Jin Yu raised an eyebrow.

  "Okay, okay! So pushy," Seer muttered, then turned toward the floating compass, its four arms now merged into a single pointer glowing steadily in the air. "It’s pointing northwest... far northwest. Hm. This symbol here–" he tapped one of the glowing runes hovering on the compass arm, "—I've seen it before. Definitely a sect emblem. Northern script, old style. Belongs to a very powerful group up North, dominant, even."

  He squinted at the symbol, a slight frown tugging his lips. "I think... yeah, that's the Crest of the Ember Throne Sect. One of their core emblems."

  "Ember Throne Sect?" Jin Yu repeated.

  Seer nodded slowly. "Yeah. Ruthless, hegemonic. The kind that builds branches like weeds. Dozens across the north. Even the outer ones are too strong for most people to mess with. Why the hell would someone from there want kids from a backwater City?"

  Jin Yu’s brows furrowed. A memory surfaced

  bloodied chains, smug grins, the stink of sweat and ash.

  “The third elder… one of the slavers said they were his underlings.” he said, almost to himself.

  Seer blinked. "Third elder? Damn, that's not some low-rank disciple." He looked at the compass again, then exhaled slowly. "This just got a lot more complicated."

  Jin Yu folded his arms, frown deepening. “You sure the compass isn’t broken?”

  “You saw how it worked, didn't you?” Seer replied. "That flower, the map, all that Qi, this isn’t some amateur trick. Besides, you were the one guarding the map like your life depended on it."

  Jin Yu didn't reply. He stared at the compass, watching its glow begin to dim ever so slightly.

  “Still… a sect that powerful... going after village kids?” he muttered.

  “Weird, right? Makes you wonder what those kids had, or what someone thinks they’re worth.” Seer’s tone was lighter, but his eyes had gone sharp. “Either way, we can’t waste time. The Sect has branches all over the north, and if the compass is pointing at their territory, it won’t be easy narrowing it down.”

  The compass pulsed once more, dimming just a little.

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  Seer clapped lightly, masking the tension. “Well then, off to Solenthia’s northern reaches. Hope you like long walks, friend.”

  Jin Yu kept his gaze on the compass. "Where exactly in the north?”

  “They have branches everywhere. Cities, mountains, hidden valleys... but if we follow that direction,” he pointed toward the horizon, “we’ll eventually reach Dawnmist City. Big place. Dangerous. Their influence is strongest there.”

  “And that’s where we’ll start,” Jin Yu said, mounting his horse.

  Seer chuckled and followed, hopping onto his snow-white steed. “To Dawnmist it is. Hopefully, we don’t get cooked alive before we reach them.”

  The compass slowly dissolved into wisps of Qi, as if its duty was done. Jin Yu didn’t look back.

  They galloped out of the forest, toward the North, toward the heart of fire.

  ------

  The ride stretched on for hours. They passed through the thick veil of the forest, leaving the shadowed depths of Blackflame Reach behind.

  The winding path took them up rugged mountains that surrounded the forsaken town like grim sentinels, each ascent casting the land below farther into memory.

  Eventually, the terrain opened up.

  Below them lay an edge of Jadeleaf City, a vibrant contrast to the gloom they’d left behind. The City sprawled with life, its streets alive with motion. People bustled here and there, voices rising in the familiar rhythm of bargaining. Stalls lined the avenues, bursting with goods, the scent of fresh produce and roasted meat drifting through the air. Green-roofed wooden houses nestled together in tidy rows, sunlight glinting off their lacquered panels.

  It was a different world entirely, warm and alive, untouched by the darkness that clung to Blackflame.

  Unbeknownst to them, seeing this colorful City, full of life, the gloom that clung to them disappeared, while their mood improved.

  By now, the Sun had climbed to its peak, lingering overhead in a golden blaze as it prepared to dip westward.

  Seer slowed his Snow-White Horse, the beast huffing softly beneath him. He looked over at Jin Yu and called out with a grin,

  “Friend! How about we find something to eat first? I don’t know about you, but my stomach’s about to mutiny.”

  ---

  The inn they chose stood at the corner of a bustling avenue, its wooden sign creaking in the breeze. Inside, it was warm and dimly lit, the smell of spiced meats and honeyed tea thick in the air. Locals laughed over shared drinks while a lute hummed quietly in the background.

  Jin Yu and Seer settled into a booth near the window, where the sunlight filtered in through patterned curtains. A wide assortment of dishes quickly filled the table—roasted beast, spiced root stew, fried lotus rolls, skewers of glazed meat, and some vegetables he couldn't name.

  Seer wasted no time digging in, practically glowing with joy. Jin Yu ate more quietly, tasting here and there, but rarely taking more than a few bites from any one dish. He kept his eyes on the window, watching people pass like flickering shadows on the glass.

  Halfway through the meal, as Seer slurped up the last of a steaming broth, he suddenly paused. His chopsticks hovered mid-air, and he tilted his head toward Jin Yu.

  A smirk tugged at his lips.

  “Hey… won’t you feed your companions?”

  The words were light, Casual and Spoken as if teasing.

  But the moment they left his mouth, the air changed.

  Jin Yu’s chopsticks stopped mid-motion.

  His gaze, once distant and unfocused, snapped to Seer with a sharpness that made the other boy freeze. The table between them seemed to narrow with tension, every shadow deepening as if the light itself recoiled.

  Seer blinked.

  Jin Yu didn’t speak. Didn’t move. But a cold pressure, sharp, invisible, and suffocating began to leak from him. It wasn’t outwardly loud, but it was felt, like a blade pressed slowly against the skin.

  Nearby, a serving maid stumbled and glanced their way, brow furrowed in sudden discomfort before she hurried on. A child laughed somewhere across the room, the sound oddly hollow under the weight settling over their booth.

  Seer’s smile twitched.

  He leaned back slightly, raising a hand as if to fan away the tension.

  “Just a joke, friend. I meant the... Horse. You know. Companions.” “Hahaha.” He laughed nervously.

  Jin Yu’s gaze held a second longer, piercing and unreadable, then dropped back to his plate.

  He took another bite in silence.

  But the air didn’t fully lighten again.