The moon's shine was reflected in a thousand cups of wine; night had come in the eastern plain, yet the city's hustle and bustle was more alive than in the day.
The aroma of warmed liquor, cologne, and pipe smoke wafted through the Hundred Swords Pavilion.
Danho, Elem, and Santa sat side by side, sharing a bottle of the pavilion's finest.
"Private rooms sure are different in the big city!" Elem remarked as he took a sip of the Motai liquor.
"Wait till I take you to meet the emperor. After you wipe the floor with his warriors, I'll have him spit out that thousand-year-old bottle of Lay Mou that he has been hiding."
Elem froze in his seat, while Santa rolled up his sleeves, preparing to destroy the emperor's guards.
"Senior... Wouldn't the emperor execute you for speaking like this?"
"Like his people could ever subdue me. However, I've known him since he was last in line for the throne; he wouldn't bat an eye even if I committed a capital offence."
Elem's head snapped toward Danho.
"Senior, isn't the current emperor nearly 90 years old?"
"Time does fly by... I remember the day I killed his brothers during the New Year's hunt just like yesterday. To this day, he still asks me to join his court."
Liquor spurted out of Elem's mouth as he stared at Danho.
"You're old and a bastard, Danho!" Santa remarked casually, probably because he didn't know what an emperor was.
"Some bastards are better at ruining the taste of fine liquors than they are at fighting." Danho spoke as he held Santa in a headlock.
The sight of the two reminded Elem of his family in the Deep Cold.
Elem's stupefied stare eased into reminiscence as he let out a raucous laugh.
"Scrawny! Are you laughing at my plight? Do you enjoy seeing this ancient bastard torture me?" Santa barked at Elem as the grip on his neck grew tighter.
After taking a moment to catch his breath, Elem responded.
"Haa... No, I'm not. It's just that you two remind me of Vera and Sect Leader Leng."
Santa's incessant struggling stilled, his brows furrowed as he stared at Elem. For the first time since they travelled together, Elem and Danho saw Santa with a serious expression.
"Scrawny... Vera is the warrior I fought during our last battle, right?" Santa spoke in a low tone; his words seemed almost respectful.
"Hm. He thought pretty highly of you after the battle."
The creases over Santa's eyes softened.
"Scrawny—no, Elem. Can you tell me something about him?"
Elem looked hesitant as Santa asked about Vera, but even Danho glanced at him with intrigue.
Just a little should be fine, right...? Nothing too revealing.
Elem took a swig from his cup of Motai liquor.
"Well, since Senior Danho has treated us to such fine liquor, it would be rude of me not to offer something in return."
Glasses of liquor clinked as they were left on the table. The burning of mugwort cooled as the pipe was left unsmoked. The sound of the city's warriors and racketeers formed a muddled chorus in the room.
"Back when we were still kids, Vera almost lost in a sparring match... against me."
In all their time together, Danho had never been taken aback by anything. But, today, for the first time, Danho's breath hitched.
Santa poured a glass of liquor and passed it to Elem.
"In our match I broke the path of Vera's sword. I exploited his weakened tempo and caught him in a sword net." Elem spoke as he took a sip from his cup.
"But in the end, his qi completely broke the sword net along with the ceiling... I ended up pissing myself. Ever since that day, Vera became restrained with the way he used his qi," he recounted casually. A slight tremor passed through his right arm.
Santa's serious gaze turned to a sheepish grin.
"That is impossible, scrawny; you never go all in with your attacks."
The sound of those who live at night weakened as laughter and words filled the room again. However, even through Danho's boisterous laughter, the creases around his eyes didn't disappear.
***
The crackles of the campfire sounded in the cover of night.
Sword Dog found a comfortable spot near Vera and lay down. Mei, on the other hand, was busy making a blanket for herself using vines and hemp.
"Mei, can you tell me about the Jiao?" Vera asked as he tucked himself into his blanket.
"No."
Vera reached for his rucksack and pulled out a sweet wrapped in baking paper. Mei's ears perked up as she heard the rustling of wrapped sweets.
"I'll give you sweets if you tell me."
"The Jiao was handpicked by the elders of the Dragon clan for his sheer superiority. He has no notable origins nor relations; his talent alone was enough to disregard things like bloodline in a Divine Beast clan."
Mei looked toward Vera, waiting for her sweets.
"Do you think just that is enough? You've met him before, right? Tell me about what kind of person he is." Vera spoke as he dangled the candy in front of Mei.
A tired sigh escaped her; the prospect of sweets was too much for her to resist.
"He seemed focused. Everything he did was overwhelming; even the act of offering me a cup of tea was oppressive. He reminded me of a man I had met around a year ago."
Mei rubbed her chin as she thought about the man she'd met.
"Ahh! I remember, his name was Vast Heavens."
Every muscle in Vera's body tensed up.
His blanket rustled as he got up and walked away from the camp.
"Weren't you going to sleep? Also, could you give me the sweets?"
Vera threw the wrapped candy towards Mei as he continued walking.
The crunching of leaves faded as Vera grew further from the camp; dim viridescent hues shone through a canopy of budding trees.
A faded scar on Vera's chest ached. Only movement could ease this throbbing.
Am I afraid?
Vera asked himself, but the lack of a single tremor in his body gave him the answer.
Am I shocked?
The searing heat in his veins showed him otherwise.
Am I angry?
The precision in his movements told him enough.
In truth, Vera knew what he was feeling. The insatiable need to grow stronger, the resounding beating of his chest.
Each step left deep craters in the ground.
Vera knew...
I can't wait to fight you.
Deeper east of the forest, a grand lake undulated.
The moon's visage contorted under the water's ferocious waves.
A monolith of a man moved upon the water's surface. Just like Vera, his blood also bore a searing heat.
Each step he took birthed a tidal wave, overwhelming all things in sight.
The words of Vast Heavens resounded through his mind.
'In these plains there is a man whose talent rivals, if not surpasses, yours. He will soon arrive on the Demon Continent to challenge the guardians. I'm sure he can give you the battle you so desire.'
His fists quivered as they tore through the air.
The moon's elegant radiance shone over his scaled arms, complementing his tanned skin.
An overwhelming smile that stretched to the corner of his regal golden eyes.
Challenger! I can't wait to fight you.
Drums of War echoed in each of their hearts.
The skies parted as an immortal played his move. The pieces were set in place; all that was left was for them to clash.
In the covers of the eastern plains a prodigy would soon shed his shackles.
Day or night, Heaven's watchful eyes observed. The ripples on the board, once still, whispered in its ears.
The chaotic era was to meet its end soon.