Caelivisa and Vermas stood silently beside the Clan Head, their eyes cold and merciless as they looked down at the kneeling Namgoong Gyo.
"It doesn't seem like he will say anything, Clan Head," Vermas said, his tone clipped and hard. The gentle, doting warmth he usually carried when speaking to Caelrisu was gone, replaced by the icy precision of a commander on the battlefield.
"Yes," Caelivisa added softly, her expression unreadable. "He's already decided to die with his secrets."
The Clan Head tilted his head slightly. "Hmm… stand back for a bit."
Both obeyed instantly. They knew what was coming.
The Clan Head stepped forward, his shadow falling over Namgoong's trembling form. He raised his hand and placed his fingers upon Namgoong's head.
His hand sank in. Not cutting through flesh, but phasing through it, passing through skin, bone, and tissue as though none of it existed. The faint outline of his fingers could be seen pressing against the inner surface of the skull. If anyone weaker of heart had witnessed this, they would have screamed and fainted from sheer horror.
Namgoong's eyes rolled back as his memories were laid bare. The Clan Head's gaze darkened as countless images flashed through his mind:
The faces of Namgoong's parents.
His first love.
The swordsmanship he forged through pain.
His first kill. His first triumph.
And the moment he tasted blood and pleasure.
Then finally, that presence.
The one who commanded him. The true master behind the mask.
The Clan Head froze for a moment, his lips curling into a small, astonished smile.
When he withdrew his hand, Namgoong collapsed lifelessly to the floor, breathing shallowly, his soul trembling from the intrusion.
"Hahahahahahaha…" The Clan Head chuckled softly, his laughter echoing through the room with amusement. "Ah, Vermas… Sister-in-law… it seems that the Spirit Tiger's involvement is no mere help asked by Solisrisu but its own will."
Both of them turned sharply toward him, confusion flickering across their faces.
"What do you mean, Clan Head?" Vermas asked.
"Exactly what you heard," the Clan Head replied. His tone was calm, but his eyes gleamed with raw interest. "That Spirit Tiger wants something that our clan has. Although I can't say what exactly it wants as this pawn won't know anything about it, it's precious enough to it that it is willing to attack our clan for it."
"What?" Both Vermas and Caelivisa exclaimed in confusion.
The Clan Head continued. "Yes, that's why Namgoong Gyo was sent here as well."
"What could it be? A soul? Spirit Tigers are known to be sensitive to them as they channel their power from it." Caelivisa asked with a visible confusion in her voice.
"It could be, but from his memories, it seems like Spirit Tiger was incredibly flustered by what he sensed about 40 days ago and sent Namgoong Gyo, who was his servant, to retrieve it."
Caelivisa's eyes narrowed. "Wait… you said it sensed something about forty days ago?"
"Yes," the Clan Head said with a faint nod. "Roughly around the time of the Awakening Ceremony."
Realization dawned on Vermas's face, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Lunaris's Hero Awakening…"
The Clan Head nodded slowly, his gaze unfathomably deep. "Exactly."
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
Only the faint sound of Namgoong Gyo's ragged breathing echoed through the chamber.
After a long moment, Vermas finally spoke.
"But… why was Namgoong Gyo serving that beast?"
The Clan Head's gaze stayed fixed on the man sprawled across the floor.
"Well," he said slowly, "Although this particular memory can't be read as he is strongly rejecting it, I guess that creature vowed to help him reach the realm of the Silent Judge. In fact, it was through that beast's guidance that he even managed to step into the 3rd Rank of the Verdant Soul."
Caelivisa crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "Then why target Caelrisu instead of Lunaris?"
The Clan Head's eyes flicked toward her. "Maybe because he is incompetent enough to not sense the aura of the Five Elements."
Caelivisa stayed silent, half in disbelief as she calculated the various consequences.
As for Vermas, he looked down at Namgoong's half-conscious body, his expression unreadable.
"The world," he said quietly, "is truly vast."
All three stood in the heavy quiet, watching Namgoong's chest rise and fall.
"Now, I suppose I could kill him," Vermas said at last, the edge in his voice barely contained.
"Calm down, Vermas." The Clan Head didn't look up from the motionless form. His voice was soft, almost amused.
"Why?" Vermas snapped.
The Clan Head's faint smile widened. "Because my dear niece deserves a gift after what she's been through. Leave him to me."
Caelivisa's gaze sharpened. "What are you going to do, then?"
The Clan Head's fingers hovered a moment over Namgoong's temple, and then he spoke as if describing a garden path.
"I'll remove this memory, tuck that one away, add this one, and stitch a kinder story in its place. Ah, yes, this will do."
Vermas and Caelivisa stared, stunned.
"What did you do?" Vermas asked, incredulous.
"I altered his past a little," the Clan Head said, amusement and something colder braided together in his tone. "Twelve years ago, when he was only a first-rate warrior, he was wounded. My brother, Vitalis, found him while carrying a child, Caelrisu, and helped him.
The man was moved to tears and begged Vitalis to let him serve. Vitalis refused. He said the man must reach Peak Rank first.
Then, serve his daughter. He promised to protect the child's future instead.
Now he returns, aged and humbled, to fulfill that oath and protect the daughter of his savior.
Quite a touching story, right?"
He folded his hands and regarded them both, as if presenting a finished painting.
Vermas let out a long, shaky breath.
"Thank God you're in your right mind, Clan Head. If you'd been different,"
"The entire region might have become a giant puppet dancing in your palm," Caelivisa finished for him, a dry note of gratitude in her voice.
The Clan Head's laugh came soft and short. "Hahaha. If I became insane, I trust you two to stop me, Vermas. And you, sister-in-law."
They left the Clan Head's office together with mixed expressions. A moment after Vermas and Caelivisa disappeared from the room, the Clan Head returned to his gentle, patient manner and called out, "Cael, come in."
"Yes, Uncle. What kept you so long?" she asked, stepping into the room with polite curiosity.
"We had to go through some… extensive negotiations," he said, folding his hands.
"Oh, is that so, Instructor?" she guessed, bright-eyed.
"Yes, young lady." Namgoong gave a small bow. "We've agreed. If you can last one minute against me within a month, you may leave the Aurelis range with me to properly train."
Clan Head asked with a smile. "Well, are you happy now?"
"Yes," she answered warmly. "Very much."
But instead of celebrating, Caelrisu kept staring at Namgoong.
"Is something the matter, dear?" the Clan Head asked, noticing.
"Uncle… Instructor Namgoong feels… different. I can't put my finger on it, but you seem changed," she said, honest and straightforward.
Namgoong blinked, taken aback by the child's bluntness. "Different, young lady?"
She hesitated. "You just seem…different."
Namgoong forced a laugh. "Ah, yes. It's probably because a load was removed from me some years back."
"A load?" Caelrisu echoed.
He nodded. "Twelve years ago," and then, with a careful steadiness, he told the story the Clan Head had put into him.
When he finished, Caelrisu considered him for a long moment. "I see."
She looked up, touched. "Thank you for coming back for me even though Father is no more."
"Hahaha… a promise is a promise, young lady."
Before she could press further, the Clan Head cut in gently. "Cael, my child, you should rest. Starting tomorrow, you'll be sparring with Namgoong for six hours a day, every day, for a month."
Her eyes widened at the schedule, but she only nodded. "Understood, Uncle."
"Good." The Clan Head's smile was warm but unreadable. "Get some sleep. Big days ahead."