"Have a seat."
The words came calmly.
Not forced.
Not commanding.
Just… offered.
Zael didn't move immediately.
His eyes stayed locked on the figure in front of him.
Measuring.
Weighing.
The man didn't react to the scrutiny.
Instead—
He lifted a hand.
A simple motion.
And the world responded.
A table formed between them.
Solid.
Old.
Carved from a dark, unfamiliar wood.
Two chairs followed.
Simple.
Unadorned.
Placed deliberately on either side.
Zael glanced at them.
Then back at the man.
"…You've had time to prepare this, huh."
The remnant gave a faint smile.
"…You could say that."
A brief pause.
Then Zael stepped forward.
Slow.
Cautious.
But not hesitant.
He sat.
Not because he trusted him—
But because at this point, running wasn't exactly an option.
And more importantly—
He wanted answers.
The remnant took the seat opposite him.
For a moment—
Neither spoke.
The air between them settled.
Heavy.
But not hostile.
Then—
"My name is Lin Ye."
Zael's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Guardian… or rather—"
A faint pause.
"—former guardian of the StarFire Sect of Xandar."
Zael didn't interrupt.
Didn't question.
Just listened.
Xandar.
Another world.
That much was obvious.
Lin Ye leaned back slightly.
Not relaxed.
Just… distant.
Like someone recalling something far away.
"Four hundred years ago…"
His voice lowered slightly.
"…the Dao died."
Zael's eyes flickered.
Lin Ye gave a small, almost dismissive shake of his head.
"…Or maybe it didn't."
A faint exhale.
"…Maybe it just went silent."
Silence lingered for a second.
Then he continued.
"Either way—"
His gaze returned to Zael.
"—the Dao path inheritance was cut off."
Zael's expression didn't change.
But his focus sharpened.
"Since then…"
Lin Ye's voice carried a subtle weight now.
Not dramatic.
Just… real.
"…we lost our path."
A pause.
Longer this time.
"Dao practitioners—"
He gestured slightly.
"…the equivalent of what you call awakeners…"
Another faint breath.
"…we didn't just stop growing."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"…we started declining."
Zael's fingers tapped lightly once on the table.
Unconsciously.
Lin Ye noticed.
But didn't comment.
"Techniques weakened."
"Comprehension slowed."
"Foundations eroded."
A faint, humorless smile appeared.
"…Some even regressed."
Silence settled again.
Then—
"It didn't take long before panic set in."
His gaze drifted slightly.
Not unfocused.
Just… remembering.
"And then—"
A shift.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
"…the prophecy appeared."
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
Lin Ye's voice dropped.
Quieter now.
But heavier.
"When the path fades and the origin falls silent…"
A pause.
"A bearer beyond fate shall walk the fractured road."
The air seemed to tighten slightly.
"He who is not bound by heaven nor anchored by law…"
Lin Ye's gaze locked onto Zael.
"Shall carry the spark that reignites the Dao."
Silence.
Deep.
Lingering.
Then—
"When the worlds forget and the origin no longer answers…"
A faint breath.
"He will stand between ruin and rebirth."
Lin Ye leaned back slightly.
"…That was all we had."
Zael remained still.
Processing.
Not reacting outwardly.
But clearly thinking.
"We didn't understand it."
Lin Ye continued.
"Didn't know who it referred to."
"Didn't know when it would happen."
A small pause.
"But we knew one thing."
His voice steadied.
"…it was our only chance."
Zael's gaze sharpened slightly.
Lin Ye's expression hardened just a fraction.
"So we took a risk."
Another small motion of his hand.
Not summoning anything this time—
Just emphasizing the point.
"We pooled everything."
"Resources."
"Artifacts."
"Remaining knowledge."
His voice carried quiet intensity now.
"We built portals."
"Across worlds."
"Across dimensions."
A faint pause.
"…into lower worlds."
Zael's eyes flickered slightly.
Now that—
That mattered.
Lin Ye noticed again.
"…We thought if the one in the prophecy wasn't in our world…"
A quiet breath.
"…then maybe he was somewhere else."
Silence.
Then—
"We searched."
"Sent people."
"Observed."
"Waited."
Another pause.
Longer.
He leaned back slightly.
"…Two hundred years."
His tone didn't rise.
Didn't break.
But the weight was there.
"Two hundred years of searching."
His gaze dropped for just a moment—
Then returned to Zael.
"…And we found nothing."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
"…Because the lower worlds…"
Lin Ye's voice grew quieter.
"…don't follow the same rules."
A faint shake of his head.
"Their systems are weaker."
"Different."
"Restricted."
Another pause.
"…Incompatible."
Zael's fingers stilled completely now.
Lin Ye looked at him—
Directly.
"…So we failed."
The silence stretched.
Zael didn't rush him.
Didn't interrupt.
He could tell—
Whatever came next mattered.
Lin Ye watched him for a moment longer.
Like he was weighing something.
Then he spoke.
"…Then I found you."
A small pause.
His expression shifted slightly.
"…No. That's not accurate."
Another breath.
"…I discovered you."
Zael's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
Lin Ye leaned back in his chair, studying him.
"You're an anomaly, Zael."
Not dramatic.
Not exaggerated.
Just… stated.
"It shouldn't be possible."
His fingers tapped lightly once against the table.
"…Two hundred years of searching taught us that much."
A faint shake of his head.
"To find a Dao practitioner in a lower world—"
He looked at Zael directly.
"…is something that simply doesn't happen."
Zael didn't respond.
But his attention sharpened.
"And yet…"
Lin Ye's gaze lingered.
"…you exist."
A quiet pause.
"So the moment I became aware of you—"
His tone shifted slightly.
Less distant.
More personal.
"…I knew I couldn't ignore it."
Zael's posture straightened just a little.
Not noticeably—
But enough.
"So I made a decision."
Lin Ye didn't look away.
Didn't soften it.
Didn't dress it up.
"…I acted."
A beat.
"…I forcefully brought you into the abyss."
Zael froze.
Completely.
The words didn't register at first.
Not properly.
"…What?"
But Lin Ye wasn't done.
"And I adjusted the system."
Calm.
Straightforward.
"…to give you the quest that led you here."
Silence.
A full second passed.
Then two.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
Zael shot to his feet.
The chair scraped back harshly.
His expression snapped from controlled to raw disbelief.
"You mean—"
He pointed at him.
Not accusing.
Not yet.
Just trying to process.
"…You caused all of this?"
His voice rose.
Not shouting wildly—
But no longer calm.
"Everything that happened—"
His brows furrowed deeply.
"Everyone who died because they weren't strong enough—"
A step forward.
"…that was you?"
The air shifted slightly.
Not hostile—
But tense.
Real.
Zael's gaze burned into him now.
Demanding.
Confused.
Angry.
"But how is that even possible?"
His voice dropped slightly.
Less explosive.
More focused.
"You dragged us into the abyss?"
A short, disbelieving breath.
"…And you tampered with the system?"
He shook his head once.
Like the logic refused to settle.
"That doesn't make sense."
Another step forward.
"…That shouldn't be possible."
The words hung there.
Not just as a question—
But a challenge.
Lin Ye didn't interrupt.
Didn't defend himself immediately.
He just sat there.
Looking at Zael.
Quiet.
Steady.
Like he had expected this reaction.
Like he had already accepted it.
And the silence between them—
This time—
Was heavy for a different reason.
To be continued…