Ruskru is the second orphan who joined the Red Army and climbed his way to becoming Titled, now formally known as the Eclipse. While he signs his name as Ruskru WuMing, there is no known blood connection between him and Ji WuMing.
There are stories of the two growing up together in the Red Army, with Ruskru achieving the rank of Division Commander for the Second Division when Ji WuMing was assigned the rank of Commander of the Red Army. The year they became Titled saw an infamous incident where the two ran afoul of the Submerged Leviathan of ZhiXia, an event which almost resulted in their deaths if they had not been saved by the timely arrival of the Empire's Prince.
Interestingly, they have had minimal public contact since Ji WuMing's defection from the Empire. The only known instance of the two of them being within the same City after the Whale's defection was during the Empire's conquest of Teljumaya, when the Whale's two disciples attempted to kill the Prince, slumbering from his fight with Teljumaya's Titled Ones. The disciples encountered the Avalanche and the WildFire, resulting in the battle that became the Burning of Teljumaya. The Whale of ZhiXia and the Eclipse arrived at the same time and little else is known given the few survivors, but it is known that the Whale arrived too late to save his disciples.
It is rumored the Eclipse has, on multiple occasions, expressed regret for arriving too late to stop their deaths.
— Excerpt from Titled Ones, by Scholar Gibryl of the Fallen Star Pavilion
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ZhiXia City Square
The shadowy Domain crept forward, a relentless march against hope. It engulfed the Sun, turning the blazing light into a void, a black hole obliterated from the sky. Primrose shivered, and not entirely with fear; the Domain known as a Sunless day didn’t just steal the light of the Sun but also its warmth, leaving an eerie chill in its wake.
A hush fell over the crowd as they cast their gazes upward, eyes drawn to the unnatural eclipse. For a brief moment, nobody spoke as the black pixiu dove, charging towards Sanctuary. A hail of emerald arced through the air, razor winds cutting them off from their path and clipping a wingtip. The pixiu went into a spiraling fall, crashing into a building below. With a quick drop, the Tempest followed, her silver-white clothes flowing in the wind.
But the Eclipse stayed unmoving, his black robes billowing around him, secured by a bright red sash that curled through the sky. Thick bangs framed a light brown face, and his braided, thick black hair fell neatly down his back. Even from far away, Primrose felt the piercing gaze of his dark brown eyes settle on the man chained on the platform. She fought her instinct to run — a separate terror in her gut told her if she moved, she would draw the Titled One's attention.
Then someone in the crowd caught her breath and screamed in terror. Her voice shook the rest out of their reverie. Everyone scattered, the panic audible as more screams joined the first, scrambling to run in the opposite direction of the approaching Domain.
Everyone recognized the significance of a Sunless day.
Captain Aster shouted commands from the platform, pointing some of the Sharks to the fallen in the crowd. Someone shouted a question back at him, and the Captain shook his head, gesturing wildly at the Eclipse in the sky. Near Primrose, Madam Scarlette had also stood up, issuing rapid orders of her own. The Roots and Leaves were being told to leave the items where they were; their lives were more important. Cassia and Flora had already leapt into the dispersing crowd, commanded to help those who had fallen to their feet.
Primrose joined them, her eyes seeking out an elderly woman who had been pushed down. The wailing, panicked shouts deafened her as she wove into the sea of bodies, heading blindly towards the old woman's last location. Primrose found her barely unconscious — several people must have stepped over her and judging by the smudges on her face, they hadn't cared where their feet had landed.
Primrose heaved the woman's arm over her shoulders, standing to see most of the crowd had dispersed. She turned towards her flower sisters, only to see Madam Scarlette gesturing wildly at her.
"Primrose, no! Drop her and come back! His Domain is reaching you!"
She glanced behind her, unable to stop herself watching the shadowless gray drain the color out of everything it touched. The Domain cut a clear line in reality — one side full of life, and one without.
"Drop her!" Scarlette commanded, half demanding, half pleading.
Primrose shook her head stubbornly. A Titled One's Domain, yes. But she had experienced the OutCast's and survived. She couldn't leave this poor woman alone.
"Goddess Thraw grant me patience. Cassia, Flora, help Primrose!"
The two women ran forward. Cassia ducked under the elderly woman's other arm, and Flora lifted her feet from behind. Primrose nodded in appreciation, and the two of them smiled back.
The three of them began picking up speed when the Domain reached them.
Primrose's chest seized up immediately. They stumbled, the unseen weight bringing them to their knees. The elderly woman fell down between them, but none of them could react. There was no pain — just a sensation of pure, crushing pressure on Primrose's body, numbing her senses as it felt like thousands of needles pricked at her skin from the inside. Her muscles and joints refused to move, and she fought down the rising panic.
She hadn't felt this in a long time; the sensation of her body being immersed in another person's aura. She did her best to spread her own aura throughout her body, but it was like trying to light a fire in a raging blizzard. The only solace she could find was that this was just the Domain — while she was certainly at his mercy, she hadn't been attacked yet.
As she swallowed her fear, Primrose couldn't help but think about her shortcomings. How could she have been so arrogant as to think she would be fine just because she had experienced the OutCast's Domain? She was one of the last people to have seen a Sunless day; how could she think that a mere two decades of training could have bridged such a hopeless gap?
"I'm sorry, Captain Aster. But I cannot wait any longer for you to undo my bindings."
Primrose raised her eyes to see the Whale of ZhiXia looking apologetically at Aster as he broke the chains around his manacles. A freed hand went up to his neck, crumpling the thick metal collar in an iron fist as he took a step, snapping the chains restricting his ankles. "Until the voting results say otherwise, I am still ZhiXia City's defending Titled One."
The Whale of ZhiXia looked towards the gray sky and the jade manacles on his wrists disintegrated, green dust dissipating into the wind. Then dense indigo aura exploded outwards, surging from his location in an overwhelming wave, crashing into the gray and forcing it back. To Primrose's Sight, the two Domains twisted space wherever they clashed, making her head spin. She forced her gaze away.
Something exploded nearby and a dilapidated building collapsed. An angry snarl, then the pixiu bounded from the side streets, Kalle clinging to its back for dear life. Another deafening crash, then the Tempest leapt into the air above a teetering building as a horde of cats ran up its leaning side to leap at her, their claws bared. A murder of crows descended on the Tempest as she flew out of the cats' reach, and she protected herself by blowing them away with a swirl of wind. The birds cawed shrilly, flapping their wings against the gale.
A dark shadow leapt up from a building. GloomSire's bandaged hands reached for the Tempest and the two clashed in midair, disentangling after a quick grapple. The Tempest looked towards the pixiu bounding towards the Square and made to follow, then hesitated when she noticed the raging Domains. She retreated from the indigo tide, flying back to the Eclipse.
The Whale stepped off the platform, walking towards the Square's center. When the Whale's Domain pushed back the Eclipse's, a wave of calm washed over them. Primrose gasped in relief, Cassia moaned nearby, and Flora made small retching sounds, then their training took over and the three of them attempted to crawl back towards a worried Madam Scarlette. The Madam and three Roots ran forward, dragging them and the unconscious elderly woman well out of range of the gray Domain.
The Whale held up a hand as the pixiu approached, its tongue out and panting with exhaustion. The beast regarded the Whale with a wary gaze, then turned, and an ashen-faced Kalle slid down its back, coughing as he hit the ground on all fours.
"Kalle," the Whale greeted. "Stay where I can see you."
The alchemist nodded, then looked towards the side as GloomSire limped out of an alleyway, flanked by at least a dozen dogs.
"Good to see you're still alive," GloomSire murmured, sitting down with a groan of exhaustion and leaning his head against his bond. He tilted his head back as the sitting position brought his face into range of multiple eager dogs. "Not the face right now, can't you all see I'm tired?" The man looked back up to the Whale, adding, "Do you mind? I'm spent."
"You did well, Yao-ren." Some of the dogs had greeted the Whale, who gave each of them a pat on the head. "Stay with Kalle."
The bandaged man nodded his head, then closed his eyes. A cat had found its way onto his shoulder, where it batted away a dog's inquisitive nose. Apparently it had appointed itself to guard GloomSire's face from canine tongues.
The Whale turned his attention up to the Eclipse and the Tempest. From Primrose's perspective, the only colors on the Eclipse's side of the Domain were his black robes and red sash, the Tempest's emerald dress and silver sleeves.
"Ruskru," the Whale of ZhiXia's voice reverberated throughout the Square, a low rumble. "You've been quiet."
The Eclipse's voice carried despite his altitude — powerful, precise, pronounced. "It would have been rude of me to interrupt you, Ji."
"Was that why you spread your Domain so slowly?"
"I was perplexed as to why you were chained up. Perhaps it was some elaborate ploy to make me lower my guard." The Eclipse began descending towards GloomSire and Kalle. "Not to mention, this is a bit close to Sanctuary."
The Whale took a step forward. "And you think I need trickery when dealing with you?"
Stopping a small distance from the edge of his gray Domain, the Eclipse replied, "Circumstances change. I confess my curiosity; why were you chained up?"
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"You arrived right as they were conducting my trial," the Whale said as he continued walking forward. "Obstruction of justice. Another crime of yours."
The Eclipse floated backwards as the Whale advanced. "Trial? What for?"
"I am being charged with criminal negligence for allowing Roxxa to wreak havoc almost two weeks ago."
A look of confusion flitted across the Eclipse's face before it was replaced by one of derision. "I see ZhiXia City is still populated by fools. Your talents and skills are wasted while you languish in this City, Ji. The Prince and the Empire would welcome you back anytime."
"If you don't like the City I call home," the Whale stepped to the edge of his Domain, looking up at the floating Titled One. "You can leave."
The Eclipse's brows furrowed. "The Empire is your home."
"My stance on that is clear. Are you leaving?"
The line dividing the battlefield twisted even further. Jagged edges of colorless gray and deep indigo burst past the boundary, lancing towards their targets before dissipating into the color each had attempted to invade.
"My business here is for the alchemist," the Eclipse pointed to Kalle. "Give him to me and I have no reason to stay."
"I am not asking." The Whale's voice lowered to a growl, one that rumbled through Primrose's bones. "You and Rei are leaving with only your lives and the clothes on your backs."
Madam Scarlette signaled, and Primrose nodded in silent agreement. They began moving stealthily, picking up those they could and backing out slowly. None of them wanted to be here in case this talk devolved further. Primrose gave Kalle an apologetic look; she wanted nothing more than to go greet her friend.
But her exposure to the Whale's thick aura stopped her. It had crept up slowly, a saturation she hadn't felt within Molam's Domain, something that made her very skin crawl and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge. A sensation that she had never felt from him during the years she grew up in ZhiXia City.
Veiled bloodthirst.
She'd only felt this from the Whale once before: the day he’d found her, crawling through the burned ruins of Teljumaya. The sensation was not directed at Primrose, but did it matter? She kept the Whale in her peripheral vision, not daring to look at him directly. It took every bit of willpower for her to keep her steps slow and measured instead of turning tail and sprinting as fast and far as she could. Unexpected? No — she had — everyone had always known who he was, from the moment they met him. The former Commander of the Red Army, who had led the First Division to capture two Cities at the age of eighteen, killing four Titled Ones in the process.
All know the legend. Few remember the nightmare. The words sprang again into Primrose's mind. A reminder that her twenty-six Sorrows gave her meager perspective when it came to living legends.
"Tempting, tempting." The Eclipse seemed unphased, matching the Whale's gaze. The snarling Domains were now visible even without Sight; the clear line was gone, drowned by a roiling turmoil of colors. White clouds, tinged with gray, formed above the City. "This reminds me of our little spars back in the day. It has been several decades since we last saw each other, yes?" He gestured around them. "I am surprised the City is still standing after Roxxa and the others decided to have their little tussle. You must have improved your control and been very careful to hold back."
"If you are so curious, I could demonstrate my improvements in Crimson City."
The sharp edge in the Whale's normally calm voice made Primrose bite her lip. Perhaps the Eclipse heard it too, for he paused before responding. "It's unlike you to leverage empty threats, old friend. Crimson City is full of historical monuments that would get even you in trouble with the Prince."
"Then have a real threat, Ruskru." Droplets fell from the clouds, wet and cold on Primrose's skin. Raising a wing, the pixiu covered GloomSire and Kalle from the Whale's summoned rain. The man himself pointed a finger at the Eclipse. "Would you like to be buried here?"
The Eclipse seemed to ponder the question before raising a lazy hand. Rain fell towards it, collecting into a ball of water that looked like a crystal ball. No — more than just the rain; the clouds themselves twisted downwards, joining the rain until the ball became an opaque gray. Despite the sheer amount of water collected, the size of the ball did not change; then he closed his hand without warning, crushing the ball into nothingness.
Color returned to his side of the world and Sunlight shone brightly once again. The Sunless day had ended. Shaking droplets of water off his hand, the Eclipse said, "No need to waste such a good day — not when the Sun has graced us with its warmth. We'll go. Come, Rei. We should return to the Prince."
The Tempest said nothing, joining the Eclipse obediently. Primrose could not be certain from this distance, but it looked to her as though the Tempest was unhappy. The clouds had begun to disperse and the rain had stopped falling, but Primrose still felt the aura of his Domain — the helpless sensation of treading water in a bottomless lake.
"For what it's worth, I've disciplined Desmi for his excessive actions," the Eclipse called down. "You have my condolences for losing another disciple. I sincerely hope you don't lose another."
When the Whale responded, his voice was low and uncharacteristically soft. "Ruskru," he said, "Should I visit the Prince too?"
"Don't threaten to care after all this time," the Eclipse replied. "If you truly want to see him, none of us would stop you."
He signaled to the Tempest, who flicked her fan. A ball of emerald wind wrapped around the two. When it dispersed, there was no longer anyone there.
Master Ji stayed looking up at the skies as the last of his clouds faded against the glory of the afternoon Sun, then turned towards Primrose and the others. He gestured and the puddles on the ground evaporated, leaving the Square dry again.
"I apologize for taking matters into my own hands, Captain Aster." He walked back to the platform, holding out his hands. "It seems my trial has been delayed. I sincerely hope you understand."
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Slumbering Forest Over the Central Plains
As Rei and Ruskru soared, the vast expanse of the Slumbering Forest's verdant foliage sprawled to their left, a sea of trees that seemed to undulate like waves. The dense canopy drew intricate patterns of shadow and light, and the air carried whispers of pine and earth. Rei tore her eyes away from it — something rested in the Forest. She had felt its presence when they chased the pixiu.
She did not want to wake it.
Instead, she voiced her confusion. "Ruskru?" she called out.
"Hmm?" Ruskru turned to her, his red sash whipping behind him in the wind.
"I don't understand," she half-shouted over the wind, then exerted her Domain in a small bubble around them, just enough for them to speak normally as they flew, but not large enough to alert the thing inside the Forest. "Why did you agree? We were so close!"
"Opening Flangel the Wise's Ring is important, but it was always an option for us to simply wait for the Prince to wake up."
"But we don't need to wait. You could have held the Whale in check," Rei protested, "and that Yao-ren was already injured during our chase. I could have overpowered him and taken the alchemist."
"What do you mean, held him in check?"
"Your Domain clash was equal," Rei replied. "Without a clear advantage, wouldn't the two of you be holding each other in check?"
"No, Rei. Ji is not reliant on his Domain to fight; did you not pay attention at all when you fought him? Our dear Commander has always been one to invade Domains."
"What?" Rei was confused. The larger one spread their aura, the less they could protect themselves. Titled Ones either learned to spread their Domain wide for control over a space or pulled it in to cloak their bodies, the veil of aura allowing them to invade another's Domain for close combat. "Then why does he have such a large Domain?"
"Ji's Domain is something the Prince forced him to learn, for better or worse. The range of his Domain is a natural byproduct of the sheer amount of aura he has. Did you never wonder about his Title? The Whale dives freely into another's Domain, as deep as he wants. Holding his Domain in check is one thing, but that would do nothing to limit his invading your space. This is why the Prince reminds you to train your physical reinforcement. Never forget to keep your distance if you are ever unfortunate enough to fight him again."
It struck Rei then; Ruskru, whose battle prowess was indisputably second only to the Prince's, had stayed well out of arm’s reach from the Whale. "Then why did you stay to speak with him?"
"It was worth testing to see if Ji would restrain his strength in the City, but he seemed ready to fight without reservation. You would normally never see him pulling clouds because it disrupts rainfall. A fight between us… even the Submerged Leviathan couldn't ignore that. Though…" he paused, deep in thought. "I seriously considered taking his invitation until Ji threatened Crimson City. Have you never wondered why Ji has not made an appearance in the Empire since he left?"
The question made Rei frown. The thought hadn't occurred to her at all. "Isn't it because he's afraid of our Prince?"
"No. We had an unspoken agreement, Ji and I. He would never attack the Empire, and I would never attack ZhiXia City." Ruskru flew forward. "There's too many Cities of the Empire for both the Prince and I to defend, and Ji could attack any one of them. He could easily overpower any one of you and drown the Cities you defend before the Prince and I arrived. With the Prince in slumber, Ji reminded me that I cannot protect both the Prince and Crimson City at the same time."
"...did Roxxa break your agreement?" Rei asked with a hint of unease.
"I don't know." Ruskru's face went grim. "I sent four of you and imagined three of you would cover Kymja's retreat once she secured the Prodigy. Not… everything that led to this. This is why it's been my hope that you and the others rise to a level where it doesn't take four of you to barely steal a ring from a girl under his watch." She heard the admonishment in his voice. "We cannot afford to have any of you fight him individually, nor can we afford to keep four of you together at once."
The ruined city of Techoria came into view, and they veered to one side, towards the Prince.
"Does that mean you can never fight the Whale?" asked Rei, still thinking about what she had just learned.
"Perhaps if I can borrow more than just your wind, Rei. Fighting Ji with his water is pointless, and I imagine I must have Desmi's lightning if I intend to take him head-on. Maybe Desmi and Roxxa together, at the minimum." Ruskru fell silent for several moments before he continued, "I've thought about it for several decades now, the circumstances I would need in order to fight him with confidence."
He pointed through the Forest, indicating a river below. It glittered in the afternoon Sun, wide enough that the trees on both riverbanks could not cover the sparkling waters with their foliage. The River Ash: undisputed proof of the Whale's legendary battle with the Prince. "Do not forget that Ji fought the Prince and survived."
They cleared the Slumbering Forest and sped up, no longer feeling its oppressive presence.
"We can't afford to take any chances while the Prince is in slumber and we have the other Free Cities to worry about. HaiFeng City's reports that the Formosan Islands have decreased their trade exports is concerning, and I can only hope Desmi doesn't get waylaid by any of those 'fortuitous love encounters' he always seems to have. Not to mention Shoss' report on the Northern Tribes; we don't need a repeat of the Frozen Saint."
"Yes," Rei nodded as they descended towards the large tent in the middle of a desolate plain. The sleeping Prince's effects on the surroundings had begun to manifest. All of the grass and plants had begun to wither, creating a lifeless circle of dark brown bordering on black within half a league of the tent.
"We'll figure out what to do with the Ring later," Ruskru touched the ground and walked towards the tent, with Rei floating close behind. "Right now, Roxxa needs to recover and we need to figure out how concerned we need to be that the Twin Stars are hosting a moot. But something else has been on my mind, Rei."
There's more? Rei could never wrap her mind around how Ruskru kept so many thoughts in his head. "What is it?"
They had taken several steps before Ruskru answered. "I couldn't quite put my finger on it before, so I didn't bring it up with any of you. But now I know what this feeling of… wrongness is. You and I went to JiangXi as soon as Roxxa's health was stabilized. And what do we find? The alchemist already heading towards ZhiXia City on the pixiu's back."
Ruskru lifted the tent's flap but didn't enter, then turned to Rei, his face serious. "We made the decision to go secure the alchemist with the barest of ideas whether it was even worth it. There was no proof he could undo Flangel's Seal, but I decided it was worth the gamble to leave the Prince under Roxxa and Kymja's watch. Sanctuary and the Dao had no reason to think we would do so, and I doubt there was any other pressing need to move the alchemist. We know the Prodigy is in Sanctuary."
Rei nodded, understanding where Ruskru was leading the conversation. "But they acted to move the alchemist regardless. You think it was…?"
"The Oracle's vessel, yes. First your failure in JiangXi City, then Roxxa's failure to kill him despite having all the advantage in ZhiXia City." Ruskru finally entered the tent, holding the flap for Rei. "And now you and I failed to get the alchemist. We've always been a step behind him, and I am beginning to find this… irksome."