Alex could feel the tension building in the spot between his shoulder blades.

With the timetable for the assault being moved up, the evening before the attack had arrived almost suddenly.

While Alex was ready to go home and he’d gained confidence in his fighting abilities, he suddenly felt a lack of confidence. He remembered the powerful presence of the Firstborn and wondered what level the giant serpent was. Even with his progress, he felt unprepared to take on such a fight.

Fuck, I feel like it was just yesterday. I was sitting at my desk doodling in a notepad with Henderson grouching at me.

He smirked, wondering what his old self would say if he saw the current version of Alex.

He’d think I was badass, no doubt.

Alex reached up and touched the slightly puckered and firm skin of his scar. He’d kept his Heavenly Eye uncovered for the last several weeks of training. With the thought of being home so close, with seeing his friends and being back in the normal world, he wondered how his shocking change in appearance might ostracize him.

He didn’t enjoy the idea of needing to cover up his scar and eye, just to fit in with others, but felt it might be necessary for a time.

Not from my friends, they deserve to know the truth and everything about me… and everything I’ve done.

It was strange how his thoughts were pulled back to his fights and flight from the dark side of the Rift. The people he’d killed and his justification for killing because his life was on the line. He couldn’t really use that excuse now, however.

His jaw clenched and he felt the knot of guilt form in his stomach as he thought back to the merchant who’d kept Sam as a slave. When he’d struck the man, he hadn’t planned to kill him, but did that make him any less of a murder? The feeling of guilt intensified as he thought to the brief moment of satisfaction he’d actually felt when Eura told him that the scummy merchant had died.

It was one thing to cross a line when it was needed or when he was forced to do so, but that hadn’t been the case in the market square.

He let out a breath and closed his eyes. Alex wanted to be hard on himself and he wanted to explore all of the feelings involved in the dreadful thought that he was a murderer. Part of him wanted to wallow in that feeling and have someone else tell him that he was a horrible person. Another part of him wanted to justify and explain, and to have someone tell him that he was in the right and the man deserved it.

Grunting, he used his ever increasing control over his emotions to squash the thoughts and push them deep.

Now isn’t the time for this. None of it will matter if we don’t make it out of the Rift.

Master Shen and Master Li stood in formal dress opposite Alex, on either side of the desk, as they waited in Eura’s office space for the sect head to join them. Alex could feel where Valtherion was through their bond and knew that he and Sam were seated a short distance behind him in the garden.

Eura joined them shortly and stood behind his desk.

“This was supposed to be a bit more of an event, but with how things have changed, it’s been pushed aside. I apologize for that. The plan had been to have a final assessment so that you could clearly see your growth. With the attack being in a few hours and the ambush team already making their way through the crevasse, I wanted to make sure that your teachers had a chance to see you off and present any last words of wisdom.” Eura raised his hands to both sides, giving Master Li a chance to speak first.

The Martial Master bowed and then reached into his robes. He held both hands out, each containing a small roll of cloth.

“This is a small token and not worth the time and effort you put into improving yourself, but I hope that you will accept.” Alex accepted the cloth as Master Li continued to talk. “As a teacher who has spent many years cultivating the sect’s talent, I am pleased with your progress. My only regret is that you are an outsider and will not be staying with the Celestial Lotus Sect. You would serve us well.” Master Li Wei’s smile was brief but genuine as he took a small step back.

He gestured to the two rolls in Alex’s hands, so he looked down at the sturdy canvas-like fabric.

“These are the hand wraps that all core disciples of the sect use when engaged in missions. They wrap around the knuckles and down past the wrists on each arm. They will help strengthen your fists and the cloth is treated in a way that strengthens the flow of Qi.”

Master Shen Rong stepped forward with a wrapped bundle in his hands. As was his personality, the man said little.

Oh— fuck yes. This is awesome.

The Sword Master gingerly unwrapped the oiled cloth that contained a sheathed jian. The short, straight sword sang as he removed it smoothly from the black leather. The sheath and strap were both black leather with a golden clasp. The hilt of the sword was golden, and the leather of the grip was dyed black to match the casing. Tied to the pommel were two foot-long white and gold ribbons. He wiped the blade once for the show before sliding it easily back into its sheath and passing it to Alex.

“May this blade serve you well, Honored Guest. It has been a pleasure to guide such a dedicated student on their path.”

After Alex thanked each of them, they nodded to Eura and quietly left the office space. When it was just the two of them facing each other, across the desk, Eura gave a bright smile.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Alex paused before smiling back, noting that Eura’s smile looked more tired than normal. His thoughts were pulled back to the somber talk they’d had just before the planning meeting. Before, Eura had used the area-wide skill to kill the traitors of the sect. Part of Alex was surprised to see him smiling like this, as it had clearly been a hard decision for the celestial man.

“There’s no need to look at me like that,” Eura said. “I didn’t like what needed to be done, but I’ve done much worse in my path to power. I’ve waded through more blood than most ever will, and at times for much less reason than the traitors gave me.”

Alex gulped, and nodded, thinking back to his own thoughts before the sect head had arrived.

“Enough of that, for now. Dwelling on the guilt doesn’t do anything, for anyone. These are for you.” Eura presented Alex with a new set of sect robes. Though they still had the markings of an outsider, they were clearly made from a high-quality and sturdy material. Upon closer inspection, Alex realized that all three of his gifts had the subtle markings of enchantment. Eura, seeing where his attention was drawn to the robes, nodded and spoke up.

“They are all enchanted. You should use your Celestial Eye to inspect them.”

Alex did so.

D Rank Item - Celestial Jian Rarity: Common

Type: One-Handed Straight Sword Enchantment - Sharpness II

D Rank Item - Wrist Wraps of the Celestial Lotus Rarity: Common

Type: Glove Enchantment: Strength I, Mana Flow I

D Rank Item - Celestial Lotus Sect Robes - Custom Rarity: Uncommon

Type: Outfit Set Enchantment: Auto-repair, Toughness I

Alex was stunned to look at the items. He thanked Eura with as much heart-felt gratitude as he could, bowing deeply to the older man. Eura cut off any further attempts at thanks, instead opting to give Alex some final words of wisdom before the small group needed to prepare for the assault.

"Alex, before you go, heed this. You have grown strong, but the true test lies in how you wield that strength. You’ll soon be the mightiest in your world, and with that comes a choice—will you be a tyrant, or will you be a protector? Unchecked power is a dangerous thing. It can consume even the best intentions. Remember that might does not always make right, but sometimes, it is the only language the world understands. Be the one who speaks that language only when necessary, and when you do, temper it with wisdom and a righteous purpose.” He looked into Alex’s eyes.

There was silence for a time as the weight of Eura’s words sunk in. To Alex, it felt like this was the end of their ongoing discussion of power. They had started it weeks ago in that very spot, and it was now brought to an end with a much better understanding.

“Thank you, Eura. For everything you did for me and Sam. I don’t think I have all the answers of power yet, and I’m sure I’ll make mistakes, but I feel better having learned at least the starting point from someone like you.” Alex bowed again, feeling a bit awkward at such a formal speech and response.

Eura clapped his hands and said that they should move on to more gifts. He called out to Sam, who entered and walked over to join them. Eura apologized once again for the mistreatment that Sam suffered and said that he still felt that the sect owed the boy for a debt. Eura told him that he’d grown in the last three weeks, and he hoped that Sam would learn to grow stronger from the struggles rather than be broken by them. The gift he presented Sam was a staff of cherry wood and he told him that it was one of the most rare enchantments that they could create.

D Rank Item - Cherry Lotus Healing Staff Rarity: Uncommon

Type: Staff Enchantment: Healing I, Mana Efficient I

The trio chatted for several minutes, standing around the desk and discussing the items. Alex could see Eura’s smile and had an idea of what he was waiting for. Over the short talk after Sam’s staff was presented, Valtherion had become increasingly agitated, swishing his tail from Sam’s shoulder.

Alex started laughing as he reached for the mana wyrm, who unfurled himself and tried to fly over and headbutt Eura. The celestial laughed as well and addressed the little glutton.

“How could I forget about you, little Valtherion?” He reached into his robe and removed a D Rank Mana Stone.

Val’s tail began swishing back and forth in excitement.

“Mana!”

Dude, you look like a dog. How can you even swish your tail without moving your body in the air?

Eura tossed the stone across the open office space, and the bond darted after it, repeating his favorite word over and over.

As they were getting ready to leave, to spend their last few hours in quiet, Eura stopped Alex once more. He told them that he wanted to release them from the initial part of their deal. While Eura wanted the safety of his people to come first, he knew that Alex and Sam both deserved to return home after everything that they’d been through. He apologized for the mess that the Council dragged them into, and he made sure that he was clear in his new expectations.

“While I think that my people would greatly benefit from both of your aid, the reports are clear. With the ambush in place, they should secure the battle. To make up for their levels, I have also decided to release Rakshasi when the ambush begins. This will release the level restriction on my men, allowing them to fight on even footing with the enemies, even if outnumbered. This means your role of getting to the ambush site is the most fragile part of the plan.”

Alex nodded at the adjustment as it made sense. The original plan had been to fight the Firstborn with a team of under-leveled sect members and to use surprise and numbers to win the fight. With their plans leaked and the Firstborn anticipating an attack, it would be harder to successfully execute the plan without releasing the restrictions.

“Why didn’t you mention that in the planning? I think it would have hyped up your men a bit more. Some of them think that this is a suicide mission for the greater good. Knowing your men, I’m sure they’d be happy to fight to the death for the sect… but I’m pretty sure they’d be happier to know that they will get out of this alive.”

Eura gave him a smile.

“Ohh-,” Alex said. “You wanted to make sure that it didn’t leak, just in case?”

The celestial man nodded. “The group should be able to pull off the assault without your aid. I want you to make sure that you and Samuel make it out of the Rift. You have more lives yet to live, and this isn’t even your world or your fight.”

Alex could tell that this was his last goodbye. He gave the sect head one final bow, surprised to receive one in kind.

Hours later, dressed and carrying their new gear, Alex and Sam met up with the four others in their team. It was a short walk to the edge of Tianluo and the small staging area that they would wait in. The plan was to begin moving toward the encampment to the North just before the first light. With the early attack combined with the time of day, they would hopefully catch the disorganized defenders off guard and begin the plan.