Theo felt something tug at his heart as he watched Robin working hard to stabilize Nar. He felt responsible for what had happened.

If I hadn't hesitated then Nar would have been all right. He thought, clenching his fists then turning to face the formation. Brin and Kael wouldn't be trapped. He had planned to stop the formation when Dean asked him for help. Yet, for some reason, he didn't act on impulse like he would have when he was the leader of the Discipline hall. He had…changed. Theo traced the Oath runes on his right hand. They had changed him. No, he had let them change him. Let them take away his unfaltering resolution to do what was right. The pursuit of justice. All because of some rules.

He shook his head clear of the thoughts and focused back on Robin. Robin's hands moved so fast that he found it difficult to follow the movements; they were blurs to him. However, he could still tell that Robing was expertly hitting vital acupuncture points—probably to stop the bleeding.

Finally, Robin let out a relaxed sigh as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "His condition is severe," he told the elders and disciples who were surrounding him. "but there is no longer a danger to his life. However, we need to transfer him to the Medicine hall immediately." With that, he called several of his disciples amongst the crowd to carry Nar out of the tower. Then turned his attention to the formation.

Theo followed his gaze and noticed Dean yelling at Isaac and the Council. "I told you. There was something wrong. You just didn’t listen. We need to stop this now before Kael and Brin get hurt."

Isaac frowned and scratched his head while looking at the council—unsure of what to do.

"Heaven's," Dean said, his voice furious. "Nar almost died and you are still hesitating and looking for approval.” He turned towards the Council. “Don't you see, the formation is malfunctioning. If we don't stop it now then—"

"Watch your tone, Dean." Junn interrupted. "We are still your superiors. The formation left by the founder would not possibly hurt them or anyone. What happened to Nar…was just an inconvenience. A mistake caused by the boy's rushed bonding with the fox."

Theo shuddered. Wasn't the Council supposed to protect the sect? Protect their members? He thought, looking at the council members. How could they just let this continue when clearly there is something wrong… A wave of emotions washed over him as he started doubting whether he made the right choice by joining the council. He hadn’t thought it through enough. It had happened to fast.

Dean trembled, his qi rushing out of his body and his aura enveloping everyone. "Inconvenience…this is an inconvenience to you?" he roared, his face twisting with anger and a trace of disappointment. "You are still so blind you can't see what's right in front of you. Yes, the formation was not meant to hurt anyone, but something is wrong with it. It's no longer the same one left by the Founder. It's—"

The sound of something breaking flowed through the room gaining everyone’s attention. Looks of disbelief spread through the crowd as they gazed upon the formation. The center stone that had withstood the test of time for centuries and been deemed unbreakable…had shattered.

"Impossible." Junn, tint and many of the elders said as they stood, shaking their heads—a tinge of fear hidden within their eyes. "That stone was forged by the founder! There is no way this can happen!"

How can you not accept it already? Theo asked himself as he looked at the disbelieving elders. It was the same reaction they had when Nar had shot out of the formation soaked in blood. Even after forcefully dismissing all the disciples watching the event and rushing to the tower, they maintained their views of disbelief; blaming Nar instead of the formation. None of this would have happened if they had listened to Dean…if I had taken action when he asked me to help him…I could have prevented this.

Theo tightened his fist and stood tall—showcasing his monstrous figure. I can't hesitate anymore. I don't care if the Oath kills me. I can't blindly follow all the elders or the Council. I have to stop this formation. I can't let Kael and Brin die.

Armed with newfound determination, Theo rushed forward. He reached the dome barrier around the formation instantly and placed both palms on its surface. The barrier shuddered and the Oath runes on his arms resonated—shining bright purple. Heat ran down his arms and into the formation barrier. Quickly, hundreds of runes formed on its surface. There was a resistance, but it was working—the shutdown mechanism had started.

A smile arrived at Theo’s face. He felt that he had made the right choice. As the final sequence of the shutdown approached, however, everything changed. An influx of red energy disrupted him and sent him flying backward. He shot back several meters, but before he hit the ground Dean caught him.

"Theo, are you alright?"

Wincing, Theo looked at his palms. They were charred black and pulsing with pain. However, instead of stopping to get treated, he gritted his teeth and walked to the Council members. "Don't just stand there like fools. Help me shut it down!"

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"Theo…your hands—" Junn said.

"My hands are fine! I'll get help when we shut this damn formation down. Now help me."

He didn't wait for their responses and just walked forward, placing his blackened hands back on the formation barrier—starting the shutdown process once more. Immediately, the barrier vibrated and almost knocked him away, but to his surprise, Junn and Tint held him in place. They nodded at him and set their hands on the barrier, infusing it with energy.

The sudden influx overpowered the barrier and the shutdown runes began to appear on the surface. It went on for a couple of seconds, but, like before, another surge of energy forcefully sent them flying. Theo, however, had steeled himself and stood his ground. The energy continued to bombard his massive body—tainting it black. His arms were the worst, having already been burned once, the energy was eating the flesh away revealing the bone underneath. Still, Theo held on.

Just a bit longer. He thought as he flared all the qi in his body in an attempt to slow down the charring. He didn’t know where the sudden burst of strength to keep going was coming from, but it made him numb to the pain even flesh on his left hand corroded further—completely exposing the bones. Theo let out a growl and his muscles expanded as he tried to hold on, but, unfortunately, the shutdown sequence broke apart—unable to take the pressure. As it broke it sent out a blast of energy towards Theo. It traveled up his arms and deeper into his body. All of a sudden, he felt something snap inside him before his strength vanished.

Theo collapsed into Dean's grasp. He could only look at Dean with an apologetic frown. "Sorry, for hesitating to help you back when you asked me, Dean. I tried my best, but the energy is too strong, now. It broke the shutdown mechanism. There is no way to stop the formation now."

##

Dean shivered. Theo’s body was a mess. almost all of it was charred and his left hand was only bone; surely crippled. He felt guilty that he had assumed Theo didn’t want to help him. He even went as far as putting his life in danger. Dean thought. I have to do the same. With that, he passed the wounded Theo to Robing and glanced at the formation.

Its black color was gone. It was only filled with an intense blood red. No, Kael can't be harmed, he thought to himself, squinting his eyes trying to catch a glimpse of Kael. He has to be fine. He has to. If he wasn't…then it would mean he had really failed Ian once again.

He walked to the formation barrier and placed his hands on its surface. Closing his eyes, he willed his qi inside—trying to get a sense of how to stop it. There was some resistance, but since he guided his qi to scan—instead of altering the formation—it broke through and spread out.

Countless runes appeared in Dean's mind almost causing him to pass out. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his mind to the limit analyzing every rune. His status of Formation Master was not just for show.

However, these runes were nothing like he had ever seen before. They moved and altered their shapes continuously—enlarging, shrinking, merging, and breaking. It was like the runes were alive…even with over fifty years of study in the art of formations he could not comprehend a single rune before him.

Dean tightened his fist and punched the barrier as he retracted his qi. It was impossible to grasp the contents and break the formation apart. He laughed at himself as he realized how stupid it was for him to try and understand something the founder of the sect—a god in the Formation Arts—laid down.

Ian…I'm sorry. I failed you. He sunk to his knees, feeling powerless. He remembered Ian's face when the formation left inside him activated and infused him with power. Just as his mind was giving in to defeat…it sparked with an idea. Dean's body sprung back to life and laughed like a madman. "Such a simple way to stop it." He then concentrated his qi on his index fingers—shaping it into a sharp edge—and brought it down across his palms. A large gash opened up instantly. Ignoring the pain, he moved quickly and proceeded to draw on the floor with his blood.

Everyone looked at him with confused eyes, but he didn't dare slow down to explain. He continued to draw—moving his arms in large frantic motions—until the clear hints of a formation had been set down. Dean gave it a quick check, making sure everything was right, before smiling. Thank you, Ian.

"Everyone," Dean commanded. "Stand around this formation. Now!"

Junn walked over and said. "Dean, what do you intend to do. There is no way to—"

"Stand on the formation and shut up. You guys never listened to me before, but that stops now. If you don't…I will force you." He said with a roar so everyone could hear him.

"Dean…that'd be insane. Traitorous."

"I'm willing to go to those lengths to save Kael. Now, will you listen or will I have to force you?" He asked as he flared all of his aura around the elders causing most to shrink back.

"You—"

"Let's listen to him, Junn." Tint said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "He was right since the start. We were blinded…even Theo had more sight than us. It’s time to accept our mistake. If I'm not mistaken the formation Dean laid down with his blood is an energy converging formation. Though, I don't get why we need to stand around it."

"Simple. You will be the ingredients."

Their eyes went wide. "That's impossible. There is no way to use humans as ingredients. We—"

"It's possible,” Dean said, cutting him off. “Ian discovered a way to use humans as formation cores. He even placed formations inside people.” He raised his hand to stop their questions. “I'll explain later. For now, stand around the formation. Your qi will flow to the center and I will guide it to overpower the formation and shut it down."

"Dean if you do that you'll be acting as the core. That amount of qi would—"

"I know the risk, but I need to save Kael." With that, Dean walked to the center of the formation and waited for everyone to be in place.

At first, the elders hesitated, but he stared them down. Finally, they sighed and got into position. Dean took a deep breath, willing his qi to start the formation. He knew what he was about to do was stupidly dangerous as the amount of qi he would have to store in his body would surely go beyond the limit it could take. But he still had to try.

No, he needed to succeed.