The markings on the cave walls burned brighter, filling the darkness with a pale gold light. I pressed my back against the stone and tried to steady my breathing, but the pain from my fall made every movement difficult. Blood ran from a cut above my eyebrow, and my shoulder throbbed where it had struck the ground.The voice had spoken as if it knew me. That alone was enough to make me cautious.“Show yourself,” I said.A low laugh answered from inside my head. “You are in no position to give orders.”“I have spent three years being ordered around by people who think I'm worthless. I won't start obeying a voice in a cave.”“My name is Vaelthar,” it said. “Remember it.”“Are you a spirit?”“I am something your people have forgotten how to name.”“That doesn't tell me what you want.”“Your spiritual roots are shattered,” it said. “Every channel that should have carried cultivation energy has been broken. The damage is complete.”“I know what is wrong with me.”“They have told you often e

The guards did not give me time to ask why the ceremony had been moved forward.Their leader seized my arm and pushed me into the corridor, where more cultivators waited with weapons at their waists. I kept my expression blank, though the energy beneath my ribs stirred at their touch. Vaelthar had warned me not to release it without instruction, and I had no intention of testing that warning in front of the entire family.The estate had changed while I was hidden in my room. Lanterns burned along the walkways, and servants hurried between buildings carrying trays of spiritual stones and ritual tools. Cultivators stood at every entrance, their attention fixed on the ancestral hall. Nobody spoke about the failed search anymore. They were preparing to watch me die.“Keep moving,” the guard behind me ordered.I followed them through the wide courtyard. My eyes found Elara near the hall entrance, standing beside two elders. Her face remained composed, but her fingers were tightly folded to

The shadow outside my window had disappeared, but Vaelthar's warning remained. Someone had noticed the energy released during the ritual, and staying in my room would not make me safer. Darius was investigating the failed formation, while Elara had already risked too much to help me.I waited until the corridor grew quiet. The guards changed shifts shortly after midnight, and their brief exchange gave me the opening I needed. When their footsteps moved toward the stairwell, I eased the window open and climbed onto the narrow ledge outside. I lowered myself carefully and landed behind a row of shrubs.“Your movements are still clumsy,” Vaelthar remarked.“Then teach me to move better.”“First learn to keep yourself alive.”I crossed close to the wall, retreating behind a pillar whenever patrols passed. My senses helped me notice movement sooner, but they could not tell me how many guards waited around each corner. One stopped less than ten steps away, and I held my breath until he cont