My daily business carries on, and ever more mortals find immortality.

As I consider the composition of my military force. Violet Sky must have the lowest number of immortals out of all the factions.

Their ascent is brief. But, steady progress sees these newly minted immortals rapidly advance to their next developmental stage.

In the quiet moments, I sneak off to my immortal cave to meditate with a sense of peace that surpasses what I can find in the mass array.

As the months pass, Violet Horizon members begin arriving.

The acolytes have traveled on foot, while the immortals come by air.

There is a train of them, and how will we accommodate them all?

My thoughts turn to the distorted spaces found throughout the village. There's far more space than there first appears to be.

The major factions of Steady Sword take to recruiting fresh batches of recruits to their leagues.

But, the new forces are loyal to their established leadership. These new troops didn't come to lose their autonomy.

The patriarch sees to the placement of the arriving members.

"Grandmaster Rook."

I smile as I turn to see the beautiful, grand master alchemist.

I see a smile on her face as I say, "Grandmaster Rain."

"I am pleased to see you again. I was hoping my people could find a place in your apothecary."

"Of course," I say as I ponder how to accomplish that.

"How many alchemists do you have?"

As she tells me the numbers I realize that we must expand the workshop.

"We will see to it.

"Renald."

"Yes, sir?"

I look around the apothecary. "Put in a request with the master craftsmen to add an additional chamber onto the building."

"Yes, sir."

With that seen to, I turn my attention to my counterpart. "How do you feel about all this?"

She steels her gaze as she looks into me.

"This is necessary. With our two large sects merging, we will be better prepared to face the threat of the daeva and the other threats that the convergence will bring upon us."

I had yet to consider the threats we may face beyond the daeva incursion.

"Well, I'm glad to see you again, Rain."

Her steely eyes grow soft.

"Have you been sending forces out to face the threat?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "No, we have been holding off until this merger is complete."

I nod my head in understanding. "The patriarch has directed us on the council to assemble martial leagues to face the threat.

"Has Violet Horizon been recruiting martial leagues?"

Rain nods, "Word has spread, and many factions are arising and joining together."

"Do you know of any groups that would be willing to join hands with my Violet Sky league?"

"Violet Sky?" She smiles a knowing smile. "A good name to recruit my sect members with."

I share in the smile for a moment before escorting Rain out to the field behind the apothecary.

Rain follows me into the array.

She's not surprised, having already seen the torrential flow of chi in the area.

"You've been working hard," she takes measure of the varying stages of the cultivators surrounding us.

"You even allow acolytes a place among the immortals?"

The acolytes sweat profusely under the effect of the array. The power that they have to tame pushes them to the limit.

But, none of the hardworking mortals will give up their place, except when commanded to the martial field.

"How many ascended immortals do you have in your ranks?"

I look over the field, "Over three hundred. That number is growing rapidly."

Rain brushes a hand through her black hair.

"I know of members of my sect who would be interested in joining your Violet Sky."

"That would help. We need as strong a force as we can muster."

"Perhaps you'll join me in some meditation." I indicate the central node of the flower of life.

She smiles as the array hums before flying down to the node.

I join her, and we put our palms over and under each other.

This engagement of yin and yang binds our spirits.

Our soul body unifies and disseminates through the array.

It dawns on me that all the solitary cultivators are incomplete. Their nodes need to be improved.

There is a way to perfect this array.

For now, I cultivate with my counterpart. I feel purity in my soul stone, the small imperfections in the chasm of my soul well melting way.

My soul is somewhat tyrannical next to Rain's peaceful soul well.

I find myself holding back so as not to cause her discomfort.

"Stop," she says.

"Stop what?" I puzzle.

She looks deep into me with her ruby-like eyes.

"Stop holding back."

I can't help but feel self-conscious of my behavior. She's not a china doll. She is an ascended immortal.

I open my soul to Rain and feel the furnace of spirit and thought, yin and yang. Her soul well and mine overlap.

A gasp escapes my counterpart's perfect lips.

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I don't hold back as my soul pours like a waterfall into Rain.

Our chi is polarized as the impurities are blown away. The space is replaced by pure energy.

We carry on for hours. Almost afraid to call a close to our daoist partnership.

I feel it when she opens her eyes. I feel her every breath as an extension of my own body.

My eyes open to see the gorgeous woman before me. Her cheeks flushed with blood, starkly contrasting to her porcelain white skin.

Her breathing calms as we look into each other's souls.

"This is amazing." She looks around at all the cultivators.

I can't help but agree with her. The crystals that lie as so much debris build a network from which tremendous power can be harnessed.

"Violet Sky, huh?" Rain looks back at me. "I will help you with all that I am able."

I smile a gratefully.

With that, we turn to our respective roles.

The craftsmen begin their work, and it takes a few weeks for the new wing of the apothecary to be finished.

Rain incorporates well into the ordering of the alchemists. We share the grandmaster title, and she aids significantly in the paperwork.

"I can't believe you've been organizing your affairs like this. So inefficient." Rain is critical as she sifts through my papers.

I have nothing to deny her claim. My organizational technique was inherited from Nigel.

I leave her to mind the bureaucracy of my changing workspace.

My attention is focused on the council.

"Your Excellency, we have many redundant positions with this merger of the sects. It is becoming necessary to decide who will retain their roles."

The patriarch looks out on an expanded council.

The Violet Horizon patriarch sits at his side.

The sects are divided by the sides of the table.

"Yes," the patriarch begins. "There are redundancies in our roles."

The energy in the room goes cold. I watch as several council members swallow the lumps in their throats.

"Your Excellency, I would like to speak."

"Grandmaster, speak."

"Sir, I would like to step down from my role as grandmaster alchemist."

Several whispers carry through the hall.

"Grandmaster, I do not believe that necessary." The patriarch seems alarmed by my proposition.

"Your Excellency, grandmaster Rain is in no way inferior to me. And, I have been feeling inadequate in my attendance to my Violet Sky league's affairs."

The Violet Horizon patriarch speaks, "Grandmaster, do you intend to go to the front?"

The hall is silent—the other elders command from the rear.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The two patriarchs share a look, and for a moment, I fear they will decline my request.

"I know," says the Violet Horizon patriarch, "many of my lower immortals and acolytes have found a place in your league."

The patriarch lets the silence hang.

"I look forward to reports of Violet Sky's success."

The surrounding elders look at me with a variety of expressions. I can only see the faces of Violet Horizon elders.

Some are angry or afraid. But, most look at me quietly, pondering where I fall into the power plays of this new Violet Sword sect.

I look at my patriarch, his face a cipher.

"Grandmaster Rain shall take over your responsibilities."

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

The other affairs of the council continue for some time. But, my thoughts are turned to the league's matters.

I want some time under Godfrey's training.

Since he took the position, he has grown ever more efficient at turning mortal and immortal alike into blades to be unsheathed against our enemies.

But, before that, I need to see to the induction of the now solitary grandmaster of Violet Sword.

"What did you just say?" Rain asks as if I had slapped her.

"I said, I will be leaving the role of grandmaster to you. I need to see to matters with Violet Sky.

"With all the redundant jobs, this was a chance to follow other pursuits.

"You do want the position, right?"

Rain frowns, "Of course I do."

"Then what's so bad about you taking over now?"

She sighs, "Nothing, I just thought we-" Her words trail off.

I understand without her laying it out for me.

"Are you done with your work for the moment?" I ask.

"Why?"

"Cause I want to try something new."

We leave the apothecary for the field with the array.

The male and female cultivators are disbursed individually.

I spend over an hour rearranging the disciples' placement and giving them directions on meditating.

The male/female units set the array to a frequency I've never experienced before.

Rain observes my every action. Measuring their worth.

Finally comes the time when Rain and I sit opposite one another.

Palm in the palm, we meditate.

The chi in the array is... nurturing.

Rather than my soul stone being forged and the imperfections pounded out of me, my energetic core grows like a seed into a sapling and then a tree.

The imperfections are merely nourishment for the seed of my soul.

As I sit there, looking into Rain's eyes, I think of infinite paths on the road of cultivation.

Our souls meld as part of the many souls in the array.

I have the mind to pop a Heavenly Resonance and Heavenly Fortifying pill. Rain mirrors me before returning to our cultivation.

I feel unhurried to move from my spot, and the hours grow long.

At some point, the squadrons rotate out, and it is time for me to move on. Rain can read my actions before I make a move.

"Are you going so soon?" She asks, afraid of the answer.

"Not yet. I'll train under Command Sergeant Godfrey, to get myself acclimated." I look wryly into the sky, "Despite this being my army, I know surprisingly little about it."

Rain smirks, "Go crawl in the mud for a few days and tell me if you still think your plan is a good idea."

I sigh to myself as I part ways with the lovely grandmaster.

I've grown so used to the title that it will be weird to no longer be called as such.

The cultivators have taken to dual cultivation in the array. In addition to providing a more aligned cultivation, it allows more cultivators to occupy the grid.

I leave the matters of the array to others and find my way to the martial field.

"Heard you gave up your throne, alchemist."

Command Sergeant Godfrey looks me over. What he sees is beyond me.

"Are you taking training, or do you think you can lead when you don't know how to follow?" Godfrey turns his head and spits on the ground.

"I'm here to train."

A vicious smile takes Godfrey's face. "Good man."

The training regimen begins and everyone spends hours on end marching to the cadence of several drill sergeants.

"Get into formation, little worm!" One of the drill sergeants bellows at me after getting directions from the Command Sergeant.

I hurry to follow the command and find a place at the back of one of the platoons.

We march back and forth for seemingly endless hours and around the martial field.

Whenever someone slips up, the drill sergeant commands us as a group to perform push-ups.

It isn't much of a punishment for the immortals in our ranks. But I understand the purpose of the sentence. It is to instill a sense of collective responsibility.

The hours extend into the night, and we must be attentive to our comrades' movements.

As dawn comes upon the world, our training progresses.

We form squads and move in a chevron formation.

Back and forth and around. We have to be more coordinated with so many groups operating in tandem.

There need to be more ascended immortals to do any aerial drills.

So, we are drilled on ceremony and discipline.

Occasionally, Godfrey comes over to supervise my drilling.

"You think you're above this?" Godfrey demands.

"No, sir," I bellow out.

"Sir?" Godfrey catches something that he can torment me for.

"Do I look like some gentleman seated on a fancy chair too narrow for his wide ass? Do I?"

"No!" I yell out.

"No, what, recruit?" he growls at me.

"No, Command Sergeant!"

Victory shines in his eyes, "Good."

For a moment, I think the exchange will pass.

"Platoon!" Godfrey barks.

I kick myself.

"Front leaning rest position. Move!"

I am unphased by the push-ups. But he's not punishing me. He's punishing them for my failures.

It's not the first time the platoon has been punished for my ignorance.

Despite training with the fresh-faced youths, they know me as the commander, second in authority within the league only to the patriarchs.

This knowledge makes it more humiliating when I mess up.

Eventually, we pass on to the combat training. With my novice-grade sword techniques, I'm far more competent in this training. But, I'm also drilled on the use of a spear.

Most of the recruits favor the spear due to its low barrier to entry.

Hours and days progress as I integrate into the chain of command.

We rotate into the array and back to training.

I spare no effort under the care of the drill sergeants.

"Decent, alchemist."

"Thank you, Command Sergeant."

Godfrey looks me over, "Stow it; the time for you to take the reigns of this war machine has come."

I find it difficult to imagine myself commanding now that I've integrated into this dehumanizing machine.

"What will you do now, alchemist?"

I ponder the question. I could stay here to command the units in their training or report to the front.

"I'll leave the training to you, Command Sergeant. I need to go see these daeva."

"Understood." Godfrey returns to his affairs, and I leave the martial field behind.

There are a few days before the next squad of ascended immortals is headed to the front. So, I take the time to find Rain.

"Grandmaster," I say in greeting.

The beautiful alchemist turns to see me.

"Rook," she smiles a delicate smile. "Have you finished your training?"

"I have. I'll be going out with the next batch."

Her smile falters.

"There are a few days, so I wanted to help you in the apothecary."

Her smile returns, "Please take over one of the cauldrons and start producing Earthly Resonance and Fortifying pills.

"With all the acolytes joining your army, we're having trouble keeping up."

I nod my head and find the necessary ingredients.

My work is steady. And I begin producing batch after batch of the pills.

When I finish my work, an attendant comes forward to take the stock.

As I work, I assess the discipline of the alchemists operating under Rain's directions. It's subtle, but I can tell that things are more fluid than during my time as grandmaster.

I sigh, a little melancholy coming over me.

Still, I am glad she's coming into the position here with grace and skill.

Days pass in this manner. And, before I noticed, my departure day has come.

"Rook," Rain looks to me with concern. "Come back."

I smile a reassuring smile and turn to join my men.

As I find my place among their ranks, each newly ascended immortal bows hand over fist to me.

I return the salute.

Most of the gathered men do not possess cosmos rings and so travel with all they have in bags.

Each of these men and women carries a spear, favoring it over the sword.

In addition to my common swords, I've stocked spears for the odd occasion that I might use one.

With etiquette seen to, we float up into the air.

With me leading the men, we form a chevron formation.

I can feel how fresh these young immortals are. Some had formed their soul stone before finding a place in Violet Sky. But, most are youths in the way of immortality.

Their faces are excited, and they hold back their smiles.

We race through the sky with haste. I find myself holding back my speed.

Despite being the same rank as immortals, our power levels have a significant difference.

We observe the world below us change from broad forest to tundra. The temperature drops as we fly on, night and day.

I consult a map to ensure that our path is true.

The troops follow me dutifully. Should I lead them astray, they will blindly follow me. Godfrey does have a skill for producing loyal soldiers.

Days and nights pass as we fly ever onward to our destination.

Before us, on the horizon, a towering stronghold can be seen.

The Tower of Acer.

It's a majestic fortification and, as we approach, we only begin to notice how militarized the Tower is.

I sense the chi flow of many immortals in this place. I also sense the presence of a large number of mortals.

A unit of a dozen ascended immortals flies out to investigate us.

"Your Excellency," the leader bows to me.

"I had heard you would be coming," the man smiles. "We are glad for your arrival."

We are escorted into the fortress, and we get a variety of observers. Mortals watch in reverence as our troop ascends to the Tower's center and highest fortification.

The number of immortals becomes concentrated in this highest echelon.

Curious faces peak out to observe us.

Most are neutral observers. But I can tell by the change in the chi around, that my arrival stirs up some enmity in the hearts of more than a few.

We keep moving until we find a building that serves as a command center for Violet Sky's regional operations.

As we enter, the door guard puzzles over me momentarily before realization dawns on him.

"Attention!" the man bellows.

The soldiers in the building stand at attention.

I gaze around in surprise at the discipline of these men and women.

"As you were," I say to the gathering.

Commander Michal comes out from an office, "Your Excellency."

We continue with the etiquette until I find myself in Michal's office.

I measure the man. I'd only seen him a few times before this moment.

He is a disciplined man with short hair. His musculature is impressive. And I can't help but compare his physique to my own.

Despite my efforts to put on weight, I remain scrawny.

His soul is overflowing with power, and I see one who leads by example in him.

"Your Excellency," Michal brings me back to the world.

"We have reports of an encampment North of here. Since its establishment, we've seen a rise in daeva incursion incidents.

"I propose a joint operation with elder Skyflare's forces to scourge the site."

Michal is a straightforward man. He gets right to the heart of the matter.

"How many are our forces?"

"Over four hundred, Your Excellency."

"And Skyflare's men?"

"Three hundred."

"And, how many do you propose sending?"

Michal doesn't blink as he says, "All of them."

I have only just arrived, and I'm faced with a major decision.

"Can we get any of the other factions involved in this operation? Perhaps elder Winter's forces would aid us."

I have a good relationship with Elder Winter. I should be able to rely on him.

Michal thinks over my proposition before looking, unafraid, into my eyes.

"Were it I to ask, the answer would be no. But, with your presence, we may stand a chance."

I nod, "Give me an escort to Winter's HQ."

A team arrives to direct me to my destination.

"Your excellency," the force leader bows to me.

"Commander," I return the salute.

"Commander, I hoped to establish a joint operation to clear one of the daevas' dens. Is that something I could rely on your forces for?"

The man's lips make a line.

"I beg your forgiveness. But I must find authorization with Elder Winter before I decide."

"Very well."

I turn to leave, knowing it will take some time for the request to be processed.

"Your Excellency," I hear as I turn to leave. "I am pleased to see you with us out here."

I smile at the man's sincerity.

With that attended to, I return to Elder Skyflare's unit.