The Night of Reckoning.
Back in Ishu Chu Village, Liwei Zhang walked with the Abbot through the Gardens of Thought and Peace, admiring the glowing flowers that shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. Their steps were slow, reflective.
"They've grown so much, haven't they, Master?" Liwei asked quietly.
"Yes, Li," the Abbot replied, hands folded behind his back. "Especially the quick one, Killian. Ever since he became a vessel... my god trembles in his presence. If he were to ever spiral out of control, he would be a big threat indeed. The others possess promise as well. The giant boy, Deandre, still has much to learn about combat. And the white-haired one, Silas... he must discover himself before he can discover his strength."
Liwei nodded, though concern lingered in his eyes. "I fear they will soon outgrow what we can teach them."
"Birds eventually leave the nest," the Abbot said with a soft smile. "We cannot hold them forever. When the time comes, we shall send them to Gevin. From there, they can journey to the Holy Lands and continue to grow."
He paused, the wind brushing softly past them.
"But the question is whether they have the right mindset for what awaits."
Liwei frowned. "What do you mean, Master?"
"This world," the Abbot said, "is ruthless. Cruel. Cunning. And if one is not resilient, it will swallow them whole. Sometimes there will be painful decisions. Sometimes there will be loss. And sometimes... you cannot save everyone."
Liwei walked silently beside him, pondering those words as they returned to the Abbot's building. Inside, the boys waited-freshly fed, restless, smiling.
Liwei gathered them. "Tonight, we will patrol Nenchu Forest. You'll be joining your sparring partners from your second day."
Killian groaned. "Those guys again?"
"They almost killed me," Deandre muttered. "Not really in the mood to be friends."
"They have been punished," Liwei said firmly. "They are still warrior monks of this village, and cooperation is expected."
Dre rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Master Zhang."
The boys were dismissed until sunset.
They entered the equipment room to change into more protective clothing. Under the moonlight, they donned light monk armor and hooded garb. Four weapons were offered.
Silas chose a Jian, Deandre selected a pair of meteor hammers, and Killian chose weapon spiked shin guards, pointed shoes, and spiked knuckle dusters.
When darkness settled fully over Nenchu Forest, they moved among the branches, gliding from tree to tree. Killian and Dre adapted easily thanks to their balance training; Silas trailed slightly behind but kept pace. The patrol was near completion when faint voices drifted through the trees.
Liwei raised a hand. Silence. Approach slowly.
They crept forward.
Below, a group of armed men spoke openly.
"Tonight's the night. No one will see it coming."
Before the group could gather more information, Silas finally caught up, stepping on a weak branch.
It snapped.
He tumbled through the leaves and crashed down right in front of the soldiers. Blades flashed instantly.
Three warrior monks dropped beside him; Silas counted nearly thirty enemies.
Silas surged forward. His blade danced through the air, non-lethal cuts, tendon slices, disarms. But one soldier lit a torch and hurled it onto a tree. Another followed. And from the trees the monks could see more fires in different areas. Soon, flames licked upward, spreading rapidly. The Spirit monks would have to come and douse the flames with water magic.
Liwei, Killian, Dre, and the two top recruits, Zhi Yu and Li Hong pursued the retreating soldiers through the trees.
They caught one. Liwei dropped onto him with crushing force, pinning him against a trunk.
"What are you doing in Nenchu Forest?!" Liwei demanded.
The man spat at his feet.
Liwei broke his hand without hesitation. The man screamed.
"Next time, it won't be just your hand!" Liwei growled.
Fear cracked the soldier's resolve. "This-this is all a diversion! Ishu Chu... it's being attacked! A larger force, an elite force! Your troops stand no chance!"
"I know there's more to this. TALK!" Liwei yelled in the man's face.
"And the Abbot, he's going to be assassinated!"
Liwei froze. His breath caught.
"We move. NOW!" Liwei shouted.
But Zhi Yu and Li Hong stepped forward, lowering their hoods.
"Afraid we can't let you do that," Zhi Yu said calmly.
"You snakes!" Deandre roared.
"We were never loyal to Ishu Chu," Li Hong sneered. "We serve Mechu. We serve Prince Weilong Zhao. We learned everything we needed about how your soldiers move, and what they are taught. The Abbot is weakened because of the training incident. Weilong will kill him with ease."
"You bastards," Liwei hissed.
He had no time. He had to choose.
Fight here or run home.
His jaw tightened.
"Killian," he said, voice sharp and urgent. "You're the fastest. Go! Now! Save the Abbot! We'll handle these traitors."
Killian didn't hesitate.
He launched forward, and as the trees blurred around him his thoughts became louder than the wind.
Liwei stood still for a moment after Killian vanished into the trees, feeling the weight of his decision crushing down on him.
Please let me have made the right choice... please...
He couldn't show fear, not now, not in front of his pupils, and definitely not in front of the traitors smirking at him.
Zhi Yu's hand hovered near his concealed blade.
Li Hong cracked his knuckles, grinning.
"You sent your fastest one away," Zhi Yu taunted.
"How tragic. You've weakened your group."
Liwei inhaled slowly.
He was shaking, not from fear, but from anger.
"You infiltrated my home. You pretended to be my students. You bowed before the Abbot..."
His voice trembled.
"...and you planned his death the entire time."
Li Hong shrugged.
"That's war."
Dre stepped forward, rage radiating from him.
"Shut up. I'm going to break your damn jaw."
Liwei raised his arm.
"No, Dre. Control your emotions. Remember your training."
Inside, though, Liwei was barely holding his own emotions together. He felt guilt for not noticing the spies sooner, and shame for putting the village at risk. But most of all he felt fear, cold and sharp, as he imagined the Abbot fighting alone.
But he hardened his eyes.
"If Killian fails... the Abbot dies," he whispered to himself.
"Then we CANNOT fail here."
Li Hong charged first like a reckless bull.
Deandre transformed in an instant, body widening and hardening, catching Li Hong's fist mid-strike.
"Not this time," Dre growled.
He swung Li Hong through a tree.
Zhi Yu darted in like a blur of speed, his daggers carving toward Liwei's ribs.
Liwei pulled his dagger from his pocket.
Their weapons clashed with a ringing spark.
Zhi Yu smiled.
"You've improved, teacher."
Liwei's jaw clenched.
"You never deserved to call me that."
Zhi Yu vanished behind him, only to get snatched mid-air by Dre's massive hand.
"Gotcha!"
Dre slammed Zhi Yu into the ground, but the traitor twisted free and leapt back, spitting blood.
"Stupid-"
Dre roared, shifting into an animal-like form, a cheetah. His speed doubled.
Zhi Yu couldn't keep up this time.
Liwei engaged Li Hong, sending throwing knives his way, slicing through the air, cutting armor, cutting flesh. His face was tight, not with hatred, but with grief.
"After everything we gave you... THIS is what you choose?"
Li Hong spat at his feet.
"It was never a choice. We were always with Mechu, with Weilong."
That was the last thing he ever said.
Dre grabbed him from behind in a new Gorilla form, lifted him, and Liwei finished the fight with a spear of hardened water through Li Hong's chest.
Zhi Yu tried to flee, but Dre grew wings on his back, in his Hawk form, he swooped down and crushed him to the ground by transforming back to his base form and enlarging himself.
The forest went silent.
Liwei looked at the bodies of the traitors, his former students, and his throat tightened.
"Why... why didn't I see it sooner?" he whispered.
Dre placed a huge hand on his shoulder.
"Master... we did what we had to."
Liwei nodded, though his eyes were wet.
"Then let's pray Killian can do the same. Since when could you do all of that?"
"I discovered it during my trial, my guardian spoke to me, he told me there are abilities in this world I can obtain without vessel powers. Beast transformation was a latent ability I had been able to unlock. Now let's hurry to the village."
farther away from the forest Killian ran.........
Killian's mind flooded with thoughts as he ran.
Faster.
I have to be faster!
If something happens to the Abbot... if something happens to the village...
His lungs burned, but he pushed harder.
I should've seen this coming. I should've been there. I should've sensed it, how didn't I realize?
Branches whipped at his face as he vaulted from tree to tree. Guilt crawled up his throat like fire. He could feel the presence of danger up ahead, heavy, suffocating, wrong. His stomach twisted.
Don't let me be late... please...
He pushed wind beneath his legs, he moved so fast he almost felt weightless. His heart slammed his chest.
You're a vessel. Act like it! I have to use this power, I can't let him die because I wasn't good enough. Because I wasn't fast enough! I won't fail him. I WON'T.
He broke the tree line and saw the flames of the village.
His heart shattered.
When Killian reached the village,
Hell was waiting.
Children screaming. Women sprinting for shelter. Warrior monks falling in blood-soaked streets. Killian rushed through the chaos, knocking soldiers aside, ripping others off villagers, his movements fueled by raw desperation.
He burst into the Abbot's building.
The doors to the gardens were wide open.