A black mist space stretches endlessly in all directions.
There is no sky.
No ground.
Only a vast expanse of slow-moving darkness, like smoke suspended in eternity.
At the centre of this void stands an empty throne.
The throne is carved from a material that resembles neither stone nor metal, yet it carries the weight of authority.
Its design is ancient.
Its edges are sharp.
Its back rises high like a mountain peak.
At the crown of the throne rests a crystal.
The crystal is clear, yet within it swirls faint threads of light, shifting like trapped lightning.
Silence dominates the space.
Then,
A ripple forms in the mist.
A faint glow gathers.
A light figure condenses from the darkness, its body indistinct, neither male nor female, its outline blurred by pale radiance.
The figure floats forward.
Reaches the throne.
Kneels.
Its head lowers.
"Lord," the figure speaks, voice steady but restrained, "I request a meeting with the other envoys."
The crystal atop the throne flickers.
Just once.
A pulse of light spreads outward through the mist like a silent command.
The kneeling figure continues, head still lowered.
"Bai Hou may have compromised us."
The mist trembles faintly.
A fluctuation spreads through the void, like wind moving through invisible currents.
The kneeling figure lifts its head slightly.
Another glow forms nearby.
A second light figure manifests.
This one speaks with a trace of amusement.
"Qin Yi, looks like you are first."
The first envoy, Qin Yi, straightens slightly.
"I requested the Lord to call for a meeting."
The mist stirs again.
Min Hai, the second figure, tilts its luminous head.
"The Lord may not have called a meeting," Min Hai says calmly.
A third ripple disturbs the darkness.
A third light figure appears.
Its aura carries a faint instability, as though something about it is incomplete.
Bai Hou.
Then a fourth glow.
Wang Yu.
A fifth.
Wu Ling.
A sixth.
Su Yue.
Six envoys now stand before the empty throne.
The crystal remains silent.
But its presence weighs upon them all.
The five newly arrived envoys turn their attention toward Bai Hou.
Su Yue's voice emerges first, smooth but edged.
"Bai Hou, how much trouble are you in?"
Qin Yi adds without hesitation, "And did you get us also in trouble?"
Their gazes press upon him.
Bai Hou exhales slowly.
"I don't know."
Min Hai's light flickers sharply.
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Bai Hou's glow dims momentarily.
"I attempted to check a young man's memory. The Lord of Sand protected him."
The space grows colder.
"And the Lord of Sand caught me."
Wu Ling whispers, almost reverently.
"Lord of Sand… Founder of the Alchemist Way."
Her light trembles faintly.
"I was right. The Lord of Sand was not in the Purple Sky Blessed Land. He was always in the outside world."
Qin Yi glances at Wu Ling briefly, then returns to Bai Hou.
"If the Lord of Sand caught you, how did you escape?"
Bai Hou answers without pride.
"I cut off a portion of my consciousness."
Min Hai narrows his glow.
"How can you escape from a Yang Spirit realm expert?"
Bai Hou replies quietly.
"It was not the true body. Only a projection."
A faint wave of relief spreads among the envoys.
They understand.
From the severed consciousness, the Lord of Sand would only obtain fragmented memory.
Incoherent.
Disordered.
Difficult to interpret.
Qin Yi speaks again.
"Bai Hou, you need to find a new body."
Min Hai's tone carries thinly veiled satisfaction.
"I told you to choose another body. Obsession with a specific vessel makes one vulnerable. Now look where it brought you."
Bai Hou ignores him.
"I cultivated this body to the peak of Official Alchemist. In a few years, I will advance to Cloak Alchemist. Is there no way to preserve it?"
Wu Ling answers gently.
"With another body, you can still advance. It may take a few years longer, but time is a luxury compared to survival."
She pauses.
"You know the final war approaches. If we lose this time, we will not escape as our ancestors did."
Su Yue's voice softens but carries gravity.
"Our ancestors sacrificed themselves to preserve our race. If we wish to reclaim our world, we cannot afford reckless risks."
Bai Hou's glow flickers in frustration.
"I will occupy another body after leaving here."
Min Hai's tone brightens.
"You would not suffer this had you listened to me earlier."
For a moment, the mist grows still.
Then,
Wang Yu speaks.
"Bai Hou, wait."
All the lights turn toward him.
"You do not need to abandon this body."
Su Yue tilts her luminous form.
"Wang Yu, explain."
Wang Yu's glow intensifies slightly.
"The Holy Continent is under the direct gaze of the Sand Temple. But the New Continent is different. Their influence does not extend there as deeply."
Silence follows.
Then Bai Hou's radiance sharpens.
"The New Continent…"
Wang Yu continues.
"If you relocate there, the Lord of Sand's reach weakens. You gain time. You preserve your current body."
Bai Hou's hesitation fades.
"Wang Yu, you are right. I will depart for the New Continent as soon as possible."
Min Hai's satisfaction dims slightly, though he says nothing further.
Qin Yi exhales.
"Then this meeting concludes."
One by one, the envoys begin to fade.
Wu Ling dissolves into mist.
Su Yue vanishes like starlight swallowed by night.
Min Hai's glow extinguishes with a final flicker.
Wang Yu disappears silently.
Bai Hou lingers a moment longer before dissolving into darkness.
Finally, Qin Yi's form dissolves as well.
The black mist space returns to silence.
The empty throne remains.
The crystal at its crown pulses faintly.
Once.
Then stillness.
The black mist dissolves like a dream fading at dawn.
Qin Yi opens his eyes.
The last trace of void vanishes from his pupils.
Warm light falls across the floor.
The setting sun burns orange beyond the window, its glow stretching long shadows across the polished wood.
He stands slowly.
Voices rise from below.
Shouting.
Boots striking stone.
Metal clashing.
He walks to the balcony.
Below, in the narrow street, a team of Knights of Order storms into a modest house.
Their white tabards were marked with the balanced scale emblem of the Church of Order.
Moments later, they emerge.
One knight carries a struggling little boy over his shoulder.
Another holds several books bound in dark leather.
The covers bear alchemical diagrams.
In the territory of the Church of Order, only nobles and church personnel may cultivate transcendental paths.
Unauthorised study is heresy.
Qin Yi's gaze lingers briefly on the child.
On the confiscated books.
Then he turns away.
Without expression.
He walks back into his room.
The door closes softly behind him.
Min Hai opens his eyes.
His fingers tighten instinctively.
Silk sheets slide across bare skin.
A woman lies against his arm, her voice soft.
"Master, you have awakened."
Min Hai's eyes are cold.
"Your payment is in the robe pocket. Take it and leave."
The woman smiles faintly.
"Master, you wound me speaking of money."
His gaze sharpens.
"Get out."
Her heart seems to constrict beneath that stare.
She scrambles from the bed, naked, gathering coins, garments, and finally wrapping herself in a robe.
Within minutes, she is gone.
Min Hai rises.
He dresses in loose white robes.
Wraps cloth around his face, leaving only his eyes visible.
Not for secrecy.
But for the endless sand of the Golden Sand Continent.
He steps out into the harsh sun.
Bai Hou opens his eyes to birdsong.
Leaves rustle overhead.
The forest breathes around him.
The sun stands high at its zenith.
He rises without hesitation.
To preserve this body, he must not be seen.
To reach the New Continent, he must travel south to Bersham City.
From there, an ocean vessel.
He cannot risk being seen.
Cannot risk attention.
So he walks.
Step after step through undergrowth and shadow.
Alone.
Wang Yu stands within his tower.
Grey stone spirals upward into the sky of the New Holy Kingdom.
From the highest balcony, he looks westward.
Toward the distant New Continent.
A knock echoes from below.
"Teacher, preparations are complete to refine the Bio-Beast."
Wang Yu turns.
His robes sweep behind him as he descends the spiral staircase of his Alchemy Tower within Greyhold Academy.
His expression is unreadable.
But his eyes gleam with calculation.
Wu Ling opens her eyes.
Ceiling beams above her.
She rises and walks downstairs.
In the living room, voices argue.
"Sir, we lost another cursed item in the Royal Griffon Kingdom."
A heavy voice answers.
"So the ritual failed."
"It did not fail. The experiment succeeded. But we do not know how Bishop Kane died or how he lost control of the subject."
Wu Ling steps into view.
The burly man turns.
"Daughter, you are awake."
"Father."
Her gaze shifts.
"Priest Duran."
The priest bows slightly.
"Miss Kasey, how are you?"
She smiles politely.
"I am fine, Priest Duran."
She stands beside her father.
"What of the third cursed item?"
Duran begins explaining its deployment.
Wu Ling listens.
Calm.
Attentive.
Calculating.
Su Yue awakens inside a moving carriage.
Velvet curtains sway.
Her partner, Zeremy, studies her face.
"Darling, are you alright?"
She smiles gently.
"I am fine. Let us enjoy the party."
He watches her a moment longer.
Then nods.
"Very well."
He knocks twice.
The carriage slows.
Soon it stops.
They descend onto polished stone steps leading to an afternoon gathering hosted by Prince Jaques of the Frank Kingdom.
Music drifts through open doors.
Laughter masks ambition.
Su Yue's smile never falters.
Far away.
Kaelan steps out from the dome-shaped building.
The mist array parts silently.
Outside, chaos unfolds.
Alchemists sit cross-legged in meditation.
Some tremble.
Some scream in pain as their connection to their automaton is forcibly severed.
Steam automatons clank forward under controlled commands.
One after another, they march toward the black hole in the cavern wall.
Into darkness.
Kaelan watches.
Still unable to decide upon his Law.
His eyes narrow slightly.