His eyes darkened. "Careful, boy."
"I always am," I said evenly. "More than you think."
He stepped closer until the shadows from the lantern caught the hard lines of his face. His voice dropped, silk wrapped around venom.
"You think the elders' favor protects you? It won't. They'll use you until you're inconvenient, then cast you out. I've seen it happen to stronger cultivators than you."
I met his gaze squarely, refusing to flinch. "Maybe. But at least I'll know I didn't become like you."
For a brief moment, the mask slipped—his fury raw and unfiltered. Then, as if he realized I had seen too much, he smiled again, calm and poisonous. "You'll regret that."
He brushed past me, the edge of his robe whispering across my sleeve like a blade's warning. The air he left behind felt colder.
Rikan appeared seconds later, jaw tight. "I saw that. Should I have stepped in?"
