Book 3. The Long Journey. Chapter 28. Sinister Intentions.
“Is big brother alright?” the six-year-old asked, watching how Yin pulled himself out of the water to then sit beside Laien. He saw out of the corner of his eye how the light of the crystal in the trunk of the Holy Tree returned to normal, but he didn’t pay it much attention; those complicated matters weren’t something he was either supported to or wanted to care about.
“He is fine,” Yin replied calmly and brushed away the wet, glistening hair from his face. He watched how Laien breathed calmly, then smiled brightly when he noticed that Laien had a slight smile on his face. “What kind of breakthrough did you make that you are so happy? You didn’t bother to even get yourself out of the water and immediately started meditating, sheesh,” Yin thought a bit helplessly and chuckled to himself. However, he soon recalled what kind of place they were in and raised his head, his gaze moving onto the High Priest.
“Laien cannot be disturbed until he wakes up on his own,” he said firmly enough for a hint of warning, even a threat to resound in his voice. Laien had stumbled upon a piece of incredibly good fortune, he wouldn’t accept having anyone rob him of it.
“It’s only natural,” the High Priest said with an amiable smile. “You don’t need to worry about anyone disturbing him. I will make sure that doesn’t happen,” he assured, displaying nothing but a complete understanding and friendly attitude.
“But High Priest!” Uluan wasn’t able to hold himself back from speaking up. This was their most sacred place! The ritual would be held here in seven days! How could they allow outsiders to stay in the temple? Bringing them here to talk with the High Priest was one thing, but letting them stay here for a long period of time was an act of blasphemy!
“I said they can stay here for as long as they need to,” the High Priest said coldly, his sudden shift in attitude sending shivers down Uluan’s spine. He had been serving directly under the High Priest for over fifty years now, but he had sparsely seen him so angry about anything. The only other time was when his son’s innate potential has been judged as incredibly high… and even then he didn’t seem to be as innately furious as he was now.
“Yes, High Priest. It will be as you command,” Uluan bowed deeply, not daring to be disrespectful in the slightest.
The High Priest snorted ever so slightly, but the tranquil expressions soon returned to his face. He glanced at Yin, then carefully sent out just a tiny strand of his aura and inspected his cultivation base. Yin didn’t seem to notice his aura, but despite that, he had nearly given himself away on his own; he really needed to control himself as to not to act surprised when he discovered that this maybe twelve-year-old boy in front of him was at the middle stages of the eighth mortal realm! This kind of martial talent would place him at the very top of the continent even in the ancient times ten millennia ago!
“What about the other one?” the High Priest probed Laien in the same way and thankfully, this time was prepared to be shocked. “Peak of the fifth mortal realm as a martial practitioner, but more importantly… mid stages of the seventh mortal realm as a spiritual practitioner! What a pair of freaks!” he thought secretly, realizing that he needed to readjust some parts of the plan which he had begun crafting the moment he saw the kind of reaction Laien provoked from the Divine Seal.
“Uluan, Kalan, come with me,” he spoke up calmly, turning his eyes to the father and the son. “As for you, Holy Priest, why don’t you go and find Marie and help her make a dinner for all of us?” he suggested, wanting to occupy the boy with something else for the time being.
The six-year-old glanced at Laien and having confirmed that he was still ‘asleep’, he nodded and headed to his house; to one of the two huge sanctuaries by the entrance to the cave.
The High Priest, Uluan and Kalan nodded at Yin and also left, leaving their two guests alone by the lake and the Holy Tree.
“This Uluan is at least an honest person,” Yin mused, following the three men with his gaze. “His son is easy to read… but this High Priest of theirs isn’t who he is pretending to be,” he thought resignedly. “It would be better if you finished soon. Who knows what they are planning,” he said quietly, then helped Laien up to sitting position. Although Laien didn’t actively help him out, his body habitually supported itself in the comfortable position it was placed in. By this point, Laien was so used to meditating cross-legged that he didn’t need to spare attention to keep himself sitting like usual.
“That went better than I thought,” Yin said with a chuckle and seated himself behind Laien. He rested his back gently against his, then smiled in amusement when Laien relaxed and leaned back. He did the same, closed his eyes and began pondering his own insights, not intending to waste time while guarding Laien. He couldn’t afford to fall behind him after all.
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“Those boys can’t be allowed to leave the temple before the eclipse next week,” the High Priest said after sitting in his armchair. He flicked his hand impatiently, telling the two men to sit on the sofa in front of him. “You need to be very careful though. Those kids are unnaturally strong, if they also have any insights into the Secret Arts… then I fear the two of you would be unable to stop them,” he warned, but in the end knew that the two outsiders would be unable to leave the temple even if they killed Uluan and Kalan. They wouldn’t be capable of blasting the entrance open, nor would either of them be able to take control of the formation the ancestors had left in this place.
“That’s why instead of using force, you are to convince them to stay,” the High Priest kept speaking while twirling some of his hair around his finger, but he no longer seemed to be talking to Uluan and Kalan. He lowered his gaze and fell into his thoughts, practically saying them aloud as they came.
“We can’t have any more of our people dying if we want to recreate our clan, so you should try to be as careful as possible. Fewer and fewer children are born with each generation… and we can’t keep bringing outsiders in and lowering the purity of our bloodline, or Holy Priests will stop appearing and the seal will finally break… but with that boy here, we can complete the seal! We can cut ourselves off of the curse of those demons and reign supreme over the continent like we had once used to!”
As Uluan listened to the High Priest’s words a religious fervor stirred up inside him; he could already imagine the old tales he had only read about coming true! He wanted to see their clan stand at the top of the world! He wanted to make them the greatest! And if the death of one outsider boy was the price, then he wouldn’t hesitate for a split second to pay it! What was the life of one random child in comparison to the survival of their ancient clan? It was almost irrelevant!
Kalan on the other hand… was a bit more reserved in his joy. He was, of course, happy for the clan, but it still saddened him to see children sacrificing their lives to keep the Divine Seal in place. Unlike his father, he began wondering how to actually make those two boys stay. Additionally, wasn’t it the best for the ritual if the one making sacrifice was willing? What words could he use to convince the boys to stay and help them? Would tricking Laien until the very end of the ritual be enough, or would he really need to be thoroughly convinced and willing to give up his life all along? And most importantly, would he be able to keep his act up in front of those two?
“Ho.” Having finished speaking, the High Priest raised his head and looked at the father and his son. He always liked to work with Uluan; it was comfortable to simply give him orders and have them be acted out to the letter without any questions. Uluan’s son, however… he had thought the boy would be hard to work with in the future, as the seemingly honest but in truth smart and cunning people were the hardest to deal with, yet perhaps he would prove to be better suited to this task compared to his father. At the very least, at this opportunity, a more subtle approach was necessary, one of which Uluan definitely wasn’t capable.
“Kalan, I have a task for you,” the High Priest spoke up, causing a great reaction in the man… but in Kalan. It was Uluan whose eyes went wide as he went through a series of emotions within a mere second or two. Shock, disbelief, doubt, then finally guilt and pride. Uluan had always seen his son as somewhat incapable, but Kalan was the only male his of his and his wife’s that wasn’t stillborn. Now, however, when the High Priest himself recognized Kalan’s value and decided to trust him with a task, he couldn’t be more overjoyed and proud of his son!
“I will do anything, High Priest,” Kalan said with a cool head and bowed slightly, then straightened up. His father frowned a little at the lack of respect he was showing to the High Priest, but when he saw that the man himself didn’t seem to care, the frown quickly disappeared from his face.
“Of course you will,” the High Priest said with a laugh. Kalan’s father would never say something of this kind; it only showed that Kalan himself actually had reserves and moral boundaries he wouldn’t be willing to cross while carrying out his commands. By the looks of it life of one of an outsider was still well below Kalan’s bottom line, but he would need to keep in mind not to task Kalan with the more… gruesome tasks his father did without blinking an eye.
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“My task for you is simple,” the High Priest continued saying. “You are to convince that black-haired boy to stay here and help us with the ritual. Say that his help is necessary, that he is extremely compatible with the Divine Seal and if he gives us some of his blood and assists us during the Eclipse, then the seal would be completed and we would be free. Promise to give him or teach him whatever he wants… and if that isn’t enough…” He sighed, lowering his gaze to the floor once again.
“Then mention that he is the only one who can save the Holy Priest,” he spoke with a barely audible trace of sadness and pain in his voice. “Enough. That’s enough for now. Have your father explain to you how the ritual works so you know what to say when they ask. Play the conversation out in your head first, predict their questions, prepare your answers. Go see what is left in the temple’s storage,” he said almost dismissively, for a moment making it seem as if he no longer cared about the success of the plan or anything else; as if he just wanted to be left alone.
“High Priest, can I ask you one thing before we leave?” Kalan gathered his courage and spoke up, what resulted in his father growing furious. Could he not see the High Priest wanted them to go away?! The High Priest, however, sighed helplessly and gestured with his hand, telling Kalan to speak.
“It’s naturally a task of great importance,” Kalan began carefully. “Thus, I couldn’t help but wonder… why don’t you do it yourself, High Priest? Wouldn’t that give us a better chance to convince those boys?” he asked, and could see the expression on his father’s face out of the corner of his eye. On one hand, his father was angry with him for questioning the High Priest’s orders, while on the other he also saw the question as reasonable and was curious to hear the answer.
“That’s simple,” the High Priest said with a dry laugh. “Who do you think is more approachable, you or me? The task at hand is to convince two adolescent boys, not a council of elders. They are more likely to empathize with you than with me,” he explained straightforwardly, seeing no reason to hide his intentions. Had he judged it was better for him than Kalan to speak to those outlander boys, he would have done just that! This matter was too important for him to willingly put their side in a disadvantageous position for whatever reason.
“Thank you for the explanation, High Priest,” Kalan said contentedly as he stood up. He bowed deeply, then waited for his father to do the same before leaving the High Priest’s private chambers.
When he was left alone, the High Priest allowed himself to sigh bitterly. Oh, how great would the world be had it not been for the disaster those avaricious demons had brought upon their bloodline ten millennia ago! He had dreamed of freeing himself and his kin from that accused curse for as long as he was alive, and the gods seemed to have finally heard his prayers and sent him that outlander boy! If everything went according to the plan, then maybe even the one he had loved the most, and yet had given up on could be brought back to life… maybe he would even forgive him after learning everything…
Filled with such hopeful, idealistic thoughts the High Priest couldn’t not shake his head and laugh at himself, the twisted look of happiness, pain and guilt on his face transforming into something akin to madness.
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“Son, I trust you understand how great of responsibility along with a huge amount of trust had been placed upon you?” Uluan asked seriously, for the time being choosing to occupy one of the guest rooms in the High Priest’s sanctuary. He and the other skilled practitioners would always stay here in preparation for a ritual or when performing the more secretive duties of theirs, so he felt at home enough not to worry about intruding upon the High Priest’s privacy or possessions.
“I understand, father,” Kalan said very clearly and didn’t bother to state why he saw the task as important. He had long since learned that the best way to deal with his father was to always agree with him and not to speak too much.
“Good, then listen carefully as what I’m about to tell you is known only by a few of the village Elders.” Uluan glared at his son, making sure that Kalan was properly concentrating on what he was saying. He nodded to himself when he deemed his son’s focus as satisfactory and began explaining.
“The scrolls I’m about to give you contain the details and the methods of using your Qi to control the ritual and reinforce the Divine Seal. If you studied them for a few years you would come to naturally understand what is required for the ritual, but since we have no time for that I’m going to tell you about it. First, do you know what is the basic source of power we use in the rituals?”
“Blood… and flesh of someone with a high innate potential of our bloodline,” Kalan answered, then reprimanded himself for making an unnecessary pause as he spoke. It didn’t matter as much while he was talking with his father, but he would definitely need to work better at controlling his emotions when he would go to speak with the boys.
“Yes, and do you know why are the Holy Priests always without exception children between the age of four and eight?” Uluan asked, then smirked a little when the look on his son’s face turned confused. It looked like even that smart ass son of his had things he couldn’t figure out on his own. “Think about it, are you supposed to be good at it? Why wouldn’t we let the precious children with great potential at least grow up a little more so they could father some kids of their own?” he asked, very pleased to for once be able to teach his son something.
“Is it… because their bodies have some special qualities when they are still at that age?” Kalan asked, making the only guess that made any sense in this situation.
“Exactly,” Uluan confirmed with a strong nod. “We wouldn’t have wasted so many precious heirs if it wasn’t for that. The effects a pure flesh and blood has on the Divine Seal is many times stronger compared to that of an adolescent, not to mention of an adult or an old man. And as you can figure out, if we don’t keep strengthening the Divine Seal, those two demons will break it and free themselves. By then, it won’t be just our clan that suffers; the whole world will be turned into a wasteland!” he spoke excitedly, his eyes burning with the divine blaze of fanatical faith.
It was their clan that had made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world from the two devils! It was their clan that for ten millennia had resisted the curse and kept the demons sealed! They were the ones safeguarding the entire world! They deserved to be freed from their cruel fate and to return to their only place they should righteously occupy; the position of the overlords of the Starlight continent!
Kalan wisely didn’t interrupt his father’s high emotional state and waited for a moment for him to calm down. Only when the blaze in his father’s eyes began dimming down did he ask. “Father, could tell me about the details of the ritual? What needs to be done and what degree of cooperation from the sacrifice does it require?” he inquired precisely, a bit tired of his father deriving from the main subject of their discussion and getting high on leading him by the nose. His father was stronger than him, but he wasn’t anywhere near as smart! Having him act superior in the realm of knowledge was actually quite an annoying experience and one that was hard to bear with.
“It’s fairly simple in concept,” Uluan said after gathering his thoughts once again. “The High Priest stays in his temple and controls the core of the formation with the Elders of our village. The sacrifice needs to have its wrist cut and needs to put his hand into the waters of the lake. Then, its blood and life force will be slowly drained and transferred to the Divine Seal through the Holy Tree. That’s where the cooperation of the sacrifice matters; as long as the blood is infused with a steady amount of Qi, it will be more effective in repairing the seal and easier for the High Priest to control.”
“And when the sacrifice faints..?” Kalan inquired, silently praising himself for keeping the tone of his voice calm and leveled this time around.
“Then the cooperation doesn’t matter. The one besides the sacrifice needs to push the body into the lake. The rest of its life force will be drained until it dies, then its flesh will be dissolved and absorbed by the Holy Tree in a similar manner. That’s pretty much it,” Uluan finished with a shrug of his shoulders. When spoken about the process seemed simple, but in fact, it was incredibly complicated. The formation required to operate it was something the High Priest could just barely control; their clan had long since lost the ability to fully operate the ancient formations and things like creating more of them or upgrading the existing ones was far being their ability. However, with enough time and resources for their clan to prosper, they would undoubtedly rise to power like they once had!
“Why does that kid resonating with the Divine Seal make him an appropriate sacrifice…?” Kalan wondered, but he didn’t actually voice his question. He knew his father wouldn’t know the answer to it; the only thing he would get out of asking him would be some pointless lecture about trusting the High Priest’s judgment. He personally, however, couldn’t be satisfied just by trusting someone, he needed to know and understand the basis for the decisions which then led to the specific orders being given! Unless he knew on what basis he was acting, he wouldn’t be able to perform his duties to the utmost of his abilities.
“That being said,” Uluan spoke up, startling Kalan out of his line of thought. “Since those two kids are apparently so talented, and since they appear to be old enough, you might as well try offering them some of our girls or women. Even though it would thin out our bloodline, taking in the blood of such geniuses would definitely be beneficial to the clan,” he advised calmly, the idea springing from his own range of duties.
As a Village Chief, he had been tasked with abducting women and children from outside for many years, just like every man in his position before had been for over six thousand years. The curse was preventing people of their bloodline from getting too far away from the Divine Seal, but the healthier men could handle traveling to the outside for a few weeks before their bodies would begin withering away and they would be forced to return. What the point of kidnapping all those people was…? Uluan didn’t quite understand it, be he was never a person to worry about trivial things like the meaning behind his orders and duties. It was something normal for him to do and he didn’t question it.
Not knowing his father’s thoughts, Kalan nodded and accepted the suggestion as something sensible enough to consider. If a chance appeared he would definitely make use of it to assure some children of high potential would be born into their clan. He exchanged one last look with his father to confirm if there wasn’t anything else the old man wanted to speak about, then received the scrolls from him and bid his father farewell.
Uluan would now return to the village and probably bring some men down just in case the boys were acting up. He himself, on the other hand, needed some quiet and peace to think about what he was going to tell those two and to begin with, to figure out when he would approach them. Should he wait for Laien to wake up, or should he try talking with Yin first? He wasn’t sure which option would be better.