Two hours passed.
The moon had climbed high above the mist.
Death Sword and Jagged finally arrived, walking through the thin mist.
Both of them made their way toward the dying campfire, looking over the surrounding area. Seeing the mist in this area thinning made Jagged slightly happy.
While traversing through the Misty Rain Forest, the mist had become so thick that they could barely see what was in front of them. Death Sword had started slashing trees to mark where they had been and make their way back to Purple Night and Fall Night.
They froze at the sight before them—gleaming beneath the moonlight.
Instinctively, they exchanged glances.
"Did they fight again?" Jagged muttered under his breath, a trace of excitement in his tone.
"Looks like it," Death Sword replied, disappointment flickering in his eyes at missing Purple Night pushing Fall Night to his limits.
We missed it, Death Sword thought to himself.
But as they approached Purple Night, their confusion deepened.
She was calm and uninjured—not even a tear in her robe. The ground showed no signs of struggle. There were no scorch marks, no blood, and no other signs that a battle had taken place.
Only the faint scent of smoke, the dying fire, and Fall Night—now meditating quietly by the pond—broke the silence.
Neither Death Sword nor Jagged dared to ask what had really happened.
Yet Death Sword eventually broke the silence between the three of them.
"I see you placed Noble Death back on your hip, Death Sword."
Death Sword simply looked at Purple Night with annoyance.
"What happened here? Something feels off with the surrounding elemental essence," Death Sword muttered, his hand instinctively brushing the hilt of Noble Death.
"Fall Night is probably trying to finish his meditation," Purple Night replied, her tone as cool as the pond mist. "He'll be awake soon."
She pointed toward the figure sitting cross-legged twenty feet from the water's edge, still and silent like a statue.
The only thing that could be heard was Fall Night's steady, slow, and heavy breathing.
Death Sword's eyes narrowed.
Oh? Why train that far from camp, Fall Night?
"We had a… misunderstanding about the rules in our unit before we got here," Purple Night said before he could ask.
"He understands them now."
Her voice carried a chill that made Jagged fidget, but Death Sword only nodded. As long as discipline was maintained, he didn't care how she handled it.
He glanced toward the firepit.
"Who cooked the food?"
"Fall Night," Purple Night said, smiling faintly. "You should try it first, Jagged—see if he's trying to poison us."
Jagged laughed loudly.
"As you know, with my cultivation method, eating is a way of life. I've been trying to eat you for ages, Purple Night. But Death Sword keeps stopping me. Pity, really."
Purple Night's eyes glittered with amusement.
"Hahaha… if poor little Raggedy wants a taste of this juicy little baddie—" She leaned closer, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "—all he had to do was ask. I'd let him feast himself to death."
Jagged froze.
The laughter died in his throat.
He could already feel Death Sword's gaze on him—the kind of look that promised pain later.
But before Purple Night could act, everyone's head turned toward Fall Night.
The air around him shivered.
Multiple elemental essences—earth, wind, fire, and even traces of lightning—spiraled toward him, drawn like moths to a flame.
Then, just before they touched his body, he pulled out a small container and sealed them inside.
"What the—?" Jagged muttered.
Even Death Sword and Purple Night were stunned.
Why would he store pure essence instead of refining it to grow stronger?
It made no sense…
Until Death Sword thought a little deeper.
He doesn't trust us. He won't risk a breakthrough with three blades at his back.
Yet, he is not wrong. I wouldn't either.
Fall Night noticed the arrival of Death Sword and Jagged.
Yet he remained focused on something far more important.
The rampaging energy inside his body.
How could he let them see him struggling with his own power?
More importantly, he couldn't absorb the essences—not safely, not here, and definitely not now.
His power was volatile, crawling just beneath the surface. Letting them see that would be a mistake that could haunt him for a lifetime.
After filling the medium-sized essence container, Fall Night tucked it into his dimensional bag and rose to his feet.
The faint gleam of sweat on his bare shoulders caught the dying firelight as he put his torn-up shirt and cloak back on.
"These clothes that the Elder gave us really come in handy," Jagged remarked.
"It has to do with the small runes that are embedded into the clothing. I believe they have a self-repair mechanism," Purple Night retorted.
Yet every pair of eyes followed Fall Night—like predators scenting gold.
"I thought essence containers were produced by a few other big clans, like the Earth Dragon Clan and some Earth Roc clans as well?" Jagged assumed.
"They do. You should know that Midnight used to be a big clan in the Vast World as well. So, it makes sense if they can get their hands on them," Purple Night spoke casually, but her eyes stayed fixed on the essence container in Fall Night's hand.
Death Sword stepped forward in a crimson flash, extending his hand.
"Give me the container, Fall Night."
Fall Night's expression didn't change.
"You want the container or the essence?"
"I want the container full of essence. Stop playing dumb."
"Oh, this container?" Fall Night said, drawing it out casually.
Death Sword could feel it from several paces away—the concentrated elemental essence swirling inside was so dense that it almost hummed.
"Good," he said. "At least you know your place. There'll be other chances if you prove yourself strong enough."
Fall Night's eyes glinted behind the black mask.
His grip around the essence container slowly tightened.
"Hahaha... Right, Death Sword."
Then—
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
BOOM!
The container burst into shards of light.
"What have you done, Fall Night?!" Death Sword roared, fury crackling through his aura.
Fall Night stared back coldly.
"You told me to give it to you. You didn't say in what condition."