There was no doubt to cloud this Sovereigns mind, no incredulity or disbelief at how all this ca to be, only a quiet admission of the truth as he gazed upon the horde of Spectres set loose within his soul.
Bristling with rage and indignation both, he knew he needed to act before it was too late, but still he hemd and hawed whilst scouring his mind for a solution he knew did not exist. The path forward was clear, the best course of action laid out before him, and yet this Sovereign could not bring himself to do what needed to be done. Today was a day of calamitous misfortune, but until rely monts ago, he wholeheartedly believed that hed gained more than he lost in spite of all his troubles and setbacks. Though hed fallen far short of his goal to overthrow the Emperor, hed gleaned much from the process itself, whether it be discerning the most effective tactics to make use of and the pitfalls to avoid in the future, or securing new information which illuminated his Path and brought him to new and dazzling heights. Once his gains were analyzed and consolidated, he would return in triumphant glory to take vengeance upon the outer provinces before sweeping through the Eastern Province to challenge the Emperor himself and topple him from his throne.
All of which would have held true had this Sovereign not overreached and captured Falling Rain in Shi Bei. A miscalculation on his part, but one for which he could not be blad considering the facts supported his decisions at the ti. Having the boy in hand to question and study would most certainly prove beneficial, and not just for the answers he might provide or the unique quality of his soul which enabled portions of it to rge with another persons soul without resistance, an act which ran counter to the long-proven inviolability of the soul. The boy was a treasure trove of information and resources, but his true value lay in the fact that he was personally responsible for undoing so many of this Sovereigns best laid plans. Thus, taking him prisoner to exact vengeance would do much to relieve this Sovereigns frustrations and right the wrongs that fate itself had wrought upon him.
Except the machinations of Heaven ran deeper than this Sovereign ever expected, and Falling Rain far more dangerous than anyone could have ever guessed.
A handful of minutes. Thats how much ti had passed since their departure from Shi Bei. Not a long stretch of ti by any asure, and yet the tally of damages was staggering to behold. This Sovereigns foundation had been shaken, his confidence and determination brought low, his understanding of the Dao overturned and his Dharmic Icon ruined beyond repair. Setback after setback, yet this was far from the worst of it, for as the swarm of vengeful Spectres descended upon him, he could not fathom how this most ill-fated of outcos was even remotely possible.
The debacle of Sanshu? A confluence of chance and calamity that resulted in a most disastrous union of Devourer and Predator, one he was still paying the price for, yet only unlikely rather than impossible. The exposure of the Canston Trading Group? An unfortunate coincidence brought about by Falling Rains grudge against Zhu Changzuis rchant company, one which forced this Sovereign to uproot his carefully-laid production-line ant to supply him with Death Energy, Spectres, Demons, and corpses alike. This denial of resources and study materials set back his plans to invade Central until the process could be reinstated here in the West, a delay which the outer provinces ti enough to build a massive wall using their recent rediscovery of liquid stone. An outco no one could have foreseen, but still conceivable and acceptable, for a Wall was only as strong as its weakest point.
The gas explosion in Sinuji. The failed assassination attempt of Shen ZhenWu. The Storm over JiangHu. The actual failure to assassinate Falling Rain. The fall of Pan Si Xing. The debacle still unfolding in Shi Bei. A series of unfortunate events, each one stretching the limits of plausibility more and more whilst staying within the boundaries of the probable, but in the last day alone, this Sovereign had borne witness to Falling Rain unveiling more miracles than he cared to count. Negating the Wrath of Heaven? An impossible accomplishnt, or so this Sovereign would have claid until he saw it first-hand, a solution so simple it was a wonder he hadnt co up with it centuries ago. The massive tidal wave was more believable, not sothing this Sovereign would have deed impossible, rely exceedingly difficult for even a Peak Expert at the pinnacle of their strength, much less a boy as young as Falling Rain, but still within acceptable limits. Then there was the boys brilliant usage of Dharmic Icons, a seemingly endless array of nonsensical images, performances, and poems that hed carefully prepared beforehand for so indiscernible reason. Again, not beyond the realms of possibilities, as there were a handful of conceivable reasons why the boy possessed the prudence and foresight to make such preparations. The Orated attack of despair and dejection? In light of the boys troubled past, this Sovereign could see why Falling Rain would harbour so much darkness within him, and it would also explain much regarding his Path, one which was neither wholly Defiled nor Imperial in outlook, but far more complete than even that of the Imperial Clan. This explained why he was capable of so much more than his peers, his strength, comprehension, and abilities all bolstered by his broader perspective of the Dao, which combined with the benefits received from his union with the Elental Spirit ultimately resulted in a firm grasp of Sword Intent, among other things.
And yet all of those improbable achievents combined were not enough to explain Falling Rains most recent accomplishnts over these last few minutes. With the young Ancestral Hares assistance, he discovered how to create Life Energy whilst on the brink of Death. An impossible feat for any mortal, or so this Sovereign believed, for he had long since concluded that the creation of Life and Death Energy was beyond even the reach of a nascent immortal like himself. False Divinities the world around struggled to control the Energy of the Heavens, which was categorically inferior to the Energy of Life and Death, so how could anybody reasonably expect for Falling Rain, a boy of twenty-one who technically had yet to et the standards of a Peak Expert, to master this unfathomable power superior even to the power of Creation and Destruction both? Yes, Weapon Intents utilized a portion of Death Energy, for what was a weapon if not a tool to inflict death, but this was hardly equivalent to harnessing raw Death Energy. To claim otherwise would be outlandish, no different from handing soone a painting of food and expecting their hunger would be sated. Yes, mortals were capable of touching upon the Dao of Life and Death respectively, but only a true Divine Being, a Deity in every sense of the word, could possibly wield power over life and death itself. A mortal can kill, a mortal can give birth, but that was not the sa as manifesting the very essence of death and life out of thin air, a feat Falling Rain readily demonstrated when he brought a dog into existence with his Will alone.
An unremarkable dog at that, a wrinkly, floppy-eared mutt of a hound with the most ungainly posture this Sovereign had ever seen, currently sitting in the sand with tongue hanging out and hind legs splayed out at a graceless and unpleasant angle. A flabby belly protruded out from between his hind legs, and his brown-furred skin hung loosely from his skin, while his panting mouth opened to reveal a set of crocked, rounded teeth and a subtle underbite that did nothing to detract from the dogs endearing appearance. To think, this was the result of the first mortals foray into Life and Death itself, the power of a god used to create this creature of lacking purpose and adorable aesthetics.
Yes, the boy was right, his dog was cute, but what was the purpose of creating it? At least its existence explained why Falling Rain split his soul into two equal parts, Natal Souls notwithstanding, but it raised all sorts of questions in and of itself. Where did the dogs soul co from? Was this a case of two souls inhabiting one body? Possible, but the boy never once displayed any canine like habits, or at least nothing that could be attributed to this substandard embodint of a beast. Could it be a case of extre disassociation, wherein the boy believed he was a dog in a past life? If so, this raised even more questions given Falling Rains exceptional discipline and intelligence, qualities which again could not be seen in his dog.
This was without even getting into the specifics of how the boy produced this newfangled Spiritual Beast from out of thin air, without the use of any physical material to help matters along. Yes, it was theoretically possible to use the Energy of the Heavens to grow flesh and bone, but it was so much easier to use more readily available energies derived from food or other organic matter. Thats why the Transcendents required corpses to fuel their transformations, because even the Spectres were incapable of sustaining the complex and demanding process of turning the immaterial material, much less into the complex tissues and organs of a living, breathing body. Which was another point of contention, because how was this Sovereign supposed to accept that Falling Rain was also a master of canine anatomy? One could not Heal a human limb without a thorough understanding of the human body, and most Healers required close to a decade of study before being declared competent in their own right, which was the bare minimum. Yes, the discovery of Panacea greatly lessened the requirents, but it was too much of a leap in logic to expect Panacea to create an entire dog from nothing, especially one as unique as Falling Rains Buddy.
A most perplexing puzzle indeed, one far beyond anything this Sovereign had seen before, but he believed he would have his answers soon enough so long as he had the boy in hand. That was all the motivation hed needed to put his curiosity aside and beat the boy into submission, especially after losing a foot to his glaive. Never in a million years would this Sovereign grow tired of the all too satisfying sensation of hamring his fists into the boys flesh, to feel his muscles give and bones break ti and ti again. A most stubborn and tenacious little savage, silent throughout the entire ordeal, but his silence would only make it that much sweeter when he finally gave voice to his suffering. The boy ca so close to despair after realizing all his efforts were wasted creating a dog who refused to fight, a stupid, worthless Spiritual Beast who simply sat and watched while his creator was pumled about. Beaten and broken, the boy endured until he could do naught but hang in this Sovereigns grasp while fighting to draw breath, and it was only by the slimst of margins that he survived to do just that, for throughout this all, the Spectres were urging this Sovereign to strip his most hated foe of all his flesh and dine upon his inner organs while he watched.
A result of the blow dealt to this Sovereigns foundation by the boys Orated attack of despair, but the Razors Edge saw him through this tribulation unscathed. nding this wound would be a long and arduous process, but once past the initial shock and surprise, this Sovereign was able to easily ignore the Spectres whispered lies and bind them to his soul and Dharmic Icon once more, the robes he spent so many centuries instilling with aning and significance, both conscious and unconscious alike. Yet another setback, the price paid for greed and hubris, but with Falling Rain in hand, the ti spent in recovery would be fruitful indeed for there would be answers aplenty to analyze and decipher, bringing this Sovereign to new heights upon his Path.
Success was so close to hand, and yet this Sovereign made no move to secure his prize just yet, for he was still struggling for control against the Spectres within his soul. This brief mont of distraction gave Falling Rain ti enough to slip free of his mortal trappings and willingly step foot within this Sovereigns Natal Palace. A most unexpected turn of events, one he celebrated as he bound the intruding soul in chains of Will and Intent, for here within his Natal Palace, this Sovereigns Authority superseded all else. Here, Falling Rain was as helpless as any Spectre without the assistance of a shared goal, aning it would be far easier to extract answers and soul matter now that hed voluntarily placed himself upon the chopping block, helpless to do naught but bow before this Sovereigns Authority.
Or thats how events should have unfolded had the boy not defied Natural Law to overrule Heaven and this Sovereigns Authority in one fell swoop. The boy even admitted as much as he severed this Sovereigns bonds with little more than a thought and Manifested his Domain within anothers. My Domain exists wherever my Sword can reach, the boy had declared, and coupled with this Sovereigns earlier evaluation regarding his Void Sword Intent, this made for a most chilling assertation indeed.
There was no sense deliberating about the future however, because while the boy possessed extraordinary potential, his current strength was already more than enough to threaten this Sovereigns existence. A truth hed denied for too long, believing himself superior to this savage runt in all ways, holding firm to the belief that this Sovereigns victory was all but assured so long as Falling Rain was denied the ti needed to grow into a threat. Alas, the facts showed that the boy was already a threat, one which continued to grow stronger with each passing exchange as he progressed by leaps and bounds since regaining consciousness in ng Sha earlier today. As the dark cloud of screaming Spectres descended upon him, this Sovereign let loose a sigh of regret and self-deprecation as he reflected on how this ca to pass.
All his studies since ti immorial had revealed to him the potential power the Spectres possessed, and it was this power he would use to overthrow the Emperor. At first, they played the role of his eyes and ears, enabling him to partake in the innermost thoughts and desires of the prey those Spectres touched upon. It wasnt as clear and distinct as reading their thoughts, but it was enough to give this Sovereign a glimpse into his targets psyche, to say nothing of the actual words and docunts seen by the Spectres as they passed. Then he learned how to sever portions of his Transcendents souls to keep for himself, or more specifically, portions of their hosts souls, which in this Sovereigns hands, enabled him to threaten his Transcendents with death and submission should they refuse to heed his commands. The Spectres were madness made manifest, itinerant shards of souls represented the sum total of his lifes achievents, the foundation upon which he built all his strength and control, and the ans through which he would topple the dog Emperor from his throne.
But now, even this was denied him, for without his golden robes to bolster his Will and determination, he no longer possessed the ability to subdue them, nor the courage to ever try again.
Because if Falling Rain could intrude upon this Sovereigns Natal Palace unimpeded and deal so grievous a blow to his Dharmic Icon, then who was to say the Emperor or soone else could not do the sa? This information alone was enough to ruin this Sovereign, for never again would he have confidence enough to imprison any Spectres within his soul, for his safety could no longer be guaranteed. Even the re thought of allowing them into his Natal Palace was enough to fill him with fear and apprehension aplenty, for he walked the Razors Edge, where even a single errant thought might well be enough to send him plumting into Imbalance, so without absolute control over the Spectres, he no longer dared heed their whispers much less allow them access into his soul.
aning that from this day forward, the power of the Spectres would forever be denied him.
A single blow of Sword Intent was all it took to undo his lifes work. Not just the last eight-hundred years of planning, but his entire life, spanning back untold millennia to a ti before the founding of the Azure Empire. These were the facts laid out before him, the undeniable truth which he could only accept. Incredulity turned to denial, which in turn spawned grief and resignation as this Sovereign struggled to co to grips with the truth. This tribal child had simply waltzed into his desne, the inner sanctuary nestled within deepest recesses of his eternal soul, and rejected his Authority in favour of his own in a direct transgression against Natural Law. Wielding the power of his own Will and Authority, Falling Rain made a single move and shattered this Sovereigns carefully crafted Dharmic Icon, ruining its significance so thoroughly that it could never be used again.
It should not have been possible, and yet, here this Sovereign stood, facing down the sa Spectres he once ruled over as master and commander both. Fear and regret welled up from within as the Spectres converged upon him with fangs bared and claws brandished, his most familiar weapons now turned against him. A mont longer and they would crash headlong into him, shredding his eternal soul to pieces and feasting upon his lifes experiences before drinking deep of his mories and emotions in order to better turn him to their cause. Even with inescapable death or oblivion converging upon him however, he still clung fast to hope and sought to uncover a solution to all his woes, so miracle of the Heavens that would allow him to subdue the Spectres once more, so ans to grant him control without being affected by their insidious influence, for he could not bear to throw away his lifes work. If he gave them up now, then he would never control them again, because then the seed of doubt planted by Falling Rains Orated attack would blossom and take root within this Sovereigns soul, never to be removed again.
If only hed killed the boy outright, slaughtered him where he stood in Shi Bei, ng Sha, JiangHu, Sinuji, Nan Ping, or even as far back as Sanshu. So many missed opportunities to avoid this most distressing outco, for without the Spectres, all of this Sovereigns accrued knowledge was worthless. There would be no more chard Defiled or loyal Wraiths, no more Transcendents to control, Ascended, Divinity, or otherwise. No more whispered temptations or crafted illusions to turn mortals and Divinities to his cause. No more Insight found in the depths of depravity. No more mass-produced Runic Armour or Spiritual Weapons crafted from mundane materials and powered by an infusion of Spectres. So what if this Sovereign had Falling Rain in hand? Without the Spectres, he was a man alone in his war against the dog Emperor, a single, solitary existence arrayed against the outer provinces and Imperial Clan both, so no matter how powerful this Sovereign might beco, he was still rely one man, and two hands were incapable of blocking a million swords.
Alas, there was no cure for regret, no second chance to act, so with no other options left to him, this Sovereign steeled his Will and expelled the Spectres from his soul only monts before they consud him. It was as simple as turning a hand for a man who kept to the Razors Edge for so many millennia, and yet it was simultaneously the most difficult thing this Sovereign had ever done. With this one, single act of rejection, he had forever closed off his Path, leaving him no choice but to start anew and find a new Path to the Peak, a new Dao to believe and draw strength from. Grief turned to anger as his eyes refocused in reality to find a Healed Falling Rain seated in the sands with his dog, no doubt expecting to see this Sovereign falter and fall, to give into the weight of emotion and succumb to the divided Will of the Spectres.
Instead, he charged forth to grab the boy by the throat and dragged him through the sands, all the while pumling his face until the smug, self-satisfied smile slipped away to reveal a jagged ss of bloody and broken teeth once more. Foolish worm, this Sovereign scread, his rage and fury threatening to consu him, but he held fast to the Razors Edge and allowed the escaped Spectres no purchase into his soul, nor would he allow them to draw close to be Devoured by Falling Rain. You thought this Sovereign weak and timid like you? That this Sovereign would succumb to the weight of his Spectres? I have lived through countless lifetis, have known adversity and suffering the likes of which you can only imagine, have eaten more salt than you have grains of rice
That doesnt make sense at all. Interrupting this Sovereign mid-rant, the boy chuckled and said, Of course youve eaten more salt. A pinch probably has more grains of salt than a bowl has grains of rice, so how difficult could
Slamming the insolent child into the sands once more, this Sovereign beat him soundly until he felt the boys Domain Plated Defenses give way. The superlative Water Deflection remained, but even the asly one-percent of this Sovereigns strength that made it through was enough to cause the boy grievous injuries, leaving him a ss of bloodied bruises and broken bones that he imdiately set to Healing. Unfathomable is what it was, for any man to be so enduring, able to recover from anything short of death even whilst unconscious, and this Sovereigns chest heaved and burned as he dug his fingers into the boys flesh and ripped out a tendon. The pain and shock woke him with a gasp, but this Sovereign was not satisfied with his suffering, for this pain was too fast and too abrupt to truly settle in. Unfortunately it would have to do, for without the Spectres chained fast to his soul, this Sovereign could no longer keep track of the Rabbit and Hare Divinities as they battled against an unleashed Gen and Goujian, much less Scry upon the happenings in Shi Bei. The loss of his near-omniscient awareness left him feeling lost and exposed, blinded by the too bright light and deafened by the resounding silence left in the wake of the Spectres enforced absence.
Which was why it took so long to realize that the Spectres were no longer assaulting him from all sides, and in fact nowhere to be found at all.
Panicked and confused, he reviewed his mories and studied the boy before letting loose with a sigh, for he confird that there was no way Falling Rain couldve Devoured the Spectres. This Sovereign wouldve seen it, sensed it, and killed the boy imdiately before he could do anything about it. He should kill him regardless, for there were too many mysteries about Falling Rain to leave anything to chance, but bereft of the Spectres, this Sovereign was unwilling to give up so promising a prize even if he was at a loss on how to control it. Of course, the mystery of the Spectres absence was still yet unsolved, but even as this Sovereign theorized that theyd fled to escape capture or Cleansing, he froze in place as he spotted the boys Spiritual Dog snapping at empty air and gobbling it down, only to open his jaws once again to reveal a gullet full of half-Cleansed Spectres.
The Predator! No! he scread, abandoning Falling Rain to kill the Spiritual Dog before it could act, but it darted away with a full-bodied sprint that left this Sovereign spitting out sand. Already well over a kilotre away, the dog glanced back with wide-eyed fear whilst circling about, unwilling to move too far from his master yet deathly afraid of this Sovereigns presence. Huffing with rage and indignation, he let loose with a scream that shook the skies before setting off after the dog once more, but the beast was too skittish and wily to allow itself to be caught. It wasnt that the dog was too fast, but not only was this Sovereign missing a foot, every ti he drew close to the mutt, he would turn sharply and disappear from sight, hidden from eyes and Spiritual Senses alike for a fraction of a mont. Short and brief though this disappearing act might be, it was enough to see the dog safely away in a seemingly random direction, and this Sovereign was clueless on how to counter it. This wasnt Concealnt and Cloud-Stepping away, for the dog ran across the sands propelled by so invisible force that allowed him to twist and turn about without losing speed or montum, one that also obscured his position in so unknown manner.
After running about for all of eight seconds and avoiding no less than a hundred and nine attempts to grab him, the dog even found confidence enough to stop and look back with tongue hanging out and tail a-wagging as if this were all so sort of ga. The beast was still wary, but he was enjoying the chase, unwilling to fight but more than happy to run about the sands all day. This Sovereign had dismissed the dog as nothing more than a failure on Falling Rains part, but now he understood the full breadth of what had taken place. The dog was the Elental Spirit of Water made manifest, though why it would take so scruffy a form was a mystery to be sure. Likely Falling Rains influence that, but how did he manage to confer thoughts and emotions to an inhuman Spiritual entity?
A wheezing laugh snapped this Sovereign out of his thoughts as he turned to see the boy sit upright, and only then did he realize the chase had brought them back. Still battered and wounded but nded enough to speak and too stupid to keep silent, Falling Rain spit out several broken teeth and spoke with a slurred lisp. Yea, good luck catching Buddy when he doesnt want to be caught, he began, brimming with the pride and joy of a father boasting about his son. Tag is his favourite ga, so unless you have a sothing edible in hand, hell run for as long as you chase him. Just as this Sovereign was about to snap, the boys eyes proceeded to widen in shock and horror as he scread, Buddy no!
Glancing at the dog on reflex, this Sovereign cursed his lacking perceptions, for there was a ti when the Spectres would have inford him of everything occurring all around him. Now though, this dearth of information left him starving for more, and he didnt even think to guard against the boy before turning away, a move which might well prove disastrous. The boys sword and shield were still missing and out of sight, and his glaive was close to hand, but even as this Sovereign sought to turn back to the boy, he saw sothing that stopped him in his tracks. This was no ruse, for the dog was indeed up to sothing, having moved away from where this Sovereign last saw him with tail no longer wagging. Instead, the beast stood guarded and vigilant as he turned away from the boy and this Sovereign both while keeping them within his line of sight. The beasts cagey behaviour was easily explained, for he sought to slink off in search of safety and privacy to consu his prize, this Sovereigns severed foot which the dog held clamped between his jaws.
Bad Buddy! the boy declared, and the dog flinched as if wounded, but growled and sped up in preparation of escape. Drop it! Thats disgusting. Buddy?! Dont you walk away from . You put that foot down right now!
The dog paid the boy no mind and continued to move away, but as this Sovereign was overwrought with fury and moved but a single step, the beast fled in a panic whilst gobbling down the errant extremity in the blink of an eye. He didnt so much chew the foot as dissolve it within his mouth, the flesh, blood, and bones lting into a refined liquid similar to how Transcendents processed corpses, a sight which enraged this Sovereign to no end. Reattaching the foot wouldve taken seconds, if that, but regrowing it would require hours of quiet concentration, hours he could not afford to spare anyti in the near future. First the boy, and now the beast, this lack of respect would not stand, and he swore to make them pay for their grievous contempt even if it was the last thing he did.
Starting with the boy, of course, for he was still the more dangerous of the two, though an Elental Spirit given form was also a formidable threat, albeit one that had yet to display any actual strength. Ti was of the essence however, so this Sovereign Cloud-Stepped over to Falling Rain and closed his hand around the boys right arm. Tearing the limb clean out of its socket, he was rewarded with a sharp scream of agony that echoed through the desert sands, and this Sovereign savoured it like a fine, aged wine that left him yearning for more. Perhaps he would feed this limb to the dog in an effort to ta the beast as it trailed behind, a most fitting fate for the damnable brat who closed off this Sovereigns Path. Thankfully, all roads lead to the Dao, so even if he had to start from the beginning all over again, he believed he would make his way back to the peak in no ti at all.
Or so this Sovereign hoped, for even with Falling Rain in hand, what remained of his lacking confidence threatened to crumble away with the wind. Trials and tribulations abound, but he would face them as he always did, one step at a ti.
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Stupid dog. Stupid Zhen Shi. Stupid Heavens, and stupid .
Why did I have to go and open my mouth? Why didnt I keep quiet and Heal to full before poking the bear? Why didnt I just let Buddy eat the stinky foot and watch Zhen Shi instead? Why am I even here? Im so tired. Everything hurts. Im still clinging to hope, but what more can I do? Ive given it my all, and what do I have to show for it? Well, aside from the massive bodily trauma, my dog, so totes werf I guess, but seriously, where do I go from here?
The quiet part of my brain tells that all my blood-loss has sent into shock, even though Ive been making Panacea non-stop since all this started. Its possible that my blood sugar is dangerously low too, not to ntion all the fat reserves I dont have that were consud by repeated bouts of Healing. Long story short, its all I can do to keep my eyes open as Zhen Shi Cloud-Steps across the desert, moving quickly yet stopping every now and then to make sure Buddy is still following. My sweet doggo is a cowardly beast, but loyal to the extre, and even though he knows he cant fight Zhen Shi, hes following him through the desert and barking up a storm in demand that he give back. Poor Buddy, he sounds so frantic and distraught, his booming barks turning into whining yips as we move ever westward across the province.
Every now and then, Zhen Shi takes the ti to inflict so new injury upon , whether it be to tear a tendon or break a bone, rip an ear off or pluck and eye out. Its always sothing along those lines, and each pause sends fresh waves of agony coursing through , but then it is over and done with. My calm compliance and lack of reaction only serves to further enrage my captor, but I suspect its also the only reason why Pong Pong has yet to act. His worries grow as Buddy inches ever closer to his quarry, lured into complacency like the dumb dog he is and kept back only due to Pong Pongs warnings. Try as I might, I cannot convince the turtle to escape while he can, to take Buddy and flee east to safety, but the Divine Turtle simply ignores my warnings and radiates a sense of calm patience overlaid a foundation of endless anxiety.
Dont be scared, the tiny turtle tells , while worrying about every goddamn thing ever. Thats all there is, no reassurance, no explanation, just a simple statent to stop being so terrified and just be anxious instead. Not sure if that helps, and its not easy to accomplish either, but I can sort of see where hes coming from, since there is nothing to be gained from fear. I call Pong Pong cowardly, but thats not really true. Hes not afraid of anything, but hes cautious about everything, because he knows the world is full of danger and theres no safety to be found. This is the life he lived out in the Azure Sea, one of prolonged nace and insecurity followed by fleeting monts of calm and quiet, but never any actual safety. Never let your guard down, that is the law of the wilds, but conversely, this ans you cannot let your fear control you, because it will only get in the way of survival.
A lesson I still have yet to learn, and one I fear I will struggle with for all my life, because unlike Pong Pong, I am a cowardly man who is afraid all the ti. Theres nothing I can do to change this, but I can face my fears and overco them for now, which ans I need to stop and take a deep breath so I can start working on a plan.
Good air in.
Bad air out.
What are my options?
Fuck all, thats what. Im dood. Good talk, . Thanks, . Youre doing terrible. You too. Way to go, us!
Buddys pitiable wlings turn aggressive once more as he grows angry at Zhen Shis lack of compliance, but theres nothing my sweet dog can do. Forget fighting Zhen Shi, I doubt Buddy could beat Mama Bun in a rough and tumble fight, because he is a sweet, lovable darling whos never had to struggle for anything in his life. In contrast, Mama Bun is from the streets, a bad bitch who aint scared of nothin as evidenced by her calm and placid deanour as she floats atop her invisible Manifested raft and enjoys the breeze bringing all manner of scents to her sensitive nose.
The raft. Huh. I didnt have the ti to think about it before, but how is Mama Buns raft keeping up? My Guided Weapons are a full half-second behind, and lagging even further with every passing mont, and while earlier, I wouldve been at a loss on how to explain this, my recently empowered Spiritual Senses enable to really feel the flow of Chi and Heavenly Energy. With Peace, Tranquility, and Unity their movents are independent of my own and unable to keep up, but Mama Buns raft is clearly tethered to my physical body. When I go high, Mama Buns raft rises along with , and when I go low, so too does she, as if her raft were connected to the back of my waist and floating atop a current flowing out from it. Shes even bobbing up and down like shes actually on water, which leads to believe that Im Manifesting more than just the raft itself, but also the hypothetical current underneath it.
And why is this important? Honestly, I didnt think it was. I just got lost in seeing how adorable my sweet bun-bun is, though I admit the lack of blood does have feeling a little loopy. That being said however, these idle musings remind of a weapon I have yet to use, that of the Blessing of Water.
Mostly because I have no fucking idea how to use it, but as I gaze upon Mama Bun floating along on her raft, theres an underlying logic to it all which I sohow understand. Sa as the invisible raft which only I can see, there is also water flowing along in a current to buoy the raft along. The current shifts to keep up, even moving Mama Bun out of the way whenever I attack or am attacked in kind, an ebb and flow dedicated to keeping her safe and afloat which I have been maintaining all this ti. Not with the use of another Natal Soul, but through instinct and intuition alone, an intuitive understanding I previously attributed to the Warrior, and the Warrior alone.
But I am not so foreign invader, here to take over a natural soul. I am no Spectre or body snatcher, no man out of ti or fish out of water. I am Rayne and Amigui both, a native of this world in this life as much as I am a denizen of the other world, with no distinction between the two. The sa goes for my other aspects, like the ster personality that cant take anything seriously, the die-hard science-minded idiot that refuses to believe in magic, and the Warrior who cares not for logic so long as sothing is useful. I am all these things and more, a frustrating tangle of contradictions that sohow all exist without conflict, because I am a very broken and complicated man.
And as Zhen Shi carries away to certain doom, I indulge the one trait my myriad of personalities all share, the love of floof. Watching Mama Bun float along behind , I swoon at the sight of her adorable snoot, while simultaneously realizing exactly why I Awakened to the Blessing of Water instead of sothing cool and useful like Fire or Lightning. Ive touched upon it before, but the other three Primal Elents just dont make any sense. Fire, Earth, and Air, totally normal and ordinary aspects that are present throughout the entire world, and life as we know it would not exist without them. With the addition of Water, I now understand that the four Primal Elents are not actually indicative of the elents themselves, but rather a subset of foundational forces upon which the entire universe is built upon, as I saw firsthand during Buddys nativity process, even if that was well beyond my agre level of comprehension. Either way, I know that these fundantal forces are each associated with a basic Chi skill. Honing and Amplification for Fire, Reinforcent and Stability for Earth, Lightening and Guiding for Air, and Deflection and Resonance for Water.
Totally makes sense sorta, and I know all of this now, but at the ti of my first and second Awakening, I didnt know shit. I didnt even know what a Blessing was, or what I could grasp from it, but I did have so smattering of mories from my past life which told this four-elent system sounds like complete bullshit. I an, think about it from a scientific perspective. Elents. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water, none of these things are actually elents. Earth? Thats a catch-all term for dirt, which is just an accumulation of particulates comprised of decomposed plant matter and ground up rocks, among other minerals and shit. Literal shit, mind you, like the stuff Taddy flings around in his herb garden, so how can earth be an elent, much less sothing I want to control? I aint no shit-bender, nuh-uh. Airs the sa way, a mixture of gases that make up the worlds atmosphere, with wind rely being the movent of air from low pressure to high. Air is comprised of elents, like Oxygen, Nitrogen, and other stuff, but Air itself is not an Elent, so why would I want the power of gaseous elents? What good is that? I need the Blessing of Pressure to control gases, otherwise I might as well just fart and pray that either the stink kills all my enemies, or the sound renders them unable to fight because theyre too busy laughing their asses off. As for Fire? Bitch, thats a reaction, not even a physical thing, but what happens when other physical things get too fucking hot and excited. Rub two sticks together, and behold, the power of fire, wooooooo.
So of course my ignorant self Awakened to the Blessing of Water. Sure, water itself isnt an elent per-se, but at least I can na the elents a molecule of water is comprised up of, naly Hydrogen and Oxygen. This isnt to say that I Awakened to the Blessing of two Hydrogen and one Oxygen molecule when covalently bonded in a liquid form, but rather I chose the Blessing of Water because I am sad, sorry sack of shit who loves to be miserable and needs to follow his own internal logic no matter how stupid and twisted it might be.
Was. I was all those things, but not anymore. I love my life now, and would like to no longer be miserable, so its high ti I learn to love myself, no matter how much of an asshole I might be.
This latest self-discovery is an enlightening one indeed, because now I know my subconscious mind refused to accept any other Elent because I couldnt make sense of it all. The thing is, now that I know the problem, Im able to draw parallels to another obstacle I encountered along my Path, naly my inability to consciously Guide my Weapons. That all went away once I learned to ignore my neuroses and just let it happen. Flying sword go brrr, and with the sacrifice of three Natal Souls who have since beco Weapons Spirits, I can control Peace, Tranquility, and Unity like my own two hands. I am the Weapon, the Weapon is , but the sa concept applies to my Blessing of Water.
I am the Water, the Water is .
Chi, Heavenly Energy, Chi Tea, Water Chi, the simple made complex, because its all energy in the end, yet this is not all there is to my strength. In order to rouse myself from my latest coma, I opened myself to the Void and proceeded along the next step of my Path. Others might claim I Shattered the Void, and in a way, I did, but I consciously refused to follow through and bathe myself in the powers of Creation and Destruction both. Had I done so, I would have been able to wholly Refine my body, mind, and soul to rge the physical and taphysical both, but I stopped just short of this pivotal milestone because I wholeheartedly believed it was not the right solution to a problem I still dont entirely understand. Whats more, I had no need to take this erroneous step, so why would I? A false Divinity is powerful yes, but still false all the sa, and Im the kind of person who doesnt like to do things by half-asures.
That being said, whilst I have yet to wholly Refine my body, I still possess power comparable to a false Divinity, for I am infinitely close to their level without actually arriving at it. I am far less durable, but in terms of damage, I can dish it out better than most, a tried-and-true glass cannon to the end. Why is this important? It isnt, save to highlight the fact that I am not weak. Far from it, I am strong as fuck, the only person under Divinity capable of killing one with ease, for my Sword Force is formidable indeed. More to the point, much like any Divinity, I am capable of subconsciously and unconsciously utilizing the raw Energy of the Heavens. Technically, everyone is capable of this, else regular adults wouldnt be regrowing their teeth all the ti, but the Heavens are far more willing to bend to my whims, though not quite as willing as when it cos to a Divinity.
I didnt want to put Mama Bun down to fight, but I knew I needed to if I wanted to stay alive, and the Heavens set out to accommodate . My Domain Materialized without interference from Natural Law, and now my sweet bunny is bobbing along behind atop an invisible raft sailing upon invisible currents, all because I unwittingly made it happen.
So imagine what I could do if I really set my mind and Will to it.
Closing my eyes, I draw in another breath and ignore the pains of my battered body. What greets is not the darkness of the Void, the endless nothingness that exists alongside reality, but rely the darkness behind my eyelids as I focus on my Spiritual Senses at the expense of all else. My Domain billows out, surrounding and engulfing in its protective embrace, while avoiding Zhen Shi and his Domain to keep him unawares. So working of Concealnt and several other forces I cannot identify, sothing I learned from watching Buddy lead Zhen Shi on a rry chase, but the specifics are not important right now, only the outco. Slowly, but surely, I connect with the invisible current carrying Mama Buns raft along, and I expand it all around . Here and now, as my body is being carried away in Zhen Shis steely grasp, my soul floats within my Natal Sea, the sa body of water I brought Buddy, Ping Ping, Pong Pong, Mama Bun, and Lin-Lin to play in so many nights over the last few months.
For though the Void was Shattered, my Natal Palace still remains, there, but not there, here, but not here. I am the Sea, the Sea is .
Slowly but surely, my Natal Sea materializes around my physical body, the immaterial made material. Putting to use everything Ive learned in my twenty-odd years in this world and the indeterminate amount of ti from my past life, I slowly but surely build up my strength for one decisive attack, Amplifying and Resonating the force flowing through my left arm and allowing it to grow exponentially until I can no longer Conceal it.
But by the ti Zhen Shi notices, he barely has ti to widen his eyes in alarm as I hamr ho the mother of all Mountain Collapsing Strikes directly into his liver.
The Movent cos so naturally, Amplified, Stabilized, Resonated, and more. The Energy of the Heavens flows through my Spiritual System and out my fist just as it connects with my foe, erupting in an explosive blow that sends him flying away. An invisible, Materialized current of Water Chi surges forth to seize my detached arm, ripping it out of Zhen Shis grasp as his expression goes ugly with agony and hatred both. Calmly affixing the loose arm to the socket it was torn from, I set to Healing even as I retreat upon a current of water towards my doggo who I sweep up along the way, because though I am willing to fight to the death, discretion is the better part of valour.
Ive been lucky enough to survive this long, so there is no sense in tempting fate, but as Zhen Shi roars in fury and takes up the pursuit, there is no fear in my heart, no dismay to be felt, only a quiet calm and simring rage that yearns to pay him back in kind as I familiarize myself with the currents of my Natal Sea. Sure, the first three rounds didnt go my way, but it doesnt matter. This isnt a best of five, seven, nine, or any number at all, but rather a fight to the last man standing, and I intend for the winner to be . Zhen Shi thinks he can capture , but I am a man who does not know how to quit, because so long as I still draw breath, there is hope in yet.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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