Chapter Eleven – Beneath the Moonlit Courtyard
The abandoned courtyard was silent that night, bathed in silver moonlight. The cracked walls, the half-buried stones, and the withered tree in the center seemed to stand as silent witnesses to Jesse Jordan's solitude.
Jesse sat cross-legged on the worn steps, the fractured sword laid across his lap. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was ragged. He had spent the last hours pushing his qi through torn meridians, forcing them open, coaxing the faint traces of strength he'd gained in the arena into stability.
Every breath burned. Every movement of qi was like dragging fire through his veins.
And yet, he did not stop.
Forward…
The whisper of the sword echoed in his mind. Its presence was no longer faint—it felt as though a sliver of consciousness slept inside the fracture, stirring whenever Jesse poured his will into it.
Tomorrow would mark his trial in the Obsidian Bone Forest. A death sentence to some. A chance at freedom to him.
He opened his eyes, moonlight glinting in their cold depths.
A soft sound broke the silence. The creak of wood. The rustle of cloth. Jesse's hand slid to the sword instinctively, ready to strike.
"Relax," a voice whispered from the shadows of the archway. "It's only me."
Daisy Mellon stepped into the courtyard.
Moonlight caught in her hair, silver strands shimmering as if she carried the night itself with her. She wore simple white robes, but even those seemed touched with grace. In her hands was a small bundle wrapped in silk.
Jesse's gaze narrowed. "Why are you here?"
Daisy stopped a few steps away, her eyes studying his face with quiet determination. "Because tomorrow, you walk into a place even full disciples fear. And because… no one else will come."
She knelt beside him without waiting for permission. From the bundle, she unwrapped small jars, talismans inked in faint silver runes, and a flask of clear liquid that shimmered like melted ice.
"These are medicine and charms I gathered from the outer stores," she explained softly. "They're not much, but they might buy you time in the forest."
Jesse's eyes lingered on the items, then flicked back to her. "Why help me? You gain nothing from it. If others see you here, you'll only suffer for it."
Daisy smiled faintly, but her eyes did not waver. "Maybe I don't need a reason. Maybe… it's because when you stood there today, bleeding, mocked, and still refused to kneel… something in me wanted to believe too."
Her words struck harder than any blade. Jesse looked away, jaw tightening. He had lived years without hearing words like these. Years of silence, of mockery, of fists against his ribs. Trust was not a thing he allowed himself.
But Daisy's presence… it did not feel like pity. It felt like resolve.
She reached forward, her fingers brushing his arm as she began unwrapping his bandages. Jesse tensed, but she ignored his stiffness, her touch gentle yet firm.
"You're reckless," she whispered as she applied fresh salve to his wounds. "Fighting Den, then Ken… if not for that sword, you'd be dead."
"And if not for me, the sword would still be silent," Jesse replied, his voice flat.
She looked up, meeting his gaze. "Exactly. That's why I'm here. Not because of the sword—but because of you."
The silence stretched between them, heavy yet unbroken. Jesse did not answer, but his grip on the fractured sword loosened slightly.
As Daisy finished binding his wounds, she set aside the salve and unrolled a talisman. Strange sigils spiraled across its surface, glowing faintly in the moonlight.
"This one," she said, "was recorded in a forgotten archive. It can shield you from death qi for a short time. The Obsidian Bone Forest is drenched in it—if you're not careful, it will erode your body from the inside."
Jesse's brow furrowed. "You know about the forest."
Daisy hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Only fragments. They say it was once a battlefield… where cultivators clashed with something not of this empire. The bones still whisper. The sect sealed it for a reason."
Her eyes softened as she met his again. "Promise me, Jesse. Promise you'll come back alive."
He stared at her for a long moment, the night wind stirring his hair. Then, at last, he spoke, voice low but firm.
"I promise nothing. I walk forward, that is all."
Daisy bit her lip, but a faint smile touched her features. "Then I'll take that as your promise."
She stood, gathering the empty jars and cloths. For a moment, she looked at him under the pale moonlight, her expression unreadable. Then she leaned down, her voice soft as breath.
"Don't forget… someone is waiting for you now."
With that, she turned and slipped into the shadows, leaving the courtyard as quietly as she had entered.
Jesse sat in silence, the fractured sword heavy in his lap. His chest ached, but not from wounds. He had walked this path alone for so long, yet Daisy's words lingered like an ember in the dark.
He touched the crack along the sword's spine. For the first time, the jade fracture pulsed not with whispers of void—but with a faint glow, as if echoing Daisy's presence.
Forward… not alone.
The whisper shifted, faint but undeniable.
Jesse's eyes widened slightly. Then he closed them, steadying his breath.