The expedition returned to the capital under tight formation.
No celebration.
No announcement.
The ambush was not made public.
Imperial matters were handled quietly.
That night, Kael received another summons.
Not to the public palace.
To the inner court.
Private audience.
The Third Prince stood alone in a narrow stone hall lined with formation pillars.
No guards visible.
But hidden presences lingered.
The prince did not turn when Kael entered.
"You killed one of them," he said.
"Yes."
"And absorbed him."
"Yes."
No denial.
No explanation.
The prince finally turned.
"Explain."
Kael did not rush to answer.
"It's a clan inheritance technique."
"Blood Devouring Art," the prince said.
So he knew the name.
"Yes."
"That technique is listed in imperial archives as unstable and corruptive."
"It is," Kael replied calmly.
"Yet you control it."
"Yes."
Silence followed.
The prince studied him carefully.
"You drained a Core Formation cultivator in seconds."
"He was destabilized mid-clash."
"That is not the point."
The prince stepped closer.
"If you lose control of that technique, you become a threat to the empire."
Kael met his gaze directly.
"If I lose control of anything, I become a threat."
The prince watched him for several long seconds.
"You don't fear imperial suppression."
"No."
"Confident?"
"Yes."
Not arrogance.
Just statement.
The prince exhaled slowly.
"You are now under observation."
"I assumed so."
"You will report future breakthroughs and techniques to the palace."
"No."
Silence.
The air grew heavier.
Hidden presences shifted slightly.
The prince's expression hardened a fraction.
"You refuse imperial request?"
"I refuse unnecessary exposure."
The prince held his gaze.
"And if I insist?"
Kael's voice did not change.
"Then you declare me enemy."
The words were calm.
Not provocative.
Just clear.
The silence stretched longer this time.
Then—
The prince smiled faintly.
"You're either extremely foolish," he said softly, "or extremely certain."
"Yes."
"Which one?"
Kael replied without hesitation.
"That depends on the future."
The tension broke slightly.
The prince walked back toward the formation pillars.
"I don't want you as an enemy," he said.
"Then don't force one," Kael replied.
Another long pause.
Finally, the prince nodded once.
"You will not be forced to report your technique," he said. "But understand this."
He turned slightly.
"If you destabilize the empire, I will act."
"That's reasonable," Kael said.
The prince's expression relaxed just slightly.
"Good."
Before dismissing him, the prince added:
"The faction that attacked us calls themselves the Shattered Oath."
Kael listened.
"They believe the sealed entity beneath the battlefield is a path to overturn the current order."
Fanatics.
Not random rebellion.
Structured ideology.
"They will target you," the prince said.
"Why?" Kael asked.
"You stabilized the seal. And you drained one of their Core operatives."
Kael nodded once.
"Understood."
The prince studied him carefully one last time.
"You don't seem concerned."
"I'm not careless," Kael replied. "Concern is unnecessary."
When Kael exited the palace, the night air felt still.
He had refused imperial control.
And survived the conversation.
Not because he was stronger.
But because he was measured.
The prince did not want chaos inside the capital.
And Kael had made it clear—
He was not chaotic.
He was controlled.
Across the city, Aric stood on a rooftop overlooking the imperial district.
He had felt the tension earlier.
"The prince met him," Aric muttered.
His master appeared behind him.
"Yes."
"And?"
"He didn't suppress him."
Aric's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So Kael is now walking a thin line."
"Yes."
Aric exhaled slowly.
"Good."
Back in his chamber, Kael cultivated quietly.
The absorbed Core energy had integrated fully.
His Core Formation Early was now approaching Mid stage.
But something else lingered.
When he closed his eyes—
He felt it again.
A faint echo from the battlefield seal.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Aware.
Watching him.
Not Aric.
Him.
And this time—
It was stronger.