The five of them drifted on the same sailboat they had used years ago. Time had been merciful to them, aging them slowly compared to the ship.

"We'll blend in with the city, and in the meantime, we'll scout for the prison. After a month, we should have a solid plan for breaking in," Cesar asserted, his voice had grown deeper and more confident. He had grown into his body, his once lanky frame more defined.

Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Al, who had a different idea. "Why go through all that trouble when Ellie can make us invisible? We could slip in unnoticed," he suggested, prompting curious glances from the group.

"Why are they all looking at me like that?" Al wondered, holding his ground. Ellie finally released a measured sigh and addressed him calmly, "If these religious authorities are capturing cultivators and executing them, it's highly probable they have individuals akin to the Exarch who were able to see through my Reflective Will."

Al realized she was right. Somehow, he hadn't connected the dots, yet the others had all reached the same conclusion.

Al changed the subject. "So... umm, how's the Mental Domain treating you all? Is it any different from when we inhaled Robert's gas mixture?"

Agnethe replied, "Before the Mental Domain, I didn't even know my name. Now I do," she said, which left Al thoroughly confused.

"Are you saying I don't know my name?" Al questioned. The two of them had hardly spoken to each other after she had ended their relationship.

Seeing Al's discomfort, Jin tried to reassure him, saying, "Don't worry, Al. I'm sure you'll enter the Mental Domain soon." Al unconsciously took a few steps back.

"Okay... I don't care. Unlike all of you, I only wanted the strength to protect someone I loved. Who cares whether you know your name if no one can say it!" Al lashed out.

However, no one reacted to his outburst. Cesar calmly responded, "I understand your sentiment, but that's attaching yourself to what is destined to die. Before I entered the Mental Domain, I realized that my brothers' bodies, minds, and souls had returned to the source from which they originally emerged. I can feel this source through my Will, and by cultivating it, I grow closer to it and to them."

Al's face contorted in response, but Jin supported Cesar's perspective. "In the West, we don't truly grasp the meaning of the word 'Will.' We often confuse it with desire. But Will paves the way for the light and casts the shadow that swallows that very light. Life follows the way, and we call the way our Will."

Al listened, but he refused to understand what they were saying. A burning sensation was welling up within his chest.

They soon arrived at the bustling port of Mt. Kali, Cesar added "Well actually we are going to be using Ellies Reflective Will to sneak in our etheric shells. I was hoping you could be the one to carry them, Al."

Al shouldered the etheric shells of both Cesar and Jin, while Agnethe's etheric shell, a simple earring, was left unaffected. Using her etheric shell, Ellie made only Al invisible.

Unlike the neighboring isles, Mt. Kali maintained strict records of arrivals and departures. An aging, gray-haired man with a receding hairline greeted them at the port. He was dressed in white loose linen.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen. We would appreciate it if you could provide some identification. Otherwise, a detailed description of your point of origin will suffice," the port official requested.

He had been trained to watch for groups of six, a common number for cultivators. The man assumed that Jin and Ellie were a couple, as were Cesar and Agnethe, who played along with the men's assumption. Meanwhile, Al, invisible, observed and eavesdropped on their interactions.

After several hours, the four of them were granted entry into the colossal city that the Church of the New Light had erected around the towering black mountain, with Al following them unseen. The mountain was absolutely stunning; its peak seemed to reach the heavens.

They traversed the city streets, each corner adorned with a temple. Despite the late hour, people still bustled through the streets, and every temple hosted congregations of candlelit worshippers fervently praying to their deity.

Eventually, they reached a building resembling a medieval inn. Cesar withdrew a pouch filled with gold coins and counted out three, handing them to the innkeeper as payment for five rooms, securing their accommodations for the night.

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"Teacher gave me just enough to sustain us for about a month," Cesar mentioned as they headed towards their rooms. Ellie said, "You don't have to call her 'teacher' with us."

They continued walking, and Cesar offered Ellie a soft smile, saying, "Why? Does it bother you that I call your mother 'teacher'?"

Ellie, unruffled, replied, "Yes, actually, it does bother me."

Cesar's smile grew wider, and he playfully retorted, "Well, that's too bad. I'm her student and will refer to her as my teacher. "

Ellie didn't react, maintaining her composure. "Sure thing, Cesar. Do whatever you want," she conceded.

Cesar, acting shocked, added, "Wait, that's the first time you didn't call me 'Captain.' So, that's how you want to play? Fine, what do you want me to call her?"

Ellie smiled, pleased with Cesar's understanding and adaptability. "Marcy is fine. It feels weird to hear my Captain call my mother 'teacher.' Thank you for understanding," she said.

Al observed the two calmly agreeing and cringed inwardly at how attuned they were to each other's conscious being.

He was the last to be shown to his room, Cesar's gaze holding a touch of concern. But Al abruptly snatched the keys from his friend's hand.

"A few years and you all start acting like completely different people, it's fucking ridiculous," he muttered with anger, striding into his room and slamming the door behind him. The burning sensation in his chest flared and intensified.

Al recognized the feeling—anger, overwhelming anger.

Tightly clutching the keys, Al found his thoughts swirling like they did during meditation, except now they were visions of him killing himself in multiple different ways. A sudden searing pain shot through his hand, and he involuntarily dropped the keys he had unknowingly driven into his palm.

Blood dripped onto the floor before his Stubborn Will began healing and closing the wound.

"That's the same nonsense that lady was spewing when Mark was killed. They think they're so smart, well, I can feel my Will too, and there's no connection to Mark, Dad, or my mother. All there is is me," Al pondered, desperation fueling his agitated pacing around the room.

"They all feel sorry for me. They pity me. I don't even think they care about Kesha. They can't wait to forget about her. And Agnethe claimed being apart from me for 1,000 years would be worse than death. Hypocrites, all of them," Al silently mouthed, his eyes narrowing in fury.

With a single swift motion, he angrily flipped the bed and leaped out of the window, his concealed knife secured within his robe, the chain subtly visible. He jumped from 3 stories high and broke his left ankle. In seconds, however, he was good as new; his Stubborn Will had almost become one with his body.

***

The following morning, Cesar went to fetch Al, only to discover his absence and bloodstains on the ground, along with the overturned bed. In minutes, Ellie, Jin, and Agnethe had gathered to investigate the scene.

Ellie picked up Al's bloodied keys, her gaze shifting between the blood-spattered floor and the imprints on the sheets. "He was pacing around; most likely, he was very emotional. Then, he accidentally stabbed himself with the keys, which he dropped. Afterward, he flipped his bed in a fit of rage and jumped out of the window," Ellie rapidly deduced, piecing together the previous night's events.

Cesar sighed before suggesting, "Let him walk it off. I think being stuck in the Upper Physical Domain is getting to him. Hopefully, he breaks through whatever mental block he's facing. Meanwhile, we should start looking for a job near the prison." Jin, Agnethe, and Ellie all agreed to Cesar's proposal.

The night before, Al wandered through the dimly lit streets of Mt. Kali, his thoughts in turmoil.

"Why is she still with us? She just appeared after her phantom seed nearly killed us. Damn it, why can't I stop thinking about her when Kesha is the one who needs me?" He muttered to himself, his inner monologue a chaotic jumble.

Lost in his thoughts, he accidentally collided with a man wearing a gray robe. "Hey, watch where you're going!" the man shouted, trying to regain his composure. Al abruptly halted and turned to look at the man, who instinctively stepped back as Al began to advance.

Before the man could retreat any further, Al grabbed him with force. The man struggled weakly, attempting to pry Al's fingers loose, but he proved too feeble.

"Where's the prison?" Al asked coldly. The man's trembling hand pointed behind Al, and Al turned to find nothing. Suddenly, the man thrust a knife into Al's neck. A few people watching the altercation began screaming and running to get authorities.

Al dropped to the ground, releasing his grip on the man, who began to shriek, "Self-defense! Self-defense!" Al reflexively reached for his neck to staunch the bleeding, but it proved unnecessary as his Stubborn Will swiftly initiated healing, sealing the wound.

As the man realized the person he had stabbed miraculously survived and had stopped bleeding, he began to shriek for help. "Heelllpp!! Someone, get a Reinforcer!" Al swiftly regained his feet, but before he could react, two men wearing the attire of church fathers arrived, and both began praying loudly.

Unseen to the crowd, two Dawn-keepers stood beside the clergymen. With their prayer concluded, they gestured toward Al, and suddenly, the two Dawn-keepers descended upon him, effectively immobilizing him.

Gasps of astonishment rippled through the onlookers. For them, Al's sudden paralysis validated the potency of their church's power, which was an extension of their God. Even the man who had stabbed Al began to laugh and taunt him. "I knew you were an agent of the enemy. I sensed it. That's why I stabbed you. Hahaha, you're getting what you deserve!"

Al observed the complete distortion of reality, knowing well what had transpired but choosing to remain silent. Inwardly, he resigned himself to his fate. "I guess I'll just be escorted to the prison... Kesha, here I come," he thought.

Later, as the sun rose, Cesar spoke to the group. "Place his keys in the drawer where he can find them when he returns, and leave the door unlocked," he instructed. The four left Al's room, moving forward with their plan.