The world seemed to hold its breath. The flames of the campfire flickered, and even the rain seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Then he appeared.
From within the trees, a hooded figure emerged. The black cloak draped down his back like liquid shadow. No sound accompanied his steps, but the air around him seemed to vibrate. There was an invisible, suffocating weight that made even the forest animals fall silent.
Jin stepped forward, sword already in hand. Sweat dripped, not from exertion, but from anticipation. The Qi of that presence was dense and irregular — as if it were alive and hungry.
Chi appeared beside him, eyes wide.
— This... this isn't a simple cultivator. Not even a regular martial artist. He's carrying something. Something old. Rotten.
The man lifted his head. For a brief moment, Jin saw his eyes under the hood: red pupils, narrow like blades. There was no humanity there. Only restrained hunger.
— Proceed with the mission. I'll handle this — Jin said to the escorts behind him, his voice firm.
Mu Hwan, who was already preparing to act, hesitated upon hearing the tone. Baekho held him by the arm.
— Let him. He's no longer in the testing phase.
Jin advanced.
The figure responded with a movement too fast for common eyes. Jin only avoided the strike because the Qi within him screamed. He jumped back, sliding with the technique he learned under Chi. The strike slashed through the space where his chest had been a second earlier, splitting a tree in half.
— Fast — Jin muttered. — But not invincible.
Chi shouted instructions in his mind, but Jin now moved by instinct. The short sword met resistance with every strike, as if cutting through hardened leather. The man was agile, fierce, and smiled with each of Jin's blocks as if he were testing a new toy.
In a desperate move, Jin used the enemy's momentum against him, channeling Qi to his ankles and sliding beneath the attack. With a spin, he slashed the back of the man's left leg.
The opponent grunted and stepped back. Finally, he spoke:
— Interesting...
The voice was hoarse, echoing, like multiple mouths speaking together. Chi froze.
— Jin... that's not a man. That's a cocoon. A vessel. He's carrying... a presence.
Jin stepped back two paces, his chest heaving. But his gaze remained steady.
— So be it. I'll cut the vessel until whatever's inside bleeds.
The being lunged again, and the forest became a stage for a battle of Qi and steel. With every strike, the trees trembled. The lightning illuminated faces and shadows. And amid it all, Jin endured. Fell. Rose. Advanced.
And when he finally drove the blade deep into the enemy's flank, the being let out a monstrous roar, his flesh trembling, cracking, as if something else wanted to break out from within.
But then... he stopped. His eyes locked onto Jin's. And as if recognizing something, he simply vanished in a burst of shadows, leaving a trail of putrid energy in the air.
Jin fell to his knees, exhausted.
Chi hovered beside him, silent.
— He'll be back — he said finally. — And next time... he'll come complete.
Jin clenched his fist around the sword, still panting, eyes fixed on the darkness of the forest.
— I'll be waiting.