Dawn had barely broken when the gates of the Heavenly Order Sect opened.
No farewell ceremony awaited them. No triumphant procession lined the mountain paths. Those who had witnessed the previous battle understood that this journey was not one of glory—it was an investigation into an enemy no one truly understood.
A cold breeze swept across the stone courtyard as the Sect Master stepped forward. His eyes rested on Zarek longer than anyone else's.
"The Azure Sky Sect disappeared in a single night," he said quietly. "Not defeated. Not conquered. Erased."
His gaze swept across the expedition.
"If what the message claimed is true, then the First Judgment has already begun. You are not to pursue vengeance. Your first objective is to understand."
No one objected.
Understanding an enemy that could erase an entire sect was more valuable than blind courage.
The First Elder approached Zarek before the group departed.
"Your strength exceeded all expectations during the last battle."
Zarek remained silent.
"But strength can become a prison if it convinces you that every problem has a battle as its solution."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Zarek nodded once.
"I'll remember."
The First Elder smiled faintly.
"You've changed."
"So have our enemies."
The expedition left the Heavenly Order Sect just as the sun climbed above the eastern mountains.
Unlike previous missions, no one spoke along the road. Every disciple instinctively watched the forests, the cliffs, even the empty sky.
The silence itself felt unnatural.
Hours passed.
Nothing attacked.
Nothing appeared.
That was what troubled Zarek the most.
Inside his consciousness, the familiar ancient voice finally broke the silence.
"What troubles you?"
"The absence."
"Explain."
"They know we're coming."
"And yet they don't interfere."
The System remained quiet before answering.
"What conclusion does that suggest?"
Zarek looked toward the endless mountain range stretching ahead.
"They're confident."
"Or?"
"...They want us to arrive."
The voice carried the faintest trace of approval.
"You are beginning to observe intent instead of action."
As dusk approached, the group reached the outer territory of the Azure Sky Sect.
Everyone stopped.
No command had been given.
Their instincts had simply forced them to halt.
The forest ended abruptly.
Beyond it...
There was nothing.
No mountains.
No halls.
No broken walls.
No corpses.
Only a perfectly smooth plain stretching toward the horizon, as though the land itself had forgotten a sect had ever existed.
The disciples stared in disbelief.
One whispered,
"...That's impossible."
Another slowly fell to his knees.
"My brother... he cultivated here..."
The First Elder's expression darkened.
"Stay alert."
"No one moves without permission."
Zarek stepped forward alone.
He crouched and placed his hand against the unnaturally smooth stone.
It was cold.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Almost as though history itself had been removed.
The ancient voice spoke again.
"What do you feel?"
Zarek closed his eyes.
"...Nothing."
"Look deeper."
He allowed his senses to sink beyond spiritual energy.
Past the flow of qi.
Past the pulse of the earth.
There...
A faint echo remained.
Not an energy.
Not a soul.
A memory.
Someone had not merely destroyed the Azure Sky Sect.
Someone had erased the world's memory of its existence.
Zarek slowly opened his eyes.
His calm expression hardened for the first time since leaving the Heavenly Order Sect.
"This wasn't an attack."
The First Elder turned toward him.
"What was it?"
Zarek's answer sent a chill through everyone present.
"...It was a judgment."
And somewhere beneath the silent plain...
Something heard him.
Its eyes opened in the darkness.