Knobbly knuckles knocked on the door.

  “Enter!” a strong voice commanded.

  The chamberlain opened the door, bowing briefly. He was an older man, immaculately dressed, but the highly stressful position he held had impressed itself upon his face, resulting in sagging, pale features with yellowing dark circles under his eyes. He had just begun to open his mouth when the Baron interrupted him.

  “Dispense with the greetings, Maximilian. What news?” Marius waved impatiently.

  “Yes, Baron. Senior Darkheart has successfully recovered your son. He’s alive and on his way to Brightheart Castle,” the chamberlain said. He had a slightly rough voice, likely from shouting at servants all the time, but his tone was calm and measured.

  Marius’s tense features eased slightly. “Good. Thank you.”

  “Alas… there is bad news,” the old chamberlain said with uncommon hesitation.

  “What? Don’t tell me that little brute is on his last legs?” the Baron gritted out.

  “No, no. It’s just that… the Honourable Griswold’s pre-core was removed.”

  Marius's face froze, his pupils widening with disbelief. Then a furious grimace twisted his features. "Fuck. FUCK!” he roared, throwing a chair at the wall, following it with a vicious kick to the night table. Both pieces of furniture burst into splinters under his strength. Unable to find release for his fury, his fist struck the castle wall, punching a shallow pit into the stone. This seemed to help disperse some of his frustration, and Marius finally began to regain his composure.

  The Baron shot a wild glance at the chamberlain, who stood there as if nothing happened. The old man was used to seeing all sorts of things; such a meager fit barely registered on his list.

  Marius took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. “Did His Imperial Majesty send any word for me?” he asked, his voice almost calm. It was obvious the Emperor would have been informed first.

  “I was told to convey that all heirs are important to the future of the Empire.”

  Marius sighed in relief, and sat on the only chair still in one piece. “Thank you, Maximilian. Send someone later to fix the wall.”

  “Of course, Baron.” The chamberlain bowed once more and was about to leave when Marius’s voice stopped him.

  “One more thing. Does Senior Darkheart know who did this?”

  “As far as I know, the whole area was cleansed with a living fire bead. Unfortunately, Senior Darkheart does not usually inform me about the results of his investigations. I’m afraid the Baron will have to ask him in person.”

  “Fine. Thank you.” Marius was in a bad mood, but it was always wise to be kind to the old chamberlain. That man knew everything that was going on in the castle and was one of the few people in direct contact with the Emperor.

  The chamberlain bowed, then departed the room like a ghost, silently closing the door behind him.

  “Why did the heavens punish me with an idiot for a son? Fuck! I’ll become the court’s laughingstock. The man who allowed both of his useless children to be snatched from under his nose. The dog responsible? Why, he’s likely living life to the fullest! The fucker might as well have pissed right in my face!” The veins on Marius’s forehead bulged at the thought of walking through the castle corridors and having others give him those fake, compassionate looks, just waiting for him to leave so they could laugh behind his back.

  “That little imbecile must have finally crossed someone who doesn't fuck around. Things were going so well, and with the heir announcement, we started to bounce back. I once again meant something in the court. Now I’m fucked! Where the hell am I going to get more crystals?” Marius muttered to himself, treading back and forth as he deliberated internally.

  Unable to come up with any immediate solution, Marius shouted at the door. “Anders!”

  A large, grim-faced man opened the door. “Sire?”

  “We’re heading out to greet Senior Darkheart,” Marius barked. “Let’s hope he had learned something. Whoever did this needs to die, and they need to die quickly. Otherwise, I won’t be able to show my face around here.”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Yes, sire.”

  Cade’s speeder pierced through the cold morning air, golden sun peeking from behind the horizon. He had one last matter to take care of before leaving. The most important one.

  Three hours ago he took an aura-severing pill, which would temporarily remove all qi fluctuations from his body, making him effectively invisible to any spiritual tracking techniques. By the time those fluctuations returned, he’d be many thousands of miles away. In theory, they could still search for him using mundane methods, but those were directly countered by flying. In short, both Cade and Gorgo would now effectively disappear, and only someone with power approaching Master Lao Ren’s could possibly find them.

  After handing over the golden band, the danger-signaling pressure began to gradually diminish, and after taking the pill, it disappeared completely. The imperial manhunters could very well be the best trackers in the Empire, but they weren’t omniscient. Griswold’s boastful claims were probably just posturing, though they could have been hiding a sliver of truth. The young Asura was cautious, which was why he had spent so many crystals on the fire bead; after all, he had only one life.

  A blood-churning aura, red glowing mist, some kind of danger sense—the list of weird abilities he could neither control nor understand was growing, and all of them seemed to be connected to these prismatic spherules. Cade knew he had to slow down and take his time to properly comprehend the changes in his cultivation; otherwise, he was running the risk of not just hurting others, but also himself.

  As he crossed the border, he slowed and dropped altitude to fly just above the treeline, as he was now inside the twenty-mile-wide zone separating his village from the Verdant Sea. This whole area was covered with dense vegetation that had already fully awakened from its winter slumber. Now the tree crowns were showing off their budding leaves, turning their branches towards the sunlight. Without the presence of spirit beasts, it was quite peaceful. Cade loved spring; it always filled him with hope, as the warmer climate meant more food, though for the villagers it also signified the return to gruelling labor. But he didn’t mind; he was never afraid of work, but he was afraid of starving.

  Now those days were long gone.

  As he approached the village, Cade couldn’t help but get anxious. He stopped the speeder two miles out, choosing to travel the rest of the way on foot. It was still very early, but villagers were used to getting up at dawn, hence he carefully made his way towards his house, sending out occasional pulses of his life sense. Fortunately, his home was on the outskirts of the village, so the chances of him meeting someone were low.

  When Cade saw the back of his house in the distance, he felt tears welling in his eyes. This was his home, where he spent all his life. He knew every inch of it. However, in the next moment, his heart almost stopped. There were people inside—three life signatures.

  Cade wasn’t sure now what to do, but he knew he needed to see his mother’s grave. He decided to put on the mask. Whoever these people were, it was better if they didn’t know who he was. While he had changed physically, his facial structure still held a passing resemblance to his old self. He took a slow, deep breath, inhaling the cold, fresh air. Even though the weather didn’t really affect him anymore—other than the extremes—Cade still felt like he should wrap himself in something warm to ward off the morning chill. A force of habit.

  Exhaling, he slowly approached the fence. To his left was the old patch of soil where he used to grow purple irises, now showing some young shoots reaching for the sky. Cade was afraid to look to the right, where, in the corner of the backyard garden, was Jon’s empty grave, built of stacked, round stones he dragged all the way from the river. His body shook like a leaf on the wind, but eventually, he forced himself to turn.

  The moment he laid his eyes on the two graves, his knees buckled. He burst into a quiet, quickly stifled sob. After a short while, Cade composed himself, remaining on his knees, and breathing deeply. The grave next to Jon’s was a low mound of tightly packed earth with sparse grass growing over it. His mother always adored nature, especially colorful flowers like tulips, orchids, or chrysanthemums. She loved the purple irises he planted back then. Cade knew she wouldn’t mind grass growing over her grave, but it would definitely look better with flowers.

  “Mom. I am so sorry,” Cade whispered.

  He finally forced himself to stand up. In that time, two life signatures left the house. He was too shaken to notice. He pushed on the narrow gate built of old planks, his hand caressing their rough, weathered surface. It opened with a soft creaking sound, the same as he remembered. Cade observed for a moment, awaiting any reaction from the solitary person left inside, but they seemed unaware of his presence, occupied with other things.

  He slowly walked towards the unnamed grave, then once again fell to his knees with his back facing the house and took off his mask. He gently placed his palms on the freshly grown, soft grass, then slammed his forehead into the ground. “Mom, Dad, your unfilial son has returned,” he said in a quiet, quivering voice.

  Cade lifted his head, loose bits of soil falling onto his longcoat as he straightened up. Silent tears streamed down his face. He gazed upon the grave through this blurry curtain, then kowtowed again. “Mom, your son has failed to protect you. This is my life’s greatest shame,” he choked out. His fingers curled up, claws tearing at the soft soil he had tilled countless times, as he stifled a cry, weeping quietly.

  Some time later, he straightened up for the second time, his face now marred with dirt. He gazed at his hands, as they finally looked like they always used to, with dirt filling up the lines on his palms. “Mom, I hope you reincarnate well.”

  Cade slammed his forehead into the ground for the third time, choosing to remain in this position. He recalled many of the precious moments he spent with his family: the happy laughter of his parents, the caring look in his mother’s eyes.

  I’ll make sure your killers regret the day they were born into this world.

  All of a sudden, a young female voice came from behind him. “Excuse me, can I help you with something?”

  Vengeance Part I" and commencement of the second arc.

  What can you look forward to (no spoilers):

  - new, exciting locations around the exotic Desert of a Thousand Lakes

  - new story reveals - the mystery of Cade's origins deepens

  - Sword Dao Monastery

  - expensive speeders

  - beautiful women

  - arrogant young masters

  - new friends & enemies

  - awesome battles

  - more explosive headbutting

  - more robbing the robbers

  - more progression, as we watch Cade learn & grow as a cultivator

  And many, many more - but since this is all supposed to be non-spoilery, I can't really get into details. It's going to be great!