HEAVENLY SWORDS
Seated on a mountain plateau lies the famous Heavenly Sword Sect, home to the continent’s greatest martial warriors and practitioners of the blade. Today, far more than the ordinary,, it is abuzz with life. Servants and villagers who had settled there supporting the local Sect came about, a fast forming crowd scuttling along the grounds.
“The new disciples are coming today.”
“Wah, I hope one of them is really handsome.”
“You idiots! Why don’t you think of this Sect’s future? Elder Xin will surely be looking for a successor to his son.”
“I think I hear them. Ei, is it your stomach rumbling?”
Running along the mountain path upwards are a series of carriages, each with an armed guard at its helm. In one of these transports, two boys come to meet, through sheer luck, or perhaps through the will of Heaven.
Yuan Shao looked across where had sat, reluctant about opening up to a boy he had just met, even if they were of the same age. Today he had worn the family’s dull red and shabby robes, sported messy, wavy hair that fell down to his ears and curtained his slanted black eyes. His tanned, peasant-like complexion didn’t help with his drab look. All in all, Yuan Shao resembled a mean-faced commoner in red. Throughout the ride, his eyes had been glued shut. Only now that the silhouette of the plateau reared over the path did he bother to drop his wariness. Yet still, he only found himself staring in silence as thoughts of starting a conversation came to mind.
Likewise, Linghu Kai had kept to himself, occasionally cracking his knuckles to curb the growing excitement that welled in his heart. He didn’t want to make a poor impression on the other boy, a future Brother of the arts. Kai wore maroon blue robes cut out where it should cover the leggings, where they were replaced by loose grey martial pants of some sort. Decorated with a golden belt with the centerpiece of a tiger, and a single, worn iron pauldron on the left shoulder. Hair coming down loosely to his shoulders, a small patch behind tied into some semblance of a high ponytail. The rest of his hair came to flank a pale complexion and round, amber eyes. Compared to Shao, Kai was taller and had a more confident, almost smug demeanor. Noticing the idle, unintentional glare, he hesitated to start a conversation, ending only in another series of awkward knuckle-cracking that no longer made any noise.
Silence reigned hold of the two for a little longer, the carriages slowing to a halt before two sharp knocks came from the roof. “New blood! Straighten your robes and prepare! Stay together! We’re here!” Following the announcement, the carriage doors were flung open, the scene unfolding out to a vast stone plaza split off into four raised platforms. Located at the far end of the plaza was a large grey monolith, the words carved into it:
“HEAVENLY SWORD SECT”
“UNRIVALED UNDER HEAVEN”
“Go! Go! Form up before Elder Xin! Lower your heads!!” The mass of newly arrived bodies is roused again, shepherded by fierce-looking men in white robes. Some of the children walk forward with clear unease and anxiety, others with their heads proudly hoisted high. Such were induction rituals to any Sect, a boiling pot from all walks of life. Hopeful farmers seeking foretold destinies, be they real or a lie, noble scions seeking to uphold old powers and devout practitioners of the martial path.
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Shao himself belonged to the uneasy crowd, constantly peering over other heads and shoulders to his left and right. Part of him bustled with anxiety, firmly weighing down his heart, while another urged him to have a move forward regardless. I’m finally here. I can’t falter now. I must see Uncle.
Kai, on the other hand, took a long and contemplative gaze at the others before him as he straightened his robes. Most had stuck to their carriage groups, some looking to have even formed fast friendships. So he decided to follow the grumpy-looking boy he had gotten stuck with on the ride. Finally. The Heavenly Sword Sect. I’ll make you proud, Mother.
With the future disciples forming up into some semblance of an organized crowd, a chipper voice tittered from behind Kai. “Wah! Brothers… Can you believe it? We’re here!” Promptly looking back, Kai found a silver-haired boy with feminine features. “Oh. W-Was I disturbing your cool-and-aloof brooding, Brothers?”
Kai chuckled at that, some relief that he’d been spoken to first, unlike the carriage ride. “No, not really. Just… equally excited as you and likely as nervous.” A smile is put out as Kai looks about, settling on the silver-haired boy again. “What’s your name?” Shao only spared a passing glance as the two next to him came to converse, his brows furrowing slightly in mild annoyance. He forced his attention back to the front, where a wizened old Master stood atop a raised wooden platform.
The chipper boy continued, “I’m Li Mei! Personally, I tend to speak a lot to ward off the uneasiness!” Li Mei snatches away Kai’s hand, shaking it immediately. In some provinces, such a brazen approach would be considered rude but… Linghu Kai was not at home here. Better to roll with it. When in Tianhuang, do as the nobles do. Besides, I’ve never met someone with such soft hands before. Can this Brother really fight?
"Newcomers of the Heavenly Sword Sect." A powerful, booming voice grips the plaza, eliciting a subconscious straightening of backs among the trainees. "I, Elder Xin, welcome you to these sacred grounds. You have been brought here by providence, mere luck, or privilege befitting their status and bloodline." Elder Xin stands atop the wooden platform, looking down on all those present. Draped in an immaculate white robe with crimson inlays, the Elder holds a middle-aged man’s complexion with elderly white hair pulled into a tight bun. He reaches out dramatically with an arm to stroke a stomach-length goatee.
“But. Whatever circumstances it may be, know that the Heavenly Sword Sect is regarded as the continent’s strongest martial school. Though you may possess latent abilities and potential, that alone will not suffice! What we desire from future Heavenly Swords is far more than such simple things!“
“I will determine whether you are worthy. Unlike the other initiation rituals in the history of the Sect, this will end quickly.” The white-haired Elder nods, a malevolent grin stretching across his face.
“The last… no. Some of you aren’t even capable of counting. Kill one another until I am satisfied with what remains.” Swiping out with a flourish of his ivory beard, Elder Xin shrieks across the plaza.
“BEGIN!” The deafening boom of a rung gong spreads throughout the plaza, as well as unease and mounting tension. The Elder stays in place, eyes aglint with anticipation.