At the same time, within the Sovereign Bone Citadel Sect—
Zade was reviewing reports when he noticed an absence that
shouldn't have existed.
"Where is Valerius?" he asked without looking up.
A junior disciple hesitated before answering.
"Senior Brother… someone saw him leaving the sect earlier."
Zade finally raised his head.
"Leaving?" he repeated.
"Yes," the disciple said carefully. "He looked… angered."
Zade exhaled slowly and rubbed his temple with two fingers.
"Ah, fuck," he muttered under his breath.
He straightened, irritation clear but controlled.
"Didn't I warn that bastard?" Zade said quietly. "I told him
not to go stirring trouble outside."
Zade took his sword from the rack without another word.
He already knew where Valerius would go.
With a sharp turn, he left the Sovereign Bone Citadel Sect
grounds and headed straight for the city.
By the time Zade reached the inn, the night had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
The door hung crooked on its hinges. Broken furniture
littered the floor. Guests were gone, fear still clinging to the air.
Zade stepped inside—and stopped.
Valerius Pike lay sprawled against the far wall, blood
drying at the corner of his mouth, unconscious and unmoving.
Zade's jaw tightened.
He rubbed his forehead slowly.
"Ah… fuck," he muttered.
His gaze dropped to Valerius.
"This," Zade said flatly, "is exactly why I told you to stop causing trouble."
He straightened and looked around.
"Innkeeper," Zade called out.
The innkeeper flinched but forced himself to step forward.
"Who did this?" Zade asked.
The innkeeper swallowed hard and pointed toward the stairs.
"H-Him."
Zade followed the direction of the finger.
Rudravaan stood there—calm, unhurried, as if this scene had
nothing to do with him.
Zade studied him for a moment.
No panic.
No arrogance.
No retreat.
Zade sighed once.
"I'll be honest," he said. "I don't like this either. But
you beat a disciple of our sect."
His hand closed around the hilt of his sword.
"So we have to return the favor," Zade continued evenly.
"Don't take it personally. Just how things work."
Steel slid free with a clear, sharp sound.
Zade took a stance—disciplined, balanced, unmistakably
trained.
The pressure in the room changed.
Rudravaan tilted his head slightly, as if curious.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Oh?" he said calmly.
"Look at this."
His eyes settled on Zade.
"Another brat."
Zade moved.
The instant he charged—
The world flipped.
One moment his feet were on the ground.
The next, he was upside down, suspended in the air, his sense of balance
completely torn away.
Confusion struck before pain.
His grip failed. His body twisted helplessly.
The last thing Zade saw—
Was Rudravaan's calm smile.
Then everything went black.
The next day, sound returned before sight.
"…How dare you lay a hand on our senior—"
The voice was distant. Muffled.
Zade frowned and slowly opened his eyes.
A ceiling came into view. Then walls. Then unfamiliar faces.
He turned his head.
Not far from him, Rudravaan stood calmly, speaking to
someone.
Bound tightly with rope, Valerius Pike sat upright, his face
red with anger as he argued loudly.
Zade's breath caught.
Memory flooded back all at once.
The charge.
The sudden weightlessness.
The helpless fall.
The smile.
Zade swallowed hard.
Only then did he fully understand—
He had been defeated by Rudravaan.
And it had not even been close.
Zade let out a slow breath.
Then he laughed.
He shifted, lost his strength for a moment, and dropped back
onto the floor. One arm came up to cover his eyes as the laughter
continued—low, hoarse, and filled with disbelief rather than mockery.
"So that's how it is…" Zade said, still laughing quietly.
He lowered his arm and looked straight at Rudravaan.
"So you're the one," he said, voice steady now, "the one the
Sect Leader warned us about."
The room went still.
Zade smiled faintly.
"…I see."