Arran's hand immediately shot to his sword when he saw the giant woman at the center of the makeshift camp. Although it didn't look like there was trouble, appearances could be deceiving, and a stranger showing up so suddenly was cause for concern.Yet as Arran moved to draw his blade, Stoneheart stopped him."No need," the novice said, voice at ease. "That's my cousin. If she's here, it means my uncle must have sent her."At once, Arran relaxed. Not just because the woman wasn't an enemy, but also because if Stoneheart's uncle had sent her, then Snowcloud would have made it to the castle.As they approached, Arran got a better look at the woman, and only found himself growing more startled at her appearance.She looked to be in her late twenties, and although she was thickly muscled, other than her size she was well-proportioned, with long black hair that flowed down her shoulders like a waterfall and a face that was quite beautiful.Yet her size… that was enough to make his eyes go
"Just how many people are here?" Arran asked, his eyes wandering around the camp while Tuya guided him to the castle.As they passed through the camp, it seemed even larger than it had from a distance, spreading out in all directions like a city built out of tents. There were recruits everywhere, many of them wearing swords and carrying spears, and once more Arran thought it looked more like an army than anything else.Tuya's giant figure drew many looks from the recruits they passed, yet Arran saw reverence rather than surprise in their eyes — they were clearly already familiar with her, which meant the camp wasn't a new one."There are several hundreds of novices," Tuya said. "Each with a few hundred recruits.""But why are they here?" Arran asked. "And why so many?""The conflict between the factions has made the borderlands too dangerous for lone novices," Tuya said. "The Waning Moon faction has already attacked dozens of novices, killing many of them. Here, our novices are under
"Have you gone mad?" The anger in Snowcloud's tone was matched by her expression. "He's a recruit, and you want him to go through the Tempering?""Lady Snowcloud, novices aren't supposed to know about the Tempering," Elder Naran said, frowning at her."Recruits aren't supposed to undergo it," Snowcloud retorted sharply."He's hardly a usual recruit," Elder Naran said. "Even without the Blood magic, his raw strength is enough to match a powerful novice.""But the Tempering kills even adepts," Snowcloud said."Some die," Elder Naran agreed. "But most survive, and grow stronger.""What are the two of you talking about?" Arran cut in. He had absolutely no idea what the Tempering was, but from Snowcloud's reaction, it was clear it was dangerous. "What is this 'Tempering'?""The Tempering is one of the steps of the True Path," Elder Naran replied. "It purifies the body and mind, reforging you into something stronger. And right now, it is the only thing that might solve your predicament.""H
"I have a what?"Arran knew Elder Naran must be talking about his forbidden Realm, but he was startled to finally hear it identified. For years, he had wondered what kind of Realm it was, and now that he had an answer, he found himself dumbstruck.Moreover, he had no idea how Elder Naran had discovered it — despite Arran's efforts, Master Zhao's seal was still firmly in place. Yet in just a few moments, the giant Elder had not only seen that he had a hidden Realm, but also what type of Realm it was."A Destruction Realm!" Elder Naran repeated, the excitement in his eyes undiminished. "Don't tell me you don't know about it — I am not a fool.""I have a forbidden Realm," Arran said hesitantly, understanding that there was no way it hide it now. "But it's sealed off.""Someone sealed it?" A frown appeared on Elder Naran's face. "What kind of Essence was used for the seal?""Shadow," Arran said, wondering just what the man was getting at."I suppose that could work…" Elder Naran said, alt
"What kind of danger?" Arran asked.The mention of danger was hardly enough to faze him. By now, he had already faced many threats, and he knew he would face many more before he even made it back to the Valley."You have great potential," Elder Naran said, giving Arran a studious look.Although it didn't answer Arran's question, he remained silent, curious to hear what the Elder had to say about his possible future achievements."The Blood magic alone is enough to place you among the more promising novices in the Shadowflame Society," Elder Naran continued. "Once you learn to control it, it will allow you to withstand injuries that would kill others, and as you develop it further, the advantage it gives you will only grow stronger.""What about my Destruction Realm?" Arran asked. He already had a rough idea of how the Blood magic could help him in the future, but he was anxious to hear more about what the Destruction Realm could do."That will benefit you even more," the giant Elder s
Arran tried to move and found that his body responded slowly and sluggishly, as if it had been drained of all its power. He could tell that he was lying down — in a bed, he thought — but he had no idea where he was."Finally awake, are you?"Arran opened his eyes and saw Tuya sitting next to his bed, enthusiastically eating what looked to be a roasted leg of meat.His memories were vague and blurry, but he could recall suffering intense pain, feeling as if his body was being burned to ashes and thinking he was going to die."What happened?" he asked, just saying the words costing him a great deal of effort.He sat up, and at once he could tell that his body felt frail and feeble, different from how it was supposed to feel — wrong somehow."And why do I feel so weak?""It seems your Tempering was unusually harsh," Tuya said, finishing the leg of meat and picking up another one from a table at the side of the room. "You should consider yourself lucky."The Tempering. As Tuya mentioned i
The novice attacked at once, but the blow he struck was so slow and clumsy that even with Arran's diminished strength, he easily deflected it. A moment later, Arran's blade came to a stop against the novice's throat.Arran was stunned. He had defeated his opponent in a single attack, and with such ease that it almost seemed impossible.The novice looked no less stunned than Arran. "How did you…""Pathetic," Tuya said. Then, she extended her hand toward the novice. "Pay up. One Essence Crystal.""Pay up? But I thought…"As the novice fruitlessly tried to escape Tuya's extortion, Arran found himself bewildered at what just happened. By all rights, he should have been defeated easily — even if the novice was slow and clumsy, he was still far stronger than Arran.Yet somehow, Arran's every movement had been frighteningly accurate, with a level of control that was completely new to him."Who's next?" Tuya said, her loud voice putting a stop to Arran's musings. She pointed at one of the nov
Arran didn't find Snowcloud in her room, but this hardly surprised him.There were three places where she could be, and of those, her room was the least likely. When he didn't find her at the ingredient stockroom either, he quickly headed to the alchemists' quarters, knowing she would be there.His assumption proved correct, because before he even entered the alchemists' quarters, he could already hear shouting in the distance.An unfamiliar voice called out, "Do you have any idea how rare it is!"Another responded, "I don't care how rare it is! I need it!"The second voice belonged to Snowcloud, and when Arran opened the door, he found her facing one of the alchemists, a short middle-aged woman with a bookish face.Both of their faces were red with anger, and they ignored Arran as he stepped inside, the argument taking all of their attention."I can't have all my herbalists chasing a single ingredient!" The alchemist seemed on the verge of a breakdown, her voice trembling as she yell