Kael didn't stop walking. His steps remained steady. His Crescent Requiem Dao guided him through the fog with perfect certainty. "I didn't do it for you," he said. His tone was flat. A simple truth that needed no embellishment or apology.
"But at least let us repay you!" the glaive user insisted. His energy fluctuated noticeably. A mix of genuine gratitude and lingering caution. "The Silverhorned Wolf's core is valuable, and it's yours by right of combat."
Kael halted. His back still to them.
"I don't need coin or beast cores," he said. His voice was low. But it carried easily through the still air. The weight of someone who walked a solitary path by choice. "Just don't follow me."
The words hung in the fog between them.
The glaive user hesitated. His eyes narrowed. His spiritual senses pushed outward. Probing the thick fog as if trying to measure something. Weighing the danger behind Kael's words against his curiosity.
