He didn’t look back as he stepped out of the house.

  The door creaked shut behind him, muffling the sounds within, growls, whispers, memories better left buried.

  Though his expression was composed, the faint tremble in his hands betrayed him.

  With a silent wave, his stallion materialized in a flash of light.

  He mounted in one swift motion and, without a backward glance, kicked off into a powerful sprint.

  The horse thundered down the village path.

  Gasps and shouts erupted around him as startled villagers leapt out of the way, barely avoiding the wild rush. He didn't slow. He didn’t stop.

  He just rode, fast, reckless, like he was trying to outrun the image burned into his mind.

  Just as Jin Yu reached the outskirts of the village

  A loud neigh broke the air.

  His stallion reared and came to an abrupt halt. He gripped the reins tightly, steadying himself with a firm press of his thighs against the horse’s flanks.

  His eyes sharpened.

  Standing ahead was a man on a white horse, blocking the path.

  Compared to Jin Yu, who looked cool and aloof in all black, horse and attire alike, the man was calm and carefree, dressed entirely in white. Even his mount was snow-colored.

  The contrast between them was almost poetic.

  “What a coincidence, friend.”

  The corners of the Man’s eyes lifted beneath his mask.

  But Jin Yu wasn’t buying it. He said nothing, only stared directly into the man’s eyes, his gaze cold and unblinking.

  A low chuckle escaped the stranger’s throat.

  “Okay okay, you got me. I followed you.”

  Jin Yu’s eyes narrowed in alarm.

  How did I not notice?

  “What do you want?” he asked, voice flat and unfriendly.

  He hadn’t forgotten, this man, for all his warmth and charm, had taken the highest percentage during the challenge. He’d been the most dangerous opponent.

  Even though Jin Yu had won easily, he’d never forget the feeling. This man hadn’t given a single influence point during their exchange, and that alone was a Red flag, a big Red flag.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  He still knew nothing about his abilities… only that they were tied to divinity.

  “What do I want?” Another soft chuckle. “I’m just… looking around. Blackflame Reach is a really fascinating place.”

  As he spoke, he tucked a lock of pale hair behind his ear and smiled again.

  “Stop following me.” Jin Yu said, his tone unchanged.

  The man grinned. “Gave up on the kids already?”

  Jin Yu’s brow furrowed at the question.

  “None of your business!” he snapped, anger already simmering beneath his calm exterior.

  “Hmmm, apologies, friend.” The man twirled a strand of hair between his fingers, his smile teasing. “I was just concerned. After all... you went through so much to get here.”

  “Again. None. Of. Your. Business.”

  “My, my. My bad,” the man said lightly. “Just say you don’t know how to operate the formation, and maybe I’ll help. After all... we’re friends, aren’t we?”

  Jin Yu’s eyes narrowed.

  Formation?

  “You see?” The man grinned. “You didn’t even know there was one.”

  Jin Yu took a deep breath and calmed himself slightly. “Where is it?”

  “Hmmm.” The man tilted his head and looked up at the sky, as if pondering something deeply.

  “Tell me, or scram.”

  Sigh.

  “You’re so harsh.”

  Silence.

  “Whatever. Follow me.”

  Jin Yu gave one last glance toward the village behind him before kicking his horse forward.

  The masked man rode ahead, white robes fluttering slightly in the breeze, completely at ease.

  After some silence, the man suddenly asked, “You looked through the house, right?”

  Jin Yu didn’t respond.

  The man chuckled. “Did you see the sketchbook?”

  Jin Yu's brows twitched.

  He didn’t like the idea of this man knowing exactly what he’d done.

  “I did.” he admitted coldly.

  “Then I guess you saw it,” the man said with a grin. “Too bad you didn’t see it.”

  Jin Yu frowned but didn’t reply. He had seen it. What he saw was a crude scrawl that looked more like nonsense than a proper drawing. He’d ignored it.

  “You missed it, didn’t you?” the man said, grinning under his mask. “It was a replica of the real thing. A child's desperate attempt to copy something far beyond them.”

  Jin Yu frowned again, and before he could ask, the man tapped his chin thoughtfully.

  “But you already have the original, don’t you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  The man turned to him fully, riding backward on his horse without a care. “The map. The one you were given at Spiral’s Gate. Haven’t you wondered why the ink never faded? Why parts of it looked more like patterns than terrain?”

  Jin Yu’s eyes widened slightly.

  The map!.

  He always thought some parts of it were artistic embellishments, maybe ancient calligraphy. But now...

  His hand unconsciously reached for the scroll tucked inside his robes.

  “That map is the key,” the man said softly, turning back around. “Not to a place, but to a seal, the formation etched across this land.”

  Jin Yu’s grip tightened. He remembered the way the some of the sketchbook's drawing had resembled the layout of the village. The strange houses. The central well. The stones...

  Everything had been aligned.

  And he’d been standing at the heart of it.

  “I’ll admit,” the man continued, “you came this far faster than most. But even the best of us can miss the obvious when it’s buried in plain sight.”

  Jin Yu didn’t answer. His heart was pounding now, not from fear, but from the burning sting of realization.

  But wait...

  Jin Yu pulled the reins, and his horse came to a halt.

  His gaze sharpened.

  How does he know all this?!

  The masked man stopped as well, turning his head with that same infuriating calm.

  “…What now?” he asked, his tone light, almost amused.

  Jin Yu didn’t answer immediately. His eyes bored into the man's back, searching for any crack in his carefree posture.

  Then, coldly:

  “How did you know all that?”

  His voice was quiet, but it carried the weight of suspicion sharpened into a blade.

  The man turned slowly, smiling under the mask, but there was a glint in his eyes now.

  “Know what, exactly?”

  Jin Yu didn’t move. “The sketchbook. The map. The formation. You knew it all before even stepping foot in that house. How?”

  There was a beat of silence.

  Then the man laughed—low, rich, and not the least bit apologetic.

  “I read,” he said vaguely, waving a hand in the air. “I listen. I observe. And I know how to recognize people who are in over their heads.”

  “Don’t play games with me.” Jin Yu’s tone dropped further. “Who are you?”

  The man tilted his head, the smile fading only slightly.

  “Someone who’s interested in you,” he said finally. “That should be enough… for now.”

  That only made Jin Yu more alert. His instincts screamed at him.

  This man was too calm, too knowledgeable, and far too comfortable manipulating everything around him.

  Was he truly just following out of curiosity?

  Or was he the reason the village was like that in the first place?