At twenty years of age, there was no denying that Mila was a formidable woman and Warrior.

Today, she single-handedly slew three Demons and participated in no less than a dozen more kills, tying down or distracting her monstrous foes while her allies dealt the killing blow. Many of the Defiled were well armoured in Runic helms and breastplates, but they proved meagre defence against Paragon’s chain-whip form, scything through unprotected legs and necks with laughable ease. Wherever she rode, the Enemy tide parted aside as if readily giving way as she killed them faster than they could charge in, and even Spiritual Weapon wielding Champions and Chieftains were unable to stop her. All they could do was avoid her attacks and leave their comrades to die beneath Paragon’s eight-hundred and eight segmented blades, capable of striking someone over seven meters away when stretched to its utmost limits.

Her accomplishments weren’t confined to the battlefield either. She was a married woman now, wife to Falling Rain, her beloved idiot who she could not imagine a life without. Though many wives of the Empire derived their status solely from their husbands, Mila intended to make her own mark in history, but this did not mean she took no pride in being a wife. After moving into their new manor at the Northern Citadel however, she’d come face to face with her own glaring ineptitude when it came to domestic aptitude, utterly useless at cooking, cleaning, sewing, decorating, or really anything that had to do with the household. She couldn’t even make heads or tails of the manor expenses, wholly reliant on Luo-Luo to handle everything from hiring servants and gardeners to ensuring their kitchen was well-stocked without letting food go to waste. It didn’t matter that her sister wife Yan was equally useless, but it irritated Mila that her husband was so adept when it came to managing the household. However, instead of complaining to no end, she took precious time away from contemplating the Martial Path to learn how to be a better wife, a path which was far more difficult and troublesome than she’d ever imagined, because Mama made everything look so easy.

All her life, Mama had been larger than life, not just as a Warrior, but as a mother too, a paragon who excelled in everything she tried. Mama could stitch together a new outfit for Mila and have time left over to cook a sumptuous lunch, without skipping her morning training or forgetting to tend to her flourishing courtyard garden. She kept the house impeccably clean and the pantry generously stocked, sometimes too generously as if afraid they might go an entire year without a good harvest or clean catch from the forest, yet nothing ever went to waste. All while running the Sentinels to flawless perfection mind you, ensuring that every village in the Saint’s Tribulations mountains was properly protected while simultaneously keeping track of everyone’s personal contributions so that they were appropriately rewarded without fail. In Mila’s eyes, Mama was an indomitable force of nature, someone who bore the weight of the Heavens on her shoulders so that others could walk freely without this burden to inhibit them, and she did so as easily as turning a hand.

Which was why seeing her strong, domineering, confident mother lying in the grass with eyes closed and a gaping stomach wound made Mila feel like a girl in pigtails once again. Warm courage gave way to icy dread as the Healer tended to Mama’s many grievous wounds, made all the more visible due to the minimal blood covering each horrific injury. Logically, she understood Mama’s eyes were only closed so she could replenish her spent Chi, and that the lack of blood meant she stopped the bleeding within seconds of taking injury, but the truth did little to reassure Mila. Instead, she fixated on the open cavity along Mama’s pale stomach and the various bone-deep cuts distributed about her body, including a particularly gruesome one running along her left cheek which exposed not only broken bones, but also shattered teeth inside Mama’s mouth. Her wounds told a tale of a hard fought battle, and for Mila, who’d never seen her formidable Mama even lose a sparring match, it was a difficult tale to swallow.

Whenever people came to Mama for help, she would often smile and say “There are still taller shoulders to hold up the Heavens”, or something to that effect. Only now, the Enemy delivered unto them a foe even Mama could not defeat, so who was left to bear this burden now that she’d faltered and fallen?

A comforting arm wrapped around Mila’s shoulders and she started in place, caught by surprise in Tursinai’s embrace. “Hold firm to your courage, Mila of the People,” she whispered, her gaze more solemn and serious than ever. “The Chief Provost is injured, but she still yet lives and will return to the fight soon enough, so it would be best if you stopped scaring everyone with your frightened expression.”

Right. Mama’s injuries looked daunting enough, so there was no need for Mila to make things worse by overreacting. Doing her best to put on a brave face, she rallied her flagging spirits and sought Balance to calm her mind, before turning to watch the Royal Guardians go about their business. The lion-mounted warriors were a fearsome sight to behold, driving deep into the Defiled flank to slaughter tribesmen and Chosen with near impunity. Much of it was due to the deafening roars of their mounts, inspiring sheer terror and causing their targets to bleed from all seven apertures, panicking, blinding, and deafening their foes before slashing them apart with single swipes of their massive claws. Golden creatures with dark, luxurious manes, even the smallest lion was the size of an average horse, while the largest had shoulders standing at over two-metres tall. Then there were the Royal Guardians themselves, powerful Experts who fought with wickedly hooked spears, mundane weapons which did little to hold them back as they made short work of their foes.

It took almost a full minute for the Enemy to respond to this unexpected attack, one which threatened to crumble the entire right flank unsupported. Fur-laden garo riders appeared in the distance, moving around to cut off the Royal Guardians’ path of retreat, but rather than disengaging to fall back, the Royal Guardians pivoted as one to meet the Defiled charge head on. Where a battle between horses and gajashia heavily favoured the latter, garos and lions were even more mismatched as the powerful felines made short work of the wiry, armless lizards. Time and time again, the same scene repeated itself on the fields of Central, the garos leaping at their chosen targets only to be swatted down mid air. Whether it was power, speed, reach, or intelligence, the garos were sorely outmatched, unable to hold a candle to the majestic, graceful lions of the Imperial Clan.

The sight was far from inspiring though, as a single thought gnawed on Mila’s mind. “The Royal Guardians,” she Sent, wasting this Chi because she dared not risk being overheard. “They were not trained to do battle against the Defiled.” Disciplined as ever, Tursinai refrained from replying through Sending, conserving every last iota of Chi for use in battle, but Mila had to share this information with another. “The lions’ roar is a tool meant to overwhelm a foe and scatter them to the winds. This is only marginally useful against the Defiled, who by and large, do not rout.” Understanding dawned on the older woman’s face, and her brows drew together in concern. Turning her gaze upon the Royal Guardians, Tursinai’s eyes had the look of a predator studying a potential rival, for that was what the Royal Guardians were. Their purpose was the defend the Imperial Clan, but their tactics had not been developed to use against the fearless and almost suicidal Defiled.

No, they were meant to be used against Imperial citizens, rational Martial Warriors who still understood the meaning of fear.

This training served them poorly here today, for while Imperial infantry would’ve likely routed under the initial, devastating charge, the Defiled infantry had already rallied to chase after the Royal Guardians, pinning them between a rock and a hard place. Their only chance was to fight their way through the garo forces, but even as the thought came to mind, Mila spotted a force of gajashia riders moving around to lend their weight to the battle. Though fierce and powerful beyond expectations, the Royal Guardians’ numbers left much to be desired, less than three-thousand in total and in grave danger of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

Whistling as she ran towards the fray, Mila yelled, “Tursinai, send word to Hongji. Sentinels, on me. Our allies require our aid.” Eager for battle as always, Zabu trotted out next to her, his head lowered and pace steady so she could jump on without slowing down. Drawing her short spear from its holster affixed to her shield, she flipped it into an overhand grip, Reinforced for all she was worth, and came to her feet in the harness. Zabu slowed and growled as she placed a tremendous weight upon his furred frame, but he bore it without much complaint as Mila took aim and loosed her weapon at the foremost clump of Defiled infantry. The spear shot out like an arrow and took the closest Defiled through the shoulder, passing through in a spray of blood and shooting down the line to kill seven more tribesmen before finally coming to a stop.

The Sentinels with Mila lent their bows to the cause, but there was only time for a single volley before battle was joined. Waiting until the last moment to deploy Paragon, she whipped the wand about and grinned as the sectioned blades hurled out into the Defiled crowd, cutting through flesh and bone like a hot knife through cold butter. That was the beauty of her weapon, for a mundane weapon would have to deal with issues like friction and density, but Paragon’s sectioned blades were so slender and light, they were all but weightless once Honed and Lightened. This meant that so long as they didn’t get caught on anything like the edge of Runic shield or wrapped around a Spiritual Weapon, it didn’t take much effort to send Paragon hurtling through the Enemy ranks, unlike Tursinai’s longer, thicker, and heavier chain and sickle which she used to the same effect.

There they stood, two Warriors of the People spearheading two separate attacks. Like twin wolves working in concert to rend apart a stag, Tursinai baited the Enemy out of position while Mila’s forces bit in deep, a gambit they used to great effect time and time again. Gongsun Qi was an able commander, but his underlings lacked training and discipline, a flaw which inhibited his tactical options since his Junior Officers could not be counted on to keep their subordinates in check. No doubt Gongsun Qi knew how to deal with the quin-mounted Sentinels, by ordering his soldiers to present a unified front and march forward together, rather than letting sections break away to chase a ‘retreating foe’, but he might as well try to hang the moon on his belt instead. Though dressed differently, the Chosen were still Defiled in the end, and no matter how many times the Sentinels used this same tactic against them, the Enemy fell for the bait every single time.

Quick to divine her intentions, the Royal Guardians soon fought their way free of the garos and infantry, though not without their own losses. More than one Guardian sported dire injuries, and their mounts fared only slightly better, with many a golden flank looking a little worse for wear after this singular exchange. What’s more, being shock cavalry, their effectiveness likely plummeted the longer a battle drew on, largely due to their lions’ lacking stamina. Ordering her Sentinels to fall back, Mila escorted the Royal Guardians back to safety with a sense of smug superiority, for the roosequin was still the king of all mounts in her eyes, a creature which could run, fight, and kill with the best of them, while also being the most aesthetically pleasing to boot.

Patting Zabu’s neck earned Mila a mild glare of reproach, but she paid his grumpy demanour no mind as she put her spear and Paragon away to take up the bow once more. With Tursinai to pass along her messages, she ordered the Royal Guardians to block for the Sentinels as she loosed arrow after arrow into the horde, directing their aim towards the infantry whenever she could solely because there were more of them. Part of her wondered if this was a mistake, because technically, Mama’s unit was supposed to be resting in reserve, as even loosing arrows took stamina and focus, both of which would soon be in short supply. However, if she could whittle away the Enemy cavalry numbers until they were no longer a threat, then the Imperials would have free rein to pick and choose their targets. Up until now, the cattle chariots had yet to be deployed, meaning Ulfsaar and almost five hundred Warriors were standing idly on one flank, which lent credence to Rain’s idea of training more commoners for the battlefield. A commoner in a chariot could easily mow down dozens of Defiled under the right circumstances, and if they should die in the process, then little of value would be lost. It seemed callous to even think it, but a chariot driver could be trained in a matter of weeks, whereas a Martial Warrior took years to develop. In fact, should a chariot be lost, Mila placed more value on the cattle and wagon than the driver, even if they were a Martial Warrior themselves.

She had Rain to blame for this, him and his animal loving ways. Truth be told, the cattle were quite cute once you got used to their smell, which really wasn’t all that much worse than horses.

Distracted by her idle thoughts, Mila almost missed seeing the force of Demons headed her way. Led by a formidable, Water-Blessed abomination which could only be the Demon Rain had dubbed ‘Pudge’, the monstrous cadre was accompanied by nine other Demons and a large contingent of gajashia cavalry, no doubt here to silence the People’s longbows and keep the dangerous Royal Guardians in check. The smart move was to fall back and pepper the gajashias with arrows, but she wasn’t sure if the lions could keep up with quins and still have strength left to fight afterwards. Probably not, since the cats were built for power rather than speed or stamina, so she ordered the Guardians to withdraw to the North while the Sentinels distracted the Enemy and drew them north-west. Another bait to set up for a flanking charge, but Gongsun Qi was paying close attention and split his forces well, sending the Demons after Mila while the gajashia cavalry chased after the Royal Guardians.

How was the man so adept at battlefield command, never missing a single detail even whilst embroiled in bitter combat with Situ Jia Yang? A duel which lasted much longer than it should have, by the way, considering Zian’s uncle was no match for Baatar, much less Mama. It didn’t make any sense for Gongsun Qi to take this long to defeat his opponent, and Mila was almost offended since this might lead others to think Mama was only so-so, rather than one of the foremost Warriors of every generation since the one she’d been born to.

With no targets to aim at, the longbows fell silent as Mila carefully weighed her options with Tursinai’s input, unsure if she should fight or flee from this formidable threat. Tenjin had almost died to Pudge once, and that was without any other Demons to support it. Were Naaran, Yaruq, or even Mother-in-Law Sarnai here, then Mila would order the charge and be done with it, but the strongest Sentinel Demon Slayers had left to support the centre, meaning Mila had limited options to deal with these Demons. Sending word of their plight to Hongji, she received a vague assurance of aid coming as soon as possible, though it sounded like ‘soon’ would be anything but.

Hesitation and indecisiveness did little to aid her cause, but the Enemy was in no rush either. To the south west, the Royal Guardians had already engaged their foes, and the Demon-contingent seemed happy to let them fight it out. No doubt there were even more forces on the way to bog down the Royal Guardians, because if Mila could see that they were lacking in stamina, surely Gongsun Qi knew it as well. To make matters worse, Mila’s five-thousand Sentinels were too valuable to be wasted playing cat-and-mouse with their foes, which meant a decision had to be made now.

And she was never one to back down from a challenge.

Rattling off a string of orders, Mila dispersed her Sentinels to circle around the Demons and lend assistance to the Royal Guardians, for in this coming clash, there was little they could do to help. Tenjin, Tursinai, Dagen, Orgaal, and less than twenty others Mila only knew by name remained behind, a paltry force of Demon Slayers if she ever saw one. If there was another Demon comparable to Pudge, then this fight was doomed to defeat, for the Water-Blessed abomination was a fearsome foe to be reckoned with.

Last time, Rain’s forces only emerged unscathed because GangShu stepped in to deal with Pudge, but this time, direct action from a Divinity seemed unlikely. Even if he were so inclined to do so, Guan Suo was dead and gone now, and with Mama still injured and Papa back in the Citadel, there was no one left to hold the Heavens up for Mila.

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So she would just have to bear this burden herself.

Leaping off Zabu and signalling him to hold, Mila drew her spear and raised it to throw once more. Casting it away with all her might, her heart sank as the weapon was stopped short by a barrier of murky Water. Though her spear passed through the obstacle unscathed, its momentum was utterly spent and all but crashed to the floor behind it. Her attempt to summon the spear back to hand were met with failure again as the Demon erected another barrier between Mila and her weapon, almost taunting her to keep trying and see which of them had more Chi. No matter, for Paragon had been crafted with more than just its whip form in mind, as she flicked it twice to form a flexible spear that was more blade than shaft. Technically, it could be considered a terribly balanced double bladed staff, but Mila intended for it to be used as a one-handed spear, albeit one with a fixed grip and pointed blades on both sides.

“I’ll distract the Water Demon,” she said, drawing looks of consternation from the others. “Split the rest among yourselves. Kill your targets if you can, but take no unnecessary risks. We only need to delay until stronger allies arrive. If there is another Demon too powerful for us to face, then call out and retreat away from our forces.” At best, the Demons would chase them, and at worst, the Demons went after the Sentinels and Royal Guardians, the former of which could easily retreat. As for the Royal Guardians, well... perhaps they still had some Peak Experts to spare, though having seen no less than a full-score of Royal Guardians fighting Demons in the Centre, Mila wasn’t entirely confident they had hidden talents left to reveal.

To their credit, none of the Sentinels tried to persuade Mila out of this foolishness, not even Tursinai who all but radiated concern. They trusted Mila not to overreach, which meant that if she said she could keep Pudge busy, they expected her to do so without dying. Oh how she wished she’d spent more time practising Panacea under battlefield conditions, but she was still of the mind that it was better to focus on avoiding injury in the first place than spend time learning how to treat them on the fly.

Sensing her gaze locked upon it, the Demon Pudge lumbered towards Mila at a deceptively fast pace, a torrent of water swirling all around it which no doubt stretched to the limits of its Domain, one which measured at least two metres in radius from torso to the outer edge. Seeing this, the other Sentinels split off, neatly drawing the remaining Demons away from the Water-Blessed monstrosity’s influence. A standard Demon was unpredictable enough, but add in a Blessing, and the possibilities were near endless and impossible to guard against. Even though the Warriors here were all aware of Pudge’s Water bullets, tentacles, and barriers, it could still easily catch one of them off-guard if attacked mid-battle with another Demon.

As if reading her mind, Pudge attacked without warning and Mila hunkered down to block, the water bullet smashing against her shield and sending her sliding back several meters. Muscles screaming in protest as she quick-stepped out of the furrows dug by her heels, she circled around her foe dodging and Deflecting bullets as she went. Manoeuvring into place until it stood between her and her allies, she forced it to focus solely on her and minimized the chances it would launch attacks of opportunity at the others behind it. While it could still do so through the use of Scrying, this was beyond the ability of most Demons, since intelligence was rarely a part of their strengths. Cunning and guile, yes, but true, calculating intelligence? Mila would sooner expect Aurie to sprout wings and fly than a Demon to exhibit human-level intellect, for despite their forms or origins, the Demons were naught but mindless beasts, hate-filled minions of the Father hell-bent on overturning Balance as it currently existed.

And this one, this Water-Blessed Pudge, with its pale, corpulent flesh and gaping chest wound spewing murky water at an alarming rate, its hatred was wholly focused on Mila.

A towering liquid tentacle surged up beside her and slammed down without warning. Hopping back to avoid the strike, she spun on her heel and Deflected the next oncoming Water bullet, praying her movements looked better than they felt. ‘Nimble’ or ‘graceful’ were not words often used to describe Mila, as she was more used to overpowering her foes through raw strength, but this wasn’t an option against the bulky, towering Pudge. Calling this beast gargantuan was an understatement, as its legs were thicker than Mila’s entire torso and her eyes level with its protruding belly, which thankfully hung loosely down to its knees and hid whatever might be tucked away between its legs. Inwardly disgusted at the unpleasant thought, she put her mind to better use coming up with a solution to all her woes, but aside from dancing around the Demon and avoiding its ranged attacks, she wasn’t certain what she should do. Paragon’s whip form would be as useless as her thrown spear, since a Water barrier would sap away whatever strength and momentum she could put into the attack, which meant she would have to wade through the murky puddle in order to land a solid hit. The problem was, even though she was Mama’s Disciple, Mila never picked up the trick of her signature charge, the one Rain so easily emulated after seeing her use it once.

The Heavens were unfair, but Mila had more than her share of benefits, a favoured child matched with Rain or Yan. The problem was, against an opponent of this calibre, enhanced strength and a dense physique were more hindrance than advantage, which meant she had little else to rely on. If Song were here, she would fearlessly charge into the ominous puddle of swirling water and lop off a leg using a quick-draw strike, while Yan would gracefully dance about avoiding Water Bullets wherever she could and countering with Wind Blades when she couldn’t, but alas, Mila was not fast or brave enough for the former and unable to do the latter, for her still unnamed Blessing was not one that manifested itself in the same way.

Diving forward to avoid yet another smashing tentacle, Mila tucked her head and rolled to her feet. Despite the awkward, bumbling image she knew she presented, her grin never once slipped from her face. Dire though the situation might be, she never felt more alive than when faced with a challenge, especially now that she knew Mama was in no condition to come save her. All her life, Mila had endured gruelling training sessions and faced many a precarious situation, but every time, she knew Mama, Papa, or one of their friends would be lurking nearby to protect her. That was the source of her indomitable courage, the knowledge that there were taller shoulders to hold up the Heavens should they come crashing down upon her, but now, all those taller shoulders were busy with their own burdens, leaving Mila to fend for herself.

And she loved every second of it.

The Demon’s attacks picked up in power, speed, and frequency, but Mila weathered the storm and emerged unscathed, for she noticed one critical detail. She was right, the swirling water around Pudge marked the limits of its Domain, so every time it loosed a Water Bullet or formed a Water Tentacle, the waters receded in the general direction Pudge’s attack would come from. It wasn’t much of a warning, but deep in the throes of Balance and Enlightenment, seconds stretched into perpetuity and gave her ample time to react. Joy and excitement surged through her veins as she revelled in the glory of battle, so much that they almost threatened to Unbalance her, but she kept a firm handle on her emotions and focused on the Demon at the expense of all else. Even then, she couldn’t avoid every attack, but her shield and Paragon served her well as she fought with all her heart, blocking and parrying attacks that should have rendered her into meat paste, and would have done so to most Martial Warriors, like Tursinai, Alsantset, Dagen, and possibly even someone as strong as Gerel.

Because unlike her, they lacked a Blessing to blunt the impact of these Elemental attacks.

This was the sole reason Mila was confident enough to face Pudge, because she’d suspected her Esoteric Blessing would protect her the same way it marginally protected her from Tenjin’s flames or Yan’s Wind Blades. She’d tested it thoroughly in the last few months, and discovered that the first would still burn her, while the second left shallow cuts, but only because those were the results of the secondary functions of their Blessed attacks, which were otherwise ineffective when used against her. Tenjin’s Fire Chi was not truly Fire, but it was still able to heat the air to burn her, while Yan’s Wind Blades were not really made of wind, but were still wholly capable of driving real wind to cut through flesh. However, the Elemental Chi portion of both those attacks were almost wholly negated by Mila’s Esoteric Blessing, which worked so mysteriously to strengthen her skin, bones, and muscles while providing her an innate resistance to mundane flames.

And now, she knew it also passively opposed any and all Elemental Chi which approached her, offering her an indisputable advantage against Awakened Demons and Warriors alike.

The Water tentacles were powerful enough to shake earth and shatter steel, but like any attack, most of the power came from the follow through. Since Mila’s Blessing negated the Water Chi before impact, those attacks were only as powerful as momentum would allow, which wasn’t much considering this was Water rather than Earth or Fire. Even Wind would be more effective, and Mila understood why the Blessing of Water was so universally looked down upon, because against a Martial Warrior who knew what they were doing, it didn’t offer much of an advantage, or at least nothing as impressive as what came bundled with the other three Primal Blessings.

To those ignorant of her Blessing, it would appear as if she were matched with the Demon in strength, but she was desperately avoiding close quarters combat because she really wasn’t. Her Blessing wouldn’t do much against an attack backed by pure muscle, and despite Pudge’s plump figure, only a fool would think this gargantuan Demon physically weak. Thankfully, it wasn’t particularly fast as far as Demons or Peak Experts went, and while Mila was confident she could beat it in a foot race, staying out of its reach while avoiding a barrage of Water-based attacks was far more difficult than she’d ever care to admit.

Because despite her razor sharp focus dedicated to immediate survival, a small part of her mind couldn’t help but ponder the mysteries of her Esoteric Blessing.

During the meditative trance induced by Taduk’s bamboo grove, Mila had concluded that the Primal Blessings weren’t specifically about mundane earth, air, water, or fire, but rather a representation of the myriad of unique forces of the universe broken down into their four most fundamental units, or perhaps categories. Exactly what forces fit into which category, she had yet to decide, for there were simply too many options to pick and choose from. Push and pull, friction and momentum, heat and chill, gravity, tension, resistance, and magnetism, these were but a fraction of the forces she had names for, and only the Heavens knew how many she didn’t know. Regardless of the details, she knew that the four Primal Elements represented the basic building blocks of the universe, and that every other force which existed within the universe could be broken down into some interaction between two or more of the Primal Elements.

That was the theory at least, and though Mila ultimately concluded that the name of her Esoteric Blessing didn’t matter, she still would’ve liked to have one, since not knowing made it difficult to figure out how to actively use it.

This was why she spent so much effort modelling her Natal Palace after the Bamboo grove, studying how the forces interacted and putting her knowledge to use in modifying her Natal Palace to better suit her needs. All four Primal Blessings were present in her bamboo grove. Earth in the Mountain the whole structure sat upon, Water in the river which ran through it, Air in the wind whistling through the trees, and Fire in the heat of the sun shining down from above. This wasn’t all though, for there were plenty of Secondary and Auxiliary Blessings represented as well, such as Light and Shadow playing out over the grove, Wood and Plant in the bamboo and flowers, Cloud and Scent, Mountain and River, Gravity and Pressure, and thousands upon thousands more. There were forces she had no name or concept for, but existed all the same, like the forces dictating how concentrated or diffuse a certain scent would be, or what image was presented in the water’s reflection, or which direction a plant grew in to face the sun.

...

The epiphany struck Mila like a hammer to a gong, and once sounded, she could not shake the thought. During her extended bout of Insight, she felt like the Mother Above had been trying to explain what her personal Blessing entailed, but alas, she’d been unable to comprehend the message laid out before her. Now... now she felt like she had an inkling of what the message might’ve meant, and she followed this line of thought in hopes of a breakthrough. Guan Suo Awakened to the Blessing of Smoke, an Esoteric force comprised of all four Primal Blessings. Fire for the heat, Air for the form, Earth for the ash, and Water to bind it all together. As the blood of his blood, Mila’s Blessing was undoubtedly the same, and she suspected that everything she built and studied in her Natal Palace were in some way connected to her own personal Blessing.

And now she knew what name to give it.

Calling upon her Blessing, Mila felt her body thrum with power as she deliberately exerted her efforts to do what she unintentionally had been doing all along. Buoyed by her new Insight, she surged forward to meet the Demon in battle. Twirling Paragon like a staff, she ducked Pudge’s opening back-handed swing and leapt over the follow through punch delivered by its other hand. Calling upon her Blessing to dissipate the murky Water Chi, her grin widened when the swirling torrents parted around her as she charged in headlong for a stab. Paragon glanced off the Demon’s thick belly, scoring a superficial gash across one side of its belly, but even this was enough for Mila’s Blessing to take effect. The pale, loose skin around the insignificant wound scorched and blackened before her eyes, and she allowed herself a small chuckle of glee. Leaping over yet another wide swing, she ducked and Deflected the follow-up which came much faster than the first. Minutes ago, this strike would have hammered her flat into the ground, but now? Now, she barely felt the impact through her shield, for the sun shone brightly overhead on this clear, cloudless day.

And just as its presence enabled so many different forces to function, so too did the sun fill her with strength and purpose.

Everything within her Natal Palace tied directly back to the sun. The light and shadows, the plants and bamboo, even the wind and clouds were somewhat dictated by forces set in motion by the mere presence of the sun, emanating warmth, light, and Heavens knows what else by mere virtue of existence. Water evaporated and fell back to the earth as rain, cutting channels through the rocky mountain to form the ever-flowing river which ran through it, a source of sustenance for the plants and animals around it. Even the most fertile fields would lay barren without the nourishing light of the sun, and the air would grow stagnant and stale without heat or cold to drive it. What’s more, the sun itself was a source of energy, and each day, Mila drew a little more nourishment from its rays, nourishment her body put to good use moulding her to be as strong as an Earth-Blessed Warrior through means she didn’t entirely understand, but understanding didn’t matter, so long as she realized what forces were in play and could harness them effectively.

Plus, now she finally had a reason to explain why she never could wake early: when the sun hid below the horizon, her source of strength was no longer within reach.

Well, not really.

Drawing upon her Chi to replicate the forces of the Sun, she emulated it as best she could and turned this against her Demonic foe. Thrusting Paragon directly into Pudge’s belly, she laughed even though her weapon once again bent and failed to pierce its flesh, for her blow still blackened flesh and sent the Demon stumbling back a full step, forced away by the sheer power of her Reinforced, fortified physique. Hers was not a Blessing to solely use directly against her opponents, not in the way Wind, Fire, or so many others were but rather a Blessing which augmented everything Mila herself could do, drawing her strength from the sun itself. No, better to say she herself was the sun, and the Natal Palace her world, marking her as the source, the origin, the catalyst of all forces within.

Warmth, light, life, and nourishment, the Sun was the source of this and so much more, and was no doubt also the result of countless interactions between countless forces, all of which Mila could now tap into.

Thoroughly enjoying her newfangled prowess, she gave up on piercing the Demon’s defences and shield charged into its knee, all but ignoring three Water tentacles which brushed against her with the force of a gentle push. Domain or not, natural laws still held sway, and Pudge’s knees carried a lot of weight, making them easy targets. Though unable to break bones, she sent the Demon stumbling back once more, and as soon as she recovered, aimed a second tackle at the same knee while the other leg was raised in the air. Crashing through multiple Water barriers as she went, the Demon’s Elemental Chi never touched her as she Emanated Sun Chi to counteract it, her body glowing with invisible light and searing heat as she tackled the Demon’s leg once again. The impact drove the breath from her lungs and she felt her forearm fracture, but Pudge’s leg shot back and sent the Demon toppling down into the dirt. The thrill of near victory superseded any pain as she brought her shield down on her fallen foe’s leg, Reinforcing, Honing, and Amplifying for all she was worth in a desperate attempt to cripple it. A flick of her wrist sent Paragon hurtling out behind her, and a second flick drew it back, where affixed to its end was her short spear, which she caught in hand and drove down into Pudge’s thick flesh. This time, she focused all her will and effort into the attack, and her weapon plunged deep, spraying her with Ichor in the process, but she cared not for the pain as she cackled in pure delight.

For if she could hurt it, then she could kill it.

A massive foot slammed into her and lifted her off her feet. The world spun, and when it finally stilled, Mila found herself staring up at Tokta, who grimaced as he mumbled, “Fool of a girl, laughing while within arms reach of Demon. Smack it around a bit and you think yourself invincible? Have a heart, dear child. Think about what your Mother would do if you died under my care. I still have yet to bounce a grandchild upon my knee, and might never get a chance if you are not more careful.”

“Sorry,” she whispered, her head aching too much to lift it, but she didn’t have to because Song knelt down beside her. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

“Sister Tursinai brought you over,” Song replied, her expression drawn in worry, but not worry for Mila, as her eyes darted to something out of sight. “You should know. Rain is not well, and possibly dying.”

Panic welled up from within as Mila fought to sit up, but a growl from Tokta and his forceful hand pressed upon her head kept her from moving too much. “I need to see him,” she whispered, staring at the kindly Healer who’d treated all her injuries since she was a little girl, one who made silly faces so she would focus on something other than the pain. “Please.”

Grunting in wordless neutrality, Tokta paused a beat before gathering Mila in his arms and moving her over to Rain’s side, who wasn’t all that far away and looked like death warmed over. A Death Corps guard was tending to him, even though there was no visible sign of injury, just a pale, wan, tired Rain, who seemed so fragile and weak in his resplendent, golden armour. There they lay, side by side, for how long, Mila could not say, but she was soon joined by sweet Lin and Song who held her hands tight, as well as Yan who joined them so silently, Mila didn’t even know she was there until her sister wife stroked her hair and reassured her that all would be well despite being terrified all the same.

Then, without warning, the Death Corps guard collapsed, the last of his strength spent ensuring he would not fall upon Rain. Someone tended to the Healer, but no one moved to attend to Rain, because the Healer’s Chi was still at work and would interfere with anyone elses attempts to Heal until it wholly dissipated, though how long that might take, no one knew. With help from the others, Mila moved closer to Rain’s side, propping herself up on one elbow to stroke his cheek and cry, while Lin-Lin sobbed and Yan held them both tight. Sensing their distress, Ping Ping ambled over to check on Rain and emanated an Aura of sorrow which had tears spilling from Mila’s eyes. The turtle wandered away soon after, patrolling the perimeter with anxious vigilance, but Mama Bun joined them soon after, hopping out of the wagon to nuzzle Rain’s face. Soon enough, the rest of the animals were there to crowd around Rain, with Aurie’s mewls a match for Ping Ping’s Aura while the rest could do naught but watch and wait.

“Please save him,” Mila silently prayed, hoping the Mother above was listening. “For though You have Blessed me with the Sun, he is the light in my life, and I cannot live without him.”

Chapter Meme