I moved through the forest around the coordinates Ariel had given, covering ground quickly but not carelessly, my senses stretched as I searched for any sign of movement, any disruption that didn’t belong.

Minutes passed, and with each one, a small, unwelcome thought began to creep in.

Had Ariel lied?

It wouldn’t be the first time she’d acted on impulse just to stir things up, and right now, chasing empty air was the last thing I needed. My jaw tightened slightly as I pushed forward, scanning again, refusing to slow down just because doubt had started to settle in.

Then, a notification surfaced.

[A Chosen is near your location]

[A Chosen is near your location]

[A Chosen is near your location]

...

I stopped.

The messages hung there for a fraction of a second, but that was all it took. The source was obvious. [FINDER]. A passive skill shared among the Chosen, one that alerted us when another like us entered the same range.

And it had just triggered.

They were here.

I didn’t hesitate. The moment it registered, I pushed off the ground and went airborne, rising above the canopy to widen my view. From up there, the forest opened up just enough to make patterns visible—movement where there shouldn’t be any, figures cutting through terrain with purpose instead of wandering.

It didn’t take long.

One sweep.

Then another.

And I found them.

Without wasting a second, I locked onto the position and blinked forward, space collapsing between us as I crossed the distance in an instant, reappearing right in front of them with enough force to disturb the air around my landing.

The reaction was immediate.

Weapons came up, stances shifted, the entire group snapping into readiness as my sudden appearance caught them off guard.

I didn’t move.

I just looked at them, taking in the numbers, counting without making it obvious.

Roughly a dozen.

Including him.

Caius stood among them, exactly where I expected he would be—central, composed, not even slightly shaken by the disruption. Around him, a few faces stood out immediately.

Kharos. Veyra. Drel.

The same three I had met at their gate.

And then there was her—the woman I had seen at the end of my fight with Caius, standing slightly behind.

My gaze lingered for a moment longer, measuring, assessing, trying to read beyond what was visible.

Was this all he brought?

Or were there more positioned elsewhere, waiting?

I couldn’t be sure.

But one thing was certain.

I couldn’t let this group walk away.

There was no room for hesitation, no reason to drag things out when the risk was this clear. If it came down to a fight, then I wasn’t easing into it, and I definitely wasn’t testing the waters first.

I was ending it.

My hands came up instinctively, palms aligning as I prepared to activate [Sovereign’s Domain], already feeling the shift begin at the edge of my control, the space around me responding before the skill was even fully triggered.

But then...

"Wait!!!!"

Caius’s voice cut through sharply, loud enough to halt the motion before it crossed the point of no return. I didn’t drop my stance, but I paused, my focus locking onto him as he raised both hands, open, in a gesture that was too deliberate to ignore.

"We’re not here to fight."

I didn’t relax.

If anything, my awareness sharpened further, the skill still sitting right there, ready to be unleashed the moment anything felt off.

"We’re not here to fight," he repeated, slower this time, like he understood exactly how close I was to acting.

"Then what are you here for?" I asked, my tone flat, the doubt clear even without emphasis.

"To talk."

I stared at him.

He had to know how that sounded.

"You came all the way here... to talk?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

It didn’t sit right.

But Caius didn’t react to the skepticism. If anything, he seemed prepared for it.

"To ask if the offer to join your clan is still open."

For a second, I just looked at him, my brow tightening as I tried to process what he had just said.

"You proposed an offer," he continued, his voice steady, grounded, like he was stating something already decided. "You told me to work under you while we were fighting."

I remembered.

Barely. It had been said in the middle of everything, more instinct than intention, something thrown out in the heat of the moment without expecting it to be taken seriously.

"I’m here to tell you," Caius said, meeting my gaze directly now, "that I’m willing to take it. With my group."

...

I didn’t expect that.

For a brief moment, the words didn’t quite settle, like my mind was still catching up to what I had just heard, but I kept my expression steady, my posture unchanged. Whatever this was, losing focus now would be a mistake.

"Is this some sort of game," I said, my voice measured, "or a grand plan?"

Because that was the only way it made sense.

This had to be a ploy.

Caius didn’t answer immediately, but when he did, there was no hesitation in it.

"This is not a game," he said. "My intentions are genuine."

I didn’t look at him.

Instead, my gaze shifted past him, sweeping across the group behind him, taking in their reactions—subtle, but not invisible. Kharos stood there, his expression tight, and a few others mirrored it in their own way. There was no unity behind that statement, no shared conviction.

"The faces of your people say otherwise," I replied, my eyes lingering just long enough to make the point clear. "They don’t look convinced."

Caius exhaled lightly, not defensive, just... acknowledging it.

"That’s because they don’t see the advantage in this yet."

That wasn’t helping him.

"Neither do I," I said without pause.

There was no reason to pretend otherwise. Whatever angle he was playing at, it wasn’t obvious, and that alone made it a problem.

"But I do," Caius continued, calm as ever, as if the resistance around him didn’t shake his stance in the slightest. "There are benefits to us becoming part of your clan."

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

Benefits for whom?

"And what about your clan?" I asked, the edge in my tone sharpening just enough to make it clear I wasn’t buying into this. "You expect me to believe this is what you need? To walk in here and submit to a lower clan?"

"Drop it," I added, my gaze locking onto his. "If your goal is to take back the garnets, then just say it, and I’ll deal with you properly."

Caius let...