The air at the village gate was still, heavy with the scent of damp earth and pine. Two carts stood in the clearing, each bearing six silent forms. It was impossible to tell one body from another at this distance—just shapes in dark, bloodied robes. Around them moved figures clad in dark, unmarked cloaks, their faces hidden behind plain cloth wraps. Their movements were efficient and quiet as they prepared to move the carts onward.
Nan Chenyi watched from the cover of a rocky outcrop, his hand tight around the grip of his sword. He didn't know which cart held his father. He only knew he had to get them both.
He didn't announce himself with a shout. He simply stepped out into the open and began walking toward the carts.
One of the cloaked figures noticed him first. A hand went up, halting the work. Others turned. No one spoke.
Nan Chenyi kept walking, his steps measured on the packed dirt. His sword remained sheathed.A figure detached from the group and moved to intercept him, a hand resting on the hilt of a blade. "This area is closed. Leave."
Nan Chenyi stopped a dozen paces from the first cart. He looked at the bodies, then back at the man. "These are my people," he said, his voice low but clear. "I'm taking them home."
A short, sharp laugh came from another figure. "You're not taking anything, boy."
Two more cloaked men stepped forward, spreading out. Their focus was entirely on him now, the task at the carts forgotten.
Nan Chenyi drew his sword. The sound was a soft rasp in the quiet.
The first man came at him, blade flashing. Nan Chenyi parried, the clash echoing dully. He didn't counterattack; he shifted his footing, drawing the man to the side, creating a gap. Another joined in, and Nan Chenyi found himself blocking and circling, his movements defensive, keeping their attention anchored to him.From the far side of the clearing, two shadows moved. Zhang Ye and Jiang Wuyin, using the distraction, slipped from the treeline. Zhang Ye went straight for the lead horse of the first cart, cutting its tether with a quick slice of a knife. Jiang Wuyin moved to the second cart, cutting its line as well.
A cloaked figure near the wagons turned, sensing movement. "Behind—!"
Nan Chenyi saw the shift. He disengaged and took several quick steps back toward the tree line. "Now!" he called out.
From beside the first cart, Zhang Ye pulled a small pouch from his robe and threw it to the ground between Nan Chenyi and his pursuers. It burst with a muted puff, releasing a dense, grey cloud of fine ash and crushed herbs—a simple smokescreen from their training stores.The cloud billowed up, thick and choking. Nan Chenyi turned and ran toward the carts now beginning to roll. He reached the second cart as it gained momentum, grabbing the side and pulling himself aboard, landing among the still, robed forms.
He looked back as the carts jolted onto the rough path leading away from the village. The grey cloud was already settling. Figures emerged from it, coughing, disorganized. One was pointing, shouting, but no immediate pursuit came. The cloaked men were left standing beside their empty transfer point, the two carts already vanishing into the forest with the twelve dead and the three who had taken them. Nan Chenyi's cart jolted and skidded over the rough mountain path as he and his companions urged the horses faster, the shouts of soldiers echoing behind them. Loose stones clattered down the slopes, and cold wind whipped at their faces while the narrow trail clung dangerously to the mountainside. Then, with a sharp turn into a shadowed bend, the cart vanished from sight, swallowed by the jagged rocks.The pursuing soldiers stumbled to a halt where the trail curved and ended in a sheer drop. Dust swirled in the air, but the cart was nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they?" one soldier barked, eyes scanning the cliffs and ravines in confusion.
"I think… we lost them," another answered, his voice uneasy as he peered over the edge.Far away, within the looming walls of a grand castle, the atmosphere was tense. Firelight flickered across stone pillars, casting long shadows over armored men who knelt on one knee.
"Sir," a soldier reported, head bowed, "I think they managed to escape. But I'm still wondering… who were they? And that boy?"
The man on the raised throne, called Master by his subordinates, rested his chin lightly on his hand, eyes cold and knowing.
"I knew it already," he said, voice low. "He is the son of Chaion."The soldier's head snapped up, eyes wide.
"What?!" he blurted, shock breaking his discipline.The Master rose from his seat, his cloak whispering against the floor as he stepped down from the dais.
"He has Inrise in his blood," the Master continued, gaze distant as if seeing something beyond the walls. "He is a disaster waiting for us. His skills are just like his father's… and his brain like his mother's." He paused, a hint of unease hidden beneath his calm tone.
"We must find them soon, before he grows into his full power."Meanwhile, Nan Chenyi and his companions guided the carts into the mouth of a hidden cave carved into the mountainside. Inside, the air was cool and damp, the sound of dripping water echoing faintly in the darkness as their footsteps crunched on gravel. The faint light from the entrance painted their faces with a weary glow as the horses snorted and settled.Nan Chenyi jumped down from the cart, his expression tight with worry and determination.
"Jiang," he said, turning to her, "you told me that Dad gave you a letter."Jiang nodded and reached into her clothes, fingers trembling slightly as she pulled out a folded, worn piece of paper.
"Yes… here it is," she replied, holding it out carefully as if it were something fragile.Nan Chenyi took the letter in both hands. For a brief moment he hesitated, staring at his father's familiar handwriting on the outside, feeling a weight settle on his chest. Then he slowly opened it. The crackle of the paper seemed loud in the quiet cave.The words inside were written in a firm, steady script:"Nan, if you found this, it means I am no longer alive. I already knew that this might happen, so I wrote this letter early. The intruders will attack again, so you must be ready to face them. There are other sect members hidden in this kingdom under secret identities. You must find them and unite everyone as soon as possible.And there is one more thing I want to tell you…"Nan Chenyi's hands tightened around the letter as he read, his throat growing dry. The distant drip of water and the muffled breathing of his companions were the only sounds in the cave as the final unfinished line hung in the air, filling his heart with dread and determination all at once.