Shock.

Awe.

Horror.

Frustration.

All part and parcel of the deluge of emotions threatening to overwhelm Akanai in the wake of her Grand-Disciple’s staggering dynamic entrance. Frustration most of all, because frightened as she might be due to his blatant disregard for the Treaty and the forthcoming reprisals, his apparent ascension to Divinity meant that she no longer had the means to keep his inflated ego and calamitous curiosity in check. Not that it would matter if she died here and now once the Enemy Divinities retaliated in kind, but this was almost preferable to living in a world in which Falling Rain was left to run free while wielding the twinned power of Creation and Destruction both. The boy had a good heart and usually only the best intentions, but even the Brotherhood knew that the right intent was far from enough.

The boy’s greatest failing was always trying to do too much too quickly, but one needed to first lay the proper groundwork in order to succeed. While others might see his incredible record of accomplishments and think him infallible, Akanai knew all too well how blessed by the Heavens he truly was. This wasn’t to denigrate his achievements, for his history of success was only possible thanks to his intelligence, cunning, perseverance, charisma, and decisiveness, but one could not argue that luck did not play a large role as well, for the boy was luckier than most. Take his cast iron venture for example, which among other things, brought him to the attention of the Grand Marshal, a most rousing success indeed when viewed from most perspectives, but this success was not achieved through hard work and ingenuity alone. While this endeavour most certainly would have failed without his personal contributions, the true reason little Rain found so much success was due to a confluence of factors and timings which all came together in a perfect storm of fate and fortune.

The first defining factor was his victory in the Imperial Grand Conference, which earned him the title of Number One Talent in the Empire. One he was arguably undeserving of despite having the greatest prospects, given how he was far from the strongest of his peers at the time. However, his luck held true when drawing for opponents and he matched against Ryo Seoyoon and Quyen Dienne, two formidable youths in truth, but clearly the weakest out of all the competitors. The youngest Ryo daughter was but a greenhouse flower, technically outstanding yet wholly lacking in actual combat experience, which the boy saw and took advantage of by overwhelming her with his unorthodox combinations before she found her bearings. As for Dienne, anyone with eyes could see that the young southerner was trained in the arts of warfare, fighting side by side with his soldiers on the battlefield rather than exhibition matches. Had he not been expressly forbidden to kill, he would not have held back in his initial exchange and won the match outright, likely at the cost of little Rain’s life, or at least grievous injury. Difficult to win against a reckless opponent without causing them injury, and Dienne ultimately lost because he dared not go all out against his seemingly suicidal foe. The only consolation for everyone involved was that little Rain had not taken advantage of the rules on purpose, for it was well known that the boy always fought with casual disregard for his life, no matter the circumstances involved.

Then, after the most promising competitors eliminated each other one by one, the boy was left to face Wu Gam in the finals. The young half-fox was undoubtedly the stronger of the two at the time, but far too naïve and trusting. Little Rain even stopped to ask if he had an Aura, which should have given the scheme away, but foolish Wu Gam didn’t even think twice and was defeated in a single blow, all because he didn’t think to deploy his Aura first. Granted, it would have proved no defense against little Rain’s Honed Aura, but that was besides the point, for the same trick would not have worked against cunning Mitsue Hideo, seasoned Yong Jin, or devious little Yan. Had he faced any one of those three in the finals of the competition, then little Rain would have no doubt lost and the title of Number One Talent in the Empire would have been claimed by another, whereupon history would have unfolded in a less fortuitous manner. The title protected the boy from reprisal during his most crucial period of growth, as his political and mercantile enemies dared not be too heavy-handed with so prominent a young talent. It was known that Emperor frowned upon those who uprooted young seeds before they could blossom into flowers, for they were the future of the Empire and therefore enjoyed a modicum of His protection.

Mother knows the hoops Akanai and little Hai had to jump through to keep her block-head of a husband out of the Justicar’s hands after killing that foul-mouthed Warrant Officer DuGu Ang in Shen Huo, a headache which only went away after the younger brother DuGu Ren was caught trying to kill Fung, thereby allowing little Hai to condemn the entire DuGu family line to death and sweep her husband’s crime under the rug.

How maudlin of Akanai to become so nostalgic in these moments before death, reminiscing of times long past and more evidence of little Rain’s Heaven-defying luck at having survived so long. The point she was getting at was that the boy’s chances of winning the tournament had been less than fifty percent going in, with some gambling houses offering twenty or thirty to one odds against him, yet he emerged victorious at the end of the day in an overbearing fashion no less. Not only did the prestige earned from his performance keep his enemies and rivals in check, but it also brought him together with Luo-Luo, who was instrumental in his rise to prominence as Minister of Finance. Though little Rain held the title, Luo-Luo did the lion’s share of the work, with the boy only checking in every now and then to offer input and general direction. In fact, Akanai would even go as far as to say that Luo-Luo would have done a better job on her own, as little Rain not only had a whole host of enemies to make her work that much harder, but he also spent coin like water in a manner which had the poor girl scrambling to keep up with his expenditures.

These were but a few of the factors which contributed to the success of little Rain’s cast iron venture, and there were so many more, with his personal efforts amounting to but a single hair on the oxen’s back. Had it been a merchant of middling wealth and connections who’d come up with the concept of cast iron, the merchants of Central would have strung the poor man up and stolen all his ideas before working together to maximize profits. The strong thrive, while the weak struggle to survive, that was the way of things in the world, and little Rain was fortunate in so many ways that even he himself did not account for.

And this was merely one of many such successes, all of which caused the boy’s ego to swell until he believed he could do no wrong when enacting his well-meant but poorly refined schemes. Birds die for food, but humans die for wealth, and merchants had been dying in droves while competing to dominate all the new emerging markets introduced in little Rain’s book of ideas. Then there was all the blood shed in the shadows thanks to his War Bonds and Treasury notes, not for possession of the bonds and notes themselves or the wealth they represented, but due to feuds born from the lack of face and respect that Rain’s blind auction bidding system encouraged. Most distressing of all was the boy’s effort to raise wages for skilled workers, which seemed benign and benevolent at first glance, but had since resulted in a marked increase in enslavement of said workers, as well as a new generation of young slaves forced to acquire said skills lest they be deemed unsellable when it came time to bring them to market.

There were so many more hidden costs to little Rain’s schemes that he remained blissfully unaware of, largely because he chose not to look. Even when an issue was brought to his attention, the stubborn child would more often than not stand his ground instead of admitting he’d made a mistake, like with his schools offering free food to anyone who desired it. When it became clear that others were taking advantage of his charity, he merely shrugged and accepted it as ‘the cost of doing business’ before shouldering a burden that by all rights should have been shared by all. The boy’s drive to do good was admirable indeed, and it showed that the quality of his character was moral and upstanding, but an oak tree would fight the wind and break, whereas a willow tree would bend and survive.

But now, Falling Rain, a stubborn, intractable young man with a history of acting on emotion and allowing impulse to overcome reason, possessed the power of a Divinity with none of the restraint. Rather than being forced to bend or break, he now had the power to break the wind instead, an attitude which Akanai feared might well have brought about the end of the Azure Empire.

Why did he arrive in so domineering a fashion? If his intent was to make his newfangled status known to all, he could have done so in any number ways which would have left the Treaty intact, like reveal the full glory of his oppressive Presence for all to see and sense instead of Concealing it away as he did now. As she studied his tired, awkward mannerisms however, she realized he wasn’t Concealing his Presence at all, not on purpose at least, but rather was unintentionally hiding his strength in a shaky and unsteady manner. A sign of his unstable ascension no doubt, but considering his age, the fact that he succeeded at all was nothing short of a miracle. Oh how Akanai regretted leaving only Hua Lie and Taduk behind in Meng Sha, for it appeared as if neither of them thought to talk some sense into the boy and explain to him the unwritten rules of their kind. Now, history’s youngest Human Divinity might also become its shortest lived, because in violating the Treaty with his arrival, he’d painted a target on his back that would see him and everyone in Shi Bei killed in the interest of safety.

And to think, the fool even brought little Mila and Li-Li here with him…

Sending orders for the pup to withdraw from the battlements, Akanai Cloud-Stepped over to her daughters and husband in order to bid them a final farewell. Gather Mila and Li-Li into her arms, she brought them over with her to embrace her husband one last time as she closed her eyes to savour this moment for as long as she could. The pup would no doubt want to stay with his son, but Akanai wished she could hug them both as well, because even if little Rain had brought death down upon them, she still loved him so. Besides, it wasn’t entirely his fault since those fools Taduk and Hua Lie should have set him straight, but it was long past time for spreading blame. Seconds passed as Akanai held her family close, long, comfortable seconds in which she said nothing and did even less amidst the background noise of officers bellowing orders and soldiers moving into place. Just as she was about to find the courage to open her eyes again, she felt the telltale rumbling of her husband’s chest which indicated he was holding back his laughter. Wrapping his meaty arms around her in a rare display of public affection, one she allowed under the special circumstances they found themselves in, he rubbed her back and nuzzled her temple while ignoring her glare and chortling all the while. “There, there, dear wife, don’t ye worry about a thing. The lad’s got it all in hand he does, even if he actin’ like he blind in one eye and can’t see out the other.”

A statement which did nothing to reassure her and only made her worry more, but this time for her oaf of a husband. Perhaps old age had finally caught up to him and he was no longer in his right mind, because Akanai could not envision a world in which little Rain had anything in hand, much less a situation as dire as this. Sensing her doubt, he flashed her his slack, warm smile and shook his head, indicating he had too much to say and not enough words for it, so she should ask someone else instead. Easing her grip around her daughters, Akanai leaned back and took them both in as they rested their heads against their father’s belly and looked up at her with smiles. Yes, smiles, meaning not just Mila, but Li-Li too, a serene and satisfied smile so full of love and contentment, as if there was no other place she would rather be than wrapped in the embrace of her parents. “Glad you’re safe Mama,” Mila said, and Li-Li nodded along, squeezing Akanai just that much tighter as if to make sure she was real. “Rain said Shi Bei was under siege, but he never mentioned how many Defiled there were.”

How had he known? Ever since the Defiled first made themselves known outside the walls of the city, no one had been able to Send word beyond the besieging army. Even a Divinity like Lao Lang had been unable to leave, for the Enemy Divinities and Half-Step Divinities had set up a blockade and were quick to converge around anyone trying to Cloud-Step away. Though they had yet to come to blows, Akanai and many others were well aware that the Enemy possessed a weapon they had yet to unleash, the caustic black goo little Rain had taken to calling Anathema. Gang Shu had been quick to tell anyone and everyone that Anathema was what tipped the scales in the Enemy’s favour during their restrained exchange, one which ended in the death of Guan Suo and debilitation of the Abbot. Though they were able to kill the crazed Mole-Rat Divinity in return without breaking the Treaty, Gang Shu claimed this was only possible for two reasons. One, the Mole-Rat had been too overconfident after inflicting Guan Suo with Anathema, and two because the surly Ancestral Red Panda possessed far more control than anyone ever suspected. In terms of applicable strength, Gang Shu claimed Guan Suo might well have been second to none, but as far as Akanai understood it, the Ancestral Steel Rat was young as Divinities go, and wholly unaware of Lao Lang, Hua Lie, or Taduk’s true strength.

Not that Akanai herself understood it either, but considering Taduk had the ability to call forth a rainstorm powerful enough to send an entire army of Defiled fleeing, and had done so multiple times without exposing his true status, she presumed that the hare-brained Divinity was a powerhouse to be reckoned with. Had he been present here in Shi Bei from the start of the siege, he might well have been able to outrun the blockade without succumbing to Anathema, but none of the present Divinities were confident enough in their speed to try, though to be fair, Akanai wouldn’t have risked it either. By even attempting to kill a Divinity, even while acting within the constraints of the Treaty, the Enemy had shown that they were willing to risk an escalation of hostilities. What use was there in adhering to the Treaty if the cost was your life? When death approached, it was only natural to struggle to the last breath, and Divinities were nothing if not in tune with their natures.

Taking a deep breath to soothe her frayed nerves and settle her anxious thoughts, Akanai stroked Mila’s cheek and Li-Li’s hair. “What happened with the boy?” she asked through Sending, though what she really wanted to ask was why the Enemy Divinities had yet to retaliate in kind, but she didn’t want to incite a panic in case her daughters had yet to realize the implications behind little Rain’s actions. Eyes going wide with excitement, sweet Mila’s adoring gaze turned towards her beloved husband as she narrated the events of Meng Sha through Sending, which was only to be expected. More concerning was the fact that Li-Li’s gaze also fell upon little Rain, with what Akanai could only describe as fondness and admiration. She’d only included Li-Li in the Sending so she would not feel left out of the conversation, but this was yet another bittersweet reminder that Akanai had likely lost both her daughters to the same scoundrel.

Her son too, all puffed up like a peacock as he stood behind little Rain and listened while she relayed Mila’s tale to him and the various allied Divinities lurking nearby. Oh how Akanai’s heart soared to see his tail waggling about, to the point where he had to make an effort not to wiggle his hips as well, but while there’d been little reason for joy these past fifteen days, it was only right he take pride in his son’s accomplishments. Even though little Mila only possessed a general understanding of what transpired, it was enough to convey several important details. First, that little Rain claimed he was not a Divinity, and was only marginally faster and stronger than he was when she last saw him, summoning giant waves notwithstanding. Then again, the way Mila explained how Rain explained it seemed to imply that he believed he’d always had the ability to control this deluge of Water Chi, except the exertion of doing so would have left him comatose for weeks, if not killed him outright. Now, he only looked tired enough to fall asleep on his feet, which was far from optimal but still a marked improvement, though Akanai would’ve preferred if he hadn’t just wasted all his Water Chi on a showy and dangerous entrance. In short, little Rain was now capable of logic-defying feats, but still more or less the same young man as before, one who was weaker than even a Peak Expert in some ways, yet simultaneously more powerful than a Divinity in others.

Which he proved by cutting down a Divinity in one swing, an attack Mila described as ‘so profound in how ordinary it appeared’. Whatever that meant. The boy was good and well on his own Path now, one which bore only a passing similarity to the Martial Path, and Akanai prayed that the Mother Above knew what She was doing when She bestowed such power onto one Falling Rain.

The second matter of the utmost importance was the boy’s ability to… not negate a Divinity’s attack, but prevent it from breaking the world, which was, in a word, terrifying. Not because he could do it, but that it was possible at all, meaning that so long as he was present, Divinities were free to take part in battle without violating the Treaty. It wasn’t as simple as asking Lao Lang to devastate the Enemy army however, because the Defiled had their own Divinities lurking about, and as far as anyone could tell, the Imperials were outnumbered in this regard. Even with Taduk, Hua Lie, Gang Shu, and Niu MoWang joining them here, the Imperials only had eleven total Divinities in Shi Bei. Lao Lang, Machali, Da Hui, Wu Kong, and Ling Lu had all come along to support Akanai and her Sentinels, but aside from them, there was only Matriarch Gam the Ancestral Snow Fox and Su Ma Tan, the Ancestral Rhino and Territory Lord of the Southern Province here as representatives of Central and South respectively. Supposedly, little Rain had an Imperial Dharma protector by the name of Xing Yong Wei, but no one had seen hide nor hair of him in months. Orders to other Imperial Divinities had continued to arrive through Imperial Heralds, but aside from assigning patrol routes and schedules, the Imperial Clan had adopted a hands-off approach to little Rain’s crusade to retake the West.

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A move which was perhaps not entirely without reason now that Akanai had seen the costly butcher’s bill, and only the fact that the Enemy’s bill was so much higher kept her from writing this whole offensive off as a mistake.

As for the Enemy Divinities, less than a handful of those present in Shi Bei had been identified thus far. Among them were Shih Yah the Ancestral Badger, Zhu Chanzui the Ancestral Bristleboar, and a yet to be named Ancestral ungulate of some sort, a horned fellow who looked too much like little Yan for it to be a coincidence. According to Lao Lang, there were at least nine more lurking about under the cover of Concealment, individuals who were either traitor Imperials or neutrals who’d turned coat and had yet to reveal their true allegiance. Add to this the Defiled Ancestral Mammoth and the Mataram Ancestor YuKon who only just arrived, and the Imperial Divinities were outnumbered eleven to fourteen or more. Technically, there were two more Imperial Divinities if Akanai included the Abbot and his fellow skeletal monk, but she didn’t because they had both sworn to do no harm. Not as an Oath to the Heavens, but one given to themselves, meaning to do violence ran counter to the core precepts of their Dao. Even if they were willing to abandon their oaths and fight, committing to an action so antithetical to their nature was akin to running while carrying a heavy weight. It wasn’t enough to stop them entirely, but it was detrimental to their ability to do so unless they were able to resolve their inner conflict and free themselves from the shackles they’d placed upon themselves.

Of course, numbers were not the only metric by which battles were won and lost, but Akanai was not so foolish as to believe this battle could be settled by Divinities alone. What’s more, there were most certainly limits to little Rain’s ability to prevent wide-spread destruction during a battle between Divinities, one that hinged upon the range of his Domain most likely. Even allowing for the possibility that the boy’s Domain could cover all of Shi Bei, how much further could it possibly extend? What was to keep Divinities from accidentally stepping foot outside of the boy’s range whilst locked in deadly combat? How could the boy even guarantee he was capable of containing the rampant Energies conjured up by a clash on this scale, with over two dozen Divinities trading blows?

All this and more was precisely why neither side could afford to let matters devolve into a battle between Divinities, which meant taking the boy in hand and keeping him in check. Not a simple thing to do by any means, perhaps even impossible now that he possessed the ability to control the twinned powers of Creation and Destruction both. That being said, Akanai had to at least try, so once she finished questioning Mila about what took place in Meng Sha earlier today, she bade her daughters and husband farewell before approaching the boy from behind. The pup noticed her immediately and shot her an all-too-ecstatic grin, one that never wavered in spite of her disapproving frown. The pup had an image to maintain after all, but then again, he was not subject to the same prejudices she’d experienced in her own time in the military. What’s more, he was a man grown and Mentor to the youngest Divinity in history, so it was perhaps time she stopped treating him like the surly teen she’d taken in under her wing all those years ago.

Resisting the urge to sigh and mope about how quickly the years passed by, Akanai turned her attention to the boy instead, only to discover he had yet to notice her arrival. Hearing the pup inhale as if about to speak, she held up her hand to silence him so she could gather her thoughts and study little Rain before he knew she was watching. He was always on his best behaviour in her presence, but it rarely lasted long once she was out of sight, so this was the perfect opportunity to observe his behaviour and see what all these changes had wrought. For a moment, she felt as if she’d travelled back in time and was watching him wander through the forests all alone, getting into all sorts of trouble but ultimately behaving like the good-natured child he’d always been.

As previously noted, the boy looked as if he could use a long nap despite having only just awakened from weeks spent comatose, though it was understandable considering what he’d accomplished in the last few hours. Mila didn’t know much regarding how he summoned so enormous a wave, as he’d been too focused on controlling his power to explain. A good thing too, because if the boy was capable of carrying on a conversation while propagating a massive wall of Water Chi two-hundred and fifty kilometres inland, then monstrous would not even begin to describe it. Apparently Taduk had been on hand to supply some helpful hints, no doubt also satisfying some of his boundless curiosity in the process. Finally, little Rain could have a taste of what it was like to be inundated with questions, but then again the boy loved discussing matters beyond his comprehension almost as much as he loved asking questions. They truly were a matched pair, Taduk and little Rain both, which made Akanai wonder just where the hare-brained Healer had gotten himself off to, since she could see neither hide nor hair of him in Shi Bei.

As for the boy, he seemed no different from before, peering out at the gathering Defiled while nodding along to what Akanai assumed was Hongji’s report. Perhaps it was the fatigue, but there appeared to be a melancholic air about him as he took in the sights with fists and jaw clenched tight. Mourning the losses no doubt, for he was a soft-hearted boy, but there was little room for empathy amidst the rigours of war. Odd for someone so compassionate to come up with the downright harrowing weapons of war which were his Runic Cannons, but she supposed it was merely his way of distancing himself from the bloodshed and death. Given a choice, she would much rather die to an arrow to the neck or a sword to the heart rather than have a cannonball land somewhere in her general vicinity, whereupon the shockwave might well turn her inner organs to pulp, or worse, be hit clean on and die without even leaving a complete corpse.

A boy full of contradictions, little Rain was, but at least he was consistent about it…

A distant look came upon him, and Akanai felt the Energy of the Heavens surge around him, not in an extraordinary manner like the spectacle which took place during his last coma after he fixed his shattered Core, but as if a talented young man were demonstrating Purity at an impressive yet wholly reasonable degree. The boy was Scrying, this much she could tell, for his eyes were scanning something other than what lay before him, and the display of Purity had been unintended and incidental to the process. A glimpse into his power and lack of control, though upon further inspection, she realized her conclusion was counter-intuitive. Little Rain claimed he was no Divinity, yet possessed the ability to use the Energy of the Heavens without causing it to go rampant and out of control, meaning this display of Purity was not a testament to his lacking authority, but rather to how eagerly the Energy of the Heavens responded to his Will.

Perhaps she’d been too quick to judge the boy for his dynamic entrance. Rather than a waste of effort and blatant violation of the Treaty, it was a proof of concept of his control and skill, showing the world what he could do while maintaining control the entire time. A bit more of the shock and awe he always mentioned when speaking of his cannons, and having seen the scale of destruction they wrought upon the Enemy this last week and a half, Akanai finally understood what he meant. Even the craziest of Defiled couldn’t help but balk every time they heard the cannons roar, and Lord of Thunder Lei Gong’s antics had them all quivering in their boots now that they knew the cannons of Shi Bei would sound once more. Better if the fool had waited before unleashing death from afar so that they could have launched a more devastating coordinated strike, but the man had spent too many years as a bandit and had long since lost the discipline of a soldier. What a waste of talent and potential, but Akanai lacked the patience to reform a drunken layabout like Lei Gong.

After watching the boy for another minute, she decided she’d seen enough, for though he often set the Energy of the Heavens to churning all around him, he rarely showed any sign of struggle or exertion. How this was even possible was a matter for another day, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. “Boy,” she began, waiting until she was right behind him to speak, a cruel test perhaps given how jumpy he could be, but she had to know. Though startled by her close proximity, his reaction was muted and minor at best as he turned to greet her with a warm smile before hugging her without warning, and after a moment’s hesitation, she hugged him back, patting his head and smoothing out the lines of his hair. “It warms my heart to see you in good health,” she continued, which was not what she’d intended to say, but it slipped out all the same as she looked into his clear, bright eyes, and saw only love, concern, and relief. “We should speak about our next steps.”

“It’s good to see you too, Grand-Mentor.” The boy’s wry tone was meant to convey his good-natured dissatisfaction at her businesslike greeting, and it was good to see he was still able to make light of the situation. “From what I’ve gathered, none of you have had it easy lately, but you’ve done better than anyone could’ve expected.” Pulling back, the boy squinted and studied her closely, only to open his mouth then shut it with a scowl as someone warned him against speaking. Curious that, and Akanai was burning to know what he’d been about to say and who stopped him, but there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Though she understood his desire to make small talk and relax, time was not on their side, for even now, the Defiled were falling in all around Shi Bei and making ready to renew their assault on the walls once more. Unwilling to waste the Chi to put up a Sound Barrier, she instead switched to Sending and asked, “I hear you had Lin-Lin contact Luo-Luo, which is how she was able to bring reinforcements to Meng Sha. When will they arrive here in Shi Bei? Were you able to contact Shuai Jiao as well? What excuses has he given for abandoning us here?”

The transformation was startling to behold as the boy turned his gaze east, no longer tired and happy but focused and irate as he fixated on something Akanai could not see. A rumbling growl slipped out from his chest as he snarled in palpable fury, and he set up a Sound Barrier to enclose Hongji, the pup, and herself so they could discuss this out loud. “Mom should have already arrived with the bulk of the North’s forces,” the boy began, and Akanai’s stomach sank at his unspoken implication. “I wanted Han BoHai to lead the reinforcements here, but he sent Mom instead because his movements were being monitored too closely even for a Divinity’s Concealment to help him escape notice while travelling overland. Shuai Jiao seems worried that the North will turn against him, so he remains guarded against its generals, but they figured Mom might’ve been able to slip by undetected.” The Energy of the Heavens coursed through and around him as his anger surged and peaked, his mood reminiscent of a flood-bank ready to burst. “Guess they were wrong. If he’s harmed even a single hair on her head…”

“Watch your tongue boy,” the pup uttered, showing that at least one of them had sense enough not to threaten a Colonel General out loud. “Your mother can look after herself, and if there is a reckoning to be had, you will have to wait your turn.”

Or perhaps not. A century ago, Akanai would have blamed herself for failing to teach them properly, but after raising Mila from a young age, she learned that while parents were ultimately responsible for shaping their children, there were some flaws which were impossible to smooth out. “What of the soldiers of Meng Sha then?” Eyeing the newly carved and fast-receding river upon which they arrived, Akanai held out some hope that it would last for a few more hours yet and possibly leave the soldiers stranded a day’s march out, possibly less. “How far behind you were they?”

“Uhh…” From the boy’s tone, she knew she would not like his answer, and time soon proved her correct. “They’re not coming. We took a big mauling from the Mataram Clan and Major General BoHai only brought a small contingent of elites to reinforce Meng Sha, alongside the Death Corps guarding Luo-Luo. They’re all here, but the majority of my honour guard and Royal Guardians were absent from Meng Sha, and no one really noticed until after I woke up.”

The downside of growing accustomed to having so many silent and unobtrusive strangers lurking about, as little Mila and the others had likely grown too used to ignoring the Death Corps to notice they were seeing the same faces day in and day out. A dire portent of things to come, if the Imperial Clan was openly abandoning little Rain, but matters might take a turn for the better once they learned of his newfangled status. Enough to make Shen ZhenWu back the boy over Shuai Jiao? Difficult to say, for Akanai at least, as she was no politician, only a Warrior first and foremost who lamented the absence of so many well-trained, well-disciplined, and well-equipped soldiers.

However, since there was nothing she could do about it, she moved on to the next topic at hand, only to discover there was really nothing else to discuss. “So despite knowing Shi Bei was under heavy siege,” she began, trying not to sound too judgemental and failing horrendously, “You brought my daughters and husband into the city with only a contingent of Peak Experts and consignment of cannonballs?”

“Um… I brought the pets too. They’re with Guard Leader, Lin-Lin, and Luo-Luo somewhere, getting settled in before the fighting begins.” At least he had the good sense to be ashamed of his stupidity, but she would have much preferred if he’d kept everyone back in Meng Sha, or better yet, retreated to the safety of the Northern Citadel and perhaps even set a course back home north.

It was too late for regrets now however, so she merely patted the boy’s cheek and wondered how he could be so intelligent yet so idiotic at the same time. “The cannonballs will be enough,” she said, not believing the statement in the least, but it would be enough to keep the walls from being overrun immediately, which was better than nothing. “No more tidal waves from you,” she continued, resisting the urge to pinch his cheek right here and now, but she could hardly impugn the Legate’s dignity in public, especially now that he was comparable to a Divinity. “It was all well and good that you and Taduk killed the Demonic Divinity without bringing calamity down upon Meng Sha, but we cannot afford to risk doing the same here in Shi Bei. Best if you sit tight and oversee the battle from here on out, acting as a deterrent against further escalation. There are too many Divinities here to account for, and I would rather not test the limits of your abilities so soon after your ascension, especially not after you wasted all that effort sailing here on a ship instead of Cloud Stepping your way past the blockade like a normal…” she’d intended to say Divinity, but that didn’t fit, nor did Peak Expert, so all she was left with was, “…person.”

Having expected at least a small smile, it was disconcerting to watch as his eyes lost focus and turned towards the Enemy army. “I wanted to,” he said, which made no sense, until she realized he’d picked up on her subconscious emotions. No wonder he greeted her so warmly despite being caught by surprise, because he could sense how proud and relieved she was to see him again. How troublesome. “Could have done it so easily too,” he continued, gesturing at the Defiled forming up along the wet sand. “Just send the wave crashing through their ranks and crush them under its weight. Probably would have killed a good half of the Defiled standing out there right now, maybe even Cleansed a good number of Demons too to make this a much easier fight to win.” A soft sigh slipped out and he shook his head while looking away, ashamed of what he’d done. “I should have done it, but I couldn’t. It took so much effort to stop the wave, even more than it took to get it started, but I couldn’t kill them all, not like that. It just seemed wrong, you know? To slaughter them in droves without even giving them a chance to run. It’s so stupid. Mercy to one’s enemies is cruelty to one’s self. How many Imperials will die because I couldn’t do what needed to be done? How many of those Defiled will die regardless? I should have killed them all with the wave, but I couldn’t, because it seemed so wrong to use the power of Creation and Destruction in so brutal a fashion. Except now, I’m more than willing to take up sword and glaive to cut them down regardless, so what difference does it make?”

Not a Divinity? Perhaps, but Akanai suspected he was closer than he thought, for he was already being restricted by his nature. This was part and parcel of being a Divinity, though why, no one could really say, only that it was required to both wield the Energy of the Heavens and also keep it from running amok on a whim.

That being said, Akanai was unsure how to comfort the boy for adhering to his nature, but the pup was a far more experienced father than she was a mother. “A world of difference, son,” he said, pulling the boy into his embrace. There, the pup held him tight with the same silly smile still etched across his face, cradling the boy close so none could see his tears. “You are a man in love with death, but not one in love with slaughter. You fight when necessary, kill when necessary, but you take no joy in the process. Any soldier can tell you that it is easy to kill a foe who holds a blade to your throat, but a different thing altogether to drive a spear through a man’s back, even when that man previously came at you with ill-intent. In abandoning your intent to slaughter, you stayed true to yourself, because you knew the cost was not something you are able to bear, to say nothing of what might have happened if your ill-intent caused you to lose control of the Energy of the Heavens.” Clapping the boy on the shoulders, the pup grinned and said, “You might claim you have no understanding of Balance, but your actions prove otherwise, because though you spurn faith in the Heavens above, you hold the Energy of the Heavens in high esteem all the same. Something to consider for tomorrow perhaps, but it shames me to say that I have long since been unqualified to be your Mentor.”

“You did a better job than anyone else ever could,” the boy replied, and even Akanai was inclined to agree. Had the boy been her Disciple, she might have pushed him too hard, but the pup was always there to shelter little Rain from the harshest of her lessons, while his protective sister and mother sheltered him from the harshest of the pup’s. The perfect balance for little Rain, a combination of tough lessons and tender affection that helped set him on the Path he’d found himself on today, one which might well also end today as the Defiled horns sounded to signal the charge and the massed ranks of Defiled surged headlong towards the wall.

Only to come to a crashing halt as storm clouds converged overhead in the blink of an eye and unloading a deluge of rainfall down upon them.

The cool, refreshing downpour washed away the blood and grit and she could feel the moisture seeping into her dry, cracked skin, revitalizing her in a manner that was more than just merely refreshing. For a moment, she thought this was Rain’s unconscious working and a sign that perhaps he was not entirely in control of his power after all, but then Taduk appeared before them with Lin-Lin in his arms and Blackjack on his head, looking mighty satisfied as he stared up at his handiwork. “You were right, Rain my boy,” he declared, doing a little dance of glee on the battlements. “Not only was I able to work with the Water Chi you dispersed, but the cost was near negligible indeed, as it was all too eager to continue to be used in a similar manner. A fascinating theory you’ve come up with, this metaphysical weight you speak of, though I’m not sure weight is the right word. Inertia might be better perhaps, though not solely limited to kinetic motion, and…”

As Taduk continued to ramble on about this and that, Akanai felt the last fifteen day of aches and fatigue being washed away in the rain, and a quick glance around showed her that the soldiers of Shi Bei were experiencing the same. Only now did she realize that the hare-brained Healer had likely helped little Rain win his duels during the Society trials all those years ago, even more evidence of the boy’s dog-shit luck, to have won over this most eccentric of Divinities who spurned convention so. They would need the boy’s luck to survive the day, to say nothing of emerging victorious, but where there was life, there was hope. Though he was still scared and foolhardy as ever, he was no longer a child being led by his fears, for despite having suffered so much, he’d made it his goal to ensure that no one should ever have to suffer like he did. A foolish and impossible goal, and while the right intent was far from enough, it was at least a good start. The boy was lacking in foundation and his preferred methods left much to be desired, but no one was perfect, and he had plenty of friends, allies, and loved ones to help complement his strengths and make up for his weaknesses.

Reassured that little Rain would not bring immediate disaster down upon them, Akanai pattered her eccentric old friend on the arm as thanks for his assistance before striding out with a smile on her face and the Crescent Moon in hand. Shrouding herself in her best Concealment, she set aside her concerns as she moved into position and hoped Bai Qi would soon reveal himself, for she’d almost killed him twice now, and as little Rain was wont to say, the third time was the charm.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2