Hours bled into the afternoon…

  The three Masters sat in heavy silence upon the grass beneath the cool shade of the trees, deep in contemplation. Before them sat Mo Yan and Yu Sui. Yu Sui, restless as ever, toyed idly with a blade of grass, while Mo Yan remained perfectly still, his gaze lowered in stoic silence.

  Yet, the eyes of the three Masters remained fixed anchored solely to the glowing silken threads bound around the boys' wrists. None of them possessed the courage to speak of what this might mean, for the truth was, none of them recognized the incantation.

  The Fuzi Xion Clan

  Library

  Inside a vast, ancient library, scrolls and books were piled like jagged towers upon a large, low wooden table. Books were scattered everywhere on shelves, floors, and benches as disciples sat hunched over, their eyes scanning text with desperate intensity.

  A hypnotic fragrance drifted through the air, meant to sharpen their focus, but it seemed to have little effect on the exhaustion weighing them down. Sitting under the flickering light of guttering candles, their eyes had turned bloodshot from hours of study. Faces were etched with fatigue, yet every scroll was unfurled, and every brittle page was turned.

  Suddenly, Master Kin Lishuan slammed a book onto the table.

  "Nothing... absolutely nothing! Not a single text mentions a dual spiritual bond forming after the summoning of Spirit Beasts."

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  Hearing this, Master Chui Yong snapped a scroll shut in frustration.

  "There are over two hundred volumes on hereditary bonds, yet none describe anything like this."

  Master Fung Shu-Ri turned the yellowed pages of a tome dedicated to blood-seals.

  "What if this is not merely a bond of the soul?" he mused darkly.

  "What if it is... something older? Something cursed? If this were a common mantra, it would be recorded. The absence of information is an answer in itself."

  Master Kin Lishuan replied thoughtfully,

  "It is hard to say. We all know it is impossible to cast a spell without spoken words or written seals. How can we accept that this mantra manifested on its own? We must investigate with extreme caution."

  The other two Masters nodded in grim agreement.

  Master Fung Shu-Ri said nothing more. His eyes drifted to an ancient book... untouched, unopened, and bound in a heavy black band. It sat deep within a shadowed shelf, marked with a chilling warning:

  "Forbidden... Must Not Be Read."

  For a fleeting moment, he considered reaching for it, but his intuition screamed against it. He forced his gaze away.

  Within the grand library, a profound silence reigned, broken only by the dry rustle of parchment and the occasional creak of old wooden chairs. Master Fung Shu-Ri leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. The weight of uncertainty grew heavier with every passing second.

  "What now...?"

  he whispered.

  "What magic is this? I do not believe we can continue the competition like this. Not until we understand the nature of this bond."

  Master Kin Lishuan nodded solemnly, his arms crossed over his chest.

  "You are right, Master. We cannot gamble with the lives of these boys without knowing the full truth. This bond... I have never seen its like. We must proceed with the utmost care."

  Master Chui Yong, who had been silently unfurling a particularly weathered scroll, suddenly looked up.

  "What if... we seek help? What if we go to Grandmaster Qinji?"

  A spark ignited in his eyes, as if a very old name had suddenly been brushed free of the dust of memory. Master Fung Shu-Ri’s head snapped up at the suggestion.

  "Of course! Why didn't we think of this sooner?!"

  A wave of excitement rippled through the library, but it was quickly followed by hesitation.

  "But to leave the clan lands... to travel so far... especially at a time like this?"

  At those words, a heavy, suffocating silence descended once more.