The night before the Grand Tournament was heavy, draped in a suffocating violet fog that rolled through the ribcage of Odis. In the competitors' quarters—a cold room carved from grey stone—the air hummed with the residual resonance of the day's test. Yun sat in the center, his eyes closed, while Shara and Meilin rested near him, their energies still intertwined like the roots of a scorched tree.
The silence was shattered by a soft, rhythmic thumping at the heavy iron door. A messenger, dressed in the unmistakable crimson and gold silks of the Imperial Court, bowed low. He presented a scroll sealed with black wax and a crest shaped like a weeping eye.
"His Excellency, Marquis Valerius, requests the honor of the Trinity's presence for a private banquet," the messenger whispered, his voice dripping with practiced subservience. "He believes that such... refined talents should not be wasted in a meat grinder."
Shara's eyes snapped open, glowing with a dangerous emerald light. "The Marquis? He is the Emperor's hand in the dark. If we go, we walk into a den of vipers."
"And if we don't, we make an enemy of the most powerful man in Odis before we even step into the Arena," Meilin countered, her flames licking her fingertips. "Let's see what the snake has to say. I'm tired of hiding in the shadows."
Yun stood up, his translucent skin shimmering under the dim Ghost Qi lamps. "We go. I want to see how the Empire measures a void they cannot comprehend."
The banquet was held in a floating pavilion suspended by massive chains above the city's central abyss. Marquis Valerius awaited them, reclining on a divan made of white tiger fur. He was a man of ageless elegance, with silver hair and eyes that seemed to calculate the price of everything they touched.
"Grand Elder Shara, the fallen star of the Lotus. Princess Meilin, the flame that refused to be extinguished," Valerius greeted them, ignoring Yun entirely at first. "And the... anomaly. Please, eat. In Odis, one never knows if the next meal will be their last."
The table was laden with exotic spiritual fruits and meats from high-tier beasts, but no one touched the food. Valerius sipped his wine, his gaze finally settling on Shara and Meilin.
"The Empire is not without mercy," Valerius began, his voice silky. "The Emperor regrets the 'misunderstanding' at the Lotus Sect. He realizes now that Yun Caos is a force of nature, not a common criminal. However, a force of nature must be contained for the safety of the realms."
He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Shara, your sect could be restored. Your name cleared. Meilin, the Fire Phoenix Clan is currently facing a civil war; with the Emperor's backing, you could sit on the throne as the High Matriarch. All it takes is a small... adjustment of loyalty."
"What kind of adjustment?" Shara asked, her voice cold as ice.
"The Star-Eater Beast is not meant to be killed by you," Valerius smiled. "During the fight, the Arena's internal formations will weaken Yun's void. At that moment, you will use the jade needles I provide to seal his marrow. He will be taken to the Capital for 'study,' and you... you will be queens in your own right. Why die for a boy who will eventually consume your very souls?"
Meilin laughed, a sharp, mocking sound. "You think our loyalty is a commodity, Marquis? You think you can buy the fire that burned my chains?"
"I think every woman has a price when the alternative is annihilation," Valerius snapped, his mask of elegance slipping. He looked at Yun. "What say you, Void-Walker? Does it hurt to know your anchors are being weighed in gold?"
Yun, who had remained silent, suddenly stood up. The air in the pavilion instantly dropped thirty degrees. The wine in Valerius's glass froze, then shattered.
"You speak of anchors, Marquis," Yun said, walking toward the divan. Every step he took left a footprint of grey ash on the expensive rug. "But you forget that anchors are also weights that keep a ship from being lost to the storm. Shara and Meilin are not my prisoners. They are my choice."
Yun reached out and touched the Marquis's silver hair. The strands instantly turned white, then brittle, then vanished into dust. Valerius froze, his soul trembling as he felt the absolute zero of Yun's gaze.
"You offered them a throne," Yun whispered. "But I offer them the world that remains after the thrones have crumbled. Tell your Emperor: the Trinity doesn't negotiate with the past. We devour it."
The trio walked out of the pavilion, leaving the Marquis shaking in the wreckage of his shattered banquet.
As they crossed the bridge back to the city, Shara took Yun's hand, her grip trembling slightly. "He was right about one thing, Yun. The Arena formations... they will try to suppress you tomorrow."
"Let them try," Yun replied, looking at the two women who had just rejected the world for him. "They think they are trapping a beast. They don't realize they are building a cage around a collapsing star."