One-Eyed Monster

Dastan did not tell Kuyi Tulan what the Great Mentor had said that night. He closed his eyes again, sitting silently in the cage.

His attitude was clear: I am now your prisoner, Kuyi Tulan. Do with me what you will. I won't flinch or blink.

"Fifteen years ago, I was twenty-two and convinced I had grasped most of this world's rules. I was stubborn and refused advice." Kuyi Tulan found himself rambling again, a pang of sorrow striking him as he thought of the Great Mentor.

Every day in the tavern, sipping cheap fruit wine, he would reread the letter the Great Mentor had left him. He could recite every word by heart. The letter had become yellowed and creased from his touch, resembling an aging face covered in wrinkles.

After leaving the letter, the Great Mentor departed. By the time Kuyi Tulan awoke, he couldn't catch up, or rather, he didn't know where to begin his search. All these years, he had been looking for his mentor. He just wanted to tell Master Guzan that he hadn't lost his sanity, nor had he forgotten his original aspirations. He had merely taken too large a step and nearly stumbled.

"All these years, and that night remains as vivid as if it were yesterday. Dastan, do you have any idea how much I've longed for the moment I could reunite with the Great Mentor?"

The mention of Master Guzan stirred something within Dastan. Dawn Peak, which he had been defending, was essentially lost. He could feel the exact moment Kuren's World Setting Technique dissipated. Beyond Dawn Peak lay Grey Eagle Peak. Though he didn't doubt the strength of individuals like Joseph and Jemma, he still felt a sense of unease for the Great Mentor.

The Great Mentor was getting old. Guru Mountain was meant to be a place where they could serve him and ensure he lived out his twilight years in peace. Now, the Alchemy Workshop had arrived, bringing with it long-buried memories and the imminent threat of slaughter.

Hopefully, Xiso and the others are prepared and won't be caught off guard by the Alchemy Workshop, Dastan thought.

Now that I've been captured, I can no longer protect the Great Mentor. However, I might still have a way to delay Kuyi Tulan. After all, it will take some time to reach Guru Mountain from the foot of the mountain. If I can just stall Kuyi Tulan, that most troublesome individual from the Alchemy Workshop, Xiso and the others might gain some precious time.

"Don't hold your breath. The Great Mentor doesn't want to see you." Dastan knew there weren't many ways to delay Kuyi Tulan; only by invoking the Great Mentor's name could he truly capture his attention.

Just as Dastan had anticipated, Kuyi Tulan took the bait and pressed, "Why would you say that?"

"Because you failed to meet his expectations. You are unworthy of being his disciple. You are a disgrace!"

Baharo looked from Dastan to Kuyi Tulan. Why can't these two just be straightforward instead of beating around the bush? This is so frustrating, he thought.

"If I were your mentor, I'd be ashamed of you. You turned a normal person into a monster. Is that something a normal person would do?" Baharo stated his opinion bluntly.

"Shut up! It's not your turn—" Carmello started to warn Baharo, but Kuyi Tulan cut him off.

"An onlooker often sees things most clearly. I want to hear his perspective," Kuyi Tulan said. Why am I being so indecisive? he wondered.

"I don't fully understand what's going on between you all, but I disagree with what you said about extending life. I believe that efforts yield their own rewards; some things simply can't be forced."

"Your words are… interesting." Kuyi Tulan rested his chin on his hand and nodded slowly. "But everyone has their own pursuits. There's nothing wrong with striving for the ultimate."

"I don't understand what you're saying. All I know for sure is that turning Sir Dastan into this state is absolutely not right." Baharo was firm. He didn't concern himself with the intricacies of their arguments; he only knew that the outcome before his eyes—Sir Dastan's transformation—was unequivocally wrong.

"They signed an agreement, you know," Carmello added.

"Regardless of what this agreement entails, depriving someone of their past is wrong."

"But I gave them an extension!" Kuyi Tulan argued.

"No, you only gave *yourself* an extension. You simply allowed what *you* wanted to continue. In that respect, you are selfish," Baharo stated.

"Yes! In all of this, you never once considered the Great Mentor's feelings. As his disciple, your actions reflect upon him." I didn't expect Baharo, right beside me, to suddenly speak up, Dastan thought. And he's quite articulate too; this is actually helping to stall Kuyi Tulan.

"You're all just standing still." A smirk played on Kuyi Tulan's lips. "The Great Mentor is old. We are the new masters of this world. If we don't advance more quickly, we'll have no place to stand in the future."

"That is your greatest weakness, Kuyi Tulan. You are far too selfish!" Dastan pressed on.

"Selfish?" Kuyi Tulan was taken aback. He was doing all this for the entire Empire, for the whole Alchemy Workshop. How could Dastan call him selfish? He couldn't comprehend it, no matter how he tried.

Could the Great Mentor think so too?

Is that why I got so drunk that night I couldn't even move?

Kuyi Tulan couldn't resist reaching into his robe, his fingers once more tracing the worn letter. It was the only tangible thing the Great Mentor had left him. The rest was just memories.

"You never cared about the Great Mentor's feelings! You were consumed by your own mad schemes, with no regard for anyone else. You even put your own marks on everyone. It's simply an inhuman act!"

"Those are my works! I had to leave a mark—a Marker of the Alchemy Workshop!"

"We are not your 'works,' Kuyi Tulan. Whatever you may think, we have always existed—myself, Xiso, Joseph—we have always been distinct individuals!"

"I promised His Majesty the King I would build him a fearless army! You are all Soldiers of the Empire and should obey every command, even if it means losing your very selves! This too is an order—a sacrifice, an exchange!" Kuyi Tulan grew more agitated as he spoke.

"That night was a rebirth for all of us, all thanks to the Great Mentor. The moment he opened our cages, we felt a gentle, warm breeze wash over us—a sensation you could never comprehend." Dastan recalled that night again. Everything that happened then was truly incredible, he mused.

"I remember that night too, Dastan! I watched with my own eyes as you all slipped away from me. I watched as the Great Mentor extracted the Markers from your bodies. The pain I felt then was like a knife twisting in my heart. Can you understand that feeling?"

"That was just your selfishness showing. You merely felt that your own creations were stolen by the Great Mentor," Dastan said.

"No! I saw my works destroyed! And by the hands of the person I respected most! I couldn't accept it. I wanted to know what the Great Mentor was thinking. The letter he left me never made it clear."

"The Great Mentor left you that letter out of consideration for your past as his disciple, yet you still failed to understand his true intentions!"