## Liam''s Perspective


    Blood sttered across the training ground as Archer Duncan''s fist connected with the young man''s face. The crack of bone echoed in the suddenly silent courtyard.


    "Worthless trash," Archer spat, kicking the fallen martial artist in the ribs. "How dare you question my technique?"


    I watched from the sidelines, disgusted but unsurprised. This was daily life in the Veridia City Martial Guild—the strong preyed on the weak while others looked on. Captain Julian Radford stood nearby, a smirk ying on his lips as he observed the beating.


    "Please... I only asked a question," the young man whimpered, blood streaming from his nose.


    Archerughed. "And now you''re getting your answer."


    He raised his foot again, aiming for the boy''s head this time. The gathered crowd of lower-ss martial artists shifted ufortably but remained silent. None dared challenge an elite disciple like Archer.


    This was why we never gained respect. We never stood together.


    "Stop it!" A voice suddenly cut through the tension.


    Everyone turned to see Frederick Cohen stepping forward. Frederick was like us—from the lower ranks, without connections or prestigious background. But unlike the rest, fury zed in his eyes.


    "What did you say?" Archer''s face twisted with disbelief.


    Frederick didn''t hesitate. "I said stop. He''s already down."


    Julian Radford''s eyebrows raised slightly, his entertainment now doubled.


    "Another peasant who doesn''t know his ce," Archer sneered. He turned toward Frederick. "Perhaps you need a lesson too?"


    What happened next stunned everyone. Frederick didn''t back down or apologize. He attacked.


    His fist mmed into Archer''s face with shocking speed. Before the elite disciple could recover, Frederick delivered a brutalbination of strikes that sent Archer stumbling backward.


    "Not so fun when your opponent fights back, is it?" Frederick growled.


    Archer''s nose was broken, blood streaming down his face. His eyes widened with shock and outrage. "You... you dare?!"


    Frederick didn''t let up. He charged again, his technique unrefined but powerful. Each blow drove Archer further back until the elite disciple tripped and fell hard.


    Frederick loomed over him, ready to continue, and I saw something I''d never witnessed before—genuine fear in an elite disciple''s eyes.


    "That''s enough." Julian Radford''s voice cut through the spectacle. He stepped forward, no longer smirking.


    I expected him to reprimand Archer for starting the conflict. Instead, Julian''s cold gaze fixed on Frederick.


    "Attacking a fellow Guild member is prohibited," Julian said, his hand moving to the sword at his waist. "Such behavior requires... correction."


    The injustice was breathtaking. Archer had nearly killed someone moments ago, and Julian had watched with amusement. But Frederick defending another? That warranted punishment.


    Julian drew his sword. The de gleamed with a pale blue light—his spirit energy infusing the metal. This wasn''t going to be a simple disciplinary action. He intended to cripple Frederick, or worse.


    Something snapped inside me. <samp ss="in-imprint-a">This chapter is from the collection at *.</samp>


    I moved without thinking, stepping between Julian and Frederick just as the captain''s sword began its downward arc. My palm shot up, catching the de between my hands. Blood trickled down my wrists as the edge bit into my skin.


    Julian''s eyes widened. "Knight! What are you doing?"


    "What someone should have done long ago," I said, my voice steady despite the pain. "Standing up to your hypocrisy."


    The courtyard fell deathly silent. No one interfered when Archer beat a defenseless student, but now everyone was paying attention.


    "Hypocrisy?" Julian''s face darkened. "Exin yourself before I cut you down with him."


    I pushed his de aside. "You watched Archer nearly kill that boy and did nothing. You approved with your silence. But when someone finally stands up against such brutality, suddenly you remember the rules?"


    Julian''s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Mind your ce, Knight. I decide what constitutes a vition."


    "And that''s exactly the problem." I turned to address the gathered martial artists. "How long will we let them decide who deserves protection under the Guild''s rules and who doesn''t?"


    Murmurs spread through the crowd. Julian''s face reddened with fury.


    "Knight speaks the truth!" someone called from the back.


    Another voice joined in. "Archer attacked first! We all saw it!"


    "The rules should apply to everyone!" a third voice added.


    I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. The usually silent, submissive lower ranks were finding their voices.


    Julian looked around, clearly stunned by this unexpected rebellion. His grip tightened on his sword.


    "You''ve done it now, Knight," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Inciting insubordination on top of interfering with official Guild discipline."


    "Call it what you want," I replied. "I call it justice."


    Frederick stepped up beside me. "If you punish him, you''ll have to punish me too."


    Another martial artist moved forward. Then another. Soon, a dozen stood with us.


    Julian''s face contorted with rage. I could see the calctions running behind his eyes. He hadn''t expected resistance, certainly not organized resistance.


    "You all think you can defy me?" Julian''s voice was barely controlled. "I am a captain of the Veridia City Martial Guild!"


    "And we are its members," I countered. "Without us, what is the Guild but a handful of elite ying at importance?"


    That struck a nerve. Julian closed his eyes, his breathing bing measured and deliberate. When he opened them again, cold determination had reced his rage.


    "Very well," he said quietly. "If you insist on collective action, you shall receive collective punishment."


    Julian raised his sword vertically before his face. His lips began to move in a silent incantation, and the air around us grew heavy with gathering power.


    I recognized what was happening. He was preparing a wide-area attack—one that would strike all of us at once.


    The blue glow of his sword intensified, casting eerie shadows across the courtyard. The martial artists behind me shifted nervously, but none retreated.


    Julian''s eyes snapped open, now glowing with the same blue light as his sword.


    "Last chance, Knight," he said, his voice resonating with power. "Step aside and submit, or face the consequences."


    I stood my ground. "Do your worst."


    Julian''s sword began to emit a high-pitched whine as energy coalesced around the de. The air crackled with spiritual pressure.


    "So be it."