Kevin kept track of the other introductions while letting himself fade into the background. Most of it was boring, just variations on the same few themes: join the inner sect, gain power, and make lots of money.
A few were a little more interesting, but still not quite what he was after. There was a young man who wanted to invent a new piece of technology. A woman who wanted to become the greatest sword master in the country. And a third nondescript disciple whose aim was to scour the wilderness for undiscovered species.
All were at least looking beyond the next two or three years, but they still lacked the level of vision he hoped to find. Then again, he might be asking too much of these fresh disciples.
Why wouldn’t they focus on the immediate future? They had classes to take and merit to earn. For many it must seem pointless to plan further when they didn’t even know if they could keep their position in the sect.
If this were truly a sect of strange people traveling on odd paths, then he’d find a few people eventually.
The introductions seemed to break the ice as people split off into larger groups. If he wasn’t mistaken, most congregated toward those who had the same goals as them. Laughter, jokes, and glares abounded as people sized each other up.
Many seemed to have forgotten him already, with only the occasional glance of pity or derision sent his way. Still, it was easy to see that none of the groups were interested in having him join them.
Darren’s words might have poisoned the well a little more than he’d thought. Hopefully, they’d all calm down before classes started. If not, he’d have to work to win his classmates back over, at a minimum.
For now, he waited by the edge of the room, sipping his drink. It was too early to leave without looking like he was running away, but with no one to talk to, the entire situation was rapidly becoming a boor.
A shift in the flow of people drew his attention as someone skillfully navigated their way through the press of people. It was too early to make out who it was, their presence mostly visible through their effect on the crowd, but they appeared to be heading his way.
Stiffening, Kevin downed the last of his drink and crouched to place the empty glass against the wall. At best, this was the encounter he’d been hoping for. At worst, it would kick off a fight he was in no shape to handle.
More likely, it was someone coming to ridicule his dream in person. Whatever the case, it was best to be ready.
His eyes widened as the figure stepped free from the last group. He recognized her; it was the high-performing woman from his technique comprehension test. Her grasp of the Twisted Step after only a single day had been incredible.
He hadn’t realized she was even here; she definitely hadn’t taken part in the introduction.
This could get interesting.
Today, she wore a dressy black cultivator robe that hugged her curves like a cocktail dress. The dark color was a sharp contrast to her paper-white complexion, and the shifting characters still tattooed across most of her exposed skin.
As before, any meaning the text splashed across her body held escaped him. If it indeed had meaning, then it was in a language his outsider translation ability didn’t cover.
The woman’s lips quirked into a tiny smile as she noticed his attention. In an instant, the distance between them vanished, though her stride never seemed to change.
Kevin jerked back despite himself. He might be getting used to such dramatic movements from more advanced cultivators but not from those closer to his own level.
Based on the energy he could sense, she couldn’t have reached the third stage yet. Had she mastered the Twisted Step even further in the last few days? If so, she’d incorporated it into her normal stride to the point it was almost seamless.
Moments passed as they stood almost face to face, with Kevin staring down at the half-a-head shorter woman. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Who showed up like that and then just stood there?
“Hey there,” Kevin said awkwardly, more thrown than he liked to admit by the strange circumstances. The woman’s smile grew into a smirk in response, as if enjoying his reaction.
Then she reached her right hand into her opposite sleeve.
Kevin tensed again at the sight; was she about to pull a weapon on him? With the sheerness of her dress, her wide sleeves were the only place she could have hidden one.
With a single, elegant movement, the woman’s hand swung out, clutching a white tube. Before he could react, it unfurled into a blank page, a little larger than the A-4 size he was used to.
Tilting her head with the smirk still in place, she brought her other hand up and shifted her grip until she was holding the page by the top corners. Before Kevin’s eyes, black fluid seeped from her fingertips and flowed across the empty paper.
The ink-like substance shifted in unnatural movements, driven by something other than gravity. Within a few seconds, it began shifting into large, block-style words.
Apologies for the late introduction; my style of communication takes a measure of setup.
Let me rectify that now. Amelia Lavaine, though you may call me Amelia if you wish.
Rather than appearing all at once, her text formed word by word at a pace similar to a spoken sentence. Nor could it be an unintentional process, as Amelia’s expressions synced perfectly with her words.
She even dipped into a curtsy timed with her introduction, shifting her body without dipping or wobbling her page in the slightest.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Kevin Blake,” Kevin responded, shaking off his daze. “Nice to meet you.” Despite the odd communication style, both in method and tone, she seemed friendly enough.
He’d been right; this would be interesting.
----------------------------------------
Amelia jerked her head to the right, her meaning obvious. Looking past her, Kevin could see a few people looking over with curiosity on their faces. She might have slipped over unobserved, but she was out in the open now.
He didn’t sense any ill intent from her, and she was only suggesting they move deeper into the cavernous room. With the whole thing well-lit, they wouldn’t even be moving into darkness, just out of earshot.
“Sure,” Kevin said, shrugging his shoulders.
A mischievous grin sprung onto Amelia’s face; then she was gone.
Looking deeper into the room, he found her leaning casually against the wall some eighty feet ahead. God, that was getting annoying. Shaking his head, Kevin hurried to follow.
It at least gave him a moment to consider the situation and the young woman’s — he’d place her somewhere around twenty-one — strange communication method.
He couldn’t imagine this world being unable to heal a physical cause behind her situation. Not with how advanced their medicine was, and with literal Qi magic. Perhaps it was simply too expensive or a psychological issue, but something told him the cause was stranger than that.
The ink dripping from her fingers combined with the tattoos screamed some kind of special bloodline or constitution to him. Perhaps there was some restriction from that? Something like giving up verbal communication to better master the written version?
It wasn’t his place to pry, but he still didn’t know for sure if Amelia would end up being a friend or foe. And it only made sense to figure out the weaknesses of potential rivals.
Shaking his head, Kevin turned his attention back to the waiting woman as he grew close. This place was starting to get to him; he’d never had a thought like that back home.
Amelia shifted from her casual stance the moment he arrived, fresh ink bleeding from her fingers across a blank page.
Had she swapped the sheet on his way over? Or could she wipe it clean as well?
Did you mean what you said earlier?
“About aiming for immortality?” Kevin asked with a raised eyebrow. He couldn’t discern the woman’s intent from her face, but at least she wasn’t openly mocking.
Amelia nodded in response, cocking her head to the side.
“Yes, I did.”
Ink shifted and blurred on the page, retracting back into her fingers in an instant. Without pause, it shot out again, forming new characters.
Would you mind explaining further?
Kevin nodded, pausing to consider his words while suppressing his growing excitement. There was no reason to expect she’d be of a similar mindset yet; a little curiosity meant little.
“It’s the whole reason I came to this world. Cultivation is a wonderful, intriguing path, but for me, it boils down to that single purpose. That goal has impacted everything from choosing my cultivation method to which sect I joined.”
Kevin’s smile faded as he glanced into the distance. “I’ve come far too close to dying once, and I never want that experience again. More than that, however, I love being alive. Even when it hurts or is difficult, I still love the contrast and the struggle.”
Brightening as he got going, Kevin continued. “I sometimes hear people say they couldn’t live forever; they'd get too bored. That’s not something I could ever understand; there’s just too much to see, do, and experience.”
“Do you know that every day more books are written than you could read in that day? And that’s only a single example of how the sum total of potential experience grows with every passing moment.”
“Even with eternity, you would never see it all, but you’ll get a damn sight closer than in a normal lifetime,” he said with a chuckle. “Even if I don’t make it, the vastly expanded lifetime of a cultivator is well worth the effort.”
“It might take a lot of time and work, but I’ll get more time later for every moment I put in now. And it’s not as if cultivation is some boring task I need to force myself to do; it’s another fascinating area that expands the more I investigate it,” Kevin finished with a grin.
His impromptu speech was a little rambly, but it resonated with the truth of his being. The only thing he’d left out was the little soul issue; there was no need to put that on someone he’d barely met.
Not without a reason too, like he had with Elder Ming.
Amelia seemed lost in thought, perhaps processing what he’d said. Eventually, a smile blossomed on her face and was soon joined by an enthusiastic nod.
Thank you, I like your conviction. I, too, have heard that more knowledge is created or unearthed each day than can possibly be consumed, and that fact tears at my heart.
Our goals might not align in their entirety, but I believe we have much in common.
Kevin leaned forward and raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue.
Apprehension flashed across Amelia’s face, and her page shivered in her hands. Then, her expression shifted into firm determination.
I seek comprehension. First of myself, then of the world, then of all existence.
It is said that a few of those nearing the peak can extrapolate all things under heaven from the shape of a single flower.
That level of understanding is my goal, and it is no more achievable than yours. We are both fools, perhaps, but a foolish goal is the only one worth striving for.
A shiver ran through Kevin’s being as he took in the full impact of her words. She might be working towards it for a different reason, but she was still talking about reaching eternity. Or close to it, at least.
There was no way Amelia would be able to reach such profound knowledge without many lifetimes of experience. She’d even mentioned, ‘those nearing the peak.’
This was it, a potential friend and ally who wouldn’t stop striving in a few decades or even a few centuries.
“Thank you for sharing that; I like your conviction as well,” he responded, echoing her earlier response. “I hope we can become good friends in time; it would be awfully lonely at the peak otherwise.”
A smile blossomed on Amelia’s face, and she gave an eager nod. Letting her page sink with her left hand, she extended her right.
Recognizing the gesture, Kevin reached out and clasped arms. Amelia’s grip was astonishingly strong for such a delicate figure, and she squeezed for a moment before letting go.
Laughing, Kevin rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you for coming over. I aimed to draw interest, but I’m still shocked to meet someone like you so soon.” He’d hoped for someone close but hadn’t really expected such a compatible individual to show up already.
Amelia drew a hand across her face, hiding a silent chuckle that was still visible in her shoulders. After a moment, she shifted her page once more.
Perhaps you shouldn’t be. In a place like this, I’d guess there are far more strange goals and odd stories than you might imagine.
Even those who only talk of the inner sect likely seek the core in their innermost dreams.
They’re just smart enough not to spout such nonsense in front of an entire room of people.
She was hiding another laugh by the time she finished, though it was clear she was only teasing.
Kevin laughed along with her, shaking his head. Perhaps she was right, and most just didn’t want to rock the boat. Even Amelia had dragged him far out of earshot, and she didn’t even speak.
Perhaps there would turn out to be a few more crazy disciples in their same group. Or perhaps not.
For now, he could just be happy to have found one person to confide in. That she was highly competent and very attractive, for that matter, was even better.