The interior of the private jet had settled into an odd kind of peace, the kind that only came when several dangerous people were temporarily doing absolutely nothing.Kai had claimed one of the wider seats near the middle, leaning back with his arms crossed and eyes shut, breathing slow and even.Anyone looking at him would assume he was exhausted from forging, fighting, almost dying repeatedly and being verbally abused by a certain ancient menace. Which, to be fair, wasn’t wrong. Still, Zora took one look at him and scoffed.“Lazy,” she said loudly, biting into another spiritual fruit with visible resentment. “Absolutely shameless. This is why I don’t take disciples anymore. One moment of peace and they start hibernating like fat bears.”Kai didn’t open his eyes. He didn’t even flinch. He had long since learned that arguing with Zora was like headbutting a mountain and expecting the mountain to apologize. So he chose the superior tactic... silence.Zora clicked her tongue. “See? He

As they walked, no one spoke at first, it wasn’t an awkward silence, nor was it peaceful.It was the kind of quiet that came when the land itself felt unfamiliar, when even the air didn’t quite sound the same as home. Their footsteps were the only rhythm, steady but cautious, crunching softly against dry soil and scattered stones. The horizon stretched endlessly ahead of them, strange hills and warped terrain cutting shapes against the fading daylight. No landmarks. No signs. Just a path that existed because Zora said it did.Eventually, the silence began to feel heavier than danger itself.Emily was the first to break it.“So…” she said, glancing sideways at Kai, then quickly looking ahead again, “where exactly did you two disappear to before all this?”Kai snorted quietly. “That’s a long story.”Emily’s eyes lit up. “I’ve got time.”Abigail didn’t say anything. She simply slowed her steps slightly, listening.Kai thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Let me tell you about the recent

Thinking about Zora’s plan gave Kai a genuine headache.He rubbed his temple briefly, eyes still on the glowing eyes in the forest who seemed to be waiting for them to make the first move, irritation bubbling quietly beneath his calm exterior.Ruthless didn’t even begin to cover it. This wasn’t gentle guidance or gradual growth. This was being thrown straight into the fire and told to either harden or burn.Why would Zora plan something like this?The answer came just as quickly, and it made him sigh.Because that was exactly how Zora was.That crazy woman didn’t believe in comfort. She believed in results.And whether he liked it or not, there was no way around it. If Zora had designed this path, then resisting it would only make things worse. She never set traps without meaning. Never wasted cruelty. Everything had a purpose, even if it made him want to grind his teeth.Kai turned away from the forest and faced Abigail and Emily.“This isn’t random,” he said calmly. “Zora planned th

From the side, Abigail finally glanced at Kai, her eyes following Emily’s movements as the girl fought through the waves of beasts.Her voice was low when she spoke, careful not to carry. “She won’t hate you for that… will she?” There was no accusation in her tone, only curiosity. “Dragging the beasts straight to her like that. It was a crazy move.”Kai didn’t even look away from the scene in front of them. He shrugged lightly, hands resting on his knees, posture relaxed in a way that would have infuriated anyone who didn’t understand him. “She might,” he said honestly. “For a while. But she’ll live. And more importantly, she’ll survive the next time something like this happens.”Abigail studied his face for a moment, then hummed softly. “You really didn’t plan to let her die, though.”“No,” Kai replied without hesitation. “Never.” His gaze sharpened slightly. “What she doesn’t know is that the moment that first beast nearly took her head off, we were already moving. If she’d frozen f

It was already night by the time Kai finally woke up.The fire had burned low, reduced to a quiet glow that barely pushed back the darkness, and the sky above was deep and heavy with stars. For a moment, Kai just lay there, staring upward, listening to the soft sounds of the wild,the wind moving through leaves, distant calls of creatures that didn’t bother hiding the fact that they were hunters.At almost the same time, Emily finished what she was doing.She exhaled slowly, opening her eyes as the last threads of spiritual energy settled into her body. The beast cores in front of her had turned dull and cracked, their power fully drained. She felt… different. Not overwhelmingly strong, but steadier. More rooted. Like something inside her had finally stopped shaking.Kai sat up and rolled his shoulders once, joints cracking lightly. “Alright,” he said lazily, glancing around. “We wait till morning.”Emily blinked. “That’s it?”“Yep.”She frowned. “So… what about watch duty?”Kai looked