## Liam's Perspective
I gasped awake, my body drenched in cold sweat. The world spun around as I tried to focus. White walls. The sll of dicinal herbs. Where was I?
"Isabelle!" Her na tore from my throat before I could even process my surroundings.
"Easy there." A familiar voice reached my ears. Mariana Valerius stood beside my bed, her expression a mixture of relief and concern. "You've been unconscious for a week."
A week? I struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain that shot through my body. My muscles felt like they'd been torn apart and hastily stitched back together.
"Where's Isabelle?" I demanded, my voice hoarse.
Mariana pressed a cool hand against my shoulder, gently pushing back down. "You need to rest. Your ridians were severely damaged during your fight with Dashiell Blackthorne."
I shook my head, refusing to lie back. "I don't care about my condition. Where is she?"
A shadow crossed Mariana's face. She hesitated, then sighed. "The Veridia City Martial Guild has her."
My blood turned to ice. "The Guild? Why would they—"
"I don't know the full details," she admitted. "Only that they've taken a special interest in her. It's unusual, even for them."
I swung my legs off the bed, ignoring the wave of dizziness that threatened to topple . "I need to go. Now."
"In your condition?" Mariana raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't make it past the front gates. The Guild isn't so family compound you can storm. It's the most heavily fortified location in Veridia City."
I tried to stand, but my legs buckled beneath . Mariana caught before I hit the floor.
"Damn it!" I slamd my fist against the bed fra, feeling utterly powerless. "I promised I'd protect her."
Mariana helped back onto the bed. "And you will. But first, you need to recover and grow stronger. Much stronger."
The reality of my situation crashed down on . I'd barely survived my encounter with Dashiell, who wasn't even the strongest in his family. The Guild would have dozens, maybe hundreds of fighters at his level or higher.
"How long until I recover?" I asked, my voice tight with frustration.
"With normal treatnt? Months." Mariana's blunt assessnt hit like a physical blow. "But I've arranged sothing that might help accelerate things. Soone who wants to et you."
"Who?"
"Jackson Harding."
The na hung in the air between us. Even I knew who Jackson Harding was—a legend among martial artists, soone who'd disappeared from public view decades ago.
"He's here?" I asked, disbelieving.
Mariana nodded. "He arrived three days ago, specifically to see you."
I frowned. "Why would soone like him care about ?"
"That's for him to explain." She helped to my feet again, this ti supporting my weight. "Can you walk?"
I gritted my teeth against the pain. "I'll manage."
We moved slowly through the corridors of what I now recognized as the inner sanctum of the Celestial Apothecary Guild. mbers bowed respectfully to Mariana as we passed. So looked at with curiosity, others with open admiration.
"You've beco quite famous," Mariana remarked. "Not every day soone crashes the wedding of two major families and defeats their champion."
"Fa wasn't my goal," I muttered.
"No, but it's a consequence you'll have to deal with. The Ashworths and Blackthornes want you dead now more than ever."
We reached a secluded courtyard. In the center, beneath a blooming plum tree, sat an elderly man with a long white beard. Despite his age, he radiated a quiet power that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This chapter was made possible by the * community.
"Jackson," Mariana called out. "He's awake."
The old man opened his eyes and fixed with a penetrating gaze. "So this is the young man everyone's talking about."
I straightened as best I could, unwilling to show weakness. "Sir."
Jackson Harding studied for a long mont. "Sit down before you fall down, boy."
I didn't argue, lowering myself to a stone bench opposite him. Mariana excused herself, leaving us alone.
"Tell why you did it," Jackson said without preamble. "Why challenge the established order for a woman?"
"Not just any woman," I replied. "Isabelle Ashworth saved my life when no one else would look at . She believed in when I was nothing."
"And now they've taken her."
I clenched my fists. "I'm going to get her back."
"Even if it ans going against the Veridia City Martial Guild?"
"Even if it ans tearing the entire Guild to the ground," I said, my voice deadly serious.
Jackson surprised by laughing, a harsh barking sound. "Bold words. I had similar thoughts once, about sixty years ago."
His expression darkened. "I was stronger than you. Had more resources. More allies. And I failed."
"What happened?" I asked.
Jackson rolled up his sleeve, revealing an arm covered in terrible scarring. "I learned the hard way that the Guild isn't just a martial organization. It's the backbone of Veridia City's power structure. Attack it, and you attack the entire capital."
"I don't care," I said stubbornly. "I'll find a way."
"Do you understand what you're up against?" Jackson leaned forward. "The Guild has existed for over a thousand years. Its foundations go deeper than the city itself. Every talented martial artist dreams of joining its ranks. The resources at their disposal dwarf even the combined wealth of the Ashworth and Blackthorne families."
Each word drove the knife of despair deeper into my heart, but I refused to show it. "Are you trying to discourage ?"
"I'm trying to make you understand the reality of your situation." Jackson's eyes bored into mine. "I've watched many talented young people throw their lives away in futile gestures against powers they couldn't comprehend."
I t his gaze unflinchingly. "What would you have do? Abandon her?"
"No." Jackson shook his head. "I'm telling you that brute force won't work. The Guild has warriors beyond the Marquis realm."
My breath caught. "You an—"
"Yes." Jackson's voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "Martial Saints. Beings who have transcended the limits of humanity. One such individual could destroy this entire guild without breaking a sweat."
The revelation hit like a physical blow. Martial Saints were thought to be near-mythical figures, rarely seen in the mortal world. If the Guild had such beings at their disposal...
"Then it truly is hopeless," I whispered, the fight draining from for the first ti.
Jackson watched carefully. "I didn't say that."
I looked up, confused.
"I failed decades ago," he continued. "But you... you're different. There's sothing about you that reminds of the ancient legends."
"What do you an?"
Jackson's lips curved into a slight smile. "Your future achievents will undoubtedly surpass mine. Perhaps, you're the one destined to break the stalemate."
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