Jaden sat silently on the mountain, his thoughts clouded with memories of the previous battle. He had seen Luca's expression change when he fought—there was no doubt that the arrogant man had underestimated him. But that wasn't important now. As he stood there, the wind brushing against his skin, Master Shang approached, his footsteps slow but steady.
Master Shang sat down on a nearby rock and exhaled. His eyes, usually calm and wise, seemed distant today.
"Jaden," he began, "everyone has a past."
Jaden looked at him, waiting.
"I was once like you. A demon slayer. A warrior. A man filled with anger."
Jaden had always known Master Shang wasn't just a simple herbalist, but this was the first time he spoke openly about his past.
"I had a family," he continued, his voice softer now. "A beautiful wife named Ava. She carried our child… a child I never got to meet."
Jaden stiffened. He never imagined Master Shang as someone who had lost a family.
"I also had a friend. Lei. We trained together, ate together, laughed together. We became demon slayers side by side. He was like a brother to me."
A sad smile crossed Master Shang's face before fading just as quickly. "But friendships can break, just like bones. Lei was always jealous. He saw how people praised me, how they called me the strongest. He hated it. He hated me."
Jaden's fists clenched. He knew all too well what betrayal felt like.
"One day, Lei decided that if he couldn't be the best, he would destroy the one who was." Master Shang's voice turned cold. "He lied to the decision makers of our hometown. Told them that Ava and I were helping demons destroy the land. They believed him without question. He led them straight to my home… on the day I was supposed to return."
Jaden held his breath as he listened.
"That morning was cold, but the flowers were in bloom," Master Shang continued. "My wife thought their visit was just a formality. She didn't know they had come to take everything from her. They dragged her out, screaming. They accused her of crimes she didn't commit."
Master Shang shut his eyes, as if the memory still haunted him.
"They killed her. My Ava. And our unborn child."
Silence filled the air between them. The wind had stopped. Even the trees seemed to mourn alongside him.
"When I returned home, I saw her lying there, her blood staining the earth. I ran to her, held her in my arms. She was still alive, barely. She looked at me… and with the last of her strength, she spoke one word."
Jaden already knew what the word was.
"Lei."
A storm of emotions swirled in Master Shang's eyes. "I swore that day I would make Lei pay. I trained harder than I ever had before. I let my pain fuel me. I became stronger than I ever thought possible."
Jaden could see himself in those words. The hunger for revenge. The obsession with becoming stronger.
"But when I finally found him," Master Shang continued, "I didn't kill him."
Jaden's eyes widened slightly. "Why?"
Master Shang chuckled bitterly. "Because what was the point? My wife was gone. My child was gone. Killing Lei wouldn't bring them back. Instead, I beat him within an inch of his life and left him with his shame."
Jaden said nothing. He had spent years dreaming of making Lord Zu kneel before him, of breaking him the way he had been broken. Could he truly walk away when the time came?
"I lived alone for years after that," Master Shang said. "Until you came along."
Jaden's heart tightened at those words. Master Shang never said it outright, but Jaden knew—this man saw him as a son. And whether Jaden wanted to admit it or not, Master Shang was the closest thing to a father he had ever known.
"Jaden," Master Shang said, standing up. "Revenge is a fire that never stops burning. Be careful, or it will consume you completely."
With that, he walked away, leaving Jaden alone with his thoughts. For the first time, doubt crept into his mind.
Would revenge truly be enough?