The night was heavy with silence. Moonlight poured over the sect grounds, pale and cold, painting the tiled roofs in silver.
Inside his quarters, Arhaan sat cross-legged, his chains faintly glowing as he wrestled with the fire raging inside him. Sweat dripped down his temples. He clenched his jaw, forcing the devoured qi into submission.
But outside… shadows moved.
---
The Assassins
Four figures slipped through the darkness, faces hidden by cloth. Their blades glinted faintly under the moon.
"Outer disciple or not," one whispered, "no stray should humiliate us by killing an Alpha."
"Tonight, his fire dies."
The door slid open soundlessly.
Arhaan's eyes snapped open. His chains rattled once.
---
The Ambush
They struck fast, blades flashing toward his chest.
Arhaan's body moved on instinct. His hand caught a sword mid-swing. Flames burst from his palm, devouring steel and flesh alike. A scream tore through the room as one assassin crumpled.
The others pressed in.
Steel clashed. Sparks flew. Chains erupted from Arhaan's arms like serpents of molten gold, wrapping around a throat, a wrist, a blade—shattering them with brutal force.
Blood sprayed across the floor.
Within heartbeats, three bodies lay broken. The last assassin stumbled back, eyes wide in horror.
"You… what are you?"
Arhaan's gaze was cold. The chains tightened around the man's chest until ribs cracked like dry twigs.
"I am what heaven fears."
With a final pull, silence returned.
---
Unseen Eyes
But he had not fought unseen.
On a distant rooftop, a slender figure in flowing black robes watched the massacre with calm, detached eyes. Her veil fluttered in the wind.
"So, the rumors were true…" she murmured.
"A rootless with the power of Devouring."
Her lips curved into the faintest smile.
"The Sect Elders will want to know."
She vanished into the night.