I stood at the edge of Riverbend Town, the cool morning air filling my lungs as I surveyed the ce. Despite being a mere shadow of Veridia City''s grandeur, this town held something infinitely more valuable to me right now—a potential ally.


    The Celestial Apothecary Guild''s branch sat nestled among other buildings, its jade-green roof tiles gleaming in the early sunlight. Getting inside wouldn''t be simple. After my stunt at the auction, security everywhere would be tighter than ever.


    I adjusted my disguise—simple traveler''s clothes, hair dyed a muddy brown, a faint limp in my walk. Nothing like the ck-robed terror everyone was hunting.


    "Just another struggling alchemist looking for work," I muttered to myself, patting the inner pocket where the Seven-Colored ze was securely hidden.


    The streets were already buzzing with gossip about the Guild auction incident. Vendors hawked special editions of The Warrior''s Scroll with increasingly exaggerated ounts of what happened.


    "ck-robed demon kills fifty men with a single breath!" one newspaper seller shouted.


    I almost snorted. Fifty? The number grew every hour.


    Approaching the Celestial Apothecary Guild''s entrance, I noticed two guards instead of the usual one. Their eyes scanned each visitor carefully—a direct result of my recent activities, no doubt.


    "State your business," the burlier guard demanded when I reached the door.


    I hunched my shoulders, making myself smaller. "I seek an audience with Pavilion Master Valerius. I have... information she might find valuable."


    The guards exchanged nces.


    "The Pavilion Master doesn''t see just anyone," the second guard said, eyeing me suspiciously.


    I pulled out a small jade token—one Mariana had given me months ago. "She''ll see me."


    The guard''s eyes widened slightly as he recognized the token. Without another word, he stepped aside and let me pass.


    Inside, the Guild hall was a hive of activity. Apprentices hurried back and forth carrying herbs and concoctions. Masters supervised the work, their critical eyes missing nothing. The familiar scents of medicinal herbs and alchemical processes filled the air.


    A young apprentice approached me. "This way, please. The Pavilion Master is in her private chambers."


    I followed her through winding corridors, up a spiral staircase, and into the more secluded areas of the building. The walls here were adorned with ancient scripts detailing herbal forms and cultivation techniques.


    The apprentice stopped before an ornate door carved with twisting vines and flowering herbs. "Please wait here. I''ll announce your arrival."


    She knocked gently and slipped inside. A momentter, she emerged, bowing slightly. "The Pavilion Master will see you now."


    I stepped through the door into a spacious chamber bathed in golden morning light. The room was elegantly appointed with fine furniture, rare herbs hanging from the rafters, and shelves lined with ancient texts.


    What I hadn''t expected was to find Mariana Valerius in the middle of changing her robes.


    She stood with her back to me, her outer robe pooled around her feet, wearing only a thin inner garment that clung to her curves. Her long, raven-ck hair cascaded down her back.


    I froze, feeling heat rush to my face. "I—I apologize, Pavilion Master. I can returnter."


    "No need." Her voice was calm, unperturbed as she slipped on a green outer robe and turned to face me. "We have important matters to discuss, Liam Knight."


    My heart skipped a beat at hearing my real name spoken so casually.


    "How did you—"


    "Know it was you?" A small smile yed at her lips. "I''ve been expecting you since I heard about the... incident at the auction."


    She gestured to a chair across from her own. "Please, sit. And you can drop the act. We''re alone here."


    I straightened my posture, abandoning the submissive hunch, and sat down. "I brought what you asked for."


    "The Seven-Colored ze?" Her eyes lit up with genuine excitement.


    I nodded, reaching into my inner pocket to retrieve the small container that held the rare substance. As I handed it to her, our fingers brushed, and I felt a slight tingle of her powerful spiritual energy.


    Mariana examined the ze with expert eyes, turning the container to watch how the light yed across the substance''s surface. "Extraordinary," she murmured. "And you obtained this from ckstone Valley?"


    "Yes."


    She set the container down carefully. "Follow me."


    Without waiting for a response, she walked to an ornate bookshelf and pressed a hidden mechanism. The shelf slid silently to the side, revealing a hidden passage.


    "Few know of this room," she said, leading me down a narrow corridor. "What I''m about to show you must remain between us."


    The corridor opened into a circr chamber filled with strange artifacts and ancient scrolls. At the center stood a stone table carved with intricate runes that seemed to shift and change as I looked at them.


    "This is where I conduct my most sensitive research," Mariana exined, cing the Seven-Colored ze on the table. "And where we can speak freely."


    She turned to face me fully, her expression serious. "You''ve caused quite the uproar, Liam. The entire country is talking about the ck-robed man who humiliated the Veridia City Martial Guild."


    "I did what I had to do."


    "Indeed." She studied me closely. "I suspected it was you from the beginning, you know. The descriptions, the techniques used... but I needed confirmation."


    My stomach tightened. "And now you have it."


    "Yes." She nodded slowly. "The question is: what will you do now that the most powerful organization in the nation is hunting you with unprecedented resources?"


    I met her gaze unflinchingly. "I''ll do whatever it takes to save Isabelle."


    "Even if it means bing the most wanted man in the country?"


    "Even then."


    Mariana''s expression softened slightly. "Your dedication is admirable, if reckless." She walked to a wooden cab and withdrew a scroll. "Do you know what this is?"


    I shook my head.


    "A warrant. For your arrest." She unrolled it, revealing my name and a surprisingly urate sketch of my face. "Not just from the Guild, but from the Imperial authorities themselves."


    My blood ran cold. "How did they—"


    "Emerson Holmes has pushed for this," she cut in, her voice grim. "He''s convinced the authorities that you pose a threat to national security. He''s even tried to ess the Martial Saint Implement to use against you."


    "The what?"


    "A weapon ofst resort. Something so powerful it requires approval from the highest levels to deploy." Her eyes narrowed. "He was denied, thankfully. But he''s not giving up."


    I processed this information, feeling the noose tightening around my neck. "Why are you telling me this? Why help me at all?"


    Mariana was silent for a moment, her fingers tracing the edge of the warrant. "Because I recognize what you truly are, Liam Knight. What you could be." She looked up at me. "And because Emerson Holmes must be stopped before he destroys everything my guild has worked to build."


    "What do you mean?" <mark ss="phantom-imprint">My Vir&tu+al- Librar-y E.mp@i&re& (*) a!p-p!r%ecia&t^es@ you^r [emailprotected]</a>*r%sh-ip. at the sou^rce.$</mark>


    She carefully rolled the warrant and ced it back in the cab. "The Guild system was created to maintain bnce and order in our world. But men like Holmes have corrupted it, turning it into a tool for personal power."


    "And Isabelle? Where does she fit into this?"


    "Her bloodline is unique—powerful beyond measure. Holmes believes it''s the key to creating an army that would make him unstoppable." Her voice hardened. "If he seeds, the bnce will be shattered forever."


    A cold fury washed over me. "I won''t let that happen."


    "No, I don''t believe you will." She smiled faintly. "Which is why I''m going to help you."


    My surprise must have shown on my face.


    "Don''t look so shocked," she said. "We share amon enemy. And I''ve long believed that sometimes the system must be broken before it can be rebuilt properly."


    Hope, fragile but real, bloomed in my chest. "What do you propose?"


    "Information, for now. Resources when possible." She pulled a small jade token from her sleeve—identical to the one I''d shown the guards but with additional markings. "This will grant you ess to ourwork of informants. They can help you move unseen, gather intelligence."


    I took the token, feeling its weight in my palm. "Thank you."


    "Don''t thank me yet." Her expression grew grave. "What I''m about to tell you will make your situation infinitely moreplicated."


    She moved closer, lowering her voice despite the room''s privacy. "Do you understand that the people after you are no longer just the Veridia City Martial Guild? The authorities have issued a warrant for your arrest as well!"