"The thought that my sister might be fighting alone right now," Cora said through gritted teeth. "That she might be captured or killed while I’m here, unable to help her..."
She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t need to. The rage and determination on her face said everything.
Arthur had remained silent throughout this entire exchange. He sat in his chair, watching and listening carefully. His expression was calm and thoughtful.
But internally, his mind was working rapidly. Analyzing. Calculating. Understanding.
’So this is the full picture,’ he thought. ’Not just a scattered sect. Not just a missing founder. This is about survivors of an ancient organization powerful enough to have enemies still hunting them centuries after its destruction.’
’Enemies with resources and influence that span multiple realms. Enemies patient enough to hunt for thousands of years. Enemies ruthless enough to destroy an entire organization and then continue pursuing survivors indefinitely.’
’This is far more dangerous and complicated than what I originally thought.’
But Arthur’s expression didn’t change. He simply continued to watch as Cora and Lady Ayara processed these revelations together.
Lady Ayara had gone very still. She stared at Cora with a mixture of awe and horror. "Young Mistress," she said quietly. "If what you say is true... if these enemies are truly that powerful and persistent... then finding the ancestor might be..."
"I don’t care how difficult it is," Cora interrupted firmly. "I will find her. No matter what it takes. No matter how long it takes. She is my sister. My twin. I won’t abandon her."
Lady Ayara nodded slowly. She understood that determination. She felt it herself.
After a long mont, Lady Ayara seed to gather herself. She straightened her posture. Composed her features as best she could behind her veil.
She began to bow again. To show the proper respect due to Cora’s position as the sect founder’s sister. To offer her service and loyalty as she would have offered it to their master.
But before she could complete the gesture, Cora raised one hand sharply.
"Stop," Cora said. Her voice had changed again. Beco more serious. Almost stern.
Lady Ayara froze mid-bow. Confusion was evident even through her veil.
Cora’s expression had shifted as well. The emotion from monts before was still there, still visible, but it was now overlaid with sothing else. Sothing harder and more authoritative.
"While I appreciate your respect and loyalty," Cora said carefully, "you should not be paying your respects to ."
Lady Ayara’s confusion deepened. "Young Mistress, I don’t understand—"
"You should be directing that reverence toward him," Cora interrupted. She turned and gestured clearly toward Arthur.
Lady Ayara’s head snapped around. She stared at Arthur as if seeing him for the first ti. Which, in a way, she was.
"Prince Arthur?" she said uncertainly.
"Yes," Cora confird. Her voice was firm and absolute now. No uncertainty. No room for argunt. "He is the one who possesses true power. Without him I might not have recovered till this point. He is the one who has the ability to truly save us."
Cora voiced sothing she had co to believe herself in the past days.
She had gotten a glimpse of Arthur’s true power and concluded that he migybe a powerful reincarnated being.
How can a mortal Realm cultivator have a soul as Infinite as the heavens compared to her a bonafide immortal?
anwhile, on hearing her words...
Lady Ayara’s visible shock returned in full force. "But... Young Mistress... how can that be? Your sister was..."
"I know exactly how powerful my sister was," Cora said. "I trained alongside her. I fought beside her. I know her capabilities better than anyone else in this world."
She looked directly at Lady Ayara. "And I’m telling you that Arthur surpasses her. By a significant margin."
Lady Ayara seed unable to process this. She looked between Cora and Arthur repeatedly. Her mind clearly struggling to reconcile what she was hearing.
"Prince Arthur is the only one capable of helping us recover your sect’s treasures," Cora continued. "He’s the only one who can find the Blood Raven Faction. And more importantly..."
She paused for emphasis. "He’s the only one who might be capable of discovering what happened to my sister and potentially rescuing her if she’s still alive."
Lady Ayara’s breath ca faster now. Shorter. "Young Mistress, surely you’re exaggerating. Prince Arthur is talented, yes. Exceptional even. But to claim he surpasses the legendary Mistress of Avalon..."
"I’m not exaggerating," Cora said flatly. "I don’t exaggerate about matters of power. I serve Arthur willingly. Not because I’m compelled to. Not because of any oath or agreent. But because I genuinely respect his abilities and his character."
She looked at Arthur briefly. There was clear respect and loyalty in her gaze. "I chose to follow him because I recognized his true power. His potential. What he’s capable of becoming."
Lady Ayara followed Cora’s gaze to Arthur. She studied him with new eyes now. Trying to see what Cora saw.
Arthur remained seated calmly. His posture was relaxed. His expression neutral and composed. He didn’t seem bothered by Cora’s declarations. Didn’t seem inclined to confirm or deny them.
He simply sat there. Watching. Waiting. Allowing the truth to settle over Lady Ayara in its own ti.
"But he’s so young," Lady Ayara said weakly. It was the only objection she could think of. "He’s barely eighteen years old. How could he possibly..."
"Age ans nothing when it cos to true talent and power," Cora interrupted. "You should know that better than anyone. Your own sect founder was considered exceptionally young when she first rose to prominence."
Lady Ayara couldn’t argue with that. It was true. They had learned about the legends of their ancestor before arriving at the mortal emperor realm.
Cora continued, her voice still firm and unwavering. "I’m telling you this not to diminish my sister’s achievents. She was and is extraordinary. But Arthur... Arthur is sothing else entirely."
"Sothing beyond what most cultivators can even comprehend."
The weight of those words hung in the air. Lady Ayara stared at Arthur with wide eyes. Trying desperately to understand. To see what Cora saw.
Arthur’s expression remained unchanged. He neither confird nor denied Cora’s claims. He simply allowed them to stand on their own rit.
His calm deanor in the face of such declarations was perhaps more telling than anything else. Soone truly unworthy of such praise would have protested. Would have shown embarrassnt or false modesty.
But Arthur did neither. He simply accepted Cora’s words as statents of fact and moved on.
Lady Ayara’s mind raced. She thought back to everything she’d observed since arriving at the palace.
The exceptional organization of Arthur’s household. The discipline and excellence of his servants.
The way even the Emperor seed to regard his son with a mixture of pride and sothing that almost looked like deference.
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