Chapter 19: The Uneasy Alliance
Adrian hadn't planned on introducing Leah to Elias. Trust was fragile, and Elias had drilled into him that secrecy was survival. But after the fight in the alley, after seeing Leah's golden aura flare against the hunter, Adrian knew he couldn't keep them apart forever. If hunters were coming for him, they'd come for her too.
So he sent Elias a message, short and blunt: We need to meet. Not just me.
The warehouse smelled of rust and dust, its silence heavy. Adrian stood inside, pendant warm against his chest, Leah beside him. She looked calm, but her eyes were sharp, scanning the shadows.
Elias arrived without sound, stepping from the dark like he'd always been there. His gaze locked on Leah immediately. "So this is the colleague," he said flatly.
Leah crossed her arms. "And you're the mentor."
The tension was immediate, thick enough to choke on. Adrian raised his hands. "She's not ordinary. The pendant reacts to her. She fought beside me. We can trust her."
Elias's eyes narrowed. "Trust is risk. You're already reckless. Now you're dragging others in?"
Leah stepped forward, unflinching. "I didn't ask to be dragged in. I've been surviving this world longer than you think. Hunters don't care about your rules. They'll come whether I'm with him or not."
Elias studied her, silent for a long moment. Then he sighed. "Fine. But understand this — cultivation isn't friendship. It's survival. If you slow him down, if you compromise him, I'll cut ties."
Leah smirked. "Good thing I don't slow people down."
Adrian exhaled, tension easing slightly. It wasn't trust, not yet, but it was something.
They trained together that night. Elias guided Adrian through controlled breathing, forcing him to slow the flow of Qi, to balance pain with patience. Leah watched, then demonstrated her own technique — sharper, faster, more aggressive. Adrian struggled to keep up, sweat pouring down his face, but he learned.
For the first time, he wasn't alone in training. The rhythm of three cultivators filled the warehouse — Elias steady, Leah fierce, Adrian caught between them. It was chaotic, but it was progress.
After hours, they collapsed onto the floor, exhausted. Elias sat against the wall, arms crossed. "Hunters won't stop. They'll keep coming. Stronger, hungrier. You need discipline. You need allies. But allies mean risk."
Leah wiped sweat from her brow. "Risk is better than dying alone."
Adrian lay on the floor, chest heaving, pendant glowing faintly. He thought of Marco, of the lies he kept telling, of the weight of secrecy pressing down on him. He thought of Elias's warnings, of Leah's golden aura, of the hunters who kept whispering the same words: You're not ready. But you will be.
He clenched his fists. "Then we'll be ready. Together."
The pendant pulsed brighter, flooding the warehouse with faint emerald light. Elias frowned, Leah stared, and Adrian felt the warmth spread through his chest.
It wasn't just a relic. It was a key. And now, it was binding them together.