Mae-Bi sat cross-legged at the edge of the clearing, breathing slow and steady. Mist curled through the trees as the sun began to dip behind the horizon. He wasn't meditating for peace. Just survival.
Inside, his Qi swirled in his dantian, mending what his bones couldn't. The system worked silently, repairing internal damage from the brutal battle with Gun-Sik.
Even half-healed, he looked calm.
Across from him, Rak sat stiffly, bruised and swollen like a broken doll that had learned nothing. His eyes were open, watching. Then, slowly, he stood and walked toward Mae-Bi.
Mae-Bi didn't open his eyes. "What?"
Rak exhaled, bitter. "I'm here to say... thanks. For saving Yuri. I can't imagine what that bastard would've done to her if you hadn't stepped up."
Mae-Bi stood, brushing dirt off his robes. "Don't thank me. You're the reason she was in danger in the first place."
"I know." Rak's jaw tightened. "I'm not here to apologize. I don't regret what I did. Even if I died back there, I'd still be grateful... because she's alive. The team's alive."
He paused. "But tell me this—how did you even know? I gave you a fake map. How did you see through it? How did you know I planned to kill you?"
Mae-Bi's eyes narrowed. "Because it was obvious."
Rak blinked.
"You hate me, Rak. You've hated me since the selection. You didn't even bother to hide it. You think people who smile and scream are dangerous?" Mae-Bi stepped closer. "It's the quiet ones. The ones like you. The ones who sit in silence while sharpening the knife."
Rak looked stunned for a second. Then he scoffed. "I don't care what you saw. I just wish you died back there. I was happy when that bastard Gun-Sik pummeled you."
Mae-Bi gave him a long, cold stare. "Then why are you still standing here?"
Rak moved in close. "Because I'll kill you. One day. After the punishment... if I'm still breathing, I'll make sure you suffer."
Mae-Bi didn't flinch. "This is jealousy."
"No." Rak's eyes flared with something deeper. "It's hatred. You took everything from us. You stole our command, our team. You killed Cho Gwan. I don't know how, and I don't care what trick you used to get strong—but I know it was you."
Mae-Bi let out a sharp laugh, one that made nearby teammates look up.
Then his smile vanished. "You still don't get it."
He stepped past Rak, voice low like a dagger sliding into flesh.
"This isn't an orthodox sect. This is the Demonic Cult. We don't live by morals. We live by orders. Blood. Fear."
Mae-Bi stopped, glancing over his shoulder.
"You think I care what you accuse me of? You think I regret anything I've done?" His voice dropped. "I could've left you behind again. Thrown you into the wolves. And I still might."
Rak's hands trembled at his sides.
"One last piece of advice," Mae-Bi said, his tone dry. "Keep clinging to love and family in a place like this... and you'll end up dead."
Rak stood alone, fists clenched, breathing hard—while Mae-Bi walked away like nothing happened.
The rest of the team said nothing.
But everyone saw it:
The line between them had been drawn. And one day, blood would follow.
Mae-Bi walked ahead in silence, the team trailing behind him as they approached the infamous bridge — an old, rickety structure stretching over a bottomless fog. Its creaking echoed through the valley like a warning.
One step, and it looked ready to collapse.
"Hey!" Jin called out. "Are we seriously crossing this death trap?!"
Mae-Bi didn't stop. "It's an illusion. Use Veil Step and don't hesitate — the bridge isn't real, but your fear is."
He vanished with a silent step, landing on the other side like a ghost.
"Damn, he really knows too much," Yuri muttered, folding her arms and following with a leap of her own.
One by one, the rest of the squad followed, using their Veil Step to skip over the phantom wood. But once they reached the other side—
Everything vanished into white.
A thick, chilling fog swallowed them whole. The world turned to mist.
"Leader?!" someone shouted.
Mae-Bi's voice cut through the haze. "Don't split up! Stay close! And for the love of your ancestors—don't inhale this fog."
"You forgot to mention that part!" Jin barked from behind, coughing.
"Oops." Mae-Bi smiled faintly. "Slipped my mind."
Clink.
A sharp sound. Metal slicing air.
Mae-Bi's hand moved in a blur — catching three shuriken in a flash. The rest of the team snapped to attention as more flew through the fog.
"Show yourself!" Mae-Bi shouted. "I am Mae-Bi, Fifth Division of the Blood Blade Sect. Sent by the First Pillar himself."
For a moment, only silence.
Then the fog began to recede, slowly unraveling like smoke drawn by breath. Footsteps emerged — quiet, synchronized, deliberate.
From the veil stepped a tall man in black robes, a silk patch over his right eye, his left gleaming with quiet menace. Behind him, dozens of assassins stood at attention — masked, armed, unreadable.
Mae-Bi recognized him instantly.
Oh Mun-Jae.
First Squad Leader of the Thousand Venoms Sect.
Once nearly equal to Baek Mu-Gi — until the infamous duel that left him half-blind.
The squad immediately dropped to one knee.
"Greetings, First Leader of the Thousand Venoms Sect," they said in unison.
Mae-Bi dipped his head respectfully but didn't kneel. His instincts were screaming — something about this felt...off.
Oh Mun-Jae looked him over — the torn clothes, the bandaged ribs, the dried blood and tired eyes.
So this was the boy the First Pillar had taken interest in?
He didn't look like much. Dirty. Rough. Still raw in the eyes. But that aura... the faint trace of Flowing Qi. And behind those tired eyes, something sharp.
A sleeping weapon.
Oh Mun-Jae finally spoke. His voice was calm, measured. "Welcome. Mae-Bi, Fifth Division Squad Leader. The Empress wishes to see you."
Mae-Bi's blood ran cold at those words.
Her? Alone?
He forced a polite nod. "I see. What about my squad?"
"They will be taken care of. Fed. Rested. But the Empress asked for you. And only you."
Behind him, his team shifted nervously.
Jin leaned in. "You good?"
"Not at all," Mae-Bi muttered.
He looked at Oh Mun-Jae and gave a shallow bow. "Then lead the way."
As he stepped forward into the fog again, one thought echoed in his mind:
Why me?
And why did her name feel like poison on his tongue?