The silence returned once again…
But this time, inside one of the halls of the Red Bear Sect.
The four walls, adorned with the Red Bear symbol, seemed to tighten with the silence, carrying within them the remnants of anger that had not yet faded.
Naris was seated on one of the chairs, leaning slightly back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling…
But his mind…
Was not there.
"…"
A heavy silence.
Nothing broke it—
Except the sound of the door.
It opened quietly this time.
And Lumian entered.
His steps were neither hurried nor slow… but measured, as if each step carried full awareness of his place within this hall.
Naris turned toward him without changing his posture and said in a calm tone, though it carried clear irritation:
"Why did you follow me…?"
He paused.
Then added, with less patience:
"Don't you have other matters to attend to… or has watching me become one of your duties now?"
Lumian smiled.
A faint smile… but it did not reach his eyes.
Then he said as he approached slowly:
"Don't exaggerate, Naris… if I wanted to watch you, I wouldn't make my presence this obvious."
He stopped in front of him.
Then added in a deeper tone:
"I'm here… because there's something worth discussing."
Naris sighed and closed his eyes for a second, then said:
"Go ahead… what is it?"
Lumian replied without hesitation:
"About the Celestial Phoenix Sect… and specifically about what happened today."
At that moment—
Naris straightened slightly in his seat.
His eyes shifted from emptiness… directly to Lumian.
"Hoooh…"
He said it slowly.
Then continued:
"The third generation disciples failed… a disgraceful failure. They returned in a pitiful state, and some of them didn't return at all."
He paused.
Then looked at him sharply:
"And now… you want to tell me we're going to stand by and do nothing?"
Lumian answered calmly:
"We are not the elders of the sect… nor decision-makers. We are second generation disciples, and no matter how strong we are… there is a system that must be respected."
Then he added in a longer, deeper tone:
"This kind of conflict is not resolved through impulse, nor by the desire to prove strength, but through timing… and through precise reading of what happens behind the curtain. Because what we saw today… was not merely a defeat, but an indication that something has entered the equation—something we have yet to understand."
Naris exhaled sharply.
"Hah…"
Then said in a low but tense voice:
"So we wait? We wait until the elders return, to give us orders that may not even match what we see now?"
He stood up suddenly.
His eyes flared.
"Do you know what the problem is, Lumian?"
He stepped closer.
"That waiting… kills opportunities."
At that moment—
The atmosphere changed.
Lumian's aura erupted suddenly.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
As if the air itself had grown denser.
His gaze shifted.
Sharp.
Cold.
"Watch your words, Naris…"
He said it slowly.
But every word… carried weight.
"The difference between us and fools… is that we don't act just because we can."
He stepped forward.
"But because we know when… and why."
In contrast—
Naris did not step back.
Instead—
He smiled.
A faint smile.
Then—
His own aura erupted as well.
The two auras clashed.
In silence.
But their impact…
Made the walls tremble.
"And what if I refuse?"
Naris said.
Clearly.
Without hesitation.
Silence fell.
Only seconds.
But it was enough.
Then—
The auras subsided.
As if nothing had happened.
Lumian exhaled and looked away slightly, then said in a calmer tone:
"You think like someone who wants to win now…"
He paused.
Then looked at him again:
"And I think like someone who doesn't want to lose later."
Silence.
Then he continued, in a longer, deeper sentence:
"What happened today doesn't just mean that the Celestial Phoenix Sect repelled an attack—it means there is something unaccounted for… an element that wasn't in the reports, that didn't appear in the calculations. And that alone is enough to make any direct move… an uncalculated risk."
He paused.
Then added:
"Let them think they've won… let them relax… because a strike that comes after the enemy lets their guard down… is always deeper."
Naris did not respond immediately.
But—
His eyes did not settle.
"…"
Then he finally said:
"You're playing a long game…"
Lumian smiled:
"And you like quick endings."
Silence.
Then—
"That's why we're equal."
Lumian turned.
"Anyway…"
He stopped at the door.
"We'll wait… until one of the elders returns… or one of the first generation disciples."
Then he added, without turning back:
"And then… we'll see whether what happened today… was just an incident… or the beginning of something bigger."
And he left.
Stillness.
The silence returned.
But this time—
It was heavier.
Naris remained standing for a few moments.
Then sat down slowly.
He placed his hand on his face for a moment.
Then lowered it.
"…"
"A person… at the level of a Dormant Seed…"
He let out a soft laugh.
But it wasn't mockery.
It was—
Closer to contemplation.
"Terrifying disciples nearing the Root level…?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"This isn't their weakness…"
"Nor his strength…"
"It's a flaw."
He paused.
Then—
"In the foundation itself."
He closed his eyes.
"Power… is not a number."
"Nor a level."
"But… a result."
He opened his eyes.
Slowly.
"And results… don't lie."
He stood.
One step forward.
"If what they said is true…"
"Then that means there is someone…"
He paused.
Then—
"Who breaks logic."
He smiled.
A cold smile.
"And that kind…"
"Either gets killed early…"
"Or… becomes a disaster."
"And also… the most likely possibility is that what I heard was merely illusions that affected the third generation disciples, as this goes against reason and the rules of the world… or that this person they spoke of is hiding his level in such a way that those below him cannot perceive it, and this is the second most likely possibility… but in this case… all possibilities are possible."
Silence.
"Hooooof… this is becoming truly annoying."
He sighed…
Then said calmly:
"I really… don't like disasters I don't understand."
He walked toward the window.
Looked outside.
Far away.
"The Celestial Phoenix Sect…"
He paused.
Then—
"It seems… you are hiding something…"
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"And I will find it."
And at that moment…
In a distant place…
Within the same empire…
Inside another sect…
Someone…
Was opening a book…
For the first time.
And here…
The first thread began…
Between two people…
Who had not yet met.
But—
Their fate…
Had already begun to move toward each other.