## Liam''s Perspective


    Michael Ashworth''s eyes held a weight I couldn''t fathom as he settled into the chair across from me.


    "Your father was one of the most powerful cultivators I''ve ever encountered," he began, his voice low. "The kind of man who could silence a room just by entering it."


    My heart hammered against my chest. After years of wondering, I was finally hearing about the man who''d given me life.


    "Was?" I caught the past tense immediately.


    Michael''s face tightened. "I don''t know if he''s alive or dead. He disappeared ten years ago after a confrontation with the Veridia City Martial Guild''s inner council."


    "The same people who have Isabelle," I muttered, connecting the dots.


    "Indeed." Michael nodded. "Your father possessed something they wanted desperately—a unique cultivation technique that defied conventional methods. He called it the ''Chaotic Path.''"


    The jade pendant against my chest seemed to pulse. "My chaotic body..."


    "Is your inheritance," Michael confirmed. "Your father knew you would manifest it eventually. It''s why he arranged everything so carefully—your meeting with Isabelle wasn''t coincidence, but necessity."


    "Why Isabelle specifically?" I pressed.


    Michael''s expression darkened. "Because of her blood. The Ashworth bloodline carries ancient properties thatplement the chaotic energy you possess. Together, you and Isabelle could achieve something unprecedented."


    The implications hit me hard. "The Guild took her to prevent this."


    "That''s my belief," Michael said. "They fear what your union represents. Your father predicted this—warned me they would move against both of you eventually."


    I stood, unable to contain my restless energy. "So I''m what? Some pawn in a game that started before I was born?"


    "No." Michael''s voice was sharp. "You''re the culmination of your father''s hopes—and the Guild''s greatest fear. They want Isabelle''s blood, but they want you dead."


    A chill ran down my spine. "You seem well-informed for someone who ims not to know all the details."


    Michael''sugh was hollow. "Your father and I were allies, not confidants. He shared only what was necessary. But he did leave a message for you."


    He reached inside his robes and produced a small, worn envelope. "He said to give this to you when you were ready. I believe that time is now."


    My hands trembled as I took the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper with just three lines written in an elegant, unfamiliar script:


    "The water holds the key.


    Verdant City, Beaufort Tower.


    Trust your blood, it will guide you."


    I looked up, confused. "What does this mean?"


    "I don''t know," Michael admitted. "But I do know that whatever answers you seek, the Guild is already moving against you. Josiah Hale has been dispatched."


    My blood ran cold. Even I had heard whispers of Josiah Hale—the Guild''s premier assassin.


    "How long do I have?"


    "Days, at most." Michael rose to leave. "Whatever you decide to do, do it quickly. And Liam—be careful of the Guild''s reach. They have eyes and ears everywhere."


    After Michael left, I sat alone, the note clutched in my hand. Verdant City was three days'' journey west. If I left immediately...


    The door opened, and Mariana entered. One look at my face told her everything.


    "You''re leaving," she stated simply.


    "I have to," I replied, showing her the note. "This might lead me to answers about my father—and maybe a way to save Isabelle."


    She studied the note carefully. "Beaufort Tower is an ancient structure, predating even the Guild''s formation. The locals consider it haunted."


    "All the better," I said grimly. "Fewer people to get in my way."


    Mariana''s expression was unreadable. "I can''t protect you outside these walls, Liam. Not from Josiah Hale." <em ss="ref-8f01f3">My Virtual Library Empire (*) appreciates your readership at the source.</em>


    "I''m not asking you to." I began gathering my few possessions. "This is my fight."


    She ced a small jade bottle on the table. "Take this. It contains three drops of Essence of the Golden Lotus. Each drop can save your life once—use them wisely."


    I pocketed the precious gift with genuine gratitude. "Thank you for everything, Mariana."


    "Don''t thank me yet," she said grimly. "Juste back alive."


    ---


    Meanwhile, in a dimly lit chamber deep within the Veridia City Martial Guild''s headquarters, five figures sat around a circr table, their faces obscured by shadows.


    "The boy has made contact with Michael Ashworth," the First Elder announced, his voice frigid. "Our ns may bepromised."


    "Impossible," countered the Third Elder. "Ashworth knows nothing of our true intentions."


    The Fifth Elder, a woman with razor-sharp features, leaned forward. "What of the girl''s blood tests?"


    "Extraordinary," replied the Second Elder, sliding several scrolls across the table. "Her bloodline contains the ancient Crimson Essence we''ve sought for generations. If properly extracted and refined, it could revolutionize our cultivation methods."


    "And the boy?" asked the Fourth Elder.


    "A true Chaotic Body," the First Elder confirmed. "Only the third in recorded history. The prophecy speaks of such a union—the Chaotic Body and Crimson Blood together could challenge the very heavens."


    "Then we must elerate our ns," the Fifth Elder decided. "Extract everything we can from the girl. As for the boy—"


    "Josiah is already in pursuit," the First Elder interjected. "He will not fail."


    "See that he doesn''t," the Fifth Elder warned. "If Knight reaches his full potential and discovers what we''ve done to the Ashworth girl..."


    The threat hung unfinished in the air.


    ---


    Three dayster, I stood at the base of Beaufort Tower in Verdant City, staring up at the crumbling structure that rose like an using finger toward the sky. The city around me bustled with activity, merchants and citizens going about their business, oblivious to the tension coiling inside me.


    The tower itself stood isted in a small courtyard, surrounded by a rusted iron fence. Locals gave it a wide berth, crossing to the other side of the street rather than walk directly past it.


    "You don''t want to go in there," warned an old street vendor selling trinkets nearby. "Bad things happen to those who disturb the tower''s sleep."


    I nodded politely but approached the gate anyway. My blood seemed to hum with anticipation, just as my father''s note had suggested it might.


    The gate creaked open at my touch, and I stepped into the courtyard. Immediately, I sensed something unusual—a subtle current of qi that didn''t match the natural energy of the surroundings. It seemed to emanate from within the tower itself.


    The tower door was unlocked, swinging open to reveal a spiral staircase winding upward. With each step I took inside, the strange qi grew stronger, calling to something deep within me.


    I climbed the stairs cautiously, alert for traps. The interior was surprisingly well-preserved, as though the decay visible from outside was merely a facade.


    At the top floor, I found arge, circr chamber with a single remarkable feature: a smallke upied the center, its water perfectly still and unnaturally clear. The qi I''d been sensing emanated from this water, pulsing in rhythm with my heartbeat.


    "Trust your blood, it will guide you," I whispered, recalling my father''s words.


    I approached theke''s edge, kneeling beside it. Without fully understanding why, I dipped my finger into the water.


    The effect was immediate and shocking. The water around my finger turned crimson, then began to swirl. Images shed through my mind—Isabelle strapped to a table, needles extracting her blood; the Five Elders huddled around vials of glowing red liquid; my father, his face finally clear to me, fighting against a horde of Guild warriors.


    I pulled back with a gasp, my heart racing. The water had responded to me—to my blood.


    Moving around theke''s perimeter, I searched for something, anything that might exin what I was seeing. Near the far edge, I discovered a small inlet where water trickled into theke from some hidden source beneath the floor.


    I knelt and followed the flow with my fingers, discovering that one of the stone tiles was loose. Prying it up revealed a narrow passageway sloping downward into darkness.


    The source of the water—and perhaps the answers I soughty somewhere below.


    As I prepared to descend, a chill ran down my spine. Not from fear, but from the acute sense that I was no longer alone.


    "Found something interesting, have we?" The voice was cold and cultured,ing from directly behind me.


    I didn''t need to turn to know who it was. Josiah Hale had found me.