It wasn’t often it happened; it might very well be the first time, but Nate was having a tantrum. The day the tournament started, he had expected he would get to go to one of the arenas being put in place to see those fights. It was, after all, a chance to see some real body cultivators in action.

“Mama! Plea–ase, I wanna see!” he was struggling in her arms, trying to escape his mother’s grasp. Crying on command wasn’t a skill he had before, but it was surprisingly easy to do when so young. His eyes were sparkling from the tears in them, their pupils looking akin to tiny embers. That was a new change. Ever since his birth, he had had brown eyes, but slowly, they had gotten brighter. They weren’t golden or red, but something in-between, like amber.

“No, Nate. Everyone will tell you stories when they get back. That’s plenty enough, all right?”

“But I really wanna see… At least Papa or Uncle Pierce?”

“Absolutely not.”

“...you won’t go?”

“That’s not the same, dearie.”

“I stay with you. Bluuuu!” Pulling his tongue to end the conversation might not be very mature, but acting as a child once in a while was quite refreshing and made his mother smile.

Also, he couldn’t care less at the moment. He really had been anticipating watching warriors stronger than he was used to fighting each other. Making sure his discontentment was known, he burrowed his head into the crevice of his mother’s neck, hiding himself from sight.

At that, Diane only looked at him fondly while ruffling his brown hair, their length allowing her to grasp them quickly, a reminder that she might need to cut them soon.

As for the arena fights he hoped to watch... For one, there wasn’t much of an arena, just a large circle of flattened ground with benches on two opposite sides for the fighter’s supporters. Not that Nate had seen it, just that words travelled fast.

The only arenas of worth were those in the city's core, or so they said. One for each sect, in the shape of a large pit with stairs dug into the earth. The wooden platforms rather than simple benches, this time circling the whole pit yet with two higher parts on opposite sides.

Each of those four arenas carried the name of its supporting sect, with an associated animal totem. Blaze was a firebird. Many thought of it as a Krestrockell of sorts.

Sky was a blue-flying beast, either a bird or a winged snake. The rumours weren’t clear on that.

Fang was sworn to be a mighty silvery white Winxolf.

And Scale was a black demonic turtle. It was a chore to get what they thought looked demonic, as many of the beasts they had met until now were already quite horrifying. The last example that came to mind was the treants that attacked them on the way to the city. Yet the best he got was that the word 'demonic' had spread at some point, and it stuck.

About those totems, Nate only had one thought. Plagiarism!

The common features with the four cardinal beasts from his previous world were striking, to him at least. He couldn’t say if it was a coincidence or if there was a more significant meaning. After all, the possibility for it to happen wasn’t low.

Each creature represented a different evolutionary process. A bird, a flying reptile, a mammal, and an amphibian reptile. For one of them to exist that looked similar to a phoenix, a dragon, a tiger and a tortoise wasn’t that strange. In a world where humans existed and where many of the beasts seen until now weren’t too dissimilar from Earth, Nate couldn’t exclude the possibility that it was just a coincidence.

Anyway, Nate's only source of information was rumours. Diane absolutely didn’t want to bring her child to those events and also didn’t allow anyone to bring Nate along with them. Ever since they arrived in the city, she had gotten used to the idea that they didn’t have to risk their lives. Her frequent meditative nights and time spent cultivating plants also helped in this mindset. While before, she was obliging with others and had very low self-worth. She was now much more confident, especially with her contribution to the Clan and mostly everyone acknowledging her. Then, with Diana being a mother and the younger girls looking up to her as a model figure, she felt responsible for them, which led to this situation:

In her mind, avoiding danger was the best way to stay safe. Since it was now also possible for men not to fight, she wanted to ensure her children wouldn’t have to risk their lives. If she could also convince others and expand their farming project, all the better.

Diane never hoped to prevent people from fighting, in any case. She knew it was needed. And she was even proud of her mate for being a capable fighter despite her dread whenever he went on a hunt. Or soon, in duels against others. Those fights arranged in the arenas were a way to prove themselves and show others that their family and clan were better than others. Diane hoped her Clan would strive for a good place.

She only wanted to keep her children away from this violence and to teach them there were other ways to live than by fighting.

It was frustrating for Nate to have earned back his freedom of movement in this new life only to be prevented from seeing anything happening outside of their area. Not being present to support his relatives was another thing that bothered Nate. More than the fact he wouldn’t get a glimpse of what this world cultivation amounts to. Yet he wasn’t about to resent his mother, as he understood her thoughts very well, especially considering his unique insight into her mind. The lessons he gave her in her dreamscape might have influenced her more than intended, as violence was almost natural and to be prepared for in this world. While exposing children to violence would’ve been unthinkable in his old world.

He might feel proficient in his mind control abilities, yet he knew progress could always be made. This was just another proof of it. Yet another reminder about being careful of what he could do, as the mind was much more complex than he could perceive, despite his spiritual senses improving.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Meanwhile, with the sun still high, Nate had to content himself with his usual activities. Playing with whoever could grant him some attention, running and crawling around them. It was most of the time his youngest aunts and uncles, more rarely one of the seniors or elder of the family.

Then, when he managed to exhaust himself, it was back to his mental exercises. At least until he could hear the tales made in the evening while the Scott family reunited in the small plaza in their compound.

With everyone living in the slums hoping to get a better placement following the tournament, their homes were still mostly the same as what they used to build before. The only change was in their size and how they were laid out.

Among the Starstrong Clan, the changes were mostly the same for each family. Instead of having scattered huts made for no more than a dozen people, they were now regrouped in an arc or a close enough shape, sometimes even linked to another and with a small plaza in the middle. Each family’s compound faced each other with a larger plaza serving as the clan meeting point.

This evening, the mood was both gloomier and more animated than before. The first fight had happened, their warriors participating in one of the twelve outermost arenas. With the many warriors involved, the event was divided among the four central arenas and another twelve spread around the city. The tournament consisted of several rounds, their format changing as the number reduced.

The first phase was a team fight with five persons on each side. Each team had to win three battles out of five to qualify for the next round. For the Scott family, that meant five groups of warriors, of which only three carried their hope for a good ranking. The other two were either with warriors who were too young and lacked experience and strength or with seniors above forty years old, who, despite their expertise, carried many wounds.

During this first day, two of their teams had to fight, one of which was a seeded team. For now, the fights were against different clans but from the same horde. Both teams grabbed a victory, but one of their oldest fighters was severely hurt and might need to give up, which prompted the sombre mood. That they had become somewhat familiar with the opponent during their migration didn’t help either. Many knew a member of the opposite team or one of their relatives personally.

As for the tales Nate was expecting, it was much better than that. And also somehow worse than he hoped. Since there were many arenas, getting a spot to see the fight wasn't too hard. As such, quite a few teens were happy to redo the battle.

Emerson and Amkres, two of Nate’s cousins, were among the teens who redid part of the fight. While Emerson was a paternal uncle of Nate, Amkres was his father’s cousin and also had ties to his mother: He was the brother of Bianca, Flint’s mate and Diane’s sister-in-law. (Even if Nate was the only one using the term in-laws, in the privacy of his mind)

Both children were still a couple of years too young to hunt, but looking wasn’t an issue. They each held a stick in their hand instead of a weapon.

“It was super boring at first. They were just watching each other, walking around the arena. I thought they wouldn’t ever attack. And then, Swoosh! They all moved and yelled as one. It was really awesome!” Emerson was the one to start, gesticulating and walking sideways along the group, imitating the premise of the fight.

“Scary, you mean? You jumped at least that high when they started the fight for real.” At that, Amkres, who was moving the same way while facing Emerson, waved his hand to show the height. While he started from around his shoulder’s height, his hand was slightly above his head by the time he finished his sentence.

“Pff, you’re one to talk. You hid behind your sister. Sandra had to pull you away.”

“I recall you were both scared, boys.” Although Sandra rolled her eyes as she interrupted them, Nate could see her hand clutching that of her partner, Voed, who was likely to fight in the following days.

“Anyway! They ran at each other, and then, Bam! Uncle Creg thrust his spear, but it was blocked!”

“Then the other fighters from both sides met, yet Uncle Creg and his opponent kept trading blows.”

“Bam!"

"Tack!"

"Swoosh! Swoosha!”

[…]

Both teens kept moving around the other, weaving their stick as if it were a spear or a sword, making a show of it with their speech.

It was entertaining and much funnier than it was supposed to be, as both children kept interrupting the other when they did something different from how it happened. Either because they couldn’t agree with how it went - an adult often having to step in - or they missed their strike. Or hit the other when he was supposed to dodge.

Nate found it excellent, reminding him of the plays he went to watch in his previous life. Or, more accurately, with how little talent Emerson and Amkres had for the art of when he watched his children and theirs playing together.

To think of plays also allowed Nate to realise he didn’t have to be present to watch the fights. He could simply review his mother’s memories of them. At least this way, Nate could have a good idea of how it went. His only remaining regret was not being there to support his relatives.

He knew she wouldn’t be present for all, not even all the ones involving Whistler, partly because there were too many fights to watch but mostly because she was due to give birth this month.

That was one event Nate didn’t want to miss. He had watched over his sister’s growth this whole time, ensuring both girls would be healthy and not go through any complications. While he was worried for a moment as he couldn’t be in the same room during the birth, he could still expand his senses far enough to know what happened. Fortunately, his absence and inability to use his spiritual abilities from a distance weren’t missed.

Diane’s little daring was named Stelia, a cute girl with pale blue eyes and a voice as strident as her father’s whistling. Since Whistlerlia wasn’t really pronounceable, the name was cut. It wouldn’t do if she had to wait until her seventh birthday before saying her name.

Nate ran over to his mother’s side when he was allowed, happy to see his younger sister. It was always the same wonderful feeling to witness a new life.

Another thing he was glad to notice was that his spiritual link with his sister hadn’t disappeared following her birth. He had been worried about that since he still couldn't efficiently expand his senses to someone other than his mother. His progress hadn’t advanced past scanning a person's body shape.