Such heroism, such brutality, such virtue, such sin.

Eh-Mi-Tuo-Fuo.

The siege of Shi Bei laid bare the duality of humanity, and Akupara struggled to reconcile what he observed here today with the precepts he’d adhered to for most his life. This much was demanded of him by the first facet of the Noble Eight-Fold Path, to adhere to the Right View, which required constant contemplation and analysis of the world around them in order to understand that which they could not perceive. Many of his brothers had previously made the argument to call it the Right Understanding instead, if only to better convey the meaning behind what was arguably the most critical aspect of the Eight-Fold Path, for without the proper understanding of the Dao in all its forms, one’s perspective of the Path’s subsequent aspects would be flawed if not outright erroneous. The Right View did not refer to a single, unequivocally correct viewpoint that each and every person should accede to, but rather the process of amending one’s perspective when presented with new and contradicting information that conflicted or contrasted with prior understanding of the Dao.

Thus, in theory, the Right View should always be in constant flux as new concepts were discovered to amend established ones which were flawed or incomplete, yet even after so many years of life, Akupara still clung to the same view that his Mentor passed down unto him, that our actions have consequences and death is not the end, and thus we must all endeavour to do no harm. Words he lived by since the day the Abbot took him in, a thought which brought a smile to his face, for no matter how many years he bore this mantle, his Mentor would forever and always be the Abbot in his mind. Akupara was merely a pretender to the title, one who fell far short of his Mentor’s expectations, for he who was named for ‘potential without limit’ had utterly failed in his lifelong efforts to see the Brotherhood reclaim their past prominence to become the spiritual advisors of the Empire once more.

Such was their role in the time before his time, to guide the wayward souls of the Mother’s children so that they might find their way back to Her warm embrace, and Akupara had longed to see them restored to it. Under his authority however, the Brotherhood had become little more than a joke, penitent monks who scourged themselves in misguided repentance for sins they themselves did not commit. Where the Brotherhood once had monasteries scattered all across the Empire and were respected and valued by all, they were now seen as deranged vagrants who were best avoided. Every few decades, Akupara would set out into the Empire to see the changes for himself, and every time he did, he made it a point to preach about the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eight-Fold Path the same way he’d seen his Mentor do in the past. In the last five-hundred years, he’d been treated as a pariah best avoided by all. Mothers held their children close while fathers guarded their purses against him, and the more polite folk would wait until he turned away to roll their eyes and shake their heads, assuming he wasn’t out-right ignored or chased out as soon as he spoke.

Then again, were things really so different now when compared to his Mentor’s time? Most crowds only gathered to partake in the free meals which were distributed after the sermon, since few would care to stay and listen if they were fed first. Such was human nature however, as even Akupara himself had joined the Brotherhood not out of any sense of purpose or belonging, but rather because it was the only way to ensure he would be fed with any regularity. It was the same with Brother SanDukkha’s schools and orphanages, which provided food and education to those in need. While there were some parents who no doubt hoped that the lessons would help improve their children’s prospects, most were sent to school because it kept them out from underfoot before they were of any use, and no longer attended once they were old enough to help out at home, though a select few might well benefit from the young Legate’s grand ambitions to educate and empower the masses.

Thereby setting them on a crash course with the nobles in power which could only end in bloody conflict, but such was life, suffering without end.

Therein lay the greatest hurdle to Akupara’s Dao, determining the Right View to uphold and how to go about doing so. All actions have consequences, yet he was sworn to do no harm, so how could he dare act without knowing the consequences in advance? This made it outright impossible to follow in Brother SanDukkha’s footsteps, wherein he chose to cause immediate harm in the hopes of establishing a better future, like excising a tumour or amputating a limb to prevent it from killing the patient. While the logic was sound, the core premise went against the Right View, in that killing even to save a life was violence which in turn would be reflected on oneself.

Perhaps the Right View as Akupara understood it was wrong to begin with, for who was to say his Mentor had all the right answers himself? Even a Divinity such as he had been helpless to feed everyone who came to their monastery doors, and while the young Legate was having far more success feeding the denizens of the Northern Wall, it was hardly a sustainable model much less one capable of expansion. A vast fortune went into keeping so many people fed, a fortune earned through not entirely scrupulous means. Compound interest for example, a most devious and insidious concept which calculated balance owed based not only on principle alone, but also the interest itself. A mathematical tool which could hardly be considered evil, except it was all too easy to see how easily the concept lent itself to malicious intent. By offering large loans with small periodic payments, it was all too easy for one’s debt to double or triple in size within a handful of years. This sort of predatory lending could easily be used to encumber the recipient of said loan to a debt which could not be repaid in any reasonable fashion, thereby enabling the lender to hold significant power over them. It was slavery by a different name, enforced by a debt rather than the Oaths and every bit as heinous. Add in the Legate’s Treasury Notes enabling the Imperial Clan to lend coin without limits, and Akupara suspected that if the young Legate should ever fulfill his dream of outlawing slavery, he would be shocked to discover the crows coming home to roost in the form of the very economic tools he’d unleashed.

And this was merely a single possible facet of the harm Brother SanDukkha had unleashed upon the world in his haste to provide relief, but even then, he still accomplished more good than Akupara himself ever wrought.

A most unpleasant truth, but one he had no choice but to accept, for despite all his lofty ambitions and centuries of life, Akupara had done nothing worthy of note. As a young monk, he followed the Brotherhood into exile from the Eastern Province and helped rebuild their monasteries in the mountains bordering upon Central. Then as Abbot, he uprooted them again when the Emperor indicated that their new home was still too close for his liking, leaving behind decades of progress with regards to his studies to start anew in the Arid Wastes. The first move had been terrifying, for the unknown was never pleasant, but he had his Senior Brother and Mentor to help him through those toughest of times. The second move was infinitely more difficult however, not just because his Mentor and Senior Brother were both absent. Akupara spent the entirety of his adult lifespan turning those sparse mountain landscapes into a lush, verdant garden in order to help feed his brothers and perhaps even one day benefit the people of the Empire as well. Every tree and blade of grass had been planted because of him, and he’d hoped to be buried there where his mortal shell would fuel future growth, but the Heavens had other plans. Thus, he was forced to leave it all behind because without his Divinity of a Mentor to hold up the Heavens, the Emperor’s displeasure was not something the Brotherhood could withstand.

He'd been but a young boy during that first move, younger even than Brother SanDukkha, but he’d been close to a hundred when he moved a second time, a man of means and education. Though not yet a Divinity, it was widely accepted that he would one day join their ranks, for the scope of his wisdom and comprehension was known to all. After Mentor’s passing, but before the Brotherhood was uprooted a second time, many an Imperial Scion sought to discredit their teachings and left with their tails between their legs, for Akupara had a way with words and was well-versed in the Sutras which contained all the accumulated teachings of the Brotherhood from time immemorial. What’s more, even if their discussion should turn to violence, he was more than capable of holding his own without resorting to causing harm unless his opponent stood at the Peak of Martial Strength or was a Divinity themselves. That was his claim to fame, personal strength which he always saw as a waste and thus never took pride in, yet only now after so many centuries of life did he truly understand the age-old adage of ‘might makes right’.

Even if you never lifted a finger in anger, so long as you had strength enough, your words would hold weight. If you were the strongest man in the world, then the world would have no choice but to cater to your whims, which was why the Emperor cared nothing for Akupara’s talents or his advancements in agriculture and food production. In his mind, with better yields to their farms, the farmers could afford to invest in animals and workers to help speed things along, further increasing yields even more, until only a fraction of the population needed to farm for a living. A winning play for everyone involved, except the ruling elites did not see things the same way. No matter how dire the circumstances, the nobles would always have enough to eat, meaning scarcity was an issue for peasants and commoners. Thus, they cared not if they would earn more from the labour of fewer peasants and have the ability to employ the rest in other areas, because the goal was not to maximize wealth and profit, but to profit at the expense of the common man. Someone with just barely enough to survive lacked the energy needed to harbour resentment over his or her circumstances, and thus would have no ability to rebel. This was the logic by which the Empire operated with, and why the Brotherhood was forced out of the mountains soon after Akupara tried sharing his bounty and methods with the masses, because the Imperial Clan benefitted greatly from the current state of affairs and would stop at nothing to keep them in place.

In contrast, Brother SanDukkha sought to do exactly the same except with a vastly differing approach, because he believed it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Despite being aware of the conflict his actions would bring and the people he would upset, the young Legate threw caution to the wind and was happy to let it all play out. No, happy was not the correct word here, for Brother SanDukkha was a kind and compassionate man who cared deeply for his fellow man. Instead, he wholeheartedly believed that at the end of all the strife and chaos, humanity would emerge better for it, a difficult stance to argue against without knowing how all this would end. He cared not for all the possible outcomes which ended in disaster, and instead clung grimly onto the faint hope that his actions would benefit the people of the Empire more than they would harm them. A naïve approach full of youthful bluster, or a cynical gambit from which no winners would emerge, Akupara knew not how the young Legate saw it.

Was it wrong to hope for the best and strive for a better tomorrow at the cost of today? Was it wrong to take a stand even if it would cost you your life? Akupara’s Mentor chose to back down before the Emperor’s demands, and he himself made the same choice, yet what benefit did their concessions bring them?

None whatsoever, an undeniable truth which left Akupara utterly and completely lost.

Ever since his Mentor’s death, Akupara had been plagued with indecision and uncertainty, for what was he to do without proper guidance? The Right View demanded he do no harm, but every decision he made had the potential for catastrophic harm, and what was life but a series of decisions and actions? To live is to suffer, but it could also be said that to live is to choose, with each choice more complex than anyone could imagine. Even the wisest among them could only see less than a tenth of the truth, so how could anyone dare claim they understood all the variables of every decision they ever made? A single wrong decision could destroy a lifetime of effort, yet that destruction might well be years, decades, or even centuries in the making, and impossible to trace back to the root cause.

There was a parable Akupara’s Mentor once shared that seemed pertinent to all this, the story of a man, his son, and their bull. One day, the bull wandered away and became lost. Upon learning this, the man’s neighbours offered their condolences for his bad luck, and the man asked, “How do you know it’s bad luck?”

Two days later, the bull returned with a herd of wild cattle in tow, and this time, his neighbours stopped by to congratulate him on his good fortune. To this, the man asked, “How do you know it’s good luck?”

A week later, the wild cattle were spooked and broke out of their enclosure before trampling over the son’s legs, leaving him crippled for life. Once again, the neighbours expressed their sorrow for his misfortune, and the man asked, “How do you know it’s bad luck?”

Two months later, war broke out and a draft was called, but because of his injuries, the son was not called upon to serve in battle. When the war came to an end, many families had lost their sons, but the man’s son was still alive and well. So who could really say what luck was good and what luck was bad?

That was the parable as Akupara’s Mentor told it, and even now after so many lifetimes apart, he could still hear the Abbot’s soothing tone and relaxing cadence as he narrated the lesson to his young Disciple. The lesson was one of discretion and humility, for one could never know the future until it came to pass. Predictions were one thing, outcomes another, and though Akupara’s decisions had always been made with the Right View in mind, he feared he might well have led the Brotherhood down a path of no redemption. Unable to plot a course that would cause no harm, he decided it would be best to do nothing at all, withdrawing from the world at large to tend to his own pursuits instead. It was what the Brotherhood did before his Mentor’s passing, and he believed that this was what his Mentor wanted him to do, else why choose Akupara as his successor? Senior Brother Mahakala was far more suited to the role of leader and guide, for Akupara lacked the strength and will necessary to overcome his trials and tribulations.

Which was why he, a cultivator whose talents shone brighter than any other in the last thousand years, was unable to ascend to Divinity before running afoul of the limits of mortality. Without his Mentor and Senior Brother around to help guide his steps, Akupara lacked the courage to even make an attempt, not that he would have succeeded if he tried, for he’d long since realized that he’d meandered down a dead-end Path with not enough time or determination to make his way back. In truth, after being forced out of the mountains and into the Arid Wastes, Akupara had lost all hope of ascension and was merely waiting for death to come claim him, and as he lay upon his deathbed, he was both grateful and ashamed to see his Senior Brother one last time before he passed.

And in his fear, Akupara made yet another mistake in accepting the gift of life from his Senior Brother. The dried flesh of an Ancestral Beast, and a powerful one at that, else the Energy of the Heavens would not have been so ingrained into its physical form to linger even after the soul had passed. He ate it knowing what it was, knowing his Senior Brother had killed to obtain this, and Akupara did so because he was too afraid to die. A human failing, the fear of death, and you would think that the knowledge of reincarnation would alleviate it somewhat, but even after more than century of life and wholly believing that death was merely a new beginning, he had not been ready to take the next step. Instead of accepting his fate, he gave into the desire for existence and became a grievous sinner by choice, a choice which might well have doomed the Brotherhood in the end. If he’d died then and there, Mahakala might well have taken up the mantle of Abbot, or perhaps someone else altogether, someone who could have done a better job of guiding the Brotherhood to their ultimate goals. Whoever it was, surely they could not have done worse than Akupara, for it was his leadership which caused Vyakhya to fall out with the Brotherhood and seek answers elsewhere, false answers which led Akupara’s old friend and rival so far astray that Vyakhya ultimately might well have surrendered his chance at reincarnation by succumbing to the lies of the Spectres.

Then again, one could continue even further back in history and claim the Brotherhood was doomed the moment Akupara’s Mentor chose him over Mahakala as his successor. Who could say for certain?

In the end, Brother SanDukkha’s persistent efforts and convincing arguments saved Akupara’s life, for he found the will to live once more, but despite having returned to the land of the living, the turmoil of his mind and heart left him utterly incapable of acting. As a Divinity who ascended through less than natural methods, his control over the Energy of the Heavens was delicate and tenuous at best, and might as well be non-existent in his current state. Even centuries of practice had done little to improve his control, and a moment of anger or weakness was all it would take to bring disaster down on them all, for the Heavens did not accept him as one of its most blessed of subjects. Not like with young Brother Dama who ascended by his own means after decades of abstaining from everything aside from the bare necessities of life. Though previously gaunt and sickly in appearance to the point where the young Legate referred to him as Monk Bones, Brother Dama had grown more youthful and vigorous over the last few weeks as he slowly but steadily brought his metaphysical presence into reality to merge with his physical body and improve himself by every metric imaginable. Now, he stood at Akupara’s side looking like a robust, well-built man in his sixties, a man unrecognizable to all including those who watched the transformation take place.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

In contrast, Akupara still looked the same as he did on the day he gave in to sin, and he would remain this way forevermore unless he discovered how to amend his past mistakes.

Appearance was the least of it, but the most obvious difference between them. By coming to terms with the error of his ways, Brother Dama ascended to Divinity just in time to keep Vyakhya from outright killing Akupara without resistance, but the stubborn man refused to take on the mantle of Abbot. “You still live and breathe yet,” he declared, uttering a snort that seemed so out of place across his increasingly youthful expression. “So what need is there for this monk to succeed you?”

Such was the obstinance of youth, though to be fair, the elderly were not known to be any more adaptable. Either way, Akupara was once again at a loss on how to proceed as he watched the battle of Shi Bei unfold. Mahakala would have argued that the time for non-violence was past, since their inaction would cause more harm than any action ever could, while Vyakhya would claim that inaction was the only choice left to them, for any other choice would be actively opting to cause harm and therefore run counter to the Right View. What would Brother SanDukkha say? Something along the lines of ‘kill them all and let the Mother sort them out’, no doubt, for he was a youth still stained in the red dust of the mortal world and unwilling to cleanse himself of these ties.

Which of them held the Right View, if any? How could Akupara know for sure, when he himself was no longer able to reconcile his decisions with the Right View? He was a failure who was unable to live up to his potential, an abomination of nature who seized power that did not belong to him, and a frightened, indecisive old man who was too scared to fight yet too emotional to simply walk away. These were all truths he recognized now after denying them for so long, because in his heart of hearts, he wished he’d never left the mountains bordering Central and East, never abandoned his plants to rot alongside the dreams he’d long since left behind.

As a child, Akupara found his way to the Brotherhood because it meant he would have at least one meal every two days, an utterly laughable rationale which he was too ashamed to admit to even after a few years of study, but to that starving, orphaned boy? A warm meal was everything. It was life. It was sustenance. It was safety, satiety, and comfort. Joining the Brotherhood meant he would survive, and that, more than anything, was reason enough for a child who knew nothing of the Dao, and yet had found his all the same. This was why Akupara initially pursued the Dao, so that children like the boy he used to be, would no longer have to suffer the pain of an empty stomach.

That was his dream, his purpose, his goal in this life, yet circumstances had forced him to abandon them. It was a simple dream that was infinitely complex, and one Akupara had long since forgotten out of heartbreak and misery until he came across a young Warrant Officer who found the courage to speak out against the Purge. Falling Rain was the boy’s name, and in his actions, Akupara saw a reflection of what might have been if he’d had the courage to stand firm in his convictions and speak out against the Emperor all those years ago. Perhaps nothing would have changed and the Brotherhood would have been forced out regardless, or possibly even wiped out in their entirety for daring to go against the Emperor’s wishes, but better to die as a monk of principle than live on as a sinner full of regrets.

These were his thoughts as he watched Brother SanDukkha stand firm against the Enemy on this day, first in Meng Sha then again here in Shi Bei. That was all Akupara could do, watch and see how matters unfolded, unable to act even to Heal the wounded or comfort the dying and lacking the confidence to offer any advice or encouragement whatsoever. When Brother SanDukkha struck down Vyakhya in a single blow, Akupara had almost been overcome with grief at his old friend’s passing, then horror when the Demonification took root. Surprise and wonderment came next as he watched Brother SanDukkha Manifest his Domain in order to counter the Demonic Divinity’s unchecked rampage and maintain the fabric of reality in the face of complete and utter destruction. There was no longer any point in keeping track of the young Dragon’s miracles, for they were too numerous to count, including his very existence itself which was unlike anything Akupara had ever seen or heard of. Falling Rain was walking a Path wholly unique to himself, and against all odds, was somehow making it work.

He made it seem so simple, adhering to his noble ideals even in the face of such overwhelming adversity and holding firm beneath the oppressive weight of Heaven’s Wrath focused upon him. No struggle, no surrender, a concept that sounded simple in practice yet was anything but, for humans were by their very nature creatures of emotion, and young Rain more emotional than most. Yet in spite of this, he was able to not only Shatter the Void and bring his body, mind, and soul together in perfect harmony, he also found some way to maintain control of his emotions and hold fast against the raw Energy of the Heavens without being swept away by the sheer power behind it.

Somehow, Falling Rain had transcended the limits of mortality without touching upon the limits of Divinity to become something that was neither more or less, but entirely different and so full of untapped potential.

Potential which he used to slaughter his enemies without remorse. Such anger, such sin.

Not directly, in most cases, save for a select few cases, but that hardly made a difference in the end. Brother SanDukkha was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, a puzzling contrast of conflicting traits that made him appear merciful, compassionate, cruel, and callous all at the same time. Though to the human eye, it would appear as if he was waving his sword at nothing at all, Akupara’s senses detected a subtle working around the young Legate that whispered of secrets which were far beyond anything he’d ever seen before. It had something to do with his Aura, but entirely different from the Emotional Aura which he used so often in lieu of expressing them in a more natural and healthy manner. Whatever he was doing, it was clear Brother SanDukkha was using it to affect the battlefield on a large scale and indirectly slaughter the Enemy Peak Experts, an outcome which left Akupara conflicted and confused. Though the young Legate’s actions were clearly at odds with the Right View as Akupara’s Mentor taught them, he was unable to wholly disagree with the young Legate’s actions.

Their arguments had all been made in months past, and Brother SanDukkha would claim that he was simply acting in defense. It was human nature to strive to survive, so he had no qualms about killing anyone who attacked him. Why should he run or yield in the face of aggression? If they should bring violence to his doorstep, then he would answer them with violence in turn, an outlook which would only perpetuate the endless cycle of violence and suffering, yet was still reasonable in terms of human nature. Even Akupara was not yet free of his darker nature and desires, for he was only human after all, but as Vyakhya and Sayan once argued to great effect, how could one understand the value of sacrificing something they had never experienced in the first place? Giving up honey was easy for a commoner who’d never tasted it, and the vast majority of humanity could swear off murder given how most would never kill another human being throughout their entire lifespan. One thing Akupara understood however was losing his home, and if he could go back and do it all again, he wasn’t sure if he’d walk away from his mountain garden a second time, so he could empathize with the Imperial citizens fighting to reclaim the city from the Enemy who seized it.

As for Brother SanDukkha’s actions here, if he planned to kill the Enemy combatants regardless, would it have been better to massacre them all with the tidal wave he sailed in on and offer them all a clean death without the cruelty of false hope? Or was this the more acceptable method, targeting only the Enemy Elites and giving the rest a fair chance to rethink their choices? Then again, his Runic Cannons were slaughtering the Defiled in droves, so how did he reconcile the horror he wrought with his own empathy and compassion? It wasn’t that he didn’t care if the Defiled lived or died, and given how much he sacrificed to keep his sister alive, he quite clearly understood the value of love and family, so how could he have no mercy for these men and women who might well be fathers, mothers, brothers, or sisters themselves?

Whatever his justification, Akupara was certain Brother SanDukkha would hold fast to it, for he was nothing if not stubborn and willful. Were he anything less, then he would never have made it so far in life, for where there is life, there is hope, a mantra Falling Rain lived and breathed by.

And with this singular realization, the knot in Akupara’s heart came undone. Though he had failed in every endeavour he’d tried his hand at just yet, he was still alive and well, and where there was life, there was hope. Hope for redemption, for atonement, for improvement and for the future. Hope, a beautiful, magical thing which he had been denied for so long, for without his Mentor and Senior Brother, he never had any hopes of success, for he had long since accepted that no matter what he discovered or accomplished, his findings would never see the light of day, for the Emperor would never allow it. Thus, in striving to live a life without sin, Akupara had been left with no recourse against sinners who pushed against him except to capitulate and give up on his own aspirations.

How could he be expected to reach the pinnacle of the Dao if he lacked even the courage to pursue it? That was why he failed, because every time he faced a trial or tribulation which might compromise his ideals, his response was to adhere to the Right View no matter the cost, yet he never took into account the cost of inaction. Centuries ago, he developed the means to enable farmers to produce anywhere between four to ten times their natural yield each season, mundane methods that any mortal could apply to any field in any province that would only require more helping hands during harvest. The Emperor did not so much demand as imply Akupara ought to keep those secrets to himself, and he complied because coming into conflict with the Imperial Clan would have resulted in death and bloodshed aplenty, for the Emperor was willing to go to great lengths to maintain his stranglehold over the provinces. Keeping quiet would save lives, that was the rationale Akupara had made his decision by, except he failed to account for all the lives lost to starvation since then, an issue which should have long since been solved yet still children and parents went hungry, day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year.

But if Falling Rain were privy to these methods, he would release them to all in a heartbeat. He’d already done so once with his book of inventions, and would do so again even if warned not to, because he was a man who clearly empathized with the plight of commoners and wanted to do everything he could to help them, even at the cost of bloody revolution. Anything worth having was worth fighting for in his eyes, an aggressive and combative take on life, but one which even he knew was neither wholly right nor entirely wrong, yet one he clung firmly to all the same. This was what it meant to be One with the Self, to live in service to one’s desires without being beholden to them. If Akupara had but one tenth of Falling Rain’s courage and resolve, then the Brotherhood might never have fallen into the unsightly straits that they found themselves in today.

A realization which arrived just as Brother SanDukkha called upon the Energy of the Heavens to Manifest his Domain, congealing it into an invisible blade that materialized out of nowhere to strike down the Half-Demon Demi-Human Junta. The colossal working set the world to surging like waves within a stormy ocean as turbulent currents crashed in and around one another in a metaphysical upheaval which every Divinity within the region could sense, and many Peak Experts too. This wasn’t merely utilizing the Energy of the Heavens, but commanding it, a forceful and domineering display of proficiency that few could truly match. For a Divinity, this meant being wholly One with the Heavens and in tune with one’s Will, which sounded simple in theory but was a state only a handful had ever reached. Peak Experts were more capable of finding themselves in this state, for most who ascended to Divinity would touch upon this sublime condition before Shattering the Void, yet Brother SanDukkha had done so without warning in the middle of a chaotic battlefield, where even a single moment of distraction could mean the difference between life and death.

A fact the Enemy took full advantage of as they dispatched the Phantom to strike Brother SanDukkha down.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, so fast even Akupara almost missed it entirely, but the sequence of events would forever be burned into memory. The Phantom attacked, then froze before his twin daggers connected, only to die to a single blow from the Old Wolf of the Mountains. Calamity was the name the Empire gave him, but he growled every time someone used it and merely grimaced when they called him Old Wolf, so that was the name the wise and foolhardy alike used within earshot. That was all Akupara knew about the Divinity aside from the fact that the Old Wolf was suspected to be one of the strongest living Divinities in existence, but he kept to himself so few cared to bother him, so most of his exploits had faded into legend.

Which he proceeded to prove true by killing another Divinity with the most casual of attacks, not even a proper punch but merely a haphazard swing of his hand.

Even more interesting was Brother SanDukkha’s ability to counteract the untold destruction that the Old Wolf almost unleashed, though Akupara suspected the canny old Divinity had done so on purpose, for the stories claimed that he was so beloved by the Heavens themselves that he was almost unrestrained by them. The Old Wolf proved as much only seconds later, as he unleashed a second strike which he contained all on his own, and Akupara’s heart skipped a beat in time with the hearts of the other Divinities who witnessed it. Only then did the Old Wolf Conceal himself completely, proving that old ginger was indeed spicier as he warned friend and foe alike that he too had mastered the boy’s ability, heralding in a new age of warfare in which Divinities might well remain unchecked.

A terrifying prospect had just been set into motion by Brother SanDukkha’s actions, leading Akupara to rethink his previous decisions, but regardless of the consequences, he still felt that the Right View as he knew it was flawed, and it was high time he tried something different. Casting his senses across Shi Bei, he pinpointed the Divinity he was after, not Mataram YuGan who was the de-facto leader of the Enemy, or Ba Khe Zhu, the Ancestral Stag whose strength was feared by all, though his reputation was not quite a match for the Old Wolf’s. Nor did Akupara contact the Ancestral Badger Shih Yang, the most diplomatic of the bunch who was the most likely to see eye to eye and make allowances on the Empire’s behalf.

No, instead, Akupara sought out the Bristleboar Divinity, Zhu Chanzui. Though far from the weakest of gathered Divinities, he was far from the strongest too, meaning he ranked slightly above average in Akupara’s estimation, one which was confirmed by their exchange following their confrontation in Sinuji. Were it not for his clandestine use of Anathema and Runic items aplenty, the Bristleboar Divinity would have died at Guan Suo’s hands even without unleashing the wrath of the Heavens. For some reason, Zhu Chanzui’s weakness gravely offended Akupara, for this gluttonous, lecherous, covetous pig had killed his Senior Brother, a Divinity far more powerful and noble than he would ever be.

“Know this,” Akupara Sent, and he sensed Zhu Chanzui’s surprise at being discovered. There was not a single creature on this battlefield capable of escaping his detection, not even the Divine Turtle Pong Pong hidden inside Brother SanDukkha’s hair now that Akupara knew what to look for. “Should another Enemy Divinity make a move on this battlefield, this monk will end your life first and foremost. This is your one and only warning, one you should heed well, for there will not be another.”

Even without seeing him, the Bristleboar Divinity’s sneer was easily heard in his tone. “Oh? What’re ye gonna do, huh? Beat yer little fish drum and bore me to death? If yer gonna make threats, then ye need the strength to back it up, holy man.”

Rather than argue, Akupara steadied his thoughts and focused on Zhu Chanzui’s presence at the expense of all else. Aside from the bandit he killed in order to avenge his father, Akupara had never once raised his hand in anger at another living creature, not even at the formidable illusion-casting carrion worms which Kukku so loved to eat. He was wholly unfamiliar with the Forms, and had never utilized Chi skills in combat, and thus threatening Zhu Chanzui with physical violence was clearly a fool’s errand, especially in light of his formidable defenses. In truth, Akupara wasn’t sure if his greatest attack was even a match for the force of Colonel General Nian Zu’s Shooting Star, not without losing control, and though he was finally ready to fight for what he believed in, he was unwilling to consign millions of Imperial and Defiled to death with his first act of aggression.

That being said, while Akupara’s focus had never been on combat, this did not mean he was entirely without his own means. As a young man, he studied agriculture and horticultural methods to improve crop yield, with an added focus on speed of growth and hardiness of the crop itself. When the Brotherhood settled into the Arid Wastes, he switched focus to the study of beasts instead, largely due to Vyakhya’s influence and the lack of anything better to do. His Mentor had long since taught him how to Heal, because saving a life was better than building a seven-story pagoda, and he refined those skills along the way in order to better apply the lessons he learned from his studies of beasts to improving his own physical constitution. Not so he could fight, but so he could endure the weight of the Heavens bearing down upon him once he Shattered the Void in truth.

All in all, Akupara’s skills were sorely limited when it came to combat. Though Healing could be used to stop a man’s heart from a distance, doing so would be pitting his Will against the target’s, and the will to survive would undoubtedly be stronger than his Intent to kill. Instead, his confidence in killing Zhu Chanzui came from his familiarity in a subject few even knew existed, one which he uncovered after a lifetime spent studying agriculture, animal husbandry, and Healing. It was the study of life itself, and how a tiny seed transformed into a towering tree, or how an egg full of yolk could give rise to a chicken, or how some Human Divinities would experience a renewal of youth while others remained old as they day they ascended. His studies revealed the existence another energy, one adjacent to the Energy of the Heavens and incomparable in every way, neither better nor worse, but different all the same. Every living creature possessed this energy within them, which Akupara had taken to calling lifeforce, and he devoted centuries to its study after uncovering its existence. It was different from Healing, in that it was less about the physical health and more about the quality of the soul, and an area of study he thought wholly unusable in combat until only a minute ago, when he saw Brother SanDukkha Materialize his Domain and carve clean through the Half-Demon Demi-Human Junta’s life force, among other things.

A moment of focused Will and directed killing Intent, that was all it took for Akupara to single out Zhu Chanzui’s lifeforce and threaten to sever it with his own Manifested Domain, which he imagined would be none too pleasant for the Bristleboar Divinity. If Akupara were to describe it, he would guess it was something akin to a cold chill followed by a sense of primal terror and grievous foreboding as one’s life source roiled and writhed from the pressure of his Domain. A moment was all it took for Zhu Chanzui to get the message and attempt to Cloud-Step away to avoid certain death, proof he had no earthly idea how to defend against an attack directed at his soul. A good thing too, but Akupara locked on and threatened his foe thrice more before he decided his point was well made. “You have been warned. I suggest you convince your allies to hold back as best you can, for no matter who makes the first move, this monk will kill you first.”

A petty act of vengeance, targeting the killer of his Senior Brother so, but one that left Akupara feeling better than he had in years. The Balance of the Noble Eight-Fold Path was no true Balance at all, this much was clear, for in abstaining from so much, he had forgotten what it meant to be human. Though his end goal would forever and always be True Divinity, to transcend mortal limits into nirvana beyond, he was still mortal yet, and thus could never be free of the red dust of the mortal world.

Perhaps Brother Dama was correct, that True Divinity was not meant for mere mortals after all, but if so, that didn’t mean there was no value in pursuing it. After all, how could one know if one’s labours would bear fruit without first seeing it through to completion? A better lesson to take from Mentor’s parable regarding luck, that one should never jump to conclusions before making their way to the end.

Such is life, suffering without end, but not without meaning.

Chapter Meme