In my admittedly limited experience, the phrase “battlefield tactics” is something of an oxymoron.

This isn’t to say tactics aren’t important, but once the battle begins, there’s little room for grand strategies or fancy maneuvers. It’s all well and good to move pieces around on a board and play at being general, but reality is not so clean and neat. ‘Battlefield’ might as well be synonymous with ‘area of chaos and pandemonium’, so to imply one can be tactical on the battlefield is almost laughable. Sure, there’s things a commander can do to improve the odds and help his soldiers out, like getting reinforcements to where they’re needed or shifting battle-lines to ensure effective coverage, but once battle is joined, the time for tactics is largely over with. As the commander, you’ve made your plans, gotten your troops in place, and decided what to do if shit hits the fan, so really all that’s left is to sit back, manage your reserve units, and pray everything works out okay.

Today, whilst sitting in my carriage and watching the battle unfold, I learned how wrong I’ve been all this time.

Mister Rustram and I talked a lot about tactics over the last year or so, mostly because he didn’t want me to feel left out while he was out leading my retinue and I was sitting at home as a cripple. I never was a huge fan of leadership roles, but seeing as I had nothing better to do after walking a handful of steps each day, I threw myself into the topic with more zeal than I would otherwise have had. Even then, there wasn’t much I could offer besides a scuffed version of the checker-board formation, which isn’t even all that effective without dedicated units. Shields and pikes at the front would be ideal, supported by close-combat skirmishers directly behind them, while archers, catapults, and eventually cannons hang back at the rear. Stuff like two-handed weapons would do best on either flank, especially if outfitted in heavy armour and armed with javelins or hand-crossbows as a ranged option, while lancers, horse-archers, and heavy cavalry would be deployed in position to assist wherever they might be needed.

That’s the ‘ideal’ composition we came up with, but the issue is, even if I used every gold coin I made as Minister of Finance, I still wouldn’t be able to get the idea off the ground. The biggest problem is a social one, because here in the Azure Empire, Martial Warriors are the one percent, the elites who we must appeal to, so asking them to focus on a single weapon and role would be ‘constraining’ their Martial Path. I figured we could get around this by drafting able-bodied citizens to serve as soldiers, but the idea is all but unheard of, with reactions ranging from laughter to outrage. I’m sure that if we armed a millions citizens with pikes, trained them to use their weapons effectively, and left competent Martial Warriors to serve as their officers, they’d be worth at least a hundred thousand Defiled, but the issue with a civilian militia isn’t one of effectiveness. The problem is logistics. Without Chi, adding standard humans to the Imperial Army is actually a hindrance to the rest of the troops, because an army only moves as quickly as its slowest soldier. While I got around this with my irregulars by ensuring they had enough cattle-drawn wagons to carry every last one of them, this isn’t a viable solution once the numbers scale up, especially where food and water is concerned. Transportation for ten-thousand irregulars is difficult enough to arrange, what with the logistics involved in ensuring the wagons are kept in good repair, the cattle in good health, and everyone fed and watered, so it would be a nightmare to do the same for a million irregulars in the field.

If we could get around this, then I’d imagine that front line of shielded pike-men in my ideal formation could easily be filled by irregulars, with Martial Warriors taking up the roles of skirmishers, heavy infantry, and cavalry. Commoners could probably do a decent job as horse archers too, albeit short-ranged and less effective ones due to their lower draw-weights, but they’re perfect for manning catapults, ballistas, and other such immobile weapons of war. That’s my envisioned solution to defeating the Defiled, a combined army of Martial Warriors supported by well-trained commoners and deadly war engines, but thus far, the public has yet to even accept the idea of crossbow-wielding commoners on the battlefield, much less taking up actual weapons and going toe-to-toe with the Defiled.

Honestly, it’s always pained me to think about how much more effective the Imperial Army would be if they got over their aversion to ranged warfare. Forget crossbows, even something as simple as javelin or axe throwing would be huge considering how much strength a Reinforced Warrior can put out. Give everyone two or three ranged throwing weapons and the kill count would skyrocket, but no, they’re all Warriors of the Martial Path and must eschew all ranged weaponry, because it does not fit in their Dao. To be fair, most Martial Warrior’s can’t even afford a single Spiritual Weapon, much less keep a second one handy to throw at the Enemy, so I get why it doesn’t factor into their Dao, but if you’re a basic soldier without a Spiritual Weapon, what’s the harm in learning to throw a javelin? It’ll kill just as well as a basic spear or sword, and you can do it from a relatively safe distance too, so where’s the downside?

I’ve asked this question many a time, and while I’ve gotten several answers, none were really to my satisfaction. Akanai called it matter of Martial Pride, in that Imperial Warriors were conditioned to believe their value was determined by their Martial ability before any other metric. I can see how she’s right in the sense that it would make most Warriors feel ashamed of picking up a ranged weapon, but it’s difficult to argue against results. For several months, my retinue held the record for most Defiled killed, a record we obtained while also having a shockingly low death rate. Part of this was due to my retinue’s knowledge of Panacea, but publicly, the only reason I ever gave was crossbows and longbows. That’s it. That’s all it takes to kill Defiled, some bendy sticks and string, but no one cared enough to try and replicate my success, despite how effective ranged weaponry has proven to be.

Grandpa Du sees things in a different light. Being a Wind-Blessed Warrior, he understands how great an advantage range can be, but he also believes ranged weapons are held in disdain because they will not help Martial Warriors progress along the Martial Path. This makes less sense than Akanai’s explanation because while reaching the Martial Peak might be Grandpa Du’s ultimate goal, there are many Martial Warriors who’ve all but given up after Core Creation and make no effort to progress. By sheer virtue of being a Martial Warrior, they are essentially demi-gods among mortals, and we all know power corrupts. Say what you will about morals and ethics, but the sad truth is, if you give a random person power over the people around them, no matter how minuscule that power might be, chances are, they will abuse said power to their own advantage if there are no consequences to doing so. We see this principle at work in real life, because as long as a Martial Warrior takes care not to piss off a stronger Martial Warrior, they can pretty much do whatever they please in the world of commoners. Sure, there are laws in place and a commoner can plead their case to an Adjudicator, but a Martial Warrior could simply demand trial by combat, and most commoner families would be shit out of luck. What are they gonna do? Hire a Martial Warrior using all the coin they don’t have?

Hell, this isn’t even a problem specific to the Azure Empire. It’s just human nature. How many normal people treat waitstaff like trash, or yell at salespeople just because they can? What about petty managers who make life difficult for their employees or home-owner associations who selectively enforce rules and regulations? Sure there are good people out there, but I’m a glass half-empty sort of guy and cannot bring myself to believe that humans are inherently good. We’re good when we need to be, when circumstances require unity and solidarity to survive, but otherwise, we are selfish creatures at the core of it all.

Personally, I believe ranged weapons are widely disdained for one reason and one reason only: because the ruling class of Martial Warriors fear them, and they are right to. Seeing the death and destruction wrought by my crossbow-wielding Warriors and supporting mobile catapults should strike fear into the hearts of any oppressor. The Chosen we face here today are a formidable foe, and while they were admittedly an unorganized and unruly bunch, the speed with which Mister Rustram cleared the northern flank is impressive, to say the least. Any observers of today’s battle would have seen a marked difference in results, with the northern flank dispatching their foes in record time while the Death Corps held the centre and the soldiers of Central milled about in a chaotic mess while struggling to hold back their foes. Though men and women of the Empire were fighting for their lives and I was beside myself with worry for the Imperial rearguard, I smiled as Mister Rustram’s mobile catapults turned and directed their fire at the Enemy forces on the southern flank. How that must have stung Ishin Ken-Shibu’s pride, and while we’re all fighting on the same side, it doesn’t mean I have to like the man.

Truth be told, after seeing his forces milling about in one gigantic, largely impotent mass, I wasn’t exactly surprised. Even though I expected more from Kenny, I just figured this was one more argument against ‘Might makes Right’, because when you equate Martial strength with competence, you’re gonna get a lot of idiots in charge of more deserving people. The difference is clear as night and day, with Mister Rustram’s forces arranged in tidy squares all lined up in neat little rows, while Kenny’s forces look more like an unruly, rioting mob, with Central soldiers and Death Corps all running about like chickens with their heads cut off. Many of them aren’t even looking at the battlefield and are instead staring at their feet, leaving me to wonder if I erred in promoting Kenny to a First Class Warrant Officer. If I hadn’t, then Hongji probably wouldn’t have put the opera idiot in charge of the southern flank and I wouldn’t be watching this clown fiesta unfold before me.

Just as I was about to dictate a message asking Colonel Du Kang Bing to take over the southern flank, I’m struck speechless as I’m given a first-hand view of how a competent commander controls the battlefield and brings order to chaos.

One second, the southern flank is a milling mess of Central soldiers and Death Corps, and the next, they surge forward into the Chosen battle-lines, but not as one. Five, thin columns emerge from the giant mob of Imperial Warriors, like fingers uncurling from a giant, closed fist. Killing all in their path, those five columns of Central Warriors drive deep into the Enemy forces as the Death Corps move up behind to support them, resulting in a strange, five-pronged formation which I’ve never seen before. My first thought is that Kenny must have lost his marbles, until I realize that now, the Chosen caught between the ‘fingers’ or prongs are now surrounded by Imperial Warriors on three sides. Clouds of blood spray into the air as the once unruly mob transforms into a disciplined formation, one moving ever forward to drive the enemy back. Were these soldiers commoners, this tactic would never work, because there is too much pressure concentrated at the front of each finger, with only five warriors spear-heading each column of the assault.

However, with Ishin Ken-Shibu and his dance-troupe leading the charge, it’s a whole different story. Even from this distance, I can make out the Painted Dancer’s porcelain features there in the vanguard of the centre-most prong, while his four sparring partners each leading one of the prongs alongside him. With them are several more of Ken-Shibu’s dancers, all with painted faces and wielding dual swords in similar fashion to their leader. All told, there are maybe sixty of these dancers spread out over the five columns, and together, they cut a bloody swathe into the Enemy while their allies behind them clean up whatever is left behind. Forward they move in a rotating ring of flashing death, their swords slashing high and low to maim and kill whoever is in their path, and seeing how effectively these coordinated dancers can kill, it makes me wonder if the whole reason ranged weapons are looked down on is because they’re actually less efficient at killing than a group of well-trained Martial Warriors.

I mean... I’ve always known that a dozen Akanai’s could probably rout a million peasants with crossbows, but she’s a Peak Expert standing high above her peers. Here and now, I am witnessing less than a hundred ‘mere’ Experts with the potential to do the same, and I worry that my dreams of a crossbow revolution will never come to pass, for here in the Azure Empire, it’s possible might actually does makes right.

Despite the vast distance between us, I can easily see Kenny’s expression as he dances through the Enemy battle-lines, and it is not one of anger, fear, determination, concentration, or even excitement. No, what I see on his painted features is nothing short of joy and satisfaction, for this is the dance he trained his whole life for. His red-rouged lips move in soundless recitation, and while I do not recognize the words, it has the rhythm and cadence of a song, one sounding in his heart and driving the tempo of his hands and feet as he moves round and round the battlefield. That’s not all the song does, as it also helps him keep time with his comrades, each of whom are singing the same, soundless song and dancing to the exact same rhythm. Even the pauses to breath are baked into the song, and any athlete worth their salt can tell you how important proper breathing can be, which makes this coordinated effort that much more impressive.

Without Ken-Shibu and his retinue leading the charge, it would likely be a long and bloody fight to throw back the Chosen, but in the blink of an eye, the southern flank is cleared of Chosen save for a modicum of stragglers. Only then do I notice the rear guard emerging from their hidden, underground tunnels with Hongji arranging his troops, and I say a small prayer of thanks for that. When the Chosen surged over the eastern walls of Castle Jianghu to attack our withdrawing forces, I feared for the worst and thought the entire rearguard had been slaughtered in record time, Hongji and Yan included. Why didn’t anyone tell me about the escape tunnels? I was so stressed about how we were gonna all get away, but they had this easy out in mind. Even better, we can totally use these tunnels to retake the castle later, because even if the Enemy know they’re there, they’ll have to devote resources to guard them, and every little bit counts.

Even as the thought comes to mind, I notice a familiar, ragged-robe figure backing out of the tunnel with his staff held high. As the last of the Imperial rearguard stream out from around him, Eccentric Gam cackles with fiendish delight and slams the butt of his staff into the dirt. A cloud of dust rises up into the air as the tunnels collapse beneath the feet of the Imperial soldiers, cutting a furrow in the otherwise flat plains that goes clear through the southern flank yet somehow avoids impacting a single Imperial soldier. Thinking back on how Ken-Shibu positioned his troops, I realized the Painted Dancer spaced his five prongs so that they avoided the tunnel, meaning he knew exactly where the rearguard would be emerging from and what Hongji intended. Again, we’re all on the same side, but I can’t help but feel a little miffed about being left in the dark, especially considering I’m supposedly the highest ranking civil and military officer in the outer provinces.

Seriously, this is bullshit. Where’s the face? Ever since I got here, everyone’s been telling me how I gotta give face, but now that the roles have reversed, why doesn’t anyone give me any face? How dare they...

My sullen dissatisfaction aside, I can see our plans coming together, but just as I relax to take a breath, Rustram’s startled, Chi-fuelled cry rings through the air. “Demon Slayers! To me!”

With that, everything has changed and the tension returns in spades, especially since Guard Leader closes the back window and pulls Lin-Lin to sit at her side. Stubborn as ever, my wifey refuses to release her hold around my neck, so I too am drawn back to Guard Leader’s side, and together, we sit and wait for news to arrive, but none is forthcoming. Despite being the nominal commander of the Imperial Army, no one ever comes to me for orders, especially not here on the battlefield. While I understand and even insisted the army be led in this manner, with Hongji in firm control of all the retreating forces, I would’ve still liked to have been kept in the loop. A simple report every now and then would’ve been enough, but not only were pertinent details left out of the initial plan, the only information I’ve received since the retreat began is what I could see with my own two eyes.

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So here I sit, in the closed confines of my carriage while the sounds of bloody battle erupt all around us. Resting her chin on my shoulder, Lin-Lin hugs me from behind and smiles as sweet Ping Ping pokes her head up for a quick nuzzle. The not-so-big girl rests in my arms with her back facing the Enemy, which I don’t love because then it feels like I’m using her as a shield, which I kinda am. The red panda is also here with us, hiding in the cushioned box I tied to my wrist, but I figured Mama Bun would be safer with the rest of my floofs in the wagon Song prepared for them. Even though Demons might be wary of attacking me, Defiled Peak Experts and Divinities won’t share the same concerns, and I’m worried Zhen Shi might concentrate his efforts in an attempt to take me off the board. It’s not hubris or anything, because even without my Succ ability and the utter lack of face given, I’m still pivotal to the defence efforts of the outer provinces since I’m the only thing keeping the alliance of outer provinces from falling apart. Without me or a Legate to direct the defences efforts, we go from a single unified front to three separately defended regions, and we cannot afford to fight alone against our numerically superior Enemy.

Who at this very moment is throwing everything they have at us, to... I dunno. Keep us in place for the rest of the Enemy forces to catch up? Peak Experts and Demons alone can hardly accomplish this, but the problem is, I’m worried about Mister Rustram’s forces. The checker-board formation is great to use against a large, Enemy army, but the downside is now all of the Imperial Peak Experts will be spread out over a wider area. Not even Hongji or Nian Zu can command every Peak Expert like a common soldier, because a large number of them aren’t actually enlisted in the army. Many are here just to protect their younger generations, which means they go where their wards go, and even in these troubled times, there are Peak Experts who won’t even reveal themselves to their ward’s commander, like Ken-Shibu’s recently deceased uncle who was a hidden Peak Expert. Even now, with the Enemy unified and threatening everything we hold dear, the Empire still can’t put aside politics to work as a single, unified force.

I don’t know how Zhen Shi got all the Defiled on his side, but whatever he did, it must’ve been magic, because there’s no other explanation for it.

Time ticks by with each successive second dragging on for longer than the last, and my mind races at a million miles per second in hopes of finding a distraction. Without one, all I can do is fixate on the worst case scenarios, like what if Mister Rustram’s Demon Slayers don’t get there in time and my friend is already dead? What if there’s still a couple mole-rat Demons around and they’re currently digging a series of tunnels behind us? What if the Enemy commander sends all its Demons and Peak Experts against us, here and now without a care for losses incurred? That last one is a real nightmare scenario for the Empire, because the Enemy outnumbers us and can probably afford the trade, though something tells me the Defiled Peak Experts won’t be as willing to sacrifice themselves as the Demons might be. I wonder why Zhen Shi doesn’t demand Oaths from his followers, but it’s clear he doesn’t since he still needs Gen’s gift of gab to entice people over to his side. Otherwise, he could just threaten Imperial soldiers with torture or whatever and force them to take Oaths, but that’s not happening, which is weird because I would totally do that if I was an evil overlord.

If I didn’t have all these pesky morals, I would totally make an awesome evil overlord...

“You worry too much hubby.” Her cherubic face drawn in consternation, Lin-Lin rests her chin atop my shoulder and sighs. “You did what you could, ya? Now it’s time to let others do their part too. Trust in your friends and allies hubby. We’ll get through this together, so settle down and stop making Ping Ping all nervous.”

Leaning back into her warm embrace, I press my cheek against hers and nuzzle in close while simultaneously stroking Ping Ping’s smooth, leathery head. On the surface, my sweet wifey seems utterly unfazed by the war unfolding around her, as calm and composed as can be, but I can tell she’s still worried. Rather than leaving him to perch between her hare ears, Lin-Lin has Blackjack tucked into a tiny purse similar to how Song carries Princess around in a shoulder-bag. Unlike the diffident weasel-bear however, the sweet hare hates the closed confines of his new digs and has a perpetual scowl etched across his adorably chubby cheeks, but my wifey is unrelenting. Normally, she spoils the little hare rotten and brings him traipsing about to the most dangerous places, but not only has she kept him confined all morning, she’s similarly secured herself against my back so that we won’t be separated in the event of an Enemy attack.

My poor, sweet, carefree wifey... if she were anyone else, I’d say she was handling things well, but if Lin-Lin is this concerned, it’s the equivalent of Mila pulling her hair out in frustration or Yan pacing back and forth all night when she’s unable to sleep.

Hoping to alleviate Lin-Lin’s concerns, I offer what I hope is a reassuring smile and say, “I’m just thinking is all. You know how I get.” Waving towards the southern flank, I reiterate my admiration of Ken-Shibu’s leadership skills and Hongji’s use of hidden tunnels before concluding, “So now I’m just wondering how many other secrets my allies have hidden away. It’s like playing a game of chess without knowing which piece is which, making things particularly stressful as I have to account for more variables.”

“Hehe.” Hugging me even tighter and choking off my air flow, Lin-Lin plants a chaste kiss on my cheek and beams with delight. “You really saw all that, Hubby? Stinky Shibu-Bu and his dancers, Ji-Ji coming out of the tunnel, and Gam-Gam collapsing it behind him?”

“Well... yea.” How else would I be able to share the details with her?

“Think back hubby,” Lin-Lin says, her smile seeming all the brighter as she tilts her head to one side. “Where were you watching them from?”

“Uh...right here? With you? In this carriage?” Is Lin-Lin alright? Maybe all this stress is affecting her more than I thought. Poor wifey. I should’ve made her stay at the Citadel, but she insisted on coming along...

“I know you were physically here, hubby.” Rolling her eyes in undisguised impatience, Lin-Lin repeats the question. “I’m asking where were you watching from? You couldn’t have seen Stinky Shibu-Bu from the carriage window hubby. I was right behind you and all I could see was dust in the distance, ya?”

It’s incredible how I can overlook even the most obvious of details, like how I started panning around the battlefield for an overhead view. I mean, how else was I supposed to see past all the soldiers on these stupid flat plains? “Ah... I uh... I guess I must have been Scrying?”

“Yup!”

After enduring Lin-Lin’s second squeezing embrace, I immediately ask, “But how? I don’t have a working Core, much less a Domain to... stretch out, or whatever it is you do with Scrying. I was sitting here, wanted to see what was going on over there, and it just... happened.”

“I dunno.” The worst part is, Lin-Lin’s singsong tone makes it clear she doesn’t care about the how, and thinks I shouldn’t either. She means well, but I have no idea how she can be so laid-back and unconcerned about things, which I think is the reason for her Martial success. She doesn’t think, she just does whatever it is she wants to do, and somehow, it works. When she wants to jump down from a high vantage point, she doesn’t stop and consider the distance, wind speed, angle of approach, and her ability to Lighten. No, she just jumps, and somehow, things work out. This isn’t to say she’s reckless, but more that she has an instinctive approach when it comes to heights. She just knows if she can make the jump, and if she can’t, then she finds a different way to go about things. She wasn’t always the phenomenal Lightener she is today, but rather she slowly built up to it with years and years of climbing and jumping experience, with each incident honing and fine-tuning her senses until she learned the optimal way to go about traversing great heights.

In a sense, Lin-Lin has discovered a very specific form of One with the World, one which relates solely to heights and Lightening. It’s no different from Martial Warriors tempering themselves through repeated life-and-death battles until their movements become instinct, or how my pets learn and gain confidence from the obstacle courses. There was a time when my bears and wildcats refused to climb the walls or cross the balance beams, because it was new and unfamiliar, but now, they’ve mastered those obstacles to the point where it’s the same as walking across flat ground. It’s a different form of learning from the one I am so obsessed with, an intuitive understanding versus my preference of logical reasoning, except now, I realize my intuition isn’t half bad.

This is my snaffu with Guiding all over again. I throw Peace expecting to hit my target, and it hits, Guided there by Chi and Intent. I look out my carriage window and expect to see the southern flank, and I do, Scrying from above as naturally as breathing. The question is, how can I replicate my success so I can use it as I please?

The answer?

It’s simple.

Practice.

Turning my gaze northward, all I see is my cushioned carriage interior, but what I want to see is Mister Rustram. In the blink of an eye, I’m there at his side, watching him fight for his life against his Demonic foe, one which towers high above his head. His rapier barely scratches the surface of the spiked Demon’s chitinous skin as they trade blows in a flurry of motion. A single mistake would see Rustram pulped where he stands, but his feet remain planted in place as he slips, sways, and dodges the lightning fast attacks by only moving his upper body, utilizing Balance on Windy Leaf in the way it was intended. Wondering why he’s insisting on fighting at this disadvantageous range, I finally notice Sai Chou laid out behind him, a pool of blood forming beneath her as it pours out from the gaping hole in her midsection. Broken sections of entrails poke out from the grievous wound and I can barely make out the tattered remains of the organs which should sit in that cavity, all rendered unto pulp and mash by her Demonic killer.

And despite all the pain and suffering she must be enduring, Sai Chou’s eyes are firmly locked upon the back of her beloved while a soft smile stretches across her lips. Though I sit several hundred metres away, I can feel Rustram’s desperation hanging in the air as he unleashes all his fury upon the spiked Demon, his frantic yet targeted rapier blows now scoring deep marks across his thorny foe’s chitinous plating thanks to the Honed edge being bolstered by a pseudo-Domain Rustram only just Developed. My friend has grown strong from his trials and tribulations, and his desperate need and focused Intent have given him even more strength, but this still isn’t enough to save his lady love, and all three of us know it. This realization crushes Rustram and I, but Sai Chou bears it well, smiling through the pain because she can see – nay, can feel – how her beloved loves her as much as she loves him, and I can feel it too, his emotions expressed directly by his actions which bleed ever so subtly into his Aura. There Rustram stands, going toe to toe against the Demon who struck her down, not only standing his ground, but holding the upper hand, an Imperial Hero fighting the Enemy to save his lady love.

Alas, she knows it’s too late for her, and all she wants is to see him survive, so that he can live a long and happy life, even if it is a life she cannot share with him.

Sai Chou’s Aura billows out, and in it, I sense the same love Rustram has for her, only lacking the poignant desperation suffused within his. This is their last, desperate attempt to share how they feel with one another, but I can tell neither of them can feel it yet. I want them to have this, to be able to share this affirmation of love and look back on it together in years to come, so I will not stand idly by and watch Sai Chou die.

But I’m so far away, a crippled Warrior with a shattered Core. What can I do?

Probably nothing, but Rustram can probably do something, so maybe I try and help him. I have reserves of Heavenly Energy, and I know this because otherwise, I would not be able to Scry, Orate, or do any of the other unexplained Chi shenanigans I’ve been doing these past few months in spite of my shattered Core. Even then, I can’t Heal Sai Chou, because not only am I too far away to affect her, Healing another living entity is a complex working I have yet to succeed at, but I have some theories. What’s stopping Rustram from Healing Sai Chou? Well, aside from the Demon attempting to murder him and innate deficiencies of Chi, Rustram’s pseudo-Domain barely extends past his rapier, so there’s no way it can stretch all the way to Sai Chou.

What did Grandpa Du say about Auras and Domains? They’re deployed in the same manner, right? Well, Rustram has an Aura and the beginnings of a Domain, so I just need to help him fully Develop it and he’ll have all the tools he needs to save Sai Chou. He’s almost there, emanating his emotions in an attempt to share them, and what is Chi besides Heavenly Energy bound by Emotion? Just as Aura is a metaphysical expression of emotion, Domain is a metaphysical expression of authority bestowed by the Heavens, but fuck the Heavens and fuck their authority. I make my own way in this world and I always have. That is my Dao, and if the Heavens have an issue with that, then too fucking bad. Rustram will not die here today, nor will Sai Chou, because I will not allow it.

And just like that, Rustram’s emotions take control of the area around himself and Sai Chou, utilizing a wholly realized Domain granting him authority bestowed upon him not by the Heavens, but by me. How this works, I’m not entirely certain, but for now, the only thing that matters is that it does. Despite this miracle, I worry it isn’t enough, for while this borrowed Domain might eventually allow Rustram to defeat his Demonic foe, Healing another living, breathing person isn’t as simple as willing it. Taduk said Healing others requires the pinnacle of mastery, and the only thing more difficult is wielding the elements, but I can do the latter, and not the former. It has to do with the inviolability of Chi once it is bound to the individual, and the internal Domain each and every living person possesses, but even as I put my mind towards coming up with an answer, I see Rustram’s Healing begin to take effect and think I might have figured out the answer.

We draw Heavenly Energy into our Core and bind it with emotion, but I’ve come to realize it’s more than just emotion. Dad once told me he suspected our Cores were created from our Souls, and I think he’s right, mostly because of what Gen-Shi said about the term ‘Natal Soul’ being surprisingly apt. When I or anyone else enters another living being’s Natal Palace, we are sending a portion of our souls in, but it’s not as easy as wanting to go. Much like the Spectres, we must be invited, but I never realized this because Ping Ping and Pong Pong were both happy to let me in, even if I never exactly asked for permission. They trusted me without fail, and allowed me access into their innermost sanctums, their very souls themselves, and that makes me feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy feelings inside. As for the other times? Well, Dagen and Bei probably both knew something was wrong and subconsciously sent out a cry for help, one which allowed me to slip into their Natal Palaces unhindered, and I walked in on Yo Ling taking an audience with Spectres. What are Spectres? Slivers of souls, which meant he had an open door policy into his Natal Palace and my Natal Soul had no trouble queuing up as well.

All this is something to ponder for another day though, because with regards to Healing, the greatest hurdle to Healing another living person is not the Healing itself, but convincing the patient’s body and soul not to reject the Healer’s ‘foreign’ Chi bound by soul matter. This isn’t a problem for Rustram and Sai Chou however, because they are truly, madly, and deeply in love with one another. Driven by Intent and protected by Domain and Emotion, Rustram’s Chi surges out of his Core and streams towards his lady love, who accepts it without struggle or suspicion. Cheesy as it might sound, their loves makes them two parts of a whole, and thus they have no barriers between them, so his efforts bear fruit as his Chi drives Sai Chou’s battered body to producing Panacea wherever it is needed. Were it anyone else dying at his feet, Rustram’s attempts to Heal would likely fail because Chi is Heavenly Energy branded by one’s soul, and souls are inviolable, but to Rustram, Sai Chou is someone he cannot live without, and his love makes it possible for his Chi to affect her, and she feels the same way about him. What I see here is love and trust in its purest form, because for all intents and purposes, Rustram and Sai Chou are one soul inhabiting two bodies, and that, above all else, is what makes this Healing possible.

Someone much smarter than me once said, “Love is power, because it multiplies the best we have and allows humanity not to be extinguished in their blind selfishness. For love, we live and die. Love is the Heavens, and the Heavens is love.”

...Oh god, the cattle! This is why Ulfsaar, Neera, and a few others can use Panacea to Heal the cattle, but not other soldiers. It’s because my sweet moo-moo’s trust their riders so much it allows their souls to intertwine and intermingle without interfering with their Healing efforts.

That’s just...

We don’t deserve the love of animals. We just don’t.

...Why can’t I Heal my pets then? This is bullshit!

Staying long enough to see Rustram slay his foe and kneel at the recovering Sai Chou’s side, I leave them both to their efforts and return to my carriage, drained and enervated by my efforts. This is not the weariness which results from physical exertion, but the mental fatigue and burgeoning headache which comes from overusing Chi, the same sensation I vaguely remembered after waking from my coma following Ping Ping’s ascension. Shoulders sagging in exhaustion and relief at the knowledge that I helped in some way, shape, or form, I turn to Lin-Lin and try to explain what I just did and how it might help me in the future, but my thoughts are a jumbled mess which I cannot untangle. Instead, I look into her inquisitive brown eyes and marvel at the beauty hidden within her bright, clear gaze. “I love you wifey,” is all I utter, but it’s enough, because her beautiful eyes light up in delight and fill me with warmth and affection.

“Love you more, hubby.”

Though I have so much more to say, all I can do is offer my sweet wife a smile before turning to Ping Ping nestled against my chest. “Love you too, Ping Ping.” Judging by her warm nuzzle and happy squeak, I can tell Ping Ping feels the same way, even without the comforting burst of Loving Aura which accompanies it. There’s an answer here to all my woes, one I am not yet smart enough to figure out, but it won’t be long now. I’ve got everything I need in front of me, I just need to piece it all together in a way my tiny, smooth brain can wholly understand.

Or maybe understanding is overrated. Maybe I just go with my intuition and stride into battle wielding the power of love. If it works, it works, right? Who cares about the how or why?

...

Yea no, I totally care. Also, there’s no way I can ‘wield the power of love’ when I can’t even think it without laughing. The Dao of Love might fit others, but I’m afraid my Dao is a little different, even if there’s some overlap. I’ll figure it out eventually, but first... I need a nap.

So here on the fields of Central, I snuggle Ping Ping close, lean back into Lin-Lin’s warm embrace, and surrender to the peaceful bliss of oblivion. I’ve done my part and there are better Warriors than I to handle the rest, so I might as well rest while I can, and who knows? Maybe when I wake up, everything will make sense again and I’ll figure out how to fix my shattered Core.

Now wouldn’t that be nice?

Chapter Meme