Storm had been resting in Sister’s inner sea when she felt the tribulation begin. She squawked in confusion as the ocean of liquid Qi began to froth and stir. The waters formed whirlpools, and waves that had never existed began to crash against the island in the center.
The island that contained Sister’s Dao Pillar.
Storm had barely time to recognize there was a problem before she was forced out of Sister’s Dharmic space, ejected, and joined Sister inside an array that was steeped with Qi, power, and tribulation.
Storm wasn’t sure what had happened to trigger this event, but the memories of her ancestors, those that had survived countless tribulations, spoke to her and told her what she needed to do to protect Sister. To help her endure and reach safely past this event.
Storm concentrated on the bond of blood they shared, that tether that had formed and existed from the moment Sister had chosen her. From the moment Sister had selected her to bond with out of all the choices in the world. Chosen her to share a life. To become sisters in truth, bound by blood.
As each Heavenly tribulation struck, Storm reached across that bond to grasp and claim the energies focused on destroying Sister and pulled. She couldn’t claim all that energy; Sister needed to harness and control some to advance. The ancestral voices told Storm that there was no turning back; Sister had to face this tribulation or never advance again.
Either Sister advanced to the next realm, or she would, at best, be forever locked in the Qi Gathering Realm. At worse, her channels would be seared, and she would no longer be a Cultivator. If that happened, Sister would no longer be able to maintain a bond with Storm.
Storm had to harness and contain some of the energy she was pulling to advance her own tier. She needed to flood her channels with enough energy to level to the next stage with Sister. The process was hard, and this early attempt at advancement was almost certain to be doomed to failure.
There was a reason Cultivators waited until they were at the perfected stage of a Realm before attempting to advance and brave a tribulation. Lessons of legions of Cultivators had shown that advancement was all but impossible otherwise.
Storm used the knowledge her ancestor voices gave her to help deal with the excess energy, to use her and Sister’s bodies to ground the excess into the surrounding array.
It wasn't ideal.
A tribulation array would have worked better to ground the lightning, but adding excess energy to the Kingdom formation crystals relieved some of the pressure. They might survive long enough to outlast the raging storm and the lightning blasting into them.
Sister’s affinity with lightning helped. It allowed them to process and harness much more of the energy than their Realm should have allowed. But even Sister’s affinity was proving not to be enough, and Storm despaired even as she attempted to control more and more of the energy flowing through them.
Storm refused to give up. She did not want Sister to lose her Cultivation.
Storm begged the ancestral voices for suggestions to help. But there was nothing more they could offer. Storm must help Sister to endure, or the tribulation will fail.
And just as she was about to reach her breaking point. Just as Storm thought her efforts might be in vain, the energies that coursed through Sister were diverted. Not all, but enough to allow Sister to control her advancement, survive the tribulation, and reach a new Realm.
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Storm felt the changes in her body as she began to tier up. Her channels expanded, her body became stronger, and her beast core shattered and reformed. She had safely transitioned from tier two to tier three.
As Storm felt the talons of her claws sharpen and lengthen, as the bones in her body were reforged stronger and denser, as her feathers burst into glorious new colors of golds, reds, and blues, she was exuberant. Happy to have survived, happy to know that Sister would survive. And happy to know that she had leveled her tier, which meant Sister had increased her Realm.
Storm didn’t wonder how they had survived. She didn’t notice the gestalt of minds that had connected with Sister and drawn the excess energies off. Instead, she moved to shield Sister from the rain, enfolding her beneath her wings to protect her.
Sister had survived, but she was tired. Storm would watch as she slept.
****
Patriarch Umbra read the message Negotiator Clement had sent to her for the third time. The words didn't change, no matter how she stared at them. They remained the same, and as she laid the parchment on the desk before her, she realized that the Sect would have to make a choice.
Not immediately, maybe not even for centuries. But at some point in the future, Four Element Sect would have to decide if they were going to remain part of the Empire or if they were going to follow Jai Myche and join her new Kingdom.
Onkei.
A fortuitous name for a Kingdom. A place one could hope to achieve grace and to be blessed with virtue, the Patriarch thought. But the political storm it was going to engender would be anything but graceful.
“Patriarch,” Elder Dionis said, interrupting the Patriarch’s musings as the Elder entered her office without invitation.
“The tides of Karma and Fate have begun moving," she warned. "The ties between the Empire and its subject are snapping and reforming. Someone has decided to brave the Heavens and form a new Kingdom.
“Not only will they succeed, but the new Kingdom will herald a new age. And Delph Island will be the focus for what is to come.
“I have consulted the stars, examined the flow of Qi with the [Dao of Karma], and although much remains unclear, one thing stands out. Attempting to defy Fate's new entanglement will result in a Karmic imbalance that will see the Empire fall.”
Onkei.
Such an innocent name. But grace was sure to come at a cost no matter what choice the Four Element Sect decided to make in the future.
****
The Emperor was furious.
Patriarch Umbra had just informed him of the events on Delph Island. Events that might have ended differently if he had taken the time to place a Kingdom stone to link the island to the Empire.
He had thrown his comm device across the room when Umbra had mentioned that the best Karmic Cultivator her Sect supported had read the stars and probed Karma to see that if the Empire did not accept the establishment of this new Kingdom, it would fall.
His anger only increased as he looked at the destroyed comm device in a fury. Now he would have to purchase another device, adding wealth to the coffers of the Cultivator that had just ripped Delph Island from his grasp.
A knock on the door gave him enough warning to control his features and hide his rage. Instead, confusion crossed his face as the representative that normally dealt with Hindel affairs entered.
“Emperor,” Attache Leon said, bowing deeply. The look of fear he was trying to control made it obvious the man had something to say. Something Leon was certain the Emperor wasn’t going to like.
“Spit it out!” Emperor Halycon demanded.
“Your Imperial Majesty, the Hindel have sent a Representative to our offices to inform the Empire that they have appointed Jai Myche as their Voice. Further, they have informed us that they recognize the young Cultivator as the one and only ruler for the Kingdom of Onkei, formally known as Delph Island.”
Leon barely managed to activate the life-saving artifact he had equipped before the Emperor released a Qi burst that reduced everything within the room to dust. The secretaries and attendants that normally staffed the outer chamber of the Emperor’s office were stunned for a second.
But when they saw Attache Leon running from the room, his normally pristine Hanfu pitted and smoking, they decided it might be a good idea to ask questions later and follow him.
It was normally a good idea to leave the Emperor to himself when he was this angry, and the staff was smart enough to know that taking a long lunch, one that lasted for a day or two, would be safest.