Logan arrived at the edge of the northern valley just as the last stars faded from the sky.
The air here was wrong—too still, too heavy, saturated with a residue that made even the wind hesitate. The moment his boots touched the frost-hardened ground, his senses flared open instinctively. Demonic qi lingered everywhere, smeared across the land like an old wound that refused to close.
He could see it.
A trail—dark, corrosive, slithering away from the ravine toward the deeper mountains.
The surviving demon.
Logan's jaw tightened.
In any other circumstance, he would have followed it without hesitation. Tracked it. Erased it. Made sure nothing escaped.
But then he felt it.
A weaker, flickering presence—familiar, stubborn, painfully fragile.
Leon.
Logan turned sharply, abandoning the trail without a second thought. He followed the pull of Leon's qi instead, sprinting toward the center of the valley where a faint but powerful barrier pressed against his senses.
The talisman.
Logan slowed only when he reached the edge of it. The barrier shimmered faintly, invisible to mortal eyes but blazing to his immortal perception—a masterfully constructed seal designed to trap all energy within.
Leon had done this alone.
While injured.
Against Ascension-level demons.
Logan exhaled slowly and stepped through.
The cold hit him first.
Then the blood.
Leon was slumped against a frost-covered rock, his breathing shallow, uneven. His face—normally calm and sharp—was drained of all color, lips tinged faintly blue. Blood had soaked through his clothes and frozen along the edges, dark crimson trapped in ice.
"Lengxuan."
Logan was at his side in an instant, dropping to one knee.
Leon's eyes fluttered open weakly. It took a moment for focus to return. When it did, he gave a faint, crooked smile.
"You're… earlier than expected."
Logan's expression didn't change but his hands trembled just slightly as he assessed the damage.
"Later than I wanted," he replied quietly. "You look terrible."
Leon huffed weakly. "I've looked worse."
"That's a lie."
Leon coughed, the sound harsh, and immediately winced. Logan caught him before he could slump forward.
"Don't move," Logan ordered.
He placed two fingers just above Leon's wound and grimaced. The demonic qi inside was unstable, gnawing at Leon's internal energy, resisting healing. Logan clenched his jaw.
"I can't treat this properly," he muttered.
Leon nodded faintly. "Mid-stage corruption… it won't respond to normal recovery techniques."
Logan didn't waste time arguing.
He raised his free hand, frost blooming instantly along his palm. The temperature around them dropped sharply as Logan focused, ancient ice qi surging forth—not to heal, but to preserve.
"Leon, this will hurt."
Leon managed a tired smirk. "When does it not?"
Logan pressed his palm over the wound.
Ice spread instantly—clean, controlled, sealing the torn flesh and halting the bleeding. Leon gasped sharply, body arching before going still, teeth clenched as frost locked the corruption in place.
The bleeding stopped.
Leon sagged against Logan's chest, breathing ragged but no longer fading, hair plastered over his wet face.
For a moment, Logan stayed like that, one arm braced around Leon, the other still glowing faintly with cold.
Then Leon spoke again, voice low.
"Two demons. Mid-stage Ascension. The nest was deliberate… someone prepared it."
Logan nodded. "I sensed the trail. One escaped."
Leon's eyes sharpened weakly. "You didn't go after it?"
"No."
Leon frowned. "Logan..."
"I'm here for you," Logan said flatly. "Not a hunt."
Leon fell silent for a beat, then sighed. "One is dead. The other retreated after I wounded it. But the nest isn't fully destroyed yet."
Logan looked around, the shattered ground, the broken sigils, the lingering corruption. "You've already done more than enough."
Leon shook his head faintly. "No. We need to finish it. Before it regenerates. Before it spreads."
He tried to move.
Logan tightened his grip instantly. "Don't."
Leon's voice hardened, despite his weakness. "Logan. This isn't optional. If we leave..."
"You're not finishing anything in this state," Logan snapped, finally letting emotion bleed into his voice. "You can barely stay conscious."
Leon met his gaze stubbornly. "Then you do it. I'll guide you."
"No."
Leon stared at him. "Logan."
"I said no."
The silence between them stretched—heavy, sharp, ancient. This was not the leader speaking to a subordinate. This was one immortal to another, bonded by centuries of battle and trust.
Leon swallowed. "If you take me back now… the demon escapes. The land remains corrupted. People could die."
Logan's eyes darkened. "And if I let you stay, you might."
" They won't die, I'll come back to clear it"
Leon opened his mouth to argue again—
And Logan moved.
His hand struck Leon's pressure point with precise force.
Leon's eyes widened in shock for half a second. "You..."
Then his body went limp.
Logan caught him instantly.
He exhaled slowly, pressing Leon closer as the frost around the wound thickened protectively.
"I'm sorry," Logan murmured, more to himself than to the unconscious immortal. "But I won't lose you for pride."
He stood, lifting Leon effortlessly into his arms.
The barrier pulsed faintly as Logan moved toward its edge. Before leaving, he cast one last glance toward the ravine, toward the lingering corruption and the demon's fading trail.
"This isn't over," he said quietly. "I'll be back."
Then he stepped through the talisman seal.
The valley remained silent.
Logan vanished into the sky, carrying Leon home—ice trailing behind them like a frozen comet, cutting through the dawn.
And far away, deep within the mountains, something watched.
Waiting.
Or the elders discovering the threat is tied to the Specter of DDarknes