The wilderness beyond the Azure Feather Sect was untamed—its forested terrain dense with roots, twisted trees, and the quiet hum of unseen predators. Kael traveled alone, cloaked in plain garb, his spiritual presence completely masked. Even his heartbeat seemed to synchronize with the stillness around him. He moved like a shadow between trees, crossing rivers and ridges with silent precision.
His destination lay to the east, days away: Ashen Hollow, a place cursed in sect records, whispered about in scared voices by elders who survived past eras. It was said that even spirit beasts refused to nest there. It devoured cultivators. And yet, someone—or something—had lured Kael to it.
Three days passed.
On the fourth, the air began to shift. Qi grew thick and stagnant. Light dimmed unnaturally, despite the sun still hanging overhead. The forest's trees turned black and brittle, leaves the color of dried blood. The earth reeked of iron and rot.
Kael stood before a valley shrouded in grey mist.
Ashen Hollow.
He stepped in.
The mists parted as he moved deeper, revealing ruins strewn across the dead land—fallen statues, shattered gates, and broken stone paths chiseled with a forgotten language. Time had erased nearly everything, but the aura of death lingered.
Kael's every step stirred echoes—ancient voices, whispers that had no source.
He paused by a massive stone arch. Half-buried in ash and dirt, it bore a single emblem: a black lotus. A symbol he had only ever seen once, in the forbidden scrolls he'd secretly copied from the inner sect's archives.
The Black Lotus Cult.
A sect destroyed centuries ago for practicing "shadow-bound cultivation"—a forbidden art that drew from the void between worlds. Practitioners were rumored to become more shadow than flesh, walking between realms, bending light, and consuming souls. They were exterminated not by one sect, but by an alliance of seven.
And yet…
Here their remnants stood.
Kael advanced, entering the heart of Ashen Hollow. There, in the center of the valley, stood a black obelisk covered in runes that shimmered faintly in his presence.
His qi pulsed, resonating with it.
As he stepped forward, the earth shook.
The obelisk cracked—and from within, a figure emerged.
It wasn't human.
It resembled a man, yes, but its skin was black as ink, swirling with moving runes like they were alive. No eyes—just two glowing points of violet light where its gaze should be. It wore tattered robes, ancient and threadbare.
When it spoke, its voice was layered—deep, echoing, and strange.
"You carry the blood of shadow, child."
Kael stood his ground. "I carry no such thing."
"Yet the void answers you. The mirror has shown you your reflection."
He stiffened. "Who are you?"
"I am what remains. The last echo of the Black Lotus." The being stepped closer. "You were chosen the moment you defied fate. When you cultivated in silence, hid your power, and embraced the path between light and dark. You are neither righteous nor corrupt. You are the in-between."
Kael clenched his fists. "I'm not like you. I seek my own path."
The figure tilted its head. "So did we all. The world just named us monsters first."
It raised its hand—and the shadows around the valley began to swirl, coalescing into a spiral that surrounded Kael. Visions flashed before his eyes: battles between sects, cultivators being swallowed by darkness, and warriors whose techniques could erase light itself.
Then, a vision of Kael—older, clad in black, leading a host of cloaked warriors through the gates of a burning city.
He staggered back. "What is this?"
"Your future. Or one of them."
Kael forced his mind to focus, pushing back against the illusion. "Why show me this?"
"Because your time has come. Embrace the power offered, or walk away forever. But know this—if you leave now, you will never understand the truth of what you are."
The runes from the obelisk glowed brighter.
At its base, a stone platform rose. Upon it lay a single scroll—sealed in black wax with the lotus sigil.
Kael approached cautiously, picked it up.
The being spoke again, softer this time. "That scroll holds the first volume of the Shadowbound Codex. Only those with the will to walk between the veil may open it. Read it… and your path will change forever."
Kael stared at the seal.
He could feel it—it called to him.
Power. Knowledge. Clarity.
But also madness. Isolation. Corruption.
Was he ready?
His fingers brushed the wax.
It cracked.
The scroll opened.
Dark runes lit up the air around him, spiraling in a silent dance. The script flowed into his mind, not as words, but as instinct—movements, techniques, and truths beyond what his sect had ever taught.
The codex described Veilstep, a movement technique that let one slip between moments of time.
It described Shadow Grasp, a binding art that tore away an enemy's control of qi.
And most importantly, it described the Core of Silence—a cultivation method that absorbed not spiritual energy… but the stillness of death itself.
Kael's breath grew shallow.
These techniques were not only powerful—they were dangerous. If even a sliver of his mastery over his mind faltered, they could consume him.
And yet… this was what he had always feared—and craved.
A cultivation method that matched his instincts.
A path where he no longer needed to suppress his potential.
He rolled up the scroll and tucked it inside his robes.
The being watched, unmoving.
"You have taken the first step. The void will watch you now. As will those who remember the lotus."
Kael turned to leave.
He had seen enough.
But before he crossed the boundary of Ashen Hollow, the being spoke one last time:
"They will come for you. The elders. The Council. Even the empires. Your rise cannot remain hidden."
Kael didn't reply.
He walked into the mist, leaving the ruins behind.
When he returned to the outskirts of the Azure Feather Sect two nights later, a message awaited him.
A bird of black flame perched on his windowsill—no real creature of flesh and feather, but a spiritual messenger.
Its eyes glowed red as it opened its beak.
A voice spoke:
"Kael of the Azure Feather Sect, by decree of the Celestial Accord, you are summoned to the Imperial Capital. The Sovereign seeks an audience."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
So it begins.