Next Morning
The Imperial City woke beneath a sky that felt heavier than usual.
The sunlight was pale and sickly, filtered through layer of dense cloud. The air was filled with tension, by unease. Ever since the night before, a single rumor had spread like wildfire through the city's crowded streets—
Demons had infiltrated the city, wearing human faces.
No one knew who had started it, yet it had already infected every tavern, market, and courtyard.
Whispers slithered through alleys like shadows. Smiles between friends had turned stiff. Trust, once the unseen bond among cultivators, now crumbled into suspicion.
Anyone could be a demon—your friend, your servant, your sworn brother.
Even laughter carried an edge now.
Inside a tavern in the outer city—just a few kilometers from the Phoenix and Dragon Dojo—the air was thick with alcohol, blood, and fear.
"Clang!"
