They walked.
Exalting Sanctum spread before them like a living painting. Traditional Xianzhou architecture mixed with elegant modern touches. Buildings rose in graceful curves, their roofs adorned with intricate carvings of clouds and mythical creatures. Lanterns hung from eaves, swaying gently despite there being no wind.
The plaza was wide and open. Stone pathways crisscrossed through carefully maintained gardens. Small ponds reflected the artificial sky above, the water so still it looked like glass.
People moved through the space. Not many. The crisis had clearly driven most indoors. But there were still some. Cloud Knights on patrol. Civilians hurrying to destinations. A few merchants packing up their stalls early.
March walked ahead, her head turning left and right, taking everything in. "Wow. This place is beautiful."
"It is," Welt agreed, hands clasped behind his back. "The Xianzhou's craftsmanship is remarkable. Thousands of years of culture preserved and maintained."
Stelle was looking at one of the ponds. A koi fish surfaced, then disappeared beneath the water again.
Kevin walked near the back, observing. The architecture. The people. The way everything felt both ancient and alive at the same time.
Tingyun gestured with her fan toward a raised pavilion. "That's one of the viewing platforms. On clearer days, you can see all the way to the Cloudford from there."
March's eyes lit up. "Can we go look?"
Welt smiled slightly. "We do have time before the messenger arrives."
They climbed the steps to the pavilion. The view opened up before them. The Luofu stretched endlessly in all directions. Ships moved between districts like birds. Buildings rose and fell in waves of elegant design. The scale was staggering.
"It never gets old," Tingyun said softly. "Seeing the Luofu from up here. Reminds you how vast it truly is."
March leaned on the railing. "How do people not get lost?"
"They do," Tingyun said with a light laugh. "All the time. That's why we have guides."
Stelle pointed. "What's that?"
A massive structure in the distance. Tall. Imposing. Golden light emanated from its peak.
"The Seat of Divine Foresight," Welt said. "Where General Jing Yuan oversees the Luofu's military operations."
Kevin looked at it. He'd been there. Not long ago. Made a deal. Threatened an entire civilization.
His hand brushed against the Ring of Finality.
Jing Yuan has the sword now. The black ring on his wrist.
One piece in place.
March turned away from the view. "Okay, we should probably head back. Don't want to miss the messenger."
They descended the steps and made their way back toward the spot where Fu Xuan had left them.
The plaza was quieter now.
They stood near the entrance, looking around.
"Where is this person Fu Xuan mentioned?" Welt adjusted his glasses, scanning the area.
March cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
Her voice echoed slightly. No response.
Stelle walked forward a few steps, looking left and right. "Maybe they're late."
"Or maybe they got held up," Tingyun suggested. "The Divination Commission is quite busy right now."
Kevin said nothing. Just watched. Waited.
Minutes passed.
Still no one.
March sighed. "Great. What do we do now? Just stand here?"
Welt frowned slightly. "Fu Xuan said someone would be waiting. She wouldn't forget something like that."
"Maybe we should look around?" Stelle suggested.
"Where?" March gestured broadly. "This place is huge!"
Kevin's gaze drifted across the plaza. His senses stretched out. Not aggressively. Just... aware.
People moving. Normal patterns. Nothing unusual.
But then—
A shift.
Subtle. But there.
A cluster of people gathering. Quick movements. Urgent voices.
Kevin's eyes narrowed.
"There." He pointed.
Everyone turned.
In the middle of the plaza, a crowd was forming. People gathering around something. Someone.
Welt started walking immediately. "Let's go."
They moved quickly across the stone pathways.
The crowd had formed a loose circle. People standing back. Nervous. Uncertain.
Kevin pushed through first. Not roughly. But with enough presence that people moved aside.
In the center, a man was on the ground.
He was curled on his side. Body trembling. Hands clutching his head. His face was twisted in pain. Sweat soaked through his robes.
"Someone help him!" a woman cried out.
"What's wrong with him?" another voice asked.
"I don't know! He just collapsed!"
A Cloud Knight knelt beside the man, trying to check his pulse. "Sir, can you hear me? Sir?"
The man groaned. Low. Guttural. His body convulsed.
Kevin's hand went to the Ring of Finality immediately.
No.
He recognized this.
The trembling. The convulsions. The way the man's eyes were starting to glaze over.
Mara.
"Everyone back!" the Cloud Knight shouted, standing quickly. "Get back now!"
People started moving. Panicked. Scrambling away.
The man on the ground went still.
For one heartbeat. Two.
Then his eyes snapped open.
Empty. Vacant. The whites had turned bloodshot. Veins crawled across his skin like black lightning.
He lunged.
Straight at the Cloud Knight.
Fast. Too fast for someone who'd just been convulsing on the ground.
The Cloud Knight barely raised his weapon in time—
A blur of movement.
Something small shot forward. Faster than the mara-struck.
A tail.
Long. Scaled. It whipped through the air and struck the mara-struck square in the chest.
The impact sent him flying backward. He hit the ground hard, skidding several feet before coming to a stop.
The crowd gasped.
Standing between the mara-struck and the Cloud Knight was a small figure.
Very small.
A girl. Couldn't be more than ten or eleven years old. Light purple hair in two long braids that fell past her knees. Heterochromatic eyes, mint green and yellow, sharp and focused. Small white horns protruded from her head. And behind her, that long purple tail swished once, scales catching the light.
She stood with her hands on her hips, completely unbothered.
"Give him this medicine and make him lay down, huh?"
She reached into the brown gourd at her hip, pulling out a small vial.
Then she paused.
Heard something. Movement. Groaning.
She looked back over her shoulder.
More mara-struck were standing there. Three of them. Eyes empty. Bloodshot. Staring directly at her.
Her confident expression cracked.
Her teeth showed slightly. Nervous. "I-I mean, make THEM lay down."
A nervous smile appeared. Uncertain. She backed up a step, her tail curling slightly.
The first mara-struck groaned behind her, starting to rise again.
Four total now.
The girl's eyes widened.
"Oh no."