Night cloaked the Crimson Sky Sect like a velvet curtain. But within its silent corridors, shadows moved—and secrets whispered.
In the hidden chambers beneath the library, Justine knelt before a radiant statue of a divine figure, her eyes filled with reverence… and something darker.
> "He's gathering allies," she said softly, her voice echoing in the void. "Winter. Raze. And now… Ardenna."
The statue remained still, but a faint golden light pulsed at its heart.
> "You once called me your teacher," Justine whispered. "But now you stand in the way of order. You shouldn't have come back, Master."
She clenched her fists.
> "This time, I'll be the one watching you fall."
---
Back at the Dormitory
Lohan stood before a giant window, watching the stars. His body still ached from the sparring match, but his mind was sharper than ever.
He felt it—the growing tension.
Winter walked up beside him.
> "You've changed again. Faster, stronger. It's almost unnatural."
> "It is," Lohan replied. "And it's not enough."
She leaned against the glass.
> "You've been quiet since Ardenna joined. Worried she'll turn against you?"
> "Not worried. Just preparing."
> "For what?"
> "For when one of us finally breaks."
---
Meanwhile, in the Forest Near the Sect
A figure watched the flames flicker from afar. Clad in gray, face obscured by a porcelain mask carved with three teardrops.
A whisper escaped their lips.
> "He's returned. The last Flame of Humanity."
They placed a scroll into a raven's claw and let it fly into the night.
---