> "Power draws the eye, but mystery haunts the soul."
— Sect Master Lin Yue, Azure Sky Sect
---
The wind whispered over the ridge, rustling the blood-stained grass where the three headless corpses lay.
And Seo Hana stood frozen in place, trembling—not from fear, but from something deeper. Something unspoken. Her fingers clutched the edges of her tattered sleeves, and her heart still echoed with the weight of that moment.
The boy who saved her.
His face was carved into her memory—sharp jaw, distant gaze, eyes dark as dusk... and that tear.
> Why did he cry?
Why… do I feel like I've met him before?
Her thoughts scattered like petals in the wind, until—
"HANA!"
Voices. Urgent, familiar.
"Where are you?!"
Leaves rustled, and figures burst through the treeline—dozens of young women, clad in flowing azure robes that shimmered under the fading sky.
At the forefront strode a woman of striking presence. Her hair, black threaded with streaks of silver, was bound in a high crown braid, and her gaze held the calm authority of one who had seen a hundred battles and forgotten none.
Sect Master Lin Yue.
"Four hours," Lin Yue said coolly, stepping over the blood-dark earth. "We've been searching for you."
Her eyes swept across the scene—the rocks, the broken blades, and the decapitated corpses.
"…Explain."
Hana bowed low, her voice shaking. "I was scouting west of the ridge, Master. I didn't sense anyone approaching. They were Blade Disciples—three of them. They tore my talisman before I could activate it…"
Her throat tightened.
"I—I thought I would die."
Lin Yue's eyes sharpened. "And these corpses?"
Hana turned, gaze drifting to the place where her world had nearly ended—and where it had changed forever.
"I didn't kill them," she whispered. "Someone else did."
"Who?"
"…A boy. He dropped from the cliff above like a falling star. I didn't even see his blade move. One moment they stood—then their heads were gone."
The disciples behind Lin Yue stirred.
"A male cultivator?" one asked.
"A prodigy?" another whispered.
"Wait—was he cute?" someone teased, nudging Hana with a grin.
"Stop it," she mumbled, red-faced.
"Oh, she's blushing!"
"I am not!"
Giggles rippled through the group, but Lin Yue remained quiet. Her gaze lingered on the blood-soaked stones and the cliff above.
> "To defeat three Blade Disciples in a blink… not raw power. That's experience. Ruthlessness. A blade honed through real war."
She stepped beside Hana and murmured, "You said he cried?"
Hana nodded, eyes lowering. "Just one tear."
"…Interesting."
---
Camp of the Azure Sky Sect – Twilight
Their base was a valley terrace, canopied with spirit lanterns that floated on strands of qi. Blue fire burned in training torches, and the scent of medicinal incense drifted through the crisp mountain air.
As the disciples returned, training resumed in silence. Some sparred under moonlight. Others meditated or honed sword forms. Hana, after being checked by the sect healer, changed into clean robes and sat quietly in the command tent with Lin Yue.
"I failed you, Master," Hana whispered. "I let my guard down."
"No," Lin Yue said, pouring tea into a small jade cup. "You survived."
She set the cup down.
"And more importantly—you felt fear, but didn't give in to it."
"…Even so," Hana said softly, "If he hadn't come…"
"Then you'd be dead," Lin Yue finished. "And that thought should be your motivation."
A pause.
"You're strong, Hana. But strength alone is not enough. The Ten Major Sects Tournament begins in three days. And in that arena, no one will save you. Not even fate."
Hana nodded slowly, a weight settling into her chest.
"Yes, Master."
Lin Yue smiled faintly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Good. Then rest tonight. Tomorrow, we train as if death waits at the end of each step."
---
Later That Night
The fire crackled.
The air was calm.
And yet Hana sat alone at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the place where it had all happened.
Her thoughts refused to settle.
His voice.
His eyes.
His silence.
> Why do I feel like… I've seen him before? Why does my heart ache… like I've lost him once before?
Far above, half-hidden in the darkness of the trees, a figure watched in silence.
Ryu Seok-jin.
His cloak fluttered lightly in the night wind. He didn't understand why he'd returned. Why his feet had brought him back to this spot.
But he had to see her again.
And now that he had…
He wished he hadn't.
Because the past whispered in her smile.
Because his heart—long cold—ached at the sight of her.
> Seo Hana… no. It can't be…
And yet…
> Why do you look just like her?
Ryu turned his back to the firelight.
He could not afford to be soft.
He could not afford to be seen.
His journey was far from over.
But as he vanished into the forest once more, one thought refused to leave him:
> I failed her once. But this time… I'll protect her. Even if it costs me everything.