Prologue:

It's dark.

Ah, I think. My eyes are closed.

But, my hand...

Something's chewing on my hand.

I open my eyes to see a wolf, ineffectually, gnawing on my hand.

I don't even pull my hand free. What could a common wolf do to harm an ascended immortal?

Despite the thought, the continued biting grows slightly painful.

Odd.

I extend out with my soul body only to realize that my soul body doesn't seem to be there. Or at least, it's so weak that I can barely feel it.

The wolf catches my return to consciousness and begins growling.

I pull my hand free of the creature and look at the bite marks. This is all so odd.

Another wolf bares its fangs at me and the pair decide to jump at me.

I wave my hands to fend them off. But my movements are clumsy.

Growing frustrated, I punch the nearest wolf. My attack is far too weak. However, the beast takes a moment to recover.

As I watch them, I hear the leading wolf snort dismissively and the pair leave me alone in the... woods?

I was in the Violet Sword village just now, wasn't I?

Suddenly, the image of Rain flashes before my mind. Is she safe?

It's all so confusing.

I dive into my soul well only to realize it's nothing more than a puddle.

My eyes search the forest around me. It seems somehow familiar.

I try to think where I've seen this place before. But the answer eludes me.

My feet carry me in a direction that I feel I know.

A sinking feeling comes over me as I realize that I've lost my cultivation. My soul stone is cracked. I'm no longer an ascended immortal.

It's weird, though. When one's cultivation is crippled, they become a mortal again. I've never heard of an ascended falling back to being a lower immortal.

My feet carry me on a path that they seem to know. And day turns to night.

When I look up at the stars, what I see freezes my soul. The abomination is gone.

A constellation has left the heavens...

Memories flash before me of my final moments in the Violet Sword village. I watched it happen. And it even came for me.

Days and nights pass, the forest fading before a river that grows into a larger one.

"Cain. Where are you, boy?"

"Coming, dad."

The village I pass seems so familiar. But, I can't quite place it.

Time passes as I see what I can do to mend my cracked soul stone.

It isn't hard to do. Just time-consuming. And I don't have any pills to speed up the process.

As I begin to wonder what I should do, I see a sign. 'Callo City.'

Memory ignites in me, a slight smile forming on my lips. Once upon a time, I knew a man in Callo. And a woman.

They must be long dead by now.

Still, I feel a longing to revisit the past and make my way to the city.

Mindfully, I cut myself off from chi. I may be an elder of Violet Sword. But, I've regressed in cultivation and, as I recall, Callo was a dangerous place to be a cultivator.

"I'll be dammed if I run from a runt like you."

"You'll be dammed then!"

A group of cultivators battle it out as I pointedly walk in the other direction.

I find my way to the apothecary of my youth. I wonder who owns it now.

On entering the quaint building, I see a man with his back to me. I think perhaps it's Sebastian's son or grandson. The man is not quite old but he has salt and pepper hair.

The man seems to notice my presence and turns with a professional smile on his face.

I feel my head cock to the side. He looks just like the man I once knew.

"Hello, welcome to Grey's Pharmeceuticals. How can I help you?"

My head feels funny, "Sebastian?"

The man looks at me oddly before smiling pleasantly, "Yes, that's me."

I feel my breath quicken, the world taking on an uncanny gray.

"Sorry," I manage. "I- I think... I need a moment."

Sebastian looks on with concern as I woodenly walk out the door and into the alley outside his shop.

All at once pieces of a puzzle I didn't know I was trying to solve fall into place.

With effort, I make my way out of Callo City in a way I once knew very well. In the woodland outside the city, I sit down and try to process what I think I know.

Day passes into night and I watch the sky in a way I haven't in many years, like it's new.

But, other than the absence of the abomination, the sky isn't new. It's me who's new.

I just escaped the Divided Fates sect. At least, this body did.

Was it decades? A century? More? I had long since stopped counting.

Sebastian would have long since died.

My family... My father. My mother.

Tears begin to well up in my eyes as I think of what could have been. What still could be.

I wipe my eyes and think of Rain. Was all that we experienced just gone?

With some effort, I turn to my cultivation.

I have a long way to go.

Ch. 1

I open my eyes, letting out a long breath.

Okay.

Since the revelation came upon me, I've had a lot to process.

Did the star of the abomination cause it to happen? Or was it the act of exploding my soul? Maybe it was something entirely different from what I can conceive.

However it happened, I've regressed through time.

The pieces line up, no matter how difficult it is to wrap my head around such a concept.

I breathe deeply, letting it escape me once more.

For many decades, I cultivated my dao. I refined my soul stone and became a true immortal.

In a single, hazy, moment, I have fallen from the heights of ascension to the lowest rung of immortality.

My dao remains with me, my way. That river of consciousness, thought, and intent shapes the path that only I walk.

But, in terms of power, I am back to square one.

A certain trepidation comes over me. The days when I feared ascended immortals had long passed. Now, however, I realize that I have returned to prey status in the violent world of immortals.

Callo City, for as many fond memories I have of the place, is a battleground of lower immortals seeking to harvest each other's soul stones.

In these days, I have no backers. No sect… None that I want to claim, at least.

I am well and truly on my own.

Thoughts stir of how, at every turn in my previous life, my freedom was stolen from me.

First, the Divided Fates abducted me from my village and forced me into slavery to the point where death and life blurred. Then the ancient immortal of Fire Island, friendly as she was, imprisoned me, with a perfect pill being the cost for my freedom. And, of course, the vain effort to sell superior-grade cultivation pills brought on the conscription of the Steady Sword sect.

I shudder at the thought of the pit that I had to claw my way out of to even be allowed a place in the Steady Sword sect that I never wanted to join.

For all the heights and renown I achieved in my immortal life, I only rarely had freedom.

The footloose dao, the wanderer's path, that I longed for had always been stripped of me.

While I'm caught up in thought, I unconsciously clench my fists.

Noticing the action, a subtle smile touches my lips. I won't let them have their way with me for a second lifetime.

A complicated thought stirs in me. Without joining Steady Sword, I'd never have met her. And I'm not about to go submit to Violet Horizon, even to see her.

A heavy weight presses on my mind, I've lost something precious for this second chance.

But then, I've gained something beyond value.

My family.

At this point in my life, I've only been gone a matter of weeks.

I recall the time, after escaping Fire Island, that I finally found my way home.

My father had died years prior and my mother was lost in her mind.

I have a chance to make things right. I will make things right.

But first…

With thoughts of a better future, I begin moving.

I don't have a cosmos ring, or even a bag, to hold the bounty of the wilds. But, I can start from here.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Peacebloom and earthroot lotus abound in the forests of Callo. Many other herbs populate the fields. But, I settle for the two most common.

As I pass from plant to plant, I do what I didn't have the presence of mind or skill to do in my previous time here. I view the spiritual world, observing the spirit body of the plants that I harvest from.

When a flower is plucked, it is not only the physical form that is destroyed. The aetheric spirit body is broken and the chi that constitutes the part of the body that's broken off falls away from the spirit of the plant.

This chi joins the cycle of life and death that immortals refine for their immortality. But, the plant itself is crippled. Its vitality drained.

A simple practice I learned long ago, on Fire Island, allows me to attach a salve of my chi onto the plant as I harvest it. New growth is fostered and the plant will become fruitful much quicker.

As I pass, I feel the herbs sing for this healing chi. A pleasant smile, unlike any I've shown in a long time, plays across my lips.

I catch myself. Something's different.

I drop my herbs and settle into a cross-legged position. The peace of meditation comes over me as I assess my condition.

I think of my dao, my way. It has changed since my regression. It's aligned with my true self, it's free. Not constrained to the restrictions of those who stand above.

No, it's not my dao that's the cause for the change that's come over me.

My mind dives into my soul well. Or rather, steps into the puddle.

My soul well is weak, so weak I barely recognize it. But, this weakness hides something that I certainly don't recognize… Peace.

After years of consuming failed Dragon's Scream pills on Fire Island, my soul stone had become something almost indescribable. It had shattered and reformed hundreds of times.

The misery that I put myself through had warped my soul in ways that bestowed great power. But ultimately, took peace away from me.

Mentally, I remember that pain. That torment. But, my soul doesn't. My soul isn't fractured and callous. It's as it was so long ago.

I feel complicated over the dissolution of all my past efforts.

I also feel refreshed to have the chance to cultivate a, hopefully, softer soul.

I turn my thoughts outward and continue my brief harvest before walking back to Callo City.

No eyes turn to me as I walk with bundles of flowers and roots through the market. Many other vendors hawk their wares of similarly ragtag items.

I don't intend to find a place here. The bitter memory of corrupt guards stealing my merchandise has long turned me from such a plan.

Grey's Pharmaceuticals is where I left it. And on entry, I hear a, "Welcome."

Sebastian looks at me oddly for a moment before smiling.

"It's you," he says pleasantly. "I'd worried you might have been sick."

I shake my head at the man.

"Sorry, I… I just wasn't feeling myself."

The man nods, "If you are ever in need, I carry many tonics for quite a number of maladies."

His eyes turn from me to the bundles in my hands, his expression brightening.

"But," he says, "I think you're here for some other purpose today. Are you perhaps looking to sell?"

I nod, thinking how familiar this feels.

"I am."

The man with his salt and pepper hair motions to a doorway leading to his lab.

"Come this way."

I follow a short path I know very well.

The table I set the herbs down on is wide. After setting down the herbs, I wait while Sebastian reviews my harvest.

"Earthroot lotus and peacebloom, these will be very useful to my work. I think this is all worth…" He gives me a number.

I nod.

"Great," he smiles as he pulls out his coin purse.

A handful of copper coins meets my hand.

It's nothing compared with the money I made as grandmaster alchemist of the Violet Sword sect. But, it's also just a few bundles of basic herbs and not superior-grade cultivation pills.

The man looks at me like he found a diamond in the rough.

"Do you think you'd be willing to harvest more herbs for me? Herbalists are rare around here."

I almost chuckle. "Of course, Sebastian."

He puzzles for a moment at my familiarity but recovers with a pleased smile.

"Then, come back any time you're ready to do business. My door will always be open."

I nod and leave my old friend.

With a handful of copper to my name, I won't be able to buy anything fancy. But, I can boost my harvest.

I go to the market and buy a number of bags, a trowel, and a pair of gloves. I've truly come full circle.

Out in the wilds again, I expand my search, golden crown and nightshade join the list of herbs I gather.

With every plant I harvest, I attach a little salve of chi and wait for the plant to recover. By doing this, I'll be able to spend less time traveling across the wide fields in search of random herbs.

The regrowth rate for these plants is high and, as the days progress, I get to know the herbs I harvest from intimately.

Time passes rapidly as I harvest faster and faster. The herbs I place salve on flourish for the pruning I place upon them and I don't worry for my search.

Sebastian is at first surprised to see me return with such frequency. But, the volume of my harvest attests to the fact that I am indeed gathering worthy stock each time.

At night, I study the stars taking in their lessons. It's a task I hadn't dedicated much focus to in the latter phases of my life in Violet Sword.

The absence of the abomination stirs in me a growing disquiet.

The knight seems confused by the abomination's absence. Without the terrible foe, the knight seems to be dancing without purpose. If anything, the story seems to be that of a fool.

It's wrong.

Other stories are similarly odd. Without the abomination, the slave is prey mainly to the merchant. But, the slave's discontent seems to grow. It's almost a story of revolution.

The immortal is unaffected by the absence of the abomination. Ever isolating himself from the trivialities of the world around him.

The student and the wanderer are the most liberated in the stories of the heavens. Without the abominable bogeyman to catch them when they slip, they are free to explore and learn as they like.

Despite how the heavens seem happier for the lack of a monster within them, I can't help but feel that the abomination hasn't just disappeared. It's gone somewhere.

And, with my experience on that final night in Violet Sword, it seems certain that the abomination walks Gaia.

A shudder comes over me. What could challenge the cosmic monster upon this world?

I rotate my core, consuming the chi of heaven and earth. With every breath I breathe out my pollution, the karma of lifetimes past and present.

I'm well away from sealing the cracks in my soul stone. But, I have experience in the process. Not a single mote of chi that I hold onto is wasted.

There is no grandstanding. No exultation in my power. I'm leaking with every breath and I can't afford a moment's lapse.

In the city, I'm forced to close myself off from the chi of heaven and earth.

Like a frog in a well wishing it had wings, I hide from those who once seemed so small.

They come and go throughout the city. Serpent's Tail, Open Palm, and Divided Fates. These are the rulers of Callo City and they make it known.

"What should we do now, boss?"

A pack of cultivators patrols the market as I look for a vendor dealing in pill cauldrons.

"What else?" a leading brute asks. "The Divided Fates are forcing our hand. They want the pleasure district that we hold. They'll move on us soon. The only way to stop that from happening is to attack first."

The Serpent's Tail goon seems unconcerned for spies hearing their gossip.

"The leader will beat them to the punch. We're attacking tonight."

I listen only for the reason that moving out of the way too quickly would draw attention.

Other mortals watch on as the immortals pass. The cultivators randomly take items that catch their fancy, most often: bottles of alcohol. The vendors only tremble as their stock is gleaned from.

The vendor I'm busy with swallows dryly as the group walks out in front of his stall.

"Wait," the lead Serpent's Tail goon says as they walk a few paces past the stall.

The gang halts, its members looking to their boss.

I put some effort into forcing myself to tremble as I avoid eye contact with the man.

I feel the cultivator's scrutiny. For a moment, I feel fear. Fear that I've been found out. Fear that I'll have to fight my way out. Fear that I could die all over again.

I've long since closed myself off to the chi surrounding me. An ascended immortal might be able to perceive my soul stone, but I doubt a lower immortal could.

My trembling continues for a moment before the man spits on the ground.

"Peasants these days just don't know how to dress. C'mon, it stinks around here."

Once they're gone, I breathe out. I was noticed.

My eyes go down to my ratty robes. They're the same ones I was abducted in.

I cleanse my body and clothes with chi, so there is no smell to speak of. But, the appearance of my garb is that of the lowest of peasants.

Rather than looking for a pill cauldron, I think, I should spend some of my coin on new clothes.

The vendor looks at me with something akin to disdain. He may take my money if I give it to him. But, appearances matter. And to have one of the high and mighty immortals comment on my worthlessness, the commoner sees me as less than.

Whatever, I think. I won't remember the vendor any more than I'll remember the Serpent's Tail goon.

I walk away from the man and search for a clothing merchant.

When I do find the spot, the look I get is dismissive.

"Yes?" the attractive middle-aged woman asks. "Do you need something?"

I pull out my coin purse and jingle it for a moment. It's only copper, but there's a fair amount of it.

The woman smiles, not with excitement. She can tell that I'm not a high roller. But, she's pleased to see that I bring business.

"Can I assume you're looking for a new wardrobe?" her question is almost one of amusement.

I nod, "That is what I had in mind."

She thinks for a moment, "What's your price range?"

I tell her and she looks unimpressed.

"I know you have more coin than that in your purse. How about you give me it all and I choose something for you? You could really do for an upgrade."

I wonder at the bargaining technique of this woman. I'd been willing to spend a third of all that I'd saved up just on clothes and she wants it all.

I bite my cheek. It would set me back. But, I do feel rather embarrassed by my attire.

"If I don't like what you choose, the deal's off."

She smiles knowingly, "Oh, you'll like it. Just let me see how much you've got first."

With a complicated expression on my face, I pass her my purse.

She's unsurprised by the lack of silver and sets about counting the copper pieces out.

Her lips make a line and she sighs, "I'm not even gonna make a profit off you."

I look at her questioningly.

She seems to be debating for a moment before she moves to one of the racks of clothing.

In a moment, an ensemble of orange and white with brown pants is presented to me.

I can tell that the fabric is silk. Low-quality silk, but silk all the same.

I hadn't realized I'd gathered so much copper as to buy such clothes.

She seems mournful as she passes the clothes to me.

"You better appreciate me," she says, aggrieved.

I nod as I accept the silken outfit.

"Thank you."

"Uh-huh." She's unimpressed. "Off with you, before I change my mind."

I see a slight smile cross her lips momentarily before I turn and depart.

I travel the path out of the city with my new bundle.

Were I to compare the clothes with such as I wore in my time as a grandmaster, there would be no contest. But, these clothes are remarkable for what I spent to receive them.

In the wilds, I change my attire and bury what I'd been wearing.

I find myself feeling like a new man. Like I'm more than just a rogue cultivator. I feel like a person.

A smile tugs at my lips as I bow hand over fist to the city and the woman who gave me what I recognize to be a gift.

All the same, I'm broke once more.

All that I'd earned to this point was spent in but a moment.

It strikes me as funny how such a paltry sum feels enormous to me now.

My resolve strengthened, I turn to my harvest.

Days and weeks pass as I bring my burdens to Sebastian. He hums with approval as, day to day, he reviews my harvest.

"You know, Rook," he says. "I've been thinking. Perhaps you'd be interested in taking on an apprenticeship with me."

I find myself feeling a bit emotional to hear him make this offer. But, I shake my head.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. I would really appreciate to learn under you. But, I have things I need to do. I can't become your apprentice."

Sebastian sighs, "I understand. We all must do what we must do. With your eye for medicinal herbs, I think you could become a phenomenal alchemist. If you ever wish to learn, I'd be more than willing to teach you."

I smile, "Thank you, Sebastian."

We talk for a little after he's paid me and I take my leave.

More time passes.

I find myself reluctant to do something. I've been putting it off since I came to Callo.

My martial teacher. She's no doubt waiting, as she always was before.

The dojo is as I remember it.

I stand before the building, hesitant.

I already know that I won't ask to learn from her a second time.

It's not that there's nothing left to learn. But, I'm not who I once was.

Then, I was desperate for power so that I might protect myself. I needed her.

She knew from the beginning that I was an immortal. And, she was still willing to teach me.

On many occasions in my past life, her teachings made it possible for me to survive. Escaping from Callo, besting Jack, and the particularly harrowing time I spent in the pit of the Steady Sword sect. Without learning the low art of unarmed fighting, I never could have learned the high art of the sword.

With a rueful smile, I kick myself. I have to at least pay my respects.

I come to the well I once knew with such familiarity and begin the process of ritual cleansing.

When I finish the ablution, I enter the dojo proper.

She sits on her knees, her eyes closed.

I know she's sensed me. But, she doesn't speak. And neither do I.

I stand there for a long moment before I bow hand over fist to my teacher.

My thoughts are on the challenges of her training; the soul cuffs, the physical toil, the grappling with peers. It's all so distant. I'm separated from it by a lifetime and more misery than I could ever measure.

But, those moments were some of the best moments of my life.

As she sits in silence, the moment passes.

I rise from my bow and leave the way I came.

My eyes water. It's been a long time since I felt like crying so frequently.

I leave the city and recline under the stars, somehow exhausted.

The constellations continue to teach me. But, the lessons are different.

Everything's just off.

Without the abomination, there is no balance. The constellations are at odds with one another in ways I've never seen before.

The story I read is one of calamity.

Ancient memories surface in me.

The Calamity happened long ago. The sundering of the primordial world and separation into the sixteen realms, four elemental planes, and two worlds blessed with heavenly chi of which Gaia is one. The firmament divides them all. All because the Creator was jealous of his creations, or so the story goes.

The Calamity of old is but a fable. This new calamity is different.

In my life before, it was the imminent Convergence. The reunion of the world as one.

The armies of the gods were moving. The Daeva invasion was merely a prelude to the coming devastation. And that war cost me so much.

The Convergence is still coming. The daeva are still coming. And now, I fear that the abomination is not coming, but has already arrived.

I feel intimidated by the weight of knowledge. Is it even my place to change any of it?

With heavy thoughts, I spend my time in silent cultivation.

Days and weeks become months.

I want to hurry to my home. But, there are preparations to be made. Items to acquire.

Namely two items. A cosmos ring and a pill cauldron.

After the expense for my, notably worthy, clothes, I spend months saving.

The time I spend with Sebastian makes it all worthwhile. I could spend much more time with the man. But, my life is that of the wanderer. And I have places I need to be.

The cosmos ring that I buy makes life tremendously easier.

I no longer struggle to hold all of the herbs I gather. With the dimensional space in the ring, it can all travel with me light as air. It was worth the cost in my past life and it is worth the price in this one.

The cauldron is much cheaper. Still expensive by most standards. But much cheaper than a cosmos ring.

Soon, I have all that I need to accomplish accomplished.

"You're really going?" Sebastian asks for the tenth time.

I nod, "Yes. As I told you, I have to see my family."

The older man sighs, "Yeah… Okay. I'll miss you, Rook. And not just because you're the best herbalist in the city."

I find myself feeling emotional.

"I'll miss you too, Sebastian."

He pats me on the shoulder. "Good luck, young man. Just know that you can always come back for the apprenticeship."

I smile. It would be nice to experience it again. But, there's nothing he could teach the immortal grandmaster alchemist of the Violet Sword sect.

"I will see you again," I say in parting.

He returns the sentiment and we part ways.

As I leave the city, I feel melancholic. If I had another lifetime, I'd like to stay here. But, two is already a blessing.

Hand over fist, I bow to Callo. To Sebastian and to my teacher.

Now, I think, it's time to go home.