## Liam''s Perspective
Darkness. Complete and absolute.
I floated in it, neither alive nor dead. Just... existing. Time had no meaning here. Pain flickered at the edges of my consciousness, but couldn''t quite reach me.
asionally, voices prated the void.
"His meridians arepletely shattered in three ces..."
"...never seen someone survive channeling that much power with a body at his level..."
"...keep him sedated. The pain would kill him if he woke now..."
I tried to speak, to move, to do anything. Isabelle. I needed to find her. But my body refused to respond.
Then, nothing again.
---
Three days after the disastrous wedding, I still hadn''t regained consciousness. My bodyy on a stone bed in the innermost chamber of the Celestial Apothecary Guild, pale as death. Glowing formations pulsed beneath me, pouring healing energies into my broken meridians.
Outside my healing chamber, Veridia City buzzed with talk of my battle with Dashiell ckthorne. The story grew with each retelling.
In the bustling Crescent Market, a group of young martial artists gathered around a tea stand, voices animated.
"I heard he killed three ckthorne elders before Dashiell even showed up!"
"No, but he did beat Dashiell with just two moves! My cousin''s friend was there—said it was like watching a dragon fight a worm."
"They say he''s from the forbidden continent beyond the Eastern Sea."
"Nonsense! He''s the illegitimate son of a Martial Saint, hiding his identity!"
The tea vendor, an old man with knowing eyes, shook his head. "You''re all wrong. He was just an ordinary man who worked hard. That''s why themoners love him—he showed those arrogant families that talent isn''t just for the privileged."
Across the city, simr conversations unfolded. To ordinary martial artists without backing from major families, I had be something of a folk hero overnight. To the established powers, I was a dangerous precedent that needed to be erased.
---
In the opulent main hall of the Ashworth family estate, Corbin Ashworth sat behind a massive mahogany desk, fingers steepled under his chin. Three men stood before him: Dominic Ashworth, his son; Vincent Gray, the family''s head of security; and a slender, expressionless man in gray robes.
"The situation is intolerable," Corbin said, his voice deadly quiet. "This Knight upstart has made us look weak. Worse, he''s inspired the rabble. My sources tell me membership applications at the smaller martial academies have doubled since the duel."
Dominic shifted ufortably. "Father, what about Isabelle? We should—"
"Silence!" Corbin mmed his palm on the desk. "Isabelle''s situation with the Guild is...plicated. Focus on the task at hand."
He turned to the gray-robed man. "Josiah Hale. The Ascendant Saints Order has served the Ashworth family for generations. I trust you understand what needs to be done."
Josiah Hale bowed slightly. "The target is being guarded by a Martial Marquis and potentially even Jackson Harding himself."
"Are you saying you can''t handle it?" Corbin''s eyes narrowed.
"I''m saying the price just doubled," Josiah replied without emotion. "And I''ll need special preparations."
Corbin grimaced but nodded. "Do what you must. But understand this—Knight must die before he recovers. If he reaches his full potential..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but everyone understood. I was no longer merely an annoyance. I was an existential threat to their power structure.
"Consider it done." Josiah bowed again and glided from the room without a sound. <em ss="frag-0d6e81">Chapter<i ss="node-sep"></i>source:<i ss="node-sep"></i>My<i ss="node-sep"></i>Virtual<i ss="node-sep"></i>Library<i ss="node-sep"></i>Empire<i ss="node-sep"></i>(*).</em>
Vincent cleared his throat. "Sir, about the Martial Guild''s interest in Miss Isabelle..."
"Not now," Corbin cut him off sharply. "That matter is beyond even my control. We focus on what we can change."
---
At the ckthorne estate, the atmosphere was explosive. Servants scurried through the halls with their heads down, desperate to avoid notice. No one wanted to be in the path of Roderick ckthorne''s rage.
In the family''s private courtyard, Roderick paced like a caged beast, his face mottled with fury. Nearby, Dashiell sat slumped in a chair, his handsome face bruised and bandaged, eyes hollow with humiliation.
"Three hundred years!" Roderick roared. "Three hundred years of ckthorne supremacy in martial affairs, and you—YOU—are defeated by some nameless nobody!"
Dashiell flinched but said nothing.
"Do you have ANY IDEA what this means?" Roderick continued. "Our rivals are already moving against our interests! The Aurora Trading Company canceled our contract this morning. The Martial Guild is questioning our family''s seat on the junior council!"
He grabbed a priceless vase from a nearby table and hurled it against the wall, where it shattered.
"Father, I—" Dashiell began.
The courtyard doors burst open. A tall, imposing figure strode in, nked by two stern-faced elders. His silver hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, his beard meticulously trimmed. Though he appeared to be in his sixties, he moved with the fluid grace of a much younger man.
Roderick''s face paled. "Father."
Corvus ckthorne, the true patriarch of the ckthorne family, stopped before his son and grandson. Without warning, he pped Roderick across the face with such force that the younger man staggered backward.
"You ipetent fool," Corvus said, his voice terrifyingly soft. "I leave for three months of seclusion, and you manage to destroy centuries of carefully cultivated reputation."
Roderick touched his cheek, where an angry red mark was forming. "Father, we can fix this. The Knight boy is vulnerable now. We''ll eliminate him and—"
"Silence." Corvus didn''t raise his voice, but Roderick instantly fell quiet. "Your judgment has proven worthless."
Corvus turned his cold gaze to Dashiell, who seemed to shrink before his grandfather''s scrutiny.
"And you. Our family''s pride. Our strongest young talent." Each word dripped with disgust. "Defeated in front of the entire city by a man who wasn''t even a registered martial artist a few months ago."
"Grandfather, he cheated somehow," Dashiell protested weakly. "No one could advance that quickly naturally."
"EXCUSES!" Corvus finally raised his voice, and everyone in the courtyard flinched. "ckthornes do not make excuses. We dominate. We conquer. We eliminate threats."
He turned back to Roderick. "The Ashworth alliance was to be the cornerstone of our expansion into the southern territories. Now they''re wavering, using their daughter''s mysterious ''health condition'' as an excuse to dy the marriage."
"The girl is with the Martial Guild now," one of the elders supplied. "Some special program, apparently."
Corvus''s eyes narrowed. "Interesting. So the rumors about her bloodline might be true."
A new voice joined the conversation. "I can handle this situation, Father."
A lean, hard-faced man stepped out from behind Corvus. Unlike Roderick''s shy attire, he wore simple, functional clothes. A thin scar ran from his left eye to his jaw.
"Bryce," Roderick acknowledged his brother coldly.
Bryce ckthorne, Corvus''s second son, smiled thinly. "Brother. Nephew. What a mess you''ve created."
"I don''t need your help," Roderick spat.
"Clearly, you do," Bryce replied. "I''ve spent thest five years building our influence in the Western Territories. I didn''t expect toe home to find our family aughingstock."
Corvus nodded. "Bryce will take charge of this situation."
"Father!" Roderick protested. "I''m the heir! This is my responsibility!"
Corvus stared at his eldest son for a long, ufortable moment. "Perhaps it''s time to reconsider the line of session."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence. Roderick''s face drained of color.
"Dad, give me a few days," he pleaded, desperation evident in his voice. "I... I will definitely resolve both issues! I assure you the Ashworth family will not cancel the engagement, and Liam Knight... will certainly die!"