The Calm of Absolute Power
The sect fell into mourning.
Minutes passed.
Mi-An stood alone where Xiao Yan vanished.
"I'm coming to meet you," she whispered, raising her hand to end her life.
A calm voice stopped her.
"You would sacrifice yourself for him?"
She froze.
He stood there—blue robe, youthful face, fiery yet serene eyes.
The Ansha.
Mi-An staggered back in terror.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
"If Xiao Yan were here," he said gently, "you would be confident. Where did that courage go?"
"Say what you want," she said bitterly. "Kill me quickly."
The Ansha shook his head. "I only kill those who stand in my way."
He studied her calmly.
"Your power has grown. You are a fairy now. Xiao Yan would be proud."
Her breath caught. "Where is Xiao Yan?"
"He became something better."
"When did I become a fairy?"
"When I allowed it," he replied. "Just as I allowed his ascension."
Her heart pounded. "You're different… from the Ansha we met before."
"There can be only one Ansha," he said quietly. "And that is me."
"Are you a demon… or a god?"
"Neither."
"Then where is Xiao Yan?!"
The Ansha said nothing.
He turned away.
"Where are you going?" she cried.
"For my first target."
"Saint Lu Qi?"
"No," he replied with a faint smile. "Gil U."
"Why? What did we do?"
The Ansha did not answer.
He vanished.
Mi-An stood alone, trembling—not from fear alone, but from realization.
The Ansha was not cruel.
He was absolute.
And the one who had caused chaos, impersonation, and betrayal—
…might not have been him at all.
A name echoed in her mind.
Nem.