## Liam''s Perspective


    I gasped awake, my body drenched in cold sweat. The world spun around me as I tried to focus. White walls. The smell of medicinal herbs. Where was I?


    "Isabelle!" Her name tore from my throat before I could even process my surroundings.


    "Easy there." A familiar voice reached my ears. Mariana Valerius stood beside my bed, her expression a mixture of relief and concern. "You''ve been unconscious for a week."


    A week? I struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain that shot through my body. My muscles felt like they''d been torn apart and hastily stitched back together.


    "Where''s Isabelle?" I demanded, my voice hoarse.


    Mariana pressed a cool hand against my shoulder, gently pushing me back down. "You need to rest. Your meridians were severely damaged during your fight with Dashiell ckthorne."


    I shook my head, refusing to lie back. "I don''t care about my condition. Where is she?"


    A shadow crossed Mariana''s face. She hesitated, then sighed. "The Veridia City Martial Guild has her."


    My blood turned to ice. "The Guild? Why would they—"


    "I don''t know the full details," she admitted. "Only that they''ve taken a special interest in her. It''s unusual, even for them."


    I swung my legs off the bed, ignoring the wave of dizziness that threatened to topple me. "I need to go. Now."


    "In your condition?" Mariana raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn''t make it past the front gates. The Guild isn''t some familypound you can storm. It''s the most heavily fortified location in Veridia City."


    I tried to stand, but my legs buckled beneath me. Mariana caught me before I hit the floor.


    "Damn it!" I mmed my fist against the bed frame, feeling utterly powerless. "I promised I''d protect her."


    Mariana helped me back onto the bed. "And you will. But first, you need to recover and grow stronger. Much stronger."


    The reality of my situation crashed down on me. I''d barely survived my encounter with Dashiell, who wasn''t even the strongest in his family. The Guild would have dozens, maybe hundreds of fighters at his level or higher.


    "How long until I recover?" I asked, my voice tight with frustration.


    "With normal treatment? Months." Mariana''s blunt assessment hit me like a physical blow. "But I''ve arranged something that might help elerate things. Someone who wants to meet you."


    "Who?"


    "Jackson Harding."


    The name hung in the air between us. Even I knew who Jackson Harding was—a legend among martial artists, someone who''d disappeared from public view decades ago.


    "He''s here?" I asked, disbelieving.


    Mariana nodded. "He arrived three days ago, specifically to see you."


    I frowned. "Why would someone like him care about me?"


    "That''s for him to exin." She helped me to my feet again, this time supporting my weight. "Can you walk?"


    I gritted my teeth against the pain. "I''ll manage."


    We moved slowly through the corridors of what I now recognized as the inner sanctum of the Celestial Apothecary Guild. Members bowed respectfully to Mariana as we passed. Some looked at me with curiosity, others with open admiration.


    "You''ve be quite famous," Mariana remarked. "Not every day someone crashes the wedding of two major families and defeats their champion."


    "Fame wasn''t my goal," I muttered.


    "No, but it''s a consequence you''ll have to deal with. The Ashworths and ckthornes want you dead now more than ever."


    We reached a secluded courtyard. In the center, beneath a blooming plum tree, sat an elderly man with a long white beard. Despite his age, he radiated a quiet power that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. <kbd ss="ref-22c06c">This chapter was made possible by the *munity.</kbd>


    "Jackson," Mariana called out. "He''s awake."


    The old man opened his eyes and fixed me with a prating gaze. "So this is the young man everyone''s talking about."


    I straightened as best I could, unwilling to show weakness. "Sir."


    Jackson Harding studied me for a long moment. "Sit down before you fall down, boy."


    I didn''t argue, lowering myself to a stone bench opposite him. Mariana excused herself, leaving us alone.


    "Tell me why you did it," Jackson said without preamble. "Why challenge the established order for a woman?"


    "Not just any woman," I replied. "Isabelle Ashworth saved my life when no one else would look at me. She believed in me when I was nothing."


    "And now they''ve taken her."


    I clenched my fists. "I''m going to get her back."


    "Even if it means going against the Veridia City Martial Guild?"


    "Even if it means tearing the entire Guild to the ground," I said, my voice deadly serious.


    Jackson surprised me byughing, a harsh barking sound. "Bold words. I had simr thoughts once, about sixty years ago."


    His expression darkened. "I was stronger than you. Had more resources. More allies. And I failed."


    "What happened?" I asked.


    Jackson rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm covered in terrible scarring. "I learned the hard way that the Guild isn''t just a martial organization. It''s the backbone of Veridia City''s power structure. Attack it, and you attack the entire capital."


    "I don''t care," I said stubbornly. "I''ll find a way."


    "Do you understand what you''re up against?" Jackson leaned forward. "The Guild has existed for over a thousand years. Its foundations go deeper than the city itself. Every talented martial artist dreams of joining its ranks. The resources at their disposal dwarf even thebined wealth of the Ashworth and ckthorne families."


    Each word drove the knife of despair deeper into my heart, but I refused to show it. "Are you trying to discourage me?"


    "I''m trying to make you understand the reality of your situation." Jackson''s eyes bored into mine. "I''ve watched many talented young people throw their lives away in futile gestures against powers they couldn''tprehend."


    I met his gaze unflinchingly. "What would you have me do? Abandon her?"


    "No." Jackson shook his head. "I''m telling you that brute force won''t work. The Guild has warriors beyond the Marquis realm."


    My breath caught. "You mean—"


    "Yes." Jackson''s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Martial Saints. Beings who have transcended the limits of humanity. One such individual could destroy this entire guild without breaking a sweat."


    The revtion hit me like a physical blow. Martial Saints were thought to be near-mythical figures, rarely seen in the mortal world. If the Guild had such beings at their disposal...


    "Then it truly is hopeless," I whispered, the fight draining from me for the first time.


    Jackson watched me carefully. "I didn''t say that."


    I looked up, confused.


    "I failed decades ago," he continued. "But you... you''re different. There''s something about you that reminds me of the ancient legends."


    "What do you mean?"


    Jackson''s lips curved into a slight smile. "Your future achievements will undoubtedly surpass mine. Perhaps, you''re the one destined to break the stalemate."