Some things you will only understand when you see.

Some things you will only understand when you try.

Some things you will only understand when you fail.

Some things you will only understand when you cease.

— Excerpt from Meditations, by the Red Emperor

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As the Whale of ZhiXia took another deliberate step towards the mursashu caravan, his voice lowered to a grinding gravel and his eyes took on an indigo glow. "I wonder if you can tell me why you are traveling to JiangXi with the Prodigy, little Khan?"

"Little Khan?!" Paradyne's indignant voice rang out from Mursa Khan's side. Mursa Khan swore internally. His apprentice had never met the Whale. "I don't know who you are, but this is the caravan of Mursa Khan. If you value your —"

As Mursa Khan made to elbow Paradyne, the very air weighed down on him. No, the very air resisted him — the space he occupied was no longer his own, in full control of the Titled One walking towards them. Though Paradyne sat right next to him, it felt as though Mursa Khan floundered in thick liquid, unable to reach his apprentice before Paradyne's eyes rolled over and his apprentice fell silent.

"Young men seem to have much to say these days." The Whale continued his steady approach. "It has been quite some time, hasn't it, little Khan? You have my permission to speak."

"It— it has been quite a while indeed, Master Ji! I apologize for my apprentice's disrespect." Mursa Khan found his voice higher pitched than he would have liked it to be. He cleared his throat, then tried to relax it before he continued. "I am traveling to JiangXi to fulfill a contract to deliver goods. The Prodigy — my apologies, Nettie — is with me because we found her alone along the road and picked her up."

The Whale continued walking towards them. "Goods?"

"Food, mostly. Sacks of grain, smoked meats, hard vegetables. Oh, and four wagons of firewood." Mursa Khan swallowed. Cold sweat collected on the back of his neck, chilly in the frigid air. "I assure you I am not transporting anything that Sanctuary would take issue with."

"And the name of your client?"

Mursa Khan blinked. "I cannot possibly tell you —"

"The client."

"But —" he protested, "privacy matters, so long as it is nothing illegal —"

"I am not robbing you, little Khan." The Whale had walked right up to the caravan, placing a large hand on the nearest horse's mane and sliding it down the horse's body, brushing off snow as he came closer. Though sitting atop the wagon, Mursa Khan found himself eye to eye with the indigo glow of the Whale's eyes, a testament to how tall the Whale stood. "Merely asking a question: Who contracted you?"

Mursa Khan looked down. "The Empire of the Sun."

"Which Titled One?"

"Master Ji, I really cannot—"

Though he was not touched, Mursa Khan felt the Whale's hand stretch out to reach slowly for his head as he stared down at the wooden boards of his wagon. The large hand pressed ever so gently on the back of Mursa Khan's head, much like the way he remembered when he was just a little boy. Even now, a grown man in his fifties, Mursa Khan felt as small under that hand as he had as a child.

"On account on having watched you grow up as Mursa Shawoon's apprentice, I assure you I will allow you to complete your contract as soon as you tell me what I want to know, little Khan." The pressure lifted off the back of his head. "To make it easier for you, ZhiXia City will remember this."

Mursa Khan looked up cautiously. "Sanctuary will? Does that mean—"

"Whether the Oracle will see you or not is another matter entirely. I speak for ZhiXia City only, not the Oracle or Sanctuary." The Whale's voice became soft, and dangerously so. "Your client's Title, little Khan. I sincerely wish for you to consider your answer."

Mursa Khan inhaled the crispy night air and closed his eyes, then exhaled slowly, blowing the air out from his pursed lips.

"The Islander."

"And you came from Crimson City." A statement, not a question.

"Yes." Mursa Khan confirmed. At this point, what else could he hide?

"I see." The intense pressure receded and Mursa Khan huffed a sigh of relief, then jolted as Paradyne's limp head fell onto his shoulder.

The Whale continued as though nothing had happened. "I am glad to see you safe and sound, Nettie. Are you hurt?"

Mursa Khan's attention shifted to his right in astonishment. The Prodigy had stood up on her seat and bowed to the Whale of ZhiXia.

"Nettie is functionally able. Nettie thanks you for your concern, Whale of ZhiXia."

"I told you before you may call me Master Ji." The Whale turned to Mursa Khan, the indigo gone from his eyes. "You have my gratitude for saving Nettie."

Mursa Khan bowed his head again. "It was nothing, Master Ji."

"I assume you have no issue with me escorting you the rest of the short journey to JiangXi. You will have the protection of my Domain."

Mursa Khan recognized when he could not refuse an offer. "Of course, Master Ji. I can ask my —" Mursa Khan glanced at Paradyne's limp form, "— my people to prepare a horse for you, if you would like."

"Thank you for the offer, little Khan, but there's no need. I can easily walk at the head of your caravan while protecting them."

The Whale reached over and passed a hand over Paradyne's face. His apprentice jerked awake with a palm flailing into Mursa Khan's jaw. "Ah! — what? Mursa, the —"

Mursa Khan held a hand over Paradyne's mouth, giving his assistant a stern glare, his eyes flicking to the Whale, who seemed to pay them no mind.

"I am sorry for your loss." The Whale offered a hand to the Prodigy, his face soft and somber. "Will you take a walk with me, Nettie? I would like to hear directly from you what happened."

Nettie looked at the hand, then at the ground at the packed snow. "Nettie can talk, but Nettie does not want to walk on the snow. Nettie finds it to be cold."

"I could carry you if you would like. Just like when we first met."

The little girl held her arms up excitedly. "Up!"

The Whale picked her up and shifted her to his shoulder. So large was the difference in their sizes that the girl could comfortably sit on just his broad right shoulder.

Mursa Khan bowed his head. "Please walk safely, Master Ji."

The Whale gave Mursa Khan a nod, and the two walked off into the darkness.

Paradyne's wet breathing against Mursa Khan's palm reminded him he was still holding his apprentice down, and he let go. Looking at his hand in distaste, Mursa Khan wiped his palm dry against the mat he sat on, and Paradyne quickly patted his cheeks dry against his dark brown sleeve.

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"Mursa." Paradyne spoke with a tinge of awe in his voice. "By… by 'Master Ji,' do you mean that was—"

"The Whale of ZhiXia? Yes."

"I did not know you were capable of referring to the Whale of ZhiXia by name. Does that mean…?"

"I know what you're thinking. And no. Inherited Titles do not weigh anywhere equally against self-earned Titles in ranking." Mursa Khan shook his head. "Not even close. It is only because I met him when I was young that he gives me this sort of special permission. When you inherit my Title, remember to never insult a self-made Titled One by addressing them by name. Do you understand?"

"We're alive." Paradyne breathed. "I for sure thought—"

"Paradyne." He grabbed Paradyne by his wrist. "Your Mursa is speaking to you."

Paradyne's eyes snapped into focus at Mursa Khan's warning. "I am sorry, Mursa. I understand. I will not put the mursashu at risk."

"Good. That was your first time seeing him, right?"

Paradyne nodded.

"And now, Paradyne, you need to remember that feeling." Mursa Khan spoke as seriously as he could muster. "When you first inherit my Title, you will feel invincible with the aura you inherit." Mursa Khan squeezed Paradyne's wrist, "It bears repeating, because the Whale of ZhiXia has not been active for most of your life. Respect him. He is a reasonable man and would not take offense at most things, but a mistake may very well be your last."

"I understand, Mursa."

Mursa Khan was grateful that Paradyne had probably fainted while he feebly protested against answering the Whale's question.

"Hmph." Mursa Khan grunted. "Now go inform the others of what happened. I'm sure the more sensitive mursashi are panicking about the Domain they don't recognize, but if they're going to cling onto their positions as mursashi they will get this caravan moving. Mursa has spoken."

***

Molam never expected the Whale of ZhiXia to walk into his study with a little Oasian girl on his shoulders. Then again, he did not expect the Whale of ZhiXia to come seek him out specifically after their initial meeting. The sheer difference in their status meant he had always been the one doing the seeking.

"A lost child?" He asked cautiously, noting the girl's Oasian features.

"This is the Prodigy."

Molam's brush paused over his paperwork, and his eyes flicked upwards again to look at the little girl on the Whale's shoulder. Small, with big eyes and a small button nose, the girl's cloak seemed a size too big and her short, wiry hair splayed over her ample forehead. Large brown eyes peeked out from beneath her hood, glancing about his study with curiosity. By Molam's reckoning, she couldn't have seen more than six Winter's Sorrows.

The youngest Titled One in history. Flangel the Wise's granddaughter. The current Prodigy.

Molam hung his brush on a nearby rack and blew gently on his page, then turned his full attention to the two. "Well then." He gestured at the chair in front of him. "Please, have a seat. May I offer you some tea? Prodigy, I don't know if you like tea, but—"

"Nettie." The girl said. "Nettie has a name. Please use it."

Molam raised an eyebrow at the Whale, who seemed to shrug as he pulled out the offered chair and set the Prodigy down from his shoulder. The large man seemed especially gentle as he bundled up the girl's large cloak around her in a nest-like fashion.

"You are… giving me permission to call you by name?" Molam confirmed.

"Nettie dislikes her Title." The little girl stretched in her seat, then yawned. "Nettie is tired," she declared through her yawn, showing little white teeth.

The Whale caught the Prodigy's drooping head with a gentle and encouraging hand as he looked at Molam. "I found her with Mursa Khan's caravan, which will arrive soon after. I brought her here because I cannot keep her with me."

Molam held up a hand, trying to process the various amounts of information being conveyed. He was already trying his best to ignore the mismatch between the little girl's speech and her appearance. "Slow down. Mursa Khan's caravan is arriving soon? You found the Prodigy—" he felt the girl's eyes on him, and hastily corrected himself, "— I mean, you found Nettie with Mursa Khan? I feel like you should have started off with that when you reported this information?"

"I am not reporting to you, but informing you," the Whale spoke slowly. "You wanted to be informed of these things, yes?"

"Informing." Molam repeated. He rubbed at the temples on his head, his preferred trick to alleviate stress. He could confront the Whale about this but more pressing matters were at hand. "Fine, let's start there. Please inform me as to why a mursashu caravan is arriving at JiangXi right at the tail's end of Winter's Sorrow? They traveled throughout Winter's Sorrow? Is Mursa Khan out of his mind? And why would they even have the Pro— Nettie? I thought she was at —" He glanced at Nettie, thinking of Kalle. "— elsewhere."

"Nettie knows of Techoria. Nettie left Techoria." The little girl murmured sleepily. Molam bit his lip as the Whale snorted. "Nettie would like to sleep now."

"She should sleep in this room while we are talking." The Whale gave Molam a knowing look. Molam understood immediately. Titled or not, Nettie was just a little girl and the Whale intended to keep an eye on her.

He went to his door and opened it, requesting a warm blanket and some bedding from his very confused guardsmen. But they relayed his request and soon Molam closed the door behind him, shaking out the bedding onto the ground near his desk. Realizing he had forgotten to request for a pillow, Molam pulled his cloak off the back of his chair and bundled it up before standing up.

"Will this work, Nettie?"

"Nettie is so tired, Nettie could sleep anywhere," she declared as she tried to stand up, then wobbled her way to lay down on his makeshift bed. After a moment, she curled up and wrapped the blanket around her frame. "This is better than fields of endless snow or a moving wagon. Thank you."

The Whale knelt down next to the small bundle and smoothed out the blanket over her frame. "No one will hurt you," the large man promised. "Sleep now."

Moments later, the Whale stood up and settled in his seat. Molam did the same, and the Whale gestured lightly around the room. All of the candles except the one on his desk winked out of existence. Molam pressed his lips together; he would need to relight several later to continue his paperwork.

Wood creaked audibly as the Whale leaned forward, the candlelight bringing his face into sharp relief as he whispered to Molam. "I will answer your questions now."

Molam composed himself, then asked a flurry of questions in a similar whisper. What was Mursa Khan doing here? Why had they traveled during Winter's Sorrow? What was their goal? Moreover, why were they traveling with the Prodigy? And finally, what did the Prodigy know about the fall of Techoria?

The Whale answered his questions one by one, and even revealed more information that Molam had wondered about but had little to go on. Mursa Shang's now annulled contract with Agytha. Mursa Khan's contract with the Empire, brokered by the Islander. Molam's head swirled with implications and possibilities as he guessed at why these events had been set in motion. And lastly, the Prodigy.

He glanced at the small bundle in the darkness. "So Flangel the Wise wanted her to live."

"She told me Master Flangel instructed her to go to the Fallen Star Pavilion." The Whale spoke softly. "But she wouldn't tell me why."

Molam stroked his chin, deep in thought. "It must have been something Flangel the Wise prepared ahead of time, no?"

"I do not know. It fits his personality, but it's not clear." The Whale shrugged. "After all, Master Flangel was the former Prodigy. Who knows what he is thinking?"

"We can only protect her from the Empire." Molam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I assume you want me — the Dao — to look after her so you can be free to act, Master Ji."

"Yes."

"Very well. She can join us on our way back to ZhiXia City and Sanctuary. The Oracle will decide." Molam decided there should be no difficulty adding the Prodigy — no, Nettie — to the returning caravan. The mursashu had children of their own, after all. "Will that be all?"

The candleholders on Molam's desk had been modified with rudimentary metal plates attached at an angle so Molam could cast more light down towards his papers. Kalle's work, of course, but this meant that the candlelight could scarcely illuminate Master Ji's features as the tall man stared down at Molam.

"You are still set on going home, knowing all of this?" Master Ji's low voice echoed down at him. "Techoria is destroyed and something has happened between Oasis and the Empire. The Prince is in slumber, an opportunity we may not have for another century. The world is in flux again, yet you seem unmoved by all of this."

Molam glanced up at the Whale through the candlelit darkness. "You are older than most people I've met, so let me ask you this, Master Ji: When is the world not in flux?"

The Whale did not respond.

***

Nettie curled up under the sheets, listening to their conversation without a change in her breathing. Her thoughts drifted in and out as she picked up on tidbits of information she thought would come useful later. Of particular interest was how Master Ji spoke to the man previously known to Nettie as "Carlton." She wondered why Master Ji seemed so patient with Molam.

When the conversation came back to her, she clutched at Grandfather's Ring. Her Grandfather's voice echoed in her thoughts again.

"Deliver my Ring to Head Scholar Panmoru at the Fallen Star Pavilion. He will understand. If the Empire or the Oracle would take it from you, destroy it instead."

She had been unable to reach the Fallen Star Pavilion by herself. While she trusted Master Ji to keep her alive, she did not like the Oracle.

And now they were taking her to the Oracle. Something about this Molam heading home. What did that mean? And Oasis, where Grandfather said he was born. What was wrong with it? Questions fed her curiosity, but while her thoughts swirled with ideas — such as the curious candleholders on that desk, a rudimentary implementation but she could appreciate the ingenuity — her consciousness drifted in and out.

She allowed herself to relax, the events of the past few days catching up to her. She had been unable to sleep the several days she had spent with the mursashu, in fear of their making a move on her or the Ring while she slept. But at the very least, she could trust Master Ji to keep her safe.

Exhaustion roiled over her, and this time Nettie allowed herself to succumb to sleep.