The moonlight filtered through the thin veil of clouds, casting pale silver light over the Azure Feather Sect's sleeping grounds. All was quiet, save for the soft rustle of the night wind brushing through the trees. But within Kael's courtyard, silence did not bring peace—it only deepened the tension that clung to the air like fog.
Kael sat cross-legged in the center of his room, his breathing steady, his eyes shut. He wasn't cultivating. He couldn't—not after what had happened.
The mysterious cloaked figure's words echoed endlessly in his mind. "You've caught the attention of forces beyond the sect… The time for hiding is over."
Who was that man? How did he know so much about Kael's secrets? And more importantly… what did he mean by "embrace the darkness"?
Kael's spiritual sense flickered as he focused inward, sweeping his consciousness across his meridians. There were no abnormalities. No signs of being marked or cursed. But still, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. The man's presence had vanished—but the threat had not.
He opened his eyes.
The candle flame before him flickered once, then stilled.
It was time to act.
The next morning, Kael left the inner court quietly, slipping away under the guise of a meditation retreat. He headed toward a hidden valley within the sect's borders—an ancient training ground once used by the founders, now sealed and largely forgotten.
Only a few knew of its existence. He had found it by accident, during one of his nighttime explorations years ago. The qi here was thick, wild, and unpredictable. But it was also undisturbed—perfect for training in secret.
But Kael wasn't here to cultivate.
He stood before a stone tablet, half-buried in moss and cracked with age. He traced the carvings with his fingers—ancient runes that predated the Azure Feather Sect. Beneath the surface, he could feel it: a ripple in space, a weak barrier concealing a hidden chamber below.
Kael extended his hand, channeling a sliver of shadow-qi from his dantian. The air around his palm darkened and shimmered, pulling threads of ambient darkness into a single point. With a slow exhale, he pushed the energy into the tablet.
The runes glowed faintly.
Then, with a low grrrkk, the earth trembled and a spiral stairway opened in the ground.
Kael descended.
The underground chamber was vast and cold. The walls were carved from obsidian rock, smooth and polished, reflecting his torchlight like still water. In the center sat a stone pedestal, and upon it—a mirror.
Not just any mirror.
This was the Mirror of Shadows, an ancient relic said to reveal one's true self.
Kael had discovered it years ago, but never dared to use it. The warnings carved on the walls around it were clear:
"Only those who have embraced the void may look. Others shall lose themselves."
Now, with the warning from the cloaked man and the strange pull of the technique Elder Su offered him, Kael knew he needed to understand what he was becoming.
Was he walking a righteous path? Or one that led into darkness?
He knelt before the mirror and stared into its silvery surface.
At first, he saw nothing.
Then, slowly, shapes began to form—shadows dancing at the edges, twisting and writhing like smoke. His reflection appeared, but it wasn't him. Not exactly.
The man in the mirror had his face—but older, sharper, colder. His eyes glowed faintly violet, and his aura was immense—vast and suffocating. He wore no sect robes, only black garments that radiated a domineering presence.
Kael's breath caught in his throat. This version of him… it was terrifying. Powerful. Alone.
Was this his future?
The reflection suddenly moved.
Its lips parted, but no sound came. Only a whisper in Kael's mind.
"You are not meant to follow. You are meant to rule."
Kael staggered back, heart pounding.
The image vanished.
He stared at the now-blank mirror, sweat dripping down his brow.
What had he just seen?
That night, back in his courtyard, Kael found a scroll waiting for him.
It bore no name, no seal—only the symbol of a single eye inked in crimson.
He unfurled it cautiously.
Inside was a map.
At its center, circled in red, was a location far beyond the Azure Feather Sect's borders—Ashen Hollow, a forbidden realm spoken of only in rumors. A place where light did not reach, where dark cultivators vanished into the abyss.
At the bottom of the scroll, a single line was written in immaculate calligraphy:
"If you seek truth, come alone."
Kael's hands trembled as he folded the scroll.
Someone was guiding him toward the darkness. Was it a trap?
Or a test?
Either way, the message was clear.
Whatever power he sought—whatever destiny the mirror had shown him—it lay beyond the sect.
And he would have to claim it alone.
But before he could depart, there was one thing left to do.
He found Lin by the training grounds the next morning. She stood beside a stone lantern, her face calm but eyes wary. She turned to him as he approached.
"Kael," she said quietly, "You look… different."
He nodded. "I've made a decision."
She didn't press him for details, but he saw the concern in her gaze. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
"…Yes."
Lin lowered her head for a moment. "Is it something I did?"
"No," he said, gently. "This is something I have to face on my own. But… I wanted you to know, before I left."
Her lips parted slightly, and for a moment, Kael thought she would stop him.
But instead, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his chest. "Don't die," she whispered. "I don't care what path you take… Just come back alive."
Kael nodded once, then turned away.
As he walked toward the sect gates under the rising sun, the world felt heavier—and colder.
But deep in his heart, a flame burned brighter than ever.
He would uncover the truth. About his cultivation. About the darkness watching him. About his destiny.
And nothing—not even the abyss—would stop him.