Ryu’s black cloaked figure stood frozen. Standing on the main road of entry to the core of Looming City, the number of individuals around him wasn’t countless, but it was most definitely quite a few.
The wind began to respond to Ryu’s emotion, or seemingly lack thereof. It whipped around violently, listening to the hums of his Northern Heavenly Wind.
Ailsa remained silent. There was only so much she could ask of Ryu. At this point in his life, she knew him better than anyone. She could see his thoughts, his struggles, his hopes, his dreams.
Everyday, Ryu would cultivate as though he would die the next. He didn’t rest, he didn’t do things for enjoyment, he hadn’t even attempted to forge relationships.
Though Ailsa knew all of these things to be unhealthy, what could she do? Could she tell Ryu, while the Fate of his family was unknown, to ‘take it easy’? To ‘relax a little bit’? No matter how often such words were on the tip of her tongue, she could never manage to force them out.
Today was the first time she ever received a true concession from Ryu. In truth, she didn’t even count his choice to call her Big Sister among such a list, purely because she understood that he had taken a step back only so that she would be more capable of helping him in the future. But, Ryu forsaking his own name was something far beyond that.
These were all things Ailsa understood, but she buried them deep within her heart.
The Ryu of now couldn’t keep going like this. He couldn’t live and breathe to cultivate, he couldn’t exist purely for the sake of revenge, he couldn’t make any and everything his enemy. Yet this was the head space he was in currently, and it was something Ailsa had no real idea how to fix.
So, what would happen when Ryu was suddenly disrespected in such a blatant fashion? When a pain he tried to keep hidden away within the depths of his soul was drudged up by a foolish young master?
Ryu’s head slowly turned back, his eyes radiating an endless frost. A chilly wind seemed to want to freeze everything in the path of his gaze as his eyes landed on the Basteel Young Master in the skies.
The young master shivered before quickly regaining control of his body. There was something deeply unsettling about Ryu’s gaze, it felt as though the whole weight of the world was crashing down upon him.
In truth, Ryu was wearing a mask, the very same black half-mask he gained from Hecate. The Looming City Guard didn’t ask Ryu to remove it because all he needed was Ryu’s qi signature to complete the registration process. With Ryu’s qi signature, as long as he committed a crime, finding him would be incredibly easy.
Unfortunately, the guard had no way of knowing that Ryu could use multiple qis at will. He used Grave Qi to complete his registration, but his true qi signature was written in neutral qi. Ryu wouldn’t be so foolish to hand these individuals his everything.
So, when he turned his gaze back toward the man in the sky, his heartbeat with thoughts of murder. A deep rage was welling up inside him, crawling its way up his body and clawing at his throat, trying to find a way out.
Ailsa’s expression changed. ‘He shouldn’t have to deal with this so soon. His strongest current bloodline is his Lightning Qilin bloodline, so why is the Rage Fire of his Fire Dragon Bloodline burning so strongly?!’
Ailsa’s visage changed once more, suddenly understanding. Ryu had just claimed he was nameless, but both he and Ailsa knew that this was not the case at all.
Though Ryu understood that he had to do this for his own safety, and Ailsa pressed him, there was one thing they both of them hadn’t factored in…
How would the Fire Dragon within Ryu react to knowing its host had forsaken it?
Tatsuya. It wasn’t just any name. It was the title of the mighty Ancient Fire Dragon, and Ryu had just woken a slumbering beast by slapping it across the snout… Or, rather, this young master had.
In that instant, the stones beneath Ryu’s feet shattered. The once cold breeze immediately became a scalding hot as Ryu’s silver pupils became a scarlet red.
Those in the surroundings backed away. Despite many of them being strong cultivators themselves, they found it hard to be near Ryu. It was almost as though they’d be burnt to ashes if they approached too closely.
Ailsa sighed. ‘Little Ryu, you cannot kill him. No matter what, you cannot kill him.’
Her words received no response. Veins bulged across Ryu’s skin, but, though their color should have been a vile blue-green, they actually pulsed with an vitality filled red-gold, as though molten lava was coursing within his body.
The young master faltered in the skies. He had thought he had regained control of his body, but he suddenly began to sweat profusely. His once luxurious robes began to appear as though they had spent hours in the rain, his black hair sticking to the sides of his face.
Ryu looked down at his body. His sudden action was akin to abruptly releasing a tightly held rope. Before the young master could react, he fell from the skies. Unable to recollect himself in time, he crash landed right beside his carriage and atop his driver in a pitiful matter.
‘This is my body… This is my blood… I act as I please, not as you dictate… Now, silence!’ Ryu directed his rage at the blood within his body.
Ryu’s boiling blood suddenly came to a grinding halt.
Maybe if this was anyone else, it would have been the end of it. The young master had humiliated himself, Ryu had regained control of his body, it should be finished, correct?
Unfortunately, Ailsa’s sigh told a completely different story.
Ryu’s body flashed, appearing outside the city walls and above the young master’s body in an instant.
He dove down, his foot squarely hitting the young man in the jaw, sending him flying in the opposite direction of the city.
As he was still whipping through the air, Ryu’s fist descended downward, pummeling him into the ground.
“Say it again!” Ryu’s voice boomed, a murderous coldness hidden within. His fists rained down, deepening the crater again and again as pent up rage bubbled forth like an endless tide. It was as though he didn’t notice the quickly accumulating crowd or the rushing Looming Guards.