《Dream Of Eternity》


 Chapter 1 - If I Said No?

    Polar Ash City, Frozen Heart Province, Ashborn Kingdom


    Cradled in the frigid embrace of the Iceplains, Polar Ash City, the royal capital of the Ashborn Kingdom, lay in a massive sprawl of districts, farmland, and mortal territories.


    It was mid-summer and a seasonal ice storm was approaching, scattering the wildlife before it. Frost hares ran into burrows, and herds of snowshoe deer retreated into small caves and crevices in the rough terrain.


    Moments later, a mass of dark clouds began to pelt hail down on the frozen hills. Strikes of lightning crackled through the sky in brilliant flashes, and the thunder¡¯s rumble echoed for dozens of kilometers.


    As the storm drew closer, the black wall of clouds parted along the city''s outermost boundaries, splitting into two enormous curtains that began to wrap around the city. The storm could not encroach even a meter upon the city¡¯s protection arrays.


    The work of the arrays did not stop there. Even the biting cold was halted at the city limits, maintaining a temperate climate within the city that was suitable for both crops and men.


    For the common people living on the city''s outskirts, the sight of the storm¡¯s retreat was nothing short of miraculous. It was a deeply rooted tradition to stop all activity and watch the heavens bow before the royal capital.


    Street vendors would smile, and children would cheer.


    ¡°Look, look! Even the heavens are afraid!¡±


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    Mothers would point to the sky, whispering to their babies, ¡°See, dear? Ice doesn¡¯t dare fall on the land of the Ashborn.¡±


    In the official districts of the city, the storm passed by largely unnoticed.


    What would have happened if I had said no? Would I have lost all favor in the eyes of the world?


    Muro stood, tea tray in hand, in the open-air meeting room of the Cloudborn Family. After spending the day in Cloudborn Manor, he had become so used to ornate sceneries that he barely noticed the palatial spreading of tapestries.


    The moonfly silk, pearl-inlaid chairs and the opulent blackwood centerpiece table that would typically dazzle guests seemed unremarkable in his eyes.


    The First Grade Spirit Gathering Array built into the walls was weaker than the one in his old meditation room in the Seaborn Estate.


    Muro was staring through the gap between the walls. The rest of the Cloudborn Manor was visible below. Even if there were arrays in place to prevent accidental falls, he couldn''t help but feel slightly off-kilter.


    The houses were smaller than his pinky, the trees were dots of green, and the massive dome of the Cloud Spirit Commerce Hall looked small enough to fit into the palm of his hand. Further out, he saw the sprawling city carved up in uneven strips. A passing squall of dark clouds was only a thin line in the distance.


    The outside world was full of mortals. In the territory controlled by the sect, there were hundreds of billions of them. Only a few dozen even knew of the existence of the sect, and their knowledge only scratched the surface. Within the Kingdoms, the sect was unfathomable, the heaven above the heavens.


    If an Archon clenched his fist, how many lives would be extinguished in a breath of time?


    The outside breeze was sweeping up Muro¡¯s blue robes, giving him a slight sensation of cold. He made no move to adjust them - his cultivation might not have been significant by sect standards, but his body had long become impervious to ordinary discomfort.


    After hearing about the Kingdoms for so long, he was finally exposed to them. This was the outside world.


    How grand it all seemed, and yet how small and pathetic.

 Chapter 2 - Good Brother

    Muro¡¯s eyes drifted across the city.


    If he merely raised his hand, he could summon a Totem to his side. How many others could say the same? Not even his sisters had the privilege.


    He had a beast intent jade slip in his storage pouch. All he had to do was take it out, and he could bathe his mind in the beast intent of a Totem. Or, if he wished, with a little more effort he could arrange for a direct impartation.


    With all the means before him, he was sure that he would be able to condense a Complete Spirit. Even if he fell short, there would be Soul Infusion Elixirs to bolster it before his Spirit Feeding.


    To protect himself, he was wearing multiple clan artifacts from fallen Family Totems.


    Was this really the privilege of an untalented boy in the Heart Refining Realm? To be groomed to lead a Totem Family, or perhaps, if the heavens allowed it, an Archon Family?


    Was the world so strange?


    What would have happened if he had said no?


    Muro sensed that Yoren was looking at him. He moved away from the open wall in one graceful movement without disturbing the tea-tray in his hand.


    ¡°What were you looking at?¡±


    Muro shook his head slightly in response.


    ¡°Nothing, just the city outline.¡±


    Yoren was viciously handsome, an Inner Sentinel of the sect. He had only left the sect for a year, and yet he looked perfectly at home in the secular manor of his family, a king in a house of peasants.


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    He was dressed in regal attire. His robes were purple, with depictions of clouds and phoenixes emblazoned on his sleeves. Even though he was at the Awakening Stage of Nascent Spirit, his presence was minimal, the mark of genius.


    ¡°It''s a sprawl of weaklings, all entangled in a complex web of relationships, hopes and dreams. Does it make you miss the simplicity of the Undying City? Or do you wonder how easy it would be to dominate the locals? Everyone has a different reaction.¡±


    ¡°No, it just feels meaningless.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured, I can see why you have little desire to integrate yourself. After all, to them, we are immortals. To us, they are ants.¡±


    Yoren gave a slight, ethereal smile from his throne-like chair and beckoned with his hand.


    Muro stepped forward. He could see echoes of tantalizing illusions dancing around in Yoren¡¯s eyes.


    The Inner Sentinel was musing to himself over the mysteries of life.


    He could not quite believe that he was in the same room as the future head of the Seaborn Family.


    An ordinary talent like Muro should never have been noticed. He had passed thirty and still had not birthed his Spirit, yet, because he had a good brother, he had become more important in the Wraithborn influence than all of the true Cloudborn Family put together.


    He had even been made an Outer Sentinel by the sect, demonstrating how flexible the rules truly were.


    Yoren could not help but think about how similar the brothers looked. Apart from their eyes, their faces were nearly identical, and yet, the shape of the face - the sharp eyebrows and angular features - somehow only served to further the charm of one and the uncertain air of the other.


    His eyes slid down Muro¡¯s arm to where the Wave Pulse Bangle, the prized clan artifact of the Seaborn, was wrapped around his wrist. With it, even a Heart Refining Expert could level a small building, and it was not the only clan artifact in his possession.


    Who knew what other treasures were hidden in his storage pouch?


    Meanwhile, Yoren had only been given a few of his family¡¯s spirit artifacts.


    It was all a farce.


    Why do I not have such a good brother? Yoren wondered to himself.

 Chapter 3 - Ward Of A Totem

    There was no way in which the Cloudborn Family was inferior to the Seaborn, no way apart from the prodigy that was Paladin Lu. Yet that was enough to open an unbridgeable gap between them.


    The millennium talent whose bloodline had regressed back to the Undying Lord himself had fallen into the lap of the Seaborn Family.


    How could Yoren feel resigned under such circumstances?


    How could he feel comfortable when a different family had been selected to rise?


    The Cloudborns had struggled for generations, fighting tooth and nail for small benefits. Meanwhile the Seaborns simply stumbled into a fortune, unrelated to their efforts. Why did the heavens fail to reward the diligent?


    Of course, Yoren would never betray his feelings. Who had ever seen him complain about the nature of the world?


    Such a senseless act was utterly repugnant to him. To sulk was childlike and unbecoming.


    ¡°This meeting will not be like the others,¡± Yoren said, his voice silky and quiet. ¡°You can observe for now, and ask questions afterward. As you know, there are matters I cannot bring up among secular people. Do not be afraid to speak your mind and, above all, remember why you are here.¡±


    ¡®Whatever that reason is.¡¯


    Yoren kept the last few words to himself.


    By appearances Paladin Lu wanted Muro to apprentice himself to Yoren, but he could not take the orders seriously. The soul sense of the Totem was monitoring his every action.


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    Who would dare to order around the ward of a Totem?


    Yoren¡¯s confusion was boundless.


    From the internal movements of the Seaborn, it was clear that Muro was being groomed for family head, so why was he being sent out of the family? Wouldn¡¯t he learn best by staying under the wing of the current head?


    Surely it had been Paladin Lu¡¯s request, but what was the meaning behind it?


    Muro nodded.


    ¡°You can put the tea down,¡± Yoren said. ¡°He is a servant.¡±


    ¡°The servants in the manor are truly innumerable,¡± Muro said mildly.


    ¡°Every one of them is accounted for. They have purposes, roles, and they accomplish particular tasks. That is what I found most relaxing about this trip outside. It is easy to gain a vast network of subordinates to act as your eyes and ears. Spread out across the kingdom, it is not an insignificant thing.¡±


    ¡°You seem more relaxed among them than with guests.¡±


    ¡°It is best not to treat them as people, but as an extension of your own capabilities. Directness is appropriate, which is why I dispense with formalities.¡±


    Among the rules that Yoren had impressed upon Muro was that etiquette was reserved for peers and guests. This fostered a sense of closeness within the house, while showing proper respect to those outside of it.


    Yoren had also impressed upon him the importance of appearances, the insubstantial elements that could mislead. Every small detail contributed to a deceiving picture.


    Muro let the tea tray rest on the blackwood centerpiece table.


    Although he was accustomed to luxuries, the tea had been the one detail that had truly surprised him.


    It was Six Desires Tea, a delicacy even by sect standards. Who would have thought that it would be used to entertain mortals?


    If he had not seen the circumstances in the Cloudborn Manor for himself, he would not quite have believed it.


    Was it really necessary to treat others with such expensive tea, or was it all part of some grander effect, promoting an invisible benefit that he could not perceive?


    The incompatible details in the manor were jarring. It reminded him of the last words his brother had spoken to him.


    ¡®The Cloudborn are not like other Totem families.¡¯