Morning came quietly, the mist still clinging to the windows like breath on glass. Weylan sat cross-legged on his meditation mat, the spirit lamp flickering beside him. The room was silent, save for the soft hum of spiritual energy pulsing through the runes etched into the walls.
The door creaked open.
Shae stepped in, her white robes trailing behind her like a whisper. In her hands was a familiar cup—warm, fragrant, and laced with the herbs she'd brewed for him every morning for years.
"You didn't come to the courtyard," she said gently, setting the cup down beside him. "I thought I'd bring it to you."
Weylan opened his eyes and offered a small smile. "Thank you, Master."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave.
He didn't reject the tea. Not outright. He simply set it aside and closed his eyes again, returning to his meditation. But the scent lingered—sweet, calming, familiar. And now, suspect.
"Aren't you going to drink it while it's warm?" Shae asked, surprised by his hesitation.
"I will after I'm done meditating," he answered.
She didn't push him. She just left. But her mind was already working overtime, trying to decipher what had changed in Weylan.
__
After an hour of meditation, Weylan rose and made his way to the sect's library. The halls were quiet, the disciples already scattered to their morning duties. He passed a few elders, nodded respectfully, and entered the archive chamber.
He wasn't here to study formations or combat techniques. He was here to study up on herbs.
Specifically, herbs that could suppress memory.
He combed through scrolls and manuals, cross-referencing ingredients, searching for anything that matched the scent profile of Shae's tea. He found records on spirit-calming blends, on migraine relief, and on qi stabilization. He checked out all the herbs to make this blend, but there was no mention of this memory suppressant daze herb.
None. in fact there was no record on it, making him even wondering if such a herb was even real.
He leaned back, frustrated.
Had that sage realm cultivator lied to him?
If that's true, then he'd made Weylan doubt the one person who had looked out for him the most.
That wasn't just careless.
It was cruel.
Weylan clenched his jaw. He didn't want to be angry. But he was. Angry at himself for doubting Shae. Angry at Jalen for planting that seed. Angry that he'd kept it all secret.
He couldn't anymore.
He returned to his quarters, the tea still untouched. Then, with a deep breath, he walked to Shae's chambers.
She was seated at her desk, reviewing scrolls. She looked up as he entered, her expression unreadable.
"Master," he said quietly. "I need to tell you something."
She set the scroll aside. "Go on."
He hesitated, then began. "Last night… I didn't go for a walk. I was taken. By a Sage Realm cultivator. He claimed to be my cousin. Just like Tian did. He teleported me out of the sect without drawing any attention to himself."
Shae's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.
"He told me you've been giving me tea to suppress my memories," Weylan continued. "At first I doubted you. But now I realize how foolish I was. That that cultivator lied to me. I mean, why would Master do such a thing to me? All Master had ever done since we met was look out for my best interest, and I repaid that with doubt."
Shae's face remained calm, but inside, her thoughts churned. Shock. Anger. Calculation.
"Was that why you were acting strange last night?" she asked. "And this morning, why did you avoid drinking your tea?"
"I'm sorry, Master," Weylan said, lowering his head.
"Don't be," she replied. "Is there anything else you can tell me about this Sage Realm cultivator?"
Weylan shook his head. "He didn't give me his name. But he said he's a year older than me. He's the one who took Tian out of here—using what I assume is some kind of spatial ability like mine. And he's the one who killed that member of our sect."
Shae blinked. "Twenty-one?"
He nodded.
"That's preposterous," she muttered. "A Sage Realm cultivator at twenty-one? That's beyond rare. That's mythic."
She stood, pacing slowly. If a Sage Realm cultivator was involved… it explained the assassin's death. No wonder he failed.
"I know how it sounds, Master. But it's the truth."
"I don't doubt your words, my disciple. What concerns me," she said, "is that this cultivator was able to enter our sect undetected. And leave. Even if he's at the peak of the realm—even with spatial abilities—that shouldn't be possible."
She turned back to Weylan, her expression softening. "Thank you for telling me. This information will help us find the murderer of our sect member. I also need you to send me a spirit sense image of this individual."
"Of course," Weylan said.
He did as she commanded, sharing not only the image of the young man's face but fragments of their conversation. Shae absorbed it all, stunned by how much the boy knew.
She would need to take him down.
And that Tian brat as well.
"Thank you," she said with a sweet smile.
He smiled back.
"I'll meet up with you later," she added. "I have some work to get done."
She left the room, her steps light, her expression serene.
But inside, her mind was already racing.
She needed to find that boy.
And destroy him.
But where should she look?
The Vernon Continent?
No. Too obvious. Too far.
And if she decided to travel over such a long distance, she'd have to inform the sect which is the last thing she wanted to do.They'd ask questions. Too many questions. One of them being why an elder is chasing a Star Realm brat into a wasteland?
Hopefully, those two brats haven't left the continent.
Maybe they're still in Tellina. Somewhere close.
The Tel Mistveil Forest?
No. He wouldn't be so foolish as to stay there after letting Yanon go.
Still, she needed to check. Before the sect found that brat Tian—whose face was now plastered across the capital. Wanted posters on every wall. Every gate. Every market stall.
If she found him first, she'd find the Sage Realm cultivator too.
And then she'd destroy them.
Before they became a further hindrance to the plan she had patiently nurtured for over six years.