An Outsider's Path

Gugum stood silent, shaken by Sanjaya's reaction. The elder, once composed and dignified, now appeared rattled. His hand trembled as he reached for the hairpin, but before his fingers could touch it, his fist clenched tight.

He drew a deep, shuddering breath, a desperate attempt to quell the tempest raging within his heart.

With deliberate movement, he returned to his seat. His eyes closed, and it was as if ghosts from a forgotten time came crashing down upon him, a past wrapped in longing and sorrow, unfinished.

When he opened his eyes again, they locked on Gugum.

"Where is your master now?" he asked quietly. "And her condition... is she well?"

Gugum hesitated. He could tell the truth, yet something in him resisted. He lowered his head and said,

"I don't know where she is now. Before she left, she gave me a message… to come here and show you this."

Silence filled the room. The air grew heavy, as if even the walls were holding their breath.

"That hairpin... was a gift from me," Sanjaya finally spoke, breaking the stillness, not to explain, but as if confessing something deeply buried.

Gugum furrowed his brow. The words held meaning he didn't fully grasp.

Sanjaya's eyes drifted far away, not to anything within the room, but to a distant memory.

Sanjaya's gaze drifted, piercing through the veil of the present, into the mists of a distant past. "It was a time... I was on a perilous hunt. My youthful arrogance, my reckless folly... , I nearly lost my life. It was your Master—Andini— she saved me."

Gugum listened, his heart a silent drum. Never before had this tale reached his ears. So, his mother... she had once been the savior of this venerable figure.

"She nursed me," Sanjaya continued, his voice tinged with a bittersweet warmth, "when I lay grievously wounded, a breath away from death's door. Her gentle hands mended my broken body, her spirit soothed my fractured meridians until vitality flowed through me once more."

"Upon my return to the sect, I found myself conjuring myriad reasons, any pretext, to seek her out. At first, it was mere gratitude... but with each encounter, with every shared glance, the nature of the bond in my heart began to transmute. I... I had fallen for her.""

"Her tranquil spirit, the way her eyes perceived the world, unmarred by the grime of power and the charade of pretense… she carved a place in my soul that none other could ever fill."

"Many a time, I extended the invitation for her to join our sect, to walk the path of cultivation alongside me. Yet, she always declined, her heart yearning for the simple serenity of a life lived amidst the silent, ancient trees of the wilderness."

A sigh, heavy as a mountain, escaped Sanjaya's lips. An ancient wound, raw and bleeding, flickered in the depths of his eyes.

"And then one day… when I went to see her again, she was gone. All that remained were signs of a battle near her cabin."

"I searched. For days... then weeks. But…"

"After more than a month without results, I came to believe… she had perished."

"That hairpin... it was a treasured heirloom, passed down from my own departed mother. I bestowed it upon her, a silent vow, during our very last meeting..."

Sanjaya's gaze met Gugum's. The piercing sharpness that once defined the Elder's eyes had softened, replaced by a gentle, almost sorrowful light—the eyes of a mortal man adrift in the sea of poignant memories, recalling a love lost to the merciless tides of fate.

"The Heavens have eyes... so she yet lives!"

Gugum gave a small nod. Something trembled inside him, shaken by a truth he had never imagined.

"You truly don't know where she is?" Sanjaya asked again, more intently. "And… what really happened to her?"

Silence once again became Gugum's shield. His mother's parting words echoed in his mind—be wary. The hidden scars she bore, both visible and unseen, flashed before his eyes. Thus, he resolved... to not lay bare the entirety of the truth.

"I cannot say with certainty," Gugum replied, his voice measured. "After we were ambushed by five enigmatic figures of immense power..."

A jolt, sharp as lightning, coursed through Sanjaya. "What?! Attacked? Who Dared lay a hand on her?!" Sanjaya's voice, like a clap of thunder, shattered Gugum's explanation, thick with a barely restrained fury that threatened to erupt.

 "I don't know. We got separated during the ambush. She told me to run, and I haven't seen her since," said Gugum, lowering his head.

"She tried to protect me... by drawing their attention," he added. Though not the full truth, those words still carried the weight of real sorrow.

"Where were you separated?"

"In the Valley of Silent Winds," Gugum answered, his voice barely a whisper, heavy with the name of that desolate place.

Sanjaya nodded. "Very well. I will send people to search for her. For now, you'll remain here. It's for your own safety."

Sanjaya nodded, a grim understanding dawning in his eyes. "Very well. I shall dispatch my most trusted cultivators to scour the Valley of Silent Winds. Until word arrives, you shall remain here. It's for your own safety."

Gugum merely lowered his head, offering a slow nod.

So... Mother truly shared a profound connection with the Sect Master of this Tirta Nirmala,

he mused inwardly, a whirlwind of emotions stirring within him.

May the Heavens grant that my decision to venture here proves to be the correct path.

The Next Morning

Within the grand main courtyard of Tirta Nirmala, disciples, vibrant with youthful energy, had already assembled for their morning cultivation drills. The rhythmic cadence of footsteps echoed from the direction of the Sect's main hall. Sanjaya strode forth, his presence commanding, flanked by four imposing sect guardians. Trailing in their wake was Gugum, and by his side... the ethereal Saras.

As Sanjaya reached the heart of the training grounds, a hush fell over the assembled disciples. All motion ceased as, in unison, they bowed deeply, their voices ringing out in a chorus of respectful greeting.

"Today," Sanjaya proclaimed, his voice resonating with authority across the courtyard, "I present to you a new addition to our ranks. This is Gugum. He is the disciple of a cherished friend from days long past. I expect each of you to welcome him as a brother, as part of our great Tirta Nirmala family!"

Gugum stepped forward, halting a respectful pace behind Sanjaya. He then performed a deep, formal bow towards the gathered disciples. In return, a wave of reciprocal bows swept through the crowd, a sign of their acknowledgment.

With the formalities concluded, Sanjaya, along with his retinue of guards, turned and retreated towards the solemn edifice of the main hall.

Gugum turned, his gaze finding Saras. She offered a subtle, yet clear, gesture: follow me.

And so, he began to follow the enigmatic beauty. Their departing figures trailed by a wake of hushed whispers that rippled through the disciples.

"Look... isn't that the youth who dared to cross blades with Senior Brother Sagara only yesterday?"

"Rumor has it, the Ice Maiden herself, our very own Fairy Saras, personally escorted him from the sect gates!"

These faint murmurs, like the rustling of leaves in a furtive wind, spread through the crowd, yet they did not reach Gugum's ears. He had already departed, stepping onto a new, uncertain path.

Unbeknownst to him… two pairs of eyes watched his departure from afar. Silent. Watching. Waiting.