They reopened the Guerdon that night, now that Pachi and Yoon were back.

  K nursed a drink for the whole night. He and the rest of the troupe retreated into the backstage area for another training session. This time, Pachi tagged along.

  Yoon had disappeared somewhere in the dance hall, muttering about plans and such.

  K watched as Pachi helped Mamoru with his Path. The white-haired boy grabbed onto Mamoru’s elbows with a loud laugh as he helped the other boy balance atop the slippery, frictionless soles of his feet, deep in jovial conversation.

  Forcing his gaze away, K turned to the person in front of him— Wen.

  “I want to see how accurate you can be,” K held up a book prop. “I’m going to toss this book into the air, and I want you to spear through it.”

  He tossed the book into the air, and Wen instantly missed, a spear of glass erupting from the floor a few feet away.

  Wen sighed, “It’s like trying to catch a ball with my foot.”

  “It’s all a matter of space.” K slowly padded over to retrieve the book, handing it to Wen. “You need to develop a deeper understanding of your surroundings. If you do this enough times, you’ll eventually be able to calculate the points in your head.”

  “It’s impossible… I can’t keep track of it.” Frowning, Wen squeezed his eyes shut. “My sickness makes it hard for me to move, so my reflexes are awful.”

  K’s eyes flicked imperceptibly, reading the boy’s distressed features. He sighed. “Wen, what are you trying to say?”

  The boy hunched into himself. For once, he looked like the child that he was.

  Wen’s lip curled downward. “I’m trying to say that I’m too weak for this.”

  Bemused, K shook his head.

  “Cultivation is an act that anybody can perform, regardless of strength,” K explained tactfully. “If you can’t use your hands, use your feet. If you can’t use your feet, use your torso. If you can’t use your torso, use the wrinkles in your face.”

  He paused, letting Wen stew his words.

  “Cultivation relies on motion… and the body is always moving,” K eased his tone. Gently, he patted Wen’s shoulder. He kept it light, knowing the chronic pain he could be in. “Some of the greatest Cultivators can activate their Paths using the beat of their hearts and the expansion of their lungs.”

  “But…” Wen frowned. “I’m not great.”

  “You will be,” K whispered. “I will make you.”

  As he said that, he stepped away from Wen, who tossed the book into the air and tried to catch it over and over again. The boy’s face was pinched in determination, breathing solidly to control his Ingot Jump.

  K watched him with empty eyes, feeling the snake slithering about on his shoulders.

  “Tell me everything you know,” K said roughly. He didn’t even want to try and temper his anger as he faced the Beast lounging on him.

  Despite that, guilt was eating away at him for trying to tether the Beast to him, and him alone. K couldn’t fault Hun for being drawn to Pachi. After all, the boy had gifted the creature with a physical form. Had introduced him to abilities that K wasn’t capable of.

  But beyond K’s survival, he couldn’t stand being alone.

  Hun was the only creature who was aware of K’s two sides: The Golden Phantom and Kaiso Lahn.

  They were born into two separate identities after the Blessing was given to him… and if K lost his Beast, the only being who had seen him so verily, so truly; and did not shun him—

  Nobody will ever perceive K as wholly as Hun.

  Hun sighed. ‘Sire…’

  “Did you call my warden that title as well?” K hissed. “You are mine.”

  I’m sorry, he wished to say. I’m sorry for tethering you to me.

  It took a while for his Beast to respond, but when he did, it came in a soft whisper. ‘He taught me how to control my physical form. I can now become incorporeal and reside within your mind whenever I wish, Sire.’

  As a presentation, Hun suddenly vanished in a flash of golden light. Though his voice still remained, echoing down K’s skull. ‘See?’

  “Did he teach you anything else?”

  ‘No—’

  “Then you’re not allowed to be alone with him anymore.” K tried to ignore the obvious disappointment Hun might’ve felt. “We can’t trust him, Hun. He has lied and tricked us far too many times. He’s clearly planning something, and I want to get to the bottom of it.”

  ‘Master Pachi stayed in a hotel room the entire week that I was with him. He met with Sam once without my presence, but that was it.’ Hun added defensively. K tried to ignore how the use of ‘Master’ made his chest prickle.

  “Doesn’t it strike you as suspicious that Sam Yoon and Pachinko know each other?” K’s shoulders were hardened. “Now I know that Chet’s been hiding too much from me. My brother knows who Sam is. I need to confront him.”

  K still didn’t know what Pachi and Sam were planning, but if he played his part correctly at this exact moment, then his plan would surely succeed.

  He just needed Chet to play along.

  ‘Sire, I really don’t—’

  “You can come with me,” K snapped sharply under his breath. “Or you can hover over Pachi. Make your choice, Hun.”

  ‘Then, I’m not coming with you.’

  K didn’t think that his chest would stiffen so much. “...What?”

  ‘If I aid you, you and your brother might fight,’ Hun explained, shifting into a bird to balance atop K’s shoulder. ‘But if push comes to shove and your brother nearly kills you, there is always a way for you to keep yourself safe.’

  “What’s that?” K asked, petulantly.

  ‘Just show him your face,’ Hun twisted into the air, his final words hanging between them as he soared over to Pachi. ‘Your brother would never harm his dear Kaiso.’

  K watched with fists clenched as Hun landed atop Pachi’s shoulder. The other boy shot him a confused look.

  There was something hidden behind his features, something that K didn’t want to stick around to understand.

  Just like that, K slinked out of the backstage area while Wen was still preoccupied. The boy had stabbed cleanly through the bookl, and he was smiling unabashed. Just as he turned to shoot K a wide, thankful smile— the Phantom was already gone.

  K ran down the stairs and out of the entryway. He could hear his name being called behind his retreating back.

  He tried his best to hide the conniving smirk stretching across his lips.

  K arrived at Chet’s precinct with a heaving chest.

  He knew the man would hate it if he came unannounced like this— in front of his police precinct, of all places. Their truce would be put in jeopardy, but K didn’t even care.

  A looming group of Enforcers all parted as K walked through the precinct’s door. The chime tinkled happily as he strutted up to the receptionist. Figures shuffled up and down through the building, radio static breaching K’s ears.

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  “Erm, can I help you?” The receptionist asked him as he stepped up to the man’s desk. His eyes were shifting this way and that, eyeing K’s peculiar appearance.

  “Yes.” K said gently. He placed his elbows on the desk, resting his chin on steepled fingers. “I’m looking for Enforcer Chet Lahn. Tell him it’s an emergency.”

  “Uh, I’m not sure if I can—”

  K didn’t let him finish, pulling out his pistol to shoot through the man’s carefully parted toupee. “Bring him here or I’ll shoot you.”

  Instantly, the man was off, scrambling to the floor for cover. Around him, twenty or so Enforcers had drawn their weapons. Their auras blazed in an overwhelming cacophony of color and light.

  K craned his neck until he heard a little crack. “Finally, a bit of stress relief.”

  Just as the entire precinct was poised to attack, a familiar figure pushed through the group.

  Chet was huffing, staring at him in disbelief.

  “Ah, Enforcer! There you are,” K called out, blithely. “Please, can you tell them to lower their guns? I just wanted to have a word with you…”

  Chet looked at him, eyes conflicted. He flicked back and forth between him and the entire precinct.

  The man began to raise his hand as if to calm down the room—

  “Xian, shoot him— he’s just one man!” a voice suddenly boomed. It was Naomi.

  At the helm, Naomi scowled at Chet when she saw how troubled the man’s expression was. But Chet quickly shoved her away, pulling out his coin as A Step Toward the Sky blared awake.

  K frowned at the easy betrayal and ran over to Chet.

  Hands tugged at his coat, bullets raining down on him. Without Hun by his side, K couldn’t tap into the Beast’s Blessing.

  But K had an advantage where they had none:

  He knew that they wouldn’t kill him.

  K had made it clear upon entering that he had a relationship with Chet— and rather than kill him, the Militia would want to see him captured and questioned. They’d want to understand the full extent of Chet’s treason.

  Still, that didn’t make it any easier for K to snake his way through the waves of men. They crowded him, attempted to smother him to the floor and pin him down.

  But K dodged them at every turn, shooting his own pistol at Militia-sanctioned tools. With shot after shot, he destroyed silver coins that were similar to what his brother owned.

  Their contingency was their own folly.

  With a low grunt, K’s arms were held back by one of the Enforcers. Another loomed closer, trying to inject him with a syringe. From the color and density, K could tell that it was a type of general anesthesia. They wanted to knock him out.

  His pistol was slapped out of his hold; K scrambling for purchase as the syringe came closer to his neck.

  Wildly, K screamed, “You’re not getting away, Enforcer!”

  Another cry was ripped from his throat as he raised his legs; locking the man with the syringe between his thighs. He drew the Enforcer closer, twisting in a move to break the man’s neck.

  Behind him, the other Enforcer had no choice but to release K from his grip. If he held on, he would’ve been the hinge that spun his own colleague’s neck.

  Now free, K settled his legs around the other man’s shoulders. He idly kicked at the syringe; watching the brittle glass break as clear anesthesia coated his perfectly polished shoes.

  “Get off of me!” the man below him cried, arms raising to try and pry K off. But K merely climbed higher; his foot balancing on the Enforcer’s elbows and chest. Until he stood entirely atop the man; both feet planted on either side of his shoulders.

  K looked down and saw a sea of heads. The Enforcers all looked at him in shock.

  K leaped off the Enforcer’s shoulders as a feral grin stretched his lips— landing atop another man’s head. Laughing like a chattering bird, he skipped and hopped to another. And another.

  It was like he was stepping on stones, lined along a riverbed.

  Until at last, he found his target—

  “Enforcer!” K called out, flinging off the last Enforcer he had used as a stepping stone. With wide open arms, he lunged toward his brother.

  Chet’s jaw slackened in shock, forearms raised to try and deflect K. But the boy was still able to grab hold of his neck, swaying and using the momentum to send them both crashing to the floor.

  “What in Xian’s name are you doing!” Chet hissed at him, groaning from having to bear K’s weight when they fell. He whispered in a harsh voice, “Barging in here… you’ll get me—”

  “I know you know who Sam Yoon is.” K leaned down to whisper. “What is your relationship with him?”

  Chet looked like a deer in the headlights, before his gaze hollowed. “Why does everyone assume that Sam and I are—”

  “Chet,” K grunted. It was the first time he had called him by his given name. “The truth, please. Sam has been working as the Guerdon’s owner this entire time. He’s been watching me.”

  Chet’s eyes widened in shock, before it grew cold. As the recognition of K’s absolute disrespect towards their truce grew clearer. He may be arrested for treason.

  “Do you really want to know?” Chet’s nostrils flared in anger. He pulled an arm back, giving it a wide berth before punching K square in the face. “He told me not to work with you, runt!”

  The other Enforcers took a step back as Chet whipped around to press K face-first into the floor. He delivered another crushing blow, slamming his heel into K’s lower back.

  The loud chattering of the other Enforcers was enough to cancel out the sound of his voice as he said, “Why are you doing this? We had a deal!”

  “Punch me again,” K spat through bloody teeth; red blanketing the gauze on his face. “I don’t want them to think we’re working together entirely.”

  Chet’s features scrunched up in confusion. “What?”

  Before K could reply, a pair of hands grappled at his spread-out arms; pulling him from beneath his brother.

  K was met with an entirely unrecognizable face.

  It was a man, dressed only in a loose coat. His skin was lightly tanned, hair a bright turquoise. But it was his eyes that was most striking; a sudden and deep pool of gold—

  “Hun,” K breathed.

  ‘Sire.’

  His Beast, in the form of a human, dragged him away, adeptly dodging the sea of hands and weapons. He shrouded K in his coat, hiding him away as they shoved their way from the Enforcers.

  In a long strip of sinew, Hun pulled his body apart and rebuilt himself in his true form. The Enforcers gasped and screamed in terror as a 10-foot creature unfurled its scaly body, turquoise mane fluttering wildly.

  The Beast lowered to let K jump onto his back.

  The two of them ignored the storm of bullets and shrieks around them as they flew straight toward the door. The wooden panels cracked into pieces, the hinges barely holding on as K and Hun barreled right through.

  ‘Why have you done this, Sire? I thought you were going to see your brother… not whatever this is!’ Hun spat desperately. ‘You could’ve been killed.’

  K let out a sigh of relief. So far, his plan was going perfectly.

  ‘Agh!’ Hun suddenly shrieked, his long body curling in the air before they could fully reach the skies.

  “You’re not going anywhere, Kizuna!”

  K turned around, horrified to see Chet— holding onto a dagger that he had stabbed into a gap between Hun’s scales. It had to have been a weakness of the Beast.

  Grunting, Chet scaled the writhing Beast’s body, K standing as well. The both of them faced each other. Balanced atop Hun’s soaring body, Tianxia grew smaller and smaller in their ascent.

  “I hope you understand what you just did,” Chet spat. He raised his dagger and pointed it at K. “You nearly blew both of our covers! What in the eight hells were you thinking?”

  K said brazenly, “In all honesty, none of this matters. I don’t even care if you and Sam were working together.”

  ‘Sire?’ Hun suddenly asked, a bit worried.

  “Ah, Hun,” K smiled. “My poor Beast. I’m sorry I had to trick you like this.”

  “What?” it was Chet who asked this.

  ‘Sire, what are you doing?’ Hun worked his jaw uneasily.

  “I knew you wouldn’t have chosen me if I didn’t put my life at stake,” K grinned. “But I’m happy, knowing you came to save me.”

  ‘You… were just testing me,’ Hun realized. ‘To determine whether I’d come to save you.’

  “Xian, what are you doing?” Chet shook his head at K.

  “And you, Chet… I’m sorry for causing distrust to brew between you and your precinct,” K shrugged. “Not to worry, though. I’ll fix everything. In fact, I’m sure you’ll be promoted to Lieutenant if my plan goes well.”

  With that, he pulled the golden ticket from his pocket and handed it to Chet.

  K’s tone became grave as he said, “Don’t catch me.”

  The order was for both Chet and Hun. He hoped they understood that—

  As he jumped straight off Hun’s back.

  K saw Chet peer over the edge of Hun’s back, clearly panicking.

  But the Beast did not stoop to catch K. He knew better, now, than to go against his true Sire’s orders.

  K slowly twisted in the air, staring at Tianxia’s port as it swiftly approached. With deft hands, he shucked his frock coat—

  Revealing the small parachute pack he strapped onto his back. Stolen from his brother's old civil war equipment.

  He pulled at the string, deploying it in mid-air.

  K floated gently toward the lapping ocean, a few transport ships lounging by the edge of the shore. But that wasn’t what K cared about. According to his calculations, the wind speed, and his weight—

  He’ll reach his destination perfectly.

  He landed solidly atop the metal hull of a ship, rolling to lessen the fall.

  In an instant, the sailors of the barge flocked over to him.

  K cheekily smiled up at them as they surrounded him, seeing the cargo they were hauling onto the barge. There were holes punched through the wood.

  To let the people inside breathe.

  K spared an eased look around the ship. He took in the extravagant display of decor. The bartering stage stood in the center.

  It was Dae-Jung’s barge.

  “It’s… the Golden Phantom,” one of the sailors realized.

  K grinned dangerously again. He looked up at the man who had spoken. “I’ve always wondered what price I’d fetch.”

  Instantly, hands grappled at him. Chains were slapped over his wrists and he was cartered toward the stage—

  Where all the other children were placed.

  K didn’t fight back. He was too busy relishing in the perfection of his plan.