Frida soon left the sect, and Red returned to the meeting hall.

As soon as he walked inside, both Hector and Domeron were staring at him with expectant expressions.

“How did it go?” the swordsman asked.

“It went well.” Red nodded. “They seem to have made their peace with each other.”

Domeron smiled in relief. “That is good.”

The elder snorted. “Hm, at least that’s one less thing to worry about.”

Although Hector showed no satisfaction at hearing this, Red could feel through his fluctuation that the old man was truly relieved.

“So where is she?” Hector asked. “Did she leave? We haven’t even discussed our plans yet.”

“She told me what our meeting spot is going to be tomorrow night.” Red said. “She also told me that we should pretend like nothing is happening and activate the crystal before we even leave the sect so we aren’t tracked.”

Hector grunted. “That much is obvious. Did she tell you how long the crystals last, though?”

“A few hours. More than enough to reach our meeting place.”

“That is good.” The elder nodded. “Then go and make your preparations. I will inform the others tomorrow.”

Red nodded and walked away.

He looked around at the pitiful courtyards and the mixture of stone and wooden buildings that had served him as a home for seven long years. The training field he first practiced with Domeron, the library where he had first learned how to write and read, the workshop he had learned how to smith, and even the room he had borrowed from Eiwin on his first day in the sect that ended up becoming his permanent residence.

Red was never one to get attached to material things, but even he found himself pausing upon the realization this was his last night here. Tomorrow night, a new part of his life would begin, one where he didn’t know what to expect.

It made him both eager and apprehensive at the same time.

…

Soon enough, morning arrived.

Even from their isolated spot on the hill, Red and his sect were still able to tell that the town was in a state of chaos. Peoples buying supplies en masse, guards patrolling every corner of town - these people were able to tell that something big was coming, and the Baron didn’t try to convince them otherwise.

The townsfolk were just a step away from entering into a full-blown panic, and the only thing keeping them from doing so was the fact their enemy was yet to reveal itself. That, and the fact that the Baron had earned himself no small amount of respect over his long reign in the region.

The surprise, however, came later when they receive some news.

“Gustav has left town.” Hector said to the gathered sect members.

“What?!” Rimold seemed shocked. “What happened?!”

“We don’t know.” The elder shook his head. “He left while it was still night, and he didn’t bring anyone other than his bodyguards with him. His people didn’t even know he was gone until this morning, by the looks of it.”

Domeron frowned at this. “He probably received the same news we did, but still… Why would he leave just like that? Even with his bodyguards, it doesn’t mean he would be safe out there.”

“Someone might have come to escort him,” Red said. “Just like we are about to be escorted away.”

Hector nodded. “Gustav is a coward, but he is a smart coward. He would never flee the safety of town if he didn’t have a secure exit plan. His faction must have sent an expert to escort him.”

“Or he might be working with the Imperials.” Allen suggested, with venom in his words.

The elder looked like he wanted to rebuke the young master, but he held himself back and sighed. “It’s possible, but none of it matters. With the problems we have on hand, Gustav was hardly going to tip the scales against us. I’m just glad this is the final time I have to see his bastard face.”

None of them disagreed with Hector. The merchant had been a thorn in their side since the first day the sect was established, and at times, they came too close to outright declaring war against each other. If it wasn’t for the Baron mediating between them, it most certainly would have already happened.

Despite the fact that one of their biggest enemies was gone, none of them had the peace of mind to celebrate. Soon enough, Hector dismissed them to finish gathering their belongings, but not before telling Red to remain behind.

“I’ve hidden the dagger.” the elder said once they were alone.

Red was surprised. He didn’t feel the old man leave the sect at all the last day, which could only mean one thing.

‘It’s hidden somewhere in the sect.’

He was about to say something, but he stopped himself. He was not sure if he wanted to know the exact location of the dagger, considering the potential risk.

Hector seemed to know his worries and nodded. “I’ve hidden it very well, so it’s unlikely any cultivator will find it. In the future, when you come back here, you will probably need to spend some effort to locate it and dig it up, if it’s still there.”

Red nodded. He wasn’t sure what kind of method the elder used to hide the dagger, but if he was confident in it, then there was no reason for him to worry. The youth, however, was confused as to why Hector saw the need to pull him aside just to inform this.

The elder seemed able to guess at his confusion, but he just shook his head. “Do you know how cultivators have an instinct about an approaching crisis?”

The youth nodded. “I have experienced it myself.”

Hector grunted. “I almost forgot about that. In any case, I have that exact feeling right now. It wasn’t there when I made the decision to stay behind, but it suddenly appeared yesterday, after I went to sleep... Something bad is going to happen, I just know it.”

“I feel like something bad is already happening.”

The elder snorted. “It’s not like that! This feels different… I feel like this is less about me and this town and more about the future of our sect.”

Red frowned. “How so?”

“If I had any idea, I wouldn’t be so worried. Either way, there are too many candidates that we know about, but on the off-chance this feeling of mine has to do with this dagger, I want you to know where to look for it. I feel like this is deeply connected to you, after all.”

The youth was still hesitant, but he nodded. “I will do my best.”

Hector nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Now go on your way. Since you’re leading the evacuation later, you need to be prepared.”

There was no heartfelt farewell from the elder, despite the fact that this could be the last time they saw each other.

Red, however, wasn’t expecting or desiring any more. He turned around and returned to his room.

…

Night soon arrived, and the youth had already prepared all of his belongings. The crystal Frida had provided them with would hide any belongings on one’s person, as long as it wasn’t something like an extremely large backpack.

Red brought no such thing, though, merely keeping the formation material he gathered over the years, the two remaining spirit stones from his trove, his manuals, and the items he already kept on his person, such as the Crystal Core and his sword. He considered feeding the remaining spirit stones to Aurelia so she could recover, but he recalled that it took six of them for her to return to normal last time. He thought it was better to just retain the ones he already had in case he needed them.

The woman wasn’t too happy, but it seemed like it was more about the fact Red couldn’t provide for her rather than the fact he chose to keep the couple of Spirit Stones for himself. Of course, this also meant that she wouldn’t be able to save him like the last time against, but as far as he understood, she probably wouldn’t be able to do it even if she had enough Spiritual Energy. After all, she spent her very own soul to manifest such a power, and that wasn’t something Spirit Stones alone could replenish.

After he was done sorting through his belongings, Red sat on top of his bed and waited, fiddling with the Concealing Crystal in his hand. It would still take a few more hours before their plan was to begin, so he thought it best to retain his energies and relax until then.

He thought he wouldn’t need to worry until then, but that was when he felt someone approach his room.

“Enter.” he said before they could even knock on the door.

The handle turned, and Domeron walked inside.

The swordsman frowned as he stared at the dark room. “Do you not like light?”

“It’s just preference.” Red shrugged.

In fact, since he had gotten his dark vision, the youth found himself completely abandoning the use of light sources. He forgot most of the time, however, that other people didn’t share in the same abilities as him.

“What is it?” the youth asked.

Domeron smiled at him. “I came here to say goodbye. After all, I don’t know if we will see each other again.”

Red frowned, looking over at the sword sheathed at the side of his waist. “Are you still planning on releasing that thing?”

The swordsman nodded. “If things get to a terrible point, then I most certainly will. Of course, even that is not guaranteed to turn the situation around for us, but I’m sure it’s worth it as a desperate measure.”

“Will it discern friend from enemy?”

“Not at all.” Domeron shook his head. “If I release it, though, it means everyone else it could hurt is probably already dead.”

“You should just run at that point. Frida left the other crystals with us.”

“If Hector decides to retreat, then I certainly will too.” the swordsman nodded. “However, if we’re already engaged against the enemy at that point, it might be too late. It’s not like cultivators haven’t developed ways to deal with invisibility in the past.”

Red sighed. “Then I suppose I can only wish you good luck.”

Domeron smiled. “I never took you for someone to wish others good luck.”

The youth shook his head. “I wouldn’t have done it if I believed you could get out of this on your own merits.”

The man chuckled. “That sounds more like you!”

He trailed off, and a few seconds later, a heavy silence settled on the room. Red looked over at Domeron, noticing that his casual expression had become conflicted, as if something was weighing on his mind.

The youth frowned. “What is it?”

Domeron hesitated. “… Do you remember what I told you about a mountain of corpses? How I told you this was how I became as skilled as I by killing?”

“I do.”

“Right… and I don’t want you to follow my example.”

Red was bewildered for a moment. “… Why not?”

“Because it is not a fate that I would wish on anyone.” Domeron said.

The youth waited in silence for him to elaborate, but that didn’t come.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I know you.” the swordsman shook his head. “If anyone else were to hear about how I became as strong as I was in the past, I wouldn’t be worried about them trying to repeat my feats. They would lack the heart and mental fortitude to see it through, but you… I know you could do it, and that scares me.”

Red frowned. “I had no plans to do it.”

Domeron smiled. “You say that now, but I said I know you. Chances are you are probably considering this as a backup plan in case your cultivation slows down in the future or you find yourself stuck in a bottleneck.”

This, the youth couldn’t deny.

The swordsman continued. “I’m telling you that it’s not worth it - the kind of things you need to do to accomplish what I did will change you, even if you think yourself strong enough mentally to resist it.”

Red hesitated. “… I can’t promise you anything.”

To him, his cultivation was the most important thing in the world. If he ever found himself unable to advance in the future, he would explore every option possible, even those demonic in nature.

Domeron smiled. “I know you can’t, and I wouldn’t believe you even if you told me you wouldn’t do it. Just remember what I told you here. Maybe one day you will understand the wisdom behind my words.”

Red didn’t know how to respond to this, but the man didn’t wait for him.

Domeron turned around and started to leave the room. He waved his hand at Red as he stepped outside.

“If you make it big in the future, make sure to never forget your one-armed instructor. Or else I will haunt you from beyond the grave!”

The swordsman walked away, closing the door behind himself.

Red, for his part, wanted to curse the man. This wasn’t a time when he was supposed to be distracted by other thoughts.

With no other choice, the youth closed his eyes and entered a meditative state, focusing for the hours to come until it was finally time to move.