The air in the Blood Peak seemed to tell secrets. Old, not-allowed secrets.
Zane Frost stopped at the cave opening, his body feeling a warning. The dark ahead felt wrong, too thick and alive. No wonder the Phoenix Sect said no one should go here.
"Just go in and out," he said to himself, fixing the green stone around his neck. "Find the ninth-rank spirit beast, and I'll finally have enough power to go up to the next level."
He took a big breath and went into the dark, his steps quiet on the stone floor. The dark moved away slowly from his small fire spell, showing rough walls wet with water.
"This is weird," he thought. "How can a place in the good Phoenix Sect's land have so much bad energy?"
As he went deeper, the cave got bigger. Sharp rock points hung from the top like big teeth. The air got heavier, filled with something that made his skin feel funny.
"The spirit beast should be near," Zane said, looking at the dark spots. Then he saw something move by the far wall—a person shape.
"Who's there?" he called out, making his flame bigger.
The shape turned slowly, and the light showed a face he knew.
"Julian?" Zane's voice bounced with surprise. "Julian Drake? Why are you in this not-allowed area?"
Julian smiled, but it made Zane feel cold. Around the young student, weird marks glowed with bad energy—a big pattern cut into the floor and walls.
"Zane Frost," Julian's voice was sweet but bad. "Always so nosy. Always getting involved when you're not needed."
Zane's eyes got big as he saw what the pattern was. "A spirit binding array? But those are only used to—"
"Keep bad energy in? Or maybe... Absorb it?" Julian laughed softly, lifting his hands. The pattern glowed brighter, sending dark lines up to the top.
Too late, Zane tried to run, but the dark energy grabbed his foot and pulled him down. He slid across the stone, pulled to Julian like he had chains on him.
"What are you doing?" Zane gasped, fighting against the dark hold. "This is magic we're not allowed to use! The sect will—"
"The sect will what?" Julian's eyes shined with meanness. "Say I'm great again? Bow to me for being so good?" He laughed. "They're all stupid."
The dark lifted Zane up, holding him in front of Julian. Up close, Zane could see dark lines under Julian's skin, the weird light in his eyes.
"You're not just using bad energy," Zane whispered, scared. "You're taking it in."
Julian nodded, happy. "Very smart of you. Do you know why Soren Swift, even though he tries hard, never gets better? While I, with my 'just okay skill,' became the youngest celestial cultivator in the sect's history?"
Zane suddenly knew the truth. "You've been stealing their energy. All this time..."
"Not just Soren," Julian walked around Zane like a hungry animal. "Everyone. A little bit at a time. Not enough for them to note, but enough to make me stronger."
"You're crazy," Zane said. "You won't get away with this. I'll tell everyone what you're doing!"
Julian smiled wider. "Will you? And who would believe you over me, the sect's favorite?"
With a quick hand move, the dark got tighter around Zane's neck.
"I've waited," Julian kept talking, his voice getting quiet. "But soon I'll take energy from the whole Phoenix Sect. All that power will make me more than just strong—I'll be like a god. I'll rule everything in Azura."
"You—" Zane tried to talk through the pressure. "You're everything the Phoenix Sect hates. How could you turn against—"
"Turn against?" Julian laughed coldly. "I can't turn against something I was never with. The Phoenix Sect is just a way to get what I want."
Zane fought against the dark. "I won't let you do this!"
"You won't get to stop me." Julian's face got hard as he made a ball of dark energy in his hands. "Bye, Zane Frost."
He threw the attack right at Zane's heart.
A bright flash of light hit the dark energy, breaking it into sparks. Zane fell down as the dark let him go.
"What's going on here?" A stern voice called through the big room.
Two people came in—Liam Forge and Zhao Lin, the first and second leaders of the Phoenix Sect. They looked confused at what they saw.
Julian's face changed fast, looking innocent and scared. "Senior Liam! Senior Zhao! Thank goodness you're here!" His voice shook just right. "I followed Zane when I saw him sneaking in here. I—I never thought he would attack me with bad magic!"
"What?" Zane said, getting up slowly. "That's not what happened! He's lying! Julian is the one using bad magic to—"
Before he could finish, Julian moved his fingers a little. Dark energy went from him to Zane, wrapping around his heart. Zane felt something terrible take over his body.
To his horror, his arm went up by itself, making a knife of dark energy. His legs moved forward, rushing at Julian.
Liam moved fast, getting between them and stopping Zane's attack with a shield of light. Zhao came next, holding Zane with a magic spell.
"We saw it ourselves," Zhao said angrily. "How dare you attack a younger student!"
"No!" Zane tried to move against the spell. "You don't get it! It's him—he made me do this! He's been using bad magic to steal the sect's energy!"
Julian hid behind Liam, crying. "Why are you saying these awful things, Brother Zane? What did I do to make you hate me so much?"
"Stop lying!" Zhao's voice boomed through the cave. "We saw what you did. The sect leader will hear about this."
Liam looked sad as he looked at Zane. "I never thought you would do something this bad, Zane. To think you would use dark magic because you're jealous..."
"I'm not—please, listen to me!" Zane begged, but no one would listen.
As they pulled him from the cave, Zane saw Julian's face over Liam's shoulder. The fake innocent look went away for a second, showing a smile of pure winning.
Dark clouds gathered above the Phoenix Sect's judgment place, like the sky came to watch Zane's punishment. He hung in the air, tied up by glowing chains, as lightning hit him again and again. Each strike hurt badly, but he wouldn't scream.
Below, everyone in the sect came to watch him get punished. In the middle stood Sect Leader Master Han, his face showing nothing as he watched him suffer.
When the lightning finally stopped, Zane was put down to kneel before him, his body smoking and shaking.
"Zane Frost," Han's voice reached across the quiet crowd. "You are said to have bad thoughts, being jealous of other students, and trying to hurt Julian Drake with dark magic. What do you say?"
Zane lifted his head, looking right at him despite his pain. "I didn't do it, Sect Leader. It's Julian who uses bad magic, not me."
People gasped all around. Near the front, Julian stepped forward, looking hurt and confused.
"Zane, why?" Julian's voice broke like he might cry. "I've always looked up to you. Why would you say such things about me?"
"Stop pretending!" Zane shouted, pulling against his chains. "I saw you in the Blood Peak! You're using the spirit binding array to take energy from everyone in the Phoenix Sect. That's how you got so good so fast!"
"That's crazy," Zhao Lin stepped up, putting a hand on Julian's shoulder. "Julian Drake is a great student who earned everything he got. Not like you, who tries to cheat with bad methods."
"Senior Zhao," Julian put his hand gently on his, looking down. "Please don't be mean to him. I'm sure it's just a mix-up."
Soren Swift, the third leader, moved to Julian's other side. His voice was calm as he talked to everyone. "I've trained with both Zane and Julian for years. Julian has only ever been nice and respectful. Even if he wanted to take my energy—" he smiled down at him kindly, "—I would give it to him freely."
Julian smiled back, but Zane saw how happy he really was inside.
"Enough," Sect Leader Han put up his hand for quiet. "The proof is clear, and our most trusted leaders have spoken. Zane Frost, for your crimes against the Phoenix Sect and what we believe in, I throw you out of our group. You will lose your power and have to live like a normal person."
"No!" Zane cried. "Please, Sect Leader! I've given my whole life to the Phoenix Sect! I would never go against what we believe!"
Julian stepped forward, kneeling before Han. "Sect Leader, can I say something?"
Han nodded.
"Zane did something very bad," Julian's voice was soft with fake kindness, "but maybe throwing him out is too harsh? Could we let him make up for it by working for us instead?"
People whispered, touched by Julian's seeming forgiveness.
Han frowned down at Julian. "You're too nice, Julian. This is why you'll go far in training, but also why you must learn to be careful. You don't yet know how bad people can be." His face got darker. "People have tried to take my place as leader many times. Being nice in cases like this isn't smart, it's foolish."
He turned back to Zane, raising his hand. Energy gathered at his fingertips, making a blade of pure light.
"For trying to make another student bad and lying even now, your punishment will be worse than being thrown out."
The blade floated in the air, pointing at Zane's heart. He felt how hot it was even from far away, knew that it would go through any protection he might try.
In that moment, Zane saw his life flash before him—years of hard training, things he gave up to get better, dreams of rising higher now turning to nothing. The blade flew at him super fast.
"Master Han..." he whispered quietly, closing his eyes.