To date, Grisla has never been so far away from the clan’s walls, terraces and stout guardians. Their convoy passed through unclaimed frontiers, scarred and pockmarked forests; each little new diversity introduced, like a tree never to be found in the Grittus woods, did not go unnoticed under Grisla’s observation. As a reminder, it did take two nights of travel to traverse the mountain passes that bordered, protected, and secured the Jade Fate Sect. For being cultivators, they managed that task successfully.

And, in the times that necessitated resting for the next day, he did not sleep well; insomuch that in his readiness, he kept a sliver of attention should Ji Nan act in the black of night. He slept under a tree, surrounded by a legion of dead leaves and brittle branches with Juva standing alert in his legs. To his unsurprise, Ji Nan did not take the opportunity. Instead, from where Grisla was able to catch sight of him, he made his way to a tent set up and stayed there with not so much as a peep coming out. Was it because he didn’t consider Grisla worthy to interrupt his sleep to deal with him? Or…

After some days passed, Grisla knew they were close.

The nourished tundra gave way, eventually, to an advancing color of fall. From that, it slowly regressed further, and further. Till the grass stopped growing at all. The wind began to taste bitter, stagnant. They fully crossed the threshold from life, to a place of certain death.

A desert confronted them.

Grisla was stupefied. There weren’t any reports of a desert on Hannamith. How could there be any at all? They’re on an island. When he threw glances to the Jade Fate disciples around, with their expressions unchanged, he realized—the map he grew up knowing about, wasn’t entirely accurate. It made sense; he hadn’t heard a bit of the Well of Wonders at all until coming here. Meaning the treasure trove is an exclusive sect secret. He doubts that the Grittus clan is wholly unaware, it wouldn’t be possible. However, for people at his level of status within the clan, it’s unnecessary for him to know.

It made him think: How many other secrets are there, that he didn’t know about? Everyone has secrets, some bigger than others. He drifted in wonder.

But then the convoy stopped.

They were in the middle of nowhere, with little grains of sand infiltrating his clothes from the fault of the wind. Ji Nan at the front had stopped too, looking around.

“This site has gone undiscovered for so long,” he began pacing in circles. “Because of the ruthless winds that invade this place.” Ji Nan stopped, kneeled, then placed a hand on the sand.

“When the sand has covered all traces of it, there’s no reason for any expert to do a sweep here. What reason would there be?” Ji Nan retrieved his hand, then used both to weave signs, whispers of Juva on his fingertips.

He finished, now holding the last sign like a bucket of water, “Till, a lucky break came to our Elders back then. After some battle, the kicked-up sand and retreating winds managed to reveal a small edge.”

Ji Nan slammed both hands down; standing up with a reply of nothing. The crowd’s confusion started some whispers.

“When it got dug back up. In order to preserve this place from outsiders, it was reburied with a formation.” he said.

Formation?

Grisla raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly, the land began to ache audibly. As if someone went in and gut-checked the earth. Grisla’s Spiritual Sense went forward, searching the ground. He found and saw—nothing. But it was there, something was. Someone made a sound, some disciple and his panicked face had a shape rising underneath his feet; it wasn’t just him—there was a pack of girls who screeched in alert, jumping back from the shape. To his right some other disciples retreated from the thing rising below them.

Even Grisla himself, felt a hard and stable something rising. His Juva empowered legs shot him up and away from the occurrence.

The first thing that breached the surface was pointed, possible to impale oneself if they lacked attentiveness. It rose and kept going faster every second; another like it came up. Rounded domes and structures followed below that.

“Amazing,” Grisla uttered.

“Correct,” Ji Nan said, taking a sidelong glance and a smile.

Grisla stepped further away; pretending as if he never heard him.

The quaking stopped, world returning to stillness. In the wake of that, the crowd was stunned.

“Look at that…”

“It’s just like they said…”

The Well of Wonders was a leaning castle from the sand; cracks abound.

The structure was big enough to jut out from the horizon, like it’s the capitol of the desert world. Grisla’s Spiritual Sense was reflected and ignored entirely by it, as if it didn’t exist in the same world as them at all.

It must have something to do with the material it was made of, or more likely, its by design from the formation.

Taking a hint from Ji Nan’s explanation, that’s probably the conclusion. The structure was hidden by the stand, and although it was now out in the open, it still couldn’t be scanned. A protective measure embedded into the formation by the sect, for sure.

With the Well of Wonders open, the crowd was reforming around their young master. Relishing in the attention from his peers. Clearing his throat, “We can now begin exploring.” Ji Nan said.

“I am regretful to admit, that under my meagre power, keeping the formation up and active is a drag upon my Juva. And so, because of that, I cannot keep the Well of Wonders open for long. The Elders have mandated five days, and thankfully, I can give them that bare minimum.”

The crowd took the bait.

“Honorable Ji Nan is so humble!” A disciple said.

“Truly, a character in our generation!”

“I can’t even think of holding it up for a day, how can our Brother Ji Nan disparage himself!”

Grisla watched as Ji Nan undertook coy looks from the female disciples and a mix of admiration and envy from the males. He couldn’t resist rolling his eyes.

Unashamed liar. I can’t scan the structure itself, but the formation tags are a different story. The formation still has some power left in it from previous expeditions, all he needed to do was offer his own to extend it another day or two. Wait…

He squinted. Ji Nan can only keep it open for five days? Yeah, sure.

The crowd had bought into his deception, done without effort. Grisla saw his idea—to take an extra day or two after the deadline to explore the Well of Wonders alone, to take the treasures by himself, for himself. With no competition after the closure he can take the greatest spoils without a word from anyone.

Grisla had to admit—Ji Nan was more thoughtful than he expected. Which raised the hairs even more on Grisla. He had the boy pegged as a bloated pig of arrogance, but if he can use his head a little, it calls into question what kind of plan he has for disposing of him.

His fingers itched for the pill he bought.

“When we get inside,” Ji Nan said, “there’ll be a series of preliminary tests designed to permit entry from the unworthy. The dangerous barriers from whomever used to inhabit this place were disabled long ago, but… we’re not too sure about that deeper in. Please use caution.”

Ji Nan’s own group huddled together at the front of the castle gate. Since his little display, a few hanger-on’s have intentions of joining up with him. Further deepening his frown. With a finger snap from Ji Nan, the gate to the Well of Wonders opened. And his group was the first to enter.

The smaller, weaker packs of disciples also moved in together. Leaving solo cultivators like himself sticking out.

As Grisla walked in, the darkness inside took him.

A hallway darker than black, enveloped all the disciples surrounding. In their panic, some tried to light up flares or torches—but those lights died at an instant. As if a hand came by and snuffed it out personally.

“I can’t see!” A girl said.

Had they been mortals, the very absence of light would drive them mad before reaching anywhere. But as cultivators with the power of Spiritual Sense, their eyes were substituted for another. Grisla’s awareness stretched out, to only one direction certain. The hallway seemed endless, only occupied by the sounds of footsteps and anxious breathing.

Unlike the rest of them, Grisla’s Juva was at full mast. His feet were already in the position to use Steps of the Alpha at a moment’s notice. Should he have to retreat, he’ll never come back here again. The disciples surrounding him had no quarrel with him—if they stay in the dark about the business in the Northern Wilderness. If Hu Wing was just a sample of what’s to come, then Grisla was sitting in an ocean of potential enemies.

Left. Right. Forward. Behind. All, enemies.

…If Ji Nan didn’t care about his reputation getting stained.

Someone gasped. Grisla’s and everyone else’s awareness shot to them. At that place, a light appeared over them. From the ceiling.

It was one humble mote of light, like a firefly stuck to the ceiling. It was just one, then two, then three…

After which, their entire ceiling was alit and consequently, the hallway.

Grisla blinked. So pretty.

The lights overhead led them to the end of their hallway. Where the path came to an intersection. But before they looked at the split, there was a mural ahead of them.

The crowd gaped in awe at it. Unsurprising, for it was the largest depiction that any of them had seen. A painting of a people, a kingdom supposedly, in battle against a great… darkness?

Grisla couldn’t tell. It was just a castle and people in defense against a something even the artist did not paint. Below that, writing—in a language unknown to Hannamith.

“What is this?” A disciple said.

“That’s a good question.” Ji Nan nodded, “Our elders have no idea of the full truth of what this means, but—” he raised a finger in confidence, “I’ve come to think that these primitive people of the dark age have suffered a calamity, and the consequence of that allows us in these times to explore whatever they have.”

His sect disciples nodded with the conjecture.

A disciple walked forward, “And the writing, Senior Brother?”

Ji Nan smiled, “I have dabbled a little in their ancient language. I can’t make out much of it, but from the translation: ‘A path to hell, and a path to ascend, choose one, and let destiny guide you. Either way, they will come for you.’”

Grisla made a face.

“We’ve no idea what that means, but who cares really?” He chuckled. “These primitive warriors from way back have no idea of what ‘ascension’ actually means. I bet, any of us would be kings and emperors above them! Even the weakest of us!” Ji Nan’s gaze drifted to Grisla.

“The path has been figured out long ago, the right way to go is the right!” he said.

The crowd took his lead, walking to the corner and taking a turn. Grisla moved with them but—stopped in the middle of the intersection, watching the disciples move past him and turn; still looking at the mural. Ji Nan himself didn’t move, letting his fellow disciples take the lead ahead of him.

…Interesting.

Grisla’s face made a little grin, then—he turned to the left.

He made a couple of steps away from the crowd until he heard Ji Nan. “Brother Grisla! I think you may have misheard me. The right path is… well, the right.”

Grisla turned, “I appreciate your guidance, Brother Ji Nan. But I prefer the left.”

“I fail to understand. Do you not grasp that the safest way is where the rest of us are headed?”

“Understanding taken,” He nodded. “However still I prefer the left.”

Ji Nan looked like he swallowed a rock, “Brother… you’re being obstinate. And, may I remind you, taking a path to certain danger. Please see reason.”

The crowd took Ji Nan’s side.

“Idiot!”

“Who does he think he is? A fool courting death!”

“Brother Ji Nan, there’s no need to waste niceities on someone like him!”

Grisla stood steadfast against the crowd’s ire. Expression unchanging, he decided to take another step forward into the dark hallway. But then—

Ji Nan’s speed took him to Grisla’s side in an instant.

“What’re you doing?” Grisla said accusatorily.

Ji Nan replied, “Helping a friend from certain danger,” finishing with a grin.

“Brother Ji Nan’s so softhearted!”

“Braving danger for a fool like that? He’s not worthy!”

“Let him perish by his lonesome!”

Ji Nan turned to face the disciples, “I will not allow a friend like Brother Grisla to face the dangers alone! Fear not, our Brother Ning,” he nodded to someone, “will take on my responsibility as your guide.”

The group’s disappointment didn’t subside upon this change, instead, it only fueled their discontent more, but not for Ji Nan or his subordinate. Grisla felt the stabbings of all the Spiritual Senses’ on his person.

When they finally walked off, the only people still standing in the intersection were Grisla, Ji Nan and his hanger-on’s, who stared death at him.

When the last bit of them disappeared to the right, Ji Nan gave a glance to Grisla, smiling all the while.

“Let’s go, Brother Grisla.”