Eklavya sat beside Zeliang, the air around them heavy with the pressure of gathering thunderclouds. The forest had grown strangely quiet, as though even the wind wished to listen. Chandra had already turned toward a large tree nearby, intending to give them space, when Zeliang stopped him.

  “Chandra, sit with us. We need to talk about something.”

  Chandra paused, glanced at Zeliang’s serious expression, and nodded without hesitation. He returned and seated himself opposite them. The three formed a small gathering on the forest floor — not quite a circle, though one might call it that casually. In truth, it was a triangle; three points, balanced yet distinct, each carrying its own weight.

  Zeliang looked directly at Eklavya. “Do you have any plans?”

  Eklavya shook his head slightly. “I didn’t,” he replied, then paused as something crossed his mind. “But…”

  He stopped mid-sentence and shifted his focus inward.

  “Magha,” he asked silently, “can you determine the position of a disciple from the Falling Leaf Sect from here?”

  Magha’s voice echoed calmly within his mind. “Yes, but I require a drop of your primordial blood. With it, I can scan the surrounding region within a range of roughly one hundred kilometres. If I were alive in my complete form, that range would extend to millions.”

  Eklavya nodded faintly and opened his eyes. “Wait a minute.”

  Without further explanation, he closed them again and sat properly in meditation posture. His breathing slowed, his awareness withdrawing from the outer world.

  In the next instant, he stood upon the floating island within his Sea of Consciousness. The ancient tree towered above him as always, silent and immense. Beneath it shimmered the blood pool, vast and luminous.

  He extended his hand toward it.

  The surface rippled and parted obediently, and a single drop of primordial blood rose into the air, hovering before him. Just as before, the token appeared in front of him, emerging without sound.

  The drop drifted forward and entered the token.

  A faint glow spread across its surface. Moments later, the blood emerged again, slightly dimmer than before.

  The entire process took no more than a minute.

  Eklavya frowned slightly. “Magha, wasn’t that faster than before?”

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  “Yes,” Magha replied evenly. “The previous attempt was my first execution of this method. I was not fully accustomed to the process. Now that I understand the structure, it proceeds more efficiently. I have extracted the primordial ki, but a small portion remains within the blood. Instead of returning it to the lake, absorb it.”

  “Okay.”

  With a slight motion of his fingers, Eklavya guided the suspended droplet forward. It moved toward his forehead and slipped precisely between his eyebrows.

  The moment it touched his skin, the droplet dissolved into a fine stream of crimson light and sank inward.

  Slowly, steadily, the primordial ki spread through his body. It did not erupt violently; rather, it expanded with deliberate control, reinforcing his channels, strengthening muscle and bone from within, and refilling the ki he had previously expended. The fatigue lingering in his limbs thinned like mist under sunlight. His breathing deepened. His internal circulation stabilised with greater density than before.

  Only after the energy fully settled did he withdraw his consciousness. The floating island faded. The ancient tree vanished.

  Eklavya opened his eyes and returned to the physical world, the forest once again surrounding him beneath the darkening sky.

  “Well,” he said calmly, “I have a plan.”

  Zeliang leaned slightly forward. “What is it?”

  Before Eklavya could answer, Magha’s voice sounded within his mind. “Tell them to extend one hand toward you. I will guide the hand seals. Follow my instructions precisely.”

  Eklavya gave a faint nod. “Extend one hand toward me,” he said to both of them.

  Zeliang and Chandra exchanged a glance before asking almost at the same time, “Why?”

  “There’s nothing to doubt or worry about,” Eklavya replied evenly. “It’s necessary for the plan.”

  His tone carried enough assurance to dissolve further hesitation. Both of them extended one hand toward him.

  At that moment, Magha began transmitting the sequence. The hand signs appeared clearly within Eklavya’s mind—complex, layered, precise in angle and timing. Without faltering, he began replicating them in front of Zeliang and Chandra. His fingers moved fluidly, each seal forming and dissolving into the next with controlled accuracy.

  The air around them grew subtly heavier as the final sign took shape.

  When he finished, Eklavya moved forward and lightly touched each of their wrist with two fingers. A faint golden light flickered at the point of contact.

  Then, a mark appeared—small, intricate, glowing briefly before stabilising against their skin.

  Both Zeliang and Chandra looked down instinctively.

  Magha explained inwardly, “The mark will disappear once the mission is complete. It will allow you all to sense each other's condition during the operation. You will know if their life force weakens, and you may transmit minimal directional awareness through it. Also, you will be able to know your enemy's location, as I will send the information about it. It is a temporary binding, nothing more.”

  Eklavya nodded internally and relayed the explanation to them.

  “It’s a temporary mark,” he said. “It will vanish once we finish. It lets us monitor our condition during the mission. If either of us is seriously injured or in danger, we’ll know. Also, the location of the members of the Falling Leaf Sect.”

  Chandra studied the faint golden imprint with renewed respect. Zeliang, however, seemed more intrigued than surprised.

  Thunder rolled again above the canopy, closer now, the sky nearly swallowed in shadow. Now it was time to explain the plan.