"Because your potential far exceeds your understanding of it," Mariana replied simply. "Now sleep. Your body needs rest to heal properly."


    Before I could question her further, she pressed a finger to my forehead. A wave of drowsiness washed over me, and I slipped into darkness.


    I don''t know how long I was unconscious. Days blurred together in a haze of pain and medicine-induced dreams. Memories mixed with nightmares – Isabelle''s face shifting to that of the masked woman, Bancroft''s de piercing my flesh over and over.


    When I finally awoke fully, the pain in my back had dulled to a manageable ache. I was alone in the small room, sunlight streaming through a narrow window. Testing my limbs, I found I could move without agony shooting through my body.


    I sat up carefully, examining myself. The wound had closedpletely, leaving only a thick, red scar running diagonally across my back. I rotated my shoulders experimentally. Stiff, but functional.


    Bellweather entered as I was pulling on a clean shirt that someone had left for me.


    "You recover quickly," he observed. "Most would still be bedridden."


    "How long was I out?" I asked, buttoning the shirt.


    "Three days." He crossed his arms. "The Pavilion Master''s medicine worked better than expected."


    Three days. My jaw clenched at the thought of Isabelle enduring three more days in captivity while I slept.


    "Where is the Pavilion Master now?"


    "She left yesterday," Bellweather replied. "Said she had business to attend to. But she left this for you." He handed me a sealed letter bearing Mariana''s insignia.


    I broke the seal and read quickly:


    *Liam,*


    *The world now knows the ck-Robed Man''s identity. Your actions at the Arena have created a manhunt unlike anything Veridia City has seen in decades. The Ashworth and ckthorne families have pooled resources to find you, with a bounty that would tempt even Martial Saints.*


    *Stay hidden until your strength returns fully. I am working on diplomatic solutions, though I fear they may prove insufficient.*


    *Be cautious with Bellweather. His interests rarely align with others''.*


    *M.V.*


    I folded the letter and tucked it away, processing this new information. So my identity was exposed. It wasn''t unexpected, but itplicated matters further.


    "Bad news?" Bellweather asked, watching me closely.


    "Nothing I didn''t already suspect," I replied. "The hunt for me has intensified."


    He nodded. "The streets are crawling with Guild enforcers and bounty hunters. Every inn, hospital, and alchemist shop in the city is under surveince."


    "And yet you''re still sheltering me."


    "I have my reasons." His expression remained unreadable. "Are you well enough to begin training?"


    I stood, testing my bnce. My body felt solid, the lingering weakness more an annoyance than a true limitation. "Yes."


    "Good." He turned toward the door. "Then it''s time I showed you something useful."


    For the next several hours, Bellweather demonstrated techniques for energy conservation and wound recovery that far surpassed anything I''d previously encountered. The man might have been in seclusion for decades, but his knowledge remained unmatched.


    By evening, I felt close to seventy percent of my normal strength – a dramatic improvement from the broken state I''d been in days before.


    "You''re a quick study," Bellweathermented as we finished the final set of exercises. "Most need weeks to grasp these concepts."


    "I don''t have weeks," I replied, cooling down with the breathing technique he''d taught me. "What have you heard about Isabelle''s situation?"


    His expression darkened. "Nothing good. The Guild has moved her to their innermost sanctum. Only the highest-ranking members have ess."


    My heart sank. "Are they still extracting her blood?"


    "Yes, but not in the crude manner you witnessed. They''ve developed a more... sustainable method."


    The implication made my blood boil. They were keeping her alive as a renewable resource. "I need to get to her soon."


    "You''ll need help," Bellweather said bluntly. "Even with my guidance, a direct assault would be suicide."


    I nodded, having reached the same conclusion during my recovery. "I have allies I need to contact."


    "Risky. The Guild will be monitoring anyone associated with you."


    "Some are beyond their reach." I thought of Jackson Harding, the reclusive master who had taught me the Nine Secrets. "But before I contact anyone, there''s someone I need to check on personally."


    "The Vance girl," Bellweather guessed, surprising me.


    "How did you know about ra?"


    "I make it my business to know who enters and exits Eldoria," he replied. "Especially those connected to the masked woman."


    Thatment sent a chill through me. "What do you know about that?"


    "Enough to be concerned." His eyes narrowed. "The mask she possesses is an ancient artifact of tremendous power. And the girl''s constitution makes her particrly... susceptible to its influence."


    This was information I needed. "Susceptible how?"


    "Pure dark energy bodies are rare," he exined. "They resonate with certain types of power that would destroy ordinary cultivators. The mask seeks such vessels."


    I remembered how easily ra had taken the mask from the throne when I couldn''t even touch it. The implications were troubling.


    "I need to see her," I said, more convinced than ever. "Tonight."


    Bellweather considered this, then nodded reluctantly. "The sewers lead to Eldoria''s southern district. I''ll show you the path."


    Hourster, cloaked in shadows and hidden energy, I emerged from an abandoned well two streets from William Vance''s modest home. The night was quiet, with only a few patrols visible in the distance.


    I moved silently through back alleys, using the techniques Bellweather had taught me to mask my presence. Even if someone looked directly at me, they would see only a shifting shadow, their attention sliding away like water.


    When I reached William''s home, I noticed immediately that something was wrong. The small garden ra had so proudly tended was withered and untended. The windows were dark, with no sign of the usual warm glow from William''s readingmp.


    I approached cautiously, checking for surveince before slipping around to the back door. Three soft knocks in the pattern ra would recognize.


    Long moments passed before I heard shuffling inside. The door cracked open, revealing William''s haggard face, aged years beyond when I''dst seen him.


    "Liam?" he whispered, eyes wide with disbelief.


    "May Ie in?" I asked quietly.


    He nced nervously around before stepping aside. The house was dim, lit only by a single candle. Papers and booksy scattered across every surface, and unwashed dishes filled the sink – so unlike the meticulously organized home I remembered.


    "They said you were dead," William muttered, closing and locking the door. "Then they said you were a criminal. Now there are posters with your face all over the city."


    "It''splicated," I admitted. "I''m sorry foring here. I know it puts you at risk."


    Heughed bitterly. "Risk? What more could they take?" He gestured around the disheveled room. "I''ve already lost my position at the university. The Ashworth family made sure of that after they connected me to you."


    Guilt twisted in my stomach. "William, I never meant for this to happen."


    "I know." He sighed heavily, the anger leaving him as quickly as it had red. "You''ve always tried to protect ra and me. But some things are beyond even your control."


    I nodded toward the kitchen. "When did you eatst?"


    He waved dismissively. "Yesterday. Maybe. I''ve lost track."


    "Sit down," I instructed, moving to the kitchen. "I''ll make something."


    While I prepared a simple meal from what little was in his pantry, William sank into a chair, watching me with tired eyes.


    "How is ra?" I asked, trying to sound casual despite my growing concern.


    William''s expression changed, a shadow passing over his features. "Different. Ever since she started practicing that cultivation method you gave her..."


    My hands stilled. "Different how?"


    "She stays outte. Doesn''t tell me where she goes." He rubbed his face. "She''s secretive. Cold. Sometimes I hear her talking to someone when she''s alone in her room."


    Each word increased my unease. "When did this start?"


    "About a month ago. After she found that mask." He looked up sharply. "She said you gave it to her. That it was a gift."


    I set down the knife I was holding. "I told her to keep it safe, not to use it."


    "Well, she''s been wearing it. Or at least, she takes it with her whenever she goes out at night." His voice dropped lower. "And sometimes, when shees home... she doesn''t seem like ra anymore."


    The food forgotten, I moved to sit across from him. "Where is she now?"


    "Out." He nced toward the window. "She usually returns around midnight."


    I checked the clock on the wall. Nearly eleven. "I''ll wait, if that''s alright."


    William nodded, then hesitated before speaking again. "Liam, there''s something else. Something happened three days ago."


    My full attention focused on him. "What?"


    "A man came looking for her. Not from the Guild – this was someone different. Older. Spoke with an ent I couldn''t ce." William''s hands trembled slightly. "He knew about the mask. Said ra needed ''guidance'' to control its power."


    "Did he say his name?"


    "No. But ra seemed to know him. She left with him for several hours. When she returned..." He swallowed hard. "She was different. Stronger somehow. More confident. And her eyes..."


    "What about her eyes?" I pressed.


    "They changed color. Just for a moment when she thought I wasn''t looking. From brown to... something else. Something that glowed."


    My blood ran cold. The description matched what I''d seen from the masked woman in the stone house.


    We sat in tense silence for nearly an hour, the food cooling untouched on the counter. Just as the clock struck midnight, I felt it – a familiar yet distorted energy signature approaching the house.


    "She''sing," I said, rising to my feet.


    William nodded, tension visible in every line of his body. "Please... help her if you can."


    The back door opened, and ra stepped inside. She wore simple ck clothing, her hair pulled back in a tight braid. At first nce, she looked like the same girl I''d known – small, delicate, with a face that still retained childish roundness despite her adolescence.


    But something was fundamentally different. She moved with unnatural grace, each step precise and deliberate. And when she saw me, her expression didn''t register surprise – only a cold, calcting assessment.


    "Liam Knight," she said, her voice oddly formal. "I thought you mighte."


    "ra," I greeted her cautiously. "I was worried about you."


    She tilted her head slightly, studying me as if I were a curious specimen. "Were you? How interesting."


    William stood awkwardly nearby, clearly unsettled by her behavior. "ra, Liam made food. You should eat something."


    "I''m not hungry," she replied without looking at him.


    I approached her slowly, reaching out with my senses. What I felt made me almost step back in shock – her energy had changedpletely. The pure dark energy body I''d detected before was now surging with power far beyond what should have been possible for her cultivation level.


    "You''ve been practicing," I observed neutrally.


    A small smile curved her lips. "I found a better teacher."


    "The man who came here?"


    Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You''ve been telling tales, Father?"


    William flinched at her tone. "ra, please. Liam is our friend."


    "Is he?" She finally turned to acknowledge her father. "Friends don''t disappear for months, then return only when they need something."


    The usation stung because it held truth. I had been focused on my own battles, neglecting to check on ra despite knowing the potential dangers of the mask.


    "You''re right," I admitted. "I should have been more present. But I''m here now, and I''m concerned about what''s happening to you."


    "Happening to me?" Sheughed, a sound devoid of warmth. "Nothing is happening to me. I''m finally bing what I was meant to be."


    She moved to the small living room, sitting gracefully in a chair. As she did, I caught a glimpse of something tucked inside her shirt – the edge of the mask, hanging from a cord around her neck.


    "The mask," I said quietly. "You''re carrying it with you."


    Her hand moved protectively to her chest. "It''s mine. She gave it to me."


    A chill ran through me. "Who gave it to you, ra?"


    For an instant, something flickered in her eyes – uncertainty, fear perhaps. Then it was gone, reced by that unnerving coldness. <i ss="story-note-vis">This сhаptеr wаs first sееn оn МV^LЕМ^РYR.</i>


    "You know who," she whispered. "You''ve seen her too."


    William looked between us, confusion and fear in on his face. "Who are you talking about?"


    Neither of us answered him. ra and I were locked in a silent confrontation, both aware of the dangerous truth hanging between us.


    "The mask is changing you," I said finally. "You must have noticed."


    "It''s not changing me," she countered. "It''s revealing me. There''s a difference."


    I took a step closer, keeping my voice gentle. "ra, I''ve encountered entities like the one connected to that mask. They''re not what they seem. They use people for their own purposes."


    Her expression hardened. "And what are your purposes, Liam? Why have you reallye back?"


    "I was worried about you," I repeated.


    "Liar." The word was sharp, cutting. "You came because you sensed her power growing in me. You came because you''re afraid."


    She stood suddenly, and the air around her darkened, shadows stretching unnaturally toward her as if drawn by a maic force.


    William backed away, terror evident in his face. "ra, please..."


    I remained where I was, though every instinct screamed at me to retreat. This wasn''t the ra I knew – and yet, somehow, it was. The mask hadn''t created this darkness; it had merely awakened something that was already there.


    "I''m not afraid of you, ra," I said calmly. "I''m afraid for you."


    Something flickered across her face – a momentary softening. Then her eyes met mine fully, and for the first time, I saw it clearly – an ancient, cold intelligence looking out through ra''s young eyes.


    The aura that emanated from her was unmistakable now – the same chilling presence I''d felt in the stone house, when the vision of the masked woman had appeared above ra''s floating body.


    "You should leave now," she said, her voice carrying harmonics that weren''t entirely human. "There''s nothing for you here."


    "ra—" I began.


    "I said leave!" The shadows around her pulsed, and a wave of dark energy pushed outward, knocking over furniture and rattling the windows.


    William cried out in rm, but I stood my ground, channeling a protective barrier of light energy to counter the darkness.


    "This isn''t you speaking," I said firmly. "It''s the influence of the mask."


    She smiled then, a terrible smile that didn''t belong on a child''s face. "You understand so little, Liam Knight. Soon, everyone will see what I''m bing. Even you."


    With those ominous words hanging in the air, she turned and walked to her room, closing the door behind her with an air of finality.


    William stared after her, tears streaming down his face. "What''s happening to my daughter?" he whispered.


    I ced a hand on his shoulder, my mind racing. The situation was worse than I''d feared. ra wasn''t just using the mask – she was being possessed by whatever entity was bound to it.


    "I don''t know," I admitted quietly. "But I promise I''ll find a way to help her."


    Even as I spoke the words, I wondered if it was already toote. The aura I''d sensed from ra was growing stronger by the moment, resonating with a power that felt ancient and malevolent.


    And with Isabelle still captive and the entire city hunting for me, I was running out of time on all fronts.