Kingsland Arc: Chapter:17 - The Master's Conditions.
The desperate race through the Zevery Forest felt endless. By the time they reached Master Baelish's secluded house, the moon hung high, a pale sentinel in the midnight sky. Exhaustion weighed heavily on every one of them. Rose's slender arms ached from carrying Ronin, Baelish's broad shoulders bore the limp forms of Rafaela and Yue Xin, and Chou stumbled, leaning heavily on Freya. Yet, the desperate urgency to save the poisoned girls spurred them on.
Kaelen, Miya, and Lamus, who had remained to guard the house as ordered by Freya, rushed out into the moonlit courtyard as soon as they heard the approaching footsteps. Kaelen's usually confident face was etched with raw concern, his sharp eyes widening in alarm as they took in the grim procession. "By the heavens, Master!" he exclaimed, his muscular frame tensing. "What happened out there? Are they...?"
Baelish, his tall, imposing figure showing no outward signs of fatigue despite his burden, moved directly towards the house's entrance. His weathered face was grim, his jaw set. "Explanations can wait, Kaelen," he cut in, his voice curt but clear. "Now, help Rafaela and Yue Xin. Get them to the medicinal room. Quickly."
Kaelen, along with Lamus, who moved with surprising speed for his burly build, immediately took the two girls from Baelish's arms, carrying them gently, almost reverently, into a ground-floor room. Rose, her face a mask of weary resolve, carried Ronin inside, her gaze fixed on his pale, unresponsive face, a cold dread clinging to her heart.
"Rose," Baelish called, his voice firm, "take Ronin to his room upstairs. He needs undisturbed rest."
Freya, her sharp features softened with concern, placed a comforting hand on Chou's sturdy shoulder, guiding him towards the hall. "You too, Chou. Take some rest. You look like you went ten rounds with a griffin." Chou, his face pale and bruised, gave a weak nod, his eyes still wide with the night's horrors. He stumbled towards a corner where he could collapse.
Baelish, without a moment's pause, headed directly for a smaller, well-organized room that served as his medicinal chamber. The air within was thick with the scent of dried herbs and arcane reagents. He carefully retrieved the iridescent Jewelion Viper Orb that Ronin had clutched. His eyes, usually so stoic, held a flicker of deep contemplation, almost recognition, as he looked at the pulsating sphere. He then turned to Miya, who had quietly followed him in, her kind eyes already assessing the critical situation.
"Miya," Baelish stated, his voice grave, a rare hint of urgency in his tone. "I require your immediate assistance. You possess the most nuanced understanding of herbalism and healing properties beyond crude spells. We must create an anti-poison potion from this. It's the core of the Jewelion Viper." He presented the orb, its pure light battling the dark implications of its origin.
Miya's eyes widened, first in awe at the orb's power, then in immediate, grim understanding of its critical purpose. She nodded, her slender hands already moving with precise, practiced movements as she gathered various implements and smaller vials, her brow furrowed in intense concentration. Together, in a silent, efficient collaboration, Baelish and Miya worked through the complex, precise alchemy, extracting the pure, potent essence from the orb and meticulously mixing it with other ingredients to create the amber, life-saving potion.
Once prepared, Baelish took the small, glowing vial of amber liquid. He and Miya hurried to the room where Rafaela and Yue Xin lay. Their bodies, draped in simple blankets, were chillingly still, their skin a deepening shade of blue. Rafaela's breathing was shallow, her lips tinged purple, a stark testament to the poison's rapid spread. Miya, her face a mask of concentrated worry, gently opened Rafaela's slack mouth. Baelish, his large hand surprisingly delicate, poured a small portion of the potion down her throat. He repeated the process for Yue Xin.
Miya stepped back, her shoulders slumping slightly with profound relief. A tired but genuine smile touched her lips. "The potion has been administered, Master. They will be alright now. The worst is over. Let them rest." Her voice, though soft, carried a tone of quiet confidence.
Baelish nodded, a faint, almost imperceptible easing of the tension around his mouth. "Yes. There is nothing more to worry about for them tonight." He then turned to Freya, who had entered the room, her gaze fixed on her unconscious friends, a silent vigil. "Is Chou recovered enough to speak?"
Freya's sharp eyes met his, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "He is, Master. He's just... in shock. And likely blaming himself."
"Good," Baelish said. "I would like to speak with him." He left the medicinal room, his cloak a whisper in the quiet hall, and found Chou sitting slumped against a wall, his broad shoulders hunched, his head bowed, his face still pale.
Baelish approached, his footsteps soft. He stood over Chou, his formidable presence radiating, yet without condemnation. "What happened out there, Chou?" he asked, his voice low but firm, cutting through the silence. "Why did you all go so deep into the forest? Even though I warned you not to."
Chou's sturdy frame seemed to shrink further, his face contorted with guilt. He slowly lifted his bruised face, his eyes, bloodshot with fatigue and shame, meeting Baelish's unwavering gaze. "Yes, Master... you did warn us," he mumbled, his voice thick with self-reproach. "But... I insisted we go deeper. I saw the Great Valenion Fox, and I thought it was an opportunity too good to miss. Even Ronin... he asked us not to go further, Master, but I dismissed him. I take full responsibility. I am truly sorry." His jaw clenched, his knuckles white against his knees.
Baelish's gaze was unwavering, piercing. "How did you encounter the Jewelion Viper?" he pressed, his voice even, revealing nothing of his thoughts, but his eyes held an ancient, burning curiosity.
Chou then recounted the horrifying tale, his voice gaining a desperate urgency as he relived the events: the sudden, paralyzing purple gas, the swift demise of the Valenion Foxes, the terrifying realization that something far worse was hunting them. He described their desperate retreat, the colossal Viper cutting them off, Yue Xin's valiant but futile efforts to bind it, Chou's own incapacitation, Rafaela's terrifying attempt to save them, and finally, Ronin's sudden, shocking return and the unleashing of his demonic power. Chou's voice was filled with a mixture of terror, awe, and bewildered respect as he described Ronin's crimson eyes, the swirling black aura, and the impossible speed and power with which he shattered the Viper's jewels, ending the fight with a single, devastating strike of poison magic.
Baelish listened in utter silence, his expression unreadable, though a profound stillness settled over him, and a subtle, almost imperceptible tension tightened around his eyes. When Chou finished, the old master finally spoke, his voice low and solemn. "Chou, what you saw... about Ronin... you will speak of this to no one outside of this room. You will not tell Kaelen, Miya, or Lamus. And crucially, you will keep this secret from Rafaela and Yue Xin when they awaken." His dark eyes fixed on Chou, unyielding. "This power, in the wrong hands, could bring more disaster than any monster. Do you understand the gravity of this secret?"
Chou, his eyes wide with comprehension, nodded vehemently, his shame now mixed with a heavy sense of responsibility.
"Understood, Master. I will not say a word."
The next day dawned quiet and cool, the gentle chirping of birds filtering through the wooden walls of Baelish's house. Most of the occupants were still deep in exhaustion-induced sleep, recovering from the harrowing night.
Rose was in Ronin's room, a small, spartan chamber filled with the scent of cedar. She sat on a simple wooden chair by his bedside, her slender frame slumped, her face pale with worry lines etched around her eyes, her gaze fixed on Ronin's peaceful, sleeping face. The boy seemed utterly normal in his sleep, a stark contrast to the terrifying, powerful entity he had become just hours before. A single hand rested on his forehead, checking for any lingering fever, her brow still furrowed with concern.
A soft knock at the door. Rose looked up to see Baelish standing in the doorway, his tall, imposing figure silhouetted against the morning light. His weathered face was unreadable, his dark eyes observing her with a quiet intensity.
"Rose," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Come with me for a walk outside."
Rose's brow furrowed slightly with confusion and lingering concern. Her eyes, shadowed with sleeplessness, met his. "Why, Master? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong," Baelish replied, a faint, almost imperceptible softening in his gaze, a subtle understanding in his eyes. "You've been sitting here since yesterday night. Your exhaustion is a palpable weight. Let's go out and get some fresh air. The forest is quiet this morning, a stark contrast to the chaos we just faced."
Rose hesitated for a moment, her slender shoulders slumping slightly with the undeniable need for respite. The thought of leaving Ronin, even for a moment, was difficult, but Baelish's words held an undeniable logic. "Okay, Master." She rose slowly, her movements stiff, and followed him out of the room.
They walked in silence for a while, the crisp morning air invigorating, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. The sound of birds chirping was a soothing balm, the gentle rustle of leaves beneath their feet the only sound for a long moment, a stark contrast to the thundering chaos of the previous night.
"Master," Rose finally began, her voice soft, barely above a whisper, her gaze fixed on the path ahead. "Are the children okay? Rafaela and Yue Xin?" Her slender hand instinctively pressed against her chest, a silent plea.
Baelish's grim expression eased. "Yes, Rose. They are out of danger. The anti-poison potion worked precisely as it should. They are stable, resting. You can finally rest easy about their condition."
A visible wave of profound relief washed over Rose's pale face. Her shoulders dropped, and she let out a long, shuddering sigh, the tension that had gripped her for hours finally releasing. A genuine, heartfelt emotion filled her eyes. "Thank the heavens," she whispered, her voice choked.
They continued walking around the house, the path winding through the trees, the view of the green canopy stretching out below them. Baelish stopped at a small clearing, his dark eyes sweeping over the quiet beauty of the forest. He turned to face Rose, his formidable presence suddenly intense, his voice dropping to a low, decisive tone.
"Rose," he began, his gaze piercing, "I am ready to take Ronin as my student. I will train him, and I will help him control and master his demonic power."
Rose's eyes widened, first with shock, then with a surge of overwhelming joy that lit up her usually guarded features. A genuine, radiant smile touched her lips, a rare sight that transformed her face. "Master?" she breathed, her voice filled with disbelief and profound gratitude. "Thank you, Master! Thank you!"
Baelish held up a hand, his expression firm. "But there are two conditions you need to agree to before I take him as my student. Conditions that are non-negotiable." His voice held an unyielding finality.
Rose's smile faltered slightly, but she nodded, her expression resolute. "Yes, Master. Anything."
"First condition," Baelish stated, his voice even, his gaze unwavering, fixed on her eyes. "You will not tell Ronin about my past. You will not tell him with whom I worked, nor the specifics of my life before I came to Kingsland." His eyes, ancient and deep, held a profound, almost chilling guardedness, a shadow of secrets buried too deep, too dark, for human understanding. "There are truths that would shatter his young perception, or worse, hinder his path. My history is not his burden to bear, not yet."
Rose's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of understanding mixed with surprise and a renewed sense of the master's hidden depths. She remembered the unease she felt from his power, the chilling sense of something ancient and dark, the way he spoke of demons with such familiar, almost weary authority. After a moment's hesitation, weighing the command against her loyalty, she nodded. "Okay, Master. I understand. I will not tell him."
"Second condition," Baelish continued, his voice softer now, but with an unyielding finality that chilled Rose to the bone. "I need you to leave Ronin here with me."
Rose stared at him, her smile utterly gone, replaced by utter bewilderment, then growing horror. Her slender frame stiffened, her brow furrowing deeply. "Master?" she questioned, her voice barely a whisper, not comprehending his cruel meaning, her eyes pleading for clarification.
Baelish's gaze was direct, unwavering. "I need you to leave Ronin here alone with me. You need to go back to Finslia. For good."
Rose's breath hitched. Her eyes widened, her face draining of color, her heart clenching painfully. "Why?" she choked out, a raw, protective outcry escaping her lips. The thought of leaving him, after all these years of safeguarding him, was unthinkable, a betrayal of her sacred oath.
"Because Ronin is dependent on you, Rose," Baelish explained, his voice calm, but his words sharp, precise, cutting through her emotion. "Your presence, your unwavering protection... it is a crutch. A tether. He cannot truly confront the volatile, dangerous power that resides within him if he constantly relies on you to pull him back from the brink, or to soften his falls. He cannot learn to forge his own strength if he always has a safety net. True mastery, especially over a demonic heritage like his, demands absolute, unyielding self-reliance. It thrives on desperate will, not on comfort or a gentle hand." His ancient eyes held a profound, almost weary conviction, hinting at his own past struggles. "I have seen too many powerful individuals broken, not by their enemies, but by their inability to stand alone, to confront their deepest fears without a hand to hold. The path he walks... it requires solitude. It requires a singular, unyielding will. Anything less, and the power will consume him." He stepped closer, his voice softening just a fraction, yet retaining its steel. "Trust me, Rose. I will make him stronger than ever. I will make him master his own demon. But he must learn to stand on his own, to control this power without relying on anyone else. Especially not you."
Rose stood frozen, her heart tearing in two. The desperate need to keep Ronin safe, the years of quiet guardianship, the maternal instinct that had driven her since the invasion, warred with the overwhelming, chilling truth: Baelish was the only one who could truly help him. She looked back at the house, at the room where Ronin slept, then at the vast, ominous expanse of the forest where his demon power had erupted, nearly claiming his life and the lives of his friends. The choice was agonizing, a wrenching, profound sacrifice for his future. With a trembling hand, she finally clutched her heart, her face a mask of profound sorrow and grim acceptance. She bit her lip, then, with a slow, agonizing nod, Rose agreed to Baelish's conditions. For Ronin's sake, she would leave.
[To Be Continued in Chapter:17 The Farewell]