When the guardian discovered Karin was not in her room, she panicked immediately. Her mind went to the worst conclusion first—Karin had escaped. In seconds, she warned the guards and nearby disciples and commanded them to search all the corridors, courtyards, and towers.
Hours were spent in desperate searching, and only when desperation started to set in did she find Karin—still, intent, and at a poorly lit section of the Heavenly Demon Empire's great library.
Karin did not even glance up as her keeper drew near. The old books surrounding her were dense with theory and vague diagrams. She was obsessed with reading about immortality—more precisely, the resurrection of the dead.
"You disappeared without a word," the guardian replied, her voice strained with concern. "Everyone's been searching for you."
"I'm okay," Karin muttered, eyes never moving from the page. "I just… needed to know if there's a way."
The guardian let out a heavy sigh. "Resurrecting the dead is a quest that has consumed many lifetimes. Some of these researches took eras and still amounted to nothing.
I know," Karin said. "But I just cannot sit and do nothing.".
The determination in her voice left no room for argument. Seeing that, the guardian softened.
"Then I'll stay with you. You'll study… and you'll train. From now on, I'll personally guide your cultivation."
Meanwhile, far in the desert kingdom to the south, Rune was making plans of his own. He came down the stairs from his room in the inn the next morning, buckling his sword into place as he moved. The common room was full of a mix of travelers and mercenaries, their swords leaned against their chairs with a careless air, their eyes tired but alert.
He approached the counter and calmly asked the innkeeper, "Do you know anything about a group called the Dust Phantoms?"
The words were no sooner out of his mouth than the face of the man behind the counter changed. He reached beneath the counter—and pulled out a knife.
Rune's hands instantly burst into light. Two concentrated blasts of Qi fired from his palms, striking the man squarely in the chest and propelling him backward into the wall.
The room exploded into chaos.
The "mercenaries" who seconds earlier seemed to be regular patrons sprang into action. There was a flash of swords, Qi erupted, and chairs dragging along the wooden floor shrieked in protest.
Rune spun and kicked a chair at one of the assailants, taking him by surprise. The man fell, bumping into another. Rune didn't pause. A sword descended from above as a man jumped from a table. Rune moved backward, allowing the attacker's blade to hit the table. It bit deep and lodged in the heavy wood.
Before the attacker could yank it loose, Rune pulled out his own sword and attacked in a single, quick movement. The man dropped silently.
The fight was over in seconds. Rune fought with ruthless effectiveness, dropping the attackers one at a time. Quickly, the inn grew quiet once more—each attacker either dead or dying.
Save for one man.
He was sitting in the corner furthest from the uproar, inviolate. He was wearing a trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat that shaded most of his face. Steam rose lazily from the teacup in front of him.
He took a sip, unbothered.
Rune approached cautiously. "You are not going to attack?"
"I don't attack people I don't feel threatened by," the man replied, his tone even and studiedly uninterested.
Rune observed him for a moment. "If you have nothing to say, then have your tea."
He turned and walked toward the inn's door.
As he took hold of the handle, the man repeated:.
"If you open that door, you will be killed."
Rune halted, hand still on the latch. "Such small things are of no concern to this kingdom," he said, not looking back. His voice was level, but the implication was cutting—the corruption here was so widespread that mass murder at an inn wasn't even enough to warrant concern. But before he could open the door, the man continued, "It's a problem when the one leaving is a royal traitor to the kingdom."