Trevor Mason stepped forward and the scenery changed. Suddenly he was stepping off of a dais that was almost identical to the one he had stepped onto only moments before.
The opaque white of heavenly clouds cleared, making way for the sprawling sect buildings in the valley below. There were many flourishing gardens and lively ponds in the Evergreen Sect. Each of the houses had their own allotments within the walls of their courtyards as well.
Along the ridge of the valley were large towering trees. The stood stark against the clear sky of the horizon, as if watching over the inhabitants of the valley.
*Caw*
The stark cry of a bird broke the sereneness of the moment.
Trevor could see the animal before he heard the flapping of its wings. As the sound of the approaching bird became louder, it was not long before he realised how large it must be.
A shadow encompassed his lonely figure for 5 metres, either side. A second, penetrating caw, announced the final descent and there was a woomph of air and dust as it landed.
“It has been a while since we had a new disciple.” Came a voice.
‘Did this bird just talk to me?’ Trevor thought.
“You may call me Elder Crane.” The voice continued.
‘Seriously? Crane? Looks more like a goose or a swan to me, just with strange colouring. Wait, are those peacock feathers?’
“I am in charge of the Outer court of the Evergreen Sect.” Elder Crane continued, unaware of Trevor’s questioning thoughts. “I will take you know to make your vows to the Sect and to receive your sect token.”
…
Trevor stood staring at the giant bird, waiting for it to lead on but nothing happened. He scrunched his eyebrows and spoke aloud for the first time since coming here.
“Ahm. Elder Crane? You’re not moving.” And in a smaller voice, that he hoped the Elder could not hear, he muttered. “I heard of bird brained, but this is ridiculous. He literally just finished speaking.”
“Young disciple. Do not be afraid. Hovis will not harm you, I assure you. Just don’t step on his tail feathers.”
‘Hovis? Who the fff...Oh.’
Trevor’s thought cut off as he finally registered that there was a person sat cross legged upon the large birds head.
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‘Well this is embarrassing. I thought it was just a really weird looking set of plumage.’
As he approached, Hovis bent his body forward and spread a wing to allow for Travis to climb onto his back.
Now that he had a closer look, Trevor realised that the darker feathers of the bird seemed to transition from a dark chocolate brown to a midnight blue, almost seamlessly. They were also incredibly soft he noticed.
“Ahem.” Elder Crane cleared his throat and gave Trevor a pointed look. “While Hovis and I can understand your positive reaction to his rather marvelous, if I do say so myself, feather coat. I can assure you that no beast of an aviatory nature appreciates having their feathers ruffled the wrong way. That, young man, is like asking to be thrown off mid flight.”
Rather abashedly, Trevor began to smooth out the now messy feathers that he had, moments before, been rubbing his face against. At least he could take solace in knowing that no one was really around to witness him acting like a child or a small animal.
“Apologies Elder Crane...and...erm...Hovis. I guess I am still overwhelmed with emotions after making it pat the Imperial Assessment. I forgot myself for a moment.”
‘There. That sounded sincere enough. I hope.’ Trevor really didn’t want a lesson in gravity right now.
**** **** ****
Flying on the Hovis had been a surprisingly smooth and pleasant trip. It was made even more surprising by the lack of impact Trevor felt when the bird landed. Despite the rather loud thump announcing Hovis having actually touched down, it was as if the bird’s legs were two giant shock absorbers.
His meeting with the Sect Master was all business. He wasn’t really sure why, but Trevor found himself being mildly taken aback when he saw the man. The Sect Master reminded him of a bearded and less jovial looking Bacchus, or Dionysus. Not to mention sober as well.
The swearing of his vows of loyalty to the sect had been rather straight forward too, and had allowed for Trevor to witness Heavens Will for the first time. If he had to liken it to anything it would have to be like being submerged in a warm bath all at once. Only instead of hot water the bath is made of light, and the light is not weightless but rather presses on you like a firm grip.
The walk to get his token issued allowed him to get a closer look at the buildings they had flown over previously. Each of the buildings here were the residents of the core disciples and Elders. The level of preferential treatment they received was made clear when they passed into the inner court of the sect.
The residences of the inner court were still beautifully built and of a decent size. However one could tell just from a glance, that the materials used to construct them were of a much lower rank.
What else was immediately obvious was the lower quality of worldly energy that could be felt once they had left the sects core area. Or maybe it would be better described as it feeling ‘thinner’, as Trevor had no way to actually determine the quality.
Upon leaving the inner court and entering the outer court, Trevor felt another huge change in the energy around him. Even to his untrained self, he could tell how much of an advantage it would be to live in the inner areas of the sect. Like stepping into an air conditioned building after being outside in thick humid air.
(AN: Not sure if people will understand this analogy. Open to suggestions if anyone has a better one.)
Seeing Elder Crane watching his reaction, Trevor realised that this was part of the sects way of encouraging its disciples to work hard. Knowing the material and spiritual wealth that was available in the inner and core areas, who would be satisfied by the basics provided in the outer court.
“Here we are young disciple.” Elder Crane announced as they stopped outside of a building much like any of the others. “This will be your residence for the duration of your stay in the outer court. You may furnish and adjust it to your liking, if you so desire. However, any damages made will need to be paid for by you.”
The elder then pulled out a dark green plaque from somewhere within his robe. It was about twice the size of a credit card and had the word ‘Evergreen’ embossed on it in gold.
“This is your sect token. To bind it to you, you will need to place a drop of blood upon it and inject it with your spiritual power. Once the connection has been made, it will display your name and position within the sect. It will also act to record any contribution points you have from any meritorious achievements you make to the sect.” Elder Crane passed the token to Trevor and without waiting for a reply turned to leave. After a momentary pause the Elder spoke once more. “The path to immortality is long and arduous. Though talent may make the journey seem a little easier, the journey must still be made if one wishes to achieve it. Talent waxes and wanes like the cycles of the moon young disciple. Hard work however, is like the earth beneath your feet; it all adds up.”
With that, the Elder was off, and though he seemed to take only a few steps, he was soon far away and then out of sight.
“Okay...guess that was the initiation and 2 cent tour all rolled into one.” Trevor spoke to himself as he turned the token over and over in his hand. “Sigh. Guess I should bind this and check out my new house. Who knows how long I might be staying here for.”