He needed allies. He needed those who, like him, had seen the cracks in the sky, who had felt the bitter taste of truth. He recalled the King’s journal, now safely hidden. It contained names, reports of dissent, of those 'purged' or 'disappeared' for questioning the 'Divine Order'. That was his starting point.
For the next two days, Xiaochen moved like a phantom through Eldoria and its surrounding towns. He used the information from the King’s journal, cross-referencing names and locations mentioned in the detailed, incriminating documents. He sought out the forgotten, the banished, the ones whose spirits, despite the pervasive Qi Surgawi, still harboured a flicker of defiance.
He found the first one in a dusty, secluded bookstore, nestled in the oldest quarter of Eldoria. Elder Ren, a f
