Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Lucas made his way back to Henrietta's chamber, the vials safely secured in the inner folds of his robe. When he entered, Henrietta was seated at her desk, going through scrolls filled with war dispatches and surveillance notes. She looked up the moment he came in, her expression sharpening as she saw the look in his eyes.

Lucas reached into his robe and retrieved the two vials, placing them gently on the polished obsidian table beside her. The liquid inside shimmered faintly, glowing with a hue that seemed almost alive. Henrietta leaned forward, examining them closely. She turned one over in her hand, watching the light ripple through it like the surface of a disturbed pond. Her brows furrowed.

"What is this?" she asked, her voice low, skeptical. "These little things... are supposed to restore a man's crippled cultivation?"

Lucas didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took the vial back from her hand, holding it with care, reverence even, as though it were a sacred artifact rather than a simple potion.

"Don't call it 'little,'" he said, his tone firm, almost offended. "These are not just mixtures of herbs and Qi. They are the result of knowledge sacred to this world… the kind of knowledge men would kill for. This..." he held the vial up to the light, "....does wonders."

Henrietta studied his face for a moment, then sat back slowly in her chair. Her skeptical expression softened into something else....curiosity, perhaps even awe.

"If you truly pull this off," she said quietly, "if this works on him… then you will have done something that will make the entire realm turn its eyes toward you. Not just nobles. Not just cultivators. The sects, the courts, even the hidden clans....they will all want you."

Lucas gave a faint smile, the weight of her words not lost on him.

"Then let them come," he replied. "I'm not hiding anymore."

"Hmmm… you're growing bold," Henrietta said with a subtle smirk, her gaze sharp and approving. "I like that."

Lucas gave a brief nod in response. It wasn't arrogance...

it was necessity. The path ahead demanded strength, and strength couldn't wait. Time was slipping through his fingers like sand, and every move he made now had to count. Every alliance, every decision...it all mattered.

"I don't have the luxury of being meek anymore," he said, meeting her eyes with quiet conviction. "I need to grow stronger. And if I'm starting to gain some respect and power along the way, then so be it. It's long overdue."

Henrietta studied him for a moment, perhaps seeing the transformation already beginning to unfold. Then, without another word, she leaned back in her chair, folding her arms, as though silently acknowledging the truth in his words.

Lucas straightened, his tone shifting.

"Let's go see him," he said. "The crippled grandmaster. If there's even a sliver of a chance he'll talk, it has to be now. We can't afford to leave that piece of the puzzle out any longer."

Henrietta's smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. She stood slowly and reached for her cloak.

"Then let's go," she replied. "But don't expect him to be grateful. Men like him don't break easily...not even when everything's been taken from them." Henrietta then paused, her hand resting lightly on the edge of her cloak as she turned to glance back at him.

Lucas stepped forward, his voice even but laced with purpose.

"If I'm going to give him a second chance," he said, "then I need a guarantee that he'll never turn against us. Restoring someone's cultivation isn't a favor...it's a contract. And the only way to make sure he honors it... is if he's bound to me."

Henrietta narrowed her gaze slightly. "You mean...."

"Yes," Lucas nodded. "I'll use the Soul Binding Technique."

The silence that followed was heavy with implication. Henrietta didn't interrupt, but her expression turned thoughtful.

"If he accepts," Lucas continued, "then I'll know he's truly broken. And if he refuses… then we lose nothing. Either way, I won't be taken for a fool."

Henrietta let out a slow breath, walking back toward him with a measured pace. "You really are thoughtful," she murmured, her voice softer now, tinged with admiration.

She studied him for a short moment, then finally gave a small nod. "Alright. Let's go put this to the test."

The two then made their way through the dim, winding corridor that led to the royal dungeons. Two guards stationed outside a heavy iron door bowed quickly and unlatched it at Henrietta's command. Inside, torchlight flickered weakly against the rough walls.

The grandmaster cultivator hung in the center of the cell, arms outstretched and shackled high above his head, the iron links embedded deep into the stone walls. His once-proud frame was slouched from exhaustion, yet the fire in his eyes hadn't dimmed. His robes were torn and stained, but his presence, even in ruin, still held weight.

He looked up as they entered, lips cracked but curled in a wry, almost mocking smile.

"So you've come again," he rasped, his voice low but steady. "Save your breath. Whatever game you intend to play here… just kill me already. I'm never compromising our mission. Not for my life, not for anything."

His eyes burned with conviction, daring them to try.

Henrietta's eyes narrowed at the sight of him, this man who had nearly killed Lucas, who had put the whole city in jeopardy still held his head high in defiance. Without a word, she stepped forward and drove her knee into his groin with brutal precision. The grandmaster let out a guttural grunt, his body lurching forward as far as the chains would allow, pain etched across his face.

He gasped, teeth clenched, but still didn't break.

Henrietta didn't bother to speak. She turned her head slightly, signaling Lucas with a subtle gesture.

It was his turn now.

Lucas stepped forward. The chained grandmaster raised his head slowly, blood crusted along his jawline, bruises mottling his skin. His eyes locked onto Lucas, he recognised him quickly.

"You…" the man rasped, a dry chuckle rising from his throat. "You're the boy who stood his ground. I nearly shattered your core, and yet… you didn't flinch."

Lucas didn't respond immediately. He studied the grandmaster in silence, noting the strength that still lingered in the man's presence, even though he was bound and broken, there was pride in his gaze.