Kai walked through the familiar streets until the towering gates of the Arkwell Estate came into view. The guards bowed respectfully—though their eyes carried pity they dared not speak aloud. Kai ignored them, his footsteps steady as he entered the courtyard.
Inside, Darius Arkwell was a tall man whose presence commanded the room long before he spoke. His once-dark hair had turned silver with age, yet it only sharpened the aura of authority around him rather than diminishing it. His eyes—deep black pupils like blades sheathed in shadow—seemed to pierce through lies and hesitation alike. Though the years had worn his body, his posture remained unyielding, his broad shoulders carrying both the weight of his household and the pride of a former cultivator. Every step he took was steady, like a mountain unmoved by storm, and when his gaze fell upon someone, it was impossible to meet without feeling a chill down the spine.
Yet, beneath that sharp exterior, when he looked at his son, there was warmth. His cold eyes softened, the hardened lines of his face easing into something rare—genuine concern and fatherly pride.
Darius Arkwell leaned forward, his sharp eyes fixed on his son. "Kai… do you think I have been idle these past three years? Every night I've searched, every ally I've asked. There must be a way to restore your Qi core. Alchemists, healers, even heretics—I've consulted them all."
Kai's black pupils flicked toward him, calm yet piercing. "And what did they tell you?"
"Some say your Qi was stolen, others that it burned itself out under pressure. A few claimed your body is now a husk beyond repair. Lies, excuses, empty theories." Darius' fists clenched, the veins on his hands standing out. "But I don't believe it. A talent like yours doesn't just vanish into nothing."
Kai rested his chin on his hand, his tone flat. "Belief doesn't change reality, Father. I lost my power. I lost everything."
"You didn't lose everything!" Darius' voice echoed through the hall, startling the servants outside. He drew a long breath, forcing his tone steady. "You still have your will. And as long as you have that, power can return."
Kai's gaze lingered on his father, unreadable. "And if it doesn't?"
"Then I will drag it back for you," Darius said firmly, his eyes burning. "Even if I must tear apart this world stone by stone. You are my son, Kai. I will not stand by while the world mocks you."
For the first time, Kai let out a faint sigh. "Father, do you know why I don't despair? It isn't because I think my Qi will return. It's because I know this—if someone crippled me, then someone also holds the key to restoring me." His fingers tapped idly against the armrest, his voice lowering into something sharper. "Someone plotted against me. And sooner or later, I'll find out who."
Darius' expression darkened. "…Then you've thought the same as I." He leaned back, his brows furrowed. "Kai, you were too strong for them to confront openly. If your fall was no accident, then the hand behind it may not be small. It may even be someone within the sect."
"Or above it," Kai murmured, his voice flat, though his eyes glimmered with a cold light.
Darius studied his son carefully, then let out a low chuckle despite the grimness. "Even after losing your power, you still sound like the boy who once challenged the world. That hasn't changed."
Kai tilted his head slightly, his face as nonchalant as ever. "The world may have crippled me, Father, but it made one mistake—it left me alive."
For a long moment, silence filled the room. The incense smoke curled in the air, winding like fate itself.
Finally, Darius exhaled. "Then walk your path, Kai. But remember—you don't walk it alone. I am your father. And if you fall again, this time I will be there to catch you."
Kai's lips curved slightly, though his face remained solemn. "You've done enough, Father. What comes next… is mine to reclaim."
Kai rose from his seat, his long white hair shifting slightly with his movements. He clasped his hands together toward his father.
"Father, I'll be heading back to my quarters," he said, voice calm as ever. Then, as if in passing, his eyes flicked toward Darius. "But before that… I want permission to enter the secret chamber."
Darius' brows arched. For a moment, the sharp black pupils of his eyes glimmered with surprise. "The chamber?"
"Yes," Kai replied, his tone steady. "The books you've collected—our family's sword techniques, magic methods, even the records of history. Perhaps there lies something I've overlooked, something that can guide me toward restoring what I've lost." He paused, his nonchalant face betraying no eagerness, yet his voice carried an undertone of quiet resolve. "Even if I cannot cultivate now, I can still learn. One day, this knowledge will become my foundation."
The hall grew silent. Only the faint crackle of incense accompanied the moment.
Darius leaned back in his chair, studying his son. "That chamber has been sealed to all but our bloodline. Not even the elders of this city know it exists. You are asking for a heavy responsibility, Kai."
Kai's expression didn't waver. "What heavier responsibility is there than reclaiming myself?"
For a moment, Darius' stern face softened. A faint sigh escaped him, but his voice remained firm. "Very well. You have my permission. From this night onward, the chamber is yours to use. But be cautious—some of those tomes contain more than knowledge. There are reasons they were sealed."
Kai inclined his head, his black eyes reflecting no fear. "Knowledge worth sealing is knowledge worth seeking."
Darius chuckled, though his tone held a trace of worry. "Your path grows darker, my son. But if this is where it begins again, then so be it."
With that, Kai turned toward the exit. His footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor, his silhouette swallowed by the shadows of the corridor.
The heavy door groaned open as Kai stepped into the Arkwell Chamber of Records. A faint smell of old parchment and polished wood greeted him. Unlike the grand archives of the sects, this chamber was not vast—it was intimate, carved into stone beneath the estate, with shelves that reached the ceiling and rows of meticulously ordered tomes.
Lanterns set into the walls bathed the room in a soft amber glow, illuminating the spines of countless books. Sword techniques, battle manuals, elemental magic methods—each one carefully compiled and preserved by generations of the Arkwell bloodline.
There were no ancient scrolls or world-shaking secrets here, only the distilled essence of a family's legacy. And yet, for Kai, it was more than enough.
He traced his fingers along the wooden shelves, stopping at familiar bindings. The Crimson River Flowing Blade, Whispering Gale Footwork, Veil of Silver Flame. Books he had once studied as a child, and others he had dismissed as too simple, too basic, when his path had been soaring. Now, they seemed like forgotten voices calling out to him.
As Kai's gaze roamed across the shelves, a faint memory tugged at him. His steps slowed. There, tucked between two well-worn manuals, was a book he couldn't recall ever opening.
It looked ordinary enough—bound in worn brown leather, its edges softened with age. He remembered seeing it once before, when he was a child trailing behind his father. Darius had placed it back on the shelf without a word, and Kai, too young to question, had quickly forgotten.
Now, years later, the book seemed to call to him.
Kai reached out and slid it free. The weight was odd—lighter than it should have been, as if something within was missing.
He opened it.
His black eyes widened slightly.
The pages were blank. Every single one.
Kai flipped through faster and faster, the sound of rushing paper echoing in the quiet chamber. Not a single character, not a single diagram, not even a stain of ink remained.
"…Empty?" he murmured, his nonchalant face unchanged, but his grip tightening on the cover.
It made no sense. The Arkwell family's collection was meticulously maintained. Every book had its place and purpose—yet this one was devoid of meaning.
And still, as he stared into the pale emptiness of the pages, Kai couldn't shake the strange feeling that the book was watching him back.
Kai slid the strange, blank book beneath his robes and quietly left the chamber. Whatever this was, he wasn't ready to ask yet. Back in his room, he hid it deep inside a locked drawer. His nonchalant face betrayed nothing, but his mind lingered on the weight of the tome, its silence almost louder than words.
Morning came. The scent of warm bread and roasted meat filled the grand dining hall of the Arkwell estate. Kai sat with his family at the long table carved of dark oak. His mother, Lady Elara, a graceful woman with dark hair streaked faintly with silver, poured tea with quiet elegance. His two elder brothers—Lucian, broad-shouldered and proud, and Caelum, sharp-eyed and composed—were already speaking of sect affairs and city politics.
Only Darius, seated at the head of the table, remained quiet, his sharp black pupils occasionally drifting toward Kai as though reading his unspoken thoughts.
The family breakfast passed with familiar warmth, though Kai said little, answering his brothers' words with the same nonchalant replies he gave to the world. When the plates were cleared and his mother excused herself, Kai finally spoke.
"Father," he said, his tone calm, steady. "May I have a word with you in private?"
Darius studied him for a moment, then rose from his chair. "Very well."
---
Inside Kai's room, He reached beneath his drawer and carefully placed the strange book onto the table. Its blank cover reflected none of the candlelight, yet seemed to draw the eye regardless.
Kai's expression remained even. "I found this yesterday. Do you know it?"
The instant Darius's gaze fell upon the tome, his body stilled. His tall frame leaned closer, silver hair sliding forward as his fingers brushed the surface. His sharp black eyes narrowed.
"…So you uncovered it." His voice was low, thoughtful.
Kai raised a brow slightly. "Then you recognize it."
"Yes," Darius admitted, a faint heaviness in his tone. "This is no ordinary book. I found it when I was your age, deep within ruins long forgotten. Broken swords, shattered walls, dust and silence… yet this tome was untouched, as though waiting."
He opened the cover, revealing the same endless blank pages. "I brought it back, certain it was extraordinary. And it is. Though I cannot explain why. No matter how much I studied it, the book remained silent—yet it has never felt… empty."
Kai watched, arms crossed, black pupils reflecting no emotion. "Then you kept it hidden."
"I did," Darius said, closing it gently, as if the book were fragile. "Not out of greed, but instinct. I knew it was meant for something, or someone. If fate has led you to it now, then perhaps that someone… is you."
Silence stretched between father and son.
Kai's face was calm, unreadable. But deep inside, he felt it again—that faint, indescribable pull, as if the book were not lifeless parchment, but a door waiting to be opened.
"…I see." His tone was calm, steady, almost indifferent. He inclined his head slightly toward Darius. "Thank you, Father."
Darius studied him quietly, as though wanting to say more, yet he didn't. He only placed a heavy hand on Kai's shoulder and said, "Whatever this book is, trust your instincts. That will lead you further than anyone else's answers."
Kai gave a faint nod, his nonchalant face betraying nothing. "Understood."
With that, he turned and left the room, the tome hidden once more beneath his robes. His footsteps echoed softly against the polished floors of the Arkwell estate. He did not look back, nor did he allow himself to linger on his father's watchful gaze.
The blank book felt heavier with every step.
He wasn't sure if it was fate, or simply another cruel twist in his path. But one thing Kai knew—this was no ordinary book, and it was now his to unravel.