Chapter 173: Getting Summoned

Chapter 172: Getting Summoned

Nearly an hour passed before the summons arrived.

A disciple in crisp white robes found them near the perimeter of the outer gardens, bowing stiffly. "The General requests your presence at the Main Pavilion immediately."

Lothe glanced sideways at Seana. "Any guesses?"

"Nothing good," Seana murmured, her brow creased with quiet concern. The news of the missing children had clearly stayed with her.

Lothe watched her expression soften, the cold resolve she wore in battle giving way to genuine empathy. For all her lethal instincts with a blade, her heart was stubbornly compassionate—a contrast he found endlessly compelling.

"Don’t carry the weight of the continent on your shoulders, love," he said softly.

"I’m not."

"Liar," he murmured, leaning closer. "Though I admit, I’m rather fond of this side of you."

Seana cast him a sidelong glance, feigning ignorance. "Which side?"

"The softhearted Seana Salaze."

Her hand shot up, two slender fingers pressing firmly against his lips. "Keep my family name out of your mouth in public," she hissed under her breath.

Lothe didn’t pull away. His dark eyes curved with quiet amusement. "Relax. Do you truly believe I’d let strangers eavesdrop on us?"

Seana blinked. She extended her senses and immediately noticed the faint, elastic shimmer of displaced air clinging three inches around them. A localized sound-isolation array, woven seamlessly without notice.

She pulled her hand back, shaking her head. "I keep forgetting what an obnoxious genius you are with formations."

"A compliment I’ll cherish," Lothe smirked, dismissing the ward with a flick of his sleeve as they followed the messenger across the courtyard.

——————————

The Main Pavilion was vast and imposing. Frost-etched timber pillars rose thirty paces to meet a vaulted ceiling where spiritual lamps cast cold, even light over a long obsidian table.

General Vaelric sat at the head.

To his right stood Nyren and Oren. On the opposite side of the table stood two young men Lothe hadn’t seen before.

The first wore fitted white robes with silver trim, his long hair falling straight down his back. A slender, elegant sword hung at his hip, and his cool, observant eyes tracked Lothe and Seana the moment they crossed the threshold.

The second youth was broader across the shoulders, sporting messy brown hair tied into a rough topknot. His ash-gray robes were reinforced with armored bracers, and a pair of heavy brass formation rings hung from his belt.

Vaelric looked up as the pair stopped before the dais, bowing with formal restraint.

"General," Lothe said.

"At ease," Vaelric replied, studying their posture. "Your cores have settled, and the physicians have signed off on your recovery. I assume you’ve decided on your next course of action."

Lothe opened his mouth to state their intention to depart the sect, but Seana spoke first.

"We want in on the missing children investigation."

Lothe’s head turned slightly. He kept his expression neutral, but his eyebrow rose a fraction.

Vaelric remained still, his sharp gaze locking onto Seana. "Why? This is an internal matter under the jurisdiction of the Four Great Sects."

"Eight children have vanished without a single footprint or residue of Qi," Seana answered without hesitation. "If the perpetrators can bypass the borders of the Four Great Sects unnoticed, ordinary search parties won’t find them. We have the strength to help, and staying behind these walls won’t change what’s coming."

Her tone hardened into sharp resolve. "The world outside is shifting faster than anyone predicted. If these disappearances are linked to whatever woke up inside the Ancient Palace, waiting for someone else to fix it is a waste of time."

Lothe looked at her profile. It wasn’t the quiet departure he had planned, but her logic was sound. He gave a faint, approving nod.

Vaelric studied her for several long seconds before leaning back into his high seat. "You understand this is not a routine patrol. The absence of spiritual traces suggests an adversary utilizing methods outside conventional cultivation arts."

"We survived thirty-six strikes of heavenly lightning, General," Seana replied evenly. "We can handle the dark."

A faint trace of approval flickered in Vaelric’s stern eyes. "Very well. You have permission to accompany our vanguard."

"Thank you, General."

Vaelric gestured to the two unfamiliar disciples across the table. "Since you will be traveling together, make your introductions. This is Caelan Frost."

The slender swordsman stepped forward, inclining his head. "One of the scouts assigned to spatial and spiritual anomaly tracking. My perception is attuned to unusual Qi residue."

"Lothe."

"I know," Caelan said quietly. "The rumors of your array work preceded you."

Vaelric turned to the broader youth. "And Darian. He specializes in defensive barriers and ward analysis. He will oversee site security."

Darian offered a broad, easy grin. "A pleasure. Hopefully, with you two along, we’ll find more than another patch of cold dirt."

"That’s the plan," Lothe said.

"Nyren and Oren will round out the team," Vaelric continued, his gaze sweeping over the six youths. "You will represent the Glacial Spirit Sect at the Arbitration Hall and coordinate with the delegations from the other three great sects."

Oren’s eyes had drifted toward Seana the moment she had entered. When she stepped closer to the table, his gaze lingered, but Seana’s attention remained entirely fixed on the strategic map. If she noticed his stare, she gave no indication of it.

"General," Seana asked, "where was the latest site?"

"Willowbrook Village," Vaelric answered. "A five-year-old boy named Anthony. Snatched in the middle of a crowded square while playing. No struggle, no witnesses, and zero spiritual friction."

Lothe’s eyes narrowed into slits. "To take someone out of a crowd without displacing air or stirring ambient Qi requires either an ancient cloaking domain... or movement through a medium cultivators don’t typically monitor."

Caelan looked at Lothe with sharp interest. "That matches one of my hypotheses."

Before Vaelric could elaborate, a jade talisman resting beside his wrist pulsed with frantic, pale-blue light.

HUMMM.

Vaelric pressed his thumb to the surface. A projection of floating glyphs materialized in the air before dissolving into cold mist.

The General rose instantly, his chair scraping against the floorboards.

"Father?" Nyren asked, her hand instinctively falling to her sword hilt.

Vaelric’s jaw was set like iron. "A ninth report. A settlement five miles east of Willowbrook. The notification arrived three minutes ago."

Darian’s easy grin vanished. "Another one in broad daylight?"?