Rhythmic thuds echoed through the still morning, only broken up by the occasional slap or hard exhale. Each beat harmonizing to welcome the nascent sunrise with a melody all too familiar to the people starting their routines. A young woman gracefully moved in time with the song, practically dancing around the metallic doll, executing each move that her family ingrained in her from an early age.

The performance continued with hardly a pause or wasted breath until the sun painted them both in a golden light. Only now did she break the rhythm, her fatigue washing over her as a cool breeze burned against her skin.

One more. She thought.

A husky voice broke through her concentration. “Getting a head start on the rest of us again I see.”

Forgetting her footing at the sudden interruption, she tripped over herself in a brief panic. One last thud rang out as her iron partner got its revenge when she crashed face first into it.

She rolled over with gritted teeth. “Hyrua, stop sneaking up on me! You know I hate it.” While nursing her head, a grin crept onto her face. “You’re treating me after training.”

“Come now Sienna, what good is saying hello if I can’t have some fun?”

Sienna glared at her half-brother for a breath before holding out her hand and waiting for him to give into her demand.

Hyrua took her callused hand and hoisted her to her feet. “It’s a bit embarrassing being related to someone with such a bad relationship with the ground.” He teased.

“You’re in a good mood today.” She grumbled.

“I’m always in a good mood when I get to spend time with our young lady.” He tossed her a sandbag.

Wordlessly they arranged rows of the bags as more of their clan gathered, most of who didn’t have any blood ties to the main family. Sienna watched as they talked and laughed with one another as they stretched, their expressions tugging at a knot in her gut.

“Don’t call me that.”

Hyrua didn’t respond.

She knew he could hear her though, body cultivation is more than strengthening muscles and unless he deliberately shut her out he could still pick her voice out from several fields away. Sienna stared at her older brother’s wide back as he pretended to adjust the sack he carelessly dropped a few moments ago.

Despite only being a few years older, his back always felt gigantic whenever she looked at it. It fit well with his solid build only second to their father, but that man was a mountain compared to anyone.

“Sienna,” He started.

Hyrua had a half-smile when he turned to her. She was only half a head shorter than him now and it made his deep brown eyes look even further away than when they were kids. Sienna couldn’t look at them anymore, instead choosing to examine other parts of his over-sized figure. An urge to trip him and watch the small mountain crumble forming in the back of her mind.

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He placed a hand on her shoulder, like his eyes it wasn’t distant but wasn’t close either. “It’s not appropriate. I may be older, but our places in the clan aren’t the same.”

Here we go. She thought. This excuse again.

He continued, “Our mothers…”

Sienna brushed his hand aside and tossed him another bag. “You know he doesn’t care about that.”

“It’s not just father I have to think about.”

“Think about me. If you care about our mothers then you should remember that we are their only children. I love my family, but sometimes it feels too big. Don’t you feel the same?”

Hyrua left the sack at the side of the training ground. “Si-”

“All of father’s children are my brothers and sisters.” She pressed a knuckle in his chest. “And that includes you ‘Elder Brother’.”

They stood in place for a moment before Hyrua took her hand. “You treat me far better than expected of you. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Sienna huffed and stomped several steps before turning back and saying, “At least when it’s just us, can’t you call me sister?”

“Of course you’re my little sister, but I feel bad for whoever filled your bed with dung this morning.” He laughed.

The morning light burning her eyes warned her how late it was getting as she rushed to finish setting things up. She didn’t need the elders scolding her again.

Once everything was ready, more than two dozen members of their clan joined them in a low squat with their arms at their sides.

The techniques of the head family were free to be taught to and used by any second generation or later member of their clan. A somewhat controversial decision made by her father. He was barely able to convince the elders that it would only strengthen the clan if they shared their secrets with those who proved themselves.

It was because of his decision that the most outstanding members of the subsidiary families would often participate in the first training with Sienna and Hyrua. Though, many of them took the opportunity to watch two members of the head family compete almost every morning.

The stances were slow, yet stable. Sienna often thought of it as trying to watch a statue move from one position to another while ignoring anything else trying to move them.

She liked it though, it was an earth style cultivation technique. And it was one of the few known techniques were the practitioner could stand above the tallest mountain almost entirely on physical training alone.

After the statue training came the real dirty work. Everyone in the grounds would pair up with someone of similar size or strength and begin wrestling while upright. And the first one to trip or drop to one knee would lose the round.

Sienna gave a mischievous glance at her big brother.

“Why is there no one else close to my size?” He whined.

“It wouldn’t matter.” She held her hands up, ready to pounce. “Even if I were half as big, you’d still be the only one almost as strong.”

Without any hesitation they crashed into one another with the force of two boulders. The shock of their arms interlocking echoing across the grounds like an avalanche. Despite his thick frame, Hyrua’s knees were already beginning to buckle.

“The distance between Heaven and Earth seems close to a frog at the bottom of a well.” He heaved. Just barely able to push her back half a step.

“You spend too much time reading.” Sienna stretched their arms to the side before letting go and wrapping them around his waist. “You should spend that time training.”

Hyrua’s eyes widened as he watched every one of her muscles hardened. “SIENNA!” He shouted as his feet left the ground. In the next breath his side was colliding with the packed earth.

“That’s one!” She offered her hand.

“I swear, where do you hide all of that weight?”

Something small sharply impacted his forehead. And he almost stumbled to the ground once again.

Sienna deliberately left her hand in the a flick as she spoke. “Don’t you know it’s rude to talk about a lady’s weight?” She flicked her finger a few times as if to emphasize her point.