The announcement came at dawn, shattering the fragile calm that lingered over the outer courtyard. Bells rang across the mist-veiled mountain, their hollow echo spreading like ripples over still water. I was still half asleep when the voice of Elder Mo thundered through the sect's main square, carried by spiritual projection.
"Disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, the time has come for the Trial of Loyalty. You will enter the Mist Valley in pairs. Only those who return together shall pass."
The courtyard exploded in murmurs. The Trial of Loyalty wasn't a regular assessment. It was ancient, dangerous, and deeply symbolic. It tested not your strength, but the bond of trust between cultivators. Rumor had it that many pairs never returned at all.
Yan stood beside me, silent, arms folded across his chest. His eyes were as unreadable as ever, the faint silver sheen of his spiritual energy swirling beneath his sleeves. I had barely spoken to him since the library incident and since I saw those faint demonic runes glimmering on his sword beneath the moonlight.
The system had warned me to protect him.
[Protect him. He doesn't know what he carries.]
But how could I protect someone I couldn't even trust completely?
"Lin," Yan's voice cut through my thoughts. "We're partners again."
I blinked, realizing the elder had already begun pairing disciples. I met his gaze and nodded slowly. "Looks like fate's not done with us yet."
"Or someone isn't," he muttered.
His tone was sharp, cautious but not unfriendly. Beneath the mask of composure, I could sense the same confusion I felt. Neither of us had answers. But we both knew one thing: the Mist Valley would not show mercy.
---
We stood before the veil of white fog that marked the valley's entrance. Disciples around us tightened grips on their swords, whispered prayers, and exchanged uneasy glances.
"Once you enter," Elder Mo said gravely, "you will face illusions tailored to your greatest fears and doubts. Only through unwavering loyalty shall the fog part and your path be revealed."
Yan gave a faint, humorless laugh. "So, basically, we're walking into a nightmare."
I exhaled slowly. "We've faced worse."
He shot me a look, not mocking, but searching.
"Have we?"
Before I could answer, the wind howled, and the fog swallowed us whole.
---
Inside, the world twisted.
The mist wasn't just air; it felt alive. It pulsed and shifted with faint whispers. I heard voices I recognized and yet didn't. The ground beneath us shimmered, bending into shapes that disappeared as soon as they formed.
My system flickered erratically.
[Warning: Unknown energy interference detected.]
[Do not trust what you see.]
Yan drew his sword, its faint demonic runes pulsing like veins under the blade. The sight sent a chill through me.
"Stay close," I said.
"I wasn't planning to wander off," he replied dryly.
We moved through the haze, step by cautious step, until the ground vanished beneath our feet.
The world around us changed.
Suddenly, we were standing in the middle of the Azure Cloud Sect courtyard or something that very much looked like it. The familiar buildings were cracked and burning. The sky bled crimson. Disciples lay scattered, motionless.
And in the center of it all… stood me, holding a bloodstained sword.
Yan tensed beside me. "What—"
The illusion-me smirked. "So you finally see it, Yan. This is your fate. You die by his hand."
I felt my real self go cold. The illusion's eyes gleamed with something I couldn't describe — sorrow? guilt?
Yan's grip on his sword trembled. "This… isn't real."
"Isn't it?" the illusion whispered. "Didn't he already doubt you? Didn't he spy on you in the library? He's been watching you for weeks, waiting for the right time."
Yan's eyes darted toward me and for one heartbeat,one agonizing heartbeat I saw hesitation.
Then I stepped forward, cutting through the smoke. "Yan. Look at me."
He did.
"This isn't me," I said firmly. "You know that."
The illusion smirked again. "Do you?"
Yan closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, his sword flashed cutting through the image. The illusion shattered like glass, the courtyard fading back into swirling fog.
For a moment, silence reigned. Then Yan exhaled. "I knew it was a trick. Still…" His voice faltered. "It felt too real."
"That's what it wants," I said quietly. "To make us doubt."
He nodded, but I saw the shadow in his expression. Doubt was hard to kill once it took root.
---
Hours passed, or maybe minutes. Time was meaningless here.
We fought off manifestations of fear: shadows of our pasts, versions of ourselves we didn't want to see. I saw my father again, his disappointed face reminding me why I'd joined the sect in the first place to escape my own guilt.
Yan saw someone too. A little girl, eyes wide with terror. He froze mid-battle, his sword lowering as she reached out.
"Yan?" I called.
He didn't respond. The fog thickened, pulling her closer.
I ran forward, grabbed his shoulder and the illusion shattered. The girl dissolved into mist.
He staggered back, breathing hard. "That wasn't just an illusion. That was… a memory."
"Whose?"
He didn't answer.
---
We reached the valley's heart at last. It was a massive stone altar glowing faintly with spiritual energy. A barrier surrounded it, humming like a heartbeat.
"This must be where the final test happens," I said.
The system suddenly flashed in front of my eyes.
[Warning: Core instability detected.]
[Sabotage confirmed. Energy overload is imminent.]
"Yan!" I shouted. "It's going to explode—"
Too late. The altar cracked, light spilling out like molten silver. A wave of force threw us apart, and the ground beneath us shattered.
Through the chaos, I saw shadows moving. Figures cloaked in black, darting through the smoke. Sect saboteurs. Their spiritual energy was twisted, corrupted by demonic influence.
Yan's sword flared, those runes burning brighter than ever. He slashed through one attacker, but as he did, the runes spread, crawling up his arm like living fire.
He screamed.
"Yan!"
I lunged, grabbed him, and forced my own spiritual energy to stabilize him. The system screamed warnings in my head.
[Danger: Energy corruption detected.]
[User integrity at risk.]
"I won't let you die!" I shouted.
The light exploded again, brighter this time and everything went white.
---
When I woke, the fog was gone. The valley was silent except for the crackling of burning grass. The altar was destroyed, reduced to shards of glowing crystal.
Yan lay beside me, unconscious but alive. His sword was shattered, the demonic runes gone.
I checked his pulse. It was rteady. Relief flooded through me.
The system flickered weakly.
[Mission updated: Protect Yan continues.]
[Hidden Objective Unlocked: Identify the Sect Saboteur.]
I glanced toward the horizon, where the first light of dawn pierced through the smoke.
Someone in the sect wanted Yan dead.
And I was running out of time to find out who.
---
When Yan stirred hours later, his voice was hoarse. "Did we… pass?"
I managed a faint smile. "We survived. That's more than most can say."
He chuckled weakly. "Guess that's enough loyalty."
But when his gaze drifted toward the ruins of the altar, Guilt, fear or maybe but flickered in his eyes.
I didn't ask. I just sat there, watching the mist lift from the valley, feeling the weight of what had begun. Something far greater, darker, and more dangerous than any sect trial.
Because if loyalty was what the sect tested today… Then betrayal was already waiting for tomorrow.