Sunrise climbed, turning the morning harsh and bright.
In Windrest City’s guesthouse, Ethan listened to Archmage Strong Ale speak openly about what happened on the Sorrow Theater’s third floor.
She described the performance as a story about humanity’s earliest ancestors in this land—a “salvation” that arrived in disaster, but came with a contract hidden inside it: worship, obedience, blood… in exchange for power.
The archmage then delivered the part that mattered most.
In this era, no one breaks Tier 5—the Unbreakable Tier. That wasn’t an accident. It was a design.
And the theater hinted at a workaround.
Not a clean one.
Sacrifice. Exchange. Old rules.
Strong Ale watched Ethan carefully. “If you’re chasing Faranil, you’re already on the board,” she said. “Just make sure you’re not the piece.”
Ethan didn’t argue. He’d already learned that the hard way.
When the conversation ended, Ethan glanced at Qi Heng. The young man looked years older than he should.
Ethan recognized that look.
It was the moment you realized the world wasn’t cruel by accident.
It was cruel on purpose.
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