Kyrian sat for a while on the edge of the bed, staring at the cold stone floor.

He had already decided his next moves, but still, doubt hovered around him.

He took a deep breath, resting his elbow on his knee and looking at the mark on his hand.

The memory of the slight burning returned insistently. Kyrian was thinking about whether he should try to sever that connection. He felt he could, but at the same time the curiosity about the mark did not let him do so.

"Should I leave the sect again so soon…?"

He had just returned. He had barely rested and already thought of leaving the sect again. For some reason, since always, something prevented him from staying still.

He was always searching for something, and that something now was strength. There was no way to stay still.

"Finding another black mass of hostility now is not possible. I have no way of knowing where they will appear or how to track them."

"Then I have to leave that and the blank book aside for now. I also can't advance my cultivation for the time being."

"I also don't need to train and learn techniques like the others… if I wanted, I could live being lazy…"

After a few more minutes in silence, he shook his head and sighed.

"No. I'll wait a few more days before going after the other natural formation."

So, Kyrian decided to relax a bit. It was at that moment that a sound came from outside.

He lifted his gaze and opened the door to his room.

Yanyu entered through the main door carrying several bags and boxes, balancing everything in her arms.

Kyrian recognized immediately what was happening, and a slight understanding smile appeared on his lips.

"Again?" he said, watching the boxes being placed on the table.

"Yes. I thought you wouldn't have anything to eat if I didn't come here." She replied with a firm look, but in a light tone.

Kyrian moved closer, pulled one of the chairs, and sat. The smell of the food spread quickly through the air.

Kyrian began to devour it without wasting time, as if he hadn't eaten in days.

Yanyu settled opposite him, serving herself as well.

For a moment, the place fell silent. Only the sound of cutlery and the wind passing through the window.

After a few minutes, Yanyu looked at him and said.

"I'm going out on a mission in the next few days."

Kyrian looked at her, unsurprised.

"Alone?"

"Yes. I want to test my own abilities. After that, I'll strive to become a central disciple."

She smiled, confident.

"My cultivation has progressed much faster than I could have imagined. It won't take long for me to catch up to you."

Kyrian chewed slowly as he listened and merely nodded.

"That's good."

"And what about Ren Yao?" Kyrian asked after a few seconds.

"He's training hard. I'll help him in the next few days. I think he'll have no trouble winning his scheduled fight."

Kyrian nodded again and, without saying anything, took out some spirit stones.

They were dozens, gleaming a brighter light than usual. He placed them on the table and pushed them toward her.

Yanyu looked confused.

"What is this?"

"It's your payment." Kyrian said in a natural tone.

"I should be training Ren Yao to repay the debt, but I left that to you."

"Payment?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Kyrian, this is a lot. I don't need—"

"You do." He interrupted her without changing tone.

"Besides, I have more than enough for myself. It won't be missed."

She looked at him for a few seconds and then sighed, taking the spirit stones.

"All right. I accept."

Kyrian nodded, satisfied.

For a moment, the air between them lightened.

Yanyu watched him and then asked, as if she already knew the answer.

"You're going out again, aren't you?"

Kyrian looked at her, surprised, his gray eyes fixed on hers.

"Yes. But not now. Only in a few days."

Yanyu only nodded, not insisting.

At that moment, a soft sound came from the sofa. Luz, who had been curled up in the corner sleeping, stirred, making a hoarse noise and stretching.

Yanyu looked and laughed.

"I think someone else is hungry too."

Kyrian reached out, took a few more spirit stones, and threw them toward the fox. Luz devoured them immediately, her white fur and golden stripes shimmering in the dim light.

"She's just like you." Yanyu said, still with a slight smile.

"What do you mean?" Kyrian asked.

"She never refuses anything that might make her stronger. It's like she's always after more strength for some reason…"

"Aren't we all like that?" Kyrian said, not denying it.

Yanyu didn't answer. Shortly after, she stopped eating and gathered a few things from the table.

"Well, I'm leaving. I have to prepare to train Ren Yao and then depart for the mission."

Kyrian nodded and accompanied her to the courtyard gate. She turned once more before leaving.

"Don't take too long to come back when you go out again."

Kyrian didn't reply.

Yanyu smiled and headed for the stairs, disappearing from his sight.

Kyrian didn't linger and went back inside.

Now it was even quieter. Luz had again fallen into a deep sleep, curled on the sofa.

He sat at the table, taking from his ring the five books found in the Linha cavern.

The covers were made of the same dark, dense material.

When he opened the first, the pages were covered with thin, curved symbols, completely unknown to him.

He frowned and closed the book. He opened the second, the third… they were all the same.

"Unknown language. I can't understand absolutely anything…" he murmured.

He stared for a while, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

After thinking, he reached the obvious conclusion. He would ask the elders. Feng Yuan wasn't there, but perhaps Mei Ran knew something.

He stood and left the room, crossing the courtyard toward the main hall.

The sun was already high in the sky, and the wind brought the distant sounds of the sect. When he arrived at the great hall, he saw he wouldn't have to look for her.

Mei Ran was already near the entrance, talking with two men unknown to him but who exuded cultivation certainly above the realm of Liberation.

Kyrian approached and bowed his head slightly.

"Elder Mei Ran."

She glanced at him but finished speaking before responding.

"…half of all the villages in the Linha country were sacrificed by them." She told the men.

"We cannot allow something like this to happen again in our domain. If there is any sign of evil organizations, eliminate them immediately."

The two nodded and then stepped away.

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