There was a low, pulsing sound that repeated in regular intervals. Then a whine, as if a storm was howling outside. Then silence. Then a loud bang. Right at his door.
Quin’s eyes flew open, and his consciousness returned. With his mental faculties returning to life again, the sounds from outside got increasingly louder. That was, however, not what occupied his attention.
He had almost died. If it hadn't been for the sounds of what was probably a battle outside of his hidden residence, it was quite probable that he would have never awoken again.
Suddenly his back was slick with sweat. This had been his closest brush with death so far, and he hadn’t even seen it coming. When he checked the gains he had made before slipping too deep into meditation for fruitful cultivation, a sigh escaped his lips.
He had barely gained a sliver of additional cultivation. At this rate, even he with his prodigious remaining lifespan would die of old age before reaching even the bottleneck to the next stage in cultivation.
Letting out yet another sigh, he closed his eyes and tried to regain his bearings. The roar of yet another explosion made that endeavor quite impossible. His eyes snapped open as he decided to go out and see who had been his unwitting saviors.
With only a thought he triggered the protective spell formation stitched into his robes and teleported outside his residence. There, in the dark Astral Depths, two cultivators much weaker than him were slinging spells at each other.
One was a woman of fiery temper and choice of clothing, her face twisted in rage and her robe decorated with swirling red patterns. Her opponent was a hunched-back old man clad in a washed-out grey robe commanding the winds.
Their attention was squarely on each other and thus his sudden appearance went unnoticed.
He had no interest in waiting for them to notice him though and expanded his domain. Once it had been established, he used it to snuff out any spells that the two opponents tried to cast.
That brought him the attention of the two who both paled and shifted from aggressive to subservient postures. Someone who could dominate them so thoroughly and who could be so bold in his domain usage in such a dangerous area was not someone to upset.
The two of them had even been cutting it close with their exchange of spells and they had done their best to limit them in size, visibility, and sound.
The old man gathered his thoughts much more quickly and approached Quin, bowing deeply to him. “How can I assist you senior?”, he asked.
The woman didn’t lag far behind and copied the old man. “How can I assist you senior?”
Seeing that the two had quickly ceased their aggression and had likely inadvertently saved his life he decided to reward them later, but first, he had a few questions.
“Tell me, what is the current era?”, he asked.
This time it was the woman that answered faster. “Senior, it is currently the second quarter of the 935th year after the last high tide, which was the 10th of Emperor Verdant Mountain’s reign.”, she said.
Qin frowned. It seemed he had severely underestimated the time he had spent in meditation. “Who were the emperors before that?”, he asked.
The two weaker cultivators looked at each other surreptitiously. It seemed that the big fish they had disturbed was even bigger than they had thought.
“Respectfully, Emperor Verdant Mountain was preceded by Empress Blue Rose, who was preceded by Emperor Flame Oak, whose predecessor was Emperor Viridescent Dream. The records about emperors further back are quite spotty in the remote region we originate from, and I am ashamed to say that I did not take the time to rectify that.”, the old man answered.
“I am also ashamed to say that I can’t give the senior a better answer.”, the woman said.
Quin didn’t care though as his expression had brightened upon learning the last name. Viridescent Dream had been a student of his a long time ago when his father, the then crown prince, had been worried about his son’s lacking ambition and studiousness.
Originally, he had wanted to ask about important events that had happened in his absence, but since his source of information didn’t seem very reliable he decided to get the information directly from an old friend who he was sure knew about all the important events in the empire and beyond.
“That is quite alright, I was acquainted with Emperor Viridescent Dream. I will take my leave now. Just take care not to make such a ruckus this far down in the future. Not everyone has such a good temper as I have. You did unwittingly free me from a predicament though, so I will grant you a reward.”, he said. At that, the expressions of the duo brightened.
“As you two seem to be lacking in knowledge and I have a reputation as a teacher to uphold, I will gift each of you this map which charts the whole empire at the time I made it along with all the relevant spots which contain opportunities for higher-level cultivators.” With that said, Quin summoned two scrolls and sent them over to the two grateful recipients.
Since he had a long journey ahead of him Quin returned to his abode, gathered all his possessions, and afterward made his way to a separate part of his home where a dock had been constructed. Moored at this dock was a small sailing ship that could take advantage of the incredibly strong streams of spiritual energy that spread throughout the Deep Astral to swiftly take him to the empire’s core areas.
A few minutes later he was on his way, his abode secured and hidden and his mind spinning with thoughts on how to solve his current predicament.
His gaze wandered over the landscape rushing by as he neared his destination. Until now, his purpose in life had been to reach the peak of cultivation and then ascend to a higher world. Now that ascension was plainly impossible, his drive to continue had been sapped completely.
He had two avenues of success that he could see. The first avenue was to seek out increasingly dangerous areas in the hope of finding something to either speed up his cultivation or increase his lifespan even further. This was the passive route in which he had to trust his luck to both survive and find something worthwhile,
His second avenue was even riskier, but he would take his destiny into his own hands. He had a way to start over again. This time though, had would have all his broad cultivation knowledge and he would not start as a weak human. This option appealed to him much more, but he would take the time his journey afforded him and ponder which option was the right one for him.
…
A few weeks later Quin finally arrived at his destination. The capital of the Grand Vitality Empire was located on a smaller sub-plane connected to the main world only through a few heavily fortified entrances.
His special status allowed him to ignore all restrictions and so he flew above the seemingly endless queue of people waiting to enter the city. From above the city looked like a giant park, with many narrow walkways and bridges over streams and rivers of all lengths and sizes.
He alighted from his ship in front of the imperial palace of the Viridian Empire. It was a massive building dominating the capital city with both its height and the expansive area it covered.
As befitting of an empire dominated by a family of nature cultivators, the palace buildings were formed out of rare white living wood interspersed with various parks, lakes, and streams.
He had donned his ceremonial robes in various shades of green decorated with golden highlights identifying him as a Grand Imperial Teacher. His unexpected arrival sent the palace staff into a frenzy of activity as they rushed to prepare a suitable welcome for him.
Pinned upon his uniform was also a badge identifying himself as one of the highest-ranked officials, just below the emperor, who at least in theory stood above all. In reality, nobody in the empire had the strength to force him to do anything he didn’t want to.
The badge was also what had allowed him to fly his ship directly in front of the palace gates, ignoring all restrictions on flying and deactivating the protective formations that surrounded the palace for him.
He climbed the marble steps leading up to the main entrance and was welcomed by a middle-aged man clad in similarly ostentatious garb made completely out of green and red vines.
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“Greetings to the Grand Imperial Teacher. Might I know which esteemed teacher has returned to the empire? This insignificant official is named Lei. As the current Palace Chancellor I welcome you and will see to your needs.”, the man said.
“Greetings, Palace Chancellor Lei. I am sure someone will recognize the name Quin.”, he answered. The man’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly which indicated that at least the imperial court hadn’t forgotten him.
They entered the palace gate as they spoke and entered a richly decorated corridor. White wooden walls were covered in rich tapestries depicting scenes from nature and golden ornaments were placed wherever possible.
“I will need an audience with the emperor.”, Quin said.
“Certainly, teacher Quin. As luck would have it the court is currently in session. If you’d prefer to rest and refresh yourself beforehand a special audience can be arranged in the afternoon.”, Chancellor Lei answered.
There were regular smaller staircases leading down from the main corridor leading further into the administrative buildings of the palace complex through the roots of the trees they were made of, which connected them underground.
“I had time to rest while traveling and there is no need to prepare any rooms. I’ll be departing shortly after the audience is over, so there is no use in bothering the servants.”, he said.
“Very well teacher Quin.”, Chancellor Lei said. He motioned with his hand and a nearby servant burst into a sprint to convey his arrival.
The two men followed him at a more measured pace and took nearly ten minutes to reach the petitioner’s hall which contained gates to the throne room. Along the way, the corridor had not once changed in appearance. The details were different, but the overall look and feel stayed the same.
The guards stationed at the gate saluted them and opened the gates.
“Presenting the right and honorable Great Imperial Teacher Quin and the right and honorable Chancellor of Palace Affairs Lei.” The sonorous voice of the announcer filled the expansive throne room.
The ministers, originally seated to the left and right of the emperor behind small tables now all stood respectfully, forming a guard of honor on the raised dais in front of the throne.
The emperor himself was still seated as his position dictated, but he sat as stiff and straight as possible. He was powerfully built and clad in a golden robe decorated with dragons in shades of green.
The wooden diadem adorning his head was decorated with various precious stones and his staff was formed out of the root of an elder tree. Both were of course powerful artifacts just like anything else he was wearing, but that made the thematic coherence all the more impressive as powerful treasures were very rare and took many different forms
Quin once again performed a shallow bow in greeting and then climbed the steps of the dais while the chancellor stayed behind.
“Great Imperial Teacher Quin, We are delighted to see you still healthy and whole. We had already feared the worst when you didn’t appear at the wake for ancestor Viridescent Dream. The list of imperial immortals venturing into the Deep Astral and never returning is sadly a very long one.”, the emperor said.
He nodded to the emperor.
“I also regret that I wasn’t there to send him off, but if it wasn’t for the coincidental battle of two juniors in front of my hidden abode I fear that I may have very well never awoken from meditation.”, he said.
Shock marred the usually placid features of the emperor and the ministers. This was certainly not the answer they had expected.
“This is also the reason I am here today. I have clearly reached the limit of what I can achieve with my cultivation. Thus, I have decided to preserve my dignity and not slowly sink into degeneracy as so many of my predecessors have done when they felt it impossible to progress.
I will leave this life behind and enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Most of my wealth has already been invested into my legacy and only a few items remain that are unsuitable for a successor to inherit. Those items are inside my ship and will be given to you to do with as you please. Lastly, I will need to speak with the Great Will Oracle.”, Quin said.
The emperor was visibly reeling from the sudden turn the audience had taken and was visibly searching for the right words to say.
“It fills Us with great sadness that this situation has come to pass, but We will of course honor your wishes and take the necessary steps. Your contributions to the empire are greater than that of any other person still alive. Chancellor Lei will be at your disposal for any further arrangements you wish to make.”, the emperor answered.
“Thank you, your majesty. I will take my leave.” Quin bowed once again and left the throne room. This had been the shortest audience in his considerably long life, but by now he was beyond caring and he saw no point in long formalities or pointless niceties when it would all be over soon.
Once outside he turned to the chancellor and said: “Let us be off then.”
…
The Great Will Oracle was living hidden away deep in the palace grounds. Most people and even most powerhouses of the empire never learned of her existence. Only those with considerable contributions to the empire or the Great Will would be allowed to see her and use her services. Thankfully he had both in spades.
When he arrived she was already standing outside her abode that looked just like an ordinary oak tree magnified enough to not stand out among the other palaces.
“Sennah.” He smiled. “It seems to me that we are the only ones still left from when it all began.”
She smiled back at him though her smile was tinged with sadness as she no doubt already knew the reason for his arrival.
“Quin. It’s good to see you. Come inside, the tea should be about ready.”, she said.
She turned to the chancellor still standing awkwardly nearby.
“It is not yet time for you, so you will have to return alone, chancellor.”, she said.
Quin nodded to the chancellor, turned around, and entered, followed by the oracle. The chancellor saluted and bowed to their backs and then left as well.
As opposed to the rest of the palace the inside of Sennah’s residence was very homely. Directly behind the entrance was a living space with the dining table to the left and a pair of divans to the right half facing each other and half facing an extinguished fireplace.
A second door was facing the entrance and through an open door in the ensuing hallway part of the kitchen was visible.
“Just take a seat, I will be along shortly with the tea.”, she said.
Quin looked at his two options and decided to take a seat at the table. After a short while she returned with two steaming cups.
“So, tell me what you have experienced since we last spoke. It has been so many years so you must certainly have interesting stories to tell.”, she said.
“Oh, there are a few. I, unfortunately, spent a large amount of that time in meditation, so there are fewer than you might think. In return, you can tell me what I have missed. The last I heard was that Little Dream was declared crown prince and now he’s been gone for millennia already.”, he said.
She smiled at him again.
“Sure, I might not go out as much as I used to, but I have heard a few things.”, she said.
The hours flew by as they recounted their lives while apart and shared juicy pieces of gossip about various important and unimportant people. Slowly, the conversation petered out until they sat in companionable silence for quite a while, each reminiscing. After a while, Quin decided to broach the topic had originally come here for.
“I think I’m ready.”, he said.
She stilled and looked him deep into the eyes. Then she turned away from him and sighed.
“Come, then.”, she said.
She stood up, and he followed her out of the room into the hallway. At the other end of it was an ornately decorated door that stood in stark contrast to the rest of the home.
They walked over to it, and it opened as soon as she lay her hand on it. Behind it was a circular room flooded with light. At its center stood a cushioned table.
She looked deep into his eyes again
“This threshold can only be crossed once by you. If there is anything that you want to do, it has to be now. The Great Will offers you the chance to be reborn as one of its agents, but it has no patience for those trying to back out at the last moment.”, she said.
Quin motioned with his hand for her to continue. All of his affairs were in order and he had known that this would be a one-way trip.
Sennah led him over to the table, and he laid down on it. Gently, she laid her hands on his temples and began channeling her energy into them.
“Whatever option you have chosen for reincarnation, keep it firmly in mind. If you waver and the mental image becomes unclear the Great Will might not be able to discern your choice. In that case, it will choose for you. Most of those who end up here don’t get a choice, so don’t squander it.”, she said.
“I won’t.” Those were the last words Quin the human would ever utter before his mind and soul vanished in a kaleidoscope of sounds and colors.
The moment that his soul left his body there was nothing left to keep his cultivation in check. While the room and home of the oracle were unaffected by the final unleashing of his cultivation base, the rest of the world wasn’t quite so lucky.
A sudden hurricane developed in the parks outside the oracle's home, tearing out bushes and trees, throwing decorative boulders around as if they were pebbles, and emptying the various ponds of most of their contents.
Then the pressure arrived and everything instantly shot down onto the ground tearing holes into the grass and then cracking and splintering until the ground was perfectly flat.
Further along, the walls and foundations of the palaces began to crack, and only the constant work of both protective and repair formations kept the buildings standing.
In the throne room, the emperor barely managed to stay seated, but many of his ministers were not so lucky. The wave of pressure then rolled over the rest of the capital. Though much diminished, it still managed to shatter almost every glass item and window in the aristocratic quarter surrounding the palace.
The ordinary citizens were lucky that the walls surrounding the aristocratic quarter managed to contain the worst of it, and they only felt a heavy weight pressing down on them for a short while.
Anyone lucky enough to be outside at that moment was treated to a massive pillar of energy rushing into the heavens from the center of the palace. For those in the know, this signaled that the empire had just lost one of its hidden powerhouses and that the surrounding nations would soon start to probe its stability.
In the brightly lit room, Sennah remained in the same position and only removed her hands when the last vestiges of energy had left.
“So close to ascension, and yet so far. Goodbye, old friend. I hope to meet you in your new form someday.” A teary-eyed Sennah looked down at the body of her friend.
“You were indeed the last of our generation to die.” The image of the woman wavered and then broke apart revealing a mass of plants in a roughly female shape. The various plants soon unraveled and vanished into the floor, leaving the room empty bar the table and the corpse on top of it.