The hall of elders stood silent after the confrontation. The rift was clear—between those clinging to tradition at any cost, and those who would ignite change.
Kai turned and left without waiting for permission.
Let the Grand Elder stew in his arrogance.
Outside, the night sky hung heavy with smoke and tension. The sect's outer defenses still crackled with residual spiritual energy. The air itself felt like it held its breath.
Liang Chen caught up to him.
"You knew," he said quietly. "The Grand Elder had already sold us out."
"I suspected," Kai replied. "But now I know. And that makes this war ours to fight from inside."
They returned to the Flame Pavilion, Kai's old training hall. It had long since been converted into a lesser-used meditation chamber, but now it served as their meeting ground.
Inside waited Shen Mei, two inner sect disciples, and a silent cloaked figure—Wu Jian, a former scouting specialist who had vanished weeks ago.
Wu Jian dropped a sealed scroll onto the stone table.
"The pact," he said. "Copied straight from the Grand Elder's personal archive."
Kai unrolled it slowly.
It was worse than he imagined.
"In exchange for protection from external aggression, the Crimson Phoenix Sect shall grant the Shadow Flame Sect governance over the eastern spiritual mines, and unrestricted access to the Obsidian Flame Vault. In time, full integration will occur under shared leadership."
A slow, suffocating fury burned in Kai's chest.
"This is surrender."
"More than that," Shen Mei said, jaw tight. "It's annexation."
Kai looked up. "How many know?"
"Very few," Liang Chen replied. "The elders are keeping it contained. But the changes are starting. I saw a Shadow Flame envoy being led into the eastern sanctum yesterday."
"They'll bleed us dry before we realize what we've lost," Kai murmured.
He looked around the room. Each face showed the same fire—rage, betrayal, but also determination.
"This is where we begin," he said. "Not with open rebellion. But with quiet resistance. We gather those we trust. We document everything. And we make it undeniable when the time comes."
Wu Jian nodded. "I can move between peaks without being seen. Let me find others like me—those who vanished before this deal was sealed."
Kai clasped his shoulder. "Do it. But move carefully."
Liang Chen stepped forward. "And if the elders discover us?"
Kai's gaze turned hard.
"Then we remind them that the Phoenix is not just a symbol of flame—it's rebirth through fire. If we must burn, we'll rise stronger."
Outside, the wind picked up, carrying ash from the day's battle. The sect slumbered under false peace.
But in the Flame Pavilion, the fire had been reignited.
Not in rage.
In resolve.