Whitehall stared at his reflection in the mirror. His grotesque face stared back. Venom madra leaked out in poisonous fumes from the left side of his face. He tried to smile, but his mangled tissue turned it into a snarl. He clenched his jaw, swallowing the bitterness that was rising.

  He exhaled, "I am bitter. But I have advanced," he admitted to himself.

  "Whitehall?" Sadi asked from behind him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to talk?"

  Whitehall looked over his shoulder at her, showing her the unmarred part of his face. He watched the worry in her expression. "I'm just tired," he said slowly.

  He turned back to the mirror but found his reflection missing. All he could see was Sadi, her golden nails shining, resting on an invisible shoulder, lighting the dark room.

  "You really should stop looking at yourself. I think your goldsign looks great," she whispered.

  "Say that to the sacred beasts that look away or cover their faces whenever I pass," Whitehall retorted.

  Sadi's smile grew thin. After thinking about what to say, she decided to be straightforward. "It's not about that, though, isn't it?" she whispered.

  "No," Whitehall replied. Then he added, "Maybe."

  Sadi placed a hand on his unmarred cheek, turning his head to face her. Her face, bright despite the darkness, filled his vision. The light among the shadows. She reached up with her other hand to touch his goldsign, but Whitehall's hand caught her.

  "Don't," he warned her. "It's not safe."

  She looked down on him for a moment, her smile tender. "I made something for you," she said, her other hand moving to reach something on her back.

  She revealed a half-wooden mask carved to cover the left side of the wearer's face. Whitehall accepted it and ran his fingers on the surface. It was rough, like touching the bark of a tree. The mask also stretched back and would cover the left side of his head.

  "I thought you might like it," Sadi explained. "Since you seem to be bothered by your goldsign."

  "I do," Whitehall said, turning the mask around to see it was padded with a soft material. It reminded him of the masks that the other cultures of his people would wear in his previous life.

  "Thank you," he thanked sincerely and smirked. "I think my costume as a masked assassin is finally complete."

  "You're very welcome," Sadi chuckled.

  Whitehall closed his eyes. Sadi had not removed her hand from his cheek. The golden glow was warm, he realised.

  "But you're not allowed to wear it when it's just us," Sadi continued.

  Whitehall's eyes opened.

  "I got you the mask, but I don't want you to take it wrong. I don't mind your goldsign."

  "I know," he replied.

  "Feel better?" she asked, removing her hand from his cheek.

  "Yes," Whitehall first said, looking down at the barky texture. "No," he corrected. He took a deep breath and took his time to exhale. "I think it is time I tell you about myself."

  Sadi took a step back, clearly surprised by what he said.

  "No, not that," Whitehall quickly corrected the misunderstanding. "I mean about my past. Who I really am. Before Elder Whitehall."

  Sadi's eyes were wide. Unsure how to respond. "What do you mean?"

  "Let's sit down," Whitehall gestured towards their mattress.

  She sat on the mattress, and Whitehall did the same across her.

  He took a deep breath and exhaled. "My name, my real name, is Sinar Leng Kuang."

  Sadi did not reply. Instead, she listened. Her gaze was stern in attention.

  "I came from a world called Earth. And in that world. I was part of a newly freed nation. Republic of Indonesia," Whitehall continued.

  Sadi's eyes widened, and her goldsigns brightened. But she kept listening, saving her questions for later.

  "I fought my whole life," Whitehall's eyes darkened, his goldsign making him look imposing. There was one, followed by a second, and then the first returned. "And I died fighting."

  Whitehall took another breath. "You have any questions?" he asked.

  "Not now," Sadi replied, waiting for him to finish first.

  Whitehall nodded. "Back in Sacred Valley, I was desperate to find a way to reach gold. I wanted more time. So, I made an untested elixir of eternal youth. It backfired, and it used my lifeline and turned my body ten years younger."

  Sadi knew this story. The news had spread like wildfire: a Jade Elder younger than her, turning even younger. She was envious of his accomplishments at the time. It only took a glance at Elder Whitehall's new body to know what had happened.

  "But the elixir had a side effect, and it brought back memories of my previous life. Or maybe the memory was someone else's. I don't know."

  "That makes sense," Sadi replied. "Your sudden change in the way you think. I remember my brother speaking about it to me."

  "Yes," Whitehall replied. "I was a monster. So fixated on advancement that I neglected everyone else. Only measuring people's value by how much benefit they can bring for me."

  "For what it's worth. I like you better now," Sadi smiled softly.

  Whitehall returned it: "Our oaths have bound us to this journey together. I felt you should know. Because the truth is, I am tired. I have fought for the freedom of my home for more than a lifetime. Now, I am doing it again. I am tired of fighting and killing." He looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them. "Every time I fought and trained, the only thought I had was, 'When will it end?'"

  Sadi closed her eyes. She could not imagine herself in his position, but she could understand. "I hear you," she said. "I really do."

  Whitehall's hands shook. "I feel lost. It is like I am stuck in an unending cycle of fighting and bloodshed." His eyes grew wide, "I am afraid of wasting another life with war."

  Sadi exhaled, her chest aching with empathy. But she could not do this without him. That feeling was as real as the heart pounding in her chest.

  "Do you remember the line I added to our soul oath?" she asked softly.

  "Yes," Whitehall whispered. "To do this together."

  "I added that because...because...," she paused. "Because I was afraid. Afraid of feeling helpless." She remembered how easily the sword sage's disciple had beaten her. "All my life, all I did was catch up with everyone. First, it was my brother. Then, when I was Jade, the Elders. Then you showed up. You gave me hope of a path forward."

  She looked down, her blush hidden by the shadows. "And it felt right at the time."

  "It was," he concurred.

  "And I will still need you." She grabbed his right hand and held it. Sadi could not tell why, but her following words came naturally: "If you are lost, then I will light the path. All you need to do is follow."

  Her words gripped Whitehall's heart in a vice. He looked her in the eyes. She saw fierceness in them.

  "Alright," he whispered.

  Meatball lay on the mattress next to the two, her eyes wide open. She was not surprised or confused by Whitehall's words. Her mother had told her Whitehall was different. She was panicking for a different reason. She closed her eyes tightly. GO TO SLEEP MEATBALL, she yelled inwardly. GO TO SLEEP! GO TO SLEEP. YOU DON'T WANT TO BE AWAKE FOR WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT.

  ------------

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  Whitehall and Sadi stood on a cloud ship, floating in the skies toward an abandoned island. Nature had regained its hold over the place, and stone structures were covered in vines. The cold wind blew against their faces, and the clouds gave them a cold shower. The mask did not help to protect him from the cold.

  "This isn't a cloud ship," Whitehall complained, pointing at the cloudship ahead of them. The one where Ziel and their master were. "That one at least looks like a ship."

  He gestured to the small one he and Sadi were on. "This is a cloud raft!"

  Sadi did not mind the cold wind and vapour. It reminded her of the time when she was getting her iron body. She cycled the abundant light aura, with Meatball sleeping gingerly on her lap.

  "We need to maintain our appearance as servants," she explained.

  "We can better serve Ziel by being with him," Whitehall growled to the sky. "I know you can hear me, master. This isn't funny."

  He gestured to his clothes. They were brown rags, sleeveless at the arms and baggy trousers. The servant clothes did not provide much protection from the elements. Sadi left him to yell at the wind.

  "Wow," she heard Whitehall muttered.

  She opened an eye and glanced at him. He was looking down as the Wastelands' cloudships began descending. She followed his gaze, and her eyes widened at the view. There were hundreds of cloudships below, gathered around a black and purple fortress. There were cloudships of different colours below. Her eyes immediately recognised the gold ones decorated with dragon statues.

  An old sacred artist dressed in black and purple flew up to meet with the descending cloudships.

  His voice reached Sadi and Whitehall. "This one is named Old Man Lo, a member of the Akura Clan!" He pressed his fists and bowed at the Beast King's ship. "The Sage of Silver Heart sent me to greet the Beast King of the Wastelands."

  "I would greet Charity directly. She should be expecting me," The Beast King replied out of view.

  "Yes, she has," Old Man Lo replied. "This one will lead the way."

  Old Man Lo flew down, and not long later, the Beast King emerged from his cloudship and followed.

  Once their Cloudships had landed, Ziel exited the main cloudship and began walking away.

  Sadi and Whitehall looked at each other. Sadi shrugged. They ran after him, careful to maintain a respectful distance. Sadi was unsure if Meatball was asleep as the bird perched on her shoulder, hiding inside her hair. Meatball have not spoken ever since they left their cave and began their journey on the cloudship. Sadi wondered if something had happened.

  Ziel yawned as they caught up. "Thought you three would get lost. There are many places to explore around here."

  "No, Elder Zeal," Whitehall bowed behind the horned man. "We shall follow you."

  Ziel sighed and continued to walk.

  During their walk, Sadi nudged Whitehall's arm. He looked at her, and she pointed behind them. The cloudships and the black fortress were gone.

  "Advanced scripts," Ziel muttered.

  Their walk took them a few hours. It led through a forest and ended at a beach near the edge of the island. A group of trees sat in the middle like a sore thumb. It grew from the sand. Ziel walked up to it and placed a hand on the trunk. His hand glowed with a green circle script. The trunk parted, revealing a Jade doorway. He stepped through it, quickly followed by his servants.

  Whitehall watched as an endless blue light swallowed the world. The light felt thick, like water, and his stomach revolted. It felt disgusting, and thankfully, it only lasted an instant.

  He stepped out into an air bubble the size of a fortress. His footwear stepped on dry sand, and he was thankful he was wearing sandals. He looked at the surroundings and realised they were underwater. There was some kind of tree-shaped construction on the ocean floor beyond the air bubble. Its blue tube roots shone with blue light.

  He felt another nudge from Sadi, pointing at Zeal waking further away. They followed him. A young man sat cross-legged on a boulder. He wore a black and purple robe like Old Man Lo. A black and purple halo floated above his head. Whitehall's fist clenched as he took in the young man's delicate features.

  "Come on," Zeal called out. His voice was soft as if to avoid disturbing the cycling man.

  He led the two to a small patch of sand. He opened his void key, and small logs and twigs fell out. "Build a hut, would you," he ordered.

  Sadi and Whitehall pressed their fists and bowed. They began building a small hut while Ziel sat nearby watching them.

  "Don't antagonise anyone, Whitehall," Ziel muttered. "Unless you want to die. If you want to, you have permission, I guess."

  Whitehall lowered his head. "Forgiveness, Elder Ziel," he whispered.

  Ziel did not reply. Instead, he removed the protection of the lowgolds' spirit. He spared Meatball, though. Something told him she had gone through enough.

  Whitehall felt an immense pressure pressing down on his back. He fell to the ground, and so did Sadi. And in the blink of an eye. The pressure was gone.

  "That Akura is peak Truegold," Ziel explained, protecting the lowgolds' spirit again. "Just stay inside the hut once you're done, and don't make any trouble."

  Whitehall and Sadi bowed once more before returning to building the hut.

  -------------

  Whitehall and Sadi sat inside the finished hut. It was small, but there was enough room if Ziel decided to join them at any time. He chose to sleep outside.

  "What was that?" Sadi asked.

  Whitehall shook his head. "The Akura just reminded me of an old enemy. It won't happen again."

  "It better not," she replied, careful not to raise her voice. Meatball was still asleep on her lap. "Or we're not making it out of here. The man is Peak Truegold. He's probably stronger than Ziel."

  "Apologies," Whitehall frowned.

  Sadi's expression softened. "No, I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to lay it out like that."

  "You're right, though," he replied.

  "Alalalalala," Meatball snapped awake and began pacing around the hut. "Please stop this, both of you," she begged. Her eyes were wide and moist as she tried to act cute. "Have I not suffered enough? Please spare me from my nightmares."

  Sadi raised an eyebrow at Meatball's outburst and waved a hand. "Anyways, did you see all that," she gestured outside. "I saw so many creatures and plants I have never seen."

  "No," Whitehall replied. "It was pitch black other than the blue tree.

  "Oh," Sadi expressed in realisation. "Forgot you can't see in the dark."

  "Tell me anyway. What did you see?" Whitehall could tell Sadi was excited.

  "There was a fish with jaws larger than our body with teeth as sharp as swords. Oh, and there was also a large serpent behind the tree." She gestured with her hands as she explained.

  "A serpent? How big?" Meatball stopped her pacing and perched on Whitehall's shoulder.

  "I can't tell how as it was coiled. But the body is at least as wide as two of us stacked on top of one another," Sadi described.

  Whitehall shivered at the description. "I hope we won't have to-"

  "Stop," Sadi lept over him and covered his mouth with both hands. Meatball flew up at Sadi's sudden movement. "Don't say it," she brought her face close to Whitehall and whispered a warning. "The last time you did, we got chased by an unknown snake bear."

  Whitehall nodded nervously with wide eyes. He stared at her unblinking.

  "What?" Sadi asked, straightening her back.

  His eyes shifted up and down across her body. She was sitting on him.

  "Oh," she said, looking down to Whitehall and realising their state. She attempted to laugh it off as she climbed off.

  "Sadi, please blind me right now!" Meatball yelped at Sadi, flying close to her face. Then the bird whirled to eye Whitehall. "Do you have any poison that can erase memories?"

  Before Sadi could reply to attempt to save her dignity, a familiar sensation washed over the three's spirits: It felt like a bloodspawn. The bloody pressure pressed on them, but it was not as strong as the Akura's.

  "I want silence," a man spoke, and the light dimmed and replaced by shadows.

  The shadow disappeared the next moment, and the candlelight in their hut returned. With it, the sensation of blood vanished.

  The door to their hut opened, and Ziel stepped in. His left arm dripped with blood, a long cut stretched from his forearm to his palm.

  "Can you heal it?" Ziel asked Whitehall, offering his wounded hand.

  "Certainly, Elder Ziel," Whitehall replied, holding the wounded arm in one hand. He began pulling out bandages and ointments from his small pack.

  "Use your madra," Ziel ordered. "Don't bother with the bandages."

  "I..., "Whitehall hesitated. "I haven't practised with life aura ever since I reached gold."

  Ziel looked at him with disinterest.

  "Right away, Elder Ziel," Whitehall said and began cycling life aura.

  "Despite what you think, your path regards life madra and poison madra to be the same," Ziel explained. "Don't neglect that."

  "Yes, Elder Ziel," Whitehall replied. Ziel was right. Whitehall had forgotten about that aspect of his path.

  Whitehall began channelling his madra to the hand, ordering it to heal the wound. It was slow, and Whitehall had to repeat four times before the wound finally shut.

  Ziel looked at his healed hand, clenching and unclenching it. "The gold dragons are here. They'll steal your pack out of curiosity. I recommend you stay away from them."

  "Yes, Lord Ziel."

  Ziel's spirit detected three new sacred artists. One was on a path of storms, the second a raging fire, and the last was on pure madra? The Nine Clouds were not supposed to arrive until the next day. Then, the pure madra washed away, replaced by angry flames.

  He stepped out of the hut to see the newcomers. A man and woman in green armour stood by the doorway. The woman was Truegold and clearly the one in charge. Her gold sign, a small thundercloud, floated behind her. The man was a lowgold, on a flame path Ziel did not recognise. His eyes were rings of red and black, and he bore a challenging expression, daring anyone in the bubble to fight him. A turtle stood tall behind them both. Its eyes were as dark and red as the male's.

  The woman mumbled something under her breath. Ziel's Archlord senses could hear her loud and clear: "Bai Rou, do not follow. I repeat, maintain your position and call for reinforcements. There are multiple enemies. We will try to disengage."

  "Who are you?" Ziel asked his voice as even as always.

  The woman carefully removed her hand from her sword and stood straight. The black cloud behind her seemed to shrink. 'She was smart,' Ziel thought.

  "We are the Skysworn of the Blackflame Empire," the woman raised her voice so everyone could hear. "We are here to respond to reports of a disturbance around this facility after the passage of the Bleeding Pheonix."

  Ziel's perception warned him when the male Sacred Artist behind the woman withdrew his spirit and replaced it with pure madra. Ziel sharpened his perception on the lowgold, discovering that he had two cores. One was pure, and the other one was like the turtle's. He dismissed the lowgold, keeping his perception of the two Truegolds instead.

  The boy's perception landed on Ziel, and he withdrew it almost instantly.

  "Who is backing you?" Ziel asked. Their armour did not look like the Ninecloud's or match the Eight-Man Empire's. "The Winter Sage?" he tried.

  The black turtle behind them rose tall, red light igniting from his shell. "We do not need to answer to you," he snarled.

  Fair enough, Ziel thought, staring back at the turtle expressionless. He did not care who they were either, as long as they did not get in their way. He turned to face the other Truegolds.

  The gold dragon girl has been eyeing the lowgold boy hungrily. More specifically, his oversized bag.

  "When you're done, leave me their trinkets," she cackled.

  She continued to speak, but Ziel did not pay any attention. He sighed when he heard the word 'bulge,' "Not every fight needs to be to the death, dragon. What could they possibly have on them?"

  The golden dragon-girl licked her lips in gluttony.

  "You shouldn't be here," whispered the Redmoon Hall woman, pointing a finger at the uninvited guests. She kept her spirits veiled, and Ziel reckoned it was due to her fear of the Akura.

  "They are not bound by the rules. Who can know who sent them? " Her eyes shifted to Ziel.

  Ziel wondered why he got himself into this situation.

  -----------

  Whitehall and Sadi sat silently and unmoving, like statues, inside the hut. They listened to the bickering outside; Ziel was somehow involved.

  "What is happening?" Whitehall asked with his eye movements.

  Sadi scrunched up her face and gave him an incredulous look.

  Whitehall rolled his eyes and bopped his head side to side. "Fair enough."

  "Silence," they heard the Akura man speak before the world darkened.

  The air was silent, and then they heard the clanking of armour falling. Another second later, they felt the ground by their hut shook and cracked. That was where Ziel was, they both realised.

  "He is not your opponent, Yan Shoumei," they heard Ziel somnolently say.

  "But you are," the woman, this Yan Shoumei, snarled, and Sadi and Whitehall felt the bloody sensation returned. She was heading for them.

  "Go, go," Sadi yelled, pushing Whitehall out the entrance.

  "I asked for silence ," the Akura man repeated.

  Shadows drowned the world as dark slashes cut through the air around the man.

  Ziel stepped before the two and stretched his hand towards the incoming slashes. A green circle with scripts emerged from his hand and caught the shadow. The script flickered and broke. Blood flowed out of Ziel's hand, and he looked down at it.

  "Not again," he sighed. "Whitehall," he called.

  But Whitehall's attention was taken away by a piercing howl. A black turtle with fire on its shell roared as black fiery madra erupted from its shell. Two boulders covered the portal, and Whitehall recognised the figure heading towards it from the outside. Her hair was short and cut straight, and scars covered her face. But she had two sword arms now. The Sword Sage's Disciple.

  The Akura man wiped his hand gently in the air before him. A black blade of shadow shot from where his arm drew. It was headed for the incoming Sword Sage disciple.

  A bar of black flame shot through the frame of the Jade portal, causing it to shiver and break into pieces. The blue glow winked out.

  The Truegolds halted, and everyone stared at the broken portal. The Akura man closed his eyes and returned to his cycling.

  Whitehall saw hair peaking out behind the boulder, but a golden dragon girl lept forward, covering Whitehall's vision. Whitehall thought he was wearing rags, but the golden-dragon wore even less than him.

  The girl demanded everything from the person behind the boulder. But her last sentence caught Whitehall's attention.

  "You have no idea how expensive it will be to return home without that doorway," she growled at the person.

  That was good to know, Whitehall thought; at least there was another way out. The giant turtle fell behind the boulders with a thud.

  "Please, forgive this one for his rudeness," a familiar voice echoed from the person behind the boulder.

  Whitehall recognised the voice. How could he forget?

  "Bastard?" he called out.

  Wei Shi Lindon recognised his voice, and his head popped behind the boulder. A familiar face stared at Elder Whitehall, his eyes wide. The boy still looked like he was looking for a fight.

  "Elder Whitehall?" Lindon asked, clearly surprised to see Whitehall here. Lindon did not recognise the face, as a wooden half mask covered it. But he did recognise the Elder's voice.

  All opened eyes turned towards Whitehall.

  The golden-dragon girl's gaze was sharp. "Friend of yours?" she asked Whitehall.

  "No," Whitehall retorted. "He stole everything from the treasure hall in our school." Whitehall knew he was being a hypocrite. But seeing Lindon's large pack stirred something inside him. "He owes us."

  Unlucky for Whitehall, the boy in question took that moment of distraction and lept out of the air bubble, dragging the turtle by its shell with him.

  The gold dragon shot a line of gold towards Lindon's fleeting form, but he was long gone. Her eyes snapped back to Whitehall with anger.

  "You!" she snarled. "How will you compensate me for my lost treasures!?" Gold flame madra began to gather on her hands.

  "Calm yourself, dragon," Ziel stepped forward, his voice low. "Unless," he gestured with his bloody hand towards the cycling Akura.

  The golden-dragon gulped as her eyes drifted to the Akura. The madra in her palms fizzled out. Her eyes moistened at the thought of the treasures she had just lost.

  "Contact the Herald," she ordered.

  Whitehall saw that she was ordering two human attendants dressed in white who stood by the entrance of a large, golden tent shaped like a castle. The two attendants bowed at her command.

  "Get Meatball," Ziel said to Whitehall and Sadi with dead eyes. "We're leaving."

  Sadi and Whitehall bowed and returned to the hut. It surprisingly remained intact through the chaos. As they entered, they saw Meatball pacing in circles, eyes closed, and grumbling to herself. Whitehall thought he heard the bird mumbling something about courting and ritual. The bird was utterly oblivious to the discord outside.