from his body, forcing my hand open. He dropped to the ground, but didn''t stumble. Instead, hended perfectly on his feet.


    When he looked up, his eyes had changed. They glowed with an unnatural crimson light.


    "Much better," he said, but the voice wasn''t entirely his own. It carried an echo, as if two people were speaking simultaneously.


    I stepped back, instinctively readying myself. "What the hell are you?"


    Lowell—or whatever now controlled him—smiled. "Just a helpful friend, lending power to those who need it most."


    His body moved with uncanny grace, no longer the stiff movements of a second-rate martial artist. Each gesture flowed like water.


    "Shall we continue our fight, Liam Knight?" he asked, mockery evident in his tone. "Or are you afraid now that the ying field has changed?"


    I didn''t waste words. I struck with the Absolute Beginning Sacred Fist, channeling my full strength into the attack. Golden light zed from my fist as it shot toward his chest.


    The possessed Lowell didn''t even attempt to dodge. He simply raised his hand and caught my fist, the impact creating a shockwave that cracked the courtyard stones beneath us.


    "Is this your best?" heughed. "How disappointing."


    With a casual flick, he sent me stumbling backward. I caught myself quickly, but shock ran through me. My full-strength attack had been neutralized effortlessly.


    Mariana moved to my side. "That''s not Dudley Lowell anymore," she whispered. "Something has possessed him."


    "I can see that," I replied grimly. "Any suggestions?"


    "Don''t let it touch you directly," she warned. "That energy isn''t natural."


    The thing wearing Lowell''s face grinned wider. "How sweet. The teacher protecting her student." He cocked his head. "But I''m afraid I can''t stay and y longer. I have... other arrangements."


    Before either of us could react, he leaped backward with impossible speed,nding atop thepound wall.


    "We''ll meet again, Liam Knight," he called down. "My new friend Dudley has such interesting memories about you... and about little Evelyn."


    "Wait!" I shouted, but he was already gone, vanishing into the night with unnatural speed.


    The courtyard remained silent for several long moments. The disciples and elders who had witnessed everything stood frozen in shock.


    "What just happened?" I finally asked Mariana.


    Her face was grave. "Something very troubling. I''ve seen this before, many years ago. A parasitic spirit taking control of a willing host."


    "Willing?"


    "Yes," she nodded. "These entities can only possess those who invite them in. Lowell chose this."


    I stared at the spot where he had disappeared. "He was desperate enough to surrender his body to... whatever that was."


    "Fear and hatred make men do terrible things," Mariana said quietly. "We should return to my quarters. This development changes much."


    ---


    Later that evening, I sat in my room, meditating to process everything that had happened. The strange possession of Dudley Lowell troubled me deeply. If our enemies had ess to such powers, what else might they unleash?


    My contemtion was interrupted by a chime from mymunication jade. The Warrior''s Scroll—Veridia City''s premier newswork for the martial world—had an urgent update. <q ss="ref-cbf145">Your support at * keeps the series going.</q>


    I tapped the jade to disy the message. What I saw made my blood run cold:


    "BREAKING: Dominic Ashworth achieves breakthrough to Martial Marquis realm! The young master of the Ashworth Family haspleted his seclusion with unprecedented sess, advancing directly to early-stage Martial Marquis at only twenty-five years of age!"


    I set the jade down slowly. This was worrying news. Dominic Ashworth already hated me for humiliating him repeatedly. Now he would hate me even more for killing his grandfather. And with his advancement to Martial Marquis, he had the power to pose a genuine threat.


    The jade chimed again. Another update.


    "Dashiell ckthorne will leave seclusion soon!"


    I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of these announcements. My enemies were growing stronger. The aristocratic prodigies of Veridia City were rallying against me.


    First a possessed Dudley Lowell, now Dominic Ashworth''s breakthrough, and soon Dashiell ckthorne''s return. The path ahead was growing more dangerous by the day.


    But I hade too far to turn back now. Isabelle was still captive in the Veridia City Martial Guild. And nothing—not possessed enemies, not martial prodigies, not ancient conspiracies—would stop me from saving her.


    I opened my eyes, determination hardening my resolve. Let theme. All of them. I would face whatever stood in my path.


    For Isabelle. For my future. For the truth about my past.