Night in the Inner Court was rarely peaceful.
But tonight, the moon was too quiet—the wind still, the stars dim.
Liu Shen stood in front of an ancient stone statue at the base of the Silent Peak.
It was a forgotten part of the sect, overgrown, unguarded… but not empty.
A silver moth circled the statue before flying toward a crack in the base.
A faint spiritual signature pulsed—three beats, then two.
> It was the signal Rin had given him:
"If you want to meet the others… come alone. Bring no light."
---
Beneath the Peak – The Hidden Chamber
Liu Shen stepped through the crack, following a tunnel of worn stone into a vast underground hall lit by spirit fire torches. In its center was a round table made of soulsteel, marked with ancient sigils.
Four figures already sat around it.
1. Rin of the Thousand Eyes, legs crossed, her spirit fox tail curled behind her.
2. A hunched man in alchemist robes—Jin Mu, master of blood-ink arrays.
3. A swordswoman wrapped in blindfolded silk—Yun Rou, inheritor of the Severed Sight Blade.
4. And finally… a silent monk with blackened hands, holding prayer beads that dripped shadow.
> "Welcome," Rin said. "We've been watching you, Liu Shen."
---
The Hidden Pact
Each person in this room was a disciple who had, knowingly or not, inherited forbidden arts.
Techniques sealed or erased by the sect's founders.
Methods too cruel, too unstable… or too true.
They called themselves the Council of the Unseen Flame.
> "We aren't a cult," said Jin Mu. "We aren't rebels. We're survivors. Each of us has touched something this sect fears—and now they smile at us while planning to cut our throats."
Rin looked at Liu Shen, her voice softer now.
> "You've felt it, haven't you? The way the elders look at us… like tools. Like weapons they can discard after war."
Liu Shen didn't answer immediately.
But his thoughts raced.
> In my past life, I ruled empires of demons and saints… and even then, betrayal came from the ones closest to me.
> This time, I'll forge my own throne—with allies I choose.
---
A Vote of Fire and Shadow
Rin rose, her eyes sharp. "You're strong. Too strong to remain uninvolved."
"Join us," she said. "And not as a member."
She bowed.
> "As our leader."
The other three murmured among themselves.
"We've never had one," Yun Rou said slowly. "But his flame… it burns with purpose. Old purpose."
Liu Shen looked at each of them, sensing the broken, twisted, yet potent legacies they carried.
Then he spoke.
> "I won't lead a gathering of victims."
> "But if you're ready to stop hiding—and start rising—I'll forge us into something this world will kneel before."
The soulsteel table flared in dark crimson, reacting to his intent.
A pact was formed.
The Unseen Flame had its Sovereign.
---
Outside – A New Spy Watches
Far above the chamber, unseen by any of them, a raven perched in the trees—its eyes glowing faintly blue.
Back in the Royal Capital, a masked woman opened her eyes, viewing the scene through the raven's vision.
She whispered:
> "The demon we buried… has begun to gather fire once more."