In the Gaian Empire there are two figures that every child knows, the Immortal Emperor Ku Pa who will unite the world in peace under his rule and Tomo the bogeyman that kidnaps children that misbehave. Tomo is said to be as pale as a corpse with glowing red eyes, capable of flight and can enter any building unnoticed. Obviously, as they get older adults stop believing in Tomo, but that doesn't stop them from using him to scare children into doing their chores.

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“Lesson one, get used to disappointment Little Shen.” The look of surprise and confusion on Ku Shen's face brought a smile to Ku Wei's. He could hear the torrent of wind that Ku Shen was summoning, but it faded like it was a lie as the door closed behind him. As Ku Wei exited the entry way a voice sounded from the side.

“Quite the lesson, though in your brother's case perhaps not harsh enough. I am curious though, what will lesson two be?”

Ku Wei turned toward the voice and found a man sitting at a small table sipping from a cup. For a moment he thought it was his father, Ku Fu. The man before him shared many of the Ku family's dominant features; the thin but domineering frame, sharp jaw line and high cheek bones, long black hair that cascades down his back. That was where the similarities to his father ended. The man possessed incredibly fare skin, far paler than any other Ku Wei had seen.

However it was his eyes that truly took Ku Wei by surprise. As the man finished sipping his drink he opened his eyes, glancing in Ku Wei's direction. He was met with the same eyes he'd seen in the mirror his whole life, only now they were accompanied with a sense of pressure, as if there was no where to hide and no matter where he went those eyes would follow. Feeling rather small before the man's gaze, Ku Wei stammered, “I... I'm not sure what lesson two will be... but he needs to learn that he can't do as he pleases as long as I'm alive.”

As the man glanced away Ku Wei was able to breath comfortably once again. He instantly understood why the tower's staff wouldn't make eye contact with him. Now that he had calmed down he finally noticed the rather rotund orange cat laying on the table next to the man. The animal stopped licking its paw to give him a rather annoyed look, as if it was disappointed that he was only now noticing it, before it returned to cleaning.

The man took another sip, as he set the cup down a young girl approached with a tea pot. She waved her hand and the pot gave a short whistle before she waved her hand again causing it to cease. Refilling the cup revealed the pot's black contents and filled the room with a delightful fragrance. “Care to join me for a cup of coffee?” the man asked as he motioned to the empty seat beside him.

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Ku Wei moved to join him only to pause, “It would be my pleasure... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name.” Then he realized that he'd been the one to barge into this man's space without an introduction, he quickly bowed and added, “I'm Ku Wei, prince of the Gaian Empire.”

“I'm well aware of who you are little prince.” The man stood up, straightened out his black three piece suit, that was in a style Ku Wei had never seen before, and returned Ku Wei's bow. “You may call me Tomo,” he said with a light chuckle, “I imagine even up in your tower you must have heard some of the ghosts stories.”

Seeing Ku Wei's confused face, Tomo sat back down and motioned to the girl next to him before continuing, “Jia Ying and I were on our way to the capitol when I noticed what was happening to you. If you would like an escort, we can see you safely back to the palace.”

Ku Wei wasn't sure how to respond. He sat down and accepted the cup of coffee Ming Jia Ying placed before him. The smell was irresistible. The taste was bitter, but delicious. As if the drink had suddenly jolted him awake, Ku Wei knew what he needed was personal strength not the safety of the palace. Rising from his seat, he knelt before Tomo and said, “I can tell you are a man of unfathomable means. Please take me as your disciple.”

“And what would you do with my teachings? What drives you young prince?”

“Ku Shen needs to be stopped. If he becomes the next Imperial Prince he'll corrupt the entire Ku Clan,” Ku Wei paused for a moment, “I suspect my father, Ku Fu, is not only aware of this, but is encouraging it. I'm not sure why, but I would see him replaced with Ku Xue before things go too far.”

“Interesting.” Tomo stood and with a wave of his hand Ku Wei began to float until they were eye to eye. “Seems we have similar goals. Jia Ying wants to stop a corrupt general, even if she has to dismantle the entire Gaian military to do it. While my target is Emperor Ku Pa, this corruption stems from the eternal war the Gaian Empire has been forced into. If you become my disciple we'll be oath bound to help each other complete our goals. Do you still wish to join me, even knowing that we plan to dismantle everything your ancestors have built?”

Two sets of red eyes stared into one another, unflinching and uncompromising. “I do. The people will still need someone to guide them after the emperor falls, Ku Xue would be the ideal choice. He is kind and caring with no real desire for power. I would see him live up to the potential I've seen in him our whole lives, even if that means tearing the empire down around us.”

“Very interesting!” Tomo exclaimed as he set Ku Wei down, “Jia Ying is my first disciple in two hundred years, I didn't think I would be taking another so soon. Perhaps I should consider recruiting a few more. We have set rather lofty goals for ourselves and could use the help.”

The cat perked up at Tomo's words, glancing at Ming Jia Ying and Ku Wei before turning to yowl towards Tomo. He gently stroked the cats head and neck to pacify it as he cooed, “You're quite right Schrodinger. You're my first disciple, Jia Ying is second and Wei is third.” Satisfied, Schrodinger gave the two new disciples a triumphant look before flopping back down on the table. There was a bowl of treats for the cat in the corner of the room and as he rolled onto his back he lazily waved a paw causing one of the treats to float into his waiting mouth.

Ku Wei and Ming Jia Ying shared a meaningful glance, through an unspoken agreement they acknowledge that this cat was indeed their senior. They had both felt Schrodinger circulate his chi and it vastly surpassed their own. However, there was also hope in their eyes, because if their new master could train a cat to reach such heights, what would they be capable of?