Heavenly Archmage

Chapter 8: Chains of Intent

"Hold still," Yeon Arin said flatly.

The blue-robed martial artist blinked in confusion as faint runes shimmered beneath their feet and the alley dissolved into threads of light. AETHER STEP – Spatial Distortion. Space folded soundlessly and a heartbeat later, the two stood inside the dim room of the Eastern Wall Inn. The same candle still burned on the table where Arin had left it. The blue-robed man staggered, clutching his side while his eyes darted from wall to wall in disbelief.

"What... what was that?" he gasped.

"Travel," Arin replied, closing the spatial circle with a flick of his fingers. "Now sit. You are bleeding on my floor."

The man obeyed, his breathing uneven and his sword arm trembling. Arin studied him without sympathy, his gaze cold and measuring as he assessed the extent of the wounds.

"I do not keep useless people," he said quietly. "If you plan to follow me, know that mercy is not among my habits."

The wounded man looked up, determination flickering behind his exhaustion. "Then I will make myself useful. Even if it costs my life."

Arin's expression did not change. "Words are cheap. I have heard dying men promise eternity for another breath."

"I am not promising eternity," the man replied steadily. "Only purpose."

Silence settled over the room while Arin leaned back slightly, the faint hum of mana still vibrating in the air from the teleportation. The man drew a deep breath, forcing steadiness into his voice.

"My name is Jin Ryeo." He hesitated, as if speaking the name itself carried weight. "I am... was... the young master of the Mount Hwagyeong Sword Sect."

Arin said nothing, waiting.

Jin Ryeo continued, his words growing harder as emotion crept through them. "Our mountain stands on the southern border of the Alliance's lands. Once, our swords mirrored lightning on the slopes. Now the halls echo only with wind." His voice hardened further. "The elders are dead and missing. Our disciples are scattered. My father vanished after the last council meeting in Hwagok City. The Alliance called it an accident, but we know they arranged it."

Arin watched his trembling hands, fingers curled around the sheath of a broken sword. The man's aura flickered like a dying flame.

"So the rot spreads further than I thought," Arin murmured. "You seek vengeance then."

"I seek justice," Jin Ryeo answered, though his eyes betrayed how little he believed the distinction. "I know who conspired. The Alliance hid it, but we traced the orders through merchants and couriers. Someone high in their council wanted our fall."

"And yet you still breathe."

"Barely." Jin Ryeo gave a bitter smile. "Because I ran. Because surviving meant watching everything burn and hearing them call my father a traitor."

Arin's gaze lingered on the man's face. Grief sharpened into desperation. Useful, if tempered.

"You said you would do anything," Arin said, his voice dropping to something colder and more precise. "Understand what that means. If I command you to walk into the Alliance and die for a single distraction, you will do so."

"I will," Jin Ryeo answered without hesitation.

Arin tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. "Even if I never help you rebuild what you lost?"

The blue-robed man hesitated for only an instant. "Then at least help me punish those who destroyed it."

Arin rose from his chair, his cloak brushing across the floor as he moved toward the doorway. Shadows cut across his face, making his features impossible to read. His voice dropped to a calm whisper that carried like steel through the quiet room.

"I will use you for what I need—information, access, obedience. Nothing more."

"I understand," Jin Ryeo said. "Use me as you wish. Just promise that when the time comes, those who betrayed Mount Hwagyeong will die."

Arin did not turn back, his silhouette framed against the darkness of the hallway as his voice remained steady and absolute.

"They will."