Feng Zhen leaned back in his seat, the quiet hum of the Ascension Simulator filling the room. His thoughts were restless, like turbulent waves crashing against a cliff. It had been days since the rogue's mysterious attack, and the questions lingered in his mind like an insistent whisper. Why hadn't the rogue finished them off? What was his true purpose? And why had he mentioned Bai Rong by name?
The night outside was still, the world outside his window silent, but within, Feng Zhen felt a storm of unease. His gaze drifted over to the cube resting on the stone table—its soft glow beckoning him. After much deliberation, he decided it was time. He needed answers, and the simulator might be the only way to find them.
---
The world around him flickered to life as he activated the Ascension Simulator, the familiar virtual space materializing before him. Unlike the vast, open landscapes of his previous simulations, the surroundings this time felt more confined, a space steeped in shadows. The air was dense, heavy with an almost oppressive energy.
A figure stepped from the darkness, its silhouette growing clearer with each passing moment. Feng Zhen's heart skipped a beat. The rogue was here, as expected.
"You came, just as I thought you would," the rogue's voice broke through the silence, rich with an unsettling calm.
Feng Zhen narrowed his eyes, every muscle in his body tensing. "Why did you attack the sect?" he demanded. "You had no intention of killing us. You could have ended it easily."
The rogue chuckled, the sound echoing eerily. "Killing wasn't the goal, not for me. It never was."
Feng Zhen stepped forward, his focus unwavering. "Then what is it that you want? What is your true purpose?"
The rogue's eyes gleamed from beneath his hood, his lips curling into a smile, though it held no warmth. "The truth, Feng Zhen. There's something the Skybound Sect has been hiding for generations. Bai Rong... he's not who he claims to be."
Feng Zhen blinked, a shiver running down his spine. Bai Rong? The leader of the sect? He'd always believed in the sect's righteousness, but this revelation planted seeds of doubt.
"What do you mean?" Feng Zhen asked cautiously, though a growing sense of dread gnawed at him.
The rogue's head tilted slightly, a look of amusement crossing his face. "The sect's foundation, its very existence, is built on lies. You've felt it, haven't you? The cracks in the façade. Bai Rong, the man you've sworn loyalty to, is no true leader."
The words hung in the air like an accusation, and Feng Zhen felt his mind reel. The rogue's gaze bored into him, challenging him to accept what he had just said.
"But who is the true power?" Feng Zhen asked, his voice low, almost as if he were afraid of the answer.
The rogue's eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into a bitter smile. "The one behind Bai Rong's throne. The real force pulling the strings. You've been kept in the dark, Feng Zhen, just like everyone else."
Feng Zhen's stomach tightened at the thought. The very foundation of his world, his beliefs, was crumbling before him. "Who is it?" he asked, his tone edged with urgency.
The rogue's lips parted as if to speak, but then the world around them shifted. The room they were in dissolved into the shadows, the air growing thick with a cold, oppressive presence.
"You're not ready for that answer," the rogue said cryptically, as if the words themselves carried weight beyond comprehension. "But you're closer than you think. The key to understanding is within you, hidden beneath the surface."
Feng Zhen's mind raced. He was being pushed, guided into an unknown territory that he wasn't sure he was ready for. The rogue's cryptic words and cryptic demeanor only deepened the mystery.
As if sensing Feng Zhen's confusion, the rogue added, "Bai Rong's interest in you is no accident, Feng Zhen. You have potential. More than you realize."
Feng Zhen frowned. "Potential for what?"
The rogue's gaze darkened. "For something far greater than you understand. The forces at play here are beyond your comprehension, and Bai Rong—he sees you as a tool, a pawn in a much larger game."
Feng Zhen's pulse quickened. The rogue's cryptic message was becoming clearer now, but it raised even more questions. A pawn?
The rogue stepped back, as if preparing to leave, his cloak billowing behind him. "You'll find your answers, Feng Zhen. But beware—these truths will come at a cost."
Before Feng Zhen could respond, the rogue vanished into the shadows, leaving him alone in the empty space. The words reverberated in his mind, the weight of them sinking in. Bai Rong... a puppet? A mere player in a game beyond his understanding?
Feng Zhen was jolted awake, his surroundings snapping back to the familiar stillness of his quarters. The simulator hummed quietly, as though nothing had happened, yet everything had changed.
---
Feng Zhen stood, his heart still pounding from the intensity of what he had just experienced. He could feel the remnants of the rogue's presence lingering in the air, like an aftertaste that refused to be forgotten. His thoughts were a whirlwind. The rogue's warning, the cryptic words about Bai Rong, about being marked—it all felt like pieces of a puzzle, scattered and waiting to be put together.
He glanced at the Ascension Simulator. It had given him answers, but not the ones he wanted. The rogue had said that Bai Rong wasn't the true power, but who could it be? And why was Bai Rong interested in him? Was he truly marked?
The pieces were starting to fall into place, but they didn't make sense. Feng Zhen felt the urge to act, but he knew he needed to be patient. Every step forward would put him at risk, and yet, staying still felt like the greatest danger of all. The deeper he ventured into these truths, the more he realized how little he understood about the forces that ruled the Skybound Sect—and the world beyond it.
He would need to tread carefully. The game was bigger than he had imagined, and the stakes were higher than he had thought. The rogue had given him a glimpse into the world's hidden threads, and now it was up to him to pull them.
But with every step, the mystery of Bai Rong, the rogue's true motives, and the truth of his own destiny became more complex. Would he be able to outwit the forces that moved behind the scenes, or would he be consumed by them? Only time would tell.
For now, all he could do was move forward—into the unknown.