Chapter 21: One Week Later
A week passed, and the city hadn't changed — neon lights still flickered, jeepneys still rattled down crowded streets, and vendors still shouted over each other in the markets. But Adrian had changed.
Every night, he trained. The focus stones steadied him, the pendant guided him, and Elias's voice echoed in his mind: Control. Discipline. Survival. He forced himself to slow down, to stop chasing breakthroughs, to build a foundation instead of burning himself out.
It was exhausting. His body ached constantly, his ribs still bruised from the last fight, but he endured. Each cycle of Qi felt smoother, each breath steadier. He hadn't opened another meridian yet, but he could feel the cracks forming. Progress was slow, but it was real.
And yet, the pendant kept pulsing.
Not just during training. Not just in moments of danger. It pulsed at odd times — in crowded jeepneys, in quiet streets, even when he was lying awake at night staring at the ceiling. Adrian had begun to realize it wasn't reacting to him. It was reacting to something else.
One evening, as he walked home from work, the pendant grew hot against his chest. Adrian froze, scanning the street. The crowd moved normally — vendors shouting, kids laughing, couples arguing. Nothing unusual. But the heat intensified, burning against his skin.
Then he saw it.
A mural on the side of an old building, faded and cracked. It depicted a figure holding a glowing relic, emerald light spilling from their hands. Adrian's stomach dropped. The pendant pulsed harder, frantic.
He stepped closer, heart pounding. The mural was old, weathered, but the resemblance was undeniable. The relic in the painting looked exactly like the pendant around his neck.
Adrian touched the wall, fingers tracing the faded lines. His chest tightened. This wasn't coincidence. The pendant wasn't just a relic. It had history. It had meaning. And the city itself was whispering clues.
The next night, he told Elias.
Elias frowned, arms crossed. "Relics don't appear out of nowhere. They're tied to places, to people, to history. If the pendant is reacting, it means something here is connected to it."
Adrian swallowed hard. "Then I need to know what. I need to know why it chose me."
Elias shook his head. "Careful. Curiosity is dangerous. Hunters aren't just after power. They're after relics. If you start digging, you'll draw more attention."
Adrian clenched his fists. "I'm already a target. If I don't understand this thing, I'll never survive."
Silence hung heavy. Finally, Elias sighed. "Then start small. Look for records. Old archives. Legends. But don't trust everything you find. History lies."
Adrian nodded, determination burning in his chest.
That night, he sat in his apartment, pendant glowing faintly in his hand. He thought about the mural, about the hunters, about the words they kept repeating: You're not ready. But you will be.
He whispered to himself, voice hoarse. "I'll be ready. I'll rise. And I'll uncover the truth."
The pendant pulsed, steady and calm.
And Adrian Reyes knew the path ahead wasn't just about cultivation anymore. It was about history. About secrets buried in the city. About uncovering why the pendant had chosen him — and what it wanted him to become.
The mural's cracked paint lingered in his mind, as if the city itself was watching him. For the first time, Adrian felt that his journey wasn't only about strength or survival — it was about destiny. The relic wasn't just guiding him; it was pulling him toward something larger, something hidden beneath the ordinary streets he thought he knew.