The Sovereign Chronicles novel Chapter 6

"Well, if it isn't Lady Moria. It's been a while, and it seems you're wearing less and less these days." Kaelen Stormridge smiled, but his eyes were ice. There was no awe in his gaze, only revulsion. In his mind, there was only one word for a woman like her: trashy.

"Watch your eyes, little beast," she sneered.

"If you dress like a tavern wench, expect stares. I'd be doing a disservice to your effort if I didn't look." Kaelen dropped the heavy stone vat he was carrying.

"Heh, arrogant little wretch."

"You dressed up so extravagantly today. Why aren't you out seducing the Sanctum Heir instead of visiting me? Let's get one thing straight—I have zero interest in a skank like you." Kaelen's words were laced with venom.

"Sharp tongue." Moria Vance's expression chilled, but she quickly recovered her seductive smile as she stepped out of the dense woods. "With a temper like yours, it's a miracle you've survived this long."

"Don't worry about me. Where's that idiot brother of yours hiding? Tell him to drag himself out here."

"What right do you have to act so arrogant, Kaelen?" Jaden Vance emerged from the treeline behind his sister, a cold, mocking laugh escaping his lips. He had intended to bring his sister to teach Kaelen a lesson last night, but she had been preoccupied, delaying it until today.

"The aura of the Third Phase of the Spirit Warrior Tier. Not bad. No wonder you've been so quiet these past few months; you were hiding in the storehouse secretly breaking through." Moria walked with a swaying, exaggerated grace. Yet, her tone was dripping with condescension. You endured humiliation for months, clawing your way to the Third Phase, only to be easily bested by my brother, publicly humiliated, and forced to flee like a beaten dog. Meanwhile, my brother not only passed the trials but secured the top rank and received special privileges. Sometimes, the gap between peasants and true talent is just that vast.

"You're the ones who ordered Overseer Fargo to set me up, aren't you?" Kaelen didn't flinch. He didn't even consider running. He stood calmly, facing the siblings head-on.

"You got lucky today. You weren't beaten out of the hot springs, and you weren't detained at Mount Veridia. I'm almost impressed," she purred.

"You play your little games well, but that's the limit of your capabilities. Let's hear it. What's the plan today?"

"Are you not afraid?" Moria's supple body swayed like a willow in the breeze, every smile and glance brimming with a predatory charm. So young, yet so dangerously alluring; one could only imagine the wars she might start in the future.

"He's just putting up a front. Inside, he's shivering in terror. Don't play tough, Kaelen. You aren't walking away from this in one piece today. Drop to your knees, grovel, and apologize. If you beg hard enough, maybe I'll go easy on you." Jaden needed to vent his rage today. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to focus his mind when he entered The Vanguard Vault to study Martial Arts.

"You can bet your life on this—even if I were visiting your grave, I wouldn't kneel to you."

"Trust me, you will kneel." Jaden glared at him with pure malice.

"Kaelen, I actually admire you. Since yesterday, quite a few Prime Initiates have been keeping an eye on you," Moria noted.

"Is that right? I'm honored."

"I don't hold any deep grudge against you. I don't want to make this unnecessarily ugly. I have a compromise. Care to hear it?"

"Sister!" Jaden frowned deeply.

Moria smiled, her allure radiating like a venomous flower. "Return the Glimmerpearl Herb to Jaden, bow, and apologize. I won't even make you kneel."

"It can't be that simple. What's the catch?"

"Cripple your own left arm. Make it look like an accident." Moria's smile widened, but the ruthless edge in her voice finally bled through. Previously, she hadn't considered Kaelen a threat. But his sudden display of Spirit Warrior power had shocked many—especially since it seemed he had broken through entirely on his own, without Senior Lyra's intervention. Kaelen had once again proven his raw talent to The Azure Sky Sanctum, and rumors said he had already caught the attention of several elders and Prime Initiates.

Jaden grinned. Now that was the vicious sister he loved. Crippling Kaelen's arm and stunting his growth was far more satisfying than simply beating him to a pulp.

"I already ate the Glimmerpearl Herb." Kaelen knew Moria wouldn't just let things slide. She was a viper masquerading as a woman.

"So we have nothing to discuss?"

"I never intended to discuss anything with you."

"Don't play the fool, Kaelen. You know exactly who we are. Even if we snap both your arms, we'll only get a slap on the wrist. No one will touch us."

"Then cut the crap. Whatever you want to try, bring it on."

Moria laughed, a bright, trilling sound. "Where does your confidence come from? A mere Third Phase peasant thinking he can challenge me? Do you think I'm like the mediocre Initiates you usually scrape with?"

Just then, a few Initiates walked down the nearby path, laughing and chatting. Startled by the confrontation, they paused, but clearly having no desire to get dragged into the mess, they swiftly turned and hurried away.

Jaden urged, "Sister, stop wasting time with him. Finish him early."

Moria blew a clear, melodic whistle, her crimson lips curling into a seductive sneer. "I am crippling your left arm today. Are you going to do it yourself, or am I going to do it for you?"

"My left arm is right here. If you have the strength, come take it. If not, get lost." Kaelen extended his left arm, hiding his right hand behind his back.

"You insolent worm. Sister, break him!" Jaden was furious. The boy was too arrogant. He couldn't wait to see Kaelen whimpering in the dirt.

"Do you honestly think reaching the Spirit Warrior Tier gives you the right to act tough? Your barbaric brawling is a joke against true Martial Arts." Moria glided gracefully toward Kaelen. Her pale fingers twisted in a fluid, boneless motion. Wisps of fire materialized like dancing sprites, swirling playfully between her hands.

The Crimson Viper Strike! A mid-grade Spirit Martial Art.

Jaden had used this move yesterday, but in scale, temperature, and sheer speed of manifestation, he was completely outclassed by his sister, a powerhouse at the Sixth Phase of the Spirit Warrior Tier.

"You still have a chance to reconsider," Moria purred, her smile intoxicating. Suddenly, her hands clenched. The playful flames surged violently, transforming into twin serpents of explosive, roaring fire coiling around her arms.

"If we're fighting, then fight!" Kaelen sensed the lethal danger. He slowly clenched his extended left hand into a fist, his knuckles turning white as thick veins bulged along his forearm.

With a sickening thud, Moria, unable to react in time, was sent flying over thirty feet away. She stumbled wildly before barely managing to stay on her feet. Her ruined dress fluttered in the wind, exposing her tantalizing figure, but the gash on her ribs poured blood. Her head rang like a cracked bell, her vision swam, and she could barely stand.

One punch? Just one punch? Jaden felt a chill run down his spine. This lunatic actually injured his sister? How was that possible?!

"Idiot! Even without a Martial Codex, I can still break you." Kaelen charged at Moria, an unstoppable force descending like a tiger from a mountain. He lacked the Phase rank, so he made up for it with raw power. He lacked refined technique, so he compensated with brutal combat experience.

His blazing eyes held no fear—only a relentless drive to crush his enemy.

"Sister! Watch out!" Jaden screamed.

Moria shook her head violently, desperately covering her shredded clothes. "You insolent bastard, I'll tear off both your arms!"

She was furious. She had never suffered such humiliation.

"Try it!" Kaelen's battle intent roared. He charged like a frenzied panther, unleashing a storm of fists upon her. No Martial Codex? Fine. But he could project his Aether! Arcs of raw lightning crackled across his entire body, channeling relentlessly into his fists. With every savage strike, a terrifying shockwave erupted.

This barbaric, overwhelming assault immediately forced Moria into a frantic retreat. She shrieked in panic as the crackling lightning tore dozens of new gashes into her bright red dress, leaving her even more exposed.

"Kaelen, you're beating a woman?!" Jaden's scalp went numb at the sheer violence. This kid was getting more psychotic as he grew older.

"And you're bullying the weak!" Mid-combo, Kaelen delivered a brutal, open-handed slap across Moria's delicate face. The sharp crack echoed through the woods, nearly sending her flying again.

"Die!" Moria shrieked hysterically. Abandoning all defense, she unleashed The Crimson Viper Strike. Flames roared like vipers surging from a den. One palm strike shattered Kaelen's offensive momentum, and the second slammed directly into his chest.

Kaelen felt like he had been struck by a siege engine. He was thrown backward through the air, his shirt instantly incinerated. A bloody, scorched handprint was seared into his flesh.

But just before he was knocked away, he gritted his teeth and launched another throwing knife. Pinpoint accurate and vicious, it buried itself deep into Moria's left shoulder with a sickening crunch of tearing flesh.

The sheer force of the blade sent Moria staggering backward until she slammed into a tree.

Jaden was utterly unable to process this. His sister was a powerhouse at the Sixth Phase of the Spirit Warrior Tier! Although punching above one's weight class wasn't unheard of in a massive organization like The Azure Sky Sanctum—madness, combat experience, and the tier of Martial Arts could bridge gaps—Moria was three entire Phases above Kaelen!

"Sister, are you okay?!" Jaden rushed to catch her.

Moria stared at Kaelen with pure hatred. Her clothes were in tatters, displaying a massive expanse of skin that would normally draw burning stares. But with her hair a wild, disheveled mess and blood dripping from her, she looked utterly pathetic. The throwing knife had pierced straight through her left shoulder, its spinning momentum nearly ripping the arm out of its socket. The agonizing pain drained all color from her face.

She had already overestimated Kaelen, yet she had still been severely wounded.

If Jaden couldn't accept it, it was doubly impossible for her.