There was a flash of blue light, and when Harry's vision cleared, he was standing back in the storage room of the Snowy Owl Clan, next to Rowena Ravenclaw's seventh inheritance platform. The room was as quiet and cold as he left it, the inheritance platform innocently resting on the floor, leaving no hint of the momentous events that had just occurred.
Harry had entered this room alone, but now there were three. On the other side of the platform were Daniel and Sullivan, warily looking around. Sullivan was still gripping that huge bone of his, while Daniel was in a battle-ready position. Their wariness morphed into confusion as they took in their surroundings.
"James? What's going on?"
"Relax. I asked Rowena Ravenclaw if she could send you two out a different exit, and she agreed."
"You – wait what?"
"After I touched the wooden box, I spoke to Rowena Ravenclaw. I mean, I spoke to a version of her. She said she was the spirit of the Room of Requirement. I asked her if she could send you two out of a different exit, since I thought you might get detained by the Sacred Clans of the Yellow Hero City. She agreed, and sent you out with me."
"You – you met Rowena Ravenclaw?" Sullivan almost shrieked.
"Er, yeah? So?"
"But – but – Rowena Ravenclaw!" Sullivan wildly waved his arms in the air, as if that was supposed to explain everything.
"What's your point?"
"Forget it," Daniel rolled his eyes. "He didn't even know who Ravenclaw was until today, remember?"
"Oh, right! I still can't believe that, haha!" Sullivan laughed. He relaxed, and the large bone in his hand disappeared.
"If we actually ended up in the Yellow Hero City, it would have been tricky to get out of there. So, thank you for that, James," Daniel gratefully said.
"You're welcome. We need – "
"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Sullivan yelled.
"What?"
"James – you – you – you –"
"I what?"
"You won!" Sullivan shrieked, for real this time.
"You won the competition! You actually got her last treasure!"
"Er... you just realized?"
"Ohmygosh I can't believe you actually won! You're going to be famous, like Helena Ravenclaw and Albus Dumbledore! Well, they were already famous before they won, but still! You're going to be famous! Ooohhhhh can I touch the treasure?"
"...sure," Harry shrugged, and passed the box of wood over. There was no way to keep up with Sullivan's random thoughts.
Sullivan held it, reverently, like how a beggar would hold a piece of gold, like how a lost man wandering in the desert would hold a cup of water. His eyes grew so wide Harry almost thought his eyeballs would fall right out, and if Daniel hadn't snatched the box out of his hands, perhaps he would have stared at it forever.
"This just looks like an ordinary block of wood to me. How did you know it had so much Wood Qi? Did you recognize it?"
"How could I possibly have recognized it?" Harry scoffed. "I only knew because my ring sensed it."
That was a lie, of course, but Harry was being cautious. He still didn't know these two's real names, or even their real faces, if what Rowena Ravenclaw had said was true. He wasn't quite ready to entrust them with his secrets. However, at the very least, he felt like they were good people. He wasn't worried they'd try to rob him or steal the treasure for himself.
"Right, that ring! It can refine Wood Qi and Fire Qi! Back when you showed it to us the first time, why didn't you tell us how amazing it was?"
"You didn't ask," Harry curtly said, then took the box back from Daniel.
"Is it really a technique above the Spirit Grade?" Daniel asked.
"I'm not sure. But it should be."
"But, how? How can you comprehend a technique above the Spirit Grade?" Daniel pressed.
"You're just at the 2nd level of the Qi Absorption Realm – wait – you're at the 3rd level!"
"Right, I am."
"But... you were definitely at the 2nd level when the test started! How did you get to the 3rd level?"
"I cultivated, of course."
Daniel stubbornly stared at Harry, then sighed.
"Ok, fine, you're at the 3rd level of the Qi Absorption Realm. But that doesn't change anything. Logically speaking, just learning a Heaven Grade technique should be impossible. And it's well known that you can't master a Spirit Grade technique unless you've already fused with your Magic Spirit! So then, how can you comprehend something above the Spirit Grade?" Daniel demanded with an insistent tone.
"Not to mention, you don't even have a Magic Spirit." Sullivan piped up.
"It's a very special cultivation technique. I don't completely understand it either," Harry shrugged. At least that last part was true.
"Actually, that reminds me. When we first met you, you told us that you had a Magic Spirit, but it just didn't listen to your orders. Was that a lie?"
"Er..." Harry's brain raced to come up with an explanation. "I was embarrassed, ok? I didn't want to admit I was Spiritless. When you met me, I just recently got to the Qi Absorption Realm, and I didn't want to accept that I was Spiritless. I was hoping it would come out, but it didn't. That's why I was yelling for it to appear."
"Huh, you're a pretty odd guy, James," Sullivan remarked. Somehow, hearing that out of Sullivan's mouth made it worse.
"James – at the end, why did you kill Firenze?" Daniel fixed Harry with an intense stare.
"I know Rowena Ravenclaw's treasure is valuable, but it's not more valuable than your life! You do realize the entire centaur clan is going to come after you, right?"
"He did it to save me, of course!" Sullivan piped up.
'Well... I didn't kill Firenze just to save you. I killed him for the inheritance, without thinking of the consequences,' Harry almost wanted to say, but kept his mouth shut.
"He didn't kill Firenze just to save you. I bet he killed Firenze for the inheritance, without thinking of the consequences," Daniel said while rolling his eyes.
"..."
"Don't care! James is still my savior!"
To Harry's surprise, Sullivan ran over and engulfed him in a tight hug – perhaps a bit too tight and too close. Harry inadvertently shuddered. Being hugged by another man like this – it made him uncomfortable. Sullivan didn't seem to notice, then broke the hug and went back to where Daniel was.
"Well, it wasn't entirely for the treasure. When I saw Zacharias threaten me with you – I got really angry. When I see something wrong, I can't just stand by and let it happen. That's just the kind of person I am. And when I get really angry, I, well, let's just say I have some anger issues. I wasn't going to let Zacharias get his way. And of course, I didn't want to see Sullivan die."
Harry quickly added that last sentence when he saw Sullivan's crestfallen face. And once he said that, Sullivan immediately brightened up again. Harry cut him off before he could administer another hug.
"Anyways, we need to get going. We can't linger around here for long."
"Where are we now? And... is that Ice Qi I sense?" Daniel frowned as he looked across the room.
"We're in the depths of the Winter Fold Forest. I'm not sure exactly where in the forest, but we're definitely in the central area. Right now, we're standing in the grounds of the Snowy Owl Clan – or, it was their grounds. If you go outside... you'll see what I mean. And yes, there's lots of Ice Qi here."
Sullivan and Daniel exited the storage room to see what Harry meant, and when they saw the death and carnage outside, they let out loud gasps of horror.
Sullivan turned around and ran back into the room. His hands were clasped tightly over his mouth, like he was about to vomit. Daniel looked across the clearing with a stony face, then turned back around.
"The Snowy Owl Clan – I've heard about them. They're very reclusive, but everyone knows they're a Spirit Grade clan. So who could launch an attack and even kill Spirit Grade beasts?"
"Beast," Harry corrected. "They only had one Spirit Grade owl left. And as for the attackers... well, their bodies are still out there. I checked earlier, but couldn't figure it out."
Showing impressive resolve, Daniel stepped outside into the clearing and started examining the corpses. He mostly ignored the owls, but focused on the dead humans instead.
After a few minutes of examination, he shakily came back to the storage room. There was a deeply frightened expression on his face.
"James – I think I know who these people are."
"What? You recognize these people?"
"Well, I don't recognize them. But I think I know where they're from."
"Ok, tell me."
"They should be from the Selwyn Sacred Clan."
Sullivan let out a loud gasp.
"Are you sure?"
"Well, I can't be sure. But I'm at least 90% certain."
"Selwyn? Like the guy who was with the centaurs?"
"Yes. He should have been the Young Master of the Selwyn Sacred Clan, though I can't be sure since no one's ever seen him before. I don't know why he was with the centaurs."
"That – I see," Harry slowly said. If Daniel was right, then that actually made some sense. If the human corpses in the clearing belonged to the Selwyn Sacred Clan, then that would mean they collaborated with the centaurs to attack the Snowy Owl Clan. And that would explain why Selwyn had been with the centaurs – the two groups were allies.
"How do you know it's the Selwyn Sacred Clan? Actually, before that – what's the Selwyn Sacred Clan? Why did you two react like that?"
"Simply put, they're the most terrifying Sacred Clan," Daniel stated. Sullivan rapidly nodded.
"The Selwyn Sacred Clan is a clan of assassins. They aren't allied with any of the other Sacred Clans – they're only allied to whoever can pay them money. As long as you have the money, you can request them to kill anyone. They're merciless killers."
"Their clan isn't the strongest, but they're definitely the most terrifying. You – James, didn't you hear bedtime stories about the Selwyns? You know, the ones parents tell their kids to make them behave?"
"No, today was my first time hearing about them. What are they like?"
"As Daniel said – they're a terrifying clan. Even the other Sacred Clans are scared of them! They're assassins, so they're extremely dangerous. Not just that, they're very sinister. They'll never fight you on the battlefield, or when you're prepared. They strike at the best time – when you're sleeping, or when you're bathing, or when you're fighting someone else – that's when they attack! Furthermore, they'll use any means possible to kill you. Stealth, disguise, poison, one of them can appear in any situation, and at any time. Whenever you drop your guard, or whenever you least expect it, you'll be attacked."
"Also, when they put a target on you, they'll never give up. Even if you somehow survive an assassination, they'll just send more assassins. You'll be hunted down for your whole life – it's as good as a death sentence!" Daniel added to Sullivan's explanation.
"Because of all those reasons, even if the assassin's cultivation is weaker than your's, it's still possible to get killed. There are rumors that their Young Master has killed even people in the Core Formation Realm. And after seeing his frightening stealth ability earlier... I can believe it."
Harry had to agree with that assessment. He wasn't scared of anyone in the Qi Absorption Realm, assuming it was a fair fight. But if he was caught unaware, then that was a totally different story. By the sounds of it, and from what he knew about the Selwyn Young Master, the Selwyn Sacred Clan would use any methods to win a fight.
Harry let out a deep sigh. In addition to all his current enemies, he also go mixed up with a clan of super-terrifying assassins.
"Ok, that sounds really bad. But how did you know these people are from the Selwyn Sacred Clan?"
"There were a couple reasons. First of all, none of these people have any personal belongings on them. That's one of the Selwyn Sacred Clan's rules. Since their lives are of assassination, they can die at any time. Therefore, they never take treasures with them on missions. I looked at a few bodies, but none of them have Space Rings, or anything other than their clothes and weapons."
"Speaking of weapons, that's the second reason. As assassins, the Selwyns will use any weapons they can, but they're mainly known for their daggers. Each of those corpses had a dagger on them. Besides, I don't know of any other force that uses daggers as weapons. And if you examine the daggers, many are enchanted or have formations on them. Some of them are even poisoned. Those are the common techniques of the Selwyn Sacred Clan."
"And besides, only a Sacred Clan would have the power to move against a Spirit Grade Beast Clan. And of the 28 Sacred Clans, it's most likely the Selwyn Sacred Clan. Therefore, I'm almost certain it's them," Daniel concluded.
"That makes sense. But in that case, ah, I wish I knew that before the inheritance test started," Harry sighed.
"Why would that make a difference?"
"Because, a few months back, the Star Scrying Centaur Clan attacked the Snowy Owls and killed off nearly half their clan. If the Selwyns are contract assassins as you said, then the centaurs probably hired the Selwyns to finish the Snowy Owl Clan off – which they did. I knew about the centaurs, which was part of the reason I killed Firenze. But if I knew the Selwyns were involved – damnit, I would have killed that invisible guy too!"
Daniel and Sullivan's jaws dropped wide open at that bold declaration.
"No – James – you – you can't! You definitely can't do that!"
"Right, if there's one clan you can't offend, it's the Selwyns! Their revenge is the most terrifying!"
"Too late," Harry mirthlessly chuckled. "I slapped that guy in the face twice, didn't I? Though I think he was more angry that I unmasked him. I've already offended them."
"James, you don't get it! I told you earlier – if you're in their targets, you'll have to be on guard for the rest of your life! It's either you die, or the whole Selwyn Sacred Clan dies! There are even people who, after they realized they were on the Selwyns' hitlist, just committed suicide! They knew they had no way to survive!"
Harry let out another deep sigh. So, this was the result of being cursed – twofold.
Not just the Selwyns, but all the other Sacred Clans would be coming for him too. How had things turned out like this?
He distinctly remembered coming out to the Winter Fold Forest to be alone, thinking he'd spend the next year quietly refining Wood Qi. Since the Winter Fold Forest was so remote, it was unlikely he'd be able to offend anyone while here.
Instead, by some cruel twist of fate, he had angered practically all the strongest forces of the empire. The more he tried to avoid his destiny, the worse the consequences. He had even backpedaled before the competition, and offered an apology to Malfoy and the others for making some offensive remarks. Fat lot of good that had done.
Well, there was a silver lining. At least he had managed to fill the Sea of Wood, along with a portion of the Sea of Fire. The sooner he filled his seas, the sooner he'd have the strength to face his enemies.
"Let's worry about the Selwyns later. For now we need to leave this forest. Where should we go?" Sullivan asked Harry.
"We?" Harry echoed.
"Yeah, we. We're travelling together now," Daniel nodded.
"Well – wait! Weren't you against me travelling with you?"
"That was before, and now is now. I've changed my mind."
"Haha, you actually changed your mind for James!" Sullivan happily laughed, and playfully nudged Daniel.
"Shut up," Daniel frostily said, though he didn't sound too upset.
"Are you sure you two want to travel with me? I mean... aren't you two afraid of me?"
"Yes," Daniel admitted. "But we're still travelling together."
"Well, I'm not scared! I know James won't attack us!"
"...how can you be so sure?"
"Because, you even killed Firenze to save me. That's how I know!" Sullivan smiled brightly, his eyes full of adoration. He looked like a little fangirl meeting her idol, not like a wary or scared person at all.
"Well, ok. But aren't you two worried about getting mixed up with me? I mean, all those Sacred Clans are after me now."
"The three of us are in the same boat. Those three Sacred Clans from the Yellow Hero City will be after Sullivan and I. So we may as well travel together. Besides, we need you to protect us."
"That's right! Basically, you're our bodyguard!"
"..."
'This... since when?' Harry wanted to shout. But, he reasoned as he stared back into Daniel and Sullivan's faces, perhaps travelling together would be beneficial. Though they appeared to be wandering cultivators, they were far more powerful than one would assume.
"Fine, maybe it's not a bad idea to travel together. Where are you two headed?"
"Our original plan was to stay in Yellow Hero City. But we can't go back there, obviously. We don't have any other destinations in mind, so let's figure that out later. For now, let's stock up on whatever supplies we can get."
"That sounds good. Let's split up then. The Snowy Owl Clan has been around in the empire for over 1,000 years. They have to have some good stuff laying around. We'll search different areas of the clan, and take what we can. Then we'll figure out how to get out of here."
Part of Harry felt bad for scavenging through the Snowy Owl Clan's belongings, but he had to do whatever he needed to survive. Besides, another part of Harry felt that the owls would have wanted him to take it all, if it meant he could better raise Hedwig.
"Got it. Do you mind if I take all the Ice Qi Natural Essences?" Daniel asked.
"Can you refine Ice Qi?"
"Yes. That technique I showed during the test of comprehension requires me to refine Ice Qi. Even though these are all Ordinary Grade items, there's a lot. I might even be able to reach the 8th level of the Qi Absorption Realm."
"Alright, take them," Harry nodded. He already took all the Earth Grade Natural Essences, so he didn't mind if Daniel took the rest.
Sullivan went searching in the other storage rooms of the clan, while Harry walked through the corpses.
Just as Daniel had said, none of the human corpses carried any personal belongings on them. None of them had any Space Rings, or armor, or any valuables. As for the owls, owls were Magic Beasts, and beasts didn't typically use weapons or carry treasures. So although Harry rifled through all the corpses in the clearing, he came out nearly empty-handed.
He did find a few Beast Cores among the assassins belongings – Beast Cores that belonged to the owls. There were plenty of small ones, belonging to the Ordinary and Earth Grade beasts, but the jackpot was finding a Heaven Grade Beast Core – an enormous, sparkling crystal the size of his head that glittered like an icicle. The whole Winter Fold Forest was already freezing, but the area around this Beast Core was extra cold, and thick with Ice Qi. When Harry touched it, he thought his hand would be frozen to it.
There were five Heaven Grade owl corpses, so logically, there should have been five Heaven Grade Beast Cores. After a bit more searching, Harry found the other four piled up next to each other. It seemed like the five assassins Harry met near the outskirts set these Beast Cores aside, then went to chase the Spirit Grade owl. They would have come back for the Beast Cores – if they hadn't been killed.
A Heaven Grade Beast Core was a huge treasure, something he never thought he'd get his hands on. He still remembered how insane Walden Macnair had gotten over losing two of them in his bet against the Swan Sea Sect. To think Harry actually found five Heaven Grade Beast Cores!
He even had a Spirit Grade Beast Core in his Space Ring, but that one was strictly for the baby Snowy Owl.
Other than the Beast Cores, Harry gathered all the daggers belonging to the Selwyns, which seemed like useful weapons. There was nothing else for him to take in the clearing, so he returned to the storage room where Daniel was.
"Those are Heaven Grade Beast Cores!" Daniel exclaimed once he saw what Harry was holding.
"Yeah, I know they're valuable, but I don't know what to do with them. Can you refine the Ice Qi or something?"
"Not out of a Beast Core," Daniel shook his head. "I can refine the Ice Qi out of these Natural Essences, because they're basically pure Ice Qi. But a Beast Core is going to have a lot of other Qi mixed in. It's difficult to refine it."
"Then what do we do with it?"
"Well, we won't do anything. But we can sell it, or exchange it. It'll definitely fetch a high price, especially for Alchemists, who can convert it into pills. This is a great find!"
"Now, as for these daggers," Daniel looked at the weapons Harry pilfered, then shook his head.
"I'm afraid we can't take these."
"Why not?"
"Because, see these formations etched into the blade? Some of these are for tracking and locating purposes. It's probably so if an assassin dies on the mission, other clan members can still find them – or at least, find their dagger. So if we took these daggers, we'd basically be telling the Selwyns our location."
"You're a formation cultivator?" Harry asked in surprise.
"No, I'm not. I just know a couple basic runes and formations. But either way, we definitely can't these daggers with us."
"Alright, I agree," Harry sighed, and left them on the table.
"Hey! Daniel! Daniel! Look at this! Isn't it pretty?"
Sullivan came running in, with a huge smile on his face, and when Harry saw what he was wearing, his jaw dropped wide open.
Sullivan was wearing a dress, Sullivan was wearing a dress, a dress made of pure white feathers somehow stitched together. They covered his body, from the neck to his knees, like an oversized fluffy sweater. The feathers definitely came from the Snowy Owls, but Harry wasn't thinking of any of that because Sullivan was wearing a dress.
"Hehe, isn't it nice?" Sullivan twirled around and grinned at Daniel, who stared back at him with a look of... anger?
And Harry just closed his eyes, no, he squeezed them tightly shut. Sullivan wearing a dress...
'Oh, don't tell me, that guy's a cross-dresser? He has those kind of hobbies?'
A man wearing a dress... Harry almost shuddered. And the way he twirled, and looked so pleased... how comfortable he looked inside it... there was definitely something wrong here.
'Is this the rumored… drag queen?'
"You – you – you idiot!" Daniel hissed. "You – we – we're – "
He couldn't even finish his sentence, just furiously pointed at himself and then at Harry. Sullivan stared at Daniel, uncomprehendingly, then his eyes went wide.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, then his face turned beet red. He immediately took the dress off.
"Er... I was just testing if it fits, haha! I don't actually like wearing dresses or anything!"
"..."
"..."
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't see that," Harry stated. Though he said that, he probably wouldn't be able to get that image out of his mind for a while. He knew there was something weird about these two, but he hadn't realized just how weird they were.
Sullivan placed the dress on the table between the three of them, where it lay untouched. An awkward silence permeated the room.
"Well, who wants it?" Harry broke the silence.
"Not me!" Sullivan hotly said. "I hate dresses!"
"...right. Sure. Daniel?"
"I – I'm a man! How can I wear a dress?"
Though Daniel said that, Harry didn't miss the longing expression on his face, or in his voice. It couldn't be... Daniel also had those sorts of hobbies?
"Ok fine. I'll hold onto it," Harry said.
"Do you have another Space Ring?"
Still blushing, Sullivan handed another one to Harry. Harry put the Heaven Grade Beast Cores inside, along with the dress. Maybe Hedwig could wear it in the future.
"What else did you get?"
"There wasn't much else. Most of the places were ransacked. I'm sure there were valuable things there before, but they're gone now. The only thing left that was still intact was that dress."
Harry sighed. It was unfortunate, but it did make sense. The five Selwyn assassins he met on the outskirts of the woods wouldn't have just left valuables laying around. Sadly, whatever treasures they had were gone with them.
"And what about the inheritance platform?"
"It's useless now since you got the last treasure. But, I'll take it. It's still a valuable treasure in its own right. I bet one could learn a lot about formations from studying it," Daniel said as he stuck the platform into his Space Ring.
"Alright, we should go then. But the problem is, we're pretty much stuck here. On my way here, I ran into lots of Heaven Grade Magic Beasts. There might even be Spirit Grade beasts in this forest, I'm not sure. I had something to protect me from the beasts back then, but I don't have it anymore. If we carelessly wander around, we'll probably be eaten."
He looked at Daniel and Sullivan, only to see them looking back at him with uncomprehending stares.
"What?"
"Why does that mean we're stuck?"
"Do I really have to spell it out? We're in the middle of the forest. To get out of here, we have to walk through the homes of dozens of Heaven Grade beasts!"
"Don't be silly James! We don't have to walk to get out of here," Sullivan rolled his eyes.
"What are you going to do? Fly away?" Harry snorted.
"Something like that! When we ran away from home, Daniel stole a bunch of his father's Portkeys! We'll teleport!"
Meanwhile, across the Scarlet Phoenix Empire...
"The last treasure was a block of wood? And this James person refined the Wood Qi straight out of it?"
"2nd level of the Qi Absorption Realm? But he withstood the strength of the 3rd level of the Core Formation Realm?"
"DAMNED HUMAN RACE! HOW DARE HE KILL FIRENZE!"
"What do you mean he stole the Natural Flame we gave you? That's impossible!"
"He's a Spiritless cultivator?"
"What? He cultivates a ring that can refine Wood and Fire Qi? And Rowena Ravenclaw judged it above Spirit Grade?"
"During the fight, we couldn't injure him at all, not until we used high-level Heaven Grade weapons and methods. But even then, James healed all his wounds in a matter of seconds!"
"Just a junior, but he's already so vicious! If he's allowed to grow, it'll be a disaster for our empire!"
"He can't be killed! He's not human!"
"What? He dared to kill the centaur?"
"Father, you have to catch him! And those other two – Daniel and Sullivan! They should be here too, but they're not! Track them down!"
"A five-colored ring? Go, check the clan records for such a technique! Bring back anything that matches that description!"
"Dammit, how did this happen? Capture him at all costs! Alive!"
"Scry him! Scry him! SCRY HIM SCRY HIM SCRY HIM! THEN MOBILIZE THE WHOLE CLAN TO HUNT THAT HUMAN DOWN!"
Then finally, the most pressing question...
"James? What clan does he come from? What's his surname?" across the empire, the Patriarchs of the Malfoy, Rosier, Goldstein, Smith, Macmillan, Selwyn, and centaur clans demanded.
"He's a rogue cultivator," they all replied.
"But his surname is Evans. James Evans."
With that word, it was like a bomb had gone off in all their heads.
"Evans?"