Ziel exhaled a slow, deliberate breath. He didn't want to open his eyes—not yet. The sunlight filtered through the wide, short tree above him, its thick canopy veiled with vines that draped to the forest floor like living curtains. Birdsong floated through the air, light and teasing, weaving between the rustling of the leaves.

  For a moment, he allowed himself to savour it.

  But the moment didn't last.

  "You're telling me advancement in the Lord stages is just... discovering myself?" Sadi's voice cut through the tranquillity, thick with disbelief.

  Ziel cracked an eyelid open, resigned. His gaze fell on the Beast King's disciples, standing expectantly under the shifting patterns of dappled light.

  "Yes, " he muttered.

  "That's just... " Whitehall shook his head. "Weird."

  "Yes, " Ziel echoed with another sigh. "Overlord is about knowing who you are now. Archlord ... is about who you choose to become."

  "Yeah, " Sadi scoffed. "What Whitehall said."

  Ziel shrugged, a weary gesture. "I don't make the rules."

  Sadi groaned under her breath. Whitehall sighed, long-suffering.

  "Alright, you two, " Ziel waved them off. "Get back to training. The Beast King should be here in about an hour."

  He'd only made it two steps before Sadi called after him.

  "Won't you train with us?"

  Ziel shook his head without looking back. "I have my own tasks."

  "Which are? " Sadi pressed.

  He offered a lazy wave over his shoulder. "Getting drunk on elixirs, maybe."

  Whitehall hesitated, then called out , "Ziel... what was your Overlord revelation?"

  Ziel paused, lifting his face toward the woven tapestry of green above. Sunlight kissed his skin , warm and fleeting .

  " I protect my sect, " he said simply—and walked away without another word.

  Some pains were still too close to touch.

  He breathed in deeply as he put distance between himself and the others. The scent of earth, sap, and wildflowers filled his lungs , bittersweet and grounding . Ziel let the sensation anchor him as he thought about the Beast King's work.

  The preservation scripts for the Well Waters had seemed absurd at first. When the Herald described the new elixir crafted from the things they had gathered from Ghostwater, Ziel had thought him mad. The Beast King had never shown skill in brewing.

  But centuries shaped strange talents.

  The effort had paid off. The elixirs hadn't healed Ziel's broken spirit, but they had fortified it. Where cycling madra had once been agony, like dragging a blade across a raw wound, now it felt more like working a battered, aching muscle. Painful—but manageable.

  It was no wonder the Beast King had sworn him to secrecy. Even Ziel didn't know what greater purpose the Herald intended.

  His thoughts were interrupted when his spirit brushed another's.

  Looking up, Ziel spotted the Beast King sauntering toward him, hands clasped behind his head, twin mice swinging lazily from his braided beard.

  "You're done? " the Beast King asked, stopping a few feet away. Without ceremony, he tossed a vial of blue-green liquid to Ziel.

  Ziel caught it easily. "Not much left to teach once you tell them what their revelation are about, " he said, shrugging.

  "Ehh, " the Beast King tilted his head as if weighing it. "Fair enough."

  "And you? " Ziel asked. "What's next for them?"

  "Whitehall needs refinement. I think it's time I taught him properly, " the Beast King said casually, already strolling past.

  "And Sadi?"

  The Beast King didn't even glance back. "She's mine to guide... but not to teach."

  The Beast King arrived to see his two apprentices. Pride and hope swelled inside him. They were Underlords now. He wanted to tell them what he knew. But he couldn't. They weren't ready yet. And it frustrated him.

  Little by little , however, might work.

  He pushed the thought aside and gave them a wide smile instead.

  They were both sat in a cycling position, diligently trying to discover their revelation. That would not do either of them good at this time . But they'll keep the thoughts of their Overlord revelation in the back of their minds. That was enough.

  He clapped his hands together, jolting his disciples in surprise.

  "Good, good, " he said. "I see you are preparing hard for the tournament."

  Whitehall rubbed both his ears, "Doing what we can master. " Whitehall did not shout, but his voice was louder than normal . "Ziel said you wanted us to figure out our revelation for Overlord."

  "Wouldn't that be against the rules of the tournament? " Sadi asked, finishing Whitehall's sentence.

  "Not exactly, " The Beast King explained. "To enter, " he held a finger up. "You need to be Underlord. But you can advance to Overlord during the tournament."

  "So you want us to advance as soon as the tournament starts? " Sadi asked.

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  "What? " The Beast King exaggeratedly raised his eyebrows. "And have all eyes on the Wastelands? " He shook his head. "No, no, no. Heck, you two won't be getting anywhere close to the Top 16."

  Whitehall and Sadi scowled at him, half jokingly and half seriously.

  "What. You don't think we have what it takes? " Whitehall retorted with a smile.

  "Is this where you expect us to prove you wrong? " Sadi added.

  The Beast King waved a hand dismissively. "We're the Wastelands. We don't want any unnecessary attention."

  Whitehall raised a single eyebrow. "So what is it you want us to do then? Help the Blackflame and the Akura team?"

  The Beast King bopped his head side-to-side in contemplation. "Could do, and it's probably what Northstrider and the Akuras expect. But no."

  "Then? " Sadi asked, similarly raising a single eyebrow.

  The Beast King could hear Bert's laughter at being pressed by his own disciples.

  "All you need to do is to reach the top 64, get the prizes and leave the competition right after that, " the Beast King shrugged. "I have other tasks I'll need you to do."

  Whitehall narrowed his eyes, and Sadi placed two fingers under her chin in thought .

  The Herald smiled as he sensed his apprentices begin to understand his line of thinking.

  "All eyes will be on the tournament, " the Beast King added. "Even monarchs."

  "You want to use the tournament as a distraction, " Whitehall said.

  Sadi continued. "And what are these 'tasks ' you want us to do?"

  "Can't tell you now, " the Beast King answered. "It'll ruin the surprise."

  He ignored his disciples' sceptical looks and continued.

  "We have other stuff we need to work on right now. For instance, to train you, " The Beast King smiled.

  That surprised the disciples.

  "You're actually going to train us? " Sadi asked, incredulous.

  Whitehall folded his arms. "Or are you going to send us somewhere dangerous, probably against a Sage, and call it training?"

  The Beast King winced. "You have my apologies for that. But Sages are rarely predictable."

  "If it's against Akura Charity, we're in, " Whitehall snorted.

  The Beast King's eyes flashed. "Really? " he slowly asked.

  "Yeap, " Sadi concurred. "Whitehall had his chance giving her a crack, but I haven't."

  "Well, well, well, " the Beast King mused. "Tell me, " he turned to Whitehall. "How did that feel?"

  "Broke a few bones, " Whitehall explained. "Reopened a few wounds. But nonetheless -, "

  "-Satisfying? " The Beast King flashed his teeth.

  Whitehall formed a similar grin. "Very."

  The Beast King bellowed a laugh. "Incredible! Only golds yet my disciples already drew a Sage's blood!"

  Whitehall didn't draw blood when he punched the Sage, well, other than his own. But he didn't correct his master.

  "But unfortunately, not yet. " The Beast King smiled. "No offence to your achievements, but I reckon she was veiled when you struck her. Besides, " he lifted two hands up. "I doubted she wanted to offend the Wastelands more than she already had."

  Seeing that the conversation had begun to steer off course, he clapped his hands again. "Anyways! Time for training."

  His disciples still gave him questioning looks, but they both nodded eventually.

  Sadi! " He pointed at the woman. "You keep doing what you're doing and listen to Sunda's remnant. You're on the right path. Ziel told me of the technique you used to malfunction the dragon's breath of a Gold Dragon."

  "My Solar Maw," Sadi perked up.

  "Yes, your Solar Maw. Try to use that technique more often, and hide what you're working on... better," He said slowly, ensuring she understood.

  Sadi was quick to understand and replied just as cryptically. "The one for creating smoke, " she slowly replied.

  "Yes, " the Beast King hissed. "Many would say your Solar Maw was a result of your strong Willpower. "

  Solar Maw had nothing to do with Willpower. However, the other factions are currently ignorant of Sadi's path. And they would take the most straightforward explanation.

  "Your smoke technique isn't as easy to deduce. "

  Her other technique, however, the one that can create matter from light, was one that none had ever figured out. Even Monarchs—far more ancient Monarchs—have tried and failed.

  The ones that had faced his master and nearly killed her.

  But they're long gone from Cradle, and their research was most likely discarded and ignored as failed experiments. But they still couldn't be too careful.

  It was his master's prime technique. The one she had vehemently guarded.

  Sadi nodded. "I'll keep working on it then, behind the scenes."

  Beast King returned her nod. "Just not at the Ninecloud court."

  Then he turned to Whitehall. "You'll be training with me."

  Whitehall looked at his master , then to Sadi. It didn't feel right that he was about to be taught one-on-one, and Sadi was left to train alone. However, she gave him a reassuring nod.

  "Alright then, " he said to his master. "What will you be training me on?"

  The Beast King folded his arms, and his expression grew serious. "It seems what Meatball said was true. You've ignored the other aspect of your path. The life aspect."

  Whitehall winced. "Yeah, about that. Poison feels natural to me, but life..., " he trailed off.

  "That is fine, " the Beast King replied. "By the time we are done, it'll come as naturally to you as poison. " Then he sneered mockingly. "Whether you like it or not."

  Whitehall clenched his fists. "Let's do it."

  Then, the Beast King jolted. He had forgotten the most important thing. "You two, " he pointed to both his disciples. "Before we continue, I'll need you both to swear a Soal Oath."

  Whitehall groaned.

  Sadi rolled her eyes. "Just tell us what it is and get it over with."

  The Beast King smiled at how easy their response was. They trusted him.

  "But not to me, " The Beast King continued.

  Both of the Underlords's eyes widened.

  "To each other."

  Sadi turned to Whitehall, noticing he was as confused as she was.

  The Beast King closed his eyes. They wouldn't be swearing to him for this oath. They needed to swear to each other.

  Unlike how he had made the oath to Sunda after Del'rek's betrayal, Sunda had never explicitly told him to make the pair swear to him as part of her final orders. But he knew it was the right thing to do. She would've appreciated the gesture.

  His voice was soft yet clear.

  "Swear that you will never advance to Sage."

  Lindon was in the basement of his guesthouse, working on improving his empty palm, similar to how Akura Fury had suggested when the Herald first appeared behind him.

  That was months ago.

  Very few Akura Underlords continued to challenge him, and those that did did so with much less hostility.

  He took a glance at the communication construct the Sage had given to him so he would be able to speak with Yerin at the table in the far corner.

  [Relax], Dross said soothingly. [It'll activate in another two days].

  But that wasn't what Lindon was thinking about. He was thinking about the Sage. She would visit him so often to check on his progress. He felt conflicted. On one hand, she had given him more resources than he could use and provided him with a priceless construct. On the other hand..., she had wanted to allow Whitehall to die.

  [She's on our side], Dross replied to his thoughts. [Look at how much bigger I am thanks to her scales].

  Then Dross popped out and started at Lindon with his large eyes. [Can you ask her for more?]

  Lindon turned around and found the Sage standing by the entrance to the basement.

  He pressed his fists and bowed immediately. "Honoured Sage."

  "It seems you remain distracted, " she replied, her gaze falling onto him.

  "This one..., " Lindon hesitated. Then, "forgiveness. I shall do my best."

  "You're wondering why I pushed the Wastelanders so hard, " she stated.

  Lindon didn't reply and simply nodded.

  Truth be told, Charity had given much thought about it herself. At first, it began with a feeling. And despite her mastery of her emotions, the feeling had evolved into distaste. And from that distaste, it had justified her actions. The Wasteland was an entity of chaos that threatened to tip the balance of this world's order.

  "Tell me, Lindon, " she began. "When did you last advanced to a copper?"

  Lindon gulped. "Two years ago, I think."

  "And tell me. How many resources did Eithan Aurelius pour into your advancement?"

  Lindon was silent for a moment , waiting for Dross to complete his calculations. "Too much, " Lindon finally said.

  Charity nodded. "Much more than a branch Underlord patriarch in a backwater vassal ought to be able to afford, " she corrected.

  "Yet, the Wasteland disciples had done so in half the time."

  [Wow], Dross mused in Lindon's mind. [And you thought you were quick].

  Everyone did , Lindon replied silently.

  "Do you see it now? " Charity asked. "The Wastelands are not as barbaric as we all have thought."

  "But they have a monarch, " Lindon replied. "Surely, they have more resources than a vassal empire?"

  Charity shook her head. "The Monarch of the Wastelands do not rule like our Monarch. They follow his wishes because he is a monarch, and it would be foolish not to do so."

  In short, they follow Northstrider because the other option would be suicide.

  "Northstrider would provide them with scraps in exchange. But even then, it shouldn't be enough to raise two apprentices so rapidly without the Wastelands falling into chaos."

  Lindon gulped, feeling the pressure from the Sage's spirit rising.

  "And they also still kept their autonomy from the Wasteland Monarch. Call it an exchange, " she explained. "A massively unfavourable exchange. But an exchange nonetheless."

  Lindon had never learned about the relationship between Northstrider and the Wastelands, so all this was new to him and Dross.

  "One Herald, " Charity said, raising a single finger, "was all we ever believed the Wasteland possessed. Because of that, both our clan and the Gold Dragons agreed to let the Wasteland stand as a buffer between our territories. They were strong enough that any conquest would demand significant effort—forcing either side to weaken their other borders. But one Herald alone was never enough for the Wasteland to overstep their place."

  Then she raised three fingers. "Three Heralds rose to the defence of the Wastelands when the Bleeding Phoenix attacked. And advancement to a Herald is not cheap even for a Monarch's nation."

  Lindon stared at the Sage as he understood the wider politics involved.

  "Yet they did not stop there, " the Sage continued. "They redirected the Bleeding Pheonix to the Gold Dragon's Dessert Empire, causing significant damage to our enemies."

  "But shouldn't that mean that they are on your side? " Lindon asked.

  "If they had asked our permission, " Charity replied. "Yet they did not. And neither did they inform their own monarch. And the fact that the Gold Dragons had not retaliated meant they came to the same realisation we do. "

  Charity paused.

  Then, her purple eyes bore into Lindon.

  "The Wastelands are more powerful than they would like us to believe, and any retaliation would cost us more than we can afford, " Charity concluded. "For centuries, the Wastelands had never made such a bold move. Yet now they have. So yes, I went after the disciples to nip the Wasteland's strength in the bud before their strength could grow further . The then situation would remove the Akura clan from any responsibilities, and thus, I took it."

  Lindon fought the urge to shake his head. It felt like Whitehall and Sadi were just pawns from both sides. Was he himself just another pawn?

  "But that opportunity had sailed, and all sides must adapt to this new stalemate, " Charity continued. "The situation has evolved even further, and alliances are rapidly being made; therefore, we will need the Wasteland on our side."

  Lindon wanted to ask, but the Sage continued.

  "So no, Wei Shi Lindon, the Akura Clan shall not take any actions against the Wasteland unless they become a threat. And that will fall upon the result of the tournament."

  Lindon nodded. He had known that the fate of Sacred Valley fell upon the result of the tournament. But now it felt as if the world's stability depended on it.

  "Now you understand more of the thin line the world's stability hung upon. The new might of the Wasteland had only added to it. But I digress; my actions did not bore fruit and had worsened the situation, " Charity admitted, remembering her conversation with her grandmother. "So now, Lindon. I ask again. What will you do?"

  Lindon exhaled the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "I'll do my best, " he said determinedly.

  Charity nodded once and disappeared. Leaving Lindon to digest what he had just learned.

  [Phew], Dross commented. [That was a lot].