《The Immortal's Apprentice》 Chapter 7 - The Immortals Apprentice
Present - The Immortal Vale - Talen
Head down, lungs burning, Talen raced up the hill beside Mei Ling. They ignored the bolder at the first pagoda that would tell people where they were and carried on sprinting.
Out of breath, Talen reached the top of the hill, just after Mei Ling. Ten more steps and they were unable to see back over the rise. Coughing, Talen bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. He could plant, dig and lift things all day long, but he¡¯d never had to do much running as a farmer. The plants at the edge of the road rustled slightly like they were laughing at him.
¡°Come on,¡± Mei Ling said. ¡°We need to keep moving if we want to stay ahead of them.¡±
With a groan, Talen stood up and started walking again, reluctantly breaking into a jog to try and put a bit of a buffer between them and the advancing horde of demons.
They had three more small hills to cross before they started the long climb back up to the castle and Talen¡¯s legs already burned from the pace.
¡°I¡¯m going to hang back and see if they¡¯re gaining on us,¡± Mei Ling said, frowning at Talen.
He had no breath to spare for talking, so he simply nodded and carried on. Mei Ling ran back the way they¡¯d come. How she had enough energy to do that he didn¡¯t know.
Suddenly, pain erupted in the back of his left arm. Talen dropped to the ground like a stone, avoiding a second knife that sliced the space his neck had been in moments before.
Exhaustion forgotten, he whirled around knocking the legs out from under two small demons. Jumping to his feet, Talen sank down, his weight on his back leg, arms out ready, waiting to see what the demons would do.
The left one lunged forward with his knife. Talen flowed into
The prone one got back to its feet as its partner screamed in a language Talen didn¡¯t understand. He took two quick steps backward to put his opponents in front of him again and waited.
They both sniffed the air, eyes narrowing and nodding to each other, as if the smell came from Talen. He knew he¡¯d broken a sweat, but he didn¡¯t think he smelled that bad.
Without warning, they charged, knives out before them. Talen turned, circling around them at the last moment so he only had to face one at a time. He grasped the knife hand of the closest one and spun into him, elbowing him in the face for the second time. As the demon reached for its face, Talen wrenched the knife out of its hand and stabbed it in what passed for a chest. The first demon went down with a gurgling cry and didn¡¯t get back up.
Talen whirled to meet the second demon. Its gaze alternated between him and the path behind them. Suddenly, it lunged at Talen. He wheeled around, narrowly avoiding the demon¡¯s blade. With
A bright golden light erupted out of Talen as a gong sounded loudly in his ears. He shook his head, noticing a small white spot at the bottom of his vision. This time he knew what that meant. Focusing on it, words appeared in front of him.
Congratulations! You have become a level 3 cultivator.
He dragged the first of the two dead demons to the side of the path. Mei Ling hadn¡¯t yet returned, so he figured he had time to try and hide them. With luck, the horde marching up the road wouldn¡¯t realize their scouts had disappeared until it was too late.
Just as he got the second one off the track, Mei Ling rushed over the crest of the hill.
¡°We¡¯ve got to go,¡± she said, running down the hill toward him. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Hiding the dead scouts,¡± he replied, continuing to drag the body.
¡°Scouts?¡± Mei Ling came to stop beside him.
¡°Are you going to help or not?¡± Talen asked.
She rushed over and helped him hide the second body behind a nearby bush.
¡°We¡¯re going to need to run,¡± she said, dusting off her hands and starting to jog.¡±
¡°Right behind you,¡± Talen said catching up.
¡°Have. To. Stop,¡± Talen gasped as they finally reached the bottom of the hill that led back up to the castle.
Crossing the river, he collapsed to the ground, desperately trying to catch his breath. Mei Ling just stood there shaking her head.
¡°I can¡¯t believe how weak you are,¡± she said, crossing her arms.
¡°Hey,¡± Talen said, glaring at her. ¡°I took out those scouts on my own, and I leveled up.¡±
¡°You¡¯re level 3 now?¡± Mei Ling asked, all her frustration seemingly forgotten. ¡°That means we can go and explore Sun Long Shan.¡±
She grinned making Talen roll his eyes. He got unsteadily to his feet, looking up at the path before them.
¡°We have to get back to the castle and survive this first,¡± he said, taking the smile off her face.
They started walking up the slope. It wouldn¡¯t be long before they¡¯d be able to see the demon horde behind them, which meant they¡¯d be visible too. Best to conserve as much energy as possible now incase the enemy decided to speed up and chase them. Mei Ling kept glancing back and frowning, but so far they were still hidden.
A loud screech split the air. Mei Ling and Talen both spun. Behind them on the top of the last hill stood the leading demons. One of them pointed at the pair on the hill ahead. Others were lifting their heads to look. All of a sudden they broke into a shambling run.
¡°Run,¡± Talen shouted, grabbing Mei Ling¡¯s hand when she just stood there with her mouth open and eyes wide.
He pulled Mei Ling sharply, knocking her out of her shock. As pale as a ghost, she sprinted up the hill leaving him behind. Mumbling, Talen did his best to keep up, or at least stay ahead of the approaching horde. Chapter 1 - The Immortals Apprentice
Present - The Immortal Vale - Talen
¡°Concentrate Talen,¡± shouted Master Wu. Talen ducked under the kick aimed at his head, narrowly missing getting knocked over for the fifth time this morning. Pulling Kai up from the ground as fast as he could, he initiated his Unmovable skill as his training partner, Mei Ling, attempted to sweep his legs out from underneath him. A dull thud, accompanied by some choice words, showed she hadn¡¯t spotted him engaging his wood clan skill. She stood up, all her weight on her other leg, while preparing to continue the fight. ¡°Okay, stand down,¡± Master Wu said. ¡°Go and put some Dragon Balm on your ankle Mei Ling.¡± He waved his daughter toward the bench at the side of the courtyard. ¡°Talen, that was better. You still have a long way to go, but at least you¡¯re on your feet for a change.¡± Scowling, Mei Ling, stalked over to the bench and grabbed the bottle of foul-smelling green gel that was the Dragon Balm. So far this morning Talen had been the only one to need the healing ointment. He still had the residue of it on his neck, back and both his upper arms, so it was time someone else needed to use it. Mei Ling¡¯s nose turned up as she opened the bottle. Trying and failing to smother a cough, she turned her head away from the smell and spread the sticky gel liberally over her right ankle. A tiny sigh escaped her lips as the heat from the gel got to work. ¡°Remind me what level you are in your cultivation studies,¡± Master Wu said, pulling Talen out of his smug satisfaction at finally having bested Mei Ling. ¡°Level 2 sifu,¡± he said, bowing his head slightly. ¡°Well you¡¯re doing better than I expected against a level 11 opponent.¡± Master Wu nodded, roughly patting the young man¡¯s right shoulder. Talen winced at the heavy touch. He¡¯d been training with Master Wu and Mei Ling for the last seven days and had the bruises to prove it. ¡°We¡¯ll get you up to Mei Ling¡¯s level soon enough,¡± Master Wu said, turning to include his daughter in the conversation. ¡°Now, I want you both practicing Clouds Blowing in the Wind.¡± With a groan Mei Ling got up from the bench and joined Talen in the center of the courtyard. ¡°Full horse stance,¡± Master Wu barked as she tried to get away with an easier version. Even after only a week of working with his new teacher, Talen could have told her there was no possibility of getting away with anything. Master Wu¡¯s eyesight seemed to be better than the legendary great eagles that lived at the top of Sun Long Shan. They both spread their feet apart and sunk down until their thighs were parallel to the ground. Focusing on their breathing, they started moving their hands in unison, one after the other in front of their faces. ¡°Keep going until I come back,¡± Master Wu said, seemingly satisfied we were both getting it correct. He walked away to talk to one of the servants who stood to the side waiting to be noticed. ¡°Bet I can hold this longer than you can,¡± Mei Ling whispered, just loud enough for Talen to hear. Talen tried to ignore her and stay focused on the exercise, but his legs were already burning slightly. He¡¯d never trained this hard before. Growing up, to the shame of his entire family, he hadn¡¯t been able to cultivate Kai. All of the teachers eventually abandoned him as a lost cause, leaving him to simply work on the farm and remain a level 1 cultivator. Knowing it was a death sentence and not wanting to lose a functioning member of his village, the Wood clan had chosen him as their representative in the Imperial Games. He¡¯d been sent to a new realm, the Immortal Vale, to find the Eternity Stone and while there something had shifted. He had no idea how it had happened, but he¡¯d miraculously advanced to level 2 and been offered the opportunity to become the apprentice to the immortal Master Han. Since then, everyone seemed intent on pushing him to his limits and beyond. He¡¯d been told they¡¯d make a fighter out of him despite the slow start, he just had to trust Master Wu and follow his training. At this rate, however, he wondered if he¡¯d survive that long. ¡°I heard that Mei Ling,¡± Master Wu shouted without turning around. ¡°I will give you both twice the time I was going to let you practice, just so you can prove yourself.¡± Talen groaned quietly and turned his head to pull a face at Mei Ling. She was going to be the death of him. His left leg started to tremble and little drops of sweat ran down the sides of his face. He clenched his jaw. He couldn¡¯t let her win this easily, especially since this extended practice time was all her fault. Pulling Kai from the earth up through his feet, he concentrated on circulating it into his legs to make them stronger, like he¡¯d been taught. A tingling wave of freshness and warmth enveloped his legs and they stopped shaking. He went back to focusing on his breathing, and gathering and circulating Kai. It was the only way he had a hope of beating Mei Ling.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. *** ¡°You¡¯re both still going, good,¡± Master Wu said, as he returned from wherever the servant had taken him and sat down on a nearby bench. ¡°Well, don¡¯t stop now. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want to put an end to your challenge.¡± Despite his best efforts Talen¡¯s legs were now shaking uncontrollably. Mei Ling also appeared to be struggling as well, giving him the hope that he might outlast her. Talen desperately tried to pull in more Kai through his feet in an effort to stabilize his legs. His channels were already full however, so nothing happened. The burning sensation flared, spreading from his thighs, up his back and into his arms. Refusing to hold him up any longer, Talen¡¯s legs collapsed and he fell into a heap on the stone courtyard. ¡°Yes.¡± Mei Ling punched the air above her head and went to stand up. ¡°Not so fast daughter,¡± Master Wu said, frowning at her. ¡°I think we should see just how long you can last.¡± ¡°Yes sifu.¡± She bowed her head, hoping to hide the glint in her eyes from her trainer. A few seconds later her legs began to tremble. Before she could fall over, probably more gracefully than Talen had, Master Wu stood up and walked toward her. ¡°Why are you pretending to have run out of Kai? Or did you forget your trainer can see how much you have left?¡± Master Wu looked down at his daughter. He could see our Kai? That was news to me. ¡°You will stay in horse stance and meditate on why you feel the need to dishonor your teacher,¡± Master Wu said. ¡°You may finish when the dinner bell rings.¡± With that he walked out of the courtyard, leaving Mei Ling standing solidly in horse stance, mouth and eyes wide open. The dinner bell was ages away, easily ten times longer than Talen had managed to hold the stance. Master Wu would have judged her reserves correctly, however, pushing her just beyond what she could manage and forcing his daughter to push past her limits. It was a very clear reminder of just how far Talen had to go if he wanted to beat his training partner. Before he could say anything, a servant rushed out toward them. ¡°Master Han has requested your presence in his study, honored student,¡± he said, bowing deeply. Talen got to his feet and with one last glance at Mei Ling, he followed the servant away from the training courtyard. Despite the progress he¡¯d achieved in the week since the Imperial Games, Talen still didn¡¯t understand why the immortal Master Han wanted him for an apprentice. Clearly Mei Ling, or just about anyone else, was a better choice than him. She was already at level 11, the highest cultivation level anyone could get to. To add insult to injury, she¡¯d even proven she could beat him in a fight with her eyes closed. He stopped dead in his tracks, causing the servant to glance back and beckon him onward. What if being the immortal¡¯s apprentice was just another death sentence? A job only given to someone he could afford to lose? Talen shook his head. That couldn¡¯t be it. He had no reason not to trust the kindly gentleman and take him at his word. Talen sighed. Even if he was right, he could at least not keep his new master waiting. He started walking again and the relieved servant ran on in front of him trying, and failing, to speed Talen up. *** ¡°Ah good,¡± Master Han said as the servant ushered Talen into his study. ¡°Sit.¡± He waved his hand at the space next to him and a plain wooden chair appeared out of thin air. Walking over, Talen bowed low before sitting down. ¡°It¡¯s been a week since we last talked. I know you¡¯ve had some training from Master Wu so you have a better idea of what will be involved on the martial side of things if you do agree to become my apprentice. He has told me you are doing well and he¡¯s very happy with what you¡¯ve learned.¡± Master Han smiled. Talen¡¯s mouth dropped open briefly before he remembered who sat opposite him. He was still only level 2 and the only thing he¡¯d managed to do all week was get beaten up by Mei Ling. Maybe immortals didn¡¯t know everything after all. Master Han chuckled as he stood up. Patting Talen kindly on the shoulder, the older man began to walk around the room. ¡°I think it¡¯s now time for you to understand a little more about the cultivation side of things,¡± he said. ¡°After that I will be asking for your decision because if you do desire to become my apprentice, there are a lot of things we will both need to do to prepare for the formal apprentice ceremony.¡± Master Han stopped walking and turned to look at Talen. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water Talen finally came to a decision and dropped his head briefly. While Master Han had expressed his dislike of formalities before, it was too much to expect a simple farmer to be comfortable treating one of the great immortals like an equal, even if he had requested it. Master Han graciously took Talen¡¯s nod as a signal to continue. ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell you is unknown to anyone outside of the immortals and those who choose to dedicate their lives to assisting us,¡± he said, sitting back down again. ¡°While it isn¡¯t secret knowledge, I would prefer you told no one outside of this castle what I¡¯m about to tell you.¡± ¡°Of course, Master Han,¡± Talen said, attempting to bow without getting out of his chair. ¡°What, as far as you know, is the highest cultivation level?¡± He looked at the young man next to him. ¡°Level 11. No one has ever advanced beyond that no matter how much cultivation and meditation they do. Even a small child knows that,¡± Talen blurted out, looking Master Han straight in the eyes and completely forgetting all formalities. ¡°Honored immortal,¡± he added, his face turning bright red as he belatedly remembered who he was talking to. Talen dropped his gaze and started absentmindedly rubbing a small black mark on the back of his left hand. Master Han glanced briefly down at the mark. It was a circle inside a small triangle. His eyebrows rose up slightly. ¡°Well, even small children have been known to be wrong about things,¡± Master Han said, pausing until Talen looked back up. ¡°The highest level anyone can reach is actually level 33.¡± Talen¡¯s mouth dropped open again. ¡°You will have to go through three different ceremonies to get there, as well as reorganizing your Kai, purifying yourself and learning new cultivation skills at each stage. None of it will be easy to do, however, nothing worthwhile ever is,¡± the immortal said. ¡°So, I need to know if you are willing to undergo these challenges and formally become my apprentice.¡± Chapter 2 - The Immortals Apprentice Present - The Immortal Vale - Talen This was the opportunity of a lifetime. Talen had no idea why Master Han wanted him to be his apprentice, but he clearly did ¡°I formally accept your offer,¡± Talen said, standing up and bowing deeply. ¡°You honor me greatly and I will do everything I can to make myself worthy of being your apprentice.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Master Han said, nodding. ¡°If everything goes smoothly you will one day become an immortal as well. So I want that bow to be your last except for the ones required in the ceremonies. I need you to learn and question anything you¡¯re unsure about. What is true for me might be different for you, especially when you progress to the higher levels. Like those small children, I have also been known to be wrong occasionally.¡± Talen¡¯s mouth fell open once more. It seemed the world was very different from what he¡¯d been led to believe. ¡°But how could you be wrong?¡± Talen asked, his face turning very red as he realized he¡¯d just addressed one of the eight great immortals like an equal. ¡°Just because I have been alive for a very long time doesn¡¯t mean I know everything there is to know,¡± Master Han said. ¡°I¡¯m still learning and the best way to learn is to have an inquiring mind, instead of assuming you know everything. Remember that, because it will stand you in good stead over the next ten thousand years.¡± That was a very long time. The color drained out of Talen¡¯s face and his shoulders sagged slightly like a great weight had settled on them. Living for ten thousand years meant that everyone he knew now, other than Master Han, would be long gone. While being immortal sounded great, there was clearly one rather large down side. It would quite possibly be a very lonely existence. Master Han nodded along as if he could hear the thoughts going through Talen¡¯s mind. ¡°Progressing to level 33 doesn¡¯t make you immortal, you need the final ceremony for that, however, it does slow down the aging process considerably. Since you will also need help to complete the necessary quests during your apprenticeship, another student will be advancing up to level 33 and joining you in the ceremonies. They will then live for several thousand years as well, so it is important that you can trust each other. You will undoubtedly raise others up over time, but to start, I have chosen to give the young Mei Ling the chance to prove she is worthy of progressing in ranks and reaching level 33 as well. I hope you approve?¡± Other people could get to level 33? ¡°Oh,¡± Talen blurted out. ¡°Yes we¡¯re already training together.¡± ¡°Good, because Master Wu is already level 33,¡± he said, causing the bottom to fall out of Talen¡¯s world again. ¡°Now onto other things,¡± he said, straightening up. ¡°It¡¯s time we started working on your cultivation training.¡± *** ¡°Okay your gathering and cultivating Kai skills are good enough for now, so, we¡¯re going to work on the next skill, which is purifying Kai,¡± Master Han said. Talen sat on the floor in the cultivation pose, having just proved he could gather and circulate Kai as well as Master Han required. Unlike Master Han, however, Talen had three stacked pieces of cloth between him and the stone below. Unsure why his teacher had insisted on them, he wasn¡¯t going to complain, since it took the edge off cold that seeped up from the dark grey floor. ¡°Now close your eyes and focus on the Kai flowing around your body,¡± Master Han said. ¡°Tell me what you sense.¡± Talen concentrated hard, looking inward at the swirling mass of energy in his body. All the Kai moving around somehow felt sluggish to him. He had no idea why he thought that, but it seemed like it ought to be moving through his channels easier than it did currently. The stuff also looked more like dark mist than bright, vibrant energy.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°My Kai is dark grey, wispy and slow, almost like it¡¯s trying to fit through a space that¡¯s too small for it,¡± Talen said, trying to find the right words. ¡°That¡¯s very perceptive,¡± Master Han said. ¡°That¡¯s precisely what¡¯s going on. Your Kai desperately needs purifying. It¡¯s bloated with all the toxins your training has released from your body. That¡¯s why this step is so important. If you didn¡¯t purify it, you¡¯d eventually fall ill. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen people in your clan get slower as they got older.¡± Talen nodded remembering his previous village elder. ¡°It¡¯s because they didn¡¯t fully purify their Kai,¡± Master Han said. ¡°So rather than sending pure life-force energy around their body with their circulation skill, they were distributing the toxins around themselves instead.¡± ¡°So how do I go about purifying my Kai?¡± ¡°This will change as you go up the ranks, but the basic idea is that you cycle your Kai through your heart center, then as it enters you separate the two and only allow the pure Kai to continue,¡± he said. ¡°The toxins will then come out through your breath and your skin. It can get a little messy, especially the first time you do this or whenever you advance in rank like you will with the ceremonies. The best way to learn is simply to start.¡± Despite wanting a lot more details, Talen closed his eyes. Sluggish Kai entered his heart center. He pulled on the black mist to see what would happen. Nothing. There had to be some way of disrupting it and shaking the two apart. He sat still for a moment contemplating the problem. An idea tickled the edge of his mind. Grabbing the dense Kai, he formed it into a ball. Stretching it as far as he could, he held it until it started to vibrate, then quickly released it. The two ends slammed into each other and a puff of black mist exploded out like dust. The Kai left behind was a beautiful clear sparkling ball of energy. Talen released the Kai to carry on flowing out of his heart center, providing the rest of his body with pure, clean energy. Having lost track of time purifying his Kai, Talen finally cleared the last of the black mist out of his body. He opened his eyes. Sitting alone on the floor, a wave of stench hit him. It smelled like rotting fish combined with manure. He coughed and gagged. Lifting up an arm to fan the air in front of his nose, he realized it was covered in a black sticky tar-like substance. Panicking slightly, he glanced down to discover his entire body and his clothes were coated in the stuff. Talen let out a small laugh. This had to be what Master Han had meant by getting a little messy. He was clearly the master of understatement. Talen needed a bath, desperately. If the level of light was anything to go by it was after dark, so the kitchens were most likely closed. No hot water then. He stood up, shuddering at the thought of a cold bath. It might have only been a week since he left home, but he¡¯d quickly become used to the nice hot baths here. The top piece of cloth underneath where he¡¯d sat was drenched in the same goop. The middle piece wasn¡¯t too bad and the bottom one was still clean and had protected the floor. Clearly, they hadn¡¯t just been there to keep away the chill. Talen picked up the middle piece and used it to wipe the soles of his feet. After Master Han had gone to the trouble of protecting his floor, he didn¡¯t want to then track this stuff all over it on his way out. Once he¡¯d finished, he picked up the other pieces and carefully left his master¡¯s study. Given how sticky this stuff was his clothes would probably need to be thrown away. He sighed and headed back to his room to grab some replacements. Opening the door to his room Talen found a small servant boy sitting on his stool, head down on the desk, fast asleep. Reaching out, he shook the boy¡¯s shoulder. With a stifled yelp the child shot to his feet. The servant took a deep breath and ended up coughing hard as the color drained out of his face. ¡°Master Han told me to wait here so I could get you a hot bath, honored student,¡± he said bowing quickly to Talen. ¡°He also said to leave some old pieces of cloth on your bed for you.¡± With one last cough he pointed at the pile of rags before running from the room. A faint retching noise could be heard in the distance as the boy went to call for the hot water. Grabbing the pile of tattered material, Talen gingerly went back outside. He used up half of the pile wiping the black mess off of his exposed skin. Feeling much cleaner inside and full of energy despite the fact that sunrise wasn¡¯t that far away, he set off in the direction of the bathhouse. By the time he arrived, the servants had been and gone. Talen carefully spread two unused rags on the ground to protect the floor. Placing his ruined clothes and the tar soaked rags on top of them, he finished removing the toxic goop from the rest of his body, before cleaning up using one of the buckets. Finally, he sank into the hot water with a sigh. Chapter 3 - The Immortals Apprentice 12 Years Ago - The Rune Fields ¡°Why can¡¯t I play one of the Rune Warriors? I¡¯m always one of the demons, it¡¯s not fair,¡± Aiya said, crossing her arms and pouting. Yuki looked over at the three children playing in the garden. Her youngest Aiya was right, the older children always made her play the part of the demon they vanquished. ¡°Let Aiya play a Rune Warrior for a change you two,¡± she called out through the window. ¡°Fine, but I¡¯m the head warrior,¡± the oldest stamped his foot. ¡°You can be the demon then.¡± He pointed to his middle sister, who promptly started complaining. Yuki closed the window and let them carry on. It was a ridiculous game anyway. Why did kids feel the need to play-act out old fights? There hadn¡¯t been any Rune Warriors since the Kai War a century ago, yet every time they went outside, children across the realm played Rune Warriors and Demons. It sounded like the kids had finally decided who was going to be the demon and had got on with playing. Yuki could hear her son¡¯s loud voice proclaiming death to all demons. In a way it was a shame everyone¡¯s Kai channels had been distorted in the war because the entire realm was now overrun with demons. Still, she had a few minutes to herself with the kids outside, so it was a good time to do her Kai exercises quietly where no one could see. Standing in the meditation position, Yuki focused on her core and the Kai swirling around in it. She pulled more Kai up from the ground and pictured it flowing through her channels. A few wispy strands obeyed and circulated through her body. It had taken her decades of secret practice to have that much control over her Kai. The war stories of warriors shooting Kai out of their hands must have been just that, made up stories. She shook her head and went back to her exercises. Yuki focused on compressing her core and the Kai inside it. A little bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face, but her core was definitely slightly more condensed. The Kai was moving faster in the smaller space, making her heart beat rapidly. Keeping her breath slow and steady she attempted to squeeze it even further. Heat flared through her body and she absentmindedly wondered if the children could hear her heartbeat now that it was pounding so loudly. All of a sudden a scream split the calm outside. Yuki instantly released her Kai and nearly threw up as her core ballooned back to its normal size, pushing Kai rapidly through her channels. The kids were screaming hysterically outside. She grabbed her staff because the only explanation was that a demon had somehow got past the watch and entered the community. Yanking the door open, Yuki sprinted out into the garden and came to an abrupt stop. There were no demons. Her two older kids were getting to their feet at the edge of the garden, with cuts and newly forming bruises all over their faces, arms and legs. They were the ones screaming at the top of their lungs. In complete contrast, Aiya, the youngest, was standing stock still in the center of a ring of destruction. All color gone from her face and her eyes and mouth wide open, she still held out her hand as if she was one of the ancient Rune Warriors. ¡°What happened?¡± Yuki asked in a hushed voice, looking around the garden unable to believe there wasn¡¯t a demon hiding somewhere. The two older kids started shouting at once and Yuki shut them up with a wave of her hand. ¡°She tried to kills us,¡± shouted the boy, pointing at Aiya. The middle child simply nodded along, letting her brother do the talking. ¡°We were playing Rune Warriors and Demons,¡± he said. ¡°Aiya drew a rune in the air and pretended to push her Kai into it. She got it wrong though because her hand was pointed at the ground. So I told her she was too young to play a Rune Warrior cause she couldn¡¯t even get that part right and she got really mad. She said she could do it but father had told her it wasn¡¯t polite to point her palm at another person so that¡¯s why she was pointing it at the ground. Then she said she¡¯d prove it and the earth exploded and threw us over here.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The color drained out of Yuki¡¯s face and she slumped to her knees next to her youngest. At least she¡¯d listened to her father and not pointed her palm at her sister. Thank Kai for small mercies. ¡°Aiya,¡± she said, shaking her daughter¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is that what happened?¡± Aiya nodded wordlessly, her eyes welling up. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Yuki gave her a hug and waited for her daughter to calm down. ¡°Now, can you do it again?¡± Yuki asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer. Aiya squared her little shoulders, took a deep breath and held her palm out, pointing it at the ground. Eyes squinting, lips pursed and a frown plastered across her face, she gathered the Kai from her core and projected it out through the palm of her hand. With a loud bang like a thunder clap, the earth in front of her erupted again, dirt flying in every possible direction. Yuki flew backwards across the yard and the other two children began to scream again. Aiya seemed to be the only one left unaffected. ¡°Is that what you wanted mother?¡± Aiya looked back at Yuki who was shakily getting to her feet. ¡°Kensan, Morie, get inside now,¡± Yuki said to the older children. ¡°Not a word about this to anyone, especially your father. Do you understand?¡± The two of them nodded and stomped back into the house muttering about how unfair it all was and how they hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. Playtime, however, was clearly over for the day. ¡°Aiya,¡± Yuki said turning back to her youngest. ¡°You mustn¡¯t ever do that again. It¡¯s against our ways. I don¡¯t know what the Elder would do if he found out, but I don¡¯t want to know. Promise me you¡¯ll never do it again.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try mother,¡± Aiya said somberly. ¡°It¡¯s just that sometimes, especially when the others are being mean, the Kai just wants to come out and it¡¯s really hard to stop it.¡± *** ¡°Dinner time,¡± Yuki shouted, hoping to bring the entire family out from their rooms to eat together. Aiya and her siblings rushed over to the table, abandoning their studies as fast as they could. Yuki¡¯s husband walked up to the table in a more dignified way. ¡°How was everyone¡¯s day?¡± He asked the children as he helped himself to some rice. ¡°Aiya ruined playtime,¡± Kensan said, making Yuki¡¯s heart lurch. ¡°Yeah, she blew up the garden,¡± Morie said, not wanting to be outdone by her brother. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Yuki said, passing her husband a bowl of soup. ¡°Kids playing, that¡¯s all. Let¡¯s just eat dinner.¡± ¡°But we have a hole in the yard,¡± Kensan said before remembering he¡¯d been told not to say anything. ¡°Oh,¡± he said, clamping his hand over his mouth. The tall stern man got up from the table and made his way over to the window. Looking out he could see the small crater in the ground behind their house. ¡°What happened?¡± He spun around, glaring at Yuki. The day¡¯s events came out bit by bit as the older children tried to talk over Yuki and tell their side of things. Aiya sat very still, eating as quickly as she could. If past experience showed her anything, she¡¯d probably be sent to bed soon. She wouldn¡¯t mind that if she¡¯d already eaten because that meant she¡¯d be left alone to read. Using her Kai, however, always left her hungry, so going to bed without food made her miserable. Grabbing one of the rice buns, she shoved it into her pocket without anyone noticing. ¡°This is all your fault, Yuki.¡± The tall man thumped the table with his fist. ¡°You insist on exercising your Kai when I¡¯ve told you to stop. There¡¯s a reason no one is supposed to do that. We naturally pass the distortion in our Kai channels down to our children for a reason. It¡¯s how things are meant to be.¡± He shook his head and looked off into the distance. ¡°That¡¯s how the Kai War started,¡± he said softly, as Aiya grabbed a second rice bun and smuggled it into her other pocket. ¡°People should never mess around with forces they don¡¯t understand. It only brings trouble. If our ancestors hadn¡¯t done it, the land would still be whole, instead of plagued by demons,¡± he said. Turning his head, his gaze landed on Aiya, whose mouth was stuffed as full as she could make it. ¡°It now seems our youngest daughter isn¡¯t normal because of your dangerous pastime.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Yuki said, about to remind him that everyone used to be able to channel their Kai before the war. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it,¡± he shouted. ¡°Normal people can¡¯t project their Kai out of their body and destroy things.¡± ¡°The Rune Warriors could,¡± Kensan said before Yuki could stop him. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± The man slammed his hand on the table again and stood up. ¡°We¡¯re going to see the Elder, right now.¡± He grabbed Aiya¡¯s hand and half dragged her away from the table toward the door. Chapter 4 - The Immortals Apprentice 12 Years Ago - The Rune Fields - Aiya ¡°Hold out your hands child,¡± the Elder said, glaring down at Aiya. Wondering if she was in more trouble than usual, she dutifully held out her hands. The white haired man stooped down and grabbed them. Yuki, who¡¯d quickly taken her other children to the neighbor¡¯s house, before running after her husband and daughter, burst into the room. ¡°Sorry,¡± she said as all eyes turned toward the interruption before going back to what they¡¯d been doing. The community priest stood between the Elder and Yuki¡¯s husband. Seeing Yuki he nodded his head gravely. He¡¯d been the one to teach her how to see and exercise her Kai. His mouth set in a grim line he turned back to follow the Elder¡¯s actions. The old man peered at Aiya¡¯s outstretched hands. ¡°You should make her clean her hands more often,¡± the Elder said pointing to a small black mark on the back of Aiya¡¯s left hand. The priest looked over, his eyes widening as he took in a well defined symbol. ¡°That¡¯s a birthmark, honored Elder,¡± Yuki said. The old man grumbled loudly, but carried on examining Aiya¡¯s hands without further comment. Yuki carefully adjusted her sight to see what was going on. Instead of the fractured hand centers every other resident of this realm had, Aiya¡¯s were perfectly formed. Little round cones pulsed in her palms as the Kai surged through Aiya¡¯s channels. Yuki¡¯s mouth fell open into a little O. Before the Elder could notice and realize she¡¯d been practicing using her Kai, she shut it again. Aiya was in deep trouble. She represented everything their society was against. ¡°Marks like that often relate to prophecies,¡± the priest blurted out without thinking.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°What?¡± The Elder looked up from Aiya¡¯s hands to stare at the priest. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you of all people put stock in fairy tales. This child is dangerous to our way of life. That¡¯s a fact, not some useless mumbo jumbo like a prophecy.¡± The Elder let go of Aiya¡¯s hands and Yuki stepped forward and grabbed her, enveloping her in her arms. ¡°Our land was broken apart by people like this child,¡± the Elder said, waving in Aiya¡¯s direction. ¡°She can¡¯t be allowed to continue to live in our community. She will destroy us as surely as the ancients destroyed our realm.¡± Aiya began to cry. ¡°Either put her outside the gates now, or I will bring the guard over and make sure none of your family is ever allowed into this community again,¡± the Elder said. ¡°It will be done,¡± Aiya¡¯s father said, reaching for Aiya¡¯s arm. ¡°No,¡± Yuki shouted. ¡°I will do it, but I¡¯m going to go back to the house first to grab my staff. You can¡¯t expect a child to survive out there without some way of defending herself from demons.¡± ¡°She has her Kai,¡± the Elder said coldly. ¡°Either she leaves right now, or you both do.¡± ¡°Go back to the house Yuki,¡± the priest said. ¡°Aiya can protect herself. I will take her now.¡± The priest picked up Aiya and strode out of the house without looking back. Walking toward the gate, he placed her back on her feet. Taking his waterskin, he hung it over her shoulder. ¡°Now I don¡¯t know much about projecting your Kai, Aiya, but if anything tries to attack you, that¡¯s what you¡¯ll have to do to defend yourself, okay?¡± Aiya nodded, realizing the priest was trying to help her. ¡°Take these too and keep them safe,¡± the priest handed her his fire starting kit and a small knife. ¡°Do you know how to use them?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she whispered. ¡°There are animals out there you can hunt,¡± he said. ¡°One last thing. Can you read?¡± ¡°A little,¡± Aiya said, my mother was trying to teach me ¡°Good,¡± the priest said, pulling a book out from the folds of his robes. ¡°This book tells you everything I¡¯ve discovered about the ancient Rune Warriors and how they used their Kai. Study it as much as you can, it will help you get control over your gift.¡± She nodded and took the book, unsure where to put it since her pockets were still full of rice buns. Seeing her confusion the priest tore off a section of material from the bottom of his robes and tied the book and fire starting kit together, before wrapping it around Aiya like a shoulder bag. They carried on walking in silence until they finally reached the outer gate for the community. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can to send you some help out there,¡± the priest looked down at the little girl. Letting go of his hand, Aiya nodded, her bottom lip trembling slightly. She lifted her head, squared her shoulders and walked out into the deserted wasteland without looking back. Chapter 5 - The Immortals Apprentice Present - The Immortal Vale - Talen ¡°Hey, quit hiding in the bath house,¡± Mei Ling shouted, waking Talen up with a start. ¡°We¡¯re supposed to be training, not lazing around.¡± ¡°Coming,¡± he shouted back. Frantically looking around, Talen found a new set of clothes had been left for him and all the old rags had been taken away. He dried off and threw everything on as fast as he could because Mei Ling was the type of person who¡¯d come in just to see what was taking you so long. ¡°Oh good, you¡¯re decent,¡± she said, jumping down from the now open window. ¡°This is the men¡¯s bathhouse,¡± Talen blurted out, his voice considerably squeakier than he¡¯d have liked. ¡°I know,¡± she said, head swinging left and right. ¡°I wanted to see what it looked like inside.¡± She sniffed the air a couple of times. ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± She asked, her nose wrinkling. ¡°Master Han taught me how to purify my Kai yesterday afternoon,¡± Talen said, shrugging. ¡°And it¡¯s taken you until now to finish? I was much faster,¡± she said. ¡°I managed the whole thing in under four bells.¡± Talen rolled my eyes. It seemed everything was a competition to Mei Ling. ¡°Have your legs recovered from yesterday¡¯s challenge?¡± She bit down on her lips trying to hide a smile, but it came out anyway. ¡°I told you I could stay in horse stance longer than you.¡± ¡°Yes my legs are fine, there¡¯s no weakness for you to exploit this morning.¡± He glared at her. ¡°Of course, you had to hold it for a lot longer than I did if I remember correctly,¡± he said, stroking his chin. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll be beating you again today, just like yesterday.¡± Mei Ling punched Talen¡¯s arm. ¡°No chance. Anyway, I have some good news. My father says that as soon as you reach level 3 we¡¯ll both be allowed out to explore Sun Long Shan,¡± she said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see what¡¯s out there. I¡¯ve never been allowed to go further than the village at the base of it and even then I had to have someone with me.¡± Talen joined Mei Ling, looking out of the window at the impossibly tall mountain that dominated the landscape. If he was being honest with himself, he didn¡¯t feel anywhere near ready to begin investigating what lived up there. ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Talen said creeping toward the bathhouse exit. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to keep you safe from whatever is up there.¡± She spun, sputtering as her face went red. Laughing, Talen stepped out of the door, closed it behind him and stuck a metal pole through the handles. There was a loud thud as she finally reached the doors. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll have to climb back out the way you came in,¡± he shouted. ¡°See you at practice.¡± Talen grinned. That seemed like a fair payback for the dose of trouble she¡¯d caused yesterday. He quickly made his way to the training grounds so he¡¯d be there on time. ***Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°You¡¯re late Mei Ling,¡± Master Wu said as she tried to sneak into the training grounds without anyone seeing. ¡°You will be assisting the guards for three bells this afternoon to learn more about discipline.¡± ¡°Yes sifu,¡± she said bowing to her father. She stuck her tongue out at Talen as she walked into the center of the courtyard. ¡°Obviously, you¡¯ll be joined by Talen,¡± Master Wu said, without skipping a beat. Talen¡¯s mouth dropped open. ¡°Your energy tells me you are the reason she was late,¡± he told the young man before he could ask what he¡¯d done wrong. ¡°Now, I want to see you both run through your exercises.¡± Grounding himself and dropping into a meditative state, Talen made sure his channels were wide open to gather more Kai and nothing was blocking its circulation. The purification had made everything easier and the tingling sensation in the palms of his hands extended up his arms with a thought. He started going through the form, flowing from one stance to the next, the courtyard disappearing as everything other than his movements ceased to matter. Bright sparkling Kai glided through his channels, effortlessly supporting his body as he spun, ducked, punched and kicked his way through the sequence he¡¯d learned as a child. The routine had never been this easy for him before. Finally, he reached the end. Putting his left fist into his right palm, he bowed deeply. ¡°You¡¯re improving Talen,¡± Master Wu said, as Mei Ling finished and bowed as well. ¡°Start at the first Single Whip again.¡± Talen sunk down, bending his legs until they were horizontal to the ground, right arm out like a crane¡¯s head and left palm flat pushing outwards. Continuing into the next move Grasping the Moon, Master Wu walked around behind him. As Talen¡¯s hands parted and he shouldered an imaginary opponent out of his way ready to progress into the kick, his left hand met solid resistance. Resistance that felt like a wooden stick, except for the fact that it buzzed slightly almost like contained lightning. Talen turned his head to find Master Wu standing there holding a manifested bo staff made from pure Kai. He¡¯d heard of energy weapons as a child, but he¡¯d never seen one before. He¡¯d always thought they only existed in stories. His mouth dropped open as he watched the little electric bolts shoot along the staff, sizzling against his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there both of you, attack,¡± Master Wu said, beckoning his students toward him. ¡°Today is all about your teamwork.¡± Not needing to be told twice, Talen spun, ducking under the staff, as Mei Ling circled around behind her father. Punching upward, Talen¡¯s fist met with a glowing blue shield that felt as solid as metal. With a tiny gesture the shield vanished and Master Wu grabbed Talen¡¯s arm, pulling him off balance. Spinning forward, Master Wu effortlessly evaded Mei Ling¡¯s attack. She overreached as he jumped backward. Talen tried to roll out of the way to avoid tripping Mei Ling up, but Master Wu¡¯s hand sliced down toward him, stopping a hair¡¯s breadth from his throat. Talen froze. ¡°Yield,¡± he said, not wanting to know what would happen if he didn¡¯t. ¡°What? I had this,¡± Mei Ling said, gesturing wildly at Talen. As quick as a flash, Master Wu dropped down and spun, catching Mei Ling behind her knees. With a thud she hit the floor, finding a manifested sword pressed to her throat. ¡°Yield,¡± she said, sighing. ¡°You two need to learn how to work together more effectively,¡± Master Wu said. ¡°Especially since you will be fighting together for a very long time to come.¡± He walked back to the center of the training ground, summoned his staff and sunk into a fighting position. ¡°Once more,¡± Master Wu said, beckoning to both of them. ¡°Don¡¯t make the same mistakes this time.¡± *** ¡°Yield,¡± Talen said for what felt like the fiftieth time that morning. They¡¯d yet to even touch Master Wu. ¡°Why can¡¯t we use weapons?¡± Mei Ling complained, rubbing Dragon Balm into her right arm again. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you to hurt yourself with it, or worse yet, each other.¡± Master Wu crossed his arms. ¡°If you fail to use a weapon correctly, your opponent will use it against you. I don¡¯t need the extra advantage right now and I¡¯d rather neither of you got injured.¡± ¡°When will we learn to manifest a weapon?¡± Talen asked, getting back to his feet quickly. ¡°Once you move out of the base rank into the transitional rank. Until then you don¡¯t have the volume of Kai available to use,¡± Master Wu said. ¡°Now, enough with the questions, let¡¯s go.¡± Master Wu signaled for them to attack and they both launched themselves at him. On the far side of the courtyard a small servant boy attempted to brush away a puddle on the floor. For some reason, this was the third one he¡¯d cleaned up this morning. Sighing, he brushed the water into the drains that surrounded the training grounds. Chapter 6 - The Immortals Apprentice Present - The Immortal Vale - Talen ¡°Right you two,¡± the guard captain said. ¡°You¡¯ll be patrolling the path to the entrance for the next three bells.¡± ¡°Ooh, something exciting,¡± Mei Ling said, her eyes lighting up at the idea of battle. The guard captain let out a harsh laugh. ¡°Our outer patrols will catch everything before it gets anywhere near where you¡¯ll be Mei Ling. Master Wu wanted the two of you to learn about discipline, so that¡¯s what this is focused on.¡± He nodded decisively. ¡°If you do happen to see anything out of the ordinary, even a stray animal, you are both to return here immediately and report. I don¡¯t want you fighting, however tempting it is. Do I make myself clear?¡± He stared at Mei Ling, daring her to disagree. ¡°Yes, honorable captain,¡± Talen said, glancing at Mei Ling and hoping she wasn¡¯t going to force the head of the guard to make them do drills for the rest of the afternoon instead. ¡°Yes,¡± Mei Ling said, dropping her gaze and letting her shoulder slump. Talen kicked the side of her foot. ¡°A thousand apologies.¡± Mei Ling bowed slightly. ¡°Yes honorable captain. No fighting, just reporting.¡± ¡°Good, because if you don¡¯t follow orders, Master Wu has offered your services to run errands until the next full moon,¡± he said looking solely at Mei Ling. ¡°So, you will be patrolling from here right through to the second pagoda and back again. You can walk that distance within one bell, so I expect to see you here three times during your shift. Got it?¡± Talen and Mei Ling nodded and bowed to the guard captain before leaving the castle through the side gate. *** ¡°I can¡¯t believe how boring this is,¡± Mei Ling said, kicking a pebble on the path. They¡¯d already walked far enough from the castle to lose sight of it and the black rocky path went straight for as far as Talen could see. Granted, he couldn¡¯t see that far because the path rose and fell over the rolling hills. It probably was boring for Mei Ling, but he¡¯d never been out here before, so despite the lack of variation in the landscape, he was happy. The guard captain had shown Talen the route on his map. It descended rapidly down from the castle, into the valley. After crossing a shallow river, the path started back upward into the undulating foothills of Sun Long Shan, the tall, snow-capped mountain that dominated the landscape in every direction. At the top of one of the smaller rises sat the first pagoda. Talen could see it just ahead of them, off the path on the right hand side. Its grey pillars painted red at the top to match the sloped, ridged roof. Four yellow lanterns hung, one at each corner to give travelers a place to rest and meditate on their journey. If he¡¯d remembered correctly it marked the halfway point in their journey. After this, the path would be cutting through farm lands on its way up past the second pagoda to the village at the base of the mountain. Talen and Mei Ling, however, wouldn¡¯t be visiting the village today. They¡¯d need to turn around as soon as they reached the second pagoda.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. They walked up to the first pagoda. The castle guard had established a notification system to show which side of the building the patrol currently walked. At the base of the closest pillar was a medium sized rock with a red X painted on it. Talen picked it, straining from the weight, and carried it across to the other side. ¡°Put it here,¡± Mei Ling said pointing to the pillar opposite where it had been. ¡°Well that¡¯s not going anywhere by mistake,¡± Talen said dropping the rock with a thud. ¡°I hope we get to see something exciting,¡± Mei Ling said, as the two of them walked down the slope away from the pagoda. ¡°Growing up, my father used to tell me stories of his time in the guard. Everywhere in this realm was at war then. Demons roamed the land and he spent most of his time battling them. There haven¡¯t been any demons here for years now.¡± ¡°Yes there have,¡± Talen said, stopping walking. ¡°A friend and I fought some on our way to the castle when I first got here.¡± ¡°Ooh really? What did they look like? I¡¯ve never seen one,¡± Mei Ling said excitedly. ¡°Well, there were two different types,¡± Talen said, resuming his walk. ¡°The smaller ones had dark orange skin and their heads were twice the size you¡¯d have expected on their bodies. Their teeth looked like needles and they had several rows of them in a huge mouth. They were pretty small overall though, only came up to about here.¡± Talen held his hand out at the level of his chest. ¡°The others seemed to be the ones in charge. They were much bigger. At least one and half times my height and easily twice as wide. They had jet black skin that kept cracking all over the place, releasing tiny flames. If you can imagine a blob with arms and legs you¡¯d have a good idea of what they looked like. Kind of a walking, talking wall of molten lava.¡± The two companions approached the top of the hill, finally able to see what lay on the other side. ¡°How many did you fight?¡± Mei Ling asked, eyes glued to her friend¡¯s face. Talen¡¯s mouth fell open and he stopped dead in his tracks. Grabbing Mei Ling, he pulled her roughly to the ground. ¡°Wha-,¡± she squawked before Talen quickly covered her mouth. ¡°Demons,¡± he whispered, pointing to the other side of the hill. Mei Ling¡¯s eyebrows shot up and she tried to jump to her feet. Talen, however, had a firm hold on his friend and pulled her back down before anything could spot them. ¡°Follow me,¡± Talen said. ¡°Quietly.¡± He glared at Mei Ling, who nodded briefly. On their bellies, they crawled up to the crest and carefully peered over. There, coming down the side of the next slope were an army of dark figures. Talen counted fifty of them, with more coming over the hill as they watched. ¡°We need to get back and tell the guard,¡± he whispered, backing away from the top of the hill before they could spot him. ¡°I think we should take them on,¡± Mei Ling said, a glint in her eyes. ¡°There are over fifty of them,¡± Talen hissed. ¡°If the captain doesn¡¯t know they¡¯re here, that means they¡¯ve already wiped out the patrols outside of this area because he thought we¡¯d meet nothing on the road. That means we wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. We need to get back.¡± Grumbling, Mei Ling finally nodded. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go.¡± As soon as they¡¯d crept far enough away from the top, they stood up. ¡°We need to run,¡± Talen said breaking into a jog. ¡°We need to be over the top of that next hill before they get to this point or they¡¯ll see us.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± Mei Ling said. ¡°Race you.¡± She sprinted back toward the first pagoda, Talen struggling to keep up. Chapter 8 - The Immortals Apprentice Present - The Immortal Vale - Enzo ¡°Gotcha, you little thief.¡± The guard grabbed the hand of a young man that he¡¯d been sent to stop. The captured man struggled halfheartedly. ¡°Did you think could you get away with stealing from the kitchens forever?¡± The guard pulled the young man closer, glaring at him. ¡°What¡¯s your name and how did you get here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Enzo Hai of the Water Clan and I was sent here to retrieve the Eternity Stone for the Elemental Nexus and I¡¯ve been here ever since,¡± he said, ignoring the guard¡¯s other question. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve evaded us since then, but I¡¯ve got you now,¡± he guard said, sneering slightly. ¡°Master Han will decide what to do with you. Come on.¡± The guard pushed Enzo roughly before him, heading to the holding cells. At least the cook would be happy. He¡¯d never seen anyone so furious about someone invading their domain. Perhaps she¡¯d let him have some of the dragon¡¯s beard candies she was getting ready to make for the new year. The pair trudged down to the basement of the castle where the cells were. Enzo already knew the way, having escaped from them twice already. The place was empty. He¡¯d happily make it three times once the guard left, so he let himself get pushed into the cell. It was simply a minor detour from his current plans. Enzo turned and held the bars like they meant something as the guard locked the cell door. ¡°Done.¡± The guard nodded grimly. ¡°I¡¯ll go and get Master Han and¡­ wait.¡± The guard peered closely at Enzo¡¯s left hand. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± He grabbed it, pulling Enzo¡¯s forearm through the bars to get his hand under the brighter light. ¡°Oh,¡± the guard said, his eyes going wide. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°Nineteen,¡± Enzo said, frowning. ¡°Why?¡± The guard¡¯s mouth dropped open a little and he shook his head. ¡°What date is your birthing day?¡± The guard asked, urgently, gripping Enzo¡¯s hand harder. ¡°I don¡¯t see what that has to do with anything,¡± Enzo said, trying, and failing, to pull his hand back. ¡°It has everything to do with¡­ well, everything,¡± the guard said, shaking Enzo¡¯s arm. ¡°I need to know when your birthing day is.¡± ¡°Fine, the eighth of Rains,¡± Enzo said scowling. ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± the guard murmured, looking at Enzo like he¡¯d just grown a second head. ¡°What can¡¯t be?¡± Enzo said, tensing his jaw.Stolen novel; please report. ¡°You¡¯re the one,¡± the guard said, staring at him with wide eyes. He finally released the hold on Enzo¡¯s hand. ¡°What do you mean, the one?¡± Enzo asked, his eyes narrowing as he pulled his hand back. Looking down at the familiar black mark on the back of his hand, a circle inside a small triangle, Enzo frowned. He¡¯d been born with it. No one had ever said anything about it before though. It was simply an odd birthmark. The guard¡¯s eyes darted around the room. ¡°The one from the prophecy,¡± the guard whispered as he leaned in. Enzo had never heard of a prophecy before, so he raised his eyebrows and waited for the man to continue. ¡°You know, the one who will bring back that which is missing and restore balance to the¡­¡± the guard said, trailing off at Enzo¡¯s blank look. An uncomfortable silence descended on the room as the guard paced back and forth, muttering to himself. Enzo rolled his eyes and sat on the floor at the back of the cell. The guard had obviously lost it. Suddenly the man stopped and turned to face Enzo. ¡°Okay, I need to get you safe,¡± he said, saying the last thing Enzo had been expecting. ¡°I¡¯m Lee, one of Master Chao¡¯s followers. Enzo had never heard of a Master Chao. ¡°He¡¯s an immortal very few people know about,¡± Lee said, unlocking the cell door. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not safe to talk about here.¡± ¡°There are eight great immortals and none of them are called Master Chao,¡± Enzo got to his feet so he could run if necessary. ¡°Oh there¡¯s a lot that people think they know that¡¯s actually incorrect,¡± Lee waved Enzo¡¯s objection away, turned around and walked over to a cupboard on the other side of the room. Enzo ran his hand through his hair. He could simply disappear, but Lee¡¯s offhand remark made him curious. ¡°What do I have wrong then?¡± Enzo crossed his arms. ¡°Plenty,¡± Lee said, grabbing something from the cupboard and walking back to the cell. ¡°Like I said, this isn¡¯t the place to talk about it though. Put these on.¡± He handed Enzo a guard uniform. ¡°It¡¯ll be the easiest way to get you somewhere safe,¡± Lee said. ¡°No one recognizes all the guards and they have access nearly everywhere in this place. Once you¡¯re safe I¡¯ll happily tell you anything you want to know.¡± He waited for Enzo to change, walking back to the main room and writing something in the logs. Unsure what to do Enzo hastily swapped his clothes for the uniform. Even if he decided to escape, being dressed like a guard would clearly make moving around much easier. ¡°This way,¡± Lee said the moment Enzo finished. *** The pair entered a rather run down stone house that sat behind the castle. Still inside the high outer walls, it had no space for a garden and pushed up against the houses on either side of it. Lee lit the candles around the room so Enzo could see. The place was fairly sparse. A lone chair stood in one corner and a bed lay opposite. A threadbare rug covered the stone floor and a large locked chest held down one side of it. ¡°Hold this,¡± Lee said, thrusting the candle holder into Enzo¡¯s hands. He bent over and started rolling the rug back. Beneath it was a well maintained trap door with a brass handle. Lee stopped and listened carefully, his eyes darting around the room. Having established the place was empty, he quickly pulled up the door. Bright light shone from below, showing a steep stone staircase. ¡°Go on,¡± Lee said gesturing for Enzo to descend. With a glance back at the front door, Enzo shrugged and started down the stairs, with Lee right behind him. The basement room was extremely well kept. Row upon row of books stared back at Enzo from the far wall. A display of various weapons adorned the wall to his left, while the right one was covered in various maps. The middle of the room was taken up by a huge wooden table, surrounded by chairs. The most intriguing thing, however, were the balls of energy, one in each corner of the room, that gave off the intense light. Lee grabbed the candle holder from Enzo and blew it out, placing it on the table. ¡°Now, let¡¯s show you this prophecy,¡± Lee said, pulling out one of the chairs for Enzo to sit down. Grabbing out a huge, black, leather-bound book, he thumped it down onto the table. ¡°There, read that,¡± Lee said, having found the right page. Enzo leaned over, his eyes getting wider with every word he read. Chapter 9 - The Immortals Apprentice
Present - The Immortal Vale - Talen
¡°Demons,¡± Mei Ling yelled as she and Talen ran toward the gate guards.
Talen gestured behind them, he didn¡¯t have enough breath to even whisper, let alone shout.
¡°Get the captain,¡± one of the guards called back into the castle.
The noise of the guards coming together and the captain¡¯s commands drowned out the sound of the horde coming up the hill.
Talen and Mei Ling reached the safety of the castle. Hurrying through the gate, Mei Ling urged Talen on. He simply collapsed onto the floor, groaning.
¡°Numbers,¡± the captain said, standing over the pair. ¡°Or any information you have for what we¡¯re facing.¡±
¡°At least 50, probably more,¡± Talen said, struggling to sit back up while bowing his head.
¡°Talen took out two of them on his own though, so they¡¯re not that tough,¡± Mei Ling said.
¡°I thought I told you to return with information and avoid fighting,¡± the guard captain said, crossing his arms.
¡°They ambushed me, honorable captain,¡± Talen said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a choice.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll talk about this later.¡± The captain spun and went to give more orders to the guards. ¡°Report to Master Han,¡± he shouted over his shoulder.
¡°I thought there weren¡¯t supposed to be any demons in this realm anymore,¡± Talen said.
The pair were sitting in Master Han¡¯s study.
¡°Sometimes they get through one of the portals and try and take over this castle,¡± Master Han said. ¡°There are artifacts here that the demons, and others, would like to get their hands on. Not to mention the shear amount of pure Kai the residents of this castle carry. They won¡¯t succeed though. The guard is strong and all much higher rank than your average demon. Still, it¡¯s a good thing you didn¡¯t try and fight them yourselves.¡±
¡°What did you mean about the pure Kai?¡± Talen asked, as Mei Ling opened her mouth to tell the immortal about the scouts Talen had fought.
¡°The more you purify your Kai, the more lower energy beings like demons will want to possess it. You see they¡¯re unable to purify their own Kai. It¡¯s what separates the inhabitants of the higher realms from those of the lower realms. They can smell it though,¡± Master Han said.
¡°The two I killed were sniffing the air during our fight,¡± Talen said. ¡°Is that why?¡±
Master Han laughed.
¡°I should have known you two wouldn¡¯t have managed to stay away from the fighting completely.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what they were smelling. They can pull the Kai out of a corpse, so they would have been hoping to do that with your Kai. And they were probably hoping to do so before the others caught up to them and their leaders took it instead.¡±
¡°He leveled up to level 3 during the fight,¡± Mei Ling said, almost bouncing on her seat. ¡°My father said we could go out to Sun Long Shan when that happened and he had a quest for us.¡±
¡°Actually, the quest is mine,¡± Master Han said. ¡°For the formal apprentice ceremony I¡¯ll need some Uchie berries. They only grow at the base of Sun Long Shan. We¡¯ll need a small bag of them and Talen will need to be the one to pick them.¡±
Master Han pulled a bag out of his robes and stood up to pass it over to Talen.
¡°Mei Ling, you¡¯ll need to be there to ensure he remains safe. I¡¯m not expecting any trouble, but it¡¯s always wise to think ahead. So why don¡¯t you go and plan out the route with your father. He¡¯ll know exactly what might be up there and he can show you what to do,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to pick the berries at sunrise, so they¡¯re full of moonlight, as that will provide the best results.¡±
Grinning, Mei Ling left to go and find her father.
¡°We have other things we need to discuss,¡± Master Han said.
Talen nodded.
¡°I need to show you how to summon your Kai, so the berries become linked to you when you pick them tomorrow,¡± Master Han said.
He demonstrated the technique to Talen, before waving him over to practice. Talen stood up and grounded himself.
¡°First, pull Kai up through your feet to add it to your heart center,¡± Master Han said. ¡°You should now be doing this all the time to keep your center full of Kai. You won¡¯t be able to instantly summon it to your hands if your center is lacking.¡±
Talen pulled more Kai into his core and tried to copy what he¡¯d been shown.
¡°No, like this.¡± Master Han demonstrated summoning his Kai again. ¡°Squeeze the base of your thumb in slightly, so your Kai gets directed to the center of your hand. Do the same with your middle finger, and pull your smallest finger slightly back.¡±
Talen changed his finger position slightly. A prickling sensation appeared in the center of his palm.
¡°Good,¡± Master Han said. ¡°From there let it get stronger and stronger until you create a cloud of Kai around your hand. When you concentrate well enough, it should become like a shield over the area.¡±
Talen concentrated on summoning Kai into his hand, and flooding it over his fingers. His hand took on a glassy hue as the shield coalesced around his hand.
¡°Excellent,¡± Master Han said. ¡°That is what you¡¯ll need to use tomorrow to pick these berries. If you forget, the berries won¡¯t be linked to you and the formal apprentice ritual will fail.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll remember,¡± Talen said, bowing his head slightly.
¡°About the formal apprentice ceremony,¡± Master Han said, sitting down and gesturing to Talen to do the same. ¡°There are several thing that need to occur before it can take place. Firstly, you¡¯ll need to learn how to make ink from the Uchie berries. They will be what I use to write the ritual with to formally seal your apprenticeship. It¡¯s why the berries need to be linked to you, so no one else can pick them for you. We will make the ink together once you return tomorrow with the berries.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± Talen said, unsure what else to say.
¡°The other thing that will have to happen is that you¡¯ll need to be chosen by your legendary weapon,¡± Master Han said. ¡°I am sure this will be easier for you than most people though.
Master Han waved his hand as if this was a minor inconvenience as Talen¡¯s face paled slightly.
¡°Of course, you¡¯ll have to level up your cultivation and learn a few more things before you¡¯ll be ready, or even you won¡¯t be selected,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°However, once you¡¯re ready, to be chosen by it, you will first have to find it.¡±
Master Han started to pace around the room.
¡°It could currently be in any of the nine realms and you¡¯ll have to use your Kai to sense its possible locations,¡± he said. ¡°Once you¡¯re nearby you¡¯ll then have to perform a feat that will demonstrate you are worthy of being chosen.¡±
¡°What kind of feat?¡± Talen asked in a shaky voice.
¡°Well that will depend upon the individual weapon,¡± Master Han said stopping and turning to face Talen. ¡°For an item like a sword, it will probably have to be a feat of unusual skill, something that will make it see you as a partner worthy of joining with in battle. With an item less obviously suited to fighting, it could be your ability to think outside the box, or a supreme kindness, or even something that displays your ability to take on different roles depending on the situation. Essentially, whatever it needs you to be to work with it the best. At the end of the day, the legendary weapon that chooses you shows who you will likely become in the future.¡±
¡°What if nothing wants to choose me?¡± Talen said rubbing his sweaty palms on his legs.
¡°Ah, I need to let you in on a little secret,¡± Master Hand said, smiling. Taking a deep breath, he sat back down next to Talen. ¡°As an immortal, I have access to prophecies that will affect the realms. I¡¯ve known for a long time that a marked child will be born that will bring balance to the realms, bringing back something that was missing.¡±
Talen tilted his head to the side, unsure what this had to do with him.
¡°The prophecy tells of the date that child will be born as well,¡± Master Han said. ¡°It¡¯s the eighth of Rains in the 13th year of the Age of Turmoil.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that year,¡± Talen said frowning.
¡°That¡¯s because immortals measure years across all realms, not just the one you were brought up in. The date happened nineteen years ago.¡±
He let the information sink in. Talen looked frantically around the room, his hands shaking and the color completely gone from his face. Focusing on everything except Master Han, Talen¡¯s face went through various expressions, finally landing back on a frown.
¡°Are you saying what I think you¡¯re saying?¡± Talen stuttered.
¡°Yes,¡± Master Han said grabbing Talen¡¯s left hand and pointing to the black mark. ¡°This is the symbol that went with the prophecy.¡±
Talen looked down at the little circle inside the triangle on his left hand.
¡°I think you¡¯re the one this prophecy is about,¡± Master Han said.