《OCHELON, REVIVE SERIES: THE EIGHTH PAWN (BOOK 1)》


 Prologue: The Rebellion

    1721, Month of Rai, Darin Fief


    Wind roared through the mountain pass, carrying flecks of sand and dust as it rushed down the cliffs into the city below. Sweeping through the streets, it rattled shuttered windows and whistled through empty torch brackets.


    It howled past the slumbering city, and eventually reached an old manor, the entrance lined with towering pines that swayed and groaned in protest. The wind tangled in their branches, shaking loose brittle needles before rustling through the grounds, seeping its icy breath into a dimly lit chamber tucked deep in the manor¡¯s southern wing.


    The chamber stank of burning tallow and damp stone. A steady dripping noise, an echo of the storm that had battered the western lands earlier that day, punctuated the breathless silence, where men draped in heavy cloaks sat around a vast wooden table. Their faces flickered in the candlelight, their shadows twisted into grotesque forms on the stone walls.


    The lords of the west had not met like this in years. Not in secret. Never with the weight of their overseer¡¯s summon pressing like a cold blade against their throats.


    At the head of the table sat Offal¡¯ Kest, lord of Darin and overseer of the west; a man whose presence commanded even the most unruly of vassals. Age had lined his bronze skin, and streaks of gray ran through his once-bright white hair, bound in a warrior¡¯s knot. Deep red sigils inked his forearms, marking the wars he had survived. A mage at his peak, the title of Martial Sage had not been bestowed upon him in vain.


    With narrowed eyes, Offal¡¯ Kest surveyed the gathered lords, whose expressions ranged from simmering resentment to barely concealed fear. He exhaled slowly, his fingers tightening on the goblet before him. It was still full. No one had touched the wine. Not tonight.


    Not when he had called a council of war.


    ¡°It is time to strike,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest began, his voice low and measured. He let his words settle before continuing, ¡°The Dowager has ruled unchecked for too long. The king is hidden, and every whisper of opposition is met with blood. She has sent my son to die at the border, and she will not stop until every noble house that stands against her is crushed beneath her heel. We have plotted, whispered, but hesitation has held us back. That ends now.¡±


    Karra¡¯ Ruan, a broad-shouldered vassal with silver threading through his dark beard, leaned forward, his brows furrowed. ¡°And what would you have us do, my lord?¡± he asked, skepticism in his voice, ¡°March on the capital? The Dowager Regent has eyes everywhere. You know what she did to House Hui when they so much as whispered against her.¡±


    ¡°House Hui was reckless,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest shot back, his tone hard. ¡°They moved alone. They thought justice would shield them. It didn¡¯t. But we¡ª¡± he swept his gaze across the room, ¡°¡ªwe will not make that mistake.¡±


    One of the older lords, his left eye clouded and sightless,  exhaled sharply, tapping his carved fan against the table. ¡°You speak boldly, Offal¡¯, but you forget the balance that has held this empire together. If you move against the regent, and you do so without the other great-generals¡¯ support, they will not hesitate to march against you. You are asking us to wager our lives on a losing hand.¡±


    ¡°The Mu, Ru, and He armies,¡± the one-eyed Lord Wu continued, shaking his head, ¡°...would descend upon us the moment we raised our banners. We cannot fight their might. Not as we are.¡±


    A few lords muttered in agreement.


    Offal¡¯ Kest allowed them their doubts, then leaned forward, voice lowering to a whisper. ¡°What if I told you that balance is about to change?¡±


    He let the silence stretch before he continued. ¡°There is a pattern in the world,¡± he said, his voice low, ¡°One so rare it has been forgotten by most. But I have not forgotten. Nor have I allowed it to remain buried. The Breakthrough Matrix Season is approaching.¡±


    A murmur rippled through the chamber, hushed but urgent, like wind rushing through a sealed hall. Some lords exchanged glances, others sat motionless, their knuckles whitening over their goblets. Karra¡¯ Ruan scoffed, though his voice lacked its usual iron. "You speak in riddles, my lord." he said, with a short laugh.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Do I?" Offal¡¯ Kest¡¯s tone cut through the whispering like a blade through silk. "Or have we simply been blind to what has always existed?" He waited until their unease settle into something darker; hunger. "What I am telling you is not a gamble. It is a certainty. I have seen the signs. I have studied the cycles. Those who grasp this moment will ascend. And those who do not¡ª" His gaze flickered across the table. "¡ªwill be left behind."


    That quiet threat hung in the air. It was no longer just about rebellion. It was about power. And power had always been the language of lords.


    Offal¡¯ Kest continued, his tone firm. ¡°This is a truth known only to those who have searched for it. There will soon come a time when those standing at the threshold of Martial Sage will find their cultivation path unbarred. The lords among us who have stagnated for years will rise. The warriors we have nurtured will surpass their limits. We will stand against the regent¡¯s forces as equals. Perhaps,¡± he paused, ¡°Even as their betters.¡±


    The weight of his words settled over the lords like an unseen force. If what he said was true, if they could truly elevate their strength...


    ¡°How can you be certain?¡± Jin¡¯ Hei, a veteran warlord known for his caution, asked. His long, ink-dark nails tapped a slow rhythm against his goblet, the only sign of unease he allowed himself. ¡°The existence of such an event is unknown to us all.¡±


    ¡°Unknown to most,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest corrected. ¡°But I have spent years unearthing what was hidden. The records exist, tucked away in forgotten tomes, inscribed in the experiences of those long before us. I have been preparing for this moment since the day the regent stole the throne. And now, the time is near.¡±


    The lords sat in silence, absorbing his words. He could see the shift in their eyes; doubt giving way to consideration, fear giving way to something sharper. Resolve.


    Karra¡¯ Ruan was the first to nod, leaning forward eagerly, ¡°If this is true¡­¡± he sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes betraying his desire, ¡°If we can rise to Martial Sage...¡±


    ¡°Then the Regent¡¯s hold on the throne is finished,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest finished for him, his voice resolute. ¡°We do not march to certain death. We march to reclaim what is ours. And when the Breakthrough Matrix Season dawns, we will strike.¡±


    ¡°And what of the king?¡± asked Lord Wu, the one-eyed lord, with the quietness of a viper coiled in frost, turning his sightless eye towards Offal¡¯ Kest. ¡°We have sworn fealty to him. If we rise against his regent, will we not be seen as traitors?¡±


    ¡°What king?¡± Offal¡¯ Kest let the words hang in the air. ¡°Has anyone here seen him? Have you heard his voice? For all we know, he is dead, and we kneel to a ghost while that woman sits upon his throne.¡±


    The lords glanced at one another, and then at their overseer, who opened his mouth again.


    ¡°The west has always been loyal to the true Han bloodline,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest continued, his voice low but cutting. ¡°But the king is locked away, and every petition I have made for his coronation has been ignored. Do you not see? The Dowager has no intention of ever placing a crown on his head. She means to rule until we are gone¡ªuntil there is no one left to oppose her, and the boy on the throne is hers to command without question.¡±


    Lord Kel, seated on the far end of the table, ran a thumb over the engraved bronze ring on his finger, the symbol of his post as a councilman of the imperial court. He exhaled. ¡°Even if we move against her, and we muster every force we have, we must consider¡ªwhat then? The east and south still bow to her, and the army is hers. If we manage to take the capital, how long can we hold it?¡±


    Offal¡¯ Kest met his gaze, his eyes unwavering. ¡°We do not need to hold it.¡± he replied, his tone grim, ¡°We only have to take the Dowager¡¯s head.¡±


    A hush fell over the table. Someone shifted uncomfortably, the wooden chair creaking beneath their weight.


    Lord Wu swallowed. ¡°You speak of regicide.¡±


    ¡°I speak of survival.¡± Offal¡¯ Kest lifted his goblet¡ªbut not to drink. He turned it over, until the last drop of wine seeped into the dry wood. ¡°We have waited eight years for another way. There isn¡¯t one. If we hesitate, if we allow her to continue ruling as she has, she will destroy each of us in turn. My son is already at the border. My duchy bleeds coin into her coffers. Tell me, how long before she turns her eye to your lands?¡±


    Karra¡¯ Ruan¡¯s hands shook as his lips pressed into a hard line. "She has affected us too,¡± he said, voice low. ¡°My daughter," he continued, "is mad with grief. Her fianc¨¦ was among the Huis who were slaughtered."


    Lord Wu exhaled, nodding as well, his hands tightening into fists. "She took my nephew. A boy of fifteen. Sent him to the mines in the east for a crime no one can name. The last I heard, his bones were found in a cart, bound for the lime pits." he shook his head in sorrow.


    Offal¡¯ Kest inclined his head. "Then you understand. She will not stop with me. She will not stop with you. And unless we strike first, she will not stop until there is nothing left of us but dust."


    The words lingered, heavy as iron. For a moment, no one spoke. The candle flames flickered in their sconces, their light warping the expression on the lords¡¯ faces¡ªsome impassive, some grim, others sorrowful. Jin'' Hei ran his fingers along the rim of his goblet, deep in thought. Lord Wu''s knuckles had gone white where his hands rested on the table, his breathing harried. One of the younger lords sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw as if to wipe away the weight of what had just been spoken.


    Offal¡¯ Kest reached for his left hand with his right. Slowly, he pulled his Scith ring from his finger¡ªthe symbol of his loyalty to the empire, the authority of the court, the very oath he had once sworn, bound in the metal. For a moment, he turned it in his palm, the candlelight catching on the engraved sigil. Then he clenched his fist.


    A sharp crack echoed through the chamber.


    The lords watched as he let the shattered fragments fall onto the table.


    ¡°I have no use for the Dowager¡¯s chains,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest said, his voice hard. ¡°And neither should you.¡±


    Across the table, a lord let out a breath that was almost a laugh¡ªshort, mirthless. ¡°There will be no going back from this.¡±


    ¡°There never was,¡± Offal¡¯ Kest said.


    One by one, the lords pressed their hands upon the wine-stained wood. No more hesitation. No more fear.


    The rebellion had begun.

 A Kingly Path or Certain Death

    It turned out that Lord Offal¡¯ Kest was not the only one aware of the approaching Breakthrough Matrix Season; a once-in-a-century phenomenon where the mainland¡¯s diluted cultivation essence thickened again. With the right method and matrix formation, legends could be born. Buried deep in the Yan Manor¡¯s library, an unsuspecting reader stumbled upon this knowledge.


    His name was Tez¡¯ Mu.


    A remarkable person¡ªin all the wrong ways.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s greatest problem was simple but devastating: he was stuck. A prodigy who had once defied expectations, he now found himself trapped in an agonizing cultivation bottleneck. Born as the fourth child of Lord Raq¡¯ Mu, the youngest and strongest Martial Sage in history; and Lady Essa-kest¡¯ Mu, a water affinity cultivator so gifted she halted her journey at Martial Lord by choice; Tez¡¯ Mu had been heralded as the next great legend of Ochelon.


    And for a while, he lived up to the prophecy. At eleven, he awakened his cultivation spirit and advanced at a terrifying pace, reaching Martial Skills by fourteen. Then disaster struck.


    His body could no longer absorb cultivation essence.


    Two years passed, each one darker than the last. Diagnosis after diagnosis, remedy after remedy¡ªnothing worked. Well-meaning advice blurred together with cold indifference. The world, once full of promise, turned hostile. Tez¡¯ Mu withdrew into himself, driven by a single, unrelenting force: to not rest, never rest, until he found something that would cure him of his sickness, for he considered it such.


    And surely it was, for, lately, whenever he tried to cultivate, his chest would seize, his oasis would burn, and he would cough up blood.


    It was quite fateful that he found information about the Breakthrough Matrix Season in the Yan Library, for the young master of the house, Dor¡¯ Yan, heir to the Yan Manor and Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s soon-to-be brother-in-law, was suffering from the same fate as him.


    But Dor¡¯ Yan was not merely bottle-necked. He had been born a cultivation cripple, forever denied the path that ruled noble society. Without the ability to cultivate at all, he instead mastered the art of command: politics, coercion, and martial training¡ª skills every child born to a noble house in Ochelon definitely learned, but tended to abandon once they started cultivating. It was the only way when raw power was out of reach.


    Dor¡¯ Yan had endured many taunts in his life, but he was not really worse for the wear, for due to whatever reason, Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s own sister, Royan¡¯ Mu, the most eligible bachelorette in Ochelon, fell in love with him. Nothing but shock and disbelief responded to the announcement of the tiny Yan family that young Lady Royan¡¯ Mu; the eldest daughter of the Mu family, Martial Grandmaster, disciple to Guild Master of the Healer¡¯s Guild; was engaged to the only son and heir to the Yan Manor!


    The first backlash was about half a dozen attempts on Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s life, no doubt the work of the heart broken young masters of Ochelon, though no one was apprehended. Within a week of the announcement, four Yan family shops were mysteriously set on fire, their ship sailing in ransacked, its goods stolen, sailors wounded¡ªone thrown overboard.


    And just recently, a nameless girl had run through the streets, dragging a dirt-covered child and screaming that Dor¡¯ Yan had abandoned his son.


    Tez¡¯ Mu shook his head even as he remembered all this and pulled down the dusty tome that would change his life.


    Sometimes he wondered¡ªif he had remained stuck at Martial Skills, would everything that happened afterward have never come to pass?


    For if Tez¡¯ Mu had known, as he turned the pages of that tome, what was going to happen to him in just a year, he might have been tempted to abandon Ochelon altogether.


    To flee the mainland like his brothers had done.


    But he didn¡¯t.


    The book was titled ¡®The Hyghest and Moste Intricat Methodes of Cultivacioun¡¯, its subtitle written in old symbols. He flipped it open with casual disinterest, his eyes skimming the dense lettering¡ªuntil he came to a page covered in matrices drawn in intricate triangular formations.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu had attempted a matrix formation breakthrough before. He was sure he would have succeeded, if at the critical point his little sister Chan¡¯ Mu had not walked smack right through the formation. Tez¡¯ Mu still had not forgiven her, and she remained cold to him as well, not apologizing, for, as she reasoned, no one drew important matrix formations in the center of the courtyard.


    His excitement, however, was short-lived. Beneath the matrices, a postscript in faded ink read:


    In the season of Breakthrough Cultivation, the Breakthrough Matrix Formation shall be effective. None shall undertake this Formation of such gravity, but he who has attained the degree of Kingly Matrix Practitioner or has wit of greater wisdom.


    Tez¡¯ Mu scowled. ¡°What! Where am I supposed to find a King-tier Matrix Practitioner!?¡±


    But even as he grumbled, he tore out the pages of instructions. He was about to shut the book when a passage on the next page caught his eye.


    The Breakthrough Matrix Season occurs at the meeting of the stars Limaz and Sotir.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± He tore that out too.


    Walking back to the table, he dropped into his chair and buried his face in his hands, exhaustion weighing down on him. Sleep was just beginning to claim him when a soft yet insistent voice called his name.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± He stashed the pieces of paper torn from the book into the side pocket of his trousers and then hurried out of the vast library. He was still quite surprised at how many academic resources the Yan family had managed to collect.


    When he reached the front room of the manor, Royan¡¯ Mu stood with her back to him, a tall, commanding figure in an elegant wudan, a flowing gown of deep indigo silk, embroidered with silver-threads.


    The fabric shifted like water with every movement, the long sleeves tapering into delicate loops around her fingers. Her braided curls, a rich reddish-brown, cascaded down her back, woven with fine golden wire and tiny beads. The light from the lanterns kissed her deep brown skin, accentuating the smooth, polished glow of it.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your fianc¨¦?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu asked dryly.


    She turned, her large, expressive eyes catching the light, framed by thick lashes. A smile broke across her face, revealing pearly white teeth.


    ¡°He¡¯s gone into the city to pick out a few things for our wedding.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu rolled his eyes. The very reason he had disappeared to wander the Yan Manor was because his stomach could no longer stand the icky displays of the two lovebirds. Why he had even agreed to accompany his sister in the first place, he had already forgotten.


    ¡°Are we leaving now?¡±


    Royan¡¯ Mu huffed, turning up her nose. ¡°Try to be a little more friendly. Dor¡¯ Yan was disappointed¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t even say a word to him. He likes you, you know.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu scoffed. ¡°Am I the one getting married to him? It¡¯s bad enough that you both are all over each other. Do I have to watch as well?¡± He turned away and gestured for a passing Yan servant. ¡°Prepare a horse for me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up? Where are you going?¡± Royan¡¯ Mu frowned. The carriage of the Mu family was waiting to convey them back home.


    ¡°Ar¡¯ Rion¡¯s,¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming home for dinner?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu snorted. ¡°Sis, Raq¡¯ Mu is the last person I want to see right now,¡± he replied ominously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Father wouldn¡¯t devour you, you know? It¡¯s been long since we¡¯ve all seen him; I¡¯m sure he¡¯d like for everyone to be present,¡±


    ¡°I reckon not.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice turned cold. ¡°Raq¡¯ Mu can eat his dinner in peace without his good-for-nothing son ruining the atmosphere,¡±


    ¡°Tez¡¯!¡± Royan¡¯ Mu threw up her hands in exasperation, ¡°you¡¯re too critical of yourself! What¡¯s a little cultivation bottleneck that you¡¯re acting as if it¡¯s the end of the world!¡±


    The servant returned, bowing.


    ¡°The horse is ready, ke,¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu strode out without looking back.


    In the courtyard, a dappled gray horse flicked its tail, waiting. He swung himself into the saddle, adjusting the reins just as the servant approached again, hesitant.


    ¡°Uh¡ª where should I come to fetch it back?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu raised a brow. ¡°Is your Yan Manor so derelict you can¡¯t afford to lose a single horse?¡±


    The servant paled, waving his hands hurriedly. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s just¡ªthat¡¯s the young master¡¯s horse¡ª¡±


    Ah.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu exhaled. ¡°Come to the Rion house later.¡±


    The servant hesitated. ¡°The Rion house?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu sighed. ¡°Never mind. I¡¯ll have my servant return it. Rest assured, it¡¯ll be cared for in the Mu Manor stable.¡±


    The servant¡¯s face lit up with relief and excitement as he bowed.


    Before the boy could start listing Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s horse¡¯s favorite types of hay and water, Tez¡¯ Mu yanked the reins and spurred forward.


    He rode out of Yan Manor, down the Ji District, scanning the streets. Another family had taken over the market¡ªone that, even a blind man could see, rightfully belonged to the Yan family.


    He could now guess why.


    Aside from the young master and a few aging relatives, Yan Manor was empty. A dwindling household.


    Dor¡¯ Yan, as it were, was their last ¡®flame¡¯ as an old adage would put it. No wonder his mother was not too pleased with this engagement. It was more like the Yan family wanted to use Royan¡¯ as their stepping stone back into the limelight. A noble lady affiliated with the Healer¡¯s Guild would no doubt take issue with another family¡¯s illegal occupation of her husband¡¯s territory.


    Tez¡¯ Mu guided his horse onto the left fork, heading out of Ji District. Just as he came to the gate, however, he was forced to slow down, and even to bring his horse to a halt, by a tall scar-faced man with dirty long hair Tez¡¯ Mu turned his nose up at. Only nobles had the leisure and ease to grow out their hair. Others, like this man, who worked under the sun and in the sand, only brought reproach on this hairstyle, he thought privately.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu frowned. The man looked slightly affronted. He was perhaps used to being the law.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked. When Tez¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t answer, the man continued, digging his finger in his ear and pulling out a clump of earwax, which he cleaned on his sleeve.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you enter our Ji District this morning, or anytime for that matter. Did you use a teleportation scroll? That¡¯s not allowed,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s horse pawed the ground, mirroring its rider¡¯s irritation. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°I was in a carriage,¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then your driver must¡¯ve paid your fare. You¡¯ll have to pay yours now.¡± the man shrugged, palm up.


    Tez¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows. ¡°Fare?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our Ji Family is the one protecting and maintaining this road. Naturally, you wouldn¡¯t enjoy your trip if it weren¡¯t for us. Did you know how bad it was before¡ª?¡±


    ¡°Cut the nonsense.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu snapped, ¡°I¡¯m not paying any damn fare. Are you an idiot? How do you think the Scith would like to hear about this?¡±


    It was the man¡¯s turn to snort.


    ¡°The Scith?¡± He chuckled, ¡°boy, if you won¡¯t pay the fare I¡¯ll have to seize your horse and then you can better appreciate what our Ji Family has done to maintain this road by walking it yourself,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s patience reached its limit. ¡°How much is this fare?¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The man grinned, showing rotten teeth. ¡°A hundred kerahs,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu let out an incredulous snort.


    ¡°Really! I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t built some sky-high towers on this ¡®your road¡¯!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the works,¡± the gate-keeper grinned widely.


    Around them, carriages and pedestrians passed freely, no one stopping to pay. Tez¡¯ Mu glowered. "What about them?"


    ¡°These are our Ji District¡¯s customers and partners,¡± the man replied smugly, ¡°we have an understanding. You, however, are a stranger.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu tilted his head. "Oh? And whose rule is this?"


    "Eminent Ji," the man answered proudly.


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked. "Eminent Ji?" Then, realization dawned. "Wait¡ªFifth Judge Muri¡¯ Ji of the Scith? That¡¯s your lord?"


    The gatekeeper faltered. He hadn¡¯t expected the name to roll off Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s tongue so casually. "Watch your mouth, you¡ª"


    Tez¡¯ Mu suddenly laughed. Loudly.


    ¡°Hah! I had no idea! I really had no idea it was that ¡®Ji¡¯! I thought it was some great noble family that repressed the Yans,¡± He shook his head, amused. Then, eyes glinting, he leaned down from his horse.


    "Listen carefully," he said, voice light but sharp. "I¡¯m not paying a single coin. Go tell your Lord Ji," he raised his ringed index finger, "that the Ke of House Mu sends his greetings. And tell him to watch his back."


    With that, he yanked the reins, rearing the horse onto its hind legs before galloping off without a backward glance.


    Only when he had left for a few moments did the gate-keeper regain his breath.


    ¡°The Ke¡ª¡± he muttered nervously, placing his hand over his chest, ¡°the young master of House Mu?! Oh my, why is it him?! My lord would have killed me if I offended a Mu!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu finally rode into Joavir, the reeking, poor, interconnected backstreets of the imperial capital. Ochelon, especially the capital, was like this¡ªopulent at first glance, a city of towering industries, grand academies, high-walled manors, and bustling markets, making the capital look flourishing, without any speck or display of hardship or poverty. But behind that polished facade lay the truth: an intricate network of alleys; the residences of those who did the menial jobs in those institutions. Here lived the laborers, the servants, the hands that toiled to keep the illusion intact. Without them, the capital would collapse into ruin.


    The horse whined, its flanks heaving from the hard ride. Tez¡¯ Mu dismounted in front of the largest, cleanest house on the street and knocked briskly. The door unlatched before he had even finished. A tiny face peeked out, then lit up.


    ¡°Brother Mu!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu sighed, shaking his head as he stepped inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s Brother Tez¡¯, not Brother Mu,¡± he corrected¡ªfor what had to be the ninety-eighth time. But the little one¡¯s front teeth were missing, and without them, Tez¡¯ was a battle she could not win.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Ar¡¯?¡± he asked, glancing around the modest front room.


    ¡°Being punished,¡± she answered with a conspiratorial grin.


    Tez¡¯ Mu frowned. ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°Rion-deran found him with a presence-concealing matrix gadget. She thinks he stole it from the Academy.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu groaned. ¡°I gave him that! Where is he?¡±


    ¡°Back courtyard.¡±


    He didn¡¯t waste another second. The archway leading to the courtyard was crowded with children, their eyes wide as they watched the spectacle unfolding. Tez¡¯ Mu waded through them like parting river reeds and entered just as Heyu¡¯ Rion raised the whip in her hand.


    ¡°No¡ªstop!¡± He threw himself between her and Ar¡¯ Rion, bracing for the sting.


    Heyu¡¯ Rion halted mid-strike, eyes narrowing in recognition. ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu?¡±


    She lowered the whip, clearly displeased by his interruption. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came to see Ar¡¯ Rion.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu turned, eyeing his friend, who was kneeling stiffly, his forehead damp with sweat. ¡°You dumb brat¡ªcouldn¡¯t you have told her?¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t believe me,¡± Ar¡¯ Rion muttered, his lips pouting.


    Tez¡¯ Mu sighed, then turned back to Heyu¡¯ Rion. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rion-deran. I gave him that matrix.¡±


    Heyu¡¯ Rion¡¯s sharp gaze pinned her son. ¡°And why does he need it? What are you trying to hide from me, Ar¡¯ Rion?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! Nothing!¡± Tez¡¯ Mu jumped in before his friend could make things worse. ¡°It¡¯s for an assignment! We have a test on concealment next week. He didn¡¯t have a matrix to practice with, so I lent him mine. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here¡ªto study with him.¡±


    But Heyu¡¯ Rion wasn¡¯t buying it. Her lips curled in a slight sneer as she raked her gaze over him. ¡°You? Study? You¡¯re not even carrying books.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu rubbed the back of his neck. ¡°Uh¡ªwell, it¡¯s a practical study session...¡±


    Mothers. They had an unnatural talent for sniffing out lies.


    Heyu¡¯ Rion crossed her arms over the whip. ¡°I have my eyes wide open, Ar¡¯ Rion. Any mischief¡ª¡± She didn¡¯t finish the sentence. She didn¡¯t have to. The message was clear.


    As she turned and left, the children scattered like startled birds, their gazes still darting warily after her. Tez¡¯ Mu wondered how such a temperamental person could run an orphanage. The children were terrified of her, and rightly so, but they had nowhere to go. Their fear was also mixed with deep gratitude and respect, creating a complicated relationship. As for Ar¡¯ Rion, he was Heyu¡¯ Rion¡¯s own son, born under possibly unhappy circumstances. Yet, he was loved and raised well, however strictly. With her income from working in the opulent side of the capital Heyu¡¯ Rion took care of her son and about two dozen orphans.


    House Rion, therefore, though not noble, was respected by all the residents of the backstreets. Heyu¡¯ Rion was like a little queen herself, a benevolent mother-figure for adults and children alike, earning her the well-deserved title of Rion-deran, a high honor she did not belittle.


    Tez¡¯ Mu exhaled, then reached down and pulled Ar¡¯ Rion to his feet.


    ¡°Next time, say something instead of kneeling like an idiot.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know my mother,¡± Ar¡¯ Rion muttered. ¡°The more I insist I¡¯m innocent, the more she believes I¡¯m guilty.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu smirked and clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Tough luck. Come on, let¡¯s get something to eat. I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Ar¡¯ Rion hesitated. ¡°You¡¯re not eating at home? Isn¡¯t your father returning today?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s jaw tensed. So even in Joavir, Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s return was news.


    ¡°So you know, huh,¡± his tone was cold.


    Ar¡¯ Rion chuckled at his expression. ¡°Who in Ochelon doesn¡¯t know? The great general, head of the House of Mu, the most powerful Martial Sage of the mainland, is returning victorious.¡± he said, his tone reverent.


    Tez¡¯ Mu scowled, his face reddening. ¡°Oh, stop it.¡±


    His father¡¯s name always stirred something bitter in him.


    He pushed the uncomfortable thoughts aside as they entered the kitchen, where children gathered eagerly around the food. To his surprise, Kel¡¯ Ruan, his other friend, was at the stove, apron tied over her yellow dress.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asked incredulously.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan turned, startled, then blushed slightly before composing herself. ¡°Ar¡¯ Rion invited me to lunch. I figured I should make myself useful. What are you wearing?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu straightened, attempting a posh expression. ¡°I was paying a social call.¡±


    Ar¡¯ Rion and Kel¡¯ Ruan burst into laughter, and Tez¡¯ Mu, unable to hold it, snickered as well.


    ¡°I wanted to say, is your conscience so deadened you wish to show off here in Joavir of all places?¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan shook her head, ¡°meanwhile, where did you go?¡±


    ¡°Yan Manor,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu replied, grabbing two wraps of hubak from the tray and holding out a bowl. ¡°By the way, after a long dreary afternoon, my sister finally set her wedding date. You¡¯re both invited.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan eyed him skeptically as she ladled thick broth and fish into his bowl. ¡°You mean it?¡±


    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s the point of being in the family if I can¡¯t even invite two friends? I might as well move in with Ar¡¯ Rion at this rate¡ª¡± He yanked his bowl back as more broth threatened to overflow. ¡°Enough, Kel¡¯ Ruan! Am I a pig you want to fatten up?¡±


    ¡°You picked the biggest bowl,¡± she shot back, sticking out her tongue.


    One of the younger girls darted forward with a rag to mop up the spilled soup. She worked quickly, sneaking glances toward the door, clearly wary of Rion-deran.


    Tez¡¯ Mu winced, taking a seat at the long wooden table in the kitchen. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    She smiled. ¡°No problem, Brother Tez¡¯.¡±


    He tilted his head towards the bowl as he started to eat. ¡°What¡¯s your name again? I can¡¯t keep up. I don¡¯t know how Ar¡¯ does,¡± he bumped his friend¡¯s arm. They both sniggered.


    ¡°Yui. Peony.¡±


    Kel¡¯ Ruan sighed dreamily. ¡°That¡¯s such a nice name. I wish mine meant something pretty.¡±


    ¡°Kel¡¯ is nice,¡± Ar¡¯ Rion mumbled.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan blushed. ¡°Young miss. It doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    ¡°It means your family loves you,¡± Yui chimed in, eyes bright.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m not a young miss of some noble family. I wish,¡± she also came over and sat down, unwrapping her wheat mounds and starting to eat slowly.


    ¡°Your kind of family is the best,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu spoke after swallowing a morsel, ¡°no undue pressure; you can do things at your own pace. Also, you don¡¯t lack whatever you need, do you?¡±


    Kel¡¯ Ruan snorted lightly. ¡°Yeah¡ªexcept no mother, no father. Just a big sister drowning in work¡ª¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Lord Ruan your father?¡± Ar¡¯ Rion asked, frowning.


    ¡°I hope not,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan muttered, her eyes darting nervously, ¡°Still, I¡¯d take a mother like yours any day.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu arched an eyebrow. ¡°Mine? Or Ar¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Yours, maybe.¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan flushed slightly. ¡°She must be so kind.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu barked a laugh. ¡°Kind?¡±


    Kel¡¯ Ruan frowned. ¡°Well, yes! I remember when she came to the Academy. She was amazing. The way she manipulated water, how effortlessly she taught us¡ªeveryone loved her!¡±


    ¡°Hah.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu scoffed, crushing her fantasy in one stroke. ¡°Powerful? Yes. Nice? Essa-kest¡¯ Mu? I¡¯d never describe her like that in a thousand years.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan pushed. ¡°I can understand if your father is strict, but your mother too?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu bit down on a stiff piece of fish. He chewed slowly, then swallowed. ¡°If she¡¯s so sugar-sweet, why do you think I spend so much time here?¡±


    Ar¡¯ Rion shrugged. ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just overreacting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Or maybe you¡¯re the problem,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan added, eyes twinkling. ¡°If even someone like her doesn¡¯t like you, then surely, you must be the issue.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu scoffed again. ¡°I wish you¡¯d see them for what they really are.¡± He exhaled sharply. ¡°Forget it. I come here to escape the Mu Manor, not to drag it along with me.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan threw up her hands. ¡°We¡¯ll see for ourselves at the wedding. Don¡¯t back out on that invitation.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu smirked. ¡°I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll have them by tomorrow.¡±


    Satisfied, Kel¡¯ Ruan dug back into her food. The boys had finished. As Yui cleared their plates, she lingered near Tez¡¯ Mu, murmuring under her breath.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she stammered, her face going hot before scurrying away.


    Ar¡¯ Rion chuckled, shaking his head slowly. ¡°She¡¯s dead set on you, Tez¡¯.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not the only one,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan said loftily.


    Tez¡¯ Mu and Ar¡¯ Rion, who were now at the sink, exchanged glances, then burst into laughter.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan huffed. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu grinned. ¡°Nothing at all.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s because of Keiran¡¯, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu felt himself stiffen. ¡°Why are you bringing her up?¡±


    ¡°Hmph. Everyone knows she¡¯s your betrothed, so you won¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hum hum!¡± Tez¡¯ Mu cleared his throat loudly. ¡°Ar¡¯, shall we go practice?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ar¡¯ Rion got up.


    Smirking, Kel¡¯ Ruan washed her hands at the sink and followed them out¡ªonly for all three to stop in their tracks.


    A figure stood in the courtyard. A tall boy in Mu Manor servant robes.


    Tez¡¯ Mu quickened his pace and met him first. ¡°Sari?¡± he called the servant¡¯s name, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Sari bowed. ¡°Your father wants to see you.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu groaned.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan and Ar¡¯ Rion caught up, exchanging glances. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice dropped. ¡°Apparently, Raq¡¯ Mu has noticed that his problem is missing.¡±


    Ar¡¯ Rion frowned. ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu sighed. ¡°Nothing good.¡± He hesitated. ¡°You two carry on. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow. If I¡¯m still alive.¡± he added, and followed the servant out of the house. Ar¡¯ Rion glanced at Kel¡¯ Ruan, his brows raised.


    ¡°Is it me, or is Tez¡¯ Mu being overly dramatic?¡±


    Kel¡¯ Ruan exhaled, pulling her sleeves down as she followed the departing figures with her eyes. ¡°Not just you.¡±

 The Weight of a Name

    Tez¡¯ Mu had Sari send Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s horse back and instead boarded the carriage the servant came with to fetch him, with a bitter expression on his face. The carriage rolled out of Joavir and towards Muii, on the eastern outskirts of the capital, the district of the Mu family.


    As is often the case with looming unpleasant events, the journey ended far too soon. The carriage rumbled to a stop before the towering gates of the Mu Manor, having crossed the capital in its entirety. The carriage door was opened from the outside and Tez¡¯ Mu, who had his eyes closed throughout the journey, opened them and gazed with bleary eyes at his home.


    Today, the protective hue surrounding the manor was thick, lilac in color. Tez¡¯ Mu got down from the carriage and walked up the daunting steps leading up to the gates. The two guards manning either sides inclined their heads as he passed by them.


    ¡°Ke,¡±


    He stepped into the humongous courtyard. It was a stark contrast to the one he was just coming from, which could barely hold ten people. The Mu front courtyard stretched, unending, having every single imaginable comfort. There were several pavilions and gazebos that could be seen from a distance, a well-groomed garden with a maze hedge, a fountain in front of the main house, a bridge over an artificial pond on the left side leading to the stables.


    There were about twenty buildings in the Mu Manor, as each member of the household had their own personal courtyards. There were training grounds, archery ranges, viewing towers, and what not. It was expected of a noble House several generations old.


    Tez¡¯ Mu turned his steps towards the main house. Dinner was already over; it was currently the hours between saorou, dinnertime and sisaru, bedtime; so he reckoned his father would be in his study.


    He stepped through the main entrance, slipped off his sandals, and crossed the hall. The air inside carried the scent of burning resin, a fragrant offering meant to ward off restless ill luck. The carpeted floor¡¯s intricate weave depicted the Mu lineage in silver thread, generations of ancestors watching from beneath his steps.


    He walked down a corridor, passing under a wooden arch carved with the Four Oaths, the sacred promises of honor and duty that every Mu child memorized by age six. Finally, he arrived in front of a heavy brown oak door inlaid with the family crest¡ªa roaring black tiger. Taking a deep breath, he knocked, the polished wood cool beneath his knuckles. A heartbeat later, a low voice answered.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    The door creaked open, revealing his father¡¯s study¡ªvast yet austere, its walls lined with towering bookshelves. Candles flickered atop a polished desk stacked with military reports, their glow casting restless shadows across the map spanning the far wall. A brazier smoldered in the corner, faint embers crackling as they fought against the evening chill.


    Raq¡¯ Mu, his back turned, studied the map. His hair, the same dark red as Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s, had been unbound, and it cascaded down his back. He was only wearing tunic trousers; his upper body was bare. The candlelight caught on his powerful frame; broad shoulders, a torso lined with scars and the deep red of cultivation essence coiling off his skin in slow, deliberate waves.


    Tez¡¯ Mu stared in surprise at this, before recovering himself and bowing, although his father couldn¡¯t see him.


    ¡°This child pays his respects,¡± he said, breathing deeply.


    Raq¡¯ Mu turned around slowly, crossing his arms over his muscular chest. His stern eyes, black as night, raked over his son.


    ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu lowered his gaze, suddenly aware of his own disheveled state¡ªhis tunic rumpled from the day¡¯s outings, a fine layer of dust clinging to his boots. ¡°I was out with Sister Royan¡¯,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I was made aware of that.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, striding forward slowly, ¡°However, Royan¡¯ Mu returned while you didn¡¯t. Where else did you go?¡±


    A lump formed in Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s throat. ¡°I visited a friend,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu let out a slow breath, ¡°I can understand, but you see them every day. How about giving your father who has been away at war proper respect and welcome?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu stared at his bare feet, twiddling his toes.


    "I have told you before," Raq¡¯ Mu continued, his voice heavy. "The Mu army is watching you and your attitude. I don¡¯t expect you to have the ability to lead them one day¡ªbut did it never occur to you that, with your brothers gone, you may have to?" His tone sharpened. "Tez¡¯ Mu! Why are you so stupid?"


    Tez¡¯ Mu flinched at his raised voice. Raq¡¯ Mu hardly shouted, even though he had a bad temper. He had crossed the room and now stood in front of his son. Tez¡¯ Mu involuntarily took a few steps back.


    ¡°Stop moving!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu snapped.


    Tez¡¯ Mu forced himself to still, even though every cell in his body was itching to flee.


    ¡°I am extremely outraged with your behavior. I will not have you; even if you disrespect me; I will not have you disrespect the Mu army! Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu mumbled, still looking down.


    ¡°Raise your head!¡± The first blow landed, a slap across his cheek. Eyes smarting, Tez¡¯ Mu raised his head and looked into his father¡¯s angry eyes for the first time that evening.


    ¡°I will not; listen to me, Tez¡¯ Mu: I will not raise a foolish child. You will become who you are supposed to become: a true son of Mu; facing your fears and overcoming them. Do you hear me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡±


    ¡°So, are you afraid of me?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu crossed his arms.


    Tez¡¯ Mu paled. He shook his head, involuntarily looking down again. The second blow landed.


    ¡°Look up! An offense gives rise to another! What you did is no longer the point. What I hate the most is what you¡¯re doing now. Look up at me!¡± Another strike. Heat flared across his cheek. Again. Again. Tez¡¯ Mu bit his lip hard enough to taste blood. If as much as a sob of pain escaped, all hell would break loose.


    Raq¡¯ Mu grabbed his chin and yanked it up. Making sure Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s eyes were locked with his, he spoke.


    ¡°A true son of Mu is not a coward. I may be the mainland¡¯s strongest mage; but I am still your father: I will not kill you. I may hurt you, but it is to bring out your true nature. I will not allow you to fear me. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ªyes, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu gasped, his eyes reddening from the grip.


    ¡°Good,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu released his chin, and Tez¡¯ Mu rubbed it, feeling the ache already.


    ¡°Tomorrow, you will apologize to the generals you disrespected,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu walked away back towards the map, ¡°whatever punishment they see fit to give you, you will accept. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you something like this must never happen again. Leave,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu bowed, and then turned around to exit the room. He was at the door when Raq¡¯ Mu spoke again.


    ¡°I changed my mind,¡± he said, ¡°We¡¯ll go now,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s heart fell to the depths of his stomach.


    ***


    The dim glow of dusk filtered through the lattice-carved window screens, casting intricate patterns across the walls.


    ¡°My lady is at the door,¡± Sari said to the figure curled up under the sheets.


    ¡°Oh no; not her too,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu groaned, voice muffled by the pillow. The door creaked open. Sari bowed and excused himself as Essa-kest¡¯ Mu swept into the room. She crossed the space with purpose, her sharp eyes scanning the half-open drawers spilling dog-eared books and thick bound parchment, before landing on the boy buried beneath the sheets. With a decisive tug, she pulled them back, revealing Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s bare back, crisscrossed with swollen, purple welts.


    Without a word, she placed her hands over his injuries, and a soft glow spread as medicinal aura seeped into the wounds.


    ¡°Did the generals do this?¡± she asked after a while. Her tone was gentle but carried a sharp edge.


    Tez¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t answer. His eyes were squeezed shut, and the pillow beneath his head was damp.


    ¡°It was silly of you not to be at home¡ª¡±


    ¡°I know, I know! Enough of it,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu snapped, tugging the covers back up to his chin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to rub it in. I¡¯ve learned my lesson. I won¡¯t do it again. That¡¯s what you want to hear, no? Well, fine. You can go now.¡±


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu¡ª¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu sighed. Tez¡¯ Mu did not say anything, and rolled further away from her.


    She rubbed her temples as she glanced toward the low lacquered table, littered with half-unrolled scrolls and a cold, forgotten tea cup. In the farthest corner, beyond the wooden screen depicting the first Mu lords, a single candle burned, its flames flickering.


    ¡°Would you like to go visit my father on my behalf?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu asked suddenly, her voice low. Tez¡¯ Mu frowned.


    ¡°No. I have work at the Academy. Sis Royan¡¯ is also getting married. There¡¯s no time to make it to Darin and back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a teleportation scroll,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu said, shifting closer and resting a hand gently on the back of his head, ¡°I know that your bottleneck has been bothering you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hah. No it hasn¡¯t,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu scoffed.


    ¡°¡ªlisten to me,¡± she said, her fingers pressing more firmly now, ¡°There are a lot of resources at the Kest Manor; you should be able to find something. And while you¡¯re there, take all you need. My father and brother owe me that much,¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu muttered, ¡°can you leave now?¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu rose silently. ¡°I¡¯ll ask Sari to bring you something to eat,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve eaten at the Rion house. That reminds me: ask Sari to send two wedding invitations to House Rion and Tutor Sal¡¯s House Ruan,¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there only one House Ruan, though?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu wondered aloud.


    ¡°Whatever. Make sure to mention they¡¯re allowed to bring two extra people,¡±


    ¡°Tutor Sal will definitely be invited already,¡± she pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not thinking about Tutor Sal. I¡¯d prefer if she didn¡¯t come if it was up to me,¡±


    ¡°Is there any of your other friends you¡¯ll like to invite?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s all. Jun¡¯ He will probably come with his uncle, but to be safe let¡¯s send him one as well,¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu turned and left. Tez¡¯ Mu waited until the door had shut then gritted his teeth as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Shaking, he grabbed a cloth and spat into it, his head pounding like a war drum. He rose from the bed and tottered to a small drawer on the floor next to the folding screen, rummaging through the junk; discarded pieces of used scrolls, broken matrix gadgets, quills snapped in half, scraps of paper...until his hand clutched a gray pill bottle at the very back. He grabbed it and quickly pulled out the stopper, and turned the bottle over in his hand. One blood red colored pill rolled out. Tez¡¯ Mu shook the bottle in disbelief.


    ¡°Damn!¡± He swore, and then threw the last pill into his mouth, chewing with a pained expression. The door creaked open.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± It was Sari, with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu shoved the bottle back into the drawer and slammed it shut. He turned around mid-squat. Sari held a tray of food, the aroma from the steaming aluminum plates filling the room quickly.


    ¡°I said I¡¯ve eaten,¡±


    ¡°Young miss is outside,¡± Sari reported.


    ¡°Who, Royan¡¯?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s me,¡± the youngest Mu strolled into the room, hands at her hips. Sari bowed and left with the tray.


    Tez¡¯ Mu slumped against the drawer, his voice tired. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is it true that father had the generals punish you?¡± She asked with a frown. Tez¡¯ Mu did not reply. His breath was shallow, his face pale.


    ¡°How dare they!¡± Chan¡¯ Mu growled, stamping her foot. ¡°I¡¯m the only one allowed to bully you!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu managed a weak grin. His face was losing color faster and faster. Chan¡¯ Mu frowned, and traipsed over to him


    ¡°You¡¯re burning up,¡± her fingers were cool against his forehead. Her frown deepened. ¡°I thought Mother already patched you up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡ª but I have other problems¡ª¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu raised her nose up into the air.


    ¡°Take mother¡¯s offer and go to Darin. They¡¯re sure to have a breakthrough pill or something.¡±


    ¡°Go away, Chan¡¯,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu mumbled.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m about to puke,¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu¡¯s put on a disgusted expression, and then took several steps back.


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°Go on and puke,¡± Chan¡¯ Mu raised her hand and drew a simple matrix formation in midair, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to smell it,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu groaned.


    ¡°Just leave. What else do you want?¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu pursed her lips. ¡°Are you hiding something from me?¡±


    Hrk¡ª! Tez¡¯ Mu threw up both the pill and a mouthful of blood. Chan¡¯ Mu gaped as he dug through the clump of blood to retrieve the pill...


    ¡°No! Eww! Stop! How valuable is the dirty thing? Our house can afford two shiploads of it; throw it away!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu ignored her, sifting through the bloody mess with trembling fingers. He started to cough, his body convulsing with each draw of breath.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Chan¡¯ Mu terminated the matrix around her and spun on her heel, shouting, ¡°I¡¯m getting Mother!¡±


    As she ran out, Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s vision blurred, and his body sagged against the floor.


    He awoke to a burning sensation in his chest, the kind that happened whenever he tried to cultivate. Tez¡¯ Mu frowned, his eyes still closed. The atmosphere didn¡¯t feel like his room. Voices murmured nearby, two people moving about. Where was he?


    What was wrong, he thought, groaning as a fresh wave of pain shot through his chest. He hadn¡¯t tried to cultivate in over two months. Why now? The ache deepened. Was this what dying felt like? Could cultivation problems lead to sickness?


    ¡°Tez¡¯?¡± It was his mother¡¯s voice. Then the other person was¡ª? Tez¡¯ Mu moaned. Yes, it was his obnoxious father¡¯s fault. If not that he¡¯d been seriously wounded by the blood thirsty generals of the Mu army in the name of apologizing, why would his oasis be as badly damaged as this?


    ¡°Tez¡¯, can you hear me?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu asked again. She seemed to be on the verge, if not already in tears. Tez¡¯ Mu was shocked. That wasn¡¯t like her. Stoic, composed Essa-kest¡¯ Mu, crying?


    She just had to probe by touching his arm to know he was fine.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was this bad,¡± he heard her murmur to the other person in the room, ¡°to think he¡¯s been keeping it to himself. What did you call the name of that pill again?¡±


    ¡°Oasis Repressor,¡± oh, so the other person was Royan¡¯ Mu. Tez¡¯ Mu was relieved. He opened his eyes slowly. The light stung.


    ¡°Tez¡¯!¡± Royan¡¯ Mu was at his side in an instant, ¡°are you¡ª feeling better? Does your oasis still hurt?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu tried to sit up. He did not answer the question. It was no use. What could they do about it?


    ¡°The pill,¡± he was surprised that his voice came out so hoarse, ¡°where is it?¡±


    ¡°Tez¡¯, you can¡¯t take it anymore! Instead of helping you, it¡¯s damaging your body! If your oasis collapses completely, you might never use magic again, Tez¡¯!¡± Royan¡¯ Mu said with a slight shudder, ¡°Where did you get it from? The person making such a thing should be imprisoned!¡±


    ¡°Where¡ª where is it?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu croaked again, his eyes dilating, ¡°Please, let me have it. That¡¯s¡ª that¡¯s the only thing that helps. If it wasn¡¯t for that pill, I would have¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tez¡¯!¡± Mother and daughter cried together as Tez¡¯ Mu fell back onto the bed, limbs falling limp like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Royan¡¯ Mu quickly covered both her hands in healing essence, and placed it on his chest.


    ¡°You too, mother!¡± She said urgently to her mother. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu joined her, hands trembling as she summoned her own energy.


    Slowly, very slowly, color returned to Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s pale lips, and his ragged breathing steadied. Sweat glistened on Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s brow as she pulled back.


    ¡°What do we do, mother?¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu looked aghast, almost as pale as her son. ¡°I am going to talk to your father,¡± she said, clasping her hands tightly.


    ***


    The world had the audacity to move forward as though nothing had happened.


    Tez¡¯ Mu moved through the manor, giving orders and making preparations alongside the others as the household bustled in preparation for the wedding party between Royan¡¯ Mu and Dor¡¯ Yan.


    As he passed by the main house, he ran into Chan¡¯ Mu. Tez¡¯ Mu immediately turned around, however, he didn¡¯t escape the hawk eyes of the little girl.


    ¡°Tez¡¯!¡± Chan¡¯ Mu called out, hands on her waist, ¡°seems like you¡¯re fine already. I want you to do something for me,¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± he snapped, not breaking stride. ¡°I¡¯m going to Darin now.¡±


    But Chan¡¯ Mu would not be ignored. Snapping her fingers, she conjured an array beneath his feet. Tez¡¯ Mu struggled against the binding force but couldn¡¯t move. She strode up to him, grinning triumphantly.


    ¡°How about now?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu scowled. He could fight this¡ªcould demand she leave him alone¡ªbut the last time he had snubbed Chan'', it had taken a week to clear the scorch marks from the west corridor. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for another spectacle. ¡°Fine,¡± he sighed, ¡°what do you want?¡±


    ¡°Do you know where that ship model Vin¡¯ Hai made father is kept?¡± Chan¡¯ Mu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably in father¡¯s study. And Vin¡¯ Hai didn¡¯t make it for father. It¡¯s a royal tribute. Father intends to give it to the Dowager on her birthday,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about all that,¡± Chan¡¯ Mu rolled her eyes, ¡°find it for me. Quickly!¡± With that, she snapped her finger and Tez¡¯ Mu was freed from the effects of the matrix. As she walked towards her chamber, she said over her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m not very patient today, brother,¡±


    ¡°What do you want with it, anyway?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu frowned. Chan¡¯ Mu did not reply. She swayed her tiny hips as she sashayed away. Her cultivation prowess was still a mystery to Tez¡¯ Mu. One night he had gone to bed and his sister was still learning how to say his name; and he woke up the next morning to see her casting sigils and matrices left and right.


    Giving up his plan of going to his mother¡¯s chamber for the teleportation scroll that would take him to Darin, Tez¡¯ Mu instead entered the main house. His father was out with the army, so this was perhaps the best time to snoop around the study. To be safe, however, he knocked twice on the door.


    Satisfied with not receiving an answer, Tez¡¯ Mu creaked the door open. His father¡¯s armor stood on a pedestal next to the wall map needing polishing, a red robe thrown over one shoulder. Tez¡¯ Mu gave the study a sweeping look. Nothing was out of place, and this was definitely not where the model was kept.


    His gaze turned to the door hidden in plain sight behind his father¡¯s desk. Tez¡¯ Mu knew exactly which knob to turn to enter the enclosed space where Raq¡¯ Mu kept his treasures. Did he dare...?


    Crossing the room quickly, Tez¡¯ Mu reached behind the draped curtains by the window and turned the small knob kept just out of sight. The hidden door slid open with a low hum. Tez¡¯ Mu entered swiftly, leaving it slightly ajar.


    The secret room smelled faintly of damp parchment. Scrolls and files lined the shelves. An ornate scroll rested on a pedestal, glowing faintly in the dim light. It was Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s Technique Scroll, chosen decades ago. Tez¡¯ Mu stared at it briefly before shaking his head. He wasn¡¯t here for that. It was preposterous to think that the legend of some scrolls being heritable would suddenly come to play here. Besides, what would that do to his cultivation bottleneck?


    Best to find Chan¡¯s model ship and get out of here. Tez¡¯ Mu quickly hurried down the rest of the small room but found nothing of the sort. Eventually, he pressed his lips tight with a frown as he returned to the middle of the room and raised the leather mat that covered the trapdoor entrance to the Mu underground network of tunnels.


    One good thing about Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s secret storage, though, was the absence of booby traps. Tez¡¯ Mu jumped down into the second level and dusted himself as he rose up from his crouch. The tunnel was lit with twinkling lunar stones in the brackets lining the walls on one side. The other side was devoted to shelves. He vaguely remembered how the tunnels linked to one another from the times he and his elder twin brothers used to sneak in here looking for ancestors knew what.


    He traced his fingers along the grooves in the walls, recalling faint childhood memories of racing his brothers through these passages. Back then, it had been a game. Now, he walked alone, the air thick with something weightier than dust.


    Tez¡¯ Mu turned around, finally deciding on the northwest fork from among the four paths that led out of the landing.


    Walking through this path, he noticed a difference in the contents of the storage as opposed to what it used to contain back then when he and his brothers used to come in here. When Tez¡¯ Mu was seven, his grandfather had just died and Raq¡¯ Mu was still in the process of taking control of the army. Back then, the storage mostly contained documents, letters, weapons and curious substances in glass phials.


    Now, however, the shelves had portrait scrolls, maps and on the ground plain wooden boxes marked Mu, and Ji, silver bordered wooden boxes marked Zi, and golden bordered oak boxes marked Tribute; stacked together and on top of one another.


    Tez¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows and made towards one of the boxes marked Tribute. He pushed the lid to one side and gold stared back at him. Gasping, he pushed the lid back to close it. Gold?! Ochelon was a mainland country, and the few mines it had yielded iron, jade and copper. Gold was rare and that only made the merchants who sold jewelry to the nobles richer, as it was imported. What were fat blocks of it doing under Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s study though?!


    Tez¡¯ Mu opened the second box and the same yellow light shone out. So did all the boxes marked tribute. Raq¡¯ Mu was intending to give all this to the Dowager Queen?! No wonder he was her favorite subject!


    Rising from the boxes Tez¡¯ Mu wondered then, if the model ship was supposed to be tribute too, where was it? He went down the passage and then stopped short, freezing. His breath hitched in his throat as he stared at his own unfinished portrait hanging from the wall where the shelves ended. The heavy hand in the lower left corner of the portrait was Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s, written in Miyuan letters.


    Of the noble house of Mu


    The fourth offspring,


    Tez¡¯ Mu


    He was also wearing robes from the eastern kingdom, Miyuan, in the painting, something he had never worn in his life. The relaxed expression on his drawn face was also unsettling. What was this? Why did Raq¡¯ Mu order his portrait to be drawn as if he were a prince of Miyuan? To what purpose? And why was it unfinished?


    The painting stopped at the clasp of the Miyuan robe at his chest. His lower body remained to be drawn. It seemed he would be drawn sitting. Tez¡¯ Mu frowned. When had he even modeled for this portrait without realizing it? Or had the painter drawn him from memory? It didn¡¯t seem so. The natural parting of his polled hair slightly at the left side of his head above his ear was a detail that had to be seen firsthand.


    Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s storage was full of surprises. Tez¡¯ Mu turned away from the portrait and looked around the rest of the room, now conscious that he had now spent a while. And finally he saw it. The ship, Arkan, sitting on a rocky ledge just a little way away. Its sails were flying, as if the very wind of the sea were blowing them. Vin¡¯ Hai¡¯s craftsmanship was indeed unrivaled in Ochelon. Personally, though, Tez¡¯ Mu figured that the gold would please the Dowager Queen more.


    Chan¡¯ Mu had said to find it, and definitely not to take it. Tez¡¯ Mu noted the model¡¯s location and then turned around. He took another glance at the portrait of the smiling stranger with his face and hurried out of that passage. Just as he came to the entrance of the main tunnel, he froze.


    Raq¡¯ Mu was shuffling idly through a book, his eyes on the passage Tez¡¯ Mu had just emerged from. He glanced over at Tez¡¯ Mu when he appeared with a searching expression, which soon disappeared.


    ¡°I suppose nothing interested our pilferer among the treasures of the lord general Mu,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu sneered, ¡°How disappointing,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°I¡ªI wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± he murmured, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to take anything,¡±


    ¡°Then,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu closed the book he was holding with a snap that made Tez¡¯ Mu flinch, ¡°what are you doing here?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, you fell in?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu murmured cynically, ¡°it didn¡¯t occur to me that that was possible, though. You had to have entered the secret room before you got here. And I don¡¯t suppose you stumbled in there either. You hardly even wander into my study of your own accord except you are summoned for punishment. Not like Royan¡¯ Mu, who regularly greets me, or even Chan¡¯ Mu, who comes to play,¡±


    Play? Play?! Chan¡¯ Mu, playing with their father? What kind of play was Raq¡¯ Mu capable of doing? Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s head was swimming. And did that also mean that Chan¡¯ Mu could have done this herself? Why did the monster ask him to do it then?!


    ¡°Or is it that I am raising a spy under my own roof, in my own name?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t allow Tez¡¯ Mu to think in peace, he was still talking, and his eyes were now flashing with some degree of irritation, ¡°After all, with the crowd you mix with in Joavir, someone might have conned you into turning against your own father,¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu murmured. It was all he could say, ¡°I¡¯m just¡ª¡± he swallowed, ¡°looking for something,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu stared at him, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°The Arkan,¡± damn Chan¡¯ Mu, he thought, giving up, ¡°I...I wanted to see it again,¡±


    ¡°I had no idea you had an interest in craftsmanship,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu sneered, and put the book in his hand away, ¡°Well, I hope you¡¯ve seen your fill. It¡¯s time to get out of here now,¡± he gestured towards the trap door.


    Tez¡¯ Mu hurried forward, just out of reach of his father should he be intending to swipe at him, and climbed out using the retractable steps that Raq¡¯ Mu had triggered when he had come down. Raq¡¯ Mu was close on his heels.


    Tez¡¯ Mu left the secret room quickly and stepped out into the study. His father emerged behind him just as he wondered if he should make a dash for it. He watched as Raq¡¯ Mu sealed the secret entrance shut.


    ¡°Well,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu walked over and sat in his high backed chair, sneering lightly, ¡°What now? Do you want me to call Vin¡¯ Hai to take you as an apprentice or what?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu frowned as he shook his head, wondering why his father would have such an absurd idea. The purpose of the portrait was itching at his mind, but he had never gone out of his way to ask his father a question before. He hesitated. Raq¡¯ Mu seemed to be in a fair mood today, though, as he had not spoken so far of punishment.


    ¡°I¡ªthere¡ªthere was a portrait in the storage¡ª¡±


    ¡°Why are you stuttering?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu, who had closed his eyes and leaned back into the backrest when Tez¡¯ Mu did not reply his question, opened them and frowned. Tez¡¯ Mu caught his breath.


    ¡°There was a portrait¡ªof me¡ªin the storage,¡± he repeated.


    ¡°Yes. So?¡±


    ¡°It¡ªit was unfinished. And I was dressed in Miyuan.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu, in spite of himself, said the last statement with an incredulous tone. Raq¡¯ Mu was not amused.


    ¡°That it is unfinished is your own fault. You were not present at the family dinner on the day I arrived,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu looked away. Oh. But where in plain sight did the painter hide whenever the Mus had their meals?


    ¡°But why¡­¡± he paused, pulling in a breath, ¡°Why was I dressed in Miyuan? Ochelon doesn¡¯t even have a treaty with them,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu pressed. His father sneered.


    ¡°We don¡¯t. But that does not stop us from marrying them,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu froze. What? What did that mean? Was he¡ªgoing to be betrothed to some Miyuan princess? But that wasn¡¯t right. He was already engaged to Keiran¡¯ Ru, the daughter of Lady-general Ru, the third great general of Ochelon.


    ¡°Marrying them?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu couldn¡¯t believe it.


    He barely saw Keiran¡¯ Ru, let alone spoke to her, despite attending the same Imperial Academy of Cultivation. Yet, he liked her. She was beautiful, gifted in cultivation, and, most importantly, the heir presumptive of her family.


    As the third son and fourth offspring of the House of Mu, Tez¡¯ Mu had no real claim to his family¡¯s wealth. The estate would go to Riel¡¯ Mu, the firstborn, with half set aside for Rian¡¯ Mu, his twin. Royan¡¯ Mu, as the first daughter, would inherit a portion, supplemented by her mother¡¯s Kest lineage, though her true fortune would come from her future as Lady of House Yan. Chan¡¯ Mu¡¯s fate would follow a similar path.


    But Tez¡¯ Mu? He had nothing to rely on. His brothers would see to that.


    Marriage to Keiran¡¯ Ru was his best chance. As her husband-consort, he would gain wealth, power, and security¡ªwithout the crushing expectations that came with leading a great house.


    And now, Raq¡¯ Mu expected him to throw that away for a Miyuan princess he had never even met?


    No. Absolutely not.


    Raq¡¯ Mu did not care to know what was going through his son¡¯s mind. He turned the book in his hand over.


    ¡°Yes. Your grandmother¡¯s family requires your portraits. They want to include you in the royal genealogy of Miyuan; because of my influence no doubt.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked twice, then let out a turbid breath. He had forgotten completely that his paternal grandmother was a princess Miyuan. Perhaps his friends were right, and he really tended to overthink things.


    ¡°Oh. I¡ªI had no idea,¡± based on Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s expression, he had overstayed his welcome, ¡°I have to go now, father,¡± he glanced at the door.


    Raq¡¯ Mu let out a humorless chuckle. ¡°You have to go?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mother asked me to visit the Kest Manor for her. She must be waiting for me,¡±


    ¡°I doubt. I activated a transportation scroll that conveyed Essa-kest¡¯ Mu to her father¡¯s house an hour ago.¡±


    Damn Chan¡¯ Mu.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu was crestfallen. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go some other time. Your leave, father,¡± he bowed.


    ¡°Why are you running away?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked, shocked. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªnot,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu rose. Tez¡¯ Mu stiffened.


    ¡°I think you hate me,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu was caught off guard. ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you? You always do stupid things and I always have to correct you and that¡¯s all there is between us. I¡¯m certain you like me less than even your instructors at the Academy¡ªif you like me at all, that is,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu had crossed to the dusty armor and was looking it over. He pulled the red robe off the shoulder.


    Tez¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t know what to say. He hated to admit that Raq¡¯ Mu was right, but whose fault was that?


    Raq¡¯ Mu turned and crossed the room. Tez¡¯ Mu shuffled his feet nervously. His father didn¡¯t stop until he stood in front of him. He raised his hand and something billowed over Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s head. Opening his eyes (Tez¡¯ Mu did not even know when he closed them) he realized Raq¡¯ Mu had draped the red cloak over him.


    ¡°Tezihoyi Anraon, son of Mu,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu placed his hands on Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s shoulder, ¡°from what it seems, you will have to lead the Mu Army,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked. ¡°But¡ª¡±


    ¡°But nothing. Your brothers have founded a mercenary company over in Jahha. I don¡¯t know which one of them will hold on to that and which one will return; but, for deserting the mainland they will have to suffer the humiliation of deferring to you. You will lead the Mu Army,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu stared at his father in shock.


    ¡°But I can¡¯t¡ªI mean¡ªI have a cultivation bottleneck,¡± he finally managed to breathe out. Raq¡¯ Mu did not react.


    ¡°As long as you keep yourself alive you will surely overcome it one day. It takes more than cultivation to lead an army, and that is what I am going to start teaching you. Do you understand?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu nodded, totally speechless. To his surprise, Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s face relaxed into a smile.


    ¡°Good! We can achieve something before the Dowager Queen¡¯s birthday. This is what we¡¯ll do¡ªwhen is the Academy resuming?¡±


    ¡°On the first day of Rin,¡± School started on the first day of spring. Tez¡¯ Mu was advancing by one level at the Academy, even though ironically he remained stuck at the same cultivation stage.


    ¡°That¡¯s a month after Royan¡¯s wedding. I see,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu nodded, ¡°on schooldays you are exempted. Every other day at dawn you must come here. I will train you,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu held back an outcry. No, please no! He already had a lot on his plate!


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± was all he could say. But no way would he allow Chan¡¯ to get away with this one, ¡°Father,¡± he shrugged off the robe as Raq¡¯ Mu turned around to return to his seat.


    ¡°Keep the robe,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said.


    ¡°Oh? Yes, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu piled the robe on his arm, ¡°Um,¡± he looked sheepish as he wondered how to say it, ¡°Father, have you never wondered about Chan¡¯s cultivation?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to wonder about?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Well¡ªit¡¯s really strange. Father, she¡¯s¡ªshe¡¯s just nine!¡±


    ¡°Starting cultivation early is nothing strange in our House. Several of our ancestors have done the same,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu waved his hand dismissively, ¡°It¡¯s something to be proud of, rather,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu frowned. Not in a hundred years, had the world seen a prodigy like his sister. Her progress unsettled him, and made him suspicious of outside involvement.


    But his father would never think otherwise, would he?

 Between Silk and Steel

    Tez¡¯ Mu rolled over as the bells rang shrilly just outside his window. As if on cue, the door to his room was pushed open and Sari entered with robes piled on his arm.


    ¡°Damn it, Sari, I¡¯m not the groom! Why do I have to be up so early?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu complained into his sheets.


    ¡°You¡¯re the only man in the manor asides my lord general, ke. You¡¯ll be the one to escort her ladyship to House Yan,¡± Sari carefully placed the robes down on the bed so they wouldn¡¯t crumple, ¡°and also, you have guests. You asked me to deliver three invitations, remember?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu got up and rubbed his crusty eyes.


    ¡°I have asked a servant to put hot water in the bath,¡± Sari said as he sorted through the clothes in the order Tez¡¯ Mu would wear them. He folded the inner robe into a neat, small square and handed it over to his master.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but hurry,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu grinned. His servant¡¯s words were always formal, but their bond was anything but. Since his brothers had left the mainland a few years ago, Sari had become the only one Tez¡¯ Mu could rely on in the Mu Manor. He stopped delaying and dragged himself to the bath.


    When he returned a few minutes later, the white inner robe clinging damply to his skin, Sari had set out a light breakfast on the table beside the bed. The soup¡¯s fragrant steam curled in the morning air, but Tez¡¯ Mu barely spared it a glance, opting instead to chew on the bread beside it.


    Time might seem to stand still here in his room, but the world outside was already chaotic. He could hear servants scurrying through the hallways with frantic preparation. The house¡¯s butler, Heng¡¯s could be heard above all, his booming voice giving instructions.


    The door to the room flew open nearly rebounding from the force of its push. Heng stormed in, an almost crumpled piece of paper in his left hand, his broad frame casting a shadow over the room. His dark skin glistened with the faintest sheen of sweat on his balding forehead, a testament to the morning¡¯s exertion.


    ¡°¡ªso many guests! And my lord general can¡¯t be the one to usher them in at the gate!¡ª¡± he caught sight of Tez¡¯ Mu eating, ¡°My ke! You¡¯re still in bed?!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu rolled his eyes. He took a sip of the soup and immediately recoiled, setting it down with a grimace. He stood up and stepped forward as Sari held out a kasa, a dark brown vest coat that would sit under the tudan, a long open tunic robe. Under the tudan robe would be worn leather pants, the kasa tucked into it. As Tez¡¯ Mu did not like the way his tudan robes used to catch on things, Sari had procured for him a belt that would go around his waist and over his shoulder.


    The other accessories that would complete his dressing were set on the cabinet table in the room: a spatial ring, its hidden storage perfect for stashing away flowers from the many young female admirers he was sure to attract; gloves because so many people would shake his hand as the bride¡¯s brother and escort; and anti-intoxicant pills slipped into the side pocket of his kasa because he would have to drink a lot, and ancestors flay him if he got drunk.


    ¡°Young master, you have to welcome the guests on behalf of my lord general,¡± Heng said as Tez¡¯ Mu put his arm through the kasa. Sari dropped it over his shoulders before picking up the tudan.


    Tez¡¯ My frowned, ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m escorting Sister Royan¡¯,¡±


    ¡°Well¡ªno one else can do it. The two young lords aren¡¯t here; it would have been my lord Riel¡¯ Mu¡¯s duty,¡± the butler replied.


    ¡°So they¡¯re really not going to come, huh?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu muttered as Sari adjusted the fit of the tudan. He held out a hand, and Heng crossed the room, buttoning the kasa while holding the crumpled paper between his teeth, ¡°I wonder what mother will think of that. Can¡¯t Chan¡¯ welcome the guests?¡± he wondered aloud.


    Heng snorted despite himself, finishing the last button with a tug. He took the paper from between his teeth.


    ¡°Do you want our guests to flee from our gates from fright? I¡¯m certain the young miss¡¯s methods of verifying invitations should not be discussed in broad daylight,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu stared at the butler. Heng quickly realized he had spoken too freely and stepped back.


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to escort my lady Royan¡¯ Mu until the ceremony begins. You certainly have enough time to welcome the guests. Please, young master,¡± he added imploringly.


    Tez¡¯ Mu nodded shortly, his thoughts elsewhere, and Heng left the room, bowing out swiftly.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind¡± Sari had finished buckling the belt and was staring at his face. Tez¡¯ Mu smiled.


    ¡°Nothing. Do I have everything I need?¡±


    ¡°I think so. I will be behind you at all times so if you have any request I will take it,¡± Sari replied.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s welcome Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s guests,¡±


    It was the second hour of saorxi, breakfast time. The crisp morning air carried the scent of spiced meat skewers, aged plum wine and roasted duck from the kitchens, teasing Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s empty stomach. Beyond the manor walls, faint voices drifted in as the first guests arrived, their carriages rumbling over the stone-paved road. Tradition dictated that the earlier one arrived, the greater the honor bestowed upon the host, who, in turn, was expected to provide them with a worthy meal.


    As expected, he had not spent two minutes at the gate when the first carriage rolled up, the crest of the Ji family gleaming on its lacquered black door. The horses snorted, their breath misting in the cool air as the wheels crunched over the gravel path. A footman rushed to lower the step, and Muri¡¯ Ji emerged, adjusting the embroidered cuffs of his midnight blue brocade coat. His wife climbed down after him, sweeping the Mu Manor grounds with an impressed gaze.


    As they neared the steps, Muri¡¯ Ji¡¯s pace slowed. His eyes lifted to the figure standing above them¡ªTez¡¯ Mu, framed by the morning sun. The golden light wove through his red hair, deepening its color to carnelian. Against the soft glow of dawn, the vibrant strands shimmered like silk, a striking contrast to his dark skin. With his arms clasped behind his back, he looked every inch the young master of the manor.


    Muri¡¯ Ji turned to his wife, murmuring something to her. She nodded, reaching to touch the jade pendant nestled in her hair, ensuring it sat firmly in place, before taking his offered hand. Together, they ascended the seven broad steps leading to the gate.


    When they reached the top, Muri¡¯ Ji placed a hand over his chest and lowered his head. ¡°Congratulations, young master, on today¡¯s joyous occasion.¡± His face carried a wide grin, but his posture was formal. With a firm nod, he added, ¡°This vassal pays his respects.¡±


    Beside him, his wife looked like she would rather bash her fair forehead against a wall than bow to her father¡¯s nephew¡¯s cousin¡¯s son. She surveyed Tez¡¯ Mu with a disgruntled expression, and grudgingly nodded her head.


    Tez¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows, but did not say anything to her. He turned instead to Muri¡¯ Ji.


    ¡°Do your people in Ji District not know who you serve?¡±


    Sari coughed quietly. Tez¡¯ Mu glanced at him. The slight shake of his head and pressed lips said it all: Not at the gate, young master. You represent the lord general today. Just welcome the guests; don¡¯t stir conflict before they even step inside.


    But Muri¡¯ Ji¡¯s interest had been piqued.


    ¡°Which untaught scoundrel offended you, young master?¡± he asked with a slight patronizing frown.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s expression changed. His voice, when he spoke, was toneless and reserved. ¡°I will speak to you about it later. You must be hungry. Thank you for honoring us with your presence. Please let my servant see you in.¡±


    At the edge of his vision, Sari shifted slightly¡ªtoo subtle for most to notice, but Tez¡¯ Mu knew the motion well. He wasn¡¯t sure what mistake he¡¯d made, but Sari¡¯s silent disapproval was a familiar presence.


    Muri¡¯ Ji himself was stumped at the sudden change in Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s attitude. He blinked twice before he could reply.


    ¡°You¡¯re too polite, young master! This vassal is always at your service. It is my duty to felicitate with your family on this occasion.¡± He bowed again, inclining his head. His wife pursed her lips and stared down at the pointed tips of her platform shoes. Sari smiled, and gestured to them with his hand to enter the main courtyard, a network of purple hangings and white drapes, the colors of a marriage ceremony.


    The Ji couple stepped inside, the drapes billowing gently from the wooden beams above them. The scent of warm jasmine tea and freshly steamed buns wafted towards them from a nearby pavilion, mingling with the lingering traces of morning incense. Heng appeared almost instantly, his gait hurried, as he gestured them to the shaded pavilion where breakfast awaited.


    ¡°One down. How did I do, Sari?¡± After seeing them disappear after the butler, Tez¡¯ Mu turned to grin at his servant. Sari opened his mouth but could not bear to correct him. Even though he did not show it, Sari knew Tez¡¯ Mu was extremely nervous. This was his first time acting on behalf of the family, in his father¡¯s name. There was a lot of pressure on him. Therefore, Sari smiled and gave his master a thumbs up.


    ¡°Oh, here¡¯s another one,¡± three horses were harnessed to the next carriage, and before they even descended Tez¡¯ Mu could already hear the shrieks of the children in it. Shrill laughter and high-pitched shouts spilled out, piercing the quiet dignity of the morning. Something thudded against the wooden panel¡ªperhaps a child¡¯s foot kicking in excitement. He frowned. Children could only attend a formal party after saorxi. It was rude to your hosts for you to assume they had a duty to feed your children as well.


    ¡°Which family is that?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu asked Sari quickly. He could count four young children, all under ten years, an older one about thirteen, and then a somber looking nanny who climbed out after them. There was no sign of their lord and lady anywhere.


    ¡°It¡¯s House Il.¡± Sari replied, as the youngest of the children dashed up the steps, ¡°I should think young miss invited them,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu groaned. So Chan¡¯ had friends her age? The littlest child had reached the top, and stared at him with big round eyes as she sucked on her index finger. The others chased after her. She shrieked as one of her brothers caught her around the middle. They both tumbled onto the concrete landing of the steps.


    A brief silence, then¡ª


    "!"


    The girl clutched her elbow, her tiny fingers smudged with dust and a thin line of blood. Tears welled up in her wide, round eyes, her lower lip trembling violently before she let out another wail.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s face was very dark already. Sari pressed his lips together to refrain from laughter. The nanny and the eldest boy had finally caught up. Glaring at the tangled heap of children of the floor and moving quickly to separate them, the nanny dusted them down quickly with a small towel she carried, then said a few words to them in the eastern kingdom¡¯s tongue.


    Miyuan? Tez¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows. He took Diplomacy and Foreign Languages as one of his subjects at the Academy and could pick out a few words from what she said. But it was weird. House Il was an Ochelon house. Why were the children speaking a language of the eastern kingdom?


    The teenage boy stood to one side while all this happened, his eyes cast down, and his arms behind his back. Finally, the nanny approached Tez¡¯ Mu.


    ¡°We bring felicitations and salutations of respect from the Honored Lady of House Il.¡± The woman¡¯s speech was thick with the rolling vowels of the eastern tongue, her voice clipped and firm. As she spoke, her chin lifted ever so slightly, her sharp gaze daring Tez¡¯ Mu to question the ¡®grandness¡¯ of her little charges.


    Tez¡¯ Mu had not fully recovered from the shock of the spectacle, but another carriage had rolled up with a trumpet herald and he wanted to get this little swarm out of the way, ¡°The House of Mu welcomes you,¡± he said, ¡°Sari,¡±


    Sari took the hint and led them in.


    A deep, reverberating trumpet note suddenly rang out, cutting through the morning air, its brassy wail bouncing off the stone courtyard, making a few passing servants jolt mid-step.


    Sari turned around quickly. ¡°Young master, I think we will have to go down to welcome this party,¡±


    ¡°Why, because of the horn?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu asked. He did not recognize the gold filigree insignia on the carriage door.


    ¡°That is the Alchemists Guild¡¯s representative, Marquis Huren from Calsour Empire.¡± Sari replied. At his word, Tez¡¯ Mu immediately raised his feet as he took quick strides, crossing the wide landing and descending the steps quickly, the measured thud of his boots against the stone deliberate, his robes billowing slightly with each step¡ªswift but composed, exuding the grace expected of a noble. Sari paused for a second before he followed.


    Tez¡¯ Mu halted a few feet from the carriage as a squire swung open the door. A tall, light-skinned man emerged, his ornate staff catching the morning light, its polished surface inlaid with faintly glimmering runes. Tez¡¯ Mu bowed, and the man almost exclaimed.


    ¡°Absolutely not, my lord! I cannot accept it!¡± the marquis said at once, bowing even lower than Tez¡¯ Mu had, ¡°it is my honor to witness the happy occasion of my former fellow disciple, Lady Mu,¡±


    ¡°The House of Mu is equally honored by your presence,¡± and Tez¡¯ Mu gestured towards the steps. Marquis Huren bowed again, then entered the manor with his retinue. Tez¡¯ Mu exhaled, a quiet breath that carried the weight of his lingering nerves, his shoulders loosening slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. I¡¯m definitely supposed to respect him,¡± he muttered. Was all his etiquette training upside down? Sari coughed behind him.


    ¡°You¡¯re representing lord general Mu,¡± he reminded.


    ¡°So what? I¡¯m still a sapling who¡¯s not even of age. I¡¯m sure even father would defer to him a little. He¡¯s akin to an envoy!¡±


    ¡°He may be, but lord general Mu is like a duke, if we are going by the rank system of Calsour. For all the Marquis knows, you are the heir presumptive to the ¡®Mu Duchy¡¯. He definitely has to defer to you.¡± Sari said, then shrugged, then spoke again, ¡°Add that to the fact that the lord general, who you are representing, is the strongest cultivator in the mainland. Even Calsour has not managed to produce more than one Martial Sage,¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu had no idea Raq¡¯ Mu was that revered even outside Ochelon. It made sense now, why Miyuan would want to include the Mu offspring in their royal genealogy.


    ¡°How many more now?¡± He asked. Sari smiled a little.


    ¡°A lot,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu groaned.


    ***


    ¡°Welcome, and thanks for your kind wishes, Lord Hei,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu sighed, as he bowed yet another Scith judge into the manor. This was the part he had been dreading, meeting and greeting his father¡¯s peers. Contrary to his expectations, however, all the judges had been civil so far. Perhaps they were starving.


    ¡°It¡¯s General Ai,¡± Sari turned to whisper in Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s ear as a horse galloped up the drive. Tez¡¯ Mu did not respond. Of course he knew who it was. That smirking, sharp-faced predator haunted his worst memories. Kai¡¯ Ai had bullied Tez¡¯ Mu since childhood, during the time he was the Mu brothers¡¯ sword-master. Worse still, he was among those who had tormented Tez¡¯ Mu the most when Raq¡¯ Mu forced him to apologize to the generals.


    The man swung down from his horse with an effortless grace, handing over the reins to a stable boy. He stalked up the drive, boots striking the stone with a confident, almost arrogant rhythm, as if the very ground belonged to him. He completely ignored Tez¡¯ Mu.


    ¡°The House of Mu welcomes you!¡± Tez¡¯ Mu called after him cynically, a hard edge to his voice. Kai¡¯ Ai paused, shook his head, and turned around.


    ¡°Tezihoyi the rascal?¡± His ape-like face, to Tez¡¯ Mu, was even more infuriating than he had remembered, ¡°I didn¡¯t see you there. Are your cultivation issues now affecting your presence too?¡± He let out a smug chuckle.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re the blind one,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu shot back. Kai¡¯ Ai¡¯s sneer disappeared.


    ¡°Careful, young lord,¡± he growled, and then strode into the manor.


    Tez¡¯ Mu did not realize he was clenching his fists until Sari reached out to relax them.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s the Ru carriage,¡± he said.


    ¡°Where?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu whipped his head around, all thoughts of Kai¡¯ Ai¡¯s sneer gone from his mind. Sure enough, there it was, and two young women descended from it, still chuckling to something they must have been discussing.


    The taller one wore an elegant off-shoulder narkkir, the yellow fabric draping over her frame in pleated waves. Silver bracelets adorned her long, dark arms, chiming softly as she gestured¡ªbut Tez¡¯ Mu was not fooled. Her muscles tensed even as she gestured, and the hand with which she gripped the shoulder of the younger girl was that of an expert sword maiden.


    But Tez¡¯ Mu did not stare at her for too long. His gaze locked onto Keiran¡¯ Ru¡¯s deep brown eyes¡ªrich as aged wood, yet guarded. She held his stare for only a moment before looking away, gathering her narkkir around herself as she walked forward.


    Tez¡¯ Mu inhaled deeply, steadying the slight tremor in his chest before exhaling through his nose. Don¡¯t mess this up, don¡¯t mess this up, he chanted in his mind, even as his fingers curled involuntarily at his sides. The girls were paces away now. He shuffled on the spot, breathing deeply.


    ¡°Our hearty congratulations to lady Royan¡¯ Mu,¡± the taller woman said when they came to a halt in front of the gates, with a polite incline of her head. Tez¡¯ Mu bowed slightly.


    ¡°Thank you for honoring us with your presence,¡± he managed a small smile in Keiran¡¯ Ru¡¯s direction. She did not return it, only nodding once and following after the older girl. The gates closed behind them.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu growled to Sari.


    ¡°The young lady with Keiran¡¯ kel?¡± Sari had a trace of uncertainty in his voice. ¡°That should be Lieutenant Sayi¡¯ Ru. She¡¯s lady Keiran¡¯s cousin, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°You suppose?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu was venting on Sari now, tapping his feet impatiently. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know all of them?¡±


    It had to be because of her. Sayi¡¯ Ru was right beside Keiran¡¯, so the girl wouldn¡¯t¡ªcouldn¡¯t¡ªacknowledge him with her cousin watching. Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s fingers curled, heat rising in his chest.


    Sari did not take offense, only stepping forward a little so Tez¡¯ Mu could see his face.


    ¡°You should talk to lady Keiran¡¯ during the ceremony. I¡¯ll help you distract the lieutenant,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu shrugged, working his jaw.


    ¡°Why should I talk to her? If we¡¯re betrothed then we are. Once sister Royan¡¯ is out of the manor, mother will place all her attention on me next. Before I know it, I¡¯ll be married to her,¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°That is not a good idea,¡± Sari murmured worriedly.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu was distracted, ¡°Good, here comes the He carriage. Ancestors be dammed, I¡¯m starving,¡± he swore under his breath.


    A squire opened the carriage door and a handsome youth stepped out. Dark-skinned and striking, Jun'' He was handsome in a quiet, unassuming way¡ªhis features smooth and even, lacking the hard edges that made warriors imposing. His high forehead was framed by wispy strands of black hair, the color matching his deep eyes. Draped over his left arm was a heavy black bei robe embroidered with pale river lilies; a contrast to the deep green tunic he wore, the silk detailed with delicate patterns of silver-threaded reeds.


    Tez¡¯ Mu smiled when their eyes met. He was glad Jun¡¯ He had been allowed to attend the party at all; his uncle rarely let him out of their estate, keeping him locked away under the guise of discipline. It had always been an odd sight¡ªthe gentle, cool-headed heir raised beneath the shadow of a man who commanded armies with an iron hand.


    Jun¡¯ He turned back towards the carriage and stood deferentially next to the stately lord that came out after him. The man rose to his full height, his body built like a fortress, with a face hardened by years of war. His ironwood-brown hair, so dark it was nearly black, was tied back, revealing a scar slashing across his brow. There was no sign of silver at his temples, though the hard lines of his face told a tale of age. His dark gold eyes swept over the manor grounds, his mouth set in a line that had long forgotten how to soften.


    Tez¡¯ Mu swallowed hard; his throat was dry, his palms damp with cold sweat. This was the highest ranked guest he would have to greet on behalf of his father so far: Lord General Jizu¡¯ He of the He fief, the fourth great general of Ochelon!


    Tez¡¯ Mu felt a lot of pressure from just looking at him.


    ¡°Is it too late to send for Raq¡¯ Mu?¡± He muttered to Sari out of the corner of his mouth, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can handle this!¡±


    ¡°Its fine, ke,¡± Sari murmured back, ¡°You¡¯ve got this,¡± he reached out and gave Tez¡¯ Mu a gentle nudge in his back. Tez¡¯ Mu took the hint and strode forward, pacing his breathing.


    ¡°My lord general,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu clenched his left hand into a fist and put it over his right breast, lowering his head as he bowed formally to Jizu¡¯ He, who raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°This is Tez¡¯ Mu, uncle,¡± Jun¡¯ He introduced him in a low voice. Jizu¡¯ He nodded, and reached out to lift Tez¡¯ Mu up, his grip closing around Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s arm with an iron-like steadiness.


    He then reached out with practiced ease, plucking the heavy robe from his nephew¡¯s arm and sweeping it over his shoulders in a single, fluid motion. Tez¡¯ Mu noticed the He fief insignia, a small red hawk circling a sword, embroidered on the chest pocket of his kasa.


    ¡°I had assumed you were older. Of age,¡± the general said, his tone surprised, ¡°You are the one who dueled at Mirin?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu shook his head. ¡°No, my lord. That must have been my elder brother,¡± he replied.


    ¡°So where is he?¡± Jizu¡¯ He frowned, ¡°Why are you the one here receiving me when you have an older brother?¡±


    ¡°Older brothers,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu corrected, ¡°they are two: Riel¡¯ Mu and Rian¡¯ Mu. They are not in Ochelon. They both left a while ago to roam the continent,¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jizu¡¯ He chuckled, a dry, almost bemused sound. ¡°That¡¯s not what you¡¯d expect from a Mu.¡± His lips curled, ¡°I suppose Raq¡¯ wasn¡¯t pleased,¡±


    He wasn¡¯t, Tez¡¯ Mu wanted to say, but Jizu¡¯ He was done with the conversation. Without another word, he crossed the landing and entered the manor. His nephew hurried after him, shooting a swift, apologetic look over his shoulder. Tez¡¯ Mu suddenly pitied his friend. Even he, who was raised by one of the most fearsome men in Ochelon, felt a lot of pressure from speaking with the fourth great-general.


    ¡°You did well,¡± Sari¡¯s voice cut through Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s spiraling thoughts.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even say the House of Mu welcomes you,¡± he sighed.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to.¡± Sari comforted him, ¡°Just go along with the situation. Even The Hundred Maxims of Courtly Conduct says, ¡®Adaptability is the heart of diplomacy¡¯,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu snorted, ¡°Oh please,¡± He rolled his eyes¡ªso like Sari to quote verbatim from some forgotten book of etiquette.


    Hooves clattered against the stone path then, and five horses charged into view, their riders¡¯ laughter ringing through the cool morning air like a warning bell. At the front rode two figures, their red and lilac curls wind-tossed and wild, their bulky frames wrapped in fluttering traveling cloaks the same green shade of the other three. Tez¡¯ Mu froze, a sinking feeling settling in his gut at the familiar sight.


    ¡°Is it my eyes deceiving me, Sari,¡± he said quickly, ¡°Or are those two at the head of that party the infamous incorrigible twins?¡±


    Sari¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to refer to the young lords like that but, yes, that¡¯s them for sure,¡±


    One of the riders feinted toward Tez¡¯ Mu as if to knock him over. He flinched and jumped aside, barely avoiding the stallion¡¯s shoulder. The riders burst into loud guffaws, circling him and his servant, unsheathing their swords and swinging their lances as if they had caught some helpless prey.


    Tez¡¯ Mu swore.


    ¡°Easy on the profanities, youngling,¡± the rider who¡¯d charged him swung down from his horse and reached out, catching Tez¡¯ Mu in a choke-hold under his arm and furiously ruffling his hair.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gagged, cursing a storm as he struggled against his brother¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Another rider, identical to the first, dismounted and sauntered over, ¡°He¡¯s been picking up bad habits from those lowborn friends of his then, you reckon?¡± and he gave Tez¡¯ Mu a knock on the head with the hilt of his sword.


    ¡°Nggh¡ªLet me¡ªgo¡ª-you damn¡ª!¡± With a fierce tug, Tez¡¯ Mu broke free, coughing as he braced his hands on his knees. Then, quickly, he smoothed down his hair. ¡°I¡¯m welcoming guests here, you know!¡±


    ¡°Ha! He¡¯s welcoming guests! Did you hear that, Rian¡¯?¡± The first chortled.


    ¡°Sure did. Our little Tez¡¯ is all grown up now. Look at him in his tudan!¡± The second grinned, wagging a teasing finger in Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s face.


    Tez¡¯ Mu saw red. ¡°Stop it! Can you both be serious for once!?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s being unserious?¡± The first twin, Riel¡¯ Mu snorted as he handed the reins of his horse to the bright eyed almost gushing stable boy who¡¯d run up to him, ¡°Take care of her well! That¡¯s a prize stallion right there.¡±


    ¡°Yes milord!¡± the boy bowed and bowed again, then took off with the horse, grinning as if all his wishes had been granted.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gritted his teeth. What was the big deal? The servants never treated him like that.


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re here, you can greet the guests,¡± he crossed his arms over his chest.


    The two older Mu brothers raised their eyebrows.


    ¡°Greet the guests? Are you intoxicated, Tez¡¯?¡± Riel¡¯ Mu stepped forward, and Tez¡¯ Mu instinctively took three steps back. ¡°Are your eyes working well? Look at us! What are we?¡± He gestured to himself and those with him. Tez¡¯ Mu pursed his lips.


    Riel¡¯ Mu glanced over his shoulder.


    ¡°What are we, men?¡±


    ¡°Guests!¡± his twin brother and the other three chorused promptly, smirking with glee.


    ¡°Heard that, little pest? We¡¯re guests! Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s guests, no less!¡± He spread his arms wide, ¡°Adventurers from the Southern Wastes come to pay their respects. Go on, greet us properly!¡± He chuckled.


    ¡°Enough of this,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu scowled, ¡°If you¡¯re not taking over, get inside and out of my sight,¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Rian¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows, starting forward, but Riel¡¯ Mu stopped him with a hand to his chest. Then he advanced on Tez¡¯ Mu in the blink of an eye, catching him effortlessly with one hand on the back of his neck.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gulped. He hadn¡¯t even seen him move.


    ¡°When were you born, pest?¡± Riel¡¯ Mu growled close to Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s ear. Tez¡¯ Mu frowned as he tried to step back, but found out, to his horror, that he had been rooted to the spot.


    ¡°Answer me!¡±


    Not wanting to prolong the scene for fear that other guests might arrive soon, Tez¡¯ Mu sighed as he rolled his eyes, spitting through his gritted teeth, ¡°1705!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you unlearned pest. I was already of age by the time that furry ass of yours was weaned. You must have grown some peacock feathers during the time your elder brother and I weren¡¯t around, stomping around with your Ke of the House of Mu title, but don¡¯t do it to my face. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Fine!¡±


    Riel¡¯ Mu sneered and gave a seemingly harmless tap to the side of Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s face. A second later, a sharp pulse shot through his ear¡ªit rang, then went utterly silent.


    ¡°Deal with that,¡± Riel¡¯ Mu chuckled. Tez¡¯ Mu clenched his jaw, fisting his hand and about to bring it to crash against his brother¡¯s nose, but Riel¡¯ Mu had released him, and flitted back to his twin and his men.


    ¡°The House of Mu, men,¡± he said with a sweep of his arms towards the manor, to the admiring tittering of the men. They laughed, nudging each other forward as stable boys led away their horses. Boots thudded up the stone steps, their chatter echoing through the grand entrance.


    Tez¡¯ Mu winced, tilting his head as if he could shake the sound loose. The ringing clung stubbornly to his skull, a dull, persistent hum that refused to die. He thumped his ear in frustration just as Sari approached.


    ¡°You know better than to get on the wrong side of the young lords,¡± he said, taking Tez¡¯ Mu hand away from his ear and putting his own hand over it. His hand glowed for a moment before the light extinguished. Air immediately blew into Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s ear, and he had to clamp his hand over it again.


    ¡°I thought they weren¡¯t coming. Why didn¡¯t they just stay away?¡±


    Sari shrugged. He tapped Tez¡¯ Mu and gestured to the driveway.


    ¡°Young miss Kel¡¯ Ruan,¡± he said. Tez¡¯ Mu turned around.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan strolled up the driveway, her arm linked with that of a tall, willowy woman whose violet hair spilled like silk over her shoulders. Their tailored wudan robes draped elegantly over them, the open collars revealing diamond and silver necklaces glinting against their throats. Kel¡¯ Ruan¡¯s hair was swept up by a delicate circlet, and her smile was wide¡ªtoo wide.


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked. He had never seen her dressed up like this before. Hadn¡¯t even thought her capable of it.


    ¡°Do I have you spellbound, young lord?¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan teased, flashing white teeth.


    Heat crept up Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s neck. He swallowed, flicking his gaze toward his tutor, Sal¡¯ Ruan, whose lips were pressed into a thin, unimpressed line.


    ¡°I would say so.¡± Sal¡¯ Ruan exhaled, shaking her head. ¡°I guess the money spent on the clothes wasn¡¯t a waste,¡± Sal¡¯ Ruan muttered, ¡°But it will be stiff competition for you, Kel¡¯, against that Ru princess,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t give up easily, elder sister,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan winked. Tez¡¯ Mu nearly tripped. Ancestors above, she was shameless!


    He hurried to regain his composure. ¡°Welcome to the Mu Manor, Tutor Sal¡¯ Ruan.¡±


    Sal¡¯ Ruan merely nodded. ¡°Surely, you don¡¯t expect me to bow to you, Tez¡¯ Mu?¡±


    ¡°What¡ª?! No, no!¡± He stammered.


    ¡°Good. Come, Kel¡¯. The food will almost be devoured,¡± Sal¡¯ Ruan tugged her sister¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with Tez¡¯. You go on, elder sister,¡±


    Sal¡¯ Ruan sighed and shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me if you starve later.¡± As she walked inside, Kel¡¯ Ruan turned back from her and spun in place, letting her sleeves billow.


    ¡°You¡¯re really pretty,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu admitted.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan beamed. ¡°I know! Elder Sis wasn¡¯t too happy I made her cough up so much money for the dress, but it was worth it¡ªjust to see that look on your face,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu exhaled. ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to.¡± He found himself pitying Sal¡¯ Ruan. Chan¡¯ Mu was a pain, but he couldn¡¯t imagine having Kel¡¯ Ruan for a sister.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan suddenly stopped twirling. ¡°Tez¡¯,¡± she said, stepping closer, her voice quieter. ¡°I mean it, though. I want to marry you. I want to be Third Young Lady Mu.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu rolled his eyes, groaning. ¡°Come on, Kel¡¯! Not this again! I¡¯m betrothed for ancestors¡¯ sakes,¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t like her. Neither does she,¡±


    ¡°I¡ª!¡±


    ¡°You like her?¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan raised a skeptical eyebrow.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s face heated. ¡°Yes. Yes I do,¡±


    Kel¡¯ Ruan giggled. ¡°Well, she doesn¡¯t like you. I know it. I¡¯ve overheard her telling her friends at the Academy. Besides, marrying Keiran¡¯ Ru isn¡¯t a great idea. She¡¯s inheriting. You¡¯d be the Ru¡¯s son in law. A glorified consort-husband,¡±


    She shuddered as if that was the worst fate imaginable.


    Tez¡¯ Mu pressed his lips together. That was his dream life.


    ¡°Enough about the marriage talk, Kel¡¯ Ruan!¡± he snapped, flustered, ¡°None of it is happening soon, anyway! We¡¯re all not even of age!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but it¡¯s only a few years away.¡± She grinned. ¡°Besides, today is a wedding day. On wedding days, people talk about other wedding days. The celebration must continue.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°Go inside, Kel¡¯ Ruan.¡±


    ¡°I will soon. I¡¯m hungry,¡±


    ¡°I am starving,¡± he replied.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t had anything to eat?¡±


    ¡°No,¡±


    Sari glanced up at his master with an aggrieved expression. ¡°I made you breakfast, ke.¡± he said, his tone cutting, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t drink the soup,¡±


    ¡°Why should I drink soup when there are fat, juicy pheasant thighs to be had?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that¡¯s what you wanted,¡±


    The sun had now climbed higher. Sari wiped the gathering sweat off Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s brow.


    ¡°Shall we go in? I think everyone¡¯s arrived,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan asked, gazing down the empty driveway. Tez¡¯ Mu grunted an affirmative response, and turned his back.


    ¡°Wait, someone¡¯s coming,¡± Kel¡¯ Ruan whispered.


    A brown horse rode up.


    Raq¡¯ Mu dismounted.


    Sari rushed forward, taking the reins. ¡°My lord general.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s back straightened. ¡°Lord father.¡±


    Kel¡¯ Ruan curtsied. ¡°My thorka.¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s expression was terrible. His face was drawn into a tense furious glare, and around him cultivation energy rippled as if he was barely suppressing an outburst.


    Tez¡¯ Mu shivered. He had never seen his father this angry.


    ¡°Enter the manor!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu barked, not sparing them a glance as he stalked up the steps, his footfalls loud and fast.


    Kel¡¯ Ruan glanced at Tez¡¯ Mu. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why is your father so angry?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu swallowed, his face pale. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    He turned to the manor¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡±


    Several tables had been set up for the guests in the main courtyard, and most of them were full with low conversations and polite laughter ringing out frequently from each. The higher-ranked nobles were dining in more private pavilions or in gazebos, while others were cloistered in Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s main hall, its doors wide open. A few dancers performed for these nobles in the hall, accompanied by soft music from pipes and flutes. The party would not proceed beyond this point until the couple were wed and the bride escorted to her new home. Only then would the real festivities begin. Wine had not even been served yet.


    Raq¡¯ Mu burst into the main hall, startling everyone. Behind him trailed a bewildered Tez¡¯ Mu, Kel¡¯ Ruan and Sari. The guests rose and began congratulating the bride¡¯s father, approaching him one by one to offer their well-wishes. But Raq¡¯ Mu did not stop moving.


    ¡°Heng!¡± He called the butler loudly, ¡°Get Essa-kest¡¯ Mu, now!¡± He strode across the room and through the archway that led to his study. Heng took off. The guests were stunned, and promptly fell to whispering among themselves. Riel¡¯ Mu and his brother rose from a table on the far left and quickly followed their father into the study. Tez¡¯ Mu hesitated, but his curiosity got the better of him.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± he said to Sari.


    ¡°Yes, ke,¡± Sari responded, equally concerned about the lord general¡¯s abrupt behavior.


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu swept into the main hall, nodding to a few greetings before quickly made for the arch. Tez¡¯ Mu followed her.


    Inside the study, a fuming Raq¡¯ Mu paced the floor. Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s eyes grew wide. He had never seen his father lose his composure like this before¡ªRaq¡¯ Mu was the epitome of calm even in the fiercest of circumstances.


    ¡°Riel¡¯! Rian¡¯!¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu exclaimed, surprised to see her older sons, ¡°You came, after all!¡±


    ¡°Yes, mother,¡± Riel¡¯ Mu inclined his head.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t have missed Royan¡¯s big day,¡± Rian¡¯ Mu added. His brother sniggered.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t let us hear the end of it,¡± he then turned to his father, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, lord father?¡±


    ¡°Close the door,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said. Tez¡¯ Mu being closest, shut it.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu exclaimed, startling all of them. His wife was the first to react.


    ¡°Who? Who is dead?¡±


    ¡°Dor¡¯ Yan!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu hissed the name. The shock was immediate. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu cried out, a sharp short sound. Her sons froze.


    Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s face was grim. ¡°Kan¡¯ Un sent news that there was no activity at the Yan manor early this morning. Nothing at all. So I hurried over to check if there was any problem. And I found them¡ª¡± Raq¡¯ Mu clapped his hand to his mouth, ¡°Everyone in the manor, Essa¡¯! Slaughtered!¡±


    ¡°What¡ª!¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu reeled. ¡°How¡ª?!¡± She seemed unable to form a complete sentence.


    Riel¡¯ Mu and Rian¡¯ Mu gripped the weapons at their waists involuntarily, their faces ashen.


    ¡°Who did this, lord father?¡± Rian¡¯ Mu asked, his voice raw with rage, ¡°Is this an attack on our family targeting the Yans because of our alliance with them?¡±


    ¡°I¡ªI have no idea,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu admitted, placing both hands on his long table. His chest heaved as he sighed. ¡°I found Dor¡¯ Yan in the front courtyard, savaged. We must act quickly. I shall send someone to¡ª¡± he paused, his face hardening, ¡°¡ªclean up the place,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s hands flew to her face, ¡°What shall happen to Royan¡¯?¡± she murmured, her voice shaking, her body cold all over ¡°What shall we tell Royan¡¯?! Why today, of all days? Why Dor¡¯ Yan?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, I do not know, Essa¡¯!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu shook his head, his jaw tense. He turned to his eldest son, ¡°Riel¡¯, I will depend on you now. Take some men and head quickly to the Yan Manor. Clear up the place and prepare Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s body for burial,¡±


    ¡°Burial?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu cut in, aghast, ¡°Shall today become a burial then, my lord?¡±


    ¡°Peace,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu raised his hand, ¡°Riel¡¯, you have you orders,¡±


    ¡°Yes, lord father,¡± Riel¡¯ Mu nodded grimly and exited the room immediately.


    ¡°Rian¡¯, order Heng to take down the hangings,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu instructed his second son.


    ¡°My lord!¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu lurched forward, ¡°We cannot! We cannot do that!¡±


    ¡°So what do we do, Essa-kest¡¯ Mu?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu shouted. Tez¡¯ Mu flinched. ¡°He is dead, Essa¡¯!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, raising his hands, ¡°They are all dead¡ªservants, squires, stable boys, guards, Dor¡¯ Yan! Everyone in the Yan Manor has been slaughtered!¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu heaved, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to process the news. Suddenly, she turned around and rushed out of the room.


    ¡°She will bring the news to Royan¡¯,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said grimly, ¡°Rian¡¯, you have received my order. There shall be no wedding today no more. The groom is dead. I shall address the guests,¡± He walked out from behind the table, heading towards the door. Rian¡¯ Mu followed him.


    Tez¡¯ Mu, still in shock, trailed behind them like a puppet, his mind numb. He did not know what to think. He did not want to think. Unconsciously, he found himself rushing towards the west side of the manor, where his mother and sisters¡¯ chambers were. He wove through the crowd of chattering ladies and servants, finally reaching the Royan¡¯s door.


    Without hesitating, he pushed it open.


    Royan¡¯ Mu was seated on a wide sofa without armrests, fully dressed in her wedding wudan, the rhinestones glued to the silver colored fabric glinting in the soft light seeping through the high windows. Her densely braided hair was held up with two carved hairpins, and golden bangles adorned her long dark arms.


    She was playing listlessly with a small red pouch. At the sound of the door opening, she raised her head.


    ¡°Tez¡¯,¡± she beamed, ¡°is it time to escort me already?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu froze.


    He was surprised he made it here before his mother.


    Looking at her beautiful face, her eager smile, her twinkling eyes, her elegant dress, he gulped. Oh no, oh no, what will happen now?


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Royan¡¯ Mu grinned, throwing the pouch aside and placing her hands in her lap, ¡°Did you just come to see me? It¡¯s not yet time is it? I haven¡¯t heard the bells,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu remained mute. He did not know what to say. He did not know why he was here. Why is mother not here yet, he almost cursed. He could not just leave the room now.


    Royan¡¯ Mu sighed as she shifted on the sofa.


    ¡°Hah. I¡¯m going to miss living here. I know I can come visit anytime I feel like; just look how often mother visits the Kest Manor; but it won¡¯t be the same,¡± she looked around the room fondly, ¡°I¡¯ve had all of my things moved to the Yan Manor, but it still like my room. I¡¯ll miss it,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu glanced around the room wordlessly. It was bare; even the bed had been moved. Only the empty wardrobe and the sofa Royan¡¯ Mu was sitting on remained.


    ¡°Tez¡¯,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu had her eyebrows raised now, ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu managed to say, his throat dry, ¡°Mother is on her way,¡±


    ¡°What is mother coming to do? She just left. Heng came to call her. He said father wanted her. Did Her Majesty come?¡± She chuckled, ¡°That¡¯s the only thing lord father would need mother for today; to greet her,¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu was swearing in his mind now. He wanted to leave so badly. He couldn¡¯t imagine his sister¡¯s face in a few moments when¡­ He shivered.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu chuckled, not noticing his discomfort, ¡°But the palace should send a representative, though, for father¡¯s sake if not anything else,¡± She suddenly frowned up at Tez¡¯ Mu, ¡°Wait...you¡¯re not hiding here from Keiran¡¯ Ru, are you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu was unsure why Royan¡¯ Mu would think that.


    ¡°Oh, Tez¡¯. I know. There¡¯s no need to¡ª¡± the door was pushed open and Tez¡¯ Mu heaved a sigh of relief. But it wasn¡¯t his mother.


    It was Nuren, Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s servant.


    ¡°My lady!¡± She screeched, ¡°My lady!¡ªoh no!¡± She rushed forward and fell to her knees at Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s feet, sobbing hysterically.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What is it?¡± Startled, Royan¡¯ Mu quickly raised her up, ¡°Talk to me, Nuren! What happened?¡±


    But Nuren could not talk. She was choking on her tears, shaking her head from side to side, consumed in grief. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu entered at that moment. Glancing down at the sobbing maid, she paled.


    ¡°Royan¡¯¡ª?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu crossed the room and immediately threw her arms around her daughter, ¡°Something dreadful has happened, Royan¡¯. I need you to be strong. Eima, take Nuren out,¡± she said to her own maid, who hurried forward quickly and dragged Nuren out of the room.


    Royan¡¯ Mu had gone pale.


    ¡°What happened, mother?¡± Her voice came out strained. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu said nothing, only rubbing her shoulders with her face contorted in pain.


    Royan¡¯ Mu shuddered, seeing her mother¡¯s expression. ¡°Did something happen? Did something happen to Dor¡¯ Yan?¡±


    ¡°Royan¡¯, listen to me. You have to be strong¡ª¡±


    But Royan¡¯ Mu was not going to listen. She snapped her finger and a teleportation scroll appeared in her hand summoned from her spatial ring. She tore it in two even as everyone in the room screamed in shock.


    ***


    A courtyard, empty.


    An ornate fountain stood in the middle, its centerpiece a lynx frozen mid-snarl, shooting jets of water out of its hollow eyes. Rows of potted plants and flowers lined the concrete edges, but the most astonishing detail was the scarlet trail of blood leading away from the fountain.


    A body sprawled face down, half concealed beneath the delicate boughs of a cherry blossom tree. Petals drifted lazily from above, settling on man¡¯s matted hair, also tangled with leaves and twigs.


    He was unmoving, quite still, his limbs splayed in unnatural angles.


    Beside the fountain, Royan¡¯ Mu appeared abruptly, throwing aside two pieces of a scroll. She raised her head and sniffed, then noticed the blood.


    ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± She hitched her elaborate skirts up and sprinted to the body, turning it over as she dropped to her knees. The man¡¯s face was a ruin of torn flesh and shattered bone.


    A strangled gasp escaped her throat.


    Royan¡¯ Mu started to shake, clutching the man¡¯s chest, frantically searching for signs of life. But there was none. A dry trail of blood was on the side of his mouth. His eyes were open, glassy orbs without life.


    ¡°Dor¡¯ Yan!¡± she screamed, her voice so full of anguish it startled the birds resting on the cherry tree into flight.


    ¡°Help!¡± She shouted towards surrounding buildings, cradling his bloodied head to her bosom, not minding the blood or the dirt. But it was pointless. There was no one to help.


    They were all lying dead wherever they had fallen.


    The lynx fountain wept its endless stream, the cherry blossoms continued their gentle fall, and the woman knelt in the blood-soaked earth, her screams unanswered, her world unraveling.


    The House of Yan had been annihilated, and with it, the last vestiges of hope and a new beginning.

 The Tome and the Sword

    ¡°My ke.¡± Sari tapped on Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say my lord general asked you to come to him every dawn?¡±


    ¡°That was before all these damn things happened,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu murmured into his bed sheets. ¡°Father will be so busy now; and it¡¯s not like I want to go,¡±


    Sari sighed theatrically.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s plenty of balm in the House of Mu,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu sat up.


    ¡°Is he going to punish me if I don¡¯t go? But¡ª¡± he made an exasperated face, ¡°I am so tired; bad things have happened, and people are pointing fingers at our House of Mu. My brothers have also returned, and they don¡¯t look like they¡¯re leaving anytime soon, so¡ª¡±


    Sari raised his head from the clothes he was folding.


    ¡°Are you kidding? My young lords left yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Tez¡¯ Mu was appalled, ¡°How dare they! With father swamped in work, they still dare to leave? And father didn¡¯t stop them??¡±


    Sari shook his head.


    ¡°I think not. In any case, you should go, my ke,¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu drawled as he stretched, ¡°Give me one of those fur cloaks mother brought back from Darin, Sari. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s freezing outside,¡±


    The Mu Manor was silent in the predawn light. A black flag still flew from the pole atop the tile roof of the main hall.  Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s eyes narrowed at the sight of it. Like everyone else, he had been surprised when his father declared that the Mu Manor would host Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s funeral.


    As the last of his line with no surviving offspring, there was no one to hold the funeral rites for Dor¡¯ Yan. Yet, no one expected the Mu patriarch himself to do it. Granted, Dor¡¯ Yan had almost become his son-in-law, but that was the point¡ªalmost.


    Tez¡¯ Mu was soon standing outside his father¡¯s study, feeling miffed. He knocked twice, and did not expect a reply. Surely Raq¡¯ Mu should be in bed?


    ¡°Enter,¡±


    Damn it.


    ¡°Greetings, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu bowed as he stepped inside. Raq¡¯ Mu barely looked up from the old tome he was poring over. Tez¡¯ Mu raised his head and examined his father. He did not look tired. How long had he been up for? Did he even sleep?


    ¡°I¡ªis this a bad time?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu stammered.


    ¡°For?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu hesitated, then exhaled. He had been right; Sari had been wrong. This was no time to bother Raq¡¯ Mu about training.


    ¡°Forgive me father. You said I should¡ªcome here every dawn,¡± he paused, searching Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s face. There was no reaction. Sighing, he continued, ¡°But I wasn¡¯t too sure I should come today, what with all that happened at the House of Yan and...everything else,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu glanced up. ¡°That is all the more reason for you to come. Did your servant tell you about your elder brothers?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu chewed the inside of his cheeks. ¡°Yes. He said they¡¯ve left,¡±


    ¡°Imagine that.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu hissed, ¡°Those two behaved like bastards, with no conscience or care for their family. After clearing things up at the Yan Manor, Riel¡¯ Mu had the gall to tell me¡ªto my face¡ªthat he was leaving. Leaving!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu smirked as Raq¡¯ Mu hurled insults at his older brothers¡ªnames and titles his mother would surely disapprove of should she overhear it. He couldn¡¯t believe it. For once, his father saw him in a favorable light, all because of his brothers¡¯ selfishness. He was now the dependable son¡ªthe last hope of the Mu family.


    He swallowed hard, a shiver running down his spine. Last hope? He had seen the end of those burdened with that title. No.


    He refused to be the last hope.


    Riel¡¯ Mu was ultimately the heir of the House of Mu; he, Tez¡¯ Mu, had seen that in the way his brother had shown off the flamboyance of the Mu Manor to his companions. Riel¡¯ was proud of it; he knew he owned it, no matter what. Even if he left Ochelon for a hundred years, the House of Mu would still be his. One day, he could simply return, step into his inheritance, and crush anyone who opposed him.


    Tez¡¯ Mu had no desire to stand in his way.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, done with his tirade.


    Tez¡¯ Mu hesitated before moving to stand next to him behind the table. Over his father¡¯s shoulder, he peered at the old book in his hands. The pages were filled with runes¡ªancient symbols, the foundation of cultivation itself. Unlike sigils, which were infused with aura to produce effects, these were inert. Pure knowledge.


    Raq¡¯ Mu tapped a paragraph with his finger.


    Tez¡¯ Mu took a slow breath. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it says, father.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they teach runes at the Academy anymore? In my day, we learned them.¡±


    ¡°We do, but only matrix sigils and aura manipulation runes. Not the alphabet.¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu sighed, then read aloud: ¡°¡®Technique for the absorption of surrounding cultivation essence¡ªfor overcoming limits caused by aura-blocking matrices or aura repellents.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was all Tez¡¯ Mu could say.


    ¡°I reckon it will work for you. Your bottleneck is akin to to an aura restriction, after all.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t respond. Raq¡¯ Mu grabbed a clean sheet of paper, dipped his quill in ink, and transcribed the runes with heavy, bold strokes. When he finished, he handed it over.


    ¡°Memorize it first,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu looked around for a place to sit. His father¡¯s chair was the only furniture in the room besides the table and bookshelves. Looking down, he settled on the plush rug. Raq¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t comment as he crossed his legs and sat.


    Tez¡¯ Mu looked at the paper. Raq¡¯ Mu had written each step as a bullet point.


    Right, easy, very easy.


    Tez¡¯ Mu scoffed inwardly. Only a Martial Master could sense the surrounding essence without having to be in cultivation mode. But Raq¡¯ Mu was in a neutral mood, so Tez¡¯ Mu kept his mouth shut. Not that it would matter. Even if he absorbed the essence, he doubted he could use it.


    Unless there was some loophole he didn¡¯t know about, all cultivated essence had to flow through an oasis before it could be used. And his oasis was damaged. He doubted Raq¡¯ Mu knew and had no idea what his father would do when he found out.


    ¡°Are you done?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu asked.


    Tez¡¯ Mu nodded.


    ¡°Then, try to practice what you have learned,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. What better way to dispel his thoughts than that? Emptying the mind was easier said than done though, what with the constant nagging at the back of his mind that all this was pointless.


    Hadn¡¯t Raq¡¯ Mu said that it didn¡¯t take cultivation to lead an army? Why was the first lesson cultivation, then? Tez¡¯ Mu had imagined something else¡ªstamina training, battle techniques, maybe even some strategy. And then, once his father was convinced that he was worth the effort, then he¡¯d tell him about the Breakthrough Matrix Season.  Raq¡¯ Mu certainly had the influence to hire a king-tier matrix practitioner, right? With his bottleneck out of the way, he¡¯d hit Martial Master, catch up to his peers, surpass them, and¡ª


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu! Clear your mind!¡±


    He flinched, eyes snapping open. How¡­how did Raq¡¯ Mu know? Could he read minds? Was that some hidden Martial Sage ability? He shuddered at the idea.


    ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m trying to, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu mumbled.


    Raq¡¯ Mu sneered. Tez¡¯ Mu quickly shut his eyes again. Best not to test his patience this early. There was plenty of balm in the House of Mu¡­.He shivered again.


    Clear my mind, clear my mind. Don¡¯t think, don¡¯t think, don¡¯t¡ª


    ¡­Wait.


    How could he remember the rest of the steps if he wasn¡¯t thinking?


    Don¡¯t think.


    Feel the surroundings.


    Concentrate on the essence?


    No, that wasn¡¯t right. Or was it? Damn it, this is hard. Which sot wrote this technique? Did they even test it first?


    Breathe.


    Don¡¯t think.


    Don¡¯t think.


    Wait.


    What if it meant not thinking about yourself and all your problems...but about the surroundings?


    Tez¡¯ Mu focused on his surroundings. Strongly. What did cultivation essence look like? White dots swirling through the air? He knew unabsorbed essence was pure white, changing color upon absorption to match a cultivator¡¯s affinity. Fire affinity mages aura would then be red, like Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s, water affinity blue like Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s, purple like who knew what horrible element Chan¡¯ Mu¡¯s affinity was...


    Then he saw it. No, he felt it. He was not in cultivation mode, but he could feel the essence around him. And it was strong. He could also faintly feel a pressurizing aura from Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s direction. It was like a resting volcano about to erupt at the slightest notice. Tez¡¯ Mu feebly cowered at it and focused on the swirling white masses instead.


    What now?


    How would he absorb it? Was it like cultivating? Tentatively he started to make his oasis accommodating...


    Gahh!!


    Tez¡¯ Mu gasped, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His chest burned, and his breathing was erratic.


    Raq¡¯ Mu was already crouched beside him. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡ª¡± Tez¡¯ Mu clutched his chest, rubbing furiously in vain to get rid of the pain. ¡°I can¡¯t¡ªabsorb it. My oasis¡ªis burning¡ª¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu pursed his lips. ¡°Did you clear your mind?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did,¡±


    ¡°Were you able to sense the essence?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu nodded, suddenly feeling proud of himself. He had done what only a Martial Master was capable of!


    ¡°Did you draw the summon sigil?¡±


    Oh?


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Ah¡ªI forgot,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu knocked him upside his head. Tez¡¯ Mu rubbed it, feeling aggrieved.


    ¡°Start again!¡±


    Tez'' Mu groaned inwardly but obeyed. At least he knew what to do now. In three minutes, his mind was clear. He concentrated on the surroundings and before long was ¡®seeing¡¯ the swirling white masses again. Summon sigil! He didn¡¯t bother drawing it in the air¡ªhis sigil work was too precise for that. That was what he spent his time honing while his peers cultivated during the General Classes.


    Whoosh!


    The white masses of cultivation essence suddenly rushed at him. But they didn¡¯t rush into his oasis. They stopped on the surface of his body and moved at the slightest tilt. He realized that he could channel them wherever he wanted. He imagined landing an essence-imbued punch. How satisfying that would be.


    Tez¡¯ Mu''s eyes snapped open. Raq¡¯ Mu had gone back to his seat to his relief. He was still poring over the book and did not seem to realize that his son had succeeded. Tez¡¯ Mu wondered how he should call his attention.


    He raised his fist and shot the accumulated essence into the air. It exploded into a shower of sparks.


    Raq¡¯ Mu raised his head. ¡°I know that you have done it,¡± he sneered at Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s childish display, but his eyes betrayed him. They crinkled at the edges in what was clearly a smile, ¡°You are not without talent. Well done,¡±


    The tiny smile at the corner of Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s eye was quite enough for Tez¡¯ Mu but the praise stunned him. He blinked. Did...did his father just compliment him?


    Raq¡¯ Mu rose.


    ¡°Come,¡± he said, crossing the room, ¡°Let¡¯s put your new strength to use,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu knew he wasn¡¯t going to get off easy, but this still felt excessive. And to make matters worse, he was hungry. The earlier mistake still had his oasis burning, and he doubted his father would let him eat until this was over. Nonetheless, he rose and followed Raq¡¯ Mu out of the study and into the main hall. His father did not speak as they crossed the rugged floor, the silence only broken by the soft haunting chimes of hanging brass bells¡ªremnants of the rites of Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s funeral.


    Raq¡¯ Mu opened a door on the west side and they stepped into his private drill arena. The wind hit Tez¡¯ Mu in the face and he was glad for the fur coat. The training grounds of the Mu Manor were sacred, built in the old tradition¡ªopen to the elements, bound by a high fence of iron and pine. Over in the east, beyond the treetops, a faint red hue brushed the sky. Dawn had begun to break.


    At the center of the arena, Raq¡¯ Mu stood with his sword, Nightshaft, planted in the ground. The weapon was forged from the heartmetal of the Mu bloodline and rumored to hold the echoes of every battle it had seen. Even standing still, it seemed to hum faintly, as if anticipating bloodshed.


    ¡°What are you standing there for?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu himself was no less intimidating. At six-five, he was a mountain of a man, broad-shouldered and solid as a war monument. His stance was easy, but Tez¡¯ Mu knew better¡ªevery Mu servant grew up hearing how their lord could break a man¡¯s ribs with a casual backhand.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gulped. This was not good!


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, noting his expression. He flexed his arms, ¡°I will fight you at your level,¡±


    That was not exactly comforting.


    Tez¡¯ Mu moved forward, selecting a sword from the rack. The Mu forges only crafted weapons for their own, each blade marked with a family sigil along the hilt. He hesitated before gripping one¡ªStormfang, a training blade with an edge honed sharp enough to slice through leather, but not steel. It was not his blade, but it would do.


    He then faced Raq¡¯ Mu, who was staring at him too seriously for his liking. His father¡¯s sharp gaze scrutinized him the way a disgruntled blacksmith examined flawed steel. He knew he was being analyzed, his strengths and weaknesses being weighed. He did not bother doing the same. As far as he was concerned, Raq¡¯ Mu did not have any weaknesses. And even if he did, he would not be able to exploit them.


    ¡°Shall we fight without battle auras first?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu asked.


    The ground cracked beneath his father¡¯s first step, the force of his charge rattling through the air. Tez¡¯ Mu had only a second to think¡ªalready?!¡ªbefore steel clashed against steel. His arms shook from the impact as he barely managed to block the strike.


    Raq¡¯ Mu backed up a step, and then swung at him again, in a sweeping gesture towards his stomach. Tez¡¯ Mu staggered back, dragging his sword against the ground, sparks flaring where metal scraped stone. He barely had time to recover before another blow came down, this time aimed for his shoulder.


    Tez¡¯ Mu ducked, parrying in desperation. The weight of his father¡¯s strikes sent vibrations through his arms, his grip slipping for a fraction of a second.


    ¡°Now use your essence!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu barked, his voice cutting through the relentless clang of their blades. He struck again, not relenting. ¡°I will continue to fight without mine!¡±


    But how in the world would he clear his mind, concentrate on the surroundings, and do all those other absurdly complex internal adjustments while fighting for his life?


    A wild idea came into Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s mind and he swung his sword in an arc to parry another blow, and then spun to dodge yet another.


    Cultivation essence! Summon! Absorb! Hand! Sword! Channel!


    He just yelled the commands in his mind, raw and direct, imagining the summon sigil with his subconscious. And, due to whatever miracle, it worked!


    The essence rushed to him in a torrent, surging into his veins like molten fire. He forced it into his wrist, pushed it further, and then¡ª


    The steel glowed red, veins of heat pulsing along its length. Fire affinity. Of course.


    Blast! Tez¡¯ Mu launched at attack immediately, shooting out a wave of fire as he swung his blade in a semi-circle towards Raq¡¯ Mu. Since Raq¡¯ Mu wasn¡¯t using his battle aura, he sidestepped, avoiding the blast that licked the stone floor with sizzling hunger.


    He recovered immediately, countering with fast, calculated footwork and masterful swings that never wasted motion. Tez¡¯ Mu managed to throw off Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s attacks with the added power of the absorbed essence, and also side-stepped and thrust repeatedly. None of his attacks made an impact on Raq¡¯ Mu, though, as his defensive skill was way above what Tez¡¯ Mu could imagine.


    Tez¡¯ Mu pressed forward, sending wave after wave of fiery strikes, his body straining under the duel¡¯s intensity. His muscles burned, breath came ragged, but he had the advantage now. Raq¡¯ Mu, without his battle aura, had to dodge. And dodge he did, effortlessly, his blade a blur of silver light.


    Sudden searing pain exploded in Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s chest. His vision blurred, legs faltering beneath him as he fell to the ground, propping himself up with his sword. Raq¡¯ Mu was mid-strike, his blade raised, but then he saw Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s pale face.


    He threw his sword into the air and Nightshaft rotated at a fast speed and then disappeared. Raq¡¯ Mu fell to his knees beside his son and grabbed his shoulders.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± His voice was rough with concern. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡ªit¡¯s burning again,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice was oddly slurred and he started to lose consciousness, ¡°My¡ªmy oasis is¡ªburning¡ª¡±


    And all went black.


    He awoke to the musky scent of aloeswood and the distant murmur of passing servants. Above him, a wooden ceiling stretched, its smooth paneling varnished to a shade of warm cream. Gold-threaded curtains, yellow and deep blue, hung from the rafters, rippling gently in a breeze that carried the scent of dust tinged with the first whispers of rain.


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked. He turned on his side and flinched. Raq¡¯ Mu was seated on the bed, next to him, channeling blue tinged essence towards his oasis; but he was not touching him. The air between them vibrated faintly with the force of the healing energy. The throbbing ache in his chest had dulled, though an odd emptiness remained.


    Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s face, however, was pale. Too pale.


    Tez¡¯ Mu pushed himself up. That was weird, he thought. A Martial Sage could go without food or rest for fifty days and remain unharmed. Why would his father look so drained? Cultivators didn¡¯t get tired easily, much less the current strongest on the continent.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice came out raspy. The blue light pouring out of his hand had stilled and his red aura momentarily flaring around him, making the room spike in temperature. ¡°How are you feeling now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu replied, adjusting himself so he could sit against the carved wooden headboard¡ªtwo wings spread in an intricate design behind him. ¡°It¡¯s not burning anymore,¡± he murmured.


    Raq¡¯ Mu nodded and shut his eyes recouping his energy in silence.


    With nothing else to do, Tez¡¯ Mu let his gaze wander. It was a strange feeling¡ªbeing in this room. He had almost no memory of it, maybe faint recollections from childhood. All his interactions with his father ended in his study.


    A long, arm-less couch stretched along one wall, like the one in Royan¡¯s room and his own, apparently a standard feature in House Mu¡¯s chambers. A massive wardrobe stood near the windows, next to a glass door bordered with polished wood, leading to a private balcony. The carved ship model, the Arkan had been moved from the storage for whatever reason and now sat atop a small desk in the room.


    But what caught his attention was the portrait.


    On the stretch of wall on the other side hung a ink painting of a young woman who could only be Essa-kest¡¯ Mu. Young, barely out of her twenties, eyes sharp, lips curved into a reluctant smile.


    Tez¡¯ Mu had seen several portraits of his mother but his resemblance to her in this one struck him as odd. He always thought that he inherited Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s looks but it now seemed he was wrong. Asides the red hair he had, Tez¡¯ Mu was a younger, male reflection of Essa-kest¡¯ Mu.


    Below the portrait, on the floor, sat a ten-inch-high iron box, its surface etched with faint matrix engravings, locked away by a formation only an adept could decipher.


    A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts.


    ¡°Enter,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said.


    The door swung open, and in came Heng with a tray of food. His eyebrows went up at seeing Tez¡¯ Mu on the bed, but he amended his expression quickly.


    ¡°Shall I fetch the young master¡¯s portion, my lord?¡± He asked instead, bowing slightly after setting the tray down.


    Raq¡¯ Mu did not answer. Tez¡¯ Mu hesitated before answering himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Have Sari send it to my room.¡± and he scrambled off the bed.


    Heng bowed and departed. Tez¡¯ Mu wanted to escape as well.


    ¡°Do¡ªI have your leave, father?¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu sighed rubbing his forehead. He seemed to be thinking of something way serious than meals.


    ¡°I probed your oasis and I was not pleased with what I sensed.¡± He said in an even voice, ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been doing to yourself before now but it¡¯s not good,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu looked down, shifting on his feet. Royan¡¯ Mu blamed the oasis repressor pills he¡¯d been taking for the damage, but he knew it was that pill that still kept him alive. Raq¡¯ Mu would not want to know this, though.


    ¡°I will find an expert healer; perhaps Royan¡¯s master,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu continued, ¡°But there is no hope that it can or will be fully healed no matter what we try.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu nodded, saying nothing.


    ¡°The solution now,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, rising to his feet, ¡°is for you to acquire a contract creature,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu looked up in surprise. A contract creature? But that required stable cultivation energy¡ªto subdue, tame, and make contracts with mystic creatures. Since he couldn¡¯t control his own aura, how would he do that?


    ¡°I will find a mystic creature for you as well,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, now at the table where the food tray was, ¡°This would have been a good use for those wayward brothers of yours, since they roam the mainland,¡± He shrugged, ¡°Never mind. You may go,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu bowed. ¡°Thank you, father,¡±


    He didn¡¯t know why he said it. He meant it as gratitude for being allowed to leave, but Raq¡¯ Mu took it as appreciation for his involvement in resolving his bottleneck. His eyes crinkled at the edges.


    ¡°I have let you battle it alone for too long. Don¡¯t worry about it anymore,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu blinked. Unsure of what else to say, he nodded and exited the room.


    Walking along the corridor, he opened a door and entered the main hall. Golden sunlight streamed through the high archways, spilling across the floor in warm patches. Chan¡¯ Mu sat on the dais, one leg slung over the other, her lance balanced lazily across her lap.


    ¡°Tez¡¯?¡± She called out, her voice carrying a smug edge. ¡°Where are you coming from?¡±


    Knowing that Raq¡¯ Mu was training him personally wouldn¡¯t bode well with his little sister, Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s instincts told him. He made a face, letting her assume what she would. Punishment, no doubt.


    Chan¡¯ Mu smirked. ¡°Come here.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu frowned as he turned towards her. ¡°Is a bolt loose in your head, Chan¡¯? I¡¯m your elder brother. You don¡¯t order me around like a servant.¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu sneered. ¡°Okay, fine, elder brother Tez¡¯,¡± she rolled her eyes, ¡°could you please pretty please come here to your darling little sister?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu ignored her and continued to walk towards the entrance.


    ¡°Are you really not going to answer? I¡¯ve asked politely, too,¡± Chan¡¯ Mu huffed, reverting to her original demeanor, as she hit the shaft of the lance on the floor, ¡°Tez¡¯!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°Chan¡¯!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s amplified voice boomed from his chambers.


    Chan¡¯ Mu shot up like a startled cat, wielding her lance. In a flash, a streak of flame hurtled toward Tez¡¯ Mu. He dropped flat to the ground, the heat grazing over his back as it dissipated against the stone walls. Tez¡¯ Mu barely had time to drop, feeling the heat lick over his back as it dissipated against the stone.


    By the time he looked up, she was already stalking toward Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s room. She threw him a glance just before disappearing inside, making a rude face and pointing two fingers at her eyes, then at him.


    Tez¡¯ Mu rolled his eyes. The Arkan would disappear today.


    Outside, the sky had begun its transition from deep blue to soft gold, the sun peeking over the horizon. The estate grounds glowed in the morning light, long shadows stretching across the stone pathways. Tez¡¯ Mu inhaled the crisp air, the coolness refreshing against his skin after the heat of Chan¡¯s fire.


    He made his way back to his quarters.


    Stepping inside, the scent of fresh porridge and spiced tea¡ªstill warm¡ªgreeted him. Sari had placed a heat matrix over the dishes, a quiet consideration that Tez¡¯ Mu had grown accustomed to. He didn¡¯t need to be told to eat. He simply sat down and did, wiping the plates clean in minutes.


    ¡°So...¡± Sari murmured as he packed the plates, ¡°what did my lord general teach you?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu said nothing.


    Sari stilled, then bowed his head. ¡°I overstepped my bounds. Please don¡¯t be angry, young master,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu stood abruptly, walking past him to collapse onto his bed. He spread his arms, staring at the canopy above.


    Sari spoke again. ¡°So... Will you visit Joavir? Should I prepare your clothes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the House of Rion I visit, Sari, and not Joavir,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu snapped.


    Sari shrugged. ¡°Will you go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m tired,¡±


    ¡°Shall I fetch you some balm?¡± Sari asked quietly.


    Tez¡¯ Mu sneered. ¡°No. I¡¯m just tired,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to rest, then.¡±


    Sari gathered the tray and turned toward the door. Tez¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t watch him go, but he heard the hesitation in his movements¡ªthe brief pause before stepping out into the hallway.


    Now alone with his thoughts, Tez¡¯ Mu let out a slow breath. Would he regret this? One lesson with Raq¡¯ Mu, and he was already pushing Sari away¡ªthe only person truly loyal to him. What if his father¡¯s approval was fleeting? What if things went back to the way they were?


    Who would stand by his side then?


    His eyes drifted shut. Ten years ago, Sari had been just another face among the war prisoners Raq¡¯ Mu brought home from his campaign in Huijan. A boy slightly older than him, thrown into an unfamiliar household, yet always smiling, as if this place had been his all along. Loyal. Unshakable. And then he had awakened his cultivation spirit, to the shock of the others. Servants weren¡¯t meant to cultivate. Heng forbade it, the manor staff whispered of crushing his talent, and Sari had wilted with fear. Until Tez¡¯ Mu, then seven years old, had laughed in the face of it all.


    ¡°Who would dare touch my servant without my permission?¡±


    Sari had believed him. Trusted him. And now, Tez¡¯ Mu thought, I¡¯m pushing him away for a father who never even looked at me before.


    Outside, Sari lingered with the tray in hand. He sighed, adjusting his grip before turning away. Tez¡¯ Mu did not hear him go.

 Farewell to the Last Calm

    She sat on the window ledge watching the rising sun. There was a soft knock on the door and she turned her head at the sound. But before she could answer, the person entered. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu had a cloak draped over her night robe. Her long white hair, braided in a flamboyant western style, was gathered into a mesh net, though Royan¡¯ Mu could still see the intricate, upward loops encircling her head like a crown. It was a symbol of Essa-kest¡¯ Mu paying homage to her roots.


    ¡°Royan¡¯,¡± she said. Royan¡¯ Mu nodded slightly, but did not turn from the window. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu crossed the room and came to rest her hands on her daughter¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°You have become frail since you have shut yourself in here,¡± she muttered softly, taking off her cloak and putting it on Royan¡¯ Mu, ¡°you should go out and let the sun shine on you. Life does not end until one says it has,¡±


    Royan¡¯ continued to stare at the east, her voice hoarse when she finally spoke.


    ¡°But hasn¡¯t it ended?¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s fingers tightened slightly on her shoulders. ¡°You are young,¡± she replied gently, ¡°with a glorious future ahead of you. I will stand with you. The House of Mu will protect you,¡±


    ¡°My future was with Dor¡¯ Yan,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu said, pulling off the cloak and casting it to the floor, ¡°But they killed it,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu sighed deeply.


    ¡°Why did my lord father stop his quest to find who killed him?¡± Royan¡¯ Mu continued, her low voice cracking, ¡°Why did he stop? What did he find and why didn¡¯t he share it?¡±


    ¡°The House of Yan had many enemies for centuries,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu replied softly, ¡°It was revenge. And fate.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, mother?¡± Royan¡¯ Mu turned around, her sunken eyes glinting with a strange light. ¡°Revenge? Fate? So that¡¯s why my lord father stopped investigating? Because he didn¡¯t want to provoke them?¡±


    Her eyes flared with rising fury, ¡°Since when has our House of Mu been afraid of anyone? Is our House not as old as the Yans? Answer me, mother, or I will believe there is more to this,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu closed her eyes and sighed, then opened them again.


    ¡°My child, it is time to heal.¡±


    But Royan¡¯ Mu laughed, her shoulders heaving. A tear rolled down her left eye.


    ¡°No,¡± she muttered, almost to herself, ¡°I do not care anymore. I will find them. Myself, if I must.¡± She wiped the tear away with a fierce swipe, her voice hardening. ¡°Dor¡¯ Yan cannot die in vain. He did nothing. Even if the House of Yan had enemies when they were in their prime, all those grudges should have been buried with the sands of time,¡± she looked up, her eyes blazing.


    ¡°Dor¡¯ Yan did nothing. He was born when the Yans fell into decline. He was the last¡ª,¡± here her voice caught, and she heaved, ¡°¡ªthe last, mother. The last hope. The last flame. The last heir.¡± She started to sob, ¡°And they still came for him. Murdered him. In cold blood, mother. On his wedding day,¡± she reached up and wiped her tears, ¡°Why, mother? Why couldn¡¯t they let him be?¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu pulled her daughter into her arms. Royan¡¯ Mu did not struggle though her body shook with silent sobs.


    ¡°Your grandfather, my father, used to say something,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu murmured as she ran her fingers through Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s tangled reddish-brown hair, ¡°and he was hated for it. ¡®Leave one descendant of your enemy alive, and they will come back to kill you¡¯. The Yans didn¡¯t get rid of all their enemies. They fell into decline and their enemies didn¡¯t want to leave the last one of them alive either. It truly is a pity that this is the end of that noble house,¡±


    ¡°No,¡± came Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice, muffled in her mother¡¯s nightgown. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu paused, and then pulled back Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s shoulders to stare into her daughter¡¯s face.


    ¡°It is a lie,¡± she said, aghast, ¡°let it be a lie, Royan¡¯! Are you with child?¡±


    Royan¡¯ Mu raised her eyebrows, then sighed in sadness as she lifted her mother¡¯s arms off her shoulders.


    ¡°I wish. At least I could have a little reminder of Dor¡¯ Yan. No, I am not with child. But the House of Yan will not die,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu sighed with relief. She shook her head. ¡°The House of Yan is already dead, my child,¡±


    Royan¡¯ Mu shook her head stubbornly.


    ¡°Not while I am still the lady of the house,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu frowned. She grabbed hold of her daughter¡¯s hand and squeezed it tightly.


    ¡°You will not do it.¡± She said firmly, staring hard into her daughter¡¯s eyes, ¡°I forbid it, Royan¡¯! I forbid it for you! You will not be a widow of a dead house. You shall grieve, and you shall heal, and in time you will find an honorable young lord to your liking, and you will wed him. I will not mind, neither will your father, if he becomes a son-in-law of our House. We shall rejoice if he is of a noble House. He can be a warrior, or a scribe, or a mason, or a boatswain; I do not care. But you shall not bind yourself to a dead House. You will not do it!¡±


    ¡°I already have,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu replied, cold and distant, turning away. She rose from the ledge and walked to her bed, where a leather bag, a sword, and a heap of clothes was piled. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu stared after her with unconcealed shock.


    ¡°Royan¡¯ Mu!¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu called.


    ¡°Royan-mu¡¯ Yan,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu corrected, ¡°Daughter of the House of Mu, and lady of the house of Yan,¡±


    She started to sort through the clothes. Most of them were tunic shirts, cloaks with silver clasps, and long slit skirts. These she stuffed into the bag. The dresses, the narkkirs and the wudans, party wears, ball gowns, formal robes, colorful skirts, fancy shirts; these she threw over her shoulder. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu watched her.


    ¡°What are you doing, Royan¡¯? Where are you going?¡± She paused, ¡°The House of Yan? Are you going to start living alone in that manor?¡±


    ¡°No. Not now, at least,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu replied, ¡°I must get revenge first, or Dor¡¯ Yan will continue to haunt my dreams,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu took a shuddering breath but quickly calmed herself.


    ¡°Listen to reason, child,¡± she pleaded in an even voice, ¡°listen to your mother, who loves you most in this world,¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks to those who killed my love,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu replied cynically. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu paused in her words. She stared at her daughter in confusion. Royan¡¯ Mu had changed. She was sad, yes, but now she was angry.


    ¡°Royan¡¯¡ª¡±


    ¡°What will you say, mother?¡± Royan¡¯ Mu paused in her task and turned around, her jaw set, her eyes flaming with fury, ¡°that I am a fool? That I am looking for death? That I can never find them, even when my lord father could not? I know. But I do not care,¡± she slowly turned around again and continued.


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu did not say anything for a while. By the time she spoke again, Royan¡¯ Mu had finished packing and had hitched the sword to her waist.


    ¡°So you are not coming with us to the palace? I gave you four months to grieve, Royan¡¯. And I wished you would heal and realize that there is more to be gotten out of life. I was prepared to hold your hand and guide you through her majesty¡¯s banquet, where hopefully you would smell fresh flowers, have the sun warm your broken heart, dance with your lord father and brother and perhaps a young lord or two. Laugh, eat, and be merry, even though you were still hurting inside. And allow yourself to love again¡ª¡± Here she was cut short by a mirthless laugh from Royan¡¯ Mu.


    ¡°Stop, mother. Please stop it. It infuriates me to hear you say that you gave me four months, as if my grief and sadness was a pool of rotting water in a bath that could be drained away. It is not,¡± She gritted her teeth, ¡°I will not take another man. I am the widow of House Yan, if you would call my position that. Now leave me be. I will not rest till I have found Dor¡¯ Yan¡¯s killers, and given them a taste of my fury.¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s face twisted in anguish. ¡°Your father will not like this,¡± she murmured as a final resort.


    ¡°I do not care what my lord father thinks,¡± Royan¡¯ Mu snapped. ¡°I am not asking his opinion.¡±


    She reached for her bag, pulling it onto her shoulder. ¡°Goodbye, mother.¡±


    ¡°No, Royan¡¯, you cannot leave now,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu reached out, striding forward and catching her daughter by the arm. But Royan¡¯ Mu pulled free and took a few steps back. Flicking her hand a brown scroll appeared in her palm after a faint light shone briefly from a ring on her forefinger.


    ¡°Royan¡¯¡ª,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu called in distress when she caught sight of the scroll. Royan¡¯ Mu paused, holding her mother¡¯s gaze with a look that cut deeper than any words could. Her face, once rosy, was now drawn and hollow, with dark circles under her eyes. Her lips were pale, cracked¡ªher hair a tangled mess that mirrored the storm inside her. She looked like a woman already walking into a war.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu breathed, and the tense look on Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s face softened a bit. She pressed her lips together and nodded once.


    Royan¡¯ Mu tore the scroll in half. A flash of light burst from the torn edges, swirling around her in a brilliant, crackling arc. Before her mother could react, a matrix formation shimmered beneath her feet, glowing with arcane power. And in the next instant, Royan¡¯ was gone.


    ***


    Tez¡¯ Mu managed to disarm Raq¡¯ Mu with a quick matrix while jumping back to evade an attack. Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s sword spun from his grasp, rotating in midair with a flash of silver, only to vanish and reappear in his hand almost instantaneously.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s gut clenched. He wanted to shout that¡¯s not fair! You said you wouldn¡¯t use your aura! But before the thought could form, Raq¡¯ Mu was already bringing the blade down, fast as lightning.


    A shield matrix bloomed in Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s hand just in time, stopping the strike with a sharp clang that sent a gust of hot air rushing toward him.


    Raq¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t flinch. He sidestepped the matrix, thrusting his sword toward Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s exposed left side. Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s instincts flared, and in one smooth motion, he canceled the matrix, using his sword to block the thrust. Gathering a burst of aura into his arm, he shoved Raq¡¯ Mu back, creating just enough space to strike. He moved quickly, his blade arcing toward Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s chest.


    Raq¡¯ Mu countered, knocking Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s sword aside with a swift strike of his own. Tez¡¯ Mu planted his foot and stomped the ground, channeling aura into his legs. He shot upward, his body springing into the air with a brief but powerful leap, and swung his sword at Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s head.


    Raq¡¯ Mu bent low, dropping to one knee and setting his sword horizontally with his left arm propping it up. The force of the blow hit him full on, and Tez¡¯ Mu felt the shock reverberate through his own arms. He¡¯d poured extra essence into the strike, but it still wasn¡¯t enough.


    Clang! His sword snapped in two, the sound cutting through silent morning. Tez¡¯ Mu flew back instinctively, just as Raq¡¯ Mu rose with terrifying speed, swinging his sword in pursuit. Tez¡¯ Mu summoned a shield matrix, his heart pounding, and held it with both hands, bracing himself, even while Raq¡¯ Mu hacked relentlessly at it.


    ¡°Summon an aura blade!¡± Raq¡¯ Mu shouted. His eyes widening even as he continued to hold the shield against Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s strikes, Tez¡¯ Mu did not bother to retort that he couldn¡¯t. He was already used to his father making him do things above his rank¡¯s capabilities. In Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s eyes, Tez¡¯ Mu was a Martial Master, or even a Grandmaster. He was constantly pushing his limits.


    Raq¡¯ Mu continued to attack the shield, with fast sword strikes, not allowing for any opening for Tez¡¯ Mu to pause, even for a second, and absorb aura. Tez¡¯ Mu thought quickly, even as his arms started to feel the strain of holding up the matrix. His oasis also started to itch. Even though the matrix he was holding was within his range as a Martial Skill, the wounds on his oasis did not allow him to use essence for long without it starting to hurt.


    He couldn¡¯t keep this up much longer.


    Then, an idea flickered in his mind.


    Push it. Push everything into the matrix.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and sent a powerful wave of aura flooding into the matrix shield. He exploded it with everything he had, and Raq¡¯ Mu staggered back, taking two steps to regain his balance.


    That was the opening he needed.


    Absorb!


    Tez¡¯ Mu didn¡¯t wait another second. He rushed backward, pulling essence from every available source. He felt the power surge through him like wildfire, his arm trembling under the influx.


    Channel!


    He had no weapon to channel the aura into¡ªhe didn¡¯t know how to form an aura blade. But Raq¡¯ Mu was already charging, sword in hand, eyes locked on him. The moment Tez¡¯ Mu was within range, Raq¡¯ Mu thrust his sword at him.


    Damn! Tez¡¯ Mu ran, Raq¡¯ Mu hot on his heels. Aura blade, aura blade! He could feel the absorbed essence pulsating in his fist but had no idea what to do with it. Swoosh! Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s sword slashed dangerously close to his ear.


    Tez¡¯ Mu threw himself on the ground, rolled out of Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s reach, and scrambled to his feet.


    Condense!


    He thought desperately, and the essence surged through his fist, as he continued to evade Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s attacks. Condense! He thought, pushing the aura out of his fist. It worked! But it became a whip, not a sword. Good for now! Tez¡¯ Mu flung it out, whipping the tendril of aura around Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s sword. With a sharp tug, he disarmed his father, the sword flying from his grip. He knew he had only two seconds, even as he saw the sword already spinning in the air, about to return to its owner¡¯s hand.


    Tez¡¯ Mu took five quick steps back and looked down at the aura whip now in his grasp. He felt its power pulsing beneath his fingers.


    He squeezed, willing the aura to solidify, and poured more essence into it, his breath sharp as he concentrated. Raq¡¯ Mu advanced on him, his hand outstretched at his side ready to grip the sword once it reappeared. Grip! Tez¡¯ Mu thought. That was it! Solidify! He thought, as he willed the aura whip to harden, quickly absorbing and channeling more essence into it.


    Raq¡¯ Mu swung his sword at him. It was too late to raise a matrix shield. Tez¡¯ Mu raised the aura whip in a horizontal slash, gritting his teeth as he shut his eyes, waiting for the sting when Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s sword would cut through the aura whip and slice his arm.


    But the sting never came. There was a loud deng sound, and a blast of energy in both directions, like the force of a matrix shield being struck. Tez¡¯ Mu opened his eyes in surprise.


    It worked! I created an aura blade!


    Raq¡¯ Mu stepped back, his expression unreadable. He threw his sword in the air, and it spun in a circle and vanished. Tez¡¯ Mu lowered his arm and stared in shock at the aura blade in his arm. It was just a longish looking red light, but he could feel in his pulsing hand the havoc it could wreck.


    Tez¡¯ Mu wiped sweat from his brow, his muscles sore but his mind racing with the lesson he had just learned.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, retrieving a small towel from his spatial ring and tossing it outward. Tez¡¯ Mu dissipated the aura blade, and caught the towel. He wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling the sting of salt in his eyes and the tremor in his muscles. The scent of burnt air and scorched earth lingered between them, remnants of their fierce exchange. Despite the brutal nature of their sparring, there was something undeniable in the way his father had pushed him. He looked up, unsurprised that Raq¡¯ Mu was not sweating.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    His father might not have used his battle aura throughout the duel, but his stamina would still be that of a Martial Sage. He could continue fighting like that for twelve days without his aura, without stopping, and not get tired. Even now, Raq¡¯ Mu stood unmoved, the only sign of their fight the faint hum of energy still crackling in the air.


    ¡°You have progressed, these few months,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said. Tez¡¯ Mu nodded. He could feel it in his stronger arms, even though they were now aching; in the calluses that had thickened along his palms, once soft and untouched, now roughened by the weight of his sword. His reaction time had sharpened, his body moving almost before his mind commanded it. He had learned to absorb essence more swiftly, to summon an aura blade without hesitation. Even though Raq¡¯ Mu never explicitly taught him, merely battling him, Tez¡¯ Mu had learned through bruises, exhaustion, and sheer willpower. He¡¯d been able to exploit a few seconds opening during a duel and hold his own against a man several times stronger than him. And that wasn¡¯t all.


    Raq¡¯ Mu had said it didn¡¯t take cultivation to lead an army after all. On some days, he left his study to Tez¡¯ Mu, forcing him to pore over old, yellowed maps inked with fading lines, strategy notes riddled with red markings, brittle records of battles both won and lost, accounts of weapon allocations and shortages, each number a testimony to war''s toll.


    Among these cold, calculated pages sat a lone book of folktales from the Age of Conquests, its leather cover cracked with time. Tez¡¯ Mu had scoffed at it at first, dismissing it as childish nonsense, but before long, he found himself drawn to its pages, his fingers running over the inked words until they became familiar. When he hesitantly asked to take it from the study, Raq¡¯ Mu had merely nodded. Now, the old tome, with its dog-eared pages and nearly loose binding, had found its place on the headrest of Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Today is her majesty¡¯s birthday,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, as he turned and strode toward the drill arena¡¯s exit. Tez¡¯ Mu followed, flexing his aching fingers. ¡°There shall be a display from the offspring of the gentry for her entertainment. Will you join them?¡±


    The Tez¡¯ Mu of four months ago would have stammered no.


    ¡°What will we do?¡± He asked instead, the evenness of his own voice surprising him.


    ¡°I do not know.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu responded, shrugging. ¡°You shall decide among yourselves. A mock war, perhaps,¡± He pushed open the heavy doors to the main hall. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all have been dying for a chance to pit your strengths against one another,¡±


    ¡°I do not want our House disgraced,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu continued, when they entered the study, ¡°That¡¯s why I took it upon myself to train you,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu nodded. Raq¡¯ Mu crossed to the other side of the study, where a rack was mounted. It was usually empty, but today it had a sword.


    He lifted it, unsheathing it with a practiced motion. The blade was long, northern steel by the looks of it, forged in the dead of winter. The hilt, a dark bronze, bore sigils and runes etched in careful detail, prominent among them a small roaring tiger.


    Raq¡¯ Mu walked over to Tez¡¯ Mu and held it out to him.


    ¡°Here, it¡¯s yours,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu collected the sword, stunned. If he was to receive a weapon from his father at all, and one with the Mu sigil no less, it should have been at his coming-of-age ceremony. He opened his mouth to say this but Raq¡¯ Mu raised a hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving it to you in advance. I want you to wear it today, and bring honor to the House of Mu,¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu sheathed the blade and held it at his waist.


    ¡°Are you not going to name it?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu smirked, ¡°all the heroes of the Age of Conquest had weapons with names after all,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu chuckled, then put a hand to his chin, deliberating. His fingers brushed against the stubble of new growth, a reminder of how much had changed.


    ¡°Moonfire,¡± he decided. ¡°Of Guari¡¯ An, who carved out the mainland with his sword,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu nodded, ¡°Not bad. He¡¯s our ancestor, you know,¡± he added.


    ¡°But he was of the Huiyan tribe, who drank of the ocean even though it burned their throat,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu raised his eyebrows. He could not imagine descending from someone like that, ¡°The savages also piled the skulls of their enemies and built a wall with it,¡±


    ¡°Narhos Raen,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu smirked, ¡°The Wall of Skulls. A fable,¡±


    ¡°But the Skull Valley exists,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu argued.


    ¡°It does,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu nodded, returning to his table, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean everything in the fable is true. You should be able to sift the truth from exaggerations when reading the accounts of long gone events. One thing is certain.¡± he said, sitting down, ¡°Guari¡¯ An existed. And he is our ancestor.¡±


    ¡°The Huiyan tribe moved south of the Narhos Valley and discovered a fertile plain. They settled and lived there, until the Yarlans crossed over the Gurwen Sea and fought them. The Yarlans got the land, but not all the Huiyans died.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu paused, ¡°They fled east and entered the moorlands, banding with the Ai tribe on the way. The Ai tribe reared cattle, and soon changed the Huiyans tastes from wild meat to beef. Erre¡¯ An, the great-granddaughter of Guari¡¯ An, married the chief of the Ais. They bore Kail, but his parents quarreled over whose name he would take. When Kail came of age and slaughtered the Night Boar, he took the name Hmu, becoming Kail¡¯ Hmu.¡±


    At this Tez¡¯ Mu widened his eyes. Raq¡¯ Mu smiled.


    ¡°It seems you know the story from there,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tez¡¯ Mu nodded, ¡°Kail¡¯ Hmu joined the Ais and the Ans under one banner and ventured even further east, until they came to Arigu Zja, the Place of the Withered Tree,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu continued. ¡°He built a house in the valley, and settled there. His grandson, removed the ¡®h¡¯ rune from the tribe name and he was known as¡ª?¡± He paused, expecting the answer.


    ¡°Fein¡¯ Mu,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu supplied, ¡°because he tamed a tiger,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu nodded. He seemed to be satisfied with Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s knowledge of the house¡¯s history.


    ¡°And then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°And then they never left Arigu Valley. The Age of Conquest ended with him, after spanning six generations,¡±


    ¡°And what Age are we in now, according to the scribes?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu asked.


    ¡°The Age of Dominance, where Ochelon rules the mainland under the Banner of the Han,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu answered. Raq¡¯ Mu chuckled.


    ¡°So they like to say,¡± he said, leaning back in his seat and locking his fingers, ¡°But how those fat scribes know that Ochelon rules the mainland when they never step out of the towers of the Academy they¡¯re holed up in is beyond me,¡±


    ¡°They might not leave the towers,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu said, ¡°But they hear news, for example, of the exploits of the great-generals,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu smirked. ¡°Yes, I am sure I will hear many a ballad about me during the dowager¡¯s revel,¡± he rose, ¡°I have tarried you long enough. Go and prepare.¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu bowed and left the study.


    ***


    Raq¡¯ Mu stood in the main hall, resplendent in his deep gold tudan, the upper shoulders of the robe covered with steel plates. He stood talking to Heng, the butler, while the courtyard hummed with activity; horses neighed and stamped the ground, their reins clinking as grooms secured them. The crisp morning wind swept in through the open doors, rustling the crimson banners along the hall¡¯s pillars.


    The scent of perfumed jasmine preceded Essa-kest¡¯ Mu as she emerged from the west door, her presence commanding yet fluid. The train of her midnight-blue narkkir rippled behind her like liquid silk, embroidered with interwoven dragons and chrysanthemums. Gold and silver ornaments adorned her hair in delicate layers, tiny bells woven among them, chiming softly with each step. The glow of the lanterns caught the filigree in her earrings, reflecting light like scattered stars. Raq¡¯ Mu extended his hand, and she placed hers in his, her fingers cool against his calloused palm.


    Heng bowed low. ¡°My lady.¡±


    ¡°Where are Tez¡¯ and Chan¡¯?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu asked.


    Heng opened his mouth to reply, but Raq¡¯ Mu cut in first. ¡°Where is Royan¡¯?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not coming with us,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu replied softly, turning her face towards the great double doors leading outside.


    ¡°I thought you said you would convince her,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s tone was edged with displeasure.


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu shook her head, the bells in her hair swaying with a delicate chime. ¡°She will not agree. She has taken a drastic decision. My lord¡ª¡± she hesitated, her gaze flickering to Heng before she lowered her voice, ¡°I will speak to you about it later.¡±


    ¡°When will later be?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu frowned, waving Heng away. ¡°Go, fetch Tez¡¯ and Chan¡¯,¡± he ordered, before turning back to his wife. ¡°We shall be at the palace all day, and only the ancestors know how long Her Majesty will have us revel for.¡±


    ¡°A month?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s lips curved up in amusement.


    Raq¡¯ Mu, however, was not amused. ¡°A few days, as I am seeing it. Will your father come?¡±


    ¡°He will send Saroin¡¯. Nothing will make Offal¡¯ Kest leave Darin at this time,¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu frowned. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu looked at him as if surprised by his ignorance.


    ¡°He is old,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu snorted. ¡°He is a Martial Sage. I daresay he can ride from Darin down to here in three days and not be worse for the wear,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu smiled but did not refute him.


    ¡°Her majesty will not accept Saroin¡¯ Kest¡¯s person in his place. All the great-generals must renew their fealty each year,¡ª¡± Raq¡¯ Mu paused, his frown deepening.


    ¡°That¡¯s not my problem,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu said coolly.


    ¡°¡ªexcept he doesn¡¯t want to renew his,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu muttered.


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s gaze sharpened like a drawn blade. ¡°What are you saying, my lord?!¡± Her voice came out strained, the gold filigree in her ornaments trembling with her sudden movement. ¡°Please refrain at once. My father may like shunning his duties, but I will not have you call him treasonous.¡±


    ¡°We shall see,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu replied dangerously, ¡°now where are those children?¡±


    Thankfully for them Tez¡¯ Mu and Chan¡¯ Mu entered just as he finished speaking. Tez¡¯ Mu was wearing a white kasa, with a cloth sash over one shoulder, the sigil of the House of Mu emblazoned on the vest coat¡¯s chest pocket¡ªa black tiger, mouth open in a roar. At his waist, his sword, Moonfire, rested in its lacquered scabbard, the hilt wrapped in white silk. Chan¡¯ Mu was wearing a flowing narkkir like her mother, but hers was cinched at the waist with a weapon belt, a small dagger secured at her side.


    ¡°Chan¡¯,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said as they paid their respects, his voice firm, ¡°You can¡¯t bring a weapon into the palace.¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu arched an eyebrow. ¡°But Tez¡¯ can?¡±


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu is carrying a sword on my orders.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said curtly. ¡°We are going to the palace to celebrate the Dowager¡¯s birthday, not to engage in petty squabbles,¡± His gaze hardened.


    ¡°Fine then,¡± Chan¡¯ Mu unbuckled the weapon belt and flicked her hand. The dagger vanished into her spatial ring with a glimmer of silver light. ¡°All good now?¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu pursed his lips but he could hardly disguise the pride in his eyes. He reached out and knocked Chan¡¯ Mu lightly on the head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be impertinent,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if they don¡¯t see it. Only the ancestors know how many weapons you are carrying, father,¡± Chan¡¯ Mu rolled her eyes.


    Raq¡¯ Mu smirked, turning on his heel, his cloak billowing behind him as he strode forward. His family followed.


    ¡°We are already nearly late,¡±


    Outside, the banners of the House of Mu fluttered lazily in the mild breeze, their crimson dye stark against the golden horizon. Horses whinnied, stamping their hooves impatiently on the packed dirt, while the murmurs of servants and retainers melded into a soft hum of activity.


    ¡°Shall I ride, father?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu asked, standing next to his father¡¯s towering steed, its dappled coat gleaming under the sunlight. Raq¡¯ Mu shrugged. It was permission enough.


    Sari stepped forward, leading a sleek bay mare bedecked in black and gold tack. Tez¡¯ Mu took the reins, gazing at the horse fondly. This was a true Mu stallion; his ancestors had once ridden into war on beasts like these, their blades gleaming like lightning under the sun. Swallowing a rush of pride, he mounted, the leather of the saddle creaking beneath him as he adjusted his seat. As he gripped the reins, the soft scent of oiled leather mixed with the crispness of the morning air.


    He turned in the saddle to see Chan¡¯ Mu¡¯s face twisted into a scowl, eyes burning with petulance. When she caught his gaze, she stuck out her tongue and spat toward the ground before climbing into the carriage with their mother. Tez¡¯ Mu laughed, the triumph sweet as honey on his tongue.


    He couldn¡¯t resist lagging back until he was riding beside the carriage. The lacquered wood gleamed under the morning sun, adorned with the crest of the House of Mu. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine, Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s favored perfume, mixed with the more subtle musk of the incense burned inside the carriage to ward off ill omens.


    Inside, Chan¡¯ Mu¡¯s arms were crossed over her flat chest, her lips forming a pout. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu was asking if she remembered all her etiquette lessons.


    ¡°Hey, Chan¡¯,¡± he called.


    Chan¡¯ Mu turned, her expression darkening. ¡°Go away! Mother, tell him to leave!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re not too happy being stuck in there, are you? Well, too bad for you.¡±


    ¡°Ride with your father, Tez¡¯,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu snapped, turning back to Chan¡¯ Mu, ¡°How do we greet her majesty?¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu sighed dramatically before reciting, ¡°Bringing greetings from the House of Mu, may Your Majesty witness three thousand harvests.¡±


    The rote delivery made Tez¡¯ Mu smirk, but he nudged his horse forward, the rhythmic clatter of hooves against the cobbled road creating a steady heartbeat to their journey.


    When he caught up to his father, he realized Kai¡¯ Ai had taken his place. The general glanced over when Tez¡¯ Mu rode up to him and sneered. Tez¡¯ Mu frowned back.


    ¡°Fall back, General Ai,¡± came Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice. Kai¡¯ Ai looked astounded, and his jaw fell open slightly. With visible reluctance, he slowed his pace, and Tez¡¯ Mu quickly eased his horse into the opening he left, taking his place back at his father¡¯s side.


    ¡°You shall present our gift,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, turning his head slightly, ¡°So be prepared,¡±


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu felt more confident than he ever had in his life. The banquet, once a formal obligation he would have groaned at, now held the promise of a stage upon which he would prove himself to his father.


    Raq¡¯ Mu put on speed, and galloped swiftly out of the grounds of the Mu Manor. The carriage drivers cracked their whips, urging the entourage to match pace, and the three generals who accompanied Raq¡¯ Mu¡ªKai¡¯ Ai, Yu¡¯ Jun, and Arda¡¯ Zi¡ªrode in formation behind them, their armor clinking with each movement.


    In spite of Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s horse riding skills, which was one thing he prided himself in, he was lagging behind again.


    Sari rode up to him, expertly steering the carriage he was driving, which contained Heng and the maids that would serve Essa-kest¡¯ Mu and Chan¡¯ Mu. He did not say anything, only giving Tez¡¯ Mu a significant look.


    Tez¡¯ Mu knew he was still sulking. He¡¯d been that way since Tez¡¯ Mu had refused to share what went on in Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s lessons with him. They were now painfully formal with each other, but Tez¡¯ Mu still held on to the idea that Sari should and would break the ice first.


    Heng drew back the curtains of the carriage and poked his head out.


    ¡°Pardon me, young master, but could you please bring word to my lady asking if we¡¯ll stay at the Nuwun Lodge if the revel goes on?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu pursed his lips but nodded. He spurred his horse forward and soon caught up with the ladies¡¯ carriage. Raq¡¯ Mu and his generals were further ahead. The curtain was down.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu called. Chan¡¯ Mu raised the curtain and stuck out her tongue at him.


    ¡°Refrain, Chan¡¯,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu chided, ¡°Yes, child?¡± She answered Tez¡¯ Mu. He flinched a little at the title but didn¡¯t retort.


    ¡°Heng wants to know if we¡¯ll be staying at some Nuwan Lodge if the revel continues into the night,¡±


    ¡°Nuwun,¡± Chan¡¯ Mu corrected with a sneer, ¡°The Brown House,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu shrugged. ¡°Perhaps. But we may have the honor of residing in the palace¡¯s guests¡¯ wing,¡± she said. Tez¡¯ Mu nodded and pulled the reins of his horse till Sari caught up, then passed on his mother¡¯s reply. After that he spurred his horse forward, only seeing in the distance the flag of the House of Mu borne by Arda¡¯ Zi on a pole.


    When he managed to catch up again Raq¡¯ Mu was conversing with Yu¡¯ Jun about Teazin Dal-mu, the fief of the House of Mu over in the east.


    ¡°I think we should send this man¡ªMuri¡¯ Ji, to oversee things in your stead, my lord,¡± Yu¡¯ Jun was saying, ¡°He¡¯s a shrewd one in business, and you trust him. The fief is expending more than it is earning. Gir¡¯ Mu is not doing a good job,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu did not reply.


    ¡°But Muri¡¯ Ji has a position in the Scith,¡± the flag bearer, Arda¡¯ Zi commented, ¡°Would he agree to leave his post and head to Teazin on my lord general¡¯s command? Does the loyalty of the Ji run that deep?¡±


    ¡°Overseeing Teazin is a greater honor than that measly position attached to his name at the Scith,¡± Yu¡¯ Jun argued, ¡°And I believe his heart is right with my lord general. After all, the Jis have been sworn to the Mus almost as long as the Ais have,¡± he tilted his head in Kai¡¯ Ai¡¯s direction.


    Kai¡¯ Ai bristled. ¡°Brush up your lore, Yu¡¯ Jun,¡± he retorted with a sneer, ¡°Do not taint the noble family Ai by comparing our loyalty to that of the no-name Jis. We Ais have existed since the Age of Conquests as a noble house, even before the House of Mu took their name¡ª¡± he suddenly paused and glanced at Raq¡¯ Mu fearfully.


    ¡°We shall speak later, Yu¡¯ Jun,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu barely moved his mouth as he spoke, ¡°Arda¡¯ Zi, ride out in front. The two of you,¡± he said to Yu¡¯ Jun and Kai¡¯ Ai, ¡°fall back,¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Arda¡¯ Zi spurred his horse and rode ahead with the flag, while the others pulled hard on their reins and allowed Raq¡¯ Mu and Tez¡¯ Mu to ride five lengths ahead, enough not to overhear them.


    They were now about to enter Muii, the district of the Mus in the capital. As they drew closer, Muii District unfurled before them in a sprawling collection of tiled rooftops, bustling markets, and winding streets. The scent of roasted duck and spiced honey pastries drifted from the food stalls, mingling with the more pungent aroma of dye vats from the cloth merchants. Shopkeepers and their children lined the roads, their voices rising in cheers and chants, welcoming the House of Mu¡¯s procession.


    After a long silence, Raq¡¯ Mu turned to his son. ¡°What do you think, Tez¡¯?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu was caught off guard. ¡°About?¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu glanced at him and frowned.


    ¡°Oh¡ªyou mean about the matter of Teazin?¡±


    His father shot him a sidelong glance, unimpressed. Tez¡¯ Mu exhaled and started thinking.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Muri¡¯ Ji should go,¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu recalled the whispers of extortion in the Ji District; the merchants forced into unfair tithes under the pretense of honor as well as the road fare imposed on innocent passers-by. He ground his teeth. ¡°He may be loyal on the surface, but what he truly cares about is how much silver enters his pocket,¡±


    ¡°Can you say that to his face?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu asked. Tez¡¯ Mu shrugged. He could. Muri¡¯ Ji could not do anything to him as long as Raq¡¯ Mu was alive.


    ¡°Then you will.¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said, his tone hard, ¡°Today, in fact. I do not stand for causeless slander, nor honeyed tongues praising the glories of a man to the skies. You shall corner Muri¡¯ Ji, and tell him why he cannot oversee Teazin. Then we shall hear his defense,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu sighed. Why him? Would this pay him in the end? After standing in and doing all of Riel¡¯ Mu¡¯s duties only for him to swagger back to Ochelon when he felt like it and reap the fruits of all of Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s sorrows? He did not like the sound of that.


    ¡°But I have no say, father. I¡¯m not the house¡¯s heir,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu sneered. ¡°Why do you say so?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu pouted. ¡°It all won¡¯t matter if Brother Riel¡¯ arrives anytime and says Muri¡¯ Ji will oversee Teazin anyway,¡±


    ¡°Since when has Riel¡¯ Mu¡¯s words been final in the House of Mu?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu asked.


    ¡°It will¡ªone day,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu muttered.


    ¡°So I take it that you are so unwilling to do all I¡¯ve been telling you because you think it¡¯s a waste of time?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu did not bother to reply. Raq¡¯ Mu had hit the nail right on the head.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pity you did not hear with your own ears what those pair said on the day they left. Riel¡¯ Mu does not want to ever return to inherit the House of Mu. Get that into your skull, Tez¡¯.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu was surprised but he still argued. ¡°But what about sister Royan¡¯ if brother Rian¡¯ also doesn¡¯t want to come back?¡±


    ¡°Do I really have to explain that to you?¡±


    ¡°But now her fianc¨¦ is dead,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu murmured.


    ¡°So? Have all the eligible men in Ochelon died along with Dor¡¯ Yan?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu sighed. It seemed that there was no getting out of this.

 Where Banners Gather

    Their party had to halt upon entering Ahava. The air buzzed with the clamor of merchants shouting their wares, the scent of spiced nuts and roasting lamb curling through the narrow streets. Wagons bearing lacquered chests, rolled silk, and crates of exotic fruit from distant empires clogged the road, their attendants shouting over each other in a medley of accents. The golden insignias of the envoy flags fluttered in the dry wind, casting sharp-edged shadows over the cobblestone.


    A sharp whistle cut through the din¡ªa warning too late. Feisty young masters, their embroidered robes snapping in the wind, galloped down the main thoroughfare on restless steeds, their hooves striking sparks against the stone. One nearly crashed into the Mu flag bearer, Arda¡¯ Zi. Raq¡¯ Mu spat a curse under his breath, his grip tightening around his reins.


    With a sharp gesture, he signaled his men to veer left, leading them down a narrower side street branching off the Academy Road, to wait until the road became free. The scent of freshly dyed fabric and parchment ink clung to the air here, mixing with the richer aroma of steamed rice and sizzling sesame oil from a nearby vendor¡¯s stall.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s stomach was aching with hunger by now. He dismounted, the stiffness in his legs protesting after the long ride, and wove his way toward the family carriage. Inside, the air was thick with the fragrant warmth of corncakes and fried meat. His mother and sister had already started eating, their dishes arranged neatly on a lacquered tray. The silver edge of a sauce bowl gleamed in the sunlight as Eima, Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s maid, set it down, even as she refilled a delicate porcelain cup.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you eat on your horse?¡± Chan¡¯ Mu snorted as Tez¡¯ Mu sat opposite her, the folds of his robe crinkling against the cushioned seat.


    He ignored her and eagerly took the plate of corncakes that Eima offered. The golden crust was crisp beneath his fingers, still warm from the brazier, the scent of sweet corn and honey rising in soft waves. He took a bite¡ªthen nearly shattered his teeth on something hard.


    A coin.


    ¡°For good luck,¡± Eima said, her lips curving into a knowing smile.


    Tez¡¯ Mu rolled his eyes, fishing the small metal piece out of his mouth. It was cool against his fingertips, slightly slick from the cake¡¯s syrup. The image was an unfamiliar engraving¡ªa woman¡¯s head, sharp-featured and imperious.


    ¡°Since when have we had sixty two kerahs?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu frowned as he examined the coin, running his thumb over the its edges.


    ¡°It is a new coin,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu replied, chewing and swallowing, ¡°I suppose it is one of the things we¡¯ll celebrate today,¡±


    ¡°The Dowager is sixty two?¡± Chan¡¯ Mu raised her eyebrows, her lips quirking. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was that old,¡±


    ¡°Chan¡¯!¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu frowned sternly but Chan¡¯ Mu only sniggered.


    ¡°What? I¡¯m sensible enough to know what not to say when we¡¯re in the palace,¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu cut open her own cakes methodically, to make sure there were no more hidden coins. Flattening the pieces on her plate, she spread a thin layer of sauce over them before eating, elegantly, not getting even one crumb on her mouth. Chan¡¯ Mu meanwhile, was tearing flesh off a chicken drumstick, her teeth sinking into the crispy skin with an audible crunch. Grease stained her fingertips, but she didn¡¯t care. She was determined to not change her demeanor until she had no choice.


    ¡°Is father not hungry?¡± she asked, licking the salt from her fingers before reaching for a corncake. She selected the largest one, then, with the handle of her spoon, carefully carved her name into its surface.


    ¡°Give this to my lord father,¡± she said, placing the cake onto one of the ornate plates and handing it to Eima. A sly grin stretched across her face.


    ¡°With love from Chan¡¯.¡±


    The elderly maid smiled dotingly and obliged her. Tez¡¯ Mu leaned out of the carriage window to watch her go. She reached Raq¡¯ Mu and pointed back towards the carriage as she spoke to him. Raq¡¯ Mu took the plate. A rare, fleeting smile flickered across his face before he bit into the cake. Then he winced and spat out a coin onto his palm. He looked at it for a while, his eyes narrowing. Clearly he was also seeing it for the first time.


    ¡°My lord, the way is clear!¡± Arda¡¯ Zi¡¯s voice rang over the din of hooves and voices. At once, the carriage drivers snapped to attention, reins tightening in their hands. Tez¡¯ Mu crammed the rest of his cake into his mouth, the sweetness cloying on his tongue. He reached for the glass of water his mother handed him and downed it in one gulp. Then he jumped down from the carriage and ran back to his horse even as Raq¡¯ Mu called his name.


    Ugh, he thought, as he swung into the saddle, my stomach won¡¯t like this.


    He would have preferred a slower pace, but Raq¡¯ Mu did not want to waste time anymore. One moment his father was beside him¡ªthen he blinked, and Raq¡¯ Mu had already pulled up to Arda¡¯ Zi, who had a hundred paces¡¯ head start. Tez¡¯ Mu had no choice but to also spur his own horse forward. The figures of Kai¡¯ Ai and Yu¡¯ Jun streaked past him, their horses galloping swiftly. He gave up, only managing to stay just ahead of his mother and sister¡¯s carriage, already feeling the food churning about in his stomach.


    The gates of the royal palace loomed ahead. Twin banners of Ochelon fluttered high above the battlements¡ªone on the east tower, the other on the west¡ªbearing the golden insignia of the empire: a golden crown and sword on a field of red, eye-catching in the blaze of the early morning sun.


    Soon Tez¡¯ Mu found himself passing under the wide arch of the gates. It opened up into a wide garden, fondly called the front courtyard of the royal palace by the nobility; lined with groves of golden-leafed syri trees and fountains carved from luminescent jade. Ornate lanterns, unlit in the daylight, hung from curved wooden posts, their delicate glass panes painted with celestial beasts.


    Here all the dignified guests were dismounting their horses and descending their carriages, before they assembled, family by family, envoys and ambassadors, officials and generals¡ªentering through the many doors leading into the towering domed structure at the heart of the courtyard: the Scith.


    The Scith was more than a mere banquet hall. It was Ochelon¡¯s royal court and jury house, the very core of imperial power. Its curved walls, inlaid with gold-leaf patterns of dragons and phoenixes.


    Eima helped Essa-kest¡¯ Mu down from the carriage. She reached out to Chan¡¯ Mu as well, but the girl refused, leaping down with a smirk, earning a glare from her mother. Tez¡¯ Mu alighted from his horse and approached his father along with them.


    Raq¡¯ Mu was already the center of attention. Nobles swarmed around him, murmuring their greetings before hurrying inside. Arda¡¯ Zi stood next to him bearing the flag of the House of Mu like a standard.


    ¡°Be mindful of your etiquette, Tez¡¯, Chan¡¯,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu murmured as they approached the crowd. A few noble ladies turned toward her, their painted lips curving into graceful smiles. She responded gracefully, reaching out and patting any proffered hands. Tez¡¯ Mu kept a thin smile that felt more like a grimace on his face.


    Chan¡¯ Mu, on the other hand, was exuding a quiet but unmistakable repelling aura¡ªone that made people instinctively shift aside as she walked past them. She reached Raq¡¯ Mu first, her eyes scanning the crowd with sharp intent. Tez¡¯ Mu followed her gaze but failed to catch who she was looking for.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Raq¡¯ Mu when Essa-kest¡¯ Mu and Tez¡¯ Mu finally waded through to him, ¡°Come now,¡±


    Arda¡¯ Zi led the way, carrying the flag high as if he was afraid people didn¡¯t see it. Raq¡¯ Mu followed, then Essa-kest¡¯ Mu. Tez¡¯ Mu trailed behind his father, while Chan¡¯ Mu fell in line behind their mother. They entered through the main entrance of the Scith, the one directly opposite the dais. It was currently empty.


    The royals would not arrive until the hall was full.


    Rows of intricately carved tables lined the vast space, each arranged according to rank and prestige. Raq¡¯ Mu led his family toward a table on the eastern side of the hall. As they took their seats, Tez¡¯ Mu exhaled slightly, allowing himself a moment to relax.


    That moment didn¡¯t last long.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lord-General He,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu said. Tez¡¯ Mu turned his head as a tall, broad-shouldered man rose from his seat and began striding toward them. He recognized Jizu¡¯ He.


    ¡°Tez¡¯, Chan¡¯,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu added in a low voice, ¡°On your feet.¡±


    Chan¡¯ Mu rolled her eyes but obeyed, rising fluidly. Tez¡¯ Mu followed suit, straightening just as the man reached their table. They both bowed.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Raq¡¯ Mu, my brother in arms!¡± Jizu¡¯ He spread his arms as he smiled. Raq¡¯ Mu stood and embraced him over the table, their hands clapping against each other¡¯s backs in a warrior¡¯s greeting. They immediately launched into a discussion about the campaign on Nuhai which Raq¡¯ Mu had just concluded.


    Tez¡¯ Mu and Chan¡¯ Mu resumed their seats. But not for long.


    ¡°Saroin¡¯!¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice softened as she rose, stepping out from behind the table to embrace her brother. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you the last time I was at Darin,¡±


    ¡°You came home?¡± Saroin¡¯ Kest smiled and lifted a hand in recognition of his niece and nephew, who had bowed deeply, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu beamed, ¡°Father said you were on a patrol of the borders. How is Ru-yen¡¯? And Huiran¡¯?¡±


    ¡°They are well,¡± Saroin¡¯ Kest replied, flicking his fingers, retrieving a small gold totem from his spatial ring in one smooth motion.


    ¡°They¡¯re not here?¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu frowned as she took the totem without breaking eye contact. The exchange was so swift even Tez¡¯ Mu barely caught it.


    ¡°Huiran¡¯ didn¡¯t want to come.¡± Saroin¡¯ Kest smirked. ¡°He¡¯s about to breakthrough and he didn¡¯t want to be disturbed,¡±


    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that. What rank is he now?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s about to reach Martial Lord. I hope he succeeds. At least father would ease up on him a bit,¡± Saroin¡¯ Kest said with a grin. Tez¡¯ Mu turned his face away, blood rushing to it. Ancestors, his uncle would ask him his rank any moment from now...


    He was saved by a regally dressed woman who approached their table, her flowing robe and jewelry not at all hiding or diminishing her battle-carved aura. Tez¡¯ Mu and his sister sprang up again. He reddened. Following after the woman was a beautiful girl in a wudan robe, with copper-colored hair done up in a bun. Keiran¡¯ Ru.


    Niari¡¯ Ru, the third great-general of Ochelon, greeted Essa-kest¡¯ Mu with easy familiarity, even as heads turned towards the Mu table, where three of the four great-generals were now converged. Keiran¡¯ Ru, bowed respectfully to Saroin¡¯ Kest, just as Tez¡¯ Mu and Chan¡¯ Mu came forward to greet the Ru matriarch.


    ¡°You¡¯ve grown into a man, Tez¡¯,¡± Niari¡¯ Ru remarked, to Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s consternation. He dreaded what she should say next.


    ¡°Since Royan¡¯ Mu¡¯s wedding did not end well, shall we plan another, Essa¡¯?¡± She asked of Essa-kest¡¯ Mu, brusquely, ¡°Where is she, by the way?¡± Niari¡¯ Ru added as she glanced about her.


    ¡°Royan¡¯ could not come.¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu pursed her lips, ¡°And I¡¯m afraid my house will not be hosting any weddings for a while,¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to; we will,¡± Niari¡¯ Ru pressed, ¡°Nahyu is always in a festive mood. You just have to pick a date. Or we can allow the children to pick,¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Keiran¡¯ Ru exclaimed the same time Essa-kest¡¯ Mu let out an aggravated sigh.


    ¡°Her majesty will soon be here, mother,¡± Keiran¡¯ Ru said, pulling on the sleeve of Niari¡¯ Ru¡¯s narkkir, ¡°Let¡¯s return to our place so we can present our gift,¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Niari¡¯ Ru turned around, allowing her daughter to pull her along, ¡°I will speak to you about this later, Essa-kest¡¯ Mu,¡± she said over her shoulder.


    A blast of trumpets filled the air, sharp and triumphant. The orderly band of musicians entered the Scith, their polished instruments gleaming under the high lanterns. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu shooed her children back to their table quickly as a short herald climbed up the steps of the dais and announced in a loud voice:


    ¡°Presenting Her Majesty, the Dowager Queen Iris-han¡¯ Hezt, of the bloodline of kings; the eighty-fourth Monarch and Reigning Regent over the sovereign kingdom of Ochelon!¡±


    The murmurs in the hall ceased. Every gaze turned toward the door behind the throne on the dais. Then she emerged, a tall willowy dark-skinned woman with braided white hair on which sat a small crown, the very one depicted on the imperial banners above.


    Her eyes surveyed the room as she moved forward purposely and took her seat on the throne. Everyone bowed.


    ¡°You may rise,¡± Her voice, though measured, held a strange, tilting weight, like a scale never quite balanced. It carried down from the dais and filled the hall.


    The herald¡¯s voice rang out again. ¡°Families of renown, sworn to the crown, come forward and pay your respects! Kest!¡±


    On the west side of the hall, Saroin¡¯ Kest rose and approached the dais, the Kest flag bearer following. Whispers filled the Scith. Tez¡¯ Mu watched his mother¡¯s lips press into a thin line, as if that would make them stop.


    As Saroin¡¯ Kest took a knee, the murmurs increased.


    The Dowager raised her hand. The hall fell silent.


    ¡°Son of Kest,¡± she addressed kneeling man, ¡°Where is your father, my subject?¡±


    ¡°My lord father¡ªyour subject Offal¡¯ Kest¡ªis recuperating from a bout of the flu, your majesty,¡± Saroin¡¯ Kest replied with a steady voice, his head bowed low. ¡°He expresses his deep regrets for not being able to attend your majesty¡¯s banquet,¡±


    ¡°The flu, you say?¡± The Dowager leaned back, her fingers tracing the carved armrest of her throne. ¡°What a shame,¡±


    She smiled faintly.


    Tez¡¯ Mu shivered.


    ¡°I bring my lord father¡¯s wishes of health and longevity to your majesty,¡± Saroin¡¯ Kest continued after a beat, raising a scroll high above his head. ¡°May your majesty witness three thousand harvests,¡± he intoned.


    ¡°Rise,¡± said the Dowager coldly.


    A servant moved forward, taking the scroll from Saroin¡¯ Kest and carrying it up the dais. When he reached the throne, the Dowager waved a hand, dismissing it without even looking.


    ¡°Mu!¡± called the herald.


    Raq¡¯ Mu rose, just as Saroin¡¯ Kest got up and returned to his seat. Essa-kest¡¯ Mu gestured to her children. Arda¡¯ Zi lifted the banner high as they approached the foot of the dais.


    They all knelt.


    ¡°Your faithful subject, Raq¡¯ Mu renews his fealty,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s voice was unwavering. ¡°Together with me, the House of Mu wishes your majesty a lifetime of peace and health,¡±


    ¡°You may rise,¡± the Dowager nodded.


    Tez¡¯ Mu rose only when his mother tapped his arm. He averted his eyes from looking directly at the Dowager and only stared at the plush rug on the steps of the dais, half hidden behind the broad frame of his father.


    ¡°Tez,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu murmured, turning slightly to pass him a scroll.


    Receiving it, Tez¡¯ Mu hesitated for a beat, then swallowed hard. The brown vellum scroll was cool against his palm, but his fingers had gone clammy. Lifting his feet, he stepped forward, climbing the dais with measured steps¡ªneither too slow nor too quick.


    He took a knee a few feet away from the throne.


    ¡°Tez¡¯ of the House of Mu presents our goodwill. May your majesty witness three thousand harvests,¡± he lifted the scroll above his head.


    The servant took it from him, then presented it to the Dowager, who unrolled it leisurely, scanning the list of gifts.


    ¡°I am flattered, Tez¡¯ of the House of Mu,¡± she said, though her tone suggested amusement rather than gratitude. As if the offerings were his to give. ¡°You may rise. Enjoy my banquet,¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your majesty,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu murmured. He dared a glance at her as he rose. She stared back at him, her sharp green eyes unblinking. He quickly looked away.


    ¡°Ru!¡± called the herald.


    Tez¡¯ Mu bowed again before descending the dais, moving swiftly back to his seat. The Mus settled behind their table just as the Rus took their place before the throne. Niari¡¯ Ru and her husband, Hren-yi¡¯ Ru, stood at the forefront, with their daughter beside them, followed by their flag bearer and two others.


    ¡°The House of Ru pays our respects,¡± Niari¡¯ Ru spoke, her voice strong, ¡°May the stars bless your majesty with health and longevity,¡±


    ¡°Health, health,¡± yawned the Dowager lazily, smirking lightly, ¡°Why are you all wishing me health? Is it because I¡¯m getting old?¡±


    Niari¡¯ Ru did not bother to reply. She did not even smile.


    ¡°Rise,¡± sighed the Dowager. Keiran¡¯ Ru went forward and presented the Rus¡¯ gifts. Tez¡¯ Mu noted their scroll was even longer than what he had offered. The Dowager looked over it, but did not seem to find something she liked. She handed it back to the servant.


    ¡°He!¡± The herald called immediately the Dowager dismissed the Rus.


    Tez¡¯ Mu leaned forward, searching the group that rose. He spotted his friend behind the He flag bearer, already holding their gift scroll. Jun¡¯ He turned. Their gazes met across the hall. Tez¡¯ Mu smiled, but Jun¡¯ He did not.


    The Hes followed the same ritual¡ªoffering gifts, renewing fealty¡ªbefore stepping back. Then came the envoys. They all acted according to their own customs. None of them took a knee at the foot of the dais, nor did they kneel to present their gifts. Some didn¡¯t even bow. The Dowager stared down at them impassively, her face betraying nothing of her emotions.


    The only delegate she paid any attention to was Marquis Huren from the Calsour Empire.


    ¡°How are you finding Ochelon¡¯s sun, marquis?¡± she asked, her tone almost teasing. ¡°You will surely become as dark as we are before you leave.¡±


    The young marquis¡¯ grin widened. His once-fair skin had deepened to a warm tan over the past four months. ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s hospitality has made my stay most pleasant,¡± he replied smoothly, inclining his head. ¡°Though I must say, Ochelon¡¯s warmth is generous in more ways than one.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu smothered a yawn. The officials, filed in by rank rather than family name. Among the Scith judges Muri¡¯ Ji stood out in his ostentatious tudan, his eyes shifting around the room.


    Tez¡¯ Mu shifted in his seat, stifling another yawn. The greetings dragged on. How much longer would this last? His legs ached for movement, his fingers twitched for action. He couldn¡¯t wait to take the floor, to prove himself among the gentry¡¯s finest. And when he stood victorious, Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s gaze would find him¡ªnot as a boy, not as a son to be shielded, but as one worthy of his pride.

 The Kings Army Rises

    The revel had begun. Dancers sashayed around the imperial garden, silk ribbons fluttering like streaks of light beneath the hanging lanterns. The drifting scent of perfumed blossoms mingled with the aroma of spiced wine and roasted meats sizzling on gilded braziers. Nobles cloistered together in groups, chatting over glasses of wine. Blue-robed palace servants wove between them like phantoms, balancing trays of food aloft.


    A royal chair had been placed for the Dowager in the heart of the garden, near the central fountain, which gushed water infused with crushed lumina petals, making it glow a soft silver in the dark. Around it, delicate pastries and celebration crackers were arranged on spindly tables of polished jade. She sat alone, her posture serene, neither servant nor guard flanking her¡ªa deliberate display of royal propaganda. A display of the monarch as humble and accessible.


    Occasionally, high-ranking guests approached with raised goblets, offering respectful toasts, which she acknowledged with a slight tilt of her head before sipping. Tez¡¯ Mu fixed his gaze on her. She had drunk quite a lot. Yet, her countenance did not change, nor her speech turn.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± the royal steward, Hu¡¯ Ran, stepped forward and bowed deeply, his voice carrying over the garden¡¯s revelry. ¡°It is time for the noble offspring¡¯s display.¡±


    Finally.


    The Dowager inclined her head. ¡°Is it already? Then this queen shall see their progress since my last banquet. Let them spar.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡± Hu¡¯ Ran turned away.


    ¡°Tez¡¯,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu called in a low voice. Tez¡¯ Mu was already on his feet. Across the garden, Keiran¡¯ Ru rose from beside her mother. Jun¡¯ He also emerged from behind his uncle, stepping into the open. No ke or kel was present from the House of Kest. The Dowager¡¯s displeasure was subtle yet clear. The lesser houses, eager to seize the opportunity, quickly put forth their heirs. Within moments, thirty noble offspring stood before the Dowager, weapons in hand.


    Hu¡¯ Ran separated them into two groups. He handed each a sleeveless robe¡ªred for the greater houses, green for the lesser. The robes were long vests, fastened at the chest but open at the sides, resembling a warrior¡¯s tunic without sleeves. Designed to be worn over their clothing, they draped over each heir¡¯s existing attire, reinforcing their status without hindering their mobility.


    Tez¡¯ Mu found himself at the forefront of the red-clad army, along with Keiran¡¯ Ru, Jun¡¯ He, and an older Hei girl whose name he did not know. A murmur rippled through the lesser houses¡¯ tables, discontented but indistinct.


    ¡°The army that lays at the feet of Her Majesty a greater number of the opponents¡¯ robes shall be declared the victor!¡± Hu¡¯ Ran shouted.


    He lifted a short brass horn to his lips. A deep, resonant note sounded. Almost immediately, shimmering lines of energy arced through the air, weaving a translucent dome around the garden. A controlled matrix¡ªmeant to contain the fight and shield spectators from stray attacks. Both armies drew their weapons.


    Hu¡¯ Ran let out a longer note. ¡°Fight!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu ran forward, red fabric streaking in his periphery. A burly boy met him mid-charge, a scimitar slashing toward his skull. Tez¡¯ Mu intercepted the blow, his arm vibrating with the impact, and countered with a sweeping arc of Moonfire. The boy twisted, evading the strike, then switched stances, launching an essence-infused attack.


    Tez¡¯ Mu leapt back, just as an arrow whizzed past his ear. He barely had time to register the archer before his opponent lunged again. He absorbed essence into his arm, spun, and drove his fist into the boy¡¯s nose with a sickening crack. As his opponent staggered, Tez¡¯ Mu seized the front of his green robe.


    Riiip! The fabric tore free. He twisted the robe into a loose knot and slung it across his chest, securing it like a sash.


    WHAM! A heavy fist collided with the side of Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s head. He caught the second punch mid-air, crushing the boy¡¯s knuckles in his grip, eliciting a yelp. Tez¡¯ Mu shoved him aside and turned, searching for the archer.


    Keiran¡¯ Ru had already engaged him. The bow was gone¡ªhe¡¯d drawn a sword, dueling her directly.


    WHACK! A punch slammed into the back of Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s head. Two dueling combatants crashed into him. He swung around. A green-robed girl clutched at his vest but lost her grip as he twisted away.


    Flick! A short dagger gleamed in her hand. She lunged. Tez¡¯ Mu feinted. She adjusted¡ªimpressive. But not enough. He knocked the weapon from her grasp and tore her robe away before she could retaliate. He looped it over his belt. The extra weight swung against his hip as he ran.


    She pursued him hotly, refusing to give up.


    Tzzz! A faint red glow. A matrix!


    Tez¡¯ Mu nearly stumbled. Even an initial-stage cultivator could draw battle sigils? He gained distance, then turned and countered with a swift matrix of his own. She fell face forward.


    Without hesitation, he turned to look for his next opponent. He knew this one.


    Han¡¯ Ji¡ªhis old tormentor from the Academy.


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu! Hand over your robe!¡± Han¡¯ Ji laughed, flicking his fingers. A matrix flared to life¡ªcoiling ropes of pure essence ensnaring Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s limbs. Typical. Han¡¯ Ji had always liked stacking the odds in his favor. He lunged, seizing Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s robe, trying to wrest it from him.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gasped as the bindings constricted, forcing the air from his lungs. He clenched his fists around the ropes and activated his absorption senses. It should work! They were made of essence after all.. Siphon! The ropes pulsed. Han¡¯ Ji didn¡¯t notice¡ªhands flying to Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s throat¡ªuntil something squeezed his middle. He gasped.


    Tez¡¯ Mu had gained control, binding him with his own restraints.


    Slash! Tez¡¯ Mu severed Han¡¯ Ji¡¯s robe and leapt away, narrowly avoiding a retaliatory attack. He leapt back at once. He couldn¡¯t fight him head on. As a Martial Grandmaster, Han¡¯ Ji was formidable.


    But Tez¡¯ Mu was faster.


    He weaved through the battlefield, He escaped quickly, throwing off Han¡¯ Ji¡¯s attack matrices by dodging behind red robed teammates, vaguely registering Jun¡¯ He tearing a robe from an opponent and a Yi boy deploying an intricate matrix to strip multiple foes of their vests.


    Gong! A bell rang, deactivating the dome around the fighters.


    Tez¡¯ Mu found himself suddenly unable to move. A moment of disorientation passed before he realized¡ªeveryone else was frozen as well. He suddenly noticed he was standing a few paces from the Dowager. Her eyes were on him.


    ¡°The mock-war is over!¡± Hu¡¯ Ran¡¯s voice rang out.


    Both armies stepped forward, their breaths fast, their postures weary. One by one, they produced the garments they had seized. Green robes piled high on the ground. Tez¡¯ Mu stepped forward and added the three he had confiscated.


    Hu¡¯ Ran counted, then straightened. ¡°The reds win!¡±


    A roar of approval erupted from the nobles.


    Tez¡¯ Mu sought Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s face¡ªbut his father¡¯s eyes were fixed elsewhere. A tall, lean young man strode was approaching the Dowager, moving with an air of quiet confidence. His gray robes, though finely made, bore no house sigil. His dark hair was neatly combed back, his features sharp, his gaze unnervingly direct. He did not hesitate, did not glance around like a man unsure of his place. He walked with purpose.


    The noble offspring began edging back to their seats as a dancing troupe from Calsour Empire stepped out with great fanfare, announcing their acrobatic display. The young man came to a stop near the Dowager and took a knee, as the dancers started their first stunt. One of the more muscular dancers launched into a daring somersault, flipping across another performer¡¯s shoulder¡ªthe latter precariously balanced on a pole. A wave of cheers and applause rippled through the nobles.


    Amid the spectacle, Tez¡¯ Mu turned, intending to return to the Mu table¡ªonly to find his path blocked. A gaggle of girls had flocked around Jun¡¯ He, their dreamy giggles ringing in the air. Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s expression darkened.


    Annoying.


    He shifted his weight, preparing to push through the crowd. But just as he moved, the Dowager¡¯s voice rang out behind him.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± It was an unfriendly growl, as opposed to the warm, diplomatic tone she had used since the revel started.


    ¡°I said, your majesty¡ª¡± The young man¡¯s voice suddenly rose a few octaves, ¡°Why is His Majesty, my noble thorka, Keol¡¯ Han, not here enjoying the festivities with us?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu turned sharply. The Dowager¡¯s face had hardened. The young man was now on his feet, and was smiling slightly.


    ¡°Be gone,¡± the Dowager said, her voice low, restrained. But beneath her civility, something steely lurked.


    ¡°No, your majesty,¡± the man¡¯s grin widened, ¡°This loyal servant is concerned, as are the people of our great kingdom.¡± He paused. He paused. Heads began to turn. ¡°Ochelon has a king. I come to inquire about the welfare of our beloved Reigning Sovereign King, Keol¡¯ Han. Or should I say,¡± his lips curled, ¡°the ¡®Reigning¡¯ part is merely a title, with no actual sovereignty to speak of?¡±


    He let out a soft, dry chuckle, his eyes gleaming.


    ¡°For a king who reigns, he seems remarkably absent from the throne.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu gasped. The Dowager¡¯s eyes had narrowed to slits.


    The vigorous dancing was still ongoing, but the accompanying music did not overwhelm the man¡¯s strong voice. There was no more conversation among the nobles. Asides the movement from the dancers, everyone else was still, listening in.


    The Dowager pressed her lips together with displeasure. ¡°Keol¡¯ Han is young,¡± she spoke through her teeth, as if the answer was being forced from her mouth. ¡°You would have a child rule you? Do not ruin my mood, subject. From which house do you hail?¡±


    ¡°That is of no consequence, your majesty.¡± the man chuckled. Then he sighed. ¡°I see you are determined then, to keep his majesty Keol¡¯ Han from his right,¡± he said, taking a step closer. Tez¡¯ Mu felt his limbs tense.


    Then everything happened at once.


    A dancer sprang onto the fountain, causing the water to surge higher and splash everywhere. A sliver of light flashed within the man¡¯s robe, and he moved swiftly. The Dowager¡¯s eyes widened.


    Tez¡¯ Mu leapt.


    CLANG! Three silver-tipped daggers pierced into the shield matrix Tez¡¯ Mu raised just in time. The impact shook his arms, but he didn¡¯t waver. In the next breath, he drew his blade from its sheath¡ªjust as the assassin lunged. He struck out a rapid kick, but Tez¡¯ Mu sidestepped and countered with a precise parry. The assassin snarled, hauling out his own sword.


    Deng! The shield matrix collapsed, and Tez¡¯ Mu met the incoming blow with a swift block, using the momentum to fuel his own counterattack. Moonfire blazed red as Tez¡¯ Mu poured absorbed essence into it. The blade sliced through the air, forcing the assassin back two steps, away from the Dowager. The assassin attempted to bind Tez¡¯ Mu with a matrix seal, but Tez¡¯ Mu absorbed the essence and created a counter-seal, momentarily immobilizing him. He immediately recovered and countered with a wide stroke, following up quickly with a thrust towards Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s belly. Tez¡¯ Mu raised another shield matrix, absorbing the impact, and pushed the man back with an aura blast, catching him off guard.


    But the assassin was only fazed for a second.


    A shout rang out behind him; royal guards calling orders, rushing in. The assassin¡¯s gaze turned deadly.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s arm stung as a thrust found its mark, drawing blood. He changed tactics, absorbing essence into his feet and tripping the assassin. He fell! On his way down, he sliced at Tez¡¯ Mu with another hidden dagger. Tez¡¯ Mu caught his arm and pinned it to his back, knocking the dagger out of his hand.


    A blur of steel filled his vision¡ªhalberds and swords leveled as the guards finally arrived, forming a wall around them.


    ¡°Find his majesty!¡± the assassin cried out even as the guards closed in, struggling against Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s hold, ¡°Keol¡¯ Han is king! Keol¡¯ Han is king! Keol¡¯ Han is¡ª¡± He was promptly gagged.


    The steward stepped forward, trembling, face aghast. ¡°Behead him!¡± he cried to the guards.


    There was an outcry from the nobles.


    The Dowager raised her hand, her face pale. ¡°Silence! There shall be no bloodshed at my banquet! Guards, take him away for questioning!¡± Her voice rang out, drowning out the cries of protest.


    Tez¡¯ Mu released the assassin into the hands of the guards and rose upright. He was bleeding, but the pain didn¡¯t register. His mind was consumed with the fight, the rush of energy, the lingering threat. He stayed poised, focused, watching every movement of the assassin as the guards hauled him away. It wasn¡¯t until a second voice¡ªthe steward¡¯s¡ªcut through his concentration that he realized he had been called.


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu!¡±


    Startled, he turned around. The Dowager¡¯s eyes were on him. Beside her, Hu¡¯ Ran was frowning, his expression tense as he tapped his left foot repeatedly, his arms crossed over his chest.


    ¡°I called you, son of Mu.¡± The Dowager said, smiling faintly, ¡°You are the reason I am not dead,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu immediately took a knee, holding Moonfire with its tip touching the ground.


    ¡°It is your subject¡¯s honor,¡± he replied, his voice suddenly shaky.


    ¡°Rise.¡± The Dowager stood from her seat for the first time that evening. ¡°Rise, son of Mu, brave warrior.¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran stepped forward to guide her by holding her hand but she waved him off.


    ¡°Son of Mu, this monarch rewards loyalty immediately.¡± She let the words hang in the air, the silence drawing the eyes of every noble in the garden, waiting for what would come next. ¡°Do you offer me your sword?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu gazed up at her nervously.


    This did not sound like a reward.


    ¡°I¡ª¡± Tez¡¯ Mu wished he had an eye at the back of his head to see Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s expression. But he didn¡¯t need one. A shadow crept up next to him, and then Raq¡¯ Mu took a knee.


    ¡°Your majesty, the House of Mu is your sword forever. I accept on my son¡¯s behalf,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said loudly. Nightshaft clinked as he held it horizontally across his palms and raised it above his head.


    The Dowager chuckled. ¡°I asked for your son¡¯s sword, not yours, Raq¡¯ Mu. I know what I am doing.¡± And she turned away from him, ¡°Tez¡¯ son of Mu, do you receive my decree?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu lowered his head.


    ¡°Then let it be known¡ªon this day, in the presence of these witnesses, I name you Head of the Onan Desar. Raise your head.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He raised his head slowly, blinking, his mind not quite catching up with his body. The words echoed in his ears, their meaning only just beginning to settle in his consciousness. Head of the Onan Desar? Had he truly just been named captain of the Imperial Bodyguard?


    The murmurs behind him told him everyone else was just as shocked as he was. He turned his head and glanced at his father. Raq¡¯ Mu met his gaze, his lips curled.


    The Dowager¡¯s voice came from above them, ¡°Rise, Raq¡¯ Mu, great-general. And rise, Tez¡¯ Mu, captain,¡± she continued.


    Tez¡¯ Mu rose to his feet, stunned. The Dowager smiled again at him, then faced Hu¡¯ Ran.


    ¡°The revel is called off.¡± She said, and turned to the nobles.


    ¡°You have all seen what just occurred. I am afraid my enemies do not even wish for me to have a banquet in peace. Good night to you all.¡±


    She placed her hand on Hu¡¯ Ran¡¯s proffered arm this time as she began to walk away from the garden.


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu,¡± she called over her shoulder, her green eyes meeting his. ¡°Go home with your family tonight. I will be expecting you tomorrow.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Father, I¡ª¡± Tez¡¯ Mu pushed the door to Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s study open. Then, he paused. Four men from the Mu Army were gathered in the room, standing in a loose formation, their eyes trained on Tez'' Mu as he entered. Arda'' Zi, the Mu flag bearer, stood by the window, while Yu'' Jun, Kai'' Ai, and another general lingered near the table, mid-conversation. As Tez'' Mu stepped in, they all turned their attention toward him.


    Tez¡¯ Mu took a few strides into the study, nodding at the men. ¡°Where¡¯s my father?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not here yet,¡± Yu¡¯ Jun replied.


    Tez¡¯ Mu took another look at them. It was just a few hours before saorxi, the morning meal, and he had come looking for Raq¡¯ Mu to find out what he would do upon arriving at the palace.


    ¡°Ahem,¡± the general Tez¡¯ Mu did not know coughed, ¡°Good work yesterday. And congratulations on your appointment,¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu was taken aback. He lowered his head slightly.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he replied. His chest tightened as an awkward silence settled after his words. His throat felt dry, and he shifted on his feet, intending to leave.


    He met Raq¡¯ Mu at the door.


    ¡°Tez¡¯?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu looked surprised, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu stepped back and bowed, ¡°I wanted to see you,¡±


    ¡°My lord general,¡± the men in the room saluted. Raq¡¯ Mu glanced at then, then at Tez¡¯ Mu.


    ¡°Tez¡¯, give me a few moments.¡± He strode into the room and clasped the generals¡¯ hands as he passed them on his way to his chair, ¡°Wait outside,¡± he added.


    Tez¡¯ Mu nodded, stepped out, and pushed the door shut¡ªthen hesitated. A sudden thought made him leave it open a crack. He stomped away from the door with loud footfalls, only to creep back moments later, peering in and straining his ears to catch the men¡¯s whispers.


    ¡°Speak, Vin¡¯ Yu,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said to the general who had congratulated Tez¡¯ Mu.


    He stepped forward. ¡°My lord, I was unable to uncover the assassin¡¯s identity. The Imperial Palace has cut off all news. In fact, the populace isn¡¯t aware of the attack,¡± he reported.


    Kai¡¯ Ai frowned. ¡°Then what was the reason given for the revel¡¯s sudden cancellation?¡±


    ¡°Propaganda,¡± Vin¡¯ Yu sneered, ¡°The steward spread the rumor that the Dowager changed her mind and will now use the revel¡¯s funds to resettle the refugees in Rikan,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu raised his hand, silencing Kai¡¯ Ai before he could retort.


    ¡°The prestige of the imperial family must be upheld,¡± he muttered. ¡°And from my perspective, Hu¡¯ Ran has handled this well. What I want to know, though, is who sent the assassin?¡±


    ¡°We can guess from what he said,¡± Arda¡¯ Zi murmured in an even lower voice, ¡°Who wants the young king on the throne?¡±


    No one answered. Raq¡¯ Mu suddenly looked displeased. He rose to his feet.


    ¡°We shall see,¡± he said at last, more to himself than to his generals. ¡°Keep an eye on the envoys¡ªespecially Arban Empire. They¡¯re not in a treaty with us yet and any infighting among us will only profit them,¡±


    ¡°What about the Miyuans?¡± Yu¡¯ Jun asked.


    ¡°And Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s appointment?¡± Kai¡¯ Ai added.


    Raq¡¯ Mu narrowed his eyes. ¡°It just happened to be Tez¡¯ Mu,¡± he shrugged, ¡°It could have been anyone. Now go. Do as I said earlier. The House of Mu and its allies must remain vigilant,¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± the men bowed and began to shuffle towards the door. Tez¡¯ Mu quickly pushed it shut, and hurried to stand by the archway with the Four Oaths. He watched the servants sweeping the hall absentmindedly, thinking about what he heard.


    Footsteps sounded behind him and he turned. The others passed by quickly, but Vin¡¯ Yu slowed his pace.


    ¡°Your father is ready for you now,¡± he smiled.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu nodded, puzzled as to his friendliness. The Mu generals had never liked him. He mulled it over as he returned to the study. Was their civility a result of his appointment? Were they considering what the Mu Army stood to gain¡ªjust as Kai¡¯ Ai had implied?


    Raq¡¯ Mu was bent over a small map when Tez¡¯ Mu re-entered the room. A pin was in his hand, his brow was furrowed. Tez¡¯ Mu had seen this expression many a time.


    ¡°Father,¡± he called.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Raq¡¯ Mu raised his head, frowning. ¡°I thought the Dowager asked you to report this morning. What are you dawdling for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still early,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu mumbled, ¡°And I was waiting to ask you what I am to do when I get to the palace,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu smirked.


    ¡°Are you offering me your sword, Tez¡¯?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what this means,¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°You and I both serve one monarch, Tez¡¯. We should serve as expected and not let others use us to achieve their own aims,¡± he chided.


    ¡°But I am first a member of the House of Mu. If we fall, Ochelon falls with us,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu stood his ground.


    Raq¡¯ Mu looked unexpectedly pleased with what he said. He chuckled.


    ¡°Then, son of the House of Mu, what do you think?¡± He steeped his hands and placed his chin on it.


    ¡°Someone is after the Dowager¡¯s life,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu said.


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu countered.


    ¡°Why do you say that? The assassin was fighting to the death against me,¡± A chill passed through him at the memory.


    ¡°Of course he would fight to the death against you, but you can¡¯t say for certain that his goal was to kill the Dowager,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu asserted, ¡°Before you can conclude that someone is after her majesty¡¯s life, there should be two or three more attempts. But that¡¯s beside the point.¡± He rose, ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu returned the question.


    ¡°Do your duty,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu answered as he stepped out from behind his table, ¡°and do it well. Until it comes to contradict your primary loyalty to the House of Mu,¡±


    He was now standing in front of Tez¡¯ Mu, looking straight into his eyes. ¡°A soldier serves where he is placed, Tez¡¯, but some oaths run deeper than others.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu gazed back at him, remembering the day Raq¡¯ Mu had pronounced he would one day lead the Mu Army.


    ¡°Yes, father,¡± he said finally, putting his fist over his right breast and bowing formally. Raq¡¯ Mu put an arm on his shoulder.


    ¡°Since you¡¯ve lingered, you mustn¡¯t leave without saying goodbye to your mother,¡±


    The door creaked open.


    ¡°My lord,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu entered, carrying a bei robe on her left arm. Behind her, Eima followed, her arms filled with neatly folded clothes.


    ¡°Essa-kest¡¯,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu acknowledged her with a nod. ¡°I was just telling Tez¡¯ to go look for you before he left,¡±


    Essa-kest¡¯ Mu¡¯s eyes were red and puffy. She looked as if she hadn¡¯t slept well. Tez¡¯ Mu parted his lips to ask why, but before he could, she crossed the room and draped the bei robe over his shoulders.


    ¡°Yellow doesn¡¯t suit him,¡± she muttered to herself, ¡°Eima, bring the black one,¡±


    ¡°What¡ªwhat¡¯s this for, mother?¡± Tez¡¯ Mu asked as Eima supplied Essa-kest¡¯ Mu another heavily sequined robe which she promptly placed over the first.


    ¡°You¡¯re now a member of the Dowager¡¯s Court. And there¡¯s also the prestige of the House of Mu to uphold. You can¡¯t arrive at the palace without turning heads,¡± Essa-kest¡¯ Mu nagged, fussing over the fit as she held up yet another robe against his body.


    ¡°Yellow makes him look sickly, green is out of the question¡ªancestors!¡± she swore suddenly, startling everyone in the room. ¡°You Mus and your red hair!¡± She exclaimed as the deep purple robe Eima handed her clashed hideously against it.


    ¡°My lady,¡± Eima spoke up timidly, after the pile of discarded robes had grown. ¡°I think the black one suits my ke best,¡± She bent down and retrieved the black robe from where Essa-kest¡¯ Mu had tossed it.


    Tez¡¯ Mu took it from her. ¡°Thanks, Eima-duen,¡± Then he turned to Essa-kest¡¯ Mu. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now, mother,¡±


    Her eyes welled up as she put her arms around his shoulders.


    ¡°The nest is becoming empty¡ª only Chan¡¯ is left. I don¡¯t even know where Riel¡¯ and Rian¡¯ are right now. And Royan¡¯¡ª¡± She lowered her head. ¡°Royan¡¯ has also left home. What can I do for you children to keep you safe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu drew her off him, and rubbed her shoulders, ¡°As much as you care for him, you can¡¯t keep him from his destiny,¡±


    ***


    Tez¡¯ Mu held up the gold token of Mu Manor as he rode to the towering gates of the imperial palace. A sentry on the wall shouted to another, and with some creaking of iron and wood, the gates were pushed open. He spurred his horse, and rode slowly inside. Ahead, where the main paved road ended, a uniformed groom awaited him. Tez¡¯ Mu swung down from his horse, his movements fluid, and handed the reins to the middle-aged groom without a word.


    ¡°My lord,¡± the groom bowed.


    Tez¡¯ Mu gripped his sword as he walked up to the Scith, the building rising higher and higher within his sight and eventually enveloping him as he entered at the main door. Tez¡¯ Mu wondered how it could look avidly different from the previous day, when a reveling mood gripped the whole palace. Now, because of a single disturbance, everything had changed. The Scith was back to its somber mood.


    Inside, there were a few lords who sat or stood around, chatting, whose heads turned as Tez¡¯ Mu strode in. Their eyes followed him as he marched forward, heading straight for the only person he recognized, the royal steward.


    ¡°Son of Mu,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran looked him over. ¡°Welcome to the Scith,¡±


    ¡°Thank you, steward,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu replied, inclining his head.


    ¡°I expect you want to know what you are to do?¡± Hu¡¯ Ran raised his eyebrows. Tez¡¯ Mu nodded. ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. You just have to stand behind the throne when her majesty comes in. Ancestors forbid another mad man wielding a knife; but precautions must be taken,¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Tez¡¯ Mu replied.


    ¡°The assembly is just for a few hours.¡± Hu¡¯ Ran continued conversationally. ¡°You can decide to take your title seriously and fix a few things over at the Onan Desar, but that¡¯s not compulsory. Your deputy can handle that,¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was all Tez¡¯ Mu could say. A servant approached Hu¡¯ Ran and whispered in his ear. The steward nodded and then cleared his throat to announce the Dowager Queen¡¯s presence. The lords and judges had moved to stand at their official positions and they all bowed as the regally dressed woman swept in from the door behind the dais and took her seat.


    Tez¡¯ Mu dropped to a knee at the foot of the dais, then ascended the steps and took his place behind the throne.


    ¡°Commence proceedings,¡± the Dowager muttered to Hu¡¯ Ran, her voice low and dispassionate. She wore a flowing white wudan robe embroidered with iridescent threads that shimmered like captured starlight. Tiny rhinestones, reminiscent of morning frost, adorned the sleeves, glinting each time she moved. Her hair was twisted into a ruhan bun, a style reserved for sovereign matriarchs, fastened with a golden hairpin shaped like a coiled dragon.


    Hu¡¯ Ran straightened. ¡°Commence proceedings!¡± His voice rang through the vast chamber, reverberating off the high vaulted ceiling where painted constellations bore silent witness over the court.


    One of the lords stepped forward, fingers absentmindedly twirling a ring set with onyx. ¡°Royal affairs or kingdom affairs first, your majesty?¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu heard the Dowager chuckle. He could not see her expression, but he was sure she sneered.


    ¡°Have it your way,¡± she replied.


    Two lords stepped forward in unison, their dark ceremonial robes embroidered with sigils of their respective houses. They bowed deeply, pressing their hands against their chests in a gesture of respect.


    ¡°Your majesty, these subjects want access to the confession of the assassin,¡± they said in unison.


    ¡°For what reason?¡± A judge raised his eyebrows as he countered them, his ceremonial chain of office glinting against his chest.


    ¡°The Scith must be informed,¡± another lord answered, his voice measured. ¡°If there are those within our midst who seek to shatter the kingdom into ruin, should we continue to hold friendly relations with them?¡± as he spoke, Tez¡¯ Mu focused on the totem on his chest. A silver deer, its eyes inlaid with lapis. This was the lord of House Kel.


    ¡°It¡¯s your blame if lords and judges of the Scith maintain dubious relations in the first place,¡± came a low murmur from another noble.


    ¡°But I agree with Lord Kel and Lord Ren,¡± Muri¡¯ Ji lent his voice, ¡°The Scith should know the fate of the assassin, your majesty. If we are to serve as your subjects, our minds must be at rest. Moreover, we will be better positioned to aid in eliminating the masterminds behind the plot.¡±


    ¡°Her majesty must have her reasons for withholding the confession,¡± another judge countered, shaking his head. ¡°What if the mastermind is among us?¡±


    A sharp intake of breath spread through the gathered nobility. Then, a storm of voices erupted, each lord loudly affirming their allegiance, some going as far as to curse the judge who dared cast such a suspicion. Tez¡¯ Mu stood still, but his fingers twitched. He noted that the noble lords of the largest houses¡ªJin¡¯ Hei, Lord Lu, and Great-general He¡ªhad yet to speak.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Hu¡¯ Ran suddenly barked.


    ¡°Next case,¡± The Dowager yawned, the golden dragon on her pin flashing as she tilted her head lazily.


    The murmurs quieted as the lords debated their next matter. Eventually Lord Ren, his face drawn, stepped forward. He was in charge of diplomatic affairs.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± he began, hands folded within his sleeves. ¡°There is disturbance on the Ochelon-Arban border, especially the Najan station. A band of dissenters of uncertain origin are raiding Arban villages on one side while also pillaging desert settlers on ours.¡±


    ¡°What do they want?¡± The Dowager asked.


    ¡°Uncertain.¡± Lord Ren admitted. ¡°It appears to be ideological. But, your majesty, coupled with the assassination attempt¡ª¡± he hesitated, glancing around as if weighing his words, ¡°¡ªI fear we have a revolt at our doorstep,¡±


    Murmurs started among the judges again.


    Hu¡¯ Ran raised his hand. ¡°You have not finished, Lord Ren. What ideology are the bandits pushing?¡±


    Lord Ren blanched. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Feeling all the courtiers eyes were on him, he paled even further.


    ¡°I¡ªI really¡ª¡±


    ¡°The legitimacy of the head with the crown!¡± A powerful voice cut through the air. All turned toward the entrance of the Scith.


    Illuminated by the sunlight pouring in from the wide windows of the Scith, the flag of the House of Mu moved as if on fire. Behind the flag bearer, Raq¡¯ Mu marched in, his red hair reflecting the light, scattering ruby-tinted patches on his face. He was clad in full armor, and Nightshaft was visible on his belt.


    ¡°Are we going to war, Raq¡¯ Mu?¡± Jin¡¯ Hei was the only one who spoke.


    Raq¡¯ Mu¡¯s lips curled, but his eyes were dark. ¡°Perhaps, in a bit,¡± he said. Then, he strode to the foot of the dais and bent one knee. ¡°Your majesty!¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu gazed at him, stunned.


    ¡°As I said, the robbers in the west resist your leadership,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu said as he rose. ¡°And it is no coincidence that their actions align with the assassin¡¯s attack. Najan, Guho, Kehir¡ª¡± he raised three fingers, ¡°¡ªall are witnessing simultaneous upheavals. This is separate from the headache called the Haru Invaders of the south. This is something else.¡±


    ¡°I received intelligence,¡± Raq¡¯ Mu continued, ¡°that all three factions bear the same name, despite the vast distances separating them. This is a coordinated strike against the imperial house.¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran narrowed his eyes. ¡°What are they called?¡±


    Raq¡¯ Mu exhaled. ¡°Keolyor. ¡®The King¡¯s Army.¡¯¡±


    The words sent a ripple of unease through the hall. Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s gaze flicked to the Dowager. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the armrest of the throne.


    She took a deep breath.


    ¡°Is there anyone in this chamber who wishes to ask me a foolish question?¡± She growled.


    ¡°Pardon, your majesty?¡± Even Hu¡¯ Ran was shocked.


    ¡°Good.¡± she hissed. ¡°I¡¯m glad there is none. Raq¡¯ Mu! Jizu¡¯ He!¡± Her voice rang through the hall. ¡°I leave these bandits to you both.¡± She moved to stand.


    ¡°It is not that simple, your majesty,¡± Jin¡¯ Hei said, stepping forward. The crowd parted for him.


    ¡°Killing rebels will not kill their cause. For now, they are few; the minority. As soon as you start exterminating them, however, you have begun to feed a cancerous sore that will be difficult to excavate: public pity. Once the citizens take up their request, you will have no choice but to give in¡± His voice was grave.


    ¡°What exactly are you saying, Lord Hei?¡± The Dowager¡¯s tone was cold.


    ¡°Give the citizens an explanation first, before you start killing the rebels. In fact, give the rebels an answer as well. What do they want to know?¡± Here his face became stern, ¡°Where is the king?¡±


    The Dowager¡¯s lips curled. ¡°This again?¡± she suddenly chuckled dryly, ¡°Then answer yourself, Lord Hei. Where do you think he is? Where does a king live?¡±


    Jin¡¯ Hei did not flinch. ¡°Wherever a king pleases, your majesty. Since he was born, I Jin¡¯ Hei and, I can vouch, the majority of these lords here, have never set our eyes on his Majesty. We lords don¡¯t even know what he looks like. Naturally, some people will want an explanation. Where is he? Why has he never appeared? For how long will you stand in for him, your majesty?¡±


    The Dowager was silent. No one countered Jin¡¯ Hei. Some were even nodding. Hu¡¯ Ran was incensed, but he could only restrain himself.


    ¡°You will still answer yourself, Lord Hei,¡± The Dowager finally spoke, sharply, pointing her finger down at the court, ¡°How old is that child?!¡±


    ¡°His majesty is eight years old,¡± Jin¡¯ Hei replied calmly, smirking. ¡°There are a lot of kings that are young. That is not what the Scith is asking. We will understand that his majesty is young. We can even understand if his majesty is sick. What we do not understand, is why he has never appeared. The Scith wants answers. The Scith wants to see their king. Alive. And I ask, is he even¡ª¡± He paused, his eyes searching the room, making a bold, nearly dangerous assumption, ¡°¡ªalive?¡±


    ¡°Insolence!¡± Hu¡¯ Ran could not take it any longer, ¡°insolence, Jin¡¯ Hei! Treachery!¡±


    Jin¡¯ Hei sneered. ¡°So I am treacherous for demanding the presence of the rightful ruler in court?¡± he chuckled. ¡°If that is so, steward, then I accept the charge,¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± the Dowager slammed her hand down on the armrest. ¡°I will no longer stand for this! Court dismissed!¡±


    She rose swiftly, stalking out of the throne room. Tez¡¯ Mu, startled, did not know whether to follow her. Hu¡¯ Ran did, immediately, and Tez¡¯ Mu was left standing alone on the dais.


    Raq¡¯ Mu beckoned to him, but at that moment Hu¡¯ Ran returned and crossed the landing of the dais to seize Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s hand and drag him out after himself.

 A Seat Among Lions

    Over the next few days the Scith was a hub of activities as reports kept coming in of the escalating restive situations in the west and south. The Dowager had ceased attending court, leaving Tez¡¯ Mu standing behind an empty throne¡ªa sight that unsettled many. According to tradition, an untended seat of power was an ill omen, the meaning of which, no one was willing to discuss. Normally, a royal steward would place a symbolic object¡ªa gilded fan, a ceremonial dagger, or even a small token¡ªon the throne to indicate that the Dowager was absent by choice, not by weakness. Today, however, the throne remained bare, and whispers of unease rippled through the assembly. The lords and judges bickered below, contradicting themselves and hurling accusations.


    Raq¡¯ Mu had obeyed the Dowager¡¯s command and was already deployed to Najan, where the conflict was fiercest. Meanwhile, Jizu¡¯ He had angrily departed for Irvan, the He fief, after learning that the Haru Invaders had re-annexed Alhui¡ªa territory he had previously reclaimed before the Dowager¡¯s Banquet. Before leaving, he had made his position clear: the conflicts in the west were the Kests¡¯ responsibility, and he had no interest in suppressing their dissenters.


    ¡°Her Majesty isn¡¯t coming today either?¡± a ninth-rank judge, Ira¡¯ Sen, asked.


    Hu¡¯ Ran shot him a scowl. ¡°Commence proceedings!¡± he barked. His temper had grown short in recent days, the deep lines on his forehead never easing.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll speak first,¡± Ira¡¯ Sen stepped forward. ¡°Lords, judges, officers, and councilors¡ªI propose today¡¯s assembly be annulled! If Her Majesty refuses to appear, what purpose do we serve?¡±


    A few lords murmured their agreement.


    ¡°There are cases to be decided,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran countered. ¡°Let the petitioners in!¡± he called out in a firm voice.


    A judge scoffed. ¡°And who will pass the final verdict? You?¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran turned sharply. ¡°Guards,¡± he said, voice steady but cold, ¡°remove Judge Karan¡¯ Ui. The Scith shall remain sober.¡±


    A hush fell over the hall. The guards did not simply drag Karan¡¯ Ui away. Instead, they performed a ritual expulsion, waiting until Hu¡¯ Ran striked his ceremonial staff against the marble floor three times before seizing him. The rhythmic cracks echoed through the chamber like a funeral knell.


    As Karan¡¯ Ui was hauled from the chamber, the architecture of the Scith magnified his outcry. The high ceilings and curved walls were designed to amplify voices, a symbol of justice¡¯s transparency. But when the court was divided, it was said that the chamber ¡°swallowed the voices of the weak.¡±


    Around the chamber, several lords paled, their faces turning ashen. Tez¡¯ Mu frowned. A judge cast out in disgrace could not return to court for a year unless they underwent a Trial of Reflection¡ªan exile in which they were required to render impartial judgments in rural villages before their honor could be restored.


    ¡°Let the petitioners in!¡± Hu¡¯ Ran repeated.


    A group of commoners shuffled into the hall, eyes darting between the grand pillars and the towering figures of the lords. Tez¡¯ Mu recognized them¡ªJoavir dwellers.


    ¡°Kneel and show respect to the Scith!¡± the escorting official commanded.


    The handful of men knelt clumsily. Several lords clicked their tongues in disdain, looking down their noses at them. But Tez¡¯ Mu noticed something else: the raised sigils embedded in the floor beneath the petitioners¡¯ knees. These symbols, cast in metal and stone, were heated from below¡ªnot enough to burn, but enough to make kneeling painful. It was an old practice meant to test a petitioner¡¯s sincerity and endurance.


    One of the commoners, an older man, shifted slightly, his knee brushing against a carved emblem of the imperial crest. A nearby lord smirked.


    ¡°State your case!¡± Hu¡¯ Ran called out.


    The foremost petitioner hesitated for only a moment before rising to his feet and bowing deeply. Behind him, another of the kneeling men gritted his teeth, trying not to wince.


    ¡°Your eminence, this humble one is called Airu. I have a stall in Ruanlin, which was set on fire because I refused to pay a so-called ¡®trading permit fee¡¯.¡± Despite his ragged appearance, he was well-spoken, ¡°Now my means of livelihood is gone! I beg the Scith for justice,¡± He knelt again, forehead pressed to the cold floor in the traditional sign of supplication before the assembly. Behind him, the other petitioners echoed the plea for justice.


    ¡°Give an answer, Lord Nur,¡± a judge called out. ¡°You oversee trading affairs, after all.¡±


    ¡°Each district has their own rules,¡± Lord Nur shot back, ¡°and that is within the law,¡±


    ¡°Extortion is not, though,¡± Lord Kel countered, raising an eyebrow. ¡°What is a trading permit fee?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably exactly what it sounds like,¡± another judge sniggered, ¡°a fee to be allowed to trade.¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran tapped his council staff against the floor¡ªonce, to signal the chamber to hold its decorum.


    Ira¡¯ Sen turned to Airu. ¡°Can you say for certain that you were unaware of this fee before setting up your stall? And how much was your loss when it was set on fire? The Scith requires answers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your eminence,¡± Airu bowed, ¡°I asked round, and no one told me about the fee. I had been trading for twelve days before they came. And they didn¡¯t set it on fire in my presence. I arrived the next morning to find a smoldering ash heap. I lost nearly five thousand kerahs, my lord!¡± His voice cracked with emotion.


    ¡°You said ¡®they¡¯ came. Who are ¡®they¡¯?¡± Lord Nur narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°The district trading officials, my lord, followed by some good-for-nothing thugs,¡±


    ¡°Did they carry any official document? Stamp? Seal? Token?¡±


    ¡°No, my lord. They only said, ¡®in the name of Karra¡¯ Ruan, lord of Ruanlin District¡¯,¡± Airu replied.


    A ripple of murmurs spread through the chamber. Invoking a lord¡¯s name without written decree was a punishable offense¡ªbut only if the lord in question did not later approve the act.


    ¡°Shall the Scith summon Lord Ruan?¡± Ira¡¯ Sen looked around. Many of the judges looked away, suddenly finding their documents very interesting.


    ¡°This is an isolated case,¡± Lord Nur shrugged, ¡°We cannot summon a noble lord over trivialities,¡± he said, to assenting murmurs.


    ¡°My lord, please!¡± Airu¡¯s forehead shone with sweat. ¡°My livelihood is gone! I have no way to feed my family!¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go lie in the dust before the Ruan Estate and tell Karra¡¯ Ruan exactly that?¡± Lord Nur sneered. ¡°Next case!¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Lord Kel raised his hand. Airu turned toward him, hope flickering in his eyes. ¡°The Scith shall summon Karra¡¯ Ruan.¡±


    A roar of outrage erupted from the judges¡¯ benches.


    ¡°That¡¯s on you, Lord Kel!¡± Lord Nur spat.


    ¡°Yes, put it on me,¡± Lord Kel replied calmly. ¡°Steward, mark the summons for Karra¡¯ Ruan. Call for assent?¡±


    A heavy silence followed. Some lords turned their faces aside. Others tapped their rings against the table in silent agreement.


    ¡°Call for dissent?¡± Lord Nur said after a beat.


    ¡°I dissent!¡± A second-rank judge stood abruptly.


    ¡°I dissent as well! How can we summon a lord over a squabble of five thousand kerahs?¡±


    ¡°I assent!¡± A short noble with a voice like a battle horn hollered. ¡°Five thousand kerahs may be nothing to you, Judge Ji, but it is this man¡¯s livelihood.¡±


    ¡°And I as well.¡± Another lord nodded.


    ¡°I stand with Lord Kel.¡± Ira¡¯ Sen rose up too.


    ¡°I dissent!¡± A potbellied judge slammed his fist against the table.


    ¡°Is it lords against judges now? I assent!¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran¡¯s voice crashed over the chamber, and the silver lattice of the dome above vibrated with the force of it. His council staff struck the marble floor, sending a low, ringing chime that cut through the arguing. His chest heaved as he glared down at the red-faced officials. Rather than restoring order, admitting petitioners had only stoked the flames of discord.


    ¡°The Scith shall be sober.¡±


    He had had enough.


    ¡°Take the petitioners into the side courts and decide their cases. You can make all the noise you wish there,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran flung out his sleeves in a swirl of midnight blue fabric as he marched off the dais. Tez¡¯ Mu followed him resignedly, and was halfway across the floor when a loud voice made him stop.


    ¡°Report! Report from General Mu!¡±


    Almost simultaneously, another runner entered, his voice ringing out.


    ¡°Declaration! Declaration from Darin Dal-kest!¡±


    Both men dropped to a knee at the foot of the dais, holding up their respective scrolls.


    Hu¡¯ Ran halted mid-step and turned, his brows knitting together.


    ¡°Hold! Wait until Her Majesty arrives before you report.¡± He gestured them to remain. Then, without another word, he strode from the Scith.


    Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s gaze flickered to the runners as murmurs rippled through the Scith anew. The petitioners were shooed away, barely protesting as the low blare of a horn signaled the Dowager Queen¡¯s arrival.


    She swept in, emerald robes trailing, her green eyes cold as she surveyed the assembly. Silence fell as the lords and judges bowed.


    ¡°Rise and report,¡±


    The Dowager seated herself. The two runners hesitated, glancing at one another, unsure who should go first.


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    ¡°What does General Mu say?¡± Hu¡¯ Ran prompted.


    The runner from Najan rose, unrolling his scroll with precise hands.


    ¡°My lord general Mu¡¯s hand: Greeting your majesty and the Scith!¡± he started to read, ¡°Arriving in Najan this subject did not see even a shadow of the Keolyor but instead encountered the Arban Army, entrenched within our borders at Narhesh. Their commander at first sought my head, but after a friendly joust, I convinced him we had a common enemy. Our truce, however, was short-lived.¡± the runner paused, then continued.


    ¡°The Mu Army camped opposite the desert plain near our Arban friends. A commotion broke out during the night. A Keolyor mole infiltrated the Arban camp under cover of darkness and assassinated their commander. The Arbans believe I am responsible. We are at war,¡±


    He rolled the scroll shut and bowed deeply.


    A judge swore under his breath. ¡°Ancestors¡¯ misdeeds! The effrontery of those Keolyor!¡±


    ¡°Peace,¡± the Dowager raised a hand, her gaze turning sharp. ¡°Are the Arban envoys still in the capital?¡±


    ¡°No, your majesty,¡± Lord Ren answered, ¡°they left yesterday,¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± The Dowager¡¯s lips curled in a knowing sneer. ¡°I believe the Arban Empire is in a cohort with these militias. So be it. Let us hear the report from Offal¡¯ Kest,¡±


    The second runner rose and unrolled his scroll.


    ¡°The fief of Darin, under the House of Kest, along with its neighboring towns and villages, hereby declares this day in the presence of the Scith, its secession from the kingdom of Ochelon. We shall be governed in the interests of the common man, under the banner of our noble lords and viscounts. We shall remain apart until the rightful ruler of Ochelon, His Majesty King Keol¡¯ Han, ascends the throne¡ª,¡±


    His voice faltered. He glanced down. A silver dagger protruded from his stomach, its red tassel swaying gently.


    A thin line of red beaded against his tunic. A strangled cough escaped his lips.


    His knees buckled.


    The Dowager Queen placed her hand calmly back onto her lap.


    ¡°Behead him.¡±


    Two guards emerged from behind pillars, swords unsheathing in one smooth motion.


    The first guard reached the runner in a single step, his blade flashing. Blood sprayed upward, spattering the marble as the headless body crumpled to the floor.


    The Dowager smiled grimly, clapping once.


    ¡°Very good.¡± Her voice rang light and lilting, like a mother amused by a child¡¯s mischief. ¡°Very good of my dear servant Offal¡¯ Kest. A shame this queen did not see it coming.¡±


    She turned her gaze upon the second runner¡ªthe man from Najan¡ªwho cowered in the growing pool of blood.


    ¡°I put it to the Scith.¡± She crossed one leg over the other as the guards dragged the corpse away, crimson still pouring from the neck. ¡°What shall be done to the traitor?¡±


    There was silence.


    Jin¡¯ Hei rose, his expression tight. ¡°Would Your Majesty shock these subjects with such a gory display if envoys from, say, Calsour or Miyuan were present?¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± the Dowager replied without hesitation. ¡°I shall never stand for treason.¡±


    Jin¡¯ Hei exhaled sharply. ¡°Your Majesty has eroded the dignity of the Scith,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°This is no battlefront, and these runners are akin to emissaries¡ª¡±


    ¡°You shall not lecture me again today, Jin¡¯ Hei,¡± the Dowager interrupted, her tone hard. ¡°I asked the Scith: what shall be done to Darin?¡±


    Jin¡¯ Hei did not answer, nor did he take his seat. His frown deepened.


    Then, from the assembled lords, Lord Kel rose, his face dark with disapproval. ¡°Lord Hei is right,¡± he said, his voice low but firm. ¡°This outrage has not been seen since the founding of Ochelon. That man was merely a messenger, bound by orders. He was not the traitor.¡±


    ¡°That is true,¡± came another voice. Lord Rui stepped forward, the candlelight catching the deep lines of his face. ¡°And for this, I hereby renounce my position as a lord of the Scith from this hour.¡±


    Gasps rippled through the hall as he removed his silver signet ring and cast it to the floor. The metal struck the marble with a hollow clink. Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode toward the great doors.


    ¡°So do I.¡±


    Heads swiveled as Jin¡¯ Hei stepped back from the table, unfastening his own ring. He set it down with deliberate care. ¡°I shall resume my office when justice is enthroned in the Scith.¡±


    He did not walk away. He simply vanished, the air warping around him as the soft hum of a teleportation artifact dissipated into silence.


    Lord Kel let out a quiet sigh, rolling the ring on his finger between his thumb and forefinger. ¡°I had high expectations for this court,¡± he murmured. ¡°But those expectations will have to wait.¡±


    With a small, regretful smile, he crushed the silver band to powder between his fingers.


    Then, with a flick of his wrist, a scroll appeared in his palm. ¡°Your majesty, my lords and judges,¡± he smiled round at everyone, ¡°I shall take my leave of you.¡± He tore the scroll in two, and the sigils inscribed upon it ignited in blue light. A teleportation matrix bloomed beneath his feet.


    He disappeared.


    The Scith took a collective gulp.


    Three western lords had left the Scith.


    The rebellion was real.


    The Dowager Queen exhaled, long and slow. ¡°Hu¡¯ Ran,¡± she said, rubbing her temple as though weary. ¡°You know what to do, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ***


    Tez¡¯ Mu took a seat at a table in the Dowager¡¯s war room, on which the map of the kingdom was mounted. Heavy silk drapes embroidered with the imperial sigil adorned the walls, and the room stank of burning agarwood, its curling smoke rising towards the ceiling, which bore the faded remnants of a painted constellation¡ªperhaps a relic from a previous age. Though the Scith was the legislative body of Ochelon, it was clear that much of the real governance took place here, among the four officials who made up the Imperial Council.


    ¡°I did not know it would come to this.¡± The Dowager held a delicate porcelain cup in both hands, inhaling the steam before taking a sip. ¡°Who knew I would live to see the day a fief would secede from the kingdom?¡±


    At the far end of the table, opposite the Dowager, sat a broad-shouldered man in deep crimson robes. He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. ¡°Wishful thinking of that chameleon, Offal¡¯ Kest,¡± he growled. ¡°It cannot happen.¡±


    ¡°But it has, my good conciliator,¡± the Dowager replied with a small smile. ¡°From Kehir down to Guho, the entire western region has risen in rebellion. Offal¡¯ Kest sent a runner with the declaration this afternoon.¡±


    It seemed the Imperial Conciliator, Lord Zei, had not yet heard the news. The other two council members were already engrossed in their work, scratching their quills across parchment. Hu¡¯ Ran, who had been pacing, stopped abruptly to lift a few blank sheets from the table, dropping them in front of Tez¡¯ Mu. He met Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s shocked gaze with a sneer before returning to his restless pacing.


    ¡°We do not despise the input of a young member in this court, son of Mu,¡± the Dowager said. Tez¡¯ Mu turned his gaze to her quickly¡ªshe had been watching him.


    ¡°Do feel free to share your thoughts,¡± she added, smirking over the rim of her cup.


    Tez¡¯ Mu swallowed hard. Since witnessing the west¡¯s declaration earlier in the day at the Scith and the ensuing chaos, a lump had settled in his throat. It did not help that the traitor in question was his own grandfather!


    He could feel the weight of the other lords¡¯ gazes on him as they lifted their heads from their writings. He looked down at the pristine white parchment before him, a quill placed neatly at its side.


    How must his mother be feeling right now? He could not imagine standing in her place, watching her father branded a traitor to the kingdom.


    ¡°Your majesty, I¡ª¡± Tez¡¯ Mu found his voice, though it wavered. ¡°I hope your majesty understands that the House of Kest is not the same as the House of Mu.¡±


    The Dowager looked intrigued. She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hand.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t. Shed more light,¡± she replied.


    Tez¡¯ Mu met her gaze. ¡°The House of Mu had no hand in this rebellion. We are not allied with the Kest. And my mother is also innocent. What my¡ª¡± he hesitated, forcing himself not to say ¡®grandfather,¡¯ ¡°¡ªwhat he did has nothing to do with her.¡±


    The Dowager smiled faintly. ¡°Put your mind at rest, son of Mu. I am well aware of that. Your House will not suffer repercussions. If I did not trust your father, I would not have sent him to Najan.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of Najan, your majesty, if I may,¡± Lord Zei interjected, leaning forward. ¡°Let us address this issue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± the Dowager nodded.


    ¡°Before the Arban envoys left, I spoke with them alongside Lord Hu. They informed me of a group of bandits raiding their border villages. Najan¡¯s governor hesitated to act, as the bandits were Ochelon citizens. Our relationship with Arban is already fragile, and he did not want to escalate matters.¡±


    ¡°When I investigated,¡± Lord Zei continued, ¡°I found something troubling. It struck me as strange that Offal¡¯ Kest, with Najan as his neighbor, had done nothing to curb these bandits.¡±


    ¡°The bandits were Offal¡¯ Kest¡¯s diversion,¡± Lord Hu sighed, stretching in his chair. ¡°But that¡¯s over and done. How do we retaliate? The palace cannot remain idle.¡±


    At the word ¡®retaliate,¡¯ Tez¡¯ Mu¡¯s breath hitched. His brows knitted in worry.


    ¡°Hu¡¯ Ran?¡± the Dowager called.


    Hu¡¯ Ran halted his pacing and returned to his seat beside her. ¡°We have already sent Raq¡¯ Mu to Najan. That much is settled. If the Arbans refuse our goodwill, we will remind them that Najan is ours. King Hul¡¯ Han relinquished two-thirds of the desert to them. It may have seemed a waste, but Najan has its uses.¡± He reached across and plucked a parchment from Lord Ren¡¯s pile.


    Lord Ren frowned and made a motion to snatch it back, but Hu¡¯ Ran smirked and raised the sheet to his line of sight. ¡°¡®Attack to defend,¡¯¡± he read. ¡°¡®Dispatch the imperial army to Darin. Send elite assassins to eliminate Offal¡¯ Kest¡ª¡¯¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran let out a dry laugh. ¡°Lord Ren, it is truly a pleasure to have you here. You¡¯re hopelessly hilarious.¡±


    Lord Ren scowled, retrieving his paper with a sharp tug. Lord Zei and Lord Hu exchanged quiet snickers, but Tez¡¯ Mu found nothing amusing. Quite the opposite¡ªhe found Lord Ren¡¯s suggestions vengeful and chilling.


    ¡°But he has a point,¡± the Dowager mused.


    ¡°No, your majesty,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran shook his head. ¡°The best counterattack will be ¡®peace and safety.¡¯ We have other empires watching our every move. We must position ourselves as the merciful party. Let us reach out to Offal¡¯ Kest with forgiving arms. We shall send an envoy.¡±


    ¡°He will kill the envoy,¡± Lord Hu reminded him. ¡°As we killed his.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was merely an impulsive misstep,¡± the Dowager waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Losing the support of the strongest and largest fief was a heavy blow to my poor heart.¡±


    ¡°Let us send a peace envoy,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran insisted. ¡°Then, we will enter the west¡ªthrough Guho Valley.¡± He pointed to the map. ¡°If Offal¡¯ Kest can use diversions, so can we.¡±


    Lord Zei nodded slowly. ¡°That does make sense, steward.¡±


    ¡°Will we not draw on the He and Ru fiefs?¡± Lord Ren asked.


    ¡°We will not,¡± the Dowager answered swiftly. ¡°That would mean declaring war on the west. And my steward does not want that, do you, Hu¡¯ Ran?¡±


    ¡°It is not a matter of what I want, your majesty,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran deferred at once. ¡°It is the correct response to the situation. Offal¡¯ Kest desires war. A war would unsettle the palace and the Scith. We cannot let him succeed.¡±


    ¡°The steward has me swayed,¡± Lord Hu admitted, leaning back in his chair. ¡°But what shall we offer the traitor?¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran gritted his teeth. ¡°Not all can be spoken, even in the Council.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu expected the lords to protest. They did not. Instead, they began gathering their notes.


    ¡°Well, who shall we send, then?¡± Lord Ren asked. ¡°Someone from the Scith?¡±


    ¡°No, I think not,¡± Lord Hu countered. ¡°Offal¡¯ Kest has infiltrated the Scith, though how he did so without attending a single proceeding baffles me. Those three lords that ran are with him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad they left,¡± the Dowager narrowed her eyes. ¡°I will not feed traitors,¡±


    ¡°Does the steward have a recommendation, then?¡± Lord Zei asked. ¡°Surely not one of us? We should send someone worthy of speaking to Offal¡¯ Kest on his level. We council members don¡¯t hold public office¡ªexcept for you and Lord Ren. The rest of us are unknown. He would feel insulted if one of us were sent as envoy.¡±


    Hu¡¯ Ran turned to glance at the Dowager. She did not look up, merely turning the spatial ring on her finger.


    ¡°Tez¡¯ Mu will go,¡± she said.


    ¡°What?¡± Lord Zei couldn¡¯t restrain his shock. Tez¡¯ Mu stiffened, eyes darting around the room in confusion.


    ¡°I see,¡± Lord Hu suddenly spoke up. ¡°Now it makes sense. Otherwise, why would the Head of the Onan Desar be here?¡±


    ¡°But he is young,¡± Lord Zei grumbled. ¡°Yes, being Offal¡¯ Kest¡¯s grandson will grant him easy entrance, but¡ª¡± he shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Then name a better candidate,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran sneered.


    Lord Zei had no reply.


    ¡°Yet,¡± the Dowager murmured, ceasing her fidgeting and raising her gaze to Tez¡¯ Mu, ¡°this court does not coerce. The choice is yours.¡±


    Tez¡¯ Mu looked down at his hands. Raq¡¯ Mu was far away in Najan, beyond reach. Seeking his advice was impossible. But still¡ª


    ¡°I accept, your majesty,¡± he said at last. ¡°But I will like to visit the Mu Manor first,¡±


    ¡°No rush, no rush,¡± Hu¡¯ Ran waved a dismissive hand. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving immediately. We must prepare well, after all.¡±


    ¡°That is settled, then.¡± The Dowager flicked her wrist, and a small dagger¡ªtwin to the one she had wielded in the Scith¡ªappeared in her grasp. Slowly, she unsheathed it and, with casual precision, tossed it.


    It landed with a sharp thunk, its tip embedded in the Kest fief on the map.