Chapter 10: And Old Life, A New Legacy

1 Month Before Kadra’s Ascension

Two Months Before New Voidling Incursions

Sect School of the Silver Star Sect

Sakura

I crouched in the shadow of the moving mountain, and watched the flags at its peak sway in the every moving currents of air far, far above me. The bite of cold winter stung my skin, as I listened closely for any hint of who I was waiting for.

Are you sure this is a good idea? King asked through our connection.

No. But this is the only way. Every other option has been exhausted.

Why can’t we just go up there and take one?

That’s not how that works, now hush and let me concentrate. I closed my eyes and listened. The canyons were constantly scraped free of green and growing things by the shells of the Kame and Gamera this far into the mountains. And my target was carrying heavy bags filled with goods. There was no way I shouldn’t hear him.

The wind blew through the canyons, the great Kame’s shell scraped against the stone, and the sound of the nearly endless din of fighting from sect school atop the great beast was ever present. But all of that was muted, I knew it intimately now. I had been hiding, fighting, and learning among these broken rocks and scraped stones for years at this point. The sounds were familiar, and easily accounted for.

Foot falls on stone filled my ears. The person was trying to be quiet, but to me in this place they sounded like drums on the mountain tops. I pulled my dagger and turned, pressing the blade against his throat.

“Woah, woah!” Jarin, the merchant's son, raised his hands in surrender. He carried a massive pack on his back that had several small cages dangling from it. “Oh. It's you. Hello Sakura.”

I smiled and returned my blade to its sheath. “Hello. Do you have what I asked for?”

“Maybe. Do you have my payment?”

I reached behind me and grabbed the package I had tied to my belt, and pulled it free. “Catch.”

He grabbed it, and tested its weight. “Did it get damaged? Its light.”

“It's a small set, but you said that would be alright.”

“I did.” Jarin unwrapped the package and examined the silk cloth. “This should work for what I had in mind. Thank you. How did you get it past the guards? They're pretty good at sniffing out contraband.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and after a moment he laughed it off. “I was only curious. No need to get upset at me.”

His interest was understandable. He was a crafting student of the sect after all, not one interested in the martial aspects of cultivation. Still, I had to protect my nascent industry of worm silk. That went doubly so for the . . . methods, I used to get it past the guards.

“And the bait?”

Jarin reached behind him and grabbed one of the dangling cages. With a smile filled with teeth, he cut the rope and held it out. “One Sky-cricket.”

I peered through the tiny bars and looked at the creature squirming there. It was a cricket alright, but the thing was massive. Far larger than I'd ever seen before, barring the ones that were large enough to ride at least.

“It's glowing blue. Why is it glowing blue?” I had read up on these creatures and nothing I had read from the library suggested they would glow blue.

Jarin shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.” He raised his hands in surrender when I glared at him again. “I saw Lee using one just like it, and he succeeded. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

This was my only hope. My last chance at succeeding at reaching Silver before I had to leave. Before we all had to leave.

“Fine. But if this doesn’t work, I'm going to find you.”

Before Jarin could protest, I grabbed the crickets cage and jumped down the cliff face. I landed on the main road leading to the towers where I could take a gondola ride onto the Kame’s shell. I took off as fast as I could. I didn’t have much time if I was going to get in an attempt today.

***

Several hours later I was in the library reviewing the ritual. “I don’t understand . . ."I whispered to myself as I flipped the page and made several notations of adjustments I could attempt.

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I had made my first attempt, and when it failed miserably, I made my way here. I looked over the diagram once more, noting a few things I might have gotten wrong when I first made the formation for the ritual. Then I sat back, looked over my notes, and sighed.

“I just don’t know . . .”

“Don’t know what?” An elderly voice came from behind me. A tall tortoise woman stepped up next to my reading table.

I tried to stand and bow. To offer proper respect of the avatar of the Kame whose shell I was now standing upon, but a gentle clawed hand rested on my shoulder and stopped me. “It is alright child. Please. The Library is a sacred place. Where all minds come to sharpen themselves like a sword on a wet stone. Here we are all students. Even myself.”

“Yes, mistress Manao.” The woman was named after the darkstone her coloring mirrored, and I found it most fitting. Her eyes were a jet black as well, but were filled with mirth and love for life. “Thank you mistress. How may I be of service?”

“What is it you are working on, child? Perhaps I can offer some guidance?”

My cheeks burned and I made a dismissive gesture. “Nothing Mistress, just some formation work. Nothing to concern one so high as you.”

“Nonsense child. You have worked with one even grander than I. I am sure my half brother would disown me if I treated any pupil stuck on a problem with dismissiveness. Let alone one of his own. Let me see.” She gently moved my hands with a wave of her clawed arm, and I sat back and fought the burning sensation in my face.

What I was researching wasn’t fit for one of my station. To say the least. It was, by all accounts, as close to cheating as a student could get, without actually getting in trouble. Usually.

“Ah. The ritual of attraction.” Her smile did not waver, but the humor in her voice diminished a bit.

Told you she wouldn’t like it. King commented, his voice sullen in my mind. We should have just gone up there and taken one. You can hold your breath long enough. Right?

No, I can’t. Not until I’m ascended to Silver. I didn’t have a choice. We’ll be called any day now, and I need to reach Silver before then. And that means mapping a spell. Something the sky snake spirits can help me learn quickly.

If you say so.

“I’ve seen many desperate cultivators attempt it to gain ascension before their time. Or to help with spell focus, or mana control. But they were always near the end of their first century with us. Not in their first half. Tell me, Sakura. Why did you not simply use your Sect Points to purchase a lesson or two on mastering the final stages of mana control and spell mapping into your meridians, instead of attempting such an . . . unorthodox trick?”

I couldn’t help it, I was sure my otherwise dark tanned face was bright red with shame. “I . . . There is no excuse, mistress. I am merely eager to ascend.”

“Yes. I can see that.” She sighed and took the seat next to me. The wood groaned under her weight, but it held firm. “But the question lingers, child. Why are you so eager to ascend, that you believe you have not the time to learn how to properly cast a spell, at the feet of masters who have trained pupils with far less skill, insight, and control than yourself, for centuries?”

Her tone was kind, but the accusation in her words was clear. The words left unspoken. How, exactly, did Sakura know that their people would be called away within the week?

“I . . . I can not say how I know.” I stammered, fighting the burning in my face. “But, I know that we will all be called home soon. Very soon. And, and . . .”

“And you did not trust your skill to be enough, to finish mapping your spell in time. Is that it?”

I nodded.

“Many who leave here, and go on to forge destinies of great import in the world, do not see the final ring. Do not grace the top of these peaks with their foot falls in their childhood. Do not let hubris, and . . . oh what is it my grandchildren always call it? Fear of missing out? Yes, that is it. Do not let your fear of missing out, dictate your actions child. For in that path lies a broken character, and a damaged foundation.”

“But, but that is not all.”

She raised her eyebrows. Or rather, the ridge where eyebrows would have been on a normal human face. “Continue.”

“It is more than mere desire to see the peak, and learn the final lessons of the outer sect. It is . . . I . . . I need to ascend so I can be of use in the journey. To do that, I need to map a spell. And I've been trying that pretty much the entire time I’ve been here.”

“And you have learned much in that time. Many formations, many spells. And you have expanded your chie and mana pools dramatically. You’re at peak Steel, and the longer you are there, the more solid your foundation grows.”

“But i’ve not successfully mapped a spell yet!” I nearly shouted in frustration, and I got several dagger-like looks from the other patrons. Until they saw Mistress Manao, then they quickly bowed and left.

“I don’t want to be a burden on the journey. I want to help.”

Manao smiled fondly down at me. Even seated, she was much taller than I was. “So you risk your foundation, your youth, and forsake the lessons, out of duty?” Her voice was teasing, but not unkindly so.

I nodded, and a streak of shame ran through me.

“Well, those are the most noble of motivations. One I happen to share.” Her face fell, as a wave of sadness washed over her.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I mean . . . nothing. It is not something a child . . . no, It is not something a young woman such as yourself should need concern herself with. It is the burden that we Ancient Kame carry, and is not uncommon to our kind. Think of it as, old age.”

“But with age, a Kame gains power.”

“True enough child. Now. Stand up, and let me get a good look at you.”

I stood and waited for her examining gaze. Her presence, her aura, washed over mine like a cloud front over a tiny island. Overwhelming, but harmless and welcome.

“Hmm . . . Yes. I see what you are saying. It appears that your meridians are rather stubborn things, aren’t they? You’d master them given time. Mine were much the same way at your age. Unwilling to adapt. That of course means once you have a spell imprinted on them, that spell is likely to be highly efficient. But . . . it does cause problems at these early stages.”

“So, what am I doing wrong?”

“Wrong? Oh. Nothing girl. This issue can only be resolved with time, or spirit companions.” Seeing the obvious question in my eyes she smiled and answered. “I’d say you’re about a year, maybe eight months away from your meridians easily accepting a spell mapping.”

“Is . . . Is this issue normal?”

“Oh, gods yes girl. In fact, I'm surprised one of the other tutors hasn’t explained this to you yet.”

I felt my face reden. They hadn’t explained it as she had, but . . . well, they had always encouraged her to be patient. That meridian mapping took more time for some then it did others.

A mischievous smile crossed her face. “Ah. Youth seldom wish to trust their elders, without clear explanation. While the elderly often seek trust, without offering such.”

I gave a curt nod in agreement as I finally felt myself calm and my face cool.

“I see you have a question.” her mischievous smile grew. “Ask it.”

“Is there a way around it?”

“Yes. Time.” My heart sank. “And what I said earlier, and you discovered long before that. A companion.” I felt the edges of my mouth pull into a smile. “Either a spirit beast or animal, or a spirit, who already has a spell mapped naturally. Preferably one aligned with mana you have an affinity for. Which would mean a Sky Snake would be far from what I would suggest for you. A celestial hound, or Gamera such as your Little King, would make great companions. Also, a Kame such as myself.”

My heart sank again. “So . . . that's it? I’ll not be able to reach my goal?”

“I never said that child. Now be quiet while I think.” She squinted at me again. “Seeing as you have no real affinities but what you are gifted from your companions . . . hmmm. Perhaps. Yes. We can attempt the Attraction Ritual.”

“Really? But I thought you said it was cheating?”

She looked shocked at my pronouncement. “I never said such a thing child. You must be mis-remembering me. I said it was a short cut. And students who are time bound, would be foolish not to look for such things.”

She stood and gestured for me to follow. “Come, and bring your Little King, and that bug you have stashed in your bag, with you.”