Chapter 3: Clay and Sculptor

The basement of the Jade Garden Tea House smelled of sweat, old wood, and the faint, metallic tang of spilled blood that no amount of cleaning could fully erase. Leo sat in the corner, his back against a wall lined with dusty trophies, and tried to ignore the stares. The other initiates—clan kids, mostly, with their crisp uniforms and their smug, well-fed confidence—shot him glances that ranged fr...