Chapter 9 – Twilight Paths
The evening mist crept along the forest floor as the outskirts of Nareth quieted. Crickets sang. Lanterns flickered. In the silence, two boys trained side by side beneath a willow tree, each on their own path but destined for collision.
Kael's movements were sharp, measured. His strikes echoed softly through the clearing as his fists pounded against a wooden training log. His muscles tensed and released in perfect cadence, sweat trailing lines of discipline down his back.
Samuel lay sprawled across a boulder, panting. "Remind me again why I agreed to train this late?"
"Because we have two months to become monsters," Kael replied with a grin. He tossed a canteen toward his friend.
Samuel caught it, grumbling, "Feels more like becoming corpses."
Mike practiced nearby, silent as usual, tracing balance steps in the dirt while reciting mantra verses under his breath. Liora sat beside a tree, a small spirit lantern illuminating her book as she occasionally hummed.
But not far from them, hidden in the shadows behind the training field, Ryn stood with arms folded.
He wasn't training.
He was watching.
His eyes never left Kael.
Two nights ago, he had lit the scroll.
The symbols had flared blue and gold, vanishing into his palm like smoke into skin. Since then, his senses had sharpened, his footwork improved, and his body reacted with strange precision, even without proper practice.
He had learned the first layer of the Vein Pulse Art.
And it wanted more.
He wasn't sure who the Silent Vein truly was, but their power tasted like honeyed venom. Sweet. Dangerous.
At the same time, within the town chief's estate, Yan Shou sat in quiet meditation.
He had returned from another village earlier that day and brought reports: no sign of the signature soul wave they were hunting. And yet, something nagged at him about Kael.
Not his strength—no, many had strong bodies.
It was the boy's technique. Unorthodox. Precise. Ancient.
Where had a village child learned that?
"Kael!"
Liora's voice cut through the silence. She pointed at the broken pipe system they had installed earlier by the garden. Water was flooding over the terrace.
Kael groaned. "Again? That's the third time it's burst."
"You made it too sharp at the joints," Liora said, rolling up her sleeves.
Ryn turned away, silently slipping down the path.
As he neared the town center, Rean stepped into view.
They stared at each other in surprise.
Rean spoke first. "Thought you'd be with the golden boys."
Ryn shrugged. "Training solo."
Rean chuckled, folding his arms. "You know... I always thought you were just a shadow. But lately, I've been seeing more in that shadow."
Ryn narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
Rean stepped closer. "We're not so different. Not chosen. Not pampered. But with something to prove."
Ryn said nothing.
Rean smiled and dropped a small jade token into his hand. "When the time comes, pick a side that lets you rise. Not one that blinds you with false loyalty."
Then he walked away.
Ryn stared at the token.
He didn't know what side he stood on anymore.
Meanwhile, Yan Shou visited Kael's home for the second time that week. The house was quiet. Ms. Xuren greeted him politely, her expression unreadable.
"I wish to talk to Kael about his technique," he said.
She hesitated. "You wish to buy it."
Yan Shou didn't deny it. "I wish to understand where he learned it. And how. A child from this town shouldn't move like that."
Ms. Xuren's smile was soft, but her eyes carried steel. "Some children carry pasts too deep for eyes like yours."
Yan Shou bowed slightly. "Then perhaps I'll return another day."
Night fell.
Kael stood alone now, at the training post. His hands bled slightly, but he didn't stop. Each punch echoed the thunder of a forgotten era.
And in a distant corner of the realm, a seal trembled.
The past was stirring.
The world was watching.