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1387 Words
Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past
"Why? Why did you take such a risk for me? You were almost killed."
This was the question. Leo had prepared an answer for this. He took a deep breath, playing the part of the weak and fortunate.
"I... got separated from my group," he began, avoiding her gaze. "Then I saw you being attacked. And... and I saw you, trapped. I couldn't just stand and watch." He shrugged, trying to appear simple. "It was just instinct."
Seraphina looked at him for a long time. Her clear blue eyes seemed to see into his soul. Leo struggled not to reveal the storm of emotions inside him—the guilt, the longing, the undying love.
"Instinct," she murmured finally. Her smile returned, but this time it held more curiosity. "You... are different, Leo. Your gaze. It's as if you've been through a lot. You don't seem like an ordinary sect disciple."
Leo felt his chest tighten. He wanted to scream, 'Because I know you! Because we loved each other! Because I failed to protect you!' But all he did was bow his head. "Perhaps... perhaps it's the near-death experience," he said, trying to joke bitterly.
Seraphina let out a small chuckle, and her smile widened. In that moment, it was like sunlight breaking through dark clouds, and for Leo, it hurt more than his wounds. He saw the happiness he had fought for, which he had sacrificed everything for, now right in front of him yet untouchable. A memory flashed: Seraphina laughing in the same way, centuries ago, in a heavenly garden, before everything fell apart.
Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere shattered. The tent flap was thrown open roughly, and Kael—the senior Skysword disciple with a perpetually sour face—stood at the entrance, his eyes blazing.
"Seraphina! What are you thinking?!" he snapped, his voice full of anger. He pointed an accusatory finger at Leo. "Nursing him? He's a Verdant Dawn disciple! For all we know, he might have lured those wolves towards us as part of some scheme!"
Seraphina stood up, her face flushing. "Kael, don't say that! He saved me! He's badly wounded because of it!"
"Or it's just an act to gain our trust!" Kael retorted, stepping closer to Leo's bedroll. He glared at Leo with a look full of hatred and, most dangerously, jealousy. "Listen, 'hero'. Once we get back to the Skysword Sect, you will answer all our Elder's questions. And if you think you can get close to Seraphina..." He leaned down, his whisper full of threat. "...you'll regret it."
He straightened up and looked at Seraphina. "We leave tomorrow morning. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
After Kael left, the tension in the tent was palpable. Seraphina looked at Leo with apology in her eyes. "Ignore him. He's just... overly protective."
But Leo knew it was more than that. It was a direct threat. And he, in his injured and weakened state, was to be taken to the heart of the Skysword Sect stronghold—a place filled with strangers who viewed him with suspicion, and where a jealous rival waited to destroy him.
The next morning, the journey back to the Skysword Sect began.
The clear spring flowing through the heart of the forest should have been a place of tranquil rest. But for Leo, the air around the spring felt thicker than the mists of the Darkmist Forest.
He sat leaning against a large rock, his body still aching, every breath feeling like a knife in his back. Seraphina sat not far from him, her eyes occasionally glancing his way with a mix of gratitude and worry.
Kael, who had been watching them like a hawk, finally couldn't take it anymore. He strode over to Leo, his face plastered with a thin smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"The water's cool, isn't it?" Kael said, his voice friendly but false. He took a seat next to Leo, as if they were old friends. "Good for refreshing ourselves before the long journey back to the sect."
Leo merely nodded curtly, not wanting to provoke a conflict. But Kael had no intention of stopping there.
"You're quite tough, for a Verdant Dawn disciple," Kael continued, his eyes narrowing. "Facing a Bloodfang Alpha alone... that's no small feat. I'm curious, what technique did you use? I've never seen a fighting style like that."
Kael's voice was deliberately slightly louder, drawing the attention of the other resting Skysword disciples. All eyes were now on them.
"Luck," Leo answered shortly, trying to suppress the pain gnawing at him. "It was already injured. I just... pushed it."
"Luck?" Kael snickered, the mockery in his tone clear. "I think it was more than luck. Your movements... wild, but efficient. Like you're experienced in life-or-death battles." He leaned closer, his whisper only for Leo's ears. "Or perhaps you're just used to fighting dirty?"
Seraphina, overhearing the conversation, immediately interjected. "Kael, enough! He's injured. Let him rest."
But Kael ignored her. His gaze remained fixed on Leo, full of challenge.
"I just want to get to know our 'hero' better, Seraphina," Kael said without turning. "After all, he'll be a guest in our sect. As a senior disciple, it's my duty to... welcome him." He turned his gaze back to Leo. "Our sect has a tradition. Every new guest is tested in the training arena. To foster camaraderie, of course. What do you say? Once your wounds are healed, of course."
Leo's fists clenched. He knew this duel wasn't for friendship. It was a planned destruction of his reputation. Kael wanted to humiliate him in front of Seraphina and the entire Skysword Sect, to prove he was nothing but lucky trash.
"You don't have to accept, Leo," Seraphina exclaimed, her face flushed with anger. "It's not obligatory!"
But refusing would show weakness. And in the world of cultivators, weakness was an invitation to be preyed upon. Everyone waited for his answer.
Leo took a deep breath, enduring the sharp pain. He looked at Kael—arrogant, confident, and full of jealousy. He looked at Seraphina—worried and wanting to protect him. And he looked at the other disciples—curious and ready to judge.
He had no choice. Refusing would make him look cowardly and confirm Kael's suspicions. Accepting meant plunging himself into a humiliating defeat, or even death.
In a voice that was calm yet clear, audible to everyone, Leo finally spoke.
"Fine," he said, his eyes locking with Kael's. "I accept your... 'invitation'."
Kael smiled with satisfaction, like a predator that had caught its prey. "Good! I'll be waiting in the arena."
But Leo wasn't finished. A glimmer of his long-buried godly cunning flashed in his eyes.
"But on one condition," Leo added, his voice now stronger. "We don't fight until one yields. That's too ordinary. I propose we go until a single strike. You can attack me freely. If I'm still standing after your strike, I win."
A moment of silence fell over the spring. Even Kael looked surprised. A one-strike duel? That was insane! It meant Leo was confident he could withstand Kael's strongest attack, or he was utterly desperate.
"You're insane!" Seraphina hissed, her eyes wide.
Kael laughed heartily, but inwardly, he hesitated. Did this man have an ace up his sleeve? Or was it just a bluff? But in front of everyone, he couldn't refuse.
"Deal!" Kael replied, trying to cover his hesitation with arrogance. "One strike it is! I'll show you my signature technique, the 'Mountain Splitting Sword'! You won't withstand it!"
The agreement was made. And for Leo, this was the only way. In his current condition, a normal fight was suicide. But by only needing to defend against one strike, he could focus on his strongest defense—a defensive technique he had learned millennia ago, a technique he might still be able to summon even with only 1% of his power.
But could his wounded body withstand the blow? Or would this be the end of his long journey, not at the hands of gods, but at the hands of a jealous sect disciple?
That night, while everyone slept, Leo sat alone by the spring, trying to heal his wounds. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him from behind.
- Writer
