"What the hell is going on here…"
The words did not leave Jun's lips as a shout. They slipped out low and sharp, like a blade grazing skin. His gaze remained fixed ahead, yet his thoughts were already miles away, racing through possibilities, tearing each one apart before it could settle.
"If he's on the move… they should have informed me sooner."
A step echoed through the corridor. Then another. The palace halls stretched endlessly before him, lined with towering pillars and silent guards who dared not meet his eyes. Even the torches seemed to burn quieter in his presence.
"Why now…?"
His fingers curled slowly behind his back.
"Did I miss something…?"
For a moment, his pace faltered. Just a moment. A crack in the composure of a man who had never once allowed himself to hesitate.
"This isn't the time for that."
His jaw tightened.
"He still doesn't know how to control it… not fully. Not yet."
A faint breath escaped him, colder than the marble beneath his feet.
"He can learn… either through discipline. Through guidance."
A name surfaced.
"Sage Varuna…"
The very thought of that path felt… fragile. Controlled. Slow.
Jun's eyes darkened.
"Or…"
His steps stopped completely.
Silence swallowed the corridor whole.
"No…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"How could I forget…"
The second path.
Not one taught.
Not one chosen.
One that carved itself into the soul whether you willed it or not.
"The art of death… is not learned."
A shadow passed across his face.
"It is awakened."
His hand clenched.
"Through loss."
The word lingered. Heavy. Suffocating.
"A loss that shatters the heart… and leaves nothing behind but instinct."
His breath grew uneven, just for a second.
"Is that it…?"
A slow realization crept in, cold and merciless.
"Is that why… he let Lue leave…?"
The image formed clearly in his mind. Lue, stepping out into a world too vast, too cruel. Lue, smiling without knowing what waits for him.
"To let him live… to let him feel…"
Jun's expression hardened.
"And then take it all away at once."
The silence pressed harder now, as if the palace itself understood the weight of that thought.
"No…"
His voice sharpened.
"No… if that's his plan…"
He moved again, faster this time. Purpose returned, cutting through doubt like steel.
"…then I'm already late."
The grand doors of the throne hall loomed before him. Guards stationed on either side stiffened as he approached, their hands trembling slightly as they pushed the doors open without a word.
The hall fell silent.
Every noble, every servant, every soldier present felt it at once.
Him.
Jun stepped inside.
His presence alone bent the atmosphere. Conversations died mid-sentence. Eyes dropped. Breaths were held.
At the far end, seated upon the elevated throne, was King Lan.
Or rather, a man pretending to be one.
Jun did not bow.
He did not slow down.
He walked straight down the center, his footsteps echoing like judgment itself. When he reached the steps of the throne, he didn't stop.
Instead, he lifted his foot and placed it on the throne's base.
A gasp rippled through the hall.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, my lord."
His tone was calm. Too calm.
King Lan's face drained of color instantly.
"N-no… General Li , I would never- "
His voice cracked. His hands gripped the armrests tightly, knuckles turning white.
"If fear were given flesh…"
It would look like him.
Sweat dripped from his temples. His breathing grew shallow, uneven. His eyes darted, searching for something, anything that could save him from the man standing before him.
Jun leaned slightly forward, his gaze piercing straight through the king.
"Would never…?"
A faint smile touched his lips. Not warm. Not kind.
Dangerous.
The hall remained silent.
No one dared move.
No one dared breathe.
Then, without another word, Jun stepped back.
Just like that.
As if the king had never been worth more than a glance.
He turned and walked away, his cloak trailing behind him like a shadow.
The moment he left, the tension snapped.
The king collapsed back into his throne, gasping for air, his entire body trembling.
Jun, however, did not look back.
He had no time for cowards.
The training grounds lay just beyond the inner walls. The clang of metal against metal echoed faintly as soldiers drilled under the watchful eyes of commanders.
But the moment Jun stepped onto the field-
Everything stopped.
Swords froze mid-air. Movements halted. Voices died.
Silence.
Heavy. Absolute.
He stood at the center, his presence alone enough to command an army without a word.
"The Yòu…"
He spoke, and even the wind seemed to listen.
"…are on the move."
A chill spread through the soldiers like wildfire.
The Yòu.
A name whispered only in fear. A clan not meant to walk the earth. Creatures said to be born from something far darker than war.
Some claimed they were not human.
Some claimed they never were.
"They belong in hell…"
A soldier muttered under his breath.
"…or so the stories say."
Even Jun's gaze flickered for a second.
Stories.
If only they were just that.
"Jun- "
A voice cut through the silence.
Footsteps approached quickly, urgent.
Qian.
He stopped beside Jun, his breathing slightly uneven from the rush.
"You're just in time," Jun said without turning.
"The Yòu are moving."
Qian's expression shifted instantly.
Shock.
Not fear.
Never fear.
But something deeper. Something heavier.
"We must prepare."
Jun nodded once.
No hesitation. No doubt.
Orders were already forming in his mind, lines of defense, movements, strategies that would decide the fate of thousands before the sun could rise again.
Qian turned, already moving to organize the front lines, his presence alone enough to rally the soldiers from their frozen state.
The field came alive again.
Commands were shouted. Weapons raised. Formation began.
War… was coming.
And yet…
Jun's thoughts lingered elsewhere.
Qianhe Yuan.
A place no one should know.
A place no one should find.
He had trusted that.
Everyone had.
But trust… was a fragile thing.
As Qian moved to secure the defenses, Jun turned back toward the palace.
There was one more thing he needed to confirm.
One more conversation that could not wait.
The corridors felt colder now.
Darker.
As if something unseen had already begun to move beneath the surface.
"General Li."
A voice called out from behind.
Jun stopped.
Slowly, he turned.
A soldier stood there, hesitant, as if unsure whether speaking had been a mistake.
"What is it?"
Jun's voice was steady.
The soldier swallowed hard.
"It's about the message we intercepted…"
A pause.
The air grew heavy again.
Jun's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Speak."
The soldier lowered his gaze.
"It came from… someone within."
A flicker of something passed through Jun's eyes.
Not surprise.
Not shock.
Recognition.
"Within…?"
His voice dropped, quieter now.
Dangerously quiet.
The soldier hesitated.
"It is him…"
Jun stood still.
Completely still.
The world around him seemed to fade into nothing.
"Your…"
"I'm heading to the Qianhe Yuan" , Jun is in a hurry...
He, He knows everything... maybe, just maybe.. He knows where Qianhe Yuan is too...
Jun couldn't take any risks, not when his world was on the line...
Jun went to Qianhe Yuan...