CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 167 | DARK ARRIVAL

"Perfect timing," Jinn said without hesitation, his voice firm as he shifted his attention away from Troy and toward Zhyn, still looking through shelves for books.

"Now that you’re not needed, I would like it if you leave. I have some... private matters I want to talk about with my teacher over here." His tone carried that same final edge he often had wherever he decided something, a tone that gave Zhyn a message that Jinn wouldn’t argue more about it.

"Wow," Zhyn muttered with an almost sarcastic huff, lifting his brows in disbelief at what Jinn just said.

Zhyn looked genuine surprised by how fast Jinn tossed him aside the moment he wasn’t useful anymore and now that Troy was there.

"A thanks would’ve been great, you know?" his voice carried a tone of irritation... yet also that tired familiarity, like he had already accepted that this was simply how Jinn acted most of the time.

As if Jinn treated people more like tools... instead of a living person.

Troy, who watched the exchange with faint amusement, let out a small chuckle under his breath. He crossed his arms loosely while leaning a bit on his staff.

Even though he found the scene in front of him funny, he also knew Zhyn wasn’t completely wrong. Jinn really did have this habit of viewing the people around him based on what role they could play in whatever he was trying to accomplish.

Like master and apprentice since Venedix also had moved and acted this way.

’If you would, please, younger brother," Troy spoke, stepping in with a light and sincere tone.

"Besides, mother is excited to hear your stories

"If you would, please, younger brother," Troy said, stepping in with a light and almost teasing tone. "Besides, mother is excited to hear your stories from your campaigns with the esteemed General Gaius." His voice softened slightly at the end, nudging Zhyn with a bit of warmth rather than strictness.

Zhyn rolled his eyes at first, but there was a small crack in his expression, like Troy’s words managed to slip through his annoyance. Reaching toward the shelf beside him, he pulled out another book—this time with more care than earlier—and extended it toward Jinn.

"You’re welcome, Jinn. Here, another one you might find interest in," Zhyn said.

His first words came out sarcastic, but the shift in his tone at the end was unmistakable; he genuinely wanted to help, even if he pretended not to.

"Thanks for your help, Zhyn," Jinn finally said, giving the acknowledgment he should’ve given earlier.

He took the book from Zhyn’s hands and placed it carefully atop the other two he was already holding, the stack growing heavier yet strangely comforting.

With a long and tired sigh, Zhyn turned and finally stepped onto the lift.

He pressed its mechanism with a small flick of his fingers, and the platform began its slow descent through the levels of the massive archive. The soft hum of shifting gears echoed faintly in the chamber as Jinn leaned over the railing, watching Zhyn’s figure shrink bit by bit.

From this height, Zhyn looked almost like a moving shadow, growing smaller and smaller until he reached the ground level far below.

Once the lift settled, Zhyn stepped off without looking back and started walking toward the distant exit door, his silhouette slipping into the maze-like pathways of the Grand Archive.

Jinn let out a subtle breath before shifting his gaze back to Troy. His expression changed instantly—gone was the casual tone he used with Zhyn.

Now, seriousness wrapped his face.

His lone eye focused sharply on Troy, carrying a weight that made the air between them feel a little heavier.

"I have felt Muradryn once again," Jinn said plainly, almost bluntly, but those few words struck harder than any dramatic speech could.

The moment the sentence left his lips, Troy’s eyes widened, the shock clear as day. His fingers tightened slightly around his staff, and for a moment, it looked like he forgot how to breathe.

Before Jinn had ever been sent to war—before the countless campaigns, bloodshed, and sleepless nights filled with marching—Troy had actually intended to teach him the mysteries of Muradryn in a slow and detailed way, all under the close guidance of Venedix herself.

They were supposed to uncover its power together, understand its nature, its risks, everything.

But Muradryn had refused to show itself. It stayed dormant, silent, hidden deep inside Jinn with no signs of awakening.

And with no clearer method to bring it out, one solution remained: send Jinn to battle, expose him to life-or-death moments, force his spirit to push past its limits in hopes Muradryn would stir even a little.

And it did awaken... but not in any way Troy had expected, nor in a way he could control.

"R-Really!?" Troy burst out, his voice cracking with raw excitement as he stepped closer.

He looked left and right, almost as if checking whether anyone else had heard Jinn’s words. His long black hair swayed sharply with the motion, the strands brushing over his shoulders as he whipped his attention back to Jinn.

"How? What caused it to reawaken? Are you able to bring it out by yourself now? How much power exactly did you manage to reawaken?"

Troy’s questions came rushing forward one after another, stacking up so fast it almost sounded like he didn’t need to breathe between them. His tone climbed a little higher each time, filled with barely-contained excitement—like a scholar who’d been waiting years for a single breakthrough.

"All right, all right, one at a time," Jinn said, lifting both his hands toward Troy as if trying to physically calm him down. His voice carried a slight strain, not from annoyance, but from how fast Troy was shooting questions into the air.

As he lowered his hands, Jinn’s thoughts drifted away from Muradryn for a moment, shifting sharply toward another matter—a matter he had kept tucked inside his cloak ever since Akavi handed it to him.

"But first," Jinn continued, steadying his tone, "there’s something I want to discuss with you. In exchange, I’ll tell you everything about how Muradryn reawakened. All the details. Deal?"

"Deal," Troy replied instantly, his agreement almost too quick. He straightened his posture, clasped one hand around the top of his staff, and looked at Jinn with the full focus of someone who had just switched topics in a single breath.

His excitement regarding Muradryn was still there, lingering behind his eyes, but he forced himself into patience... or at least something close to patience.

"So then, spit it out," Troy said, bracing himself for whatever subject Jinn was about to bring up. "What do you want to discuss?"

Jinn didn’t speak right away. Instead, he reached into his cloak, his fingers brushing against the folded note that had been sitting close to his ribs the entire time. He pulled it out slowly, the paper crinkling gently under his touch, before extending it toward Troy.

"I want you to confirm something for me," Jinn said. His voice lowered just slightly, almost cautious. "Tell me if the details in this note are true."