Chapter 170: The Uninvited Guest
The safehouse in the upscale Zenith Vista , designated as House No. 002, was supposed to be a sanctuary for Ruby and Minji. But the atmosphere inside was anything but peaceful. The large holoscreen in the hall was still tuned to the 24/7 news cycle, which was now a frantic mess of theories, replays of Gluttony's reveal, and heated debates about the Yakshas' shocking declaration. The two women sat in tense silence, the glow of the screen flickering across their worried faces, each lost in their own thoughts about the impending storm.
Suddenly, without any warning, the air in the center of the room began to sicken. It wasn't a sound, but a visceral wrongness. The very fabric of space in front of them fractured, not with a loud crash, but with a series of silent, spider-webbing cracks that looked like a mirror being broken from the other side. The cracks shimmered with volatile, colorless energy, and a pressure began to build, making their ears pop and the hair on their arms stand on end.
Both Ruby and Minji shot to their feet, their hearts hammering against their ribs. A primal fear, cold and immediate, seized them. They knew, from the most basic lessons of cosmic law, what this meant. To tear a hole through dimensions, to simply arrive rather than travel… this was not the work of a Planetary or even a Stellar-tier being. This was the signature of a Universal Tier entity, or something even more terrifying. This was a power that could snuff out stars on a whim.
"What the—!" they exclaimed in unison, their voices tight with panic.
Reacting on pure instinct, Ruby fumbled for her personal communicator, her fingers flying across the screen to activate the emergency security line that was supposed to connect directly to the district's guardians. But the device remained stubbornly dark, displaying a single, chilling word: NO SIGNAL. Their connection to the outside world had been completely severed.
"Minji, it's not—" Ruby began, but her words died in her throat as she saw Minji's wide-eyed stare fixed not on the communicator, but on the large bay window that looked out onto their private garden.
Ruby followed her gaze, and her blood ran cold.
The familiar, glittering skyline of Zenith Vista was gone. The distant mountains, the floating transport lanes, the twin moons—all of it had vanished. Instead, the window framed an absolute, suffocating void. It was an endless, empty space devoid of any light, any stars, any point of reference. They weren't just cut off from communication; they had been cut off from their entire dimension, isolated in a pocket of nothingness.
It was then that the dimensional crack finished its silent, horrifying work. With a final, soundless shimmer, the fractured space parted like a curtain, and a figure stepped through into their hall.
He was an old man, his face a roadmap of deep-set wrinkles that spoke of immense age. A pair of perfectly styled, elegant moustaches framed his mouth. But this impression of venerable age was violently contradicted by his body. Beneath a simple, form-fitting black turtleneck and crisp white pants, his physique was not just toned; it was shredded. He possessed the dense, powerful musculature of a prime gladiator, a body that screamed of impossible, contained strength. His hair was a stark, brilliant white, cut short and neat.
In a flash of motion, Minji's twin daggers were in her hands, their polished edges catching the dim light. Her voice trembled, betraying her fear. "Wh-who… whooo are you?!" she stammered, trying to sound threatening. "Wha-what is your motive?!"
Beside her, Ruby didn't hesitate. With a grunt of effort, she hefted her massive claymore, the tip of the greatsword pointing directly at the intruder, her stance shifting into a defensive posture.
The old man didn't even flinch. Instead, he let out a soft, amused chuckle. A sly, knowing smile spread across his face. It was the kind of smile a seasoned adult might give when a toddler brandishes a rattle at them—a look of pure, condescending amusement.
"Who am I?" he repeated, his voice a calm, deep baritone that seemed to vibrate in the isolated space. He tapped a finger on his chin in mock thought. "Hmm, let's see… What do you call me again? Ah, yes." His sly smile widened. "The 'sugar mommy' of Kai. Isn't that what you call me?"
Minji's mind, frozen in panic, whirred desperately. The term was familiar, a piece of gossip, a joking label from a story Kai had once told them in a moment of rare, unguarded candor. Her eyes widened in dawning, stupefied recognition.
"Old man?" she whispered, her grip on her daggers loosening slightly in sheer disbelief. "Wait… are you… are you the old man Kai told us about?"
Zambandari let out a soft, almost grandfatherly sigh, though his eyes still held that ancient, knowing glint. "Yes, I am that old man," he confirmed. "And let me be perfectly clear: I am not here to harm you in any way. In fact, if that were my intention..." He paused, letting the unspoken truth hang in the void outside the windows. "...you wielding those weapons would be as effective as a child waving a twig at a supernova. The mere release of my aura, my spiritual pressure, would be enough to flatten this pocket dimension and the universe it's attached to. So, why trouble yourselves with a stance you cannot possibly maintain?"
It was a statement of such colossal, breathtaking arrogance that it should have been laughable coming from a man who looked like a retired, albeit incredibly fit, librarian. But the evidence was irrefutable. They were cut off from reality, standing in a void, facing a man who had torn a hole in space itself. The sheer, oppressive weight of his presence, which he was consciously holding back, was a tangible force in the room. Ruby and Minji, their hearts still pounding, found they had no choice but to believe him. The truth of his words was a cold, hard fact pressing down on them.
Slowly, hesitantly, Ruby lowered the tip of her claymore a few inches. Her alertness was still there, but the sharp edge of panic had been blunted by sheer, overwhelming powerlessness. "What... what is your motive, then?" she asked, her voice quieter, more measured.
A genuine, almost pleased smile touched Zambandari's lips. "Let's say I am here to make you an offer," he stated calmly. "I am here to accept both of you as my disciples."
The reaction was instantaneous and identical. Both women stared, their jaws going slightly slack.
"Hein?" they breathed in unison. "Disciples?!"
Zambandari gave a casual nod, as if discussing the weather. "Yes. Or, to put it in a context you might find more relatable... just like Moon, Kai, and three others. I currently have five disciples."
This new piece of information hit them with the force of a physical blow.
"What?!" Ruby exclaimed, her claymore's point now fully resting on the floor. "Moon and Kai are your disciples?!"
The revelation was staggering. It recontextualized everything they knew about their powerful, enigmatic friends. Their secret techniques, their rapid growth, their unshakable resolve—it all suddenly had a source. This "old man" wasn't just a mysterious benefactor; he was the master who had forged the two blades . In that single moment, the last vestiges of their defensive alertness evaporated, replaced by a storm of bewildered curiosity.
Minji was the first to find her voice again, a torrent of questions tumbling out. "Why? How? Like, when? And... what?" She felt buried under a mountain of confusion.
Zambandari held up a hand, a gesture of patience. "Let us answer the 'why' first," he began, his gaze shifting to Ruby. "Since I sensed the Primordial Flame awakening inside you, Ruby. It is a rare and magnificent power, but untamed, it is as likely to consume you as your enemies. I can guide you. I can help you fully awaken your potential and command it." He then turned to Minji. "And you, Minji. Your potential is also extraordinarily high. It is simply of a different nature."
He could see the doubt in Minji's eyes, the immediate comparison she was drawing to Ruby's legendary heritage.
"Well, if you want a comparison to make it clearer," Zambandari continued, his tone matter-of-fact. "Moon, Kai, Rivan, you Minji, and you Ruby. You five possess almost similar levels of latent potential."
The statement hung in the air like a physical object. It was unbelievable. They couldn't process that their potential was equal to Rivan's—the prodigious, monstrously powerful traitor who was the source of so much of their current strife. For Ruby, it was somewhat understandable; she had, after all, gone toe-to-toe with Rivan in their childhood. But Minji? She saw herself as the support, the agile scout, not a powerhouse on that world-shattering level. The idea was both terrifying and intoxicating.
"Don't be so shocked," Zambandari chided gently, a faint smile playing on his lips. "And to further gain your trust, I will share a secret that not even your closest confidants know."
He looked directly at Ruby. "Ruby. Does your system interface also show the option labeled 'Void Form'?"
Then, he turned to Minji. "And Minji. Yours as well, does it not?"
The blood drained from both their faces. This was a secret they had buried deep, a mysterious, inaccessible skill tree that had appeared in their personal system interfaces—a function they had never understood and had spoken of to no one. Not to each other, not to their parents, not even to Kai or Moon. It was their most private, perplexing mystery.
They stared at each other, eyes wide with shock and a dawning sense of shared fate. "You... you also have this?" Ruby whispered to Minji, who could only nod mutely.
Zambandari chuckled softly at their stunned expressions. "Don't be too alarmed," he said. "But you should know—Kai, Moon, and Rivan also have it."
The final piece clicked into place. This was not a coincidence. This was a pattern. They were all connected, bound by a shared master and a hidden, unique ability. The path was being laid out before them, and the old man, Zambandari, was the gatekeeper.
The flood of information continued, each new detail more staggering than the last.
"Moon's Void Form is named 'Dragon Form'," Zambandari stated casually. "And Kai's is known as 'Poseidon Form'."
The names themselves carried a mythic weight, painting immediate and terrifyingly powerful images in their minds. It was all too much, too fast. Minji, feeling her thoughts beginning to spiral into chaos, held up both hands in a desperate, warding gesture.
"Stop! Stop!" she pleaded, her voice strained. "Just... just let me have a moment to process all of this thing!"
Zambandari gave a patient, almost indulgent nod. "Take all the time you require," he said, his tone impossibly calm. "Do not feel rushed. Here, within this pocket dimension, time is frozen when compared to the flow of the real world. A day of contemplation here would be but a blink of an eye out there."
As Minji tried to steady her breathing, Ruby's sharp mind was already connecting the dots, her gaze fixed on the old master. Her initial fear had been replaced by a burning, analytical curiosity.
"So," Ruby began, her voice steady but laced with intensity, "is that why you took Moon and Kai as your students? Because of these... Void Forms?"
Zambandari met her gaze squarely. "Yes."
Ruby's expression shifted, a dark cloud of understanding passing over her features. She didn't even need to voice the next, logical question. The name hung unspoken in the air between them.
Seeing the dawning realization and the flicker of anger in her eyes, Zambandari confirmed it aloud. "And yes, Rivan was also my student."
He paused, letting the admission settle, before adding a crucial, disclaiming footnote. "However, I have no affiliation with any of his actions. He is an independent entity. I bear no responsibility for the path he has chosen to walk."
The clarification was clear, but it did little to quell the storm of emotions. Ruby's anger, which had begun to rise at the mention of the name of Rivan, now had no clear target. It simmered, directionless and frustrating.
Switching tracks, Ruby pressed on with the most fundamental question. "How? How do you even know about these 'Void' things inside us? What are they?"
A shadow of something unreadable—perhaps caution, perhaps pity—crossed Zambandari's face. "That knowledge," he said, his tone final and leaving no room for argument, "is something you are not yet equipped to handle. The truth would shatter your current understanding of reality."
He clasped his hands together, a clear signal that the time for questions was over. "Let us cut through all the inquiries. The offer is simple. Accept me as your master, and I will accept you as my disciples. That is the only decision before you now."
Ruby and Minji exchanged a long, silent look. A thousand thoughts passed between them in that glance. The sheer, undeniable power of this man, the secrets he held, the connection to their friends, and the terrifying potential he saw within them... Weighing it all, they found that the scales tipped overwhelmingly in one direction. Refusing seemed not only pointless but foolish, potentially costing them the key to unlocking their own strength. Seeing no tangible downside and a universe of potential benefit, they both gave a slow, simultaneous nod.
"We accept," Ruby said, her voice firm. Minji echoed the sentiment with a resolute, "We do."
But in the very next moment, as soon as the words left their lips, Zambandari vanished. There was no flash of light, no ripple in the air, no fading away. He was simply there, and then he was not. The dimensional crack sealed itself silently, and outside the window, the familiar, glittering skyline of Zenith Vista snapped back into existence as if it had never left. The oppressive pressure lifted, and the hum of the city returned. It was over.
They were left standing alone in the quiet hall, the holoscreen still silently playing the galactic news. The entire encounter might have felt like a dream, but the profound shift inside them and the avalanche of unanswered questions confirmed its stark reality.
Their minds were now a torrent of unvoiced confusion:
· How did he find us? How did he know about the Void Forms?
· Why didn't Kai and Moon tell us something this important? The Void Forms we could understand them keeping secret, but the fact that they have a master? A being of this magnitude?
· If Rivan is, in a way, our... martial brother... then why? Why is he plotting against Moon and Kai?
· If we all share the same master and the same potential, why this conflict? Why didn't Rivan just ask for whatever he wanted?
The questions multiplied, spawning more questions with every passing second. They had been given a monumental opportunity, but with it came a web of mystery so deep and tangled it threatened to drown them. They had gained a master, but in doing so, they had lost their peace of mind.
Questions, many. Answers, none.
To be continued….