The throne deprives tranquility, taints companionships, questions principles, wearies discipline, and imposes servitude.

An enviable seat. Sit upright to bleed.

— Excerpt from Meditations, by the Red Emperor

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When Mursa Shang's caravan left JiangXi, there had been an unspoken question as to which wagon the Whale of ZhiXia or GloomSire would travel in. But it seemed neither Titled One wanted to travel with the caravan, and Shurra followed the Whale of ZhiXia into the Slumbering Forest. Mursa Shang expressed initial discomfort with the idea of the Whale traveling so far away, but his objections were soon put to rest: the wide range of the Whale's encompassing Domain kept the divine rain to a hazy mist over the caravan even from far away. Including Nettie's improvements to the wheels for traction on muddy roads, many of the mursashu murmured with surprise at the ease of their travel.

Mursa Shang's prepared mursashu went about driving the caravan in a disciplined manner. Molam could not help but marvel at the practiced way the wagon drivers paced their wagons behind the Mursa's leading wagon, with a consistent relay of information throughout the entire line. When an axle broke and two wheels cracked, the entire caravan responded immediately to the situation. While the repair workers arrived swiftly onto the scene, the mursasho, designated leaders of their specific groups, took stock of their assigned wagons. Some took the chance to switch out tired horses while several riders passed more rations from the wagons carrying food.

Molam and Primrose sat in one of the large wagons with the four children, one of whom was Nettie. Primrose herself seemed content with sitting in silence next to Nettie in the wagon, her eyes closed to rest but with a stiffness in her back signaling a subtle alertness. Molam recognized the other three as the group that had attacked him on the day he arrived in JiangXi. Though he couldn't remember all their names, he was almost certain that the leader's name was Bryce. Bryce, for his own part, did not meet eyes with Molam, and the way all three shifted uncomfortably around him meant they remembered that encounter as well. Molam, quietly content with not bringing it up, had long decided there would be little to gain from such a confrontation with children.

Then the day came where Primrose opened her eyes, pushing aside the tarpaulin flap to peek outside. "ZhiXia City," she announced, then stepped aside. Molam and the others looked past her and saw the fan-shaped city through the foggy mist, and above it all, the looming shadow of YiZhi Mountain.

Looking from afar, he saw the silhouettes of what could only be the Whale, GloomSire, and Shurra standing at the entrance to ZhiXia. For some reason, he found it mildly amusing to see Shurra, who normally towered above him, look comparatively small next to the Whale.

A wistful memory sauntered into Molam's thoughts: walking towards YiZhi Mountain with a warm and fiery presence on his shoulder, a dome of bright orange flames covering him from the divine rain. A regal voice in his head, snarkily commenting on all his imperfections yet endearing all the same. Molam shook the thought away. This time would be different.

He was going home.

***

No sooner had the caravan reached the city's perimeter did a runner come up to Molam's wagon.

"Mursa Shang requests your presence with him at Sanctuary."

"How impatient," Molam sighed, but it could only be expected from the man. The Mursa had found this particular Winter's Sorrow to be a lengthy wait, after all. He pushed himself up. "But I will go."

"I'll go with you." Primrose stood up, smoothing down her cloak. "It will be nice to stretch my legs again after sitting for so long."

Molam grimaced internally, then began, "Perhaps you should stay here. Master Ji would like someone to look after Nettie, after all."

"Nettie wants to come with."

The two of them looked at the girl as she smoothed her cloak out, similar to Primrose. An upturned face looked at both of them with large bright eyes. "Nettie hopes that will be acceptable."

"Perfectly so." Primrose took Nettie's hand and led her off the wagon, turning around to lift the girl down to the ground. "Everything seems accounted for, then. Molam?" She turned without waiting for his response.

The wagon driver laughed and waved at Molam. "Go on then. I'll take the rest to Sanctuary's orphanage. That's where you were going to take them, right?"

Molam glanced at the other children, who still seemed to avoid his gaze. "Yes. Thank you very much; the ride here was as smooth as could be."

"The gratitude is mine," the wagon driver bowed his head to Molam. "If you can truly give our Mursa an audience with the Oracle, you will have given my people a chance to return to our ancestral home. Though I have never been there — the idea of home is something strange, yet familiar and comforting!"

"It was nothing. A fair trade, to your Mursa." For a moment, the memory of another wagon driver's smiling face flickered in Molam's thoughts, and he adjusted his arm guard. The wagon driver looked quizzically at Molam, who had yet to step off, and Molam disembarked slowly. "I understand the desire to return home."

"I can't say I understand, only that I feel it." The man inclined his head again. "I look forward to seeing you again, Molam."

An uncomfortable pause, which Molam filled with, "I hope to see you again as well." Times like this, he was glad that very few people in the world could See.

Molam turned to see Primrose walking with Nettie in the distance. They had encountered Master Ji, who reached down and picked up Nettie to place her on his shoulder, ignoring the mud stains on her cloak. The wagon behind him pulled away, and Molam began following the two to Sanctuary.

***

"The Oracle will see Molam first. Alone."

Though Molam stared straight ahead at the Priestess' finger pointing at him, he could feel all gazes falling upon him. The group greeting him at the entrance to Sanctuary had been larger than he expected: Primrose, Nettie, Mursa Shang, GloomSire, and the Whale. He recognized the two Priestesses that guided them through Sanctuary's winding halls as the same ones from before.

"I cannot allow that," Mursa Shang stepped forward. "You may not know, Priestesses, but Molam and I have a contract that stipulates—"

"The Oracle's instructions were for Molam to enter first and alone." The Priestess with brown hair spoke in a tone that gave little room for argument. "I hope Mursa Shang understands that any disrespect for the Oracle's wishes will be treated as animosity towards Sanctuary."

Mursa Shang's eyes flickered towards the Whale, who towered above them in silence. After a brief silence, the Mursa stepped backwards into the gathered group and glanced at Molam, who nodded. The Mursa had taken great care to ensure the elderwood was still at ZhiXia's perimeter, no doubt as a final method of bargaining should things not go according to plan. Molam, however, secretly thought that if the Oracle commanded the Whale, the Mursa would swiftly find himself without a caravan.

"If there are no other objections, then." The Priestess beckoned towards Molam, who walked up to the doors of the Inner Sanctum. The two bowed slightly, "Please. Enter, and proceed."

He opened the door and stepped into darkness.

***

Whether from the darkness or an actual temperature difference, Molam shivered upon stepping into the Inner Sanctum. Disregarding it, he took a step forward, hearing his footstep echoing within the darkness.

But something felt off. On his second step, he recognized it. It was still dark. The Inner Sanctum had been illuminated by the Oracle's glow the past few times, yet Molam now walked through pitch blackness with nothing but the sound of his footsteps echoing faintly off unseen walls and the sudden loudness of his own breathing.

"You succeeded."

An echoless voice. Molam held a hand forward, swaying it to and fro as he continued walking, hoping to not hit one of the pillars or statues.

"I did. Did the Priestesses send me in at a poor time? I was under the impression you might not be one to sleep."

"Ever irreverent. And yet, I will ignore it in light of your recent accomplishment. There is much to discuss."

The Oracle's voice seemed to come from everywhere in the darkness, making it difficult for Molam to navigate towards her. "I imagine all you want is to talk, given that I currently can't see anything."

If you are too tired to help the boy see, then I will do it. A red light flashed, then blinding iridescent flames erupted in the darkness, causing Molam to shield his eyes as the Inner Sanctum became awash in scarlet.

There. The spirit descended from the epicenter of the flames lightly onto the Oracle's shoulder, tucking in its wings. A reunion should not be so gloomy.

"Fiery One." A rush of emotions filled Molam's chest; he had not realized he missed the spirit until he heard its voice again in his head. "You look… well."

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

The word you should be using is regal. And I will look better soon upon my rebirth.

Molam saw that he had already walked past the encirclement of statues and had almost stepped onto the Oracle's raised dais. The Oracle herself still knelt in the same position he had seen her last, the spirit's illumination casting her normally white robes with a reddish hue. Next to her cushion, a smaller one held the spirit's ruby egg.

Then the Oracle's white glow flickered into life, bathing the Inner Sanctum with a warm glow of peach-colored light and the mask's face seemed to go back to normal again.

Well? What happened to the conversation earlier? Perhaps either of you can be conversational with me as well?

Molam and the Oracle stared at each other. Or at the very least, he stared at her — the twin holes in her dragon's mask only seemed to return his gaze. The red light emanating from the spirit on her shoulder also cast the dragon mask into sharp relief. The colors of the mask, thrown off hue, gave the draconic features a snarling look of barely constrained anger.

"The child knows what needs to be done." The Oracle's eyes glimmered from behind her mask. "The Prince is in slumber and this is an opportunity worth taking."

"No." Heat flushed in Molam's cheeks. "We had a deal. I've done what you asked and you will open the Stairs."

The unintended outburst echoed off the walls and pillars of the Inner Sanctum. Silence settled before the Oracle responded.

"You will be able to go home, child. Despite you taking certain liberties with how you consider having finished your task, I will overlook it."

The remark made Molam bristle. "You wanted me to retrieve JiangXi's supply of the World Tree's elderwood, then sent me to JiangXi without resources, information, or means. And I did it. And now you're complaining that my task is not finished to your liking?"

"Did you not utilize my mark?"

Molam blinked. "I did, of course, but that's hardly…"

"Did you not receive help from Primrose and the group I put together?"

The Oracle's framing put Molam into further fury. "That's something I meant to bring up with you. To not tell me you planned on having me play the part of their strategist, you—"

"Did you not strike a bargain with the mursashu using something you had no right to trade?"

Molam fell silent under the Oracle's gaze.

When the silence became uncomfortable, the phoenix spread its wings. I think it is worth celebrating that you managed to accomplish your task with such meager help. The phoenix craned its neck towards Molam, giving him a pointed look. She had lots of trust in your ability to do what was needed, and so did not test the limits of the restrictions placed on her.

"I appreciate your words, but I would like what was promised," Molam growled, pointing an accusing finger. "Will you open the Stairs or not?"

"I will open the Stairs for you, but the Dao will be unable to deal with the mess you left behind."

Molam's eyes narrowed. "What mess?"

"You should know, child. A city of the Empire; for some of its residents to enter Spring's Blessings and hear that they have been Freed. And you set an alchemist to oversee it."

The pieces fell together for Molam. He had only been concerned with securing the World Tree's elderwood; what would happen with JiangXi afterwards had not been something he thought about. But the Oracle was right; JiangXi's residents had expressed their disapproval from the beginning because everyone knew the story of Kamisukawa. Primrose had been convincing, but JiangXi's residents never wanted to be Free. They only wanted to remove Agytha.

"And you wash your hands of the matter."

Molam hesitated. Even though the Prince was supposedly in slumber at the moment, the people of JiangXi would find little solace in the momentary reprieve. The lingering thought that the Prince — or any of the Empire's other Titled Ones — could make JiangXi a burnt reenactment of Kamisukawa would eat away at the people's sense of stability.

Kalle wouldn't be able to hold the city. No city of the Empire could be held so long as the Empire's main military might threatened the very people living in those cities.

Meeting the Oracle's gaze, he said simply, "Kalle doesn't need to hold the city. Tell whomever you want to lead the Dao that JiangXi isn't the prize, but the blow to the Empire's reputation can be amplified by leaving JiangXi. Send the message that the Dao can take a valuable city of the Empire and not treat it as something worth keeping."

"And what will the Dao do about the Empire after abandoning a hard-won city? With the Empire's attention divided and the Prince in forced slumber, a unique opportunity presents itself." The Oracle's eyes glittered at him from behind her mask.

What she means to say is that we would like you to choose if you would —

"Find someone else. I'm going home."

More silence.

"Is there anything else you have for me?" Molam finally sighed. "Or may I go home?"

The Oracle's dragon mask pondered him, before she spoke. "I would like your opinion before you leave."

"That doesn't put me at ease at all. The ancient Oracle herself, consulting someone like me?" Molam tried to keep the tinge of sarcasm out of his voice.

"Recent changes in mindset can be new even for me. Perhaps you can shed light on a subject, given your own experiences."

Wary and unsettled, Molam's curiosity got the better of him. "That being…?"

"If you can avoid losing a game by sacrificing a piece, would you?"

"Not losing isn't the same as winning," Molam pointed out reflexively, then added, "But if it's a meaningful delay, it could be a viable strategy. If one piece can swing the tides in your favor, it should be considered."

"And if that piece is a child?"

"You —" Molam's jaw clenched, his fingernails dug into his palms. His gaze hardened at the Oracle, her face hidden behind that inscrutable mask. The question's sudden turn elicited a flurry of conflicting thoughts and emotions, all demanding to be processed. His fury stunned him, so much that it stopped him from lashing out at the Oracle in anger. She knew what that meant to him — she knew — but she had still asked him the questions in this manner regardless.

This conversation ends here. The phoenix dropped in between the two of them. It glanced at the motionless Oracle. You should know better than to bring this up with Molam. He has not had your centuries to overcome it.

"A fair assessment." The Oracle held a hand out and shook her sleeve. The Stairs behind the Oracle's dais flickered into existence as she brought her hand back onto her lap. "The Stairs."

Struggling to contain the dissonant feelings within him, Molam distracted himself from them by stepping past her and the phoenix, walking resolutely towards the Stairs.

His footsteps echoed throughout the Inner Sanctum, and the Stairs seemed to glimmer in response. The spiral steps sank into the ground and extended upwards into a darkness even the Oracle's glow could not penetrate.

"Do give my regards to RainBringer." The Oracle did not even turn to look at him. "I look forward to when I open the Stairs for you again."

"I hope one of the Gods hears your prayer." Molam murmured as he reached the Stairs. Without hesitation, he lifted a foot onto the first Step shimmering in the air, half expecting himself to walk through it. But no — the solid Step bore his weight. Almost surprised that the Oracle had kept her word, Molam took another step, and then another. He was going up the Stairs.

Turning around midstep, he faced the Oracle, unsure what to say. To his surprise, he saw his silk white scarf folded neatly behind the Oracle, unseen from his earlier vantage point. A moment later, he inclined his head stiffly. "If there is nothing else, Oracle, I will be taking my leave."

"The Stairs will only be active for some time. It would not do for the others to see the active Stairs."

Needing no other prodding, Molam began walking up the Stairs at a brisk pace. A flapping of wings saw the phoenix land lightly on his shoulder, a glowing feather in its beak.

Take this. It is time I met RainBringer again.

"Have you not gone up to the Castle during this time?"

No. The Stairs are kept Sealed for a very good reason. I only have spoken with RainBringer briefly through the Oracle. The spirit's eyes watched as Molam tucked the new feather into his arm guard. Pace yourself, or you may fall. Have you forgotten you lack wings?

"Don't worry, I'm pacing myself." Molam continued bounding up the Stairs, one Step at a time. "I'm just so excited. It's been almost six years since I was last home. Six years since I said goodbye to the Princess. I understand that might not be a long time to you, but for humans, that's a long time!"

There is… something you should know.

"What is it?"

I must first apologize for having pried deeply into your memories when we first met.

Molam frowned. "That is… awfully late and conveniently poorly timed to take advantage of your… ambiguous distraction." Molam slowed down and stopped, sensing something wrong with the phoenix. "I've long made my peace with it. What is it?"

I see. Well to that end, I understand why you want to return to the Castle in the Sky. And that I am telling you this to help prepare you mentally, for—

"Is this about the "being conversational" complaint you used to have or are you incapable of getting to what matters?" Molam interrupted, turning to start climbing the Stairs again. "For the last time, what is it?"

Why are you humans always in such a hurry? The phoenix seemed miffed, then shrugged its wings. Very well then. RainBringer's daughter, whom you call the Princess, is no longer in the Castle.

Molam paused midstep. Then he turned his head to fully face the phoenix with a look of incredulity.

"...what?"

***

City Lord's Mansion, Crescent City

"So, what's Ruskru saying now?"

Jett scanned the letter, frowning. "Kymja believes she found the Prodigy, but Ruskru has yet to make a decision on our course of action. The location is… problematic."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "And? Where?"

"ZhiXia City. Kymja saw the Prodigy enter Sanctuary." Jett hesitated, then added, "Traveling with the Whale of ZhiXia."

"Ah." The Title caused her to share Jett's hesitation. "The Prodigy made it to Sanctuary? I thought Sophie was supposed to patrol the area between Techoria and YiZhi Mountain with their bonds?" After a pause, Rei frowned, as she thought about everything she had just learned. "Just a moment. Kymja is in ZhiXia City?"

"Clearly the Prodigy didn't make a straight line towards Sanctuary." Jett seemed to have not heard her second question, drumming his fingers against the desk deep in thought. "Coincidence, or just being the Prodigy?"

"Ay, focus." Rei snapped her fingers at him. "We still need the Prodigy if we want the SunFlower's design, right? Are we helpless if she stays there forever?"

Jett's brows furrowed as he looked at Rei. "I don't know what you're proposing, Rei. It's Sanctuary. And the Whale of ZhiXia."

"We don't have to involve Sanctuary," Rei spoke earnestly. "We're not there for the Oracle. Sanctuary can't interfere if we go there for the Prodigy alone, right?"

"Have you forgotten the Whale is not limited by Sanctuary's rules?" Jett gave Rei a pointed look while waving a dismissive hand similar to Rei's earlier gesture. "The Prince is in slumber and Ruskru is occupied. What you should be doing is helping me figure out how several cities are going to make up for the expected trade shortfall now that the trade routes through JiangXi are disrupted. Did you forget how the last harvest provided only a pitiful amount of crops? You would have a hard time finding a worse time to lose JiangXi."

"Look, JiangXi is not so much of an issue. Agytha was in the process of fucking it up anyways, and we can always take it back. The Dao don't even have a Titled One to defend it with. How are they going to hold it?"

Shaking his head, Jett looked back down to his ledgers and bookkeeping. "It's a matter of the Empire's pride and reputation, Rei. Losing JiangXi is a bigger issue than you think; did you forget what happened to Kamisukawa? When the Prince wakes up and hears about JiangXi, these numbers I'm trying to juggle right now may become… permanent."

She wanted to argue, but saw little point in doing so with Jett. Reclining back into the couch, she closed her eyes and murmured, "Ah, why is everything so complicated? Of all the places the Prodigy could go, of all the people she could be with… had to be Sanctuary and the Whale of ZhiXia."

"Rei." Jett pointed to the chair in front of his desk.

After a moment, she left the couch to sit down in front of Jett, pulling parchment and ink towards her.

Jett gave her a look of surprise. "Well, look who's finally come around. Thank you."

"Actually," Rei dipped her brush in the ink, "I'll draft a letter to Ruskru myself. We need the Prodigy, yes?"