The corpses cooled quickly in Tianluo's mist.
Kael did not linger. He never did.
Stepping over the shattered remains of the cultivators, he adjusted his satchel and kept walking, as though the slaughter was nothing more than spilled ink on parchment. The mist swallowed the blood. Soon, even the evidence of violence would vanish.
The mountains loomed around him, their jagged teeth rising into a sky streaked with burning violet. Every stone here hummed with Qi. Every breath felt heavier, richer, like drinking fire. For the weak, this air was suffocating. For the strong, intoxicating.
Kael walked calmly, but his mind was already working.
Five men dead. Sect insignia: Azure Cloud Pavilion, minor but not insignificant. Their patrol routes extend near this valley. Reinforcements will investigate by dawn.
He glanced at the horizon. Stars shimmered faintly, unfamiliar constellations shifting overhead like watchful eyes.
I have six hours at most. Enough.
The path twisted upward along a ridge. From here, the valley stretched below, carved by rivers that glowed faintly as if liquid jade coursed through their veins. Ancient temples clung to cliffsides, their walls etched with golden characters that radiated authority. Kael's pale eyes lingered on them briefly.
They hoard their scriptures like starving dogs guard bones. And yet… the hunger for power makes them predictable.
His lips curved faintly, that cold trace of amusement only he understood.
The quiet, calculating Kael was present now—the one who mapped his enemies like chess pieces. But somewhere, beneath his calm expression, that other self stirred. The cruel shadow waited, patient, eager, knowing blood would flow again before long.
A sudden vibration rippled through the ground.
Kael froze.
From the mist below, a beast's roar shattered the silence, deep enough to shake the mountain ridge. The mist churned violently as a massive form rose—a creature of scales and fur, eyes glowing crimson. Its body was like a tiger, but far larger, armored in plates of obsidian. Qi rolled off it in waves, so heavy the air crackled.
A Dreadmaw Beast. Low-ranked cultivators feared them; mid-ranked ones hunted them for cores. For Kael…
He tilted his head. "...Noisy."
The beast's gaze locked on him, nostrils flaring. A predator recognizing another predator.
Then it lunged.
The world slowed.
To any observer, Kael remained utterly still. Yet in his mind, every motion unfolded with crystalline clarity. The beast's muscles, the trajectory of its claws, the weight of its leap—all dissected, calculated, predicted.
Left paw heavier. Weakness at the rib plating. Speed: sufficient to tear through stone, insufficient to strike me.
The calm Kael assessed. The cruel Kael acted.
He moved.
The beast's claw swiped where he stood an instant earlier. In that same instant, Kael's fingers gripped a shard of stone from the ridge, sharper than steel when aimed with precision.
He plunged it into the creature's eye.
The Dreadmaw howled, thrashing violently. Kael landed lightly on its back, expression cold, lips curved in that cruel smile.
"Struggle more. Let me hear it."
His voice was different now—deep, venomous, carrying pleasure in domination. His cruel self reveled in the beast's agony.
The creature bucked, roared, tried to shake him loose. Kael's hand slipped into his satchel. A small dagger—modern steel, enchanted with faint Ætheris runes—gleamed briefly.
He buried it in the beast's throat.
Blood geysered. The roar turned into a choking gargle. The Dreadmaw collapsed, body shuddering until still.
Kael stood atop the corpse, his pale eyes reflecting the crimson pool forming below.
Silence returned.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then, slowly, he crouched and pressed a hand against the beast's chest. Warmth still lingered. He closed his eyes, focusing.
Energy pulsed—a dense Qi core, still intact.
"...Useful."
With practiced efficiency, Kael carved into the beast's ribcage and extracted the core—a sphere glowing faintly with inner fire. He slipped it into a small vial, tucking it carefully away.
Qi cores had value in both worlds. Here, in Tianluo, they fueled cultivation. In Ætheris, they powered machines, wards, even city grids when refined.
And Kael? He had use for both.
He was cleaning his blade when a voice drifted through the mist.
"You kill neatly… for a boy."
Kael's head lifted.
A figure stepped into view along the ridge. Robes of deep crimson, embroidered with silver dragons. A girl, perhaps seventeen, her hair bound in a high tail that shimmered like ink under moonlight. Her eyes burned with quiet fire, assessing him not with fear, but curiosity.
She held a staff tipped with jade, Qi spiraling faintly around it like coiled serpents.
Kael said nothing. His expression returned to neutrality, his innocent mask.
"I saw the whole thing," she continued, voice sharp, precise. "That beast would have torn apart half a squad of Azure Cloud cultivators. Yet you killed it alone. Without flaring Qi. Without technique."
Her gaze narrowed. "Who are you?"
Kael tilted his head, letting silence linger. Then, softly, he replied:
"...Just lost."
The words were harmless, almost weak. His voice carried innocence, calm.
The girl didn't buy it. She took a step closer, staff raised slightly.
"I've walked Tianluo my entire life. You don't move like us. You don't belong here."
For a fraction of a second, Kael's gray eyes darkened. The cruel predator stirred beneath his mask, tempted.
But he did not act. Not yet.
Instead, he smiled faintly—the kind of smile that could mean anything.
"Perhaps I don't belong anywhere."
The girl frowned. Silence stretched.
Then, without another word, she lowered her staff. Her expression shifted, half wary, half intrigued.
"...Then you're dangerous."
She turned, walking into the mist. Her voice carried back, almost playful:
"Dangerous people survive here. Maybe I'll see you again—if you live."
Her silhouette faded, vanishing into the endless haze of Tianluo.
Kael remained still, his pale eyes thoughtful.
She saw too much. Knows too little. But enough to be troublesome.
His cruel smile flickered briefly, before the mask of calm replaced it.
He turned back to the corpse of the beast, cleaned his blade once more, and whispered to himself:
"Another piece… moves onto the board."
And then, without hesitation, he vanished into the mist.
The veil between light and shadow thickened. And Kael, who belonged to neither side, stepped further into both.