My childhood home is nothing more than a shack as I lay eyes on it.

It all seems so much smaller than I remember.

I glide down to my old home and come to the entryway of my home.

After all the years that have passed, will they recognize me? Or if I will remember them.

I stand at the doorway for some time, willing myself to knock on the door. The evening hours are upon the world, and I muster the courage to knock on the door gently.

There is a moment's pause before the door opens a crack.

I can imagine how apprehensive one would be to have someone come calling at this hour.

"Yes?" an eyeball peeks out at me.

I muster up my courage to answer the woman.

"My- My name is Rook. I would like to know if my family still lives here.

Surprise shines through the woman's gaze.

"Dear!"

In short order, I find myself standing before my elder brother.

His features have aged as more than a bit of his hair has gone grey.

His belly has grown, and I can't help but feel that he has prospered since I last saw him.

"Rook!" His eyes well up with tears as he takes me in a hug.

I let the emotion pass, feeling the sting of my tears.

"I thought you dead years ago."

He somehow can't comprehend my presence.

"And, you... You don't look like you've aged a day." His eyes turn critical, "Though, you don't look like you've had a meal in all that time either."

I let out a laugh as I feel the tension leave me.

"Come in, come in." My brother remembers to welcome me into his home.

It's a small, cramped space, and I see it as foreign to what I remember.

My eyes fall upon my mother in bed.

Her eyes are open. But they only stare vacantly into the space above her.

My brother looks sadly at her. "Several years ago, Dad passed. She's grown less and less responsive ever since."

I come over to my sickly mother and take her hand.

Her gaze turns to me. But, her thoughts are too clouded to recognize me.

I feel the tears well up within me.

I'd like to know if I can do anything to help her and pull a flask of health potion out of my cosmos ring.

My brother and his wife are both surprised as I slowly, bit by bit, pour the potion into her mouth.

My mother labors with every swallow. But, eventually, she has consumed the entire potion.

Her cheeks flush with color. Distinct from the sickly pale she had before.

Her eyes close, and I hear the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing.

This rest is beneficial for her. And I turn to my brother.

"Rook," my brother's gaze is steady. "Where have you been all this time?"

I smile a slight smile and ask if we can sit.

We sit on the floor. My brother is wealthy enough to eat. But not to furnish his home. And my parents were always poor.

I relate the stories of my time cultivating.

My brother is astounded. "You're an immortal." His words are little more than a whisper.

His wife is equally stunned, and I can tell she holds more than a bit of fear of me.

I nod my head in affirmation.

His shock gives way to a proud smile.

He looks to his wife, "My brother's an immortal."

She lets her husband's excitement carry away her fear.

I allow a pride-filled smile to cross my lips. The road was long and rough. But, I am an immortal.

We stay up late into the night, talking about our lives. He now runs the butcher shop and has grown in affluence within the village.

They have yet to sire children. But, it is something they're working towards.

Taking care of our mother has impeded their efforts.

My thoughts drift to my mother, who lies unconscious where she's been all night.

Eventually, the mortals find themselves called by the rest of their sleep.

I remain cross-legged. Observing the rhythm of my mother's breathing.

The minutes pass as hours, and I find myself counting her breaths.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Like my father, she will one day breathe her last. And I cannot predict how soon that moment will be.

My mother stirs for the first time since my arrival.

Her hand twitches and rises. She reaches out for something invisible to my eyes.

Despite how close she is to me, I sit aloof in my observation. I've grown far and away more like the immortal for my time on Fire Island.

"Rook," she feebly whispers.

I stand and take her upraised hand.

"Mother."

Her eyes have yet to open, and I watch them flicker, unsure whether to open.

Finally, her eyes open. She blinks rapidly as she crosses her eyes with me.

"My boy..." Tears well up in her eyes before overflowing.

I stand there for hours, looking into my mother's light brown eyes.

My mother's eyes gradually close, and her grip on my hand grows loose.

Her breathing finds a rhythm, and I set her hand down.

I feel ashamed that it took me so long to return.

I'm ashamed. But, I feel the instinct to run towards the horizon.

This isn't my world.

I pull out a half dozen health potions from my cosmos ring and all the money to my name.

I set it all where my brother and I talked.

I ease the door open and walk out into the world beyond.

With a final turn to my childhood home, I bow hand over fist to my family.

And, like that, the moment passes.

I draw forth my flying sword and fly off, searching for the horizon.

Having seen my family for the last time, I have no greater aspirations for my life.

Unsure of how to approach life, I find a mountain that overlooks a city.

I spend my days absorbing the chi of the heavens.

My gravity well can absorb as much of the aetherial chi as possible.

The air is clear of the pollution of the earth in these lower heavens.

Day in and day out. I breathe in the chi of heaven and earth. And, out my pollution.

The city below me lives and breathes.

It is a living organism: the people who mill about, the city's lifeblood.

From my position in the heavens, the mortals who pass their days look smaller than ants.

I think this is what immortality is—viewing others as less than bugs.

I find my thoughts grow arrogant. And, remind myself that, once upon a time, I was called a worm by an immortal whose ranks I now count myself amongst.

My pride needs tempering as I descend the mountain in soul cuffs.

As I creep into the city, I live by my old occupation.

Whether mortal or immortal, I find the collection of herbs an integral part of my life.

The herbs aren't as exotic as the herbs on Fire Island. But more than a few are rare herbs I've never gathered before.

I feel at ease in a way I haven't experienced in years.

No longer am I harvesting herbs to fuel my torment. The Dragon's Scream is nothing more than a memory.

As I pick the herbs, I think about the recipes I could craft. Every pill recipe in my pill book has long since been memorized.

Before I reach the city, I settle down to brew some potions and craft pills to sell.

I am pleased with the results and enter the city with confidence.

I don't have any money on me. But I'm unafraid of such a status. It won't last long.

There is no gate to this city, and I find my way through this unknown city.

I cut myself off from the chi of heaven and earth. Wary of other cultivators in this new city.

I breathe as I find my way to the city's commercial hub.

I could sell my potions and pills out in the open. But, this city might have rules on vending one's goods.

I recall the experience I had with the guards of Callo City.

I'd prefer not to have my wares claimed by crooked men.

I wander the streets for some time. My eyes are ever watchful for a store that might purchase my wares.

The city is sprawling, and I find myself combing through it for hours before I find what I'm looking for.

A pharmacy stands among the numerous store fronts.

This must be what I seek.

"Welcome," comes a voice from behind a counter. Their back is to me as I walk into the building that smells strongly of medicine.

"Hello," I say. "I was wondering if you bought medicine."

The shopkeep's back straightens.

He turns to me, "I don't make a habit of it. Got my own supplier."

The elderly man gazes long into my eyes.

"That said, I'm always open to seeing what the new generation of alchemists is capable of."

The man's attention is on my cosmos ring as I pull out a health potion.

I offer the vial, and the man pops the cap before sniffing at the potion.

"Whew!" the man lets out. "What did you make this with?"

I relate to him the herbs I used.

"Where have you been about, traveler?"

I find the questions annoying. My purpose here is to make some coin rather than answer many questions.

"Will you buy from me or not?"

The man looks from me to the flask in his hand.

With a final sniff of the draught, the man nods, "Yes, we can do business."

The man looks me over, "You must be a highly skilled alchemist. Tell me, who did you study under?"

Again, with the questions. I scowl.

The man raises a hand, relenting from his inquiry.

We worked out what a reasonable price is for several of my potions.

Satisfied with my wage, I turn to the next set of items I have for sale.

I pull out a jar full of fortifying pills.

As the man sniffs the jar, his face is stunned.

"Who- Who are you?" His voice is shocked.

The corner of my lips twitches.

"You have this many superior pills, and you want to sell them to me?"

I hold my tongue as the man's shock turns to fear.

"Your excellency," the shop owner manages. "I beg you forgive me. But, my humble store cannot stock these pills.

"My- My clientele do not hold proper station to buy these pills.

"But," a light shines in his eyes, "the auction house here in Saleen would be an ideal place for you to sell your pills. They do take a tax, though."

The man is only too ready for me to take the jar back.

"Truly a pleasure, Your Excellency." The man smiles a somewhat timid smile. He shows deference despite his senior age.

"You can find the auction house..." He gives me directions to follow.

I leave the pharmacy richer for my health potion sale.

But I have a stock of pills burning a hole in my cosmos ring.

The path to the auction house crosses paths with several restaurants and diners. This section of the city is a commercial district.

On a whim, I turn to a restaurant, conscious of my slight frame.

In the restaurant, I am attended to by a waitress.

"Wow," she says. "You're skin and bones."

I feel somewhat embarrassed by the woman's words.

"That's okay, hun." She winks at me. "We'll put some meat on your bones. Just leave everything to me."

She takes my order.

"Name's Crystal, hun," she says as she writes down something on a pad. "Just holler if you need anything."

I am left to wait while Crytal minds the restaurant's customers.

I find her personable in a way that's somehow unsettling.

She comes and goes, floating from table to table, trying to get to know everyone.

"What are you doing in Saleen? You give me the impression of a wanderer."

I think about the constellation and how I've wanted to be like the wanderer since I began this cultivation path.

But, for years, I've been bound like a slave.

I break my reverie to answer the woman's question.

"Money."

She looks amused, "Of course, chasing after the industry of the big city. Well, I hope our fair city meets your expectations."

She's friendly, but busy. And soon, she comes to me bearing a shank of meat on the bone with mashed potatoes and green vegetables.

I can't help but wonder how I'll stomach it all.

But, with me cut off from the chi of heaven and earth, I feel hunger stir within my belly.

"Thank you," I say before digging into the meal.

I pay for her service, and the waitress gives me a parting wink.

I find myself attracted to the potatoes with brown gravy.

They melt in my mouth.

I'm surprised by how much a simple meal can ground me in the present moment.

The meat falls apart under my fork. And I find myself tearing into the meal with gusto.

The vegetables are lightly seasoned and are pleasant to the palate.

And, in a moment, the meal is past.

I find myself looking down on the wide bone that remains.

It's such a transient experience, eating a meal.

It can be the most important thing to you in one moment. And swept away in another. The next meal is the most important one.

My meal finished, I stand to leave.

Crystal waves goodbye as I leave the restaurant. "Come again."

The streets of Saleen grow dark as I walk them in search of the auction house.

Despite the late hour, many people are coming from one large building.

The building has large columns that bear the weight of the ceiling.

The comings and goings are overwatched by security personnel.

I recognize a few of the guards as cultivators.

The building opens before me, and I am startled by the light.

The rooms and halls of this building are lined with light stone. A gentle purple glow coats the building.

It's surprising. But I move on.

Clerks sit behind metal bars as they see to the clientele.

Money and treasure pass from person to person.

"Next," I hear from the line I stand in. It takes a while for the line to wind down, and I catch myself watching the transactions ahead of me.

Sometimes, a person changes their mind and takes down their items from the auction. But when the auction begins, there's no turning back.

"Next."

I am returned to reality as the clerk announces my turn.

With uncertainty, I approach the clerk.

"Are you selling or buying in?"

"Uh, selling," I say as I pull out a jar full of Heavenly Fortifying pills.

The clerk looks bored as he takes the jar.

He takes a sniff.

His eyes go wide as he almost falls backward in his chair.

He looks afraid to hold the jar as he gently places it on the counter.

"I need a minute," the man says. "Don't- Don't go anywhere, sir."

Shortly, the man brings over an attractive young woman.

She is a bit stiff as she comes to stand before me. She almost looks irritated to have been called over something so trivial.

The clerk points to the jar, and the woman sighs.

She takes the pill bottle in hand.

As she smells the medicinal aroma, her eyes go wide.

With haste, she pops one of the pills out and studies it in her palm.

"Where did you get this?" she asks, an edge in her voice.

I look from her to the clerk.

"I made them."

Her eyes widen, and I watch her frigid exterior melt.

"Come with me."

The woman indicates a door near the clerk's desk.

I come around and am ushered through the restricted areas until I find myself in a man's office.

The woman steps forward to speak, "I found someone you'll want to meet, sir."

"Will I?" comes an aged voice.

The man sits behind an extravagant wooden desk. He is busy reading a book and doesn't show any sign of giving it up.

"Sir, here." She offers the pill jar.

The man looks annoyed. But he sets his book aside.

Recognition shows on his face, and I can tell what he's thinking as he sniffs the medicine.

He calmly sets the jar on his desk.

"Can I assume that you are the alchemist who crafted these pills?"

I nod my head. I can't help but feel that my fate is in danger as this man holds his thoughts tight to his chest.

"Remarkable," his gaze is predatory.

"Tell me, son, which sect do you belong to?"

This is a dangerous line of inquiry.

I hold back my voice as I feel the danger in the air.

"Hmm. For you to have become so proficient in your art, surely some sect must have found you by now."

My thoughts turn to the exit behind me.

The woman who brought me before this imposing man moves befin front of the door.

Before I can do anything, the man rings a bell.

I can feel the danger and boot up my chi consumption.

The air grows dense as I move for the door.

An, then, I see it.

The fabric of reality ripples.

No matter how mighty the crayfish may believe itself to be, it is as nothing before a man.

So too, an immortal before an ascended immortal.

From here, I find my face on the carpet of this wealthy man's workplace.

"Thank the fates for your fortune. You are now a conscript of the Steady Sword immortals sect."

I can't help but feel a sense of deja vu as the world goes dark.