The wind howled outside the hall of elders. Inside, silence reigned.
Elder Yanshi stood at the center of the council, his jaw clenched, voice low.
"He was supposed to break. Not rise."
Elder Nian stroked his beard. "Perhaps the Trial of Fangs forged something new."
"No," said the Third Elder. "It uncovered something ancient."
Kael had become more than a name. He was a warning.
In the Shadows of the Sect
While the elders debated in hushed tones, others moved beneath the surface.
Disciple Fang Lin, the ambitious son of a senior instructor, slammed his fist into the wall of his chamber.
"That mutt stole all the light," he spat. "We'll see how long he lasts in it."
Beside him, a robed figure leaned forward, face veiled. "There are... ways to fix that. Quiet ways."
A jade token was placed on the table. Blood-red.
Fang Lin's eyes narrowed.
"Arrange it."
Kael's Cell – New Chains, New Resolve
Kael sat cross-legged in the corner of his stone room, wounds stitched roughly by his own hand. His breath came slow, deliberate.
The Trial had pushed him to the edge. Every rib ached, every tendon screamed.
But for the first time—he felt power settling in his bones like embers in a forge.
[New Trait Unlocked – Iron Will: You can resist moderate pain and spirit suppression techniques without flinching.]
He smiled.
"Good. I'll need it."
A knock.
The door opened to reveal the blind herbalist.
"You should be dead," she said, carrying a bowl of bitter-smelling soup.
"So I've been told," Kael replied.
She sat beside him, hands moving with quiet skill, reapplying salve to his wounds.
"You'll have more scars," she murmured.
"I don't mind. They tell the story I survived."
Her face turned slightly toward him. "What if the next page is death?"
Kael's eyes burned. "Then I'll write it in someone else's blood."
A Meeting in the Mist
Elsewhere, in a secluded cliff-side temple shrouded by mists, another meeting occurred.
A man with a serpent tattoo knelt before a shrine of obsidian.
"The Beast of the Outer Ring has survived," he said.
From the shadows, a low voice replied, "Then we shall test his teeth."
A scroll was handed over, sealed in black wax.
"Release the Silver Talon."
The First Threat
Back in the disciple quarters, Kael found his door marked with a claw scratch.
It wasn't a challenge.
It was a warning.
And a promise.
As night fell, Kael stood by the waterfall outside the disciples' training court, gazing into the black waters.
The moon reflected back a face no longer uncertain.
"They think they've seen me," he whispered.
"They haven't seen anything yet."