When the guardian realized Karin wasn't in her room, she reacted immediately.
Her first thought went to the worst possibility.
Karin had left.
Within moments, she alerted the guards and nearby disciples, sending people across the palace to search every corridor, courtyard, and tower.
The search went on for hours.
Only when it started to feel hopeless did she finally find her.
Karin was in a quiet, dim section of the great library, surrounded by old books. She hadn't moved much. Pages were scattered around her, filled with diagrams and theories.
She didn't even look up when the guardian approached.
"You disappeared without saying anything," the guardian said, her voice tense. "We've been looking everywhere."
"I'm fine," Karin replied quietly, still reading. "I just needed to check something."
The guardian stepped closer and looked at the pages.
Immortality.
Resurrection.
"You're looking into this?" she asked.
Karin nodded slightly. "I need to know if there's a way."
The guardian let out a slow breath. "People have spent entire lifetimes on that. Most of it leads nowhere."
"I know," Karin said. "But I can't just sit there and do nothing."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
The guardian watched her for a moment, then gave in.
"…Then I'll stay with you. If you're going down this path, you'll do it properly. I'll guide your cultivation myself."
Karin didn't respond.
But she didn't refuse either.
Far to the south, in the desert kingdom, Rune had already started moving.
He came downstairs from his room the next morning, fastening his sword as he walked. The inn was filled with travelers and mercenaries, most of them armed, all of them watching without looking like they were.
Rune walked up to the counter.
"Do you know anything about a group called the Dust Phantoms?" he asked.
The innkeeper's expression changed instantly.
His hand moved under the counter.
A knife came out.
Rune reacted without hesitation.
Qi gathered in his hands, and two blasts shot forward, hitting the man and throwing him back into the wall.
The entire room moved at once.
Chairs scraped. Weapons were drawn.
The "customers" weren't customers.
Rune stepped back and kicked a chair into one of them, knocking him off balance. Another attacker came from above, dropping down with a blade.
Rune shifted back just enough for the strike to hit the table instead.
The sword got stuck.
Rune didn't waste the opening.
One movement.
The attacker dropped.
The rest didn't last long.
Rune moved through them quickly, clean and direct. One after another, they went down. Within seconds, the room went quiet again.
Except for one person.
A man sat in the corner, untouched.
He wore a long coat and a wide hat, his face mostly hidden. A cup of tea sat in front of him, steam rising slowly.
He took a sip.
Rune walked toward him. "You're not joining in?"
"I don't bother with things that don't concern me," the man replied.
Rune studied him briefly, then turned away. "Then keep it that way."
He walked to the door and reached for the handle.
The man spoke again.
"If you open that door, you'll die."
Rune stopped.
His hand stayed on the latch.
"That doesn't mean much here," Rune said. His voice was calm, but the meaning was clear.
The man took another sip of tea.
"It does," he said. "When the one leaving is a royal traitor."
Rune didn't turn around.