I left William Vance''s home with a heavy heart. The ra I''d known—bright, curious, and full of childish wonder—was fading, reced by something ancient and cold.


    The mask was consuming her faster than I''d anticipated. Each time she wore it, the entity within gained more control, feeding on her unique dark energy constitution.


    I paused in the shadows of an alley, considering my options. ra needed help, but so did Isabelle. Time was running out for both of them, and I was just one man, hunted by the most powerful forces in Veridia City.


    Using the concealment techniques Bellweather had taught me, I made my way back toward his hidden residence. My mind was churning with conflicting priorities when a familiar presence brushed against my senses.


    ra.


    She was following me, moving through the shadows with unnatural stealth. I pretended not to notice, maintaining my pace while extending my awareness. There was something different about her energy signature now—more controlled, more focused.


    I ducked into a narrow passage between two abandoned buildings and waited. Secondster, ra appeared at the entrance, her small silhouette backlit by distant streemps.


    "I know you''re there," she said, her voice eerily calm. "You can''t hide from me anymore."


    I stepped into view. "I wasn''t hiding. I was waiting."


    She approached with that strange, fluid grace that wasn''t her own. "You''ve gotten stronger since ourst meeting."


    "So have you," I replied. "Though I wonder how much of that strength is actually yours."


    Her lips curved into a cold smile. "Does it matter whose strength it is, as long as I have it?"


    "It matters when the price is your soul."


    raughed—a sound that belonged to someone far older than her thirteen years. "My soul? How dramatic." She reached into her shirt and pulled out the mask, dangling it before me. "Do you know what this really is?"


    I studied the mask carefully. In the dim light, it seemed to absorb shadows, its contours shifting subtly as if alive. "I know it''s dangerous."


    "It''s a gateway," she corrected. "A bridge between worlds." She caressed its surface with disturbing tenderness. "And it chose me, Liam. Not you."


    "That''s not something to be proud of," I said quietly. "Being chosen by darkness rarely ends well."


    Her eyes shed—literally shed—with an inner light that wasn''t human. "You still think in such simple terms. Light versus dark. Good versus evil." She stepped closer. "The woman in the mask—she''s shown me things beyond yourprehension."


    "What woman, ra? What''s her name?"


    A flicker of confusion crossed her face. "I... don''t know. She hasn''t revealed that yet."


    I seized the opening. "Because she''s using you. Entities like that don''t share power—they take it."


    For a moment, the real ra seemed to surface, uncertainty clouding her features. "But she''s teaching me. Showing me how to be stronger."


    "At what cost?" I pressed. "Look at yourself. Look at how you''re treating your father. Is this who you want to be?"


    She hesitated, fingers tightening around the mask. "I need this power. Without it, I''m nothing—just a weak girl everyone pities."


    "That''s not true," I said, gentling my voice. "Your strength was always there. I saw it the first day we met."


    Tears suddenly welled in her eyes—human tears from the child still fighting inside. "Then why did you leave me alone?" The words burst out, raw with pain. "You promised to protect me, but you disappeared when I needed you most!"


    The usation hit like a physical blow. She was right. I''d been so consumed with my own battles that I''d failed to safeguard one of the few people who truly trusted me.


    "I''m sorry," I said, and meant it. "I failed you, ra. But it''s not toote to fix this."


    She shook her head, backing away. "It''s already done. The mask and I—we''re bonded now. She speaks to me, guides me." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "She says a great change ising. That I''m meant to be part of it."


    "What change?" I asked, rm rising.


    ra''s eyes met mine, and for an instant, they seemed to contain universes—vast and ancient knowledge no child should possess. "The return of those who came before. The ones who shaped this world and then left it behind."


    A chill ran through me. "ra, listen to me very carefully. Whatever entity is speaking to you through that mask—it''s manipting you. Using your goodness, your potential, for its own purposes."


    "You don''t understand," she insisted. "I''ve seen glimpses of the future. Of what I''ll be."


    "And what is that?"


    Her expression turned distant, almost dreamy. "Power beyond measure. Freedom from all constraints." She refocused on me with unnerving intensity. "She calls me her vessel. Her harbinger."


    The terms sent ice through my veins. This was worse than I''d feared.


    "ra, I need you to give me the mask," I said, extending my hand. "Just for a while. Let me examine it, find out what we''re dealing with."


    Her face hardened instantly. "No." She clutched the mask to her chest. "It''s mine. She gave it to me."


    "Because you can touch it when others can''t," I exined patiently. "Your dark energy constitution makes youpatible with its power. But that doesn''t mean it''s safe."


    "I don''t want safe," she hissed, her aura darkening. "I want strength. I want to matter."


    "You already matter," I insisted. "To your father. To me."


    "Lies," she spat. "You only care now because you''re afraid of what I''m bing."


    Before I could respond, she slipped the mask over her face. The effect was instantaneous—darkness coalesced around her, her small form seeming to grow taller, more imposing. When she spoke again, her voice carried echoes of something ancient and terrible.


    "This conversation is over, Liam Knight. I advise you not to interfere with what ising."


    With those ominous words, she backed into the shadows and vanished—not by running away, but by somehow melting into the darkness itself.


    I stood alone in the alley, shaken. The ra I knew was slipping away faster than I''d realized. And whatever was taking her ce carried power that made my skin crawl.


    This was a battle I couldn''t fight now—not while Isabelle remained captive. But I made a silent promise to return for ra before it was toote.


    ---


    The journey to Cinderfall City took two days of careful travel, avoiding main roads and checkpoints. Even with my identity exposed, few would recognize me outside Veridia City''s immediate vicinity—especially with the rudimentary disguise I''d adopted.


    As I approached the outskirts of Cinderfall, memories flooded back. This was where I''d established Jade Moon Vi, gathering allies and cultivating in preparation for my confrontation with the Ashworth family. Before everything went wrong.


    ording to Bellweather''s intelligence, Tobias Bhus had imed thepound after my supposed death, renaming it the Ascendant Saints Order. The irony wasn''t lost on me—Tobias had been one of my earliest recruits, a man I''d elevated from street thug to respected cultivator.


    Now he''d betrayed everything I built, prostrating himself before the Veridia City Martial Guild in exchange for protection and position.


    I bypassed the main gates, using a hidden entrance I''d built into the eastern wall. Thepound had changed—new buildings had been erected, training grounds reconfigured. Banners bearing the Ascendant Saints emblem fluttered where Jade Moon Vi''s had once hung.


    Moving silently through the shadows, I observed dozens of cultivators training in formations that weren''t mine. The techniques were crude imitations of what I''d taught—bastardized and weakened to avoid drawing the Guild''s ire.


    Pathetic.


    I made my way toward the central building that had once been my quarters. Through a window, I glimpsed Tobias seated at what had been my desk, drinking expensive wine andughing with two senior disciples.


    My hands clenched involuntarily. The man had gained weight, his formerly lean frame now soft with indulgence. He wore robes of fine silk, adorned with gold embroidery that proimed his status.


    I was about to move closer whenmotion erupted from a nearby building—the sound of breaking furniture followed by a woman''s defiant shout.


    "I''ll never renounce him! Do you hear me? Never!"


    I recognized that voice. Phoebe Reeves—once my chief alchemist and one of the few who''d known the truth about my ns to infiltrate the Guild.


    Tobias''s expression darkened. He mmed down his wine cup and stormed out, heading toward the disturbance. I followed, staying hidden in the evening shadows.


    The scene that greeted me made my blood boil. Phoebe was on her knees in what had once been the alchemy pavilion, her face bruised, hair disheveled. Three men stood over her, one holding a handful of her hair.


    "The Sect Leader''s patience is wearing thin," one growled. "Swear allegiance to the Ascendant Saints Order, or tonight''s punishment will make previous ones seem gentle."


    Phoebe spat blood at his feet. "Jade Moon Vi has only one master. And it isn''t your pathetic ''Sect Leader.''"


    The man raised his hand to strike her, but Tobias''s voice cut through the tension. "Enough!"


    He strode into the pavilion, reeking of alcohol and self-importance. "Leave us. I''ll handle this myself."


    The men bowed and departed. Tobias circled Phoebe like a predator, his cultivation aura ring menacingly.


    "Still clinging to a dead man''s legacy," he mocked. "How touchingly loyal. And how utterly useless."


    Phoebe red up at him. "Liam Knight was worth a thousand of you."


    "Was he?" Tobiasughed cruelly. "Then where is he now? Dead or hiding like a coward while those who trusted him suffer." He leaned down, grabbing her chin roughly. "Face reality, Phoebe. Your precious master abandoned you."


    "He would never abandon us," she insisted, though pain flickered across her features. "Something happened to him. Something none of us anticipated."


    Tobias''s expression twisted with contempt. "The great Liam Knight, brought low by the very power structure he sought to challenge. Poetic, isn''t it?" He tightened his grip. "Now, for thest time—renounce him and join me, or face execution for treason against the Order."


    Phoebe''s eyes, despite their fear, remained defiant. "I would rather die."


    "That can be arranged." Tobias raised his hand, dark energy coalescing around his fingers. "Such a waste of talent."


    I''d seen enough.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you," I said, stepping from the shadows.


    Tobias froze, his back to me. Phoebe''s eyes widened in shock, her lips forming my name silently.


    "Who dares—" Tobias began, turning slowly.


    The moment he saw my face, all color drained from his. He stumbled backward, knocking over a table of alchemical equipment.


    "Impossible," he whispered. "You''re dead."


    "Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," I replied, my voice deadly calm.


    Phoebe struggled to her feet, tears streaming down her bruised face. "Master Liam... you came back."


    I nodded to her without taking my eyes off Tobias, who was now frantically gathering his energy for either attack or escape.


    "Phoebe, step outside," I ordered quietly.


    She hesitated only briefly before limping toward the door. <code ss="meta-ref-static">Thetest chapters are uploaded first on *.</code>


    "No one leaves!" Tobias shouted, desperation edging his voice. "Guards! Intruder in the pavilion!"


    I moved faster than his eyes could follow, seizing his throat before he could finish his call for help. My fingers dug into his flesh, cutting off his air.


    "Surprised to see me, old friend?" I asked, lifting him until his feet dangled above the floor.


    His eyes bulged, hands wing uselessly at my grip. I felt nothing but cold rage as I observed the man who had betrayed everything I built, everything I stood for.


    "Let me guess," I continued conversationally. "After news of my defeat spread, you saw an opportunity. Dered yourself the new leader. Pledged allegiance to the Guild."


    Unable to speak, he nodded frantically, perhaps hoping confession would earn mercy.


    "And those who remained loyal to me?" I squeezed harder. "What happened to them?"


    I loosened my grip just enough to allow him to rasp out an answer.


    "Most... joined me," he gasped. "The others... we gave them a choice."


    "Like the choice you gave Phoebe?" I mmed him against the wall, cracks spreading through the stone from the impact. "How many died for their loyalty, Tobias?"


    Fear had reced the arrogance in his eyes now. "Please... I can exin..."


    "No need." I dropped him to the floor, where he crumpled, gasping for air. "Your actions have exined everything perfectly."


    By now, rmed voices were approaching the pavilion. The guards Tobias had called for wereing—toote to save him, but right on time to witness what happened next.


    I grabbed Tobias by his expensive cor and dragged him outside, into the central courtyard. Cultivators gathered at a distance, weapons drawn but hesitating when they saw who held their leader.


    "Brothers! Sisters!" Tobias called desperately. "Help me! Kill this impostor!"


    No one moved. They recognized me—some with shock, others with growing hope.


    "This man," I announced, my voice carrying across thepound, "betrayed everything Jade Moon Vi stood for. He prostrated himself before our enemies, persecuted those loyal to our original vision, and styled himself a leader when hecks even the most basic integrity."


    Murmurs spread through the crowd. I saw uncertainty in their faces, fearpeting with a rekindling of old loyalties.


    "The Veridia City Martial Guild will destroy you all!" Tobias shouted, struggling in my grip. "They know Liam Knight has returned! They''reing for him—for anyone who supports him!"


    "Let theme," I replied coldly. "I''ve faced them before. I''ll face them again."


    I threw Tobias to the ground at the center of the courtyard. He scrambled backward, eyes darting for escape routes or allies willing to intervene. Finding neither, he tried a new approach.


    "Liam, please," he begged, his voice breaking. "I did what I had to do. The Guild was going to execute everyone associated with you. I saved them by rebranding, by pledging allegiance—"


    "By betraying everything I built," I cut him off. "By torturing those who remained loyal."


    Tobias shook his head frantically. "I had no choice!"


    "There''s always a choice," I said, advancing on him. "And now I''m making mine."


    I extended my hand toward him, channeling energy that made the air between us shimmer with heat. The crowd gasped as golden light enveloped my arm, crackling with barely contained power.


    "Thispound is Jade Moon Vi," I dered, my voice carrying to every corner. "Not the Ascendant Saints Order. Not a Guild puppet organization. Those who wish to remain under that banner may leave now—I won''t stop you."


    No one moved.


    "As for those who betrayed us," I continued, "there can be only one response."


    Tobias screamed, a high-pitched sound of terror that cut through the night. "Please! I''ll give you anything! Money, information—I know Guild secrets!"


    "Toote for bargaining," I said softly. Then, raising my voice to ensure everyone heard: "Let this be a lesson. Jade Moon Vi has returned. I have returned. And traitors will not be tolerated."


    I closed my fist suddenly. The golden energypressed, intensified—and Tobias Bhus''s head exploded in a shower of blood and bone.


    Shocked silence fell over the courtyard. Then, one by one, the cultivators dropped to their knees, heads bowed.


    Phoebe limped forward through the crowd, tears streaming down her face. She knelt before me, taking my hand in both of hers.


    "Wee home, Master Liam," she whispered.


    I helped her to her feet, turning to address the assembled disciples. "The Veridia City Martial Guild will indeede. They''ll send their best, their strongest. And we will be ready."


    I scanned the faces before me—some frightened, others determined. All watching for what I would say next.


    "Let them know," I dered, my voice carrying into the night. "Liam Knight has returned to im what is his."