The world outside the sect felt… different.
Not quieter.
Just more honest.
No fake respect. No hidden whispers. Just wind, mountains, and whatever danger decided to show up without pretending otherwise.
Eryndor walked alone through a narrow valley, hands in his sleeves, eyes calm—but inside? Yeah, not so calm. The seal on his chest was still there, still doing its job… mostly. But every now and then, it pulsed, like something underneath was testing the walls.
He could feel it.
Something was off.
Not behind him.
Not ahead.
Above.
Always above.
That's when the wind stopped.
Just like that.
Dead silence.
Eryndor didn't even need to look up.
"…So you finally showed up," he muttered.
A voice answered—not loud, not dramatic, just cold.
"Target confirmed."
And then—
Boom.
The sky split—not like before, not cosmic—but sharp, controlled. A figure dropped from above and slammed into the ground a few meters away, cracking stone like it was nothing.
Tall. Armored. Eyes glowing faintly silver.
Not human.
Not fully.
A hunter.
Eryndor didn't move.
"Sent by the heavens?" he asked.
The figure tilted its head slightly. "Designation: anomaly. Objective: elimination."
Yeah. That answered it.
"No talking, huh?" Eryndor sighed. "Figures."
The attack came fast.
Too fast for normal cultivators.
The hunter blurred forward, fist aimed straight at Eryndor's chest—the exact spot of the seal.
Not random.
Precise.
Eryndor barely shifted.
The punch grazed him—but the force behind it blasted the ground apart, sending debris flying.
"Okay…" he said under his breath, sliding back slightly. "So you're serious."
The second strike didn't miss.
It landed.
Hard.
Eryndor flew back, crashing into a rock wall. Blood hit his lips instantly.
For a second—
He stayed there.
Still.
Then slowly…
He stood up.
Wiped the blood.
And smiled.
Not happy.
Not excited.
Just… done holding back.
"You picked the wrong day," he said quietly.
The seal on his chest flickered.
Cracked.
Just a little more.
The hunter moved again—but this time, Eryndor moved first.
Not faster.
Sharper.
He sidestepped the attack like he saw it coming seconds earlier, grabbed the hunter's arm, and twisted.
The sound of metal grinding echoed.
The hunter didn't scream.
Didn't react.
Just adapted.
Its body shifted mid-motion, counterattacking instantly.
This wasn't a normal enemy.
It was built to fight things like him.
"Yeah…" Eryndor muttered, ducking another strike. "You're not human."
The hunter's voice stayed emotionless.
"Correction: optimized."
"Of course you are."
The fight escalated fast.
Blow after blow.
Impact after impact.
The valley started breaking apart under them—rocks shattering, ground splitting, air vibrating from every clash.
Eryndor was holding his own.
But barely.
Not because he was weaker—
Because he was restrained.
The seal was limiting him.
Slowing him.
And the hunter knew it.
Every strike targeted his chest.
Every move calculated to pressure the seal.
Then it happened.
A direct hit.
Right on the seal.
Crack.
This time—
Everyone would've heard it.
If anyone was there.
Eryndor froze for a split second.
Not from pain.
From what came after.
Silence.
Then—
A pulse.
Dark.
Deep.
Hungry.
The air dropped in temperature instantly.
The hunter paused.
Just for a fraction of a second.
And that was enough.
Eryndor lifted his head.
His eyes…
Not normal.
Not fully.
Something deeper was staring out.
"…You really shouldn't have done that," he said softly.
The hunter attacked again.
But this time—
It didn't land.
Because Eryndor didn't move like before.
He didn't dodge.
He didn't block.
He just… stood there.
And the attack stopped inches from his body.
Not by force.
By absence.
Like the energy behind it just… disappeared.
The hunter stepped back.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
"Anomaly level increased."
Eryndor exhaled slowly.
The crack in the seal spread further.
Not breaking.
But weakening.
And the thing inside him?
It wasn't raging.
It was awake.
"Now it's my turn," he said.
And vanished.
The impact came from above.
The hunter slammed into the ground so hard the entire valley shook.
Before it could recover—
Another strike.
Then another.
Relentless.
Precise.
Not wild power.
Controlled destruction.
But something strange happened.
Eryndor stopped mid-attack.
Hand raised.
Breath steady.
The hunter lay broken beneath him—but not destroyed.
And for a moment…
He hesitated.
Kill it.
The thought came naturally.
Easy.
Clean.
Expected.
But then—
Mei Lin's voice echoed in his memory.
"You haven't chosen it."
Eryndor's hand tightened.
Then slowly…
He lowered it.
The hunter twitched.
Systems stabilizing.
Recalculating.
"…Why?" it asked.
Its first real question.
Eryndor stepped back.
"Because I'm not you."
He turned.
Started walking away.
Just like that.
Behind him, the hunter slowly stood.
Damaged.
But functional.
It watched him go.
Did not attack.
Did not follow.
"New directive…" it said quietly.
"Observe."
Eryndor didn't look back.
But he felt it.
The shift.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
As he walked deeper into the mountains, the wind returned.
Soft.
Cold.
Real.
But above him—
The sky remained slightly dim.
Because
The heavens weren't just watching.
They were testing him.