Shoutout to Bruh_Vista for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
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Shuri composed herself, taking a deep breath to steady her trembling legs, before hurriedly opening the door for the Sect Leader. The man she had been trying to avoid had just entered her room. At this point, Shuri didn't care anymore. This was the worst-case scenario— NO, there was an even worse case she didn't want to imagine, fearing that the world would conspire against her just by entertaining such thoughts.
"Um, Sect Leader Larks. Greetings!" Shuri said, bowing low. Her body moved stiffly as fear, uncertainty, and doubt began to overpower her muscles.
"No need for all those formalities," Sect Leader Larks responded, waving his hands. "Everyone was worried when you didn't show up for dinner. Grace was just about to storm in here and throw a fit, but I managed to stop her," he added with a chuckle. He seemed to expect her to join in, but her mind was too preoccupied to follow such obvious social cues. As a result, an awkward one-sided chuckle went on for too long.
The Sect Leader coughed, attempting (and failing) to disperse the awkwardness. He then raised a covered plate in his hands, revealing her dinner. Maneuvering past Shuri, who had been frozen stiff, blocking the doorway, he placed the plate on her table and removed the cover, revealing a colorful assortment of food.
"I also heard that you skipped lunch?"
"I was a bit busy," Shuri answered flatly. "My apologies."
"Don't apologize to me; it's your health that you're ruining with your carelessness," Sect Leader Larks chided. "If anyone deserves an apology, it's you alone. Well, I should also apologize."
He reached forward, causing Shuri to flinch. "Whoa! Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."
"Okay," Shuri responded curtly, retreating a few steps. Her gaze remained fixed on the man in her room, who shuffled uncomfortably before finding a chair and taking a seat. He gestured for Shuri to sit opposite him on her bed. After both were seated, he sent an expectant gaze her way, hoping for a conversation to unfold. This time, however, Shuri wasn't going to fall for the classic trap. Similar to negotiations, the person who spoke first always lost.
"So," Sect Leader Larks said, cutting the silence short. His fingers drummed Shuri's work table with a stiff rhythm, accentuating his discomfort. "I just realized that I never really had the opportunity to have a conversation with you. An opportunity presented itself today, so I decided, why not?"
"If that's what the Sect Leader wishes," Shuri affirmed, jumping up from her bed and offering a respectful bow.
"It's not like that..." he said hurriedly, shaking his hands frantically before releasing a tired sigh.
"It seems you have a rather rigid image of me in your mind," he continued, tilting his head backwards. "Do not be so quick to draw conclusions, Shuri. I'm a pretty chill dude!"
Shuri's gaze narrowed. 'What does his body temperature have to do with anything?'
She decided not to question the man's ramblings and nodded with a smile. When she received a smile in return, Shuri congratulated herself for deciphering the new social instance correctly and filed it away in her mind for later.
The man clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Um, why don't we start with an introduction? I'll start."
"My name is Guy Larks - as you probably already know. Before I became a Sect Leader, I was a Teaching Apprentice at the Radiant Academy. I failed to meet the assessment criteria and was subsequently fired from my position. I was also blacklisted from the profession altogether," the Sect Leader narrated. Shuri had some doubts about the circumstances of his firing. Reaching Core Formation in one's mid-twenties wasn't a trivial achievement. If he were truly capable, the Radiant Academy wouldn't have dismissed him.
She suspected that there may have been political undercurrents at play. Another thing that struck her as peculiar was his casual and nonchalant attitude towards being snubbed in such a manner. Where was the self-respect of a Sect Leader, of a mage in the Core Formation realm?
'Is he biding his time and growing his power? Is his opponent so strong that...'
"Fortunately, I had a Disciple who cared for me. He brought me to Twilight Village. There, I met Grace and others. I founded this sect because I felt like I had a lot to contribute to this world. I also realized that the world wasn't particularly fair to the children living in it—the children who are supposed to represent the future."
Shuri had to suppress an instinctive snort. She now understood why Markus spoke in a similar way. 'Like master, like disciple.'
As though he could read her thoughts, the Sect Leader chuckled mirthfully and said, "You must be thinking that I'm being idealistic, even naive. Well, a little bit of naivety definitely makes your life brighter. Of course, if you let it get to your head, it turns to stupidity, and then arrogance. That's the constant struggle, isn't it?"
'That's a great way to get yourself killed,' Shuri thought to herself.
"As an adult, I can see that my enthusiasm can come off as immaturity. But it's a matter of leading by example," Sect Leader Larks emphasized, leaning back in his chair. His hand on the table inched forward and began rolling the faintly glowing mana core back and forth. Shuri's body stiffened even more as she watched.
"Most of the children in the Sect grew up too quickly. They never got the opportunity to experience their childhood and live a life of immaturity filled with naivety. You see, one of the upsides of naivety is that it helps you come up with extraordinary and sometimes downright impossible ideas. Children are special because they can't fathom impossibility just yet. As a result, they often achieve things that older individuals consider impossible. That's why I'm striving to create an environment that allows kids to be kids while they still have time," the Sect Leader explained.
"But for how long?" Shuri blurted out. The constant stream of idealistic words, coupled with the casual fidgeting of the mana core, broke through her guard. "Do you think this Sect can survive the storms that are to come? Do you think this de-fanged cohort of mages, in name only, can stand up against trained warriors?"
Just as Shuri covered her mouth, her eyes widened, and she noticed the Sect Leader's right side twitching. His right hand, which had been fidgeting with the mana core, grabbed the ball firmly, raised it to his face, and started squeezing.
"Oh, but we already have!" Only the right side spoke. "The so-called mages who frolic around and flaunt their half-baked understanding of the world they live in can't even hold a candle to the might of the Truth-"
At that moment, the left hand rose and covered the Sect Leader's mouth. The right brow creased in anger. And almost immediately, Shuri realized she had made a terrible mistake.
'So this is how I die,' Shuri cursed through gritted teeth as all her survival alarms blared in earnest. There was an overwhelming intent to maim, or possibly kill, hanging in the room. 'Why the fuck didn't I just keep my mouth shut like I always do?! Why-?'
Shuri could see the mana emanating from the Sect Leader's right side. The mana redirected and started to course through the mana core as he crushed the ball. Suddenly, the only source of light in the room turned into a wispy, luminous ball and rushed towards the core.
In an instant, Shuri's alarms turned off completely. Her instincts told her that the danger had passed. Shuri started to wheeze as her hitched breathing resumed. She looked up fearfully and noticed the Sect Leader's complete attention focused on the brighter ball in his hand.
"What is this?" He asked as he turned the ball around and used his mana senses to inspect it. This time, both his right and left sides were cooperating. "Curious... the inscriptions on this are exquisite!"
"What does it do? Does it capture light?"
"And releases it," Shuri explained, her voice tinged with pride.
The Sect Leader sent his mana through the core and watched as the captured wisp escaped and returned to its place in the lantern hanging in the room.
"Amazing!" A magnetic laugh echoed within the room as the Sect Leader repeated the process of capture and release. "How did you make this?"
Shuri was about to answer that question when her mind quickly pressed the brakes. She had almost revealed her entire family history.
'Once again, I've almost been caught due to sincere praise!' Shuri chastised herself.
"Umm, that's..."
The Sect Leader tilted his head, revealing a curious frown. "A family secret, I presume? Markus did tell me that you were a runaway. Speaking of which, should we be worried about your family? I mean, I don't mind you being here, but it could cause trouble for those who care about you."
"Luckily, there's no need to worry," Shuri answered curtly, which was met with a dismayed and pitying expression from the Sect Leader. "No matter. You know what they say? Family isn't something you're born with, but something you create. Luckily for us, we have all the necessary parts here to create a perfect family," he said, nodding his head towards Shuri's window.
"Now, go ahead and eat. I won't take any more of your time," the man said as he stood up to leave. He turned the ball in his hand and hummed appreciatively.
Shuri contained her happiness as the Sect Leader made his way towards the door. As he opened it and stepped out, her racing heart began to slow down and relax. But it was short-lived as he stopped in his tracks, slapped his forehead, turned around one last time, opened his mouth, and spoke.
"I almost forgot to congratulate you on your breakthrough just now! Good job! It seems you have found a field of study that resonates with you. This is a monumental achievement, so please come to my office tomorrow afternoon following the morning lesson to formalize your cultivation track," he said with a smile, his eyes fixed on the luminous mana core on Shuri's desk, causing her to break out in a cold sweat. "And please bring that light-capturing ball with you as well."
As the door closed behind the Sect Leader, Shuri's body gave way, and she collapsed onto the ground. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Fuck..."
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