《Streams of Mithril》 Chapter 1: Life Support W.R. Eternal: This is my latest project besides Records of a Sovereign. Will edited as soon as possible. Like my main project, chapters posted on Saturday, Pacific Time Zone. It is a new kind of theme for me. I hope you enjoy the read. Chapter 1: Life Support "Just let it end, mom. That major company will surely pay you more than ten million. I can''t be saved. I lost too much blood during the four surgeries," the twenty seven year old smiled weakly as his mother held his hand. "You''re my son! My first born! There is no other child like you," she wept. "Gee. Thanks, I guess," his younger sister of six years frowned and gazed sadly at her eldest brother. "Do you remember what happened?" "No. Only the pain. I did see videos of how it happened," Wilbert Lu sighed. "The anesthesia works well. Too well. Can''t even feel the pain. Anything really. My hand feels itchy though." "They will surely pay for what they did," his father, William Lu vowed. "Mom, I....wasn''t a great son. I did many stupid things growing up. Katie, I''m sorry for making my athletic ability overshadow your academic achievements. You''re really smart. Valedictorian and accepted into Yale? Wow. I could never get there, even if an academic scholarship were offered," Wilbert laughed and coughed blood. "Will, you idiot! This is no time for jokes" Katie sobbed, burying her face in her father''s chest as she was unable to bear seeing him suffer. "If you see Joey, tell him I''m not angry. He did the right thing to work for that company. His enthusiasm is note a bad thing. It is just unfortunate this happened," Wilbert said as he tightened his grip on his mom''s hand. "You''re so calm about this," she wept. "He should be here. He has to be." "He blames himself. Just seeing my funeral from a distance should be bearable for him. I''m scared, but engrave John 3:14 on my grave," Wilbert rasped and looked at the doctor. "I''m ready." As the doctor administered the serum, Wilbert smiled and said, "Thank you." "WILBERT!" his mom screamed and cried into his chest as her son closed his eyes and his chest stilled without rising ever again. "Will!" a man shouted as he burst into the room. "He''s gone. You''re too late," Katie said as she walked out the room crying. William sat his wife out in the hall and held her shoulders as she wept. "On March 27 at approximately 11:14 a.m., Wilbert Lu has passed away," the doctor stated for the record, writing on Wilbert''s death certificate and patted Joey''s shoulder as he walked quietly out the room. A specter watched silently as Joey walked over to the corpse. The specter looked exactly like Wilbert, the ghost smiling with a mix of joy and sadness as Joey sat on the chair beside the hospital bed. "Forgive me," Joey cried as he gripped Wilbert''s hand. "I''m sorry. I''m so sorry. I wanted to be a success. To be better than you. I lied about hating you. I just felt inferior. I never wanted that to be the last words we exchanged with one another. I''m sorry. I''m sorry." "I forgive you," Wilbert said silently as the nurses in the room wiped their eyes and covered Wilbert''s body with the hospital blanket. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "Bro? Will?" Joey cried as he thought he heard Wilbert''s voice. Wilbert only smiled as he felt his incorporeal body break up into mist and disappear in a golden light. "Will, get up! You''re late for school!" a little girl''s voice piped. "Am I in heaven?" Wilbert wondered as he rubbed his eyes. "Eldest bro is funny. You''re not dead, dummy," a little girl around age eleven giggled. "No way! Katie? How are you so young?" Wilbert gasped and looked at his hands. There were no scars or bandages. His right hand still had all five fingers as well. "Why are you so old? Stop acting like an old geezer," Katie pouted and pulled her brother out of bed. "Ack. That hurts!" Wilbert roared, Katie sticking out her tongue as he rubbed his knees. ".....it hurts. It really hurts. I can feel my knees. I still have my legs!" "Big bro, don''t cry," Katie said as she began tearing up as Wilbert wept with joy as he hugged his knees to his chest. "I''m not crying," Wilbert laughed as he rubbed his tears away. "I''ll meet you downstairs. Go on." "Kay," she grinned and skipped out the room. "I''m young again. I look just how I did at senior year in high school. I''m about seventeen?" Wilbert wondered as he entered his bathroom and inspected his reflection in the mirror. "My body is almost as muscular as a body builder. It is just more lean with less muscle mass. This can''t be heaven. Have I gone back in time?" He went back to his room and stared at the photo frames in his room. It showed him in a basketball team with his best friend, Christian, holding the basketball city championship trophy. There were some pictures he remembered and some that he didn''t. Wilbert stared numbed at another photo of himself with a miniature white tornado above his right hand while and his left arm completely covered in black energy. A red rope coiled around his left shoulder and a bright amethyst gem was embedded on the back of his left hand. He stared at the small plaque below the picture and was stunned. He looked at the white silver ring with a red dragon coiled around. It was important somehow. Wilbert was sure both the picture and the ring were never there until he ''arrived''. Hoping to seek clues, he read the inscription on the plaque. "You have been given a second chance and powers of your own. Your left arm ignores outside influences and can steal anything within a meter radius. With it, you have one last chance to shine like a star in the sky," Wilbert read the plaque and nearly dropped it. He stared at his left hand as black swirling runes appeared from his fingertips to his shoulder. They always shifted and changed their shapes and forms. He inwardly knew no one but him could see them. He looked back at the photo to see the inscription smaller and its original text changed. A shattered moon was now in the background of the picture and Wilbert looked almost tyrannical. It was as if he was the one who destroyed the moon. "This is what I will become," stated the plaque as he read the inscription. "This is definitely not heaven," Wilbert shook his head in denial as the runes disappeared. "What happened to me?" Chapter 2: New Immortal W.R. Eternal: Been busy today. Sorry for evening Saturday release. Chapter 2: New Immortal "About time you came down," a boy grumbled as Wilbert entered the dining room beside the kitchen. "Joey?" Wilbert gasped, seeing his younger brother so....young. "My baby has come of age. Seventeen at last," a woman in her late thirties smiled as she put pancakes on the table. Her name was Marissa, and was his mother. "Of age? What does that mean?" Wilbert frowned. "It''s here," a man''s voice called from the front door as he entered. He was six foot two inches and had a muscular build. In his hands was a small package in black wrapping. "You get the serum only when you are seventeen. It awakens the magical energy inside you that your body has been absorbing since you were born," Marissa answered as she opened the package and took out a syringe. She siphoned the liquid inside a separate sealed bottle and it emptied as its contents filled the syringe. "What is that?" Wilbert frowned as his dad rolled up Wilbert''s right sleeve and cleaned the arm with alcohol. "This, Will, is humanity''s hope. It has kept us alive after the fall of the Modern Era," Marissa answered as his dad tied a rope around his arm to reveal a vein on his arm opposite the elbow. "Should it be successful, you will gain a power people only dream of. It will feel strange, but bear with it." "Mom, what are you doing?" Wilbert''s eyes widened in alarm as she pierced his arm with the needle and emptied the bluish green liquid in the syringe into his body. His dad began to hold him down as Wilbert''s body began to spasm. "Big brother!" Katie cried but was hugged tightly from behind by Joey. "It is okay, sis. This is part of the process," Joey soothed and watched Wilbert intently. In two years, he would undergo the same process. A bright bluish green light shined from Wilbert''s eyes first. Then, the same light illuminated the room from his mouth. William let go as Wilbert''s body stopped moving, Wilbert''s face directed at the wall. Marissa was recording the process on camera as she was required to by law. She had to provide evidence that the serum was used and not kept. In Wilbert''s room, the strange photo changed. Around the right hand was no longer white wind but a dragon claw made of rocky scales extending past the elbow. Shards of rocks also seemed to circle Wilbert''s body akin to an ice ring gravitating around Saturn. Three spheres of black and dark purple lightning also gravitated above his right hand. A comet covered in red energy could be seen hurling out of the shattered moon in the top left corner of the frame heading toward the right. Back in the dining room, the bluish green light began to die down as it branded several runes in his mind. Will''s body stilled as he gained the skill Earth Spike and the ability to create the lightning spheres in the picture. Currently, he could only create one. If he could create all three, they could combine to create a triangular energy shield or a powerful lightning drill. "It was successful!" William cried with joy as azure magical energy swirled around Will and formed white silver tattoos on the back of his right hand all the way to a little past the elbow. "The Mithril''s Mark is there! Will is an immortal now." "What am...I?" Will groaned as he awoke. "Why call me Will? That is my nickname." "That is your birth name of course. What Wilbert? Wait, who cares anyway. You are an immortal. The more you kill monsters, magical beasts, and demons, the more powerful you become. Every immortal gains at least one to three abilities. You gained two according to this scanner," William answered as he took the a device from the package and used it on Will. "I''ll take the result and the recording to the administration office," Marissa nodded and left with the scanner. "My boy, an immortal! Great! Wonderful. I wonder how Marissa''s Jung Clan would react now?" William cheered and hugged his son briefly but tightly. "My family was not from a long line of immortals like your mom, but I do have my father''s magical grade ring. It contains an ability called Black Iron Spear Field. It can create numerous piercing spears from the ground around you. The ability can be used four times a day and fully recharges every sunset." "This ring can do that?" Will sighed with wonder as he wore the steel ring with a triple black spear symbol on his left middle finger next to the storage ring. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "I don''t get anything?" Joey asked, jealous. "You''ll get something from your mom''s Jung Clan. They''re bound to restore familial relations once your big brother shines as a immortal. Stop acting like a brat and go to school with your sister," William snapped. "Sorry dad," Joey mumbled, knowing his jealousy got the better of him. Will stared at Joey, relieved and disappointed that the younger Joey was very similar to the one who accidently caused his death. As his siblings left, Will noticed a bluish green light escape his left arm and consolidate into a sword. Information popped into his mind saying that the magical energy in his left arm was already wakened and that the item was the result of the leftover energy. The sword had a silver pommel with an image of a coiling, bluish green Chinese dragon. The sword''s hilt was black with a dark azure metal blade. The triangular blade had white etchings near its edges. It was modeled after a Tang Han Dynasty sword. Information about the sword imprinted into his mind. It was certainly a high grade magical item and was restricted to him. If not in use, it became a black string bracelet on the around his right wrist with a silver plate. On the stone would be the same emblem on the sword''s pommel. Azure Dragon Fang: a magical sword able to turn into an ordinary bracelet with no magical signature. Indestructible, ever-sharp, and will never lose its shine. Contains skill: Mad Dragon Assault. Restriction: Will Lu. "Whoa. What an awesome item," Will grinned as he admired the bracelet now on his wrist. He held his left hand out and gasped as a two inch sphere of dark purple and black lightning hovered over his hand. His father let him experiment his new powers in the backyard when his mother came home. "We''re in luck. Sword Cloud Sect is recruiting in a few days. We don''t have to wait long, but it doesn''t give Will much time to practice," Marissa sighed and turned to William. "We need to talk. We need to tell your clan Will became an immortal....and mine need to be told as well." "No. No way! They abandoned us. They didn''t approve our love and cast us both out. I will not have them involved with any of my sons and our daughter. Especially now that Will has become an immortal, there is a high chance those two will too," William refused as Marissa pulled him inside. "Finally. They left," Will said and took out his sword. Will realized he had a third skill, but his parents didn''t discover it. Will guessed it had to do with his left arm. Will held his sword with both hands and slashed downward. Water covered his sword and blasted out, creating a ten foot long fissure on the ground. A mist formed around the fissure before dissipating. It was as if the oceans were angered by the land and cut it with its waves. The skill was called Earth Breaker and was definitely a powerful skill. Water so concentrated into sharpness that it cut the earth? How else could such a skill be described? Will couldn''t risk discovery of his skill. He quickly stomped the ground and used his earth skill: Earth Spike. It took fifteen uses of the skill to cover up the fissure he made. He went back inside the house and his dad finally joined him in the living room after a heated argument with someone on the phone. "You alright dad?" Will asked. Back on his Earth, his family had great relationships with their relatives. Seeing his family so divided really hit home that Will did not simply go back in time. That and the existence of magic and immortals. "Take this," William said and gave his son a black wooden hunting bow and a quiver full of black iron arrows. "This quiver magically duplicates the arrows inside which are custom made to withstand magical energy. I''m glad you took archery. It should serve you well in the hunt outside the walls." "What is out there on the other side of those walls?" Will asked. "Magical beasts, mutated life forms that became monsters, and demons. When you join the immortal sect, you''ll be required to go on missions to hunt down those dangerous creatures out there. You cannot live the ordinary life you''ve been living until now. You know that, right?" William asked sternly. "I realized it when I woke up this morning," Will said silently. "If going to the sect increases my chance of survival, so be it." "Good. Be sure to practice your archery. I know immortals prefer close combat, but man hunted beasts with bows and spears long before they learned to make swords," his father nodded. Chapter 3: Climbing the Mountain Chapter 3: Climbing the Mountain Four days after registering his new status as an immortal, his family was both surprised and elated that Wilbert obtained a storage ring. Magical items were both rare and expensive. Upon registration, Will received his immortal flying sword and a random skill book. Flying immortal swords came with their own enchantments that allowed the immortal to make the sword levitate and fly in the air. The sword could also expand to a certain degree. New disciples only received the standard, non-combatant flying swords. That meant the sword was useless in battle unless wielded normally and the maximum flying speed was twenty five miles per hour. The random skill Will received was a water and thunder attribute skill called Aurora Flash. It was a rare skill, but very few people could learn the skill from the skill book. The employee in the City Administration Building thought that Will suffered a loss until the book turned into light and entered Will''s body. Will learned his ''third'' skill and would soon be taught the primary initial skill from the immortal organization once his faction was determined. In truth, Will knew four skills (the Earth Breaker skill kept secret) and had his left arm''s special ability. Information of the immortal organization''s eight factions was classified for mortals and his father didn''t know as William wasn''t a member. "This is where I leave you," William smiled as he and Will stood at the foot of the mountain range with countless white marble steps leading up to the top of the city''s specific mountain top. "This is the number one immortal organization within a thousand miles. It is not international, but it is the safest place to be. Good luck. Do not disobey the examiner." Will waited with seventy nine others who hoped to enter the sect. As Will walked among them, he took it as an opportunity to experiment with his left arm''s ability. No one seemed to detect or see black radiating tattoos on his left arm nor the amethyst gem appear embedded on the back of his left hand. As Will began taking money, he noticed the currency was different. There were copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins. Each item stolen would be absorbed into the amethyst gem as if it were a storage ring with an infinite dimensional space inside. He decided to experiment and tried to steal any abilities in the crowd. Not only did it fail, the person in question felt very uncomfortable and scream as if stepping on broken glass with bare feet. However, Will learned he could steal a very minimal amount of magical energy from the people around him. Those people would feel dizzy as their body weakened. He realized the true effect as his magical energy went up while theirs went down. He stopped his experiments as people became too curious and began questioning each other. "I took a lot of stuff," Will whispered in awe as he covered his left hand with his right sleeve and transferred the items in his amethyst gem into the storage ring on his left index finger. Most of the items were currency along with a few snacks. He didn''t dare steal anything magical as he didn''t know the limits of his left arm. Just increasing the amount of magical energy in his body was a great benefit. Notably, his left arm seemed to contain more magical energy than the rest of his body. He also felt as if it was actually stronger than his right arm. His left arm also scared him as he could feel something dangerous. He couldn''t tell exactly what it was, but Will just knew that his left arm was the reason he could use a dark and light fusion skill. When he had practiced using the Aurora Flash skill during the four days until today, he learned he could not perform the skill with one hand. He needed both hands to hold his flying sword or resort to archery in order to use the skill. He learned to the earth element with either hand and still struggled to create even one black and purple lightning sphere with either hand. "The more I use the left hand''s thieving ability, the less I understand," Will muttered before the crowd gasped and pointed at the mountain. All eyes looked above to see three men descend atop a small white cloud. One man was dressed in a decorated, sky blue cloak over white robes while two others wore no cloaks over their brown martial robes. The clothing style was similar to ancient China. "Greetings to everyone. I am the sect recruiter of the Sword Cloud Sect, the number one immortal organization in the region and the neighboring regions in all directions. You are all people who awakened in time for this year''s second the bi-annual recruitment normally held in the fall. Choosing to come here means that you will undergo a recruitment exam compared to the other immortal organizations in the city," the man in the sky blue cloak began as he gazed at the crowd. "Being recruited is simple, like any other immortal organization at the city behind you. All you must do is follow the steps up the mountain, cross the bridge, and meet the one of the sect''s Guardian Beasts that awaits you at the lake on the other side. You have until you cross the bridge to alert any of these outer sect disciples. You will become an outer sect disciple if you wish, or descend down the mountain and try your luck elsewhere," the sect recruiter continued. "If you cross the bridge, there is no going back. Remember, I am always watching. Me, and many others. If you wish to become an inner sect disciple, cross the bridge and meet the Guardian Beast. If you are approved, you and any others would meet the sect master and the heads of the eight factions. They will decide your future and proclaim you official members of the sect. However, you risk your life as the Guardian Beast will devour you if you are not approved. For a bright future, you must be willing to give up your life if you wish to become an inner sect disciple," the sect recruiter concluded and waved his hand. As red paper talismans floated before the eighty recruits, one of the members in brown robes spoke. "These talismans will be how you communicate with the sect recruiter. Using it means you give up the right to cross the bridge and must choose between the two earlier choices. If you cross the bridge, an outer sect disciple will collect the talisman and escort you to the lake." "You have until you cross the bridge to decide. You may now begin your ascent," the other outer sect disciple declared and people at the front raced towards the stairs. The sect recruiter watched with amusement as the eighty recruits started walking up the white marble stairs. In his eyes, only eight of them were worthy of notice as those eight used their flying swords to skip the stairs altogether. The recruiter was mildly surprised when two dozen others began to do the same. The twenty either recently awakened or had a little above average talent. One of those twenty was Will. Will concentrated all his focus on his flying sword as he flew over the white marble steps. Halfway up the mountain, Will realized he was running out of magical energy and landed by the stairs. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As Will leaned against the rocky walls beside the stairs, he used his left arm to absorb magical energy in the air. Everyone who could use a flying sword had either moved to the peak or landed several feet above of him while circling the mountain. When Will recovered, he got on his flying sword and slowly made his ascent upward again. His flying sword was still shaky, but not enough to threaten his balance as he stood atop it. When Will finally reached the peak of the stairs, he noticed a wooden bridge he hadn''t seen while circling the mountain. It was as if it magically appeared. He felt his chest grow warm and saw that the red talisman was shining. It was then that he realized that the talisman allowed him to see it once he reached the top. "You are the nineteenth to arrive at the bridge. Four have already given up the right to cross. Do you wish to continue?" an outer sect disciple asked as Will landed before the bridge. He looked to be a man in his early thirties, but nowhere near as powerful as the sect recruiter. "Can I fly across it?" Will asked. "No. The further down the bridge you go, the greater the magical energy density. Think of it like an increase in gravity. You''d be lucky not to impale yourself with your own sword when getting slammed onto the bridge," the man grinned. "You don''t want to be like me, only being able to become an inner sect disciple upon ranking in the top three in the annual outer sect competition. Try to cross the bridge and risk your life to get in the inner sect." "Thanks for the advice. I''ll cross," he answered, putting his sword in its sheath and held it in his left hand as he walked across the bridge. "Good luck," the disciple called before Will walked into the mist cloaking the bridge. Will walked for ten minutes before realizing that his steps grew heavier. After another ten minutes, it was getting harder for him to breath. He had passed two people already and saw one girl grudgingly crush her talisman to be rescued from the bridge. After thirty minutes, Will''s back was drenched with sweat and he was panting heavily as he finally made it across. "Congratulations. You are the tenth to cross successfully," a woman smiled as she approached him. "Tenth? Did I miscount?" he wondered. "Some quit halfway while some died. We try to clean the mess so people don''t find out," the woman smiled eerily. "You have climbed the stairs and crossed the bridge. Now, you must choose to meet the Guardian Beast. Life or death is uncertain. What is your choice?" "I''ll meet the Guardian Beast," Will said without hesitation as he noted how old the outer sect disciples were. It was evident that increasing his spirit rank as an outer sect disciple would be multitudes more difficult. The woman smiled as he handed her his red talisman. "Should it be your end, your family will be notified and a consolation of ten gold will be delivered to them. I will now escort you to the lake," the woman said and a torch of green flames appeared in her hand before she walked into the mist. "Keep up or you''ll get lost in the enchanted mist." "Right," Will nodded and followed the woman into the mist. It felt like a minute passed before the two arrived on curved white stone bridge with lanterns along its edge. As they reached the other side, the woman gestured to the left where white marble tiles seemed to stop before a large serene lake. To the right, Will could see four other people with relieved expressions. "Life or death, you made the choice to come here. Approach the lake to be judged by the Guardian Beast!" the sect recruiter ordered as he stood beside those who passed. Will''s heart beat began to race as he walked toward the lake. What did a Guardian Beast look like? Was it a creature of fantasy? Of myth? Legend? All kinds of thoughts raced through his head as he stepped at the edge of the white marble tile floor just before the muddy banks surrounding the lake. The ground rumbled and the lake rippled as something deep underwater began to move. Will gasped and fell back onto the hard tile floor in shock as a giant left claw covered in cyan scales burst out from the ground. Slowly, the head of a Chinese dragon rose from the lake and Will saw its body stand on four claws like a horse. Two antler horns were slanted on the back of its head as a long, white horsetail around six feet long created small waves behind its back as it moved with the wind. Two golden, reptilian eyes gazed down at him like a king staring at a subject. Will had never seen a magical creature before and his mind was numbed to shock as its head stopped a few meters from his face. Will''s face paled as the dragon roared. His body began to rise from the ground as a small stream of greenish blue energy left the dragon and entered Will''s heart. The dragon''s eyes narrowed as a black pearl rose up from the lake and floated before Will. The dragon stared at the pearl before going back under the lake. "I, I''m alive," Will panted with relief as his feet touched the floor. He scrambled forward as he caught the black pearl. He put the pearl under the sun and admired it. "You have been chosen and granted a small token of the dragon. Only one other has received a token. Keep it well," the sect recruiter smiled as he gestured beside himself. "We will wait until sunset before failing those still climbing the stairs or crossing the bridge." A few hours later, a total of fifteen of the eighty recruits were successfully approved by the Guardian Beast. As time passed by Will and the rest of the fifteen were approached by curious magical beasts. Four of the fifteen recruits actually tamed a magical beast as it chose to become their spirit beasts. Will was not one of those fortunate four to possess a spirit beast so easily. After seeing the Guardian Beast, a childhood dream of owning and riding a dragon into the sky was rekindled. Will vowed he would tame a dragon one day. After all, who could predict the future? "Fifteen accepted and three of you even tamed magical beasts without using a skill or item. This signifies the high amount of dragon magical energy that was bequeathed to the three of you. You should feel proud. The fall recruitment is the hardest because the magical energy is the harshest as summer passes toward winter. Welcome to the Sword Cloud Sect," the sect recruiter smiled. "It is time to meet the masters. Let''s go." "Yes!" the recruits cheered and followed the sect recruiter away from the lake.