While the bonfires of the Divine Wind Sect crackled with joy and the wine flowed freely in the material world, a very different scene was unfolding in a pocket of distorted space. It was severed from the main reality and within it was an extremely powerful force.

  This was a fractured dimension, a grey, lifeless void where the laws of physics were bent and broken. It was a prison though, created in an instant by a power that defied comprehension.

  Eleven power figures stood on a floating platform of obsidian within.

  At the front stood a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. She was strikingly beautiful, with sharp, aristocratic features and cascading black hair that fell like a curtain of night silk down her back.

  She wore armor of black dragon-scale that was polished to a mirror sheen and a cloak of deep crimson. Her aura was completely restrained, yet the space around her seemed to instinctively shy away, terrified of what lay beneath the surface.

  Behind her stood ten armored warriors. Five men and five women that were nearly equally as formidable as the lady in front. They stood like statues, their faces hidden behind visors but they were radiating a disciplined, lethal silence.

  They were not trapped here by accident. They had been plucked from the shadows and locked in this cage by a force they could not resist. They were not fighting their way out because they knew it was futile. They were waiting for the jailer to come.

  Suddenly, the fabric of the dimension tore open.

  It wasn't a clean cut. It was a violent shredding as if giant claws were ripping through a curtain. Violet lightning flooded the grey void. A massive pressure descended, heavy enough to crush everything.

  From the rift stepped Khaos.

  His expression was not one of regal detachment. He looked furious and annoyed.

  "I warned them!" Khaos growled. His voice vibrated through the dimension like a war drum. "I told the Gongsun rats to stay in their holes. I told them that if they approached him, I would erase their bloodline from history."

  He looked at the woman, his eyes narrowing into slits of dark fire.

  "Are you here to test my patience, little Gongsun? Did you think you could sneak past me? Are you here to break the oath as well? I can sense it on you, you are one of the chosen six."

  The pressure intensified. The ten warriors behind the woman flinched, their armor creaking under the strain. It was not because they were weak, it was because Khaos was strong and he was angry.

  However, the woman did not flinch.

  She dropped to one knee. The movement was fluid, practiced and filled with absolute submission.

  Thud.

  Behind her, the ten warriors immediately followed suit. They all kneeled in perfect synchronization with their heads bowed low.

  "Lord VoidClaw," the woman said. Her voice was calm, steady and respectful. There was no fear in her voice. "I am not here to break the Oath. I am here to honor it."

  Khaos paused, being surprised for a change. The dark fire in his eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by suspicion.

  "Honor it?" Khaos scoffed. "Your clan has been trying to forget it. They pretend the debt doesn't exist. They plot. They scheme. Do not think that I don’t know what your clan’s true intentions are. You’ve grown a bit powerful so you think you are ready to walk and make decisions on your own."

  "They are fools," the woman stated coldly. "Blind fools who have forgotten the weight of the mountain that shelters them. But I have not. I never have since learning about it."

  She looked up to meet Khaos’s gaze.

  "I am Gongsun Lian. I left the main family long ago. I severed my ties with the Council of Elders because I saw their rot. I saw them forgetting the grace that the Young Master's mother’s lineage bestowed upon us. That his great grandfather gave my clan a chance due to the friendship with my ancestor."

  Khaos stared at her. The ancient memories stirred.

  "Gongsun Lian…" Khaos mused. "The 'Black Lotus'. I have read the intelligence reports about you. You were the greatest prodigy the Gongsun Clan ever produced. You disappeared generations ago. They said you died due to cultivation deviation."

  "I did not die," Lian said. "I went into the shadows. I knew the Young Master would eventually come one day. I knew the clan would be unprepared to serve him properly. So I left them and prepared myself."

  She gestured to the ten warriors behind her.

  "These are my generals. Behind them, hidden away in hidden realms, stands The Veiled Lotus. The legions I have raised, trained and armed for a single purpose."

  She placed her fist over her heart.

  "To serve the Young Master. To repay the grace given to my clan. Even if I must do it alone. I am here to present myself to him. I offer legions as his blade. My blade as his shield. I offer my mind as his general… I even offer my body to warm his bed, if that is his desire. I am his instrument."

  Khaos looked at her. He looked at the warriors behind her. He probed their souls with his senses.

  He found no deception. Only steel-hard loyalty. And beneath that loyalty, he sensed her strength. It was a depth of power that far exceeded the current Patriarch of her clan. She was a monster hiding in the skin of a beauty and a genius.

  Khaos’s eyebrows rose. This was not something he had expected. More than that, she had blown past his expectations. Khaos took an instant liking to her.

  "You hid your cultivation well, Lian," Khaos noted. "The current Patriarch of your clan struts around like a peacock, thinking he is the apex. He has no idea that the true master of the Gongsun family is hiding in the dark, does he?"

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  "The Patriarch is a loving father but a foolish child playing with fire," Lian said dismissively. "My strength is for the Young Master, not for posturing within the clan. I have cut my ties with the clan long ago and have no intentions of going back. I will pay off their grace of raising me for that short time by paying off the grace they owe to the Young Master’s family."

  Khaos laughed. It was a bark of genuine amusement. His mood improved drastically and his tone changed completely to when he first appeared.

  "Stand up, Lian," Khaos ordered.

  Gongsun Lian stood up. Her generals remained kneeling.

  "You have done well," Khaos admitted. "You kept the duty when others let it rust. That is rare and I will thank you on behalf of his family."

  "Then take me to him," Lian requested, a spark of eagerness in her dark eyes. "Let me guard him by his side. The world is dangerous and becoming more so. He needs protection, guidance and help."

  Khaos shook his head while crossing his arms.

  "No."

  Lian blinked. "My Lord? Is my strength insufficient? The Veiled Lotus is vast. We can conquer this entire realm easily. We can conquer many realms!"

  "It's not about strength," Khaos interrupted. "It's about... compatibility and more importantly timing."

  He sighed, rubbing his temples. This time it was not a problem with a Gongsun family member, it was a problem with Li Yu.

  "Right now, Li Yu is... busy."

  "Is he in secluded cultivation?" Lian asked. "Breaking through the boundaries?"

  "He's eating a roasted boar leg," Khaos said flatly. "And trying to avoid rumors that he is a boy toy for a Wind Matriarch."

  Lian stared at him in utter confusion. Khaos was blocking information since he began guarding him. Divinings and all other kinds of information about Li Yu were hard to obtain. She couldn’t actually learn anything about him this entire time. Only that he has been born and should be around 20 years old. "I... beg your pardon?"

  "Li Yu is lazy," Khaos explained. "He fights when he has to and he hits hard when he does but his goal in life is to find a nice spot to nap, eat good food and see the world. If you show up with an army of such power and start calling him 'Young Master', he will freak out. He wouldn’t know what to do with everyone and will be burdened by it all. This is not what his parents wanted. He doesn’t even know where he comes from or the dangers that are starting to come for all realms.”

  Khaos chuckled.

  "Also, regarding the 'bed warming'...” Khaos chuckled once again. For one reason or another this was an amusing topic for him. “Whether you thought of that yourself, actually wanted that or one of your retainers spoke to you about it. Li Yu is currently extremely suspicious of women. He travels with a princess who tries to seduce him for amusement and he just allied with a Matriarch who hits on him for fun. If another beautiful woman shows up offering her body, he will assume it is an assassination attempt or something else entirely. He won't touch you. He’ll probably throw a blanket at you."

  Gongsun Lian looked a bit crestfallen at the first part of Khaos’s message and then confused at the latter half. She had spent a lifetime preparing for this moment. She had imagined a glorious warlord who would command her to conquer the world.

  She wasn’t looking forward to directly serving him either but would if asked. At least that was what she learned from other lords and retainers that she had. That was part of the duty that was expected.

  It wasn’t just because she was female and Li Yu was male. This applied for powerful or influential women in control as well. Many would have male concubines for alliances, control and helpers. She was there for him, in any matters needed. That was what she had seen from other powerful beings. It wasn’t always the case but many did.

  "Then... what do I do?" she asked. "I have an army. I have a purpose. I am supposed to help him as soon as possible. Do I just now... wait?"

  Khaos’s expression grew serious. The playful uncle vibe vanished and was replaced by the Void King.

  "No. You do not wait. You continue your work."

  He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low rumble.

  "You are smart, Lian. You know what is happening to the realms. You can feel the cracks forming in the foundations."

  Lian nodded slowly. "The stability is failing. Ancient seals are loosening. More and more dangers are coming. I have sensed it. My diviners have foreseen it. That is why we are here. To support the Young Master and keep him safe."

  "Good. Then I don't need to explain why I need eyes elsewhere," Khaos said. "Li Yu doesn't need you right now. He is not at the stage where he could use it and he is currently safe. But soon, the storm will break. And when it does, he won't need just a babysitter. He will need an army."

  "So," Khaos commanded. "Go back. Continue what you are doing. Expand The Veiled Lotus. Know that you are not alone in such matters. Also... watch the Gongsun Clan."

  Lian frowned slightly. "My clan? They are foolish, Lord VoidClaw, but they are bound by the Oath. They cannot harm the Young Master even if they wanted to. The backlash would destroy them."

  "I know they can't hurt him. I don’t fear them even if they could." Khaos scoffed. "I want you to watch them because they are stupid. Stupidity is dangerous. They cause trouble or get themselves wiped out."

  "You are the strongest among them. Keep them in line from the shadows. Make sure they survive long enough to serve their purpose. They should at least be helping a bit in these troubled times, doing something useful. Even if that is just fighting against the evil forces a bit. And gather more forces. When the time comes, I will call for you. Or you will know when to come, I can see that you are smart."

  Lian’s eyes sharpened. The disappointment vanished and was replaced by resolve. This was a mission. A vital one.

  "I understand," Lian said while bowing again. "I will be the dagger and shield in the dark. I will watch. And I will prepare."

  "Good," Khaos nodded. "Do not approach Li Yu until I summon you. Or until the sky falls. Whichever comes first."

  He turned and was ripping open a portal back to the Void.

  "Oh, and Lian?"

  "Yes, Lord VoidClaw?"

  "You have done well to surpass your ancestors," Khaos grinned with genuine praise. "Keep it up."

  With that, he stepped into the rift and vanished. The dimension fell silent again. The prison that held them was now gone. The ten generals slowly stood up. They were shaking. Not from fear but from awe.

  "That was him," one of the male generals whispered but his voice was trembling. A strange sight to see from someone so powerful. "The VoidClaw. The Guardian of the Boundary. I have heard stories of him since I was a child. He is a god among us."

  "He is terrifying," a female general added. "His presence alone... it felt like the universe was holding its breath."

  "He is the Young Master's guardian," Gongsun Lian said softly. She was still staring at the spot where Khaos had vanished. A look of intense pride was on her face. "If a being like that serves Li Yu... then our devotion is not misplaced. The Young Master must be a dragon among dragons."

  "But General," one of the men asked. "Why did you devote your life to this? You are the strongest cultivator the Gongsun Clan has ever seen. You have gathered and trained all of us. You could have ruled the clan openly. You could have dominated an area, region or even era. Why give it all up for a promise made generations ago?"

  Lian turned to him. Her eyes were cold, hard iron.

  "I have told you before. Do not question me about that topic. Do not question the grace."

  She looked at her hands, feeling the immense power flowing through her veins. The power she had cultivated solely for one purpose.

  "The Gongsun Clan thinks they are the masters of their fate. They have forgotten that we breathe because Li Yu's ancestors allowed it. They are sheep sleeping in the shadow of a wolf. When the wolf wakes, they will be lost."

  She clenched her fist.

  "But we... we will be the pack that runs with the wolf. We are The Veiled Lotus."

  She waved her hand, tearing open a portal of her own with effortless power.

  "We move. We have orders. The VoidClaw watches Li Yu for now. He is watching for his well being. We must not disappoint him."

  "Yes, General!"

  The eleven figures vanished into the mist, leaving the empty dimension behind. They were returning to the shadows to wait for the day the lazy hero would finally need his army.