Author's Preface
Chengdu's streets were loud, filled with merchants, martial artists, the sound of hammers clashing against steel from the blacksmith. Blue walked alongside Seori, Kwan and Ryul as they combed the city for even a whisper of Yoryeon's pendant. Hours turned into days, each lead a dead end.
On the third night they stepped into a crowded tavern, the kind where any secret could be purchased with some gold. Once known as the Hao sect headquarters, only a remnant of the famous intel gathering network remained. As the four settled into a corner table Seori froze. Her eyes locked on to a familiar silhouette seated by the fireplace. Jaegal Li.
Seori crossed the tavern floor calmly. Jaegal Li raised two fingers from his glass as his gaze met hers. "Seori. You don't approach me like I'm the man who raised you, rather you come to me like I am a stranger."
She pulled out a chair and sat across from him. "I approached you exactly as you taught me. Without affection, or weakness. With purpose." She gestured for a drink from the barmaid.
"Then tell me, what purpose brings you here? Surely not drink." Jaegal Li grinned
"The pendant Blue found in the vault. What do you know about it? How did it come to rest in the Alliance vault?" She probed.
Li shrugged his shoulders. "Relics wander. Spoils of war, forgotten heirlooms, bargains struck by men too blind to know what they held. Does the road matter more than the destination?"
"It does. That pendant isn't just some forgotten relic. It was my grandfathers."
Li stroked his chin and thought to himself. "It is Yoryeon's huh. You've given much more than I asked for child."
"And the boy who wears it?" He leaned forward. "He picked it freely, yet not only do Tang descendants gravitate toward him, but also a random pendant you claim is Yoryeons. Almost as if fate itself is connected to that young man. Did he claim the pendant, or did the pendant claim him?"
For a moment Seori froze. She was twelve years old again. Answering riddles that were just questions disguised, caught in his net before she took notice. "Damn it... I walked right into it." She thought to herself. "You taught me never to answer questions hidden inside other questions."
"And yet, you and your brothers drag along a stray to chase pieces of the pendant through Chengdu, combing graves, whisperings at taverns. Strange behavior for something so meaningless."
Her breath caught. "He's been listening. Watching. Every move, every word." Then clarity struck her. "He's weaving half-truths to pull me in and I let him. This isn't about the pendant at all to him. He's seeing how much I'll bleed out. Such deep resentment he holds for me now. I'll use it." Her lips curved into a faint smile. She leaned forward, matching his posture. "Then why mention it at all?" She asked. "If it is meaningless, why let it pass your lips? Why be here waiting for me. Why would something so trivial reach the ears of Murim’s great strategist... unless you have been following me or Blue. I assume the orders came from him? Hyeon is too busy with his quarrel with my family to care about Blue. So it must be him."
Jageal Li's smile faltered. His hand tremors shaking his glass slightly. "Cold. Calculated. She took what little I gave her and figured it out. I pushed too far." He chuckled. "It seems my dear, we both offered more than was asked. You've grown, Seori. More than I thought. Quite the strategist. An Ascendant of words and tactics my dear."
Seori's hand fidgeted under the table. From across the room Blue watched the battle. "Is he getting to her?" He stood, as he reached their table in time to hear Seori speak confidently. "Enough of the games. I'll thank you for what you’ve given me and I will never forget it. I owe you my life. But continue to meddle with my family and you will force my hand. We both know how that ends."
Blue's hand came down gently on her shoulder. His eyes met Li's gaze. His eyes filled with scorn, he bowed just enough to make the gesture sting.
Seori stood. "It was a pleasure, Chief Strategist. Enjoy your evening." They walked away together, Seori’s steps steady. "He dragged me in. I let emotion steer me for a breath. But I turned it. Never again. Next time, I’ll set the snare."
"Yoryeon's pendant. Is it what Mal’kareth mentioned I wonder? Either way, she gave me more than she realizes." He smiled into his drink. "Ending that boy is the right call. The Tang orbit him like the sun. Now a relic of that damned Yoryeon finds its way to him as well. Enjoy it while it lasts." Li held his cup in the air to cheers Blue and Seori as they walked away.
For ten days they chased whispers. Taverns, shrines, pawnshops, even the forgotten graves along Chengdu’s outskirts, every breadcrumb led to dust. No sign of the pendant’s origin, no hint of how the Alliance had ever gotten their hands on it.
The day before Seori’s meeting with the elders, the siblings wandered further than planned and stopped short beneath a crooked willow tree. Its roots split the earth where their childhood home had once stood.
Seori tilted her head back, staring at the branches. Her voice came softer than Blue had ever heard it. “I remember that day vividly. Too vividly. Even though I was young, my memories never let me forget. Sometimes I think that’s why it was so easy to work under Jaegal. He taught me to bury feelings, to use logic instead. It was survival.”
Kwan’s gaze lingered on the ruins, his jaw tight. “I haven’t been here since that night. I’ve spent years hunting that black figure. The only thing I regret,” his voice broke, just a fraction. “was that we all split up. I wasn’t like you back then, Jiung. I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t protect anyone, and I let everyone get swept away.”
Ryul stepped up beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder. “And yet, here we are. We all turned out just fine, didn’t we?” He gave a thin smile. “Still… it feels strange standing here. I can see it. Grandfather training under this tree. And you, Jiung, watching him when you thought the rest of us were asleep.” He paused. “Do you ever think it’ll be like that again? Do we even stand a chance against what stole this from us?”
The silence cracked. Seori sank to her knees, her face folding under years of sorrow she’d refused to feel. Decades of tears finally broke free, raw and unrestrained.
Blue crouched, gathering her into his arms. His voice dropped low. "It’s okay to cry, you know. It makes me sad too.” He looked over Seori’s shoulder to Ryul and Kwan. “Yes. We’ll make it like that again. We’ll take this world back. I swear it.”
Seori sniffled, pulling away just enough to wipe her face. “We should go. I have a meeting tomorrow I can’t miss, and Blue, you need to be there too.”