“Atlas!?” Ru Shi turned to see Atlas sprinting down court after court in the underground complex. He mindlessly rushed forward, his hairs stood on end, his body shivered as he neared the Movement Court. He stood on the empty ground. He stared at its floor, unblinking.
He took in he circle of steps only he could see. His eyes burned with power. Showing him the palette of Qi, and in the chaos the perfect circuit of the moon’s milky silver stood out.
“Atlas! Did you see something?!” Ru Shi caught up to him, torch in one hand, as the lights where not yet bright enough. She went to place a hand on his shoulder but he snapped his head. She stood stock-still as his otherworldly eyes moved away from her. Tears flowing down his cheeks. A frown marred his face.
“It’s a farewell gift. One that I would have never expected.” Atlas said as he walked with his bare feet around a circle. He examined it in silence, until finally he got to its start, and settled into a firm stance.
He took a deep breath and stopped his tears. He raised one leg and stomped it onto another set of silver Qi steps. His fists surged forward as he brought his waist into the swing after them. He spun and stomped another foot forward bending down, stretching his legs wide. Everything was slow and deliberate yet so dear to his memory that his eyes were closed. Sweat dripped down his body yet he firmly moved from one form to another. A carp going against the current, a dragon rising in one move and a phoenix descending in the next. He snapped into a punch, and dropped to a thunderous kick. He bent his waist and twisted his bones, he swiped and circled and lunged his body in a myriad ways yet always confined into that set of Silver steps.
He danced furiously yet ever so softly, changing from one form to another seamlessly. Dust rose up with his every step, the ground trembled. The Wind cracked at his speed, the cold; humid underground heating up with his breath. A visible light of silver mist wafted from his body.
It thumped and grew and it turned to a vortex of starry light. Ru Shi gasped and Atlas went faster as the vortex grew more visible. His moves changed as well. Becoming more complex and more difficult to pull off with every step. The Qi grew dense, it grew hot and it smelt of earth and rock, and cheese and milk, and spice, and of a stew boiled hot, a family around the table. Atlas glowed like the moon in the sky, illuminating the gymnasium with his soft waxing light.
And then he stopped. Arbitrarily, he had woken up from the trance, once more salty tears trickled from his eyes. He settled down, back to the floor of the Movement Court, he could feel the heat of his steps, his own heat. He made pretend in silence that it wasn’t so.
“Sorry about this, Ru Shi. I completely lost control there.”
“Did… Did you just cultivate? And dance at the same time?!” Ru Shi dropped down next to Atlas on her knees. From her shining green eyes Atlas could tell that she wouldn’t take half answers or half truths. He scratched his cheek and blushed.
“It’s something my mother taught me. The only thing my father allowed in fact. This dance and these forms are the only things I have left of mother. All the rest, including combs, jewels, clothes, even pictures. Were burnt, one random night, by father.”
“Why? Doesn’t he want to remember his own wife? How can he be so cruel?” Ru Shi helped Atlas up as the two of them went to sit on the large stone ledge cut into the stone of the underground gymnasium, running from one end to the other.
“I didn’t question it before. Maybe I didn’t want to break the illusion… I think I’ve gotten a real piece of the truth, finally. I can see the marks she left me here, only she could do that. Burnt into the world with Qi, four years ago at least. She knew I would be able to see it, without any Cultivation. My mother, a woman from an unknown family that my father just happened to find on a country road was a Cultivator at a time where Qi did not exist. The possibilities this opens up for my lineage are so enormous I can’t even bother counting them. And above all it shows that there was a lot I did not know about my mother, nor her power. What else could I not see before, that I can know?” Atlas believed his thought went to the right track. If she was to use her Qi for this, something that would bring her closer to death, she might as well do so for other reasons and be done with it, like pulling the band-aid in one go.
“You should go above now. There is no need for you to stay in this place, I can handle things on my own, and cultivation is not a task for two anyway. It’s boring down here.”
“I think it a pretty ingenious place. The whole Underground, secret training facility does remind me of my own home. We used to have private caves for Alchemy training.” Ru Shi smiled as she got up from the bench and made to leave. Atlas followed her as he still needed to put on shoes in order to train properly.
They reached the room of cupboards and lockers. Ru Shi as she made to leave, turned around. “Hey Atlas.” He looked up, standing on one foot as he was putting the other into flat black shoe. “I’m sorry… For everything during the mission. And thanks, for being understanding upon our return.”
“No worries. Everyone failed during that mission. It was a catastrophe all in all.” Atlas said with a smile as he put on his other shoe as well and closed the thick door of rock behind him. Now left alone he took a few deep breaths, a deep blush emerging on his cheeks. His heart rushed and butterflies circled his stomach. Images of his spontaneous dance as Ru Shi stared sent him slapping himself to snap out of it. Eventually, when his face had turned a bright aching red, he got his rampant thoughts under control.
Being beamed from above with white and yellow light, now the gymnasium lit up properly, he returned to the training mindset he had been allowed to forget for 6 whole months. Old injuries and memories, calluses on his feet and palms, ached as his focus sharply rose.
He broke into run, a marathon for warm up. White, misty breaths rose from his mouth.
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As the United Clans went about their repairs, their mending, and strengthening of their people, the gathering of herbs and the redoubling on combat training, in the eastern hills rising above the Compound, connected to the piercing mountains up north was a young man caked in mud stalking through the grass and bushes.
His throat was dry, his lips cracked, his hands and legs callused and dripping with puss inside his torn boots. Yet his eyes shone a bright blue cutting through the forest with expert accuracy as they searched above the canopy of the forested hills for the revered.
It was his job after all, as part of the Faction to use his skills for its benefit and this long hard trek fighting against starvation and thirst was nothing in comparison to what the faction had done for him and his sister.
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It was from a small gap in the thicket that Edward spotted the flying visage of God. His face lit up, he rocked himself from his prone position. He clambered up the base of a tree before throwing himself up its branches all the way to its top one hundred meters in the sky. The tip of the tree’s bark bent from his weight but otherwise held strong.
It gave Edward a perfect view of the elusive Dragon. Its peach scales glimmered majestically in the sunlight, its flexible body wading through the air as if it was water, its great talons, 4 sets in all, grabbed at the puffs of pink clouds as they pushed the young dragon ever forward towards the depths of the valley of this enormous mountain range Edward had followed it around. Its tail slapped the wind, crisp cracks echoed in the valley. Its long beard flowed freely below its great jaw. Breaths of wild energy billowed out of its mouth, a throttling voice as deep as the earth was old rumbled out to its hums, the deep drumming of its heart like the song of thunder.
Edward kept his eyes open, his mouth releasing great praises to the Dragon and the Spring Sage. Reverence overflowed from the teenager. As his eyes went bloodshot looking at it. They dried until they hurt yet Edward did not close them. In his reverence he forgot himself, the sheer majesty of the mighty Dragon capitulating his spirit.
Eventually Edward followed with his eyes as the Dragon begun dipping, it swerved to change direction ever so slightly, swirling its body towards a little lake that could be seen even from all this way away. A waterfall cascaded from the edges of the cliffs at the southern ends of the mountains its water frothing, catching in the wind.
Edward almost fell back down the tree, so fast he moved, he made one deep prostration towards the Peach Dragon itself, before he ran in the other direction. He sprinted through the forest to meet up with the rest of his people at the foots of these densely forested hills. The Spring Sage had to know of the great news. The Dragon had reached its home. They had found their holy grounds.
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In the main conference room of the United Clans the eldest and wisest of the Clans were gathered. At the head of the enormous dark mahogany table sat the two Patriarchs, Xanthip, and a new face as well, Miss Ru, Ru Wai’s wife and the Dowager of the Ru Clan.
She was a woman of dark skin and curly hair that puffed up around her head. She had piercings in her nose and face, chains and other embellishments of gold on her body and her eyes shone the same emerald green as her daughter, with just a hint of caramel in that sea of green. She was a dignified woman, young and powerful, sure of herself. One could tell she deserved and demanded respect. Yet still, she did not take much charge in the Clan. Compared to Atlas’ mother this was done out of choice entirely.
She had been called to this meeting, despite this, because every opinion of anyone worth something would be needed for this matter. ‘That would be the case’ Archeseus whined in his head. ‘If the old Fools decided to settle down!’
As one would expect the mere mention of the Third change, just the possibility of it coming soon, while they were still alive sent the old men mad, rabid with fear and anger and indignation. They had been waging senseless war with each other for the better part of the afternoon.
{CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!} Three resounding claps silenced the room.
“Everyone! This!” Miss Ru spoke as if she was shouting at her children, she waved to the room. “Is clearly not the way to go about a meeting of grown ups. Let the Patriarchs Speak!” She hoped that would be enough for peace and quiet before she sat back down and motioned towards her husband and Archeseus.
Aunt Xanthip, who had been silently observing everything gave a thumps up to Miss Ru. A grateful smile was returned. The two women got along very well, and it was good because it only benefited them to stick together in this room stinking of testosterone and ego. Though Xanthip knew she had relinquished her rights to lead when she had given up her seat to her younger brother. Some times a firm female hand, or mind was needed.
“I understand how you all feel. But this is not the time for feelings nor cold hard logic. We need to come to decisions. All this bolstering is not helping. From now on, anyone that has anything to say will wait in line. Raise hands. If someone interrupts or starts another senseless debate he or she will be kicked off from the council and will not return ever again. Have I become clear!?” Patriarch Archeseus was satisfied by the nodding crowd. ‘Finally’.
Sadly for him, he would not get any decision making done this day as suddenly rhythmic drumming buffeted the clan compounds. The low growl of a horrifying breath and the presence of a being above humanity crushed down on them. The Paper windows rattled, birds and insects dropped to the dirt as if dead.
A storm like cacophony crackled in the air above the compound. Archeseus struggled to get up, he pushed himself to the windows and opened them. He almost fainted on the spot as right in front of his face, passing a little above the height of the fourth floor the double lidded eyes of a scaly dragon, with long golden antlers and shining peach colored scales stared… inside of him. It was the Dragon of legends, its claws perched atop pink colored clouds, still, living. Its breaths rumbled, reverberating inside Archeseus’ chest. A steamy hot exhale that smelt of earth and felt hot like magma. No one spoke, no one could. Archeseus fell to his knees as the mounting pressure pushed upon him vigorously.
Xanthip rushed up from her chair and bolted across the conference table. She jumped in front of her brother. She stared down the Legend turned real, arms spread open before it.
“You… Are not it….” The Dragon rumbled so heavy it was almost silent, incomprehensible words flowed out of its moving jaw. Yet the world willed it so, and Archeseus understood what it spoke. It’s pressure lifted, his breath returned and Xanthip grabbed onto him, helping him stand back up. A twitch traveled through the white man sized brow of The Beast.
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Atlas jumped up high, he twisted his body in the air as he started his descent. Like a tornado he spun, sharp projectiles flew into the distance, fast and on target they cut through them like they were melted butter.
He landed and kicked off leaving deep prints in the hard sand. He flashed around a line of dummies cutting them open at the vitals in a breath. He slid to a stop at the end of the line before jumping forward. He spun in the air, a thin sword in his hands. He whirled around himself at such a speed that the wind sparked, a white silver energy flowing from his body. He cleaved at a boulder his height placed on the ground. A deafening crack sounded throughout the massive underground gymnasium as the boulder split apart perfectly, not a scratch on the edge of his blade either.
Feeling pumped Atlas grabbed one half of the truck sized boulder, his veins engorging with blood. His face turned red as he exerted himself to his limits but as his fingers dug into the hard stone he felt the boulder lifting from the ground. He stretched his legs and then arched his back. He lifted his arms over his shoulders along with the boulder before giving one last push. “AGH!” His scream blasted outwards. The boulder was up in the air. Atlas stood below it balancing it, muscles bulging. The Qi inside his body circulated bubbled, it roared with vigor in response to Atlas’ need. “AHH!” Another guttural shout saw Atlas brining the boulder to the ground with titanic force. It slammed into the packed earth and shattered into tens of pieces in a violent crash. His hands now free, filled with fistfuls of dust.
He stood in silence as he gathered his breath. When suddenly he saw something in the distance. A mass of pink Qi so dense and bright his eyes burned as he looked at it. As if it was the sun, yet this had never happened before. Even when looking at the Source of Qi Bi-Ran had gone to examine. But that wasn’t the end of it. Suddenly the mass of Qi got closer, and its brightness harsher, it peered back at Atlas as if offended at his peeping. This was the Qi of a living being. Atlas shuddered as he made that conclusion. A being with Qi as bright as the sun that had full control of it was such a threat the Spirit Boar did not clock in. Its pittance of fire was nothing in comparison to this regal peach colored Qi that grew visibly bigger by the second.
Atlas regained his senses, this enormous threat will be floating right above his Clan grounds in but a few moments. He rushed through the underground complex and up the steps to the surface. His breath caught on his throat with fear clawing at his mind.