Qiu Tai walked the empty halls of the fourth floor of the library, her hand trailing across the books stacked carefully on the shelves. Occasionally, a book would float off of the shelf joining a line of books following the Elder of The Flowing River sect.

Qiu Tai’s thoughts were stuck on her disciple. The sect was spread thin, covering up the weakness of it’s Matriarch, who was still healing in closed door cultivation.

She couldn’t leave the sect to assist her disciple right now, no matter how much she wished to. One of the books floated in front of her, opening and flipping through its pages for her. The book was old, one of the oldest that the library held. The pages, although worn, still clearly showed the drawings of demons and monsters that filled every page.

She closed the book, sighing as she closed her eyes. Something bothered her, a feeling or warning. It interrupted her meditation, and was what made her prowl through the dark halls of the library at the late hour.

A book fell off of one of the shelves, making the Elder of the sect open her eyes.

She looked over to where the book was lying on the ground. No qi had touched that book, and she was the only one wandering here this late.

Carefully, she walked over to the book that had fallen. It was a book of history, one detailing the rise and fall of the dynasties of the empire. It lay open to a random page. Qiu Tai picked the book up, reading the page.

Xing Chao, the minister closest to the emperor, always spoke of a book, a book that the imperial family guarded jealously. The reason Prince Yan Shi killed his brothers was to obtain this book. The book promised eternal life, power beyond imagining and an empire that would rule many realms. Unfortunately, with Yan Shi’s death, all news of the book disappeared. Xing Chao told this lowly scribe that he hoped the book was buried with Prince Yan Shi. The book only causes more death.

******

The two young cultivators stand up from beside my window as soon as Ai and I enter the room. Sun’s robes are torn with cuts, but he still has his carefree smile. Lu Kun looks tired, and he favors his right side slightly as he turns to me. Clearly they had been fighting.

“How did you get in here?” I ask, moving to the open window and closing it. A formation is supposed to be in place, protecting the disciples of the Flowing River Sect from unwanted visitors.

Sun looks at Lu Kun, who folds his arms in front of him.

I stare at him, waiting for an explanation.

“I used a technique of my daoshi to bring us here.” He says after a moment.

“I see.” I say, looking back and forth between the two cultivators. “Why are you here?”

“People are looking for me everywhere.” Sun says awkwardly. “There’s nowhere else I can go that they won’t find me.”

I observe the two, trying to make a decision. After a little while I nod my head “Don’t let the servants see you.”

Sun sags while Lu Kun lets out a breath.

“That was easier than I thought it was going to be.” Sun says after a second.

I ignore the comment, instead looking down at Ai. She rubs her eyes, and blinks slowly before noticing my attention.

I smile down at her, then lead her to the bed. She nervously lays on the bed, watching the boys wearily.

“You can’t stay here forever.” I say, sitting on the bed next to Ai. “Someone is going to notice, and I have my own troubles I’m dealing with.”

Sun nods, “I know. I’m going to follow Lu Kun on his search for his master.”

I look at Lu Kun, who nods at the words. “His company doesn’t bother me overly so.”

Sun frowns at the words. “That almost sounds like an insult.”

I chuckle, covering my smile with my sleeve. “I’m glad to hea-” My voice cuts off as a suffocating silence fills the room. I try to speak again, but no sound comes through as a strange qi works it’s way through my room.

A trickle of fear fills me. Without sound, I can’t make the requiems. And without the requiems, I…. I calm myself forcefully and grab Ai, who is now wide awake.

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Both Lu Kun and Sun draw their weapons. The spirit around Sun changes as his eyes shift into a red color and a dark blue color gathers on the tip of Lu Kun’s sword.

I bring Ai behind the two boys, keeping her in my arms. We stare at the door, waiting for whoever is going to walk through next.

The door bursts open and a man in the Early Core Formation walks through, dragging the body of a Flowing River Sect servant behind him. A trail of blood follows the body, and I know that she is dead.

I don’t recognize the strange cultivator, but his robes have the purple markings of the Shan Mountain Sect, one of the six great sects. His hair flows in a long pony tail behind him, loosely tied with a cord. His sword is heavily curved, like the waxing moon. Blood from more than one person drips from his sword.

The cultivator frowns when he sees the three of us. He tosses the body of the female servant to the side, appraising us. Slowly he raises his sword.

Sun and Lu Kun’s eyes meet as they seem to wordlessly communicate. In the span of a breath, Sun dashes in, his sword moving with experienced accuracy.

The strange cultivator meets Sun’s sword, his body moving with deadly grace. I step forward to help, but Ai shifting in my arms makes me hesitate.

I don’t know why this man is here, but it likely has to do with Ai.

Lu Kun breathes deeply, qi moving through him and into his sword. With practiced movements, Lu Kun uses his sword as a paintbrush to draw in the air. Blue paint hovesr where his sword moves as a complex symbol is drawn.

The strange cultivator matches Sun’s movements with leisure, his speed slowly increasing as the dance of death continues. Inch by inch, Sun is forced back in the small confines of my room. Small cuts appear on his arms as he expertly moves his body to dodge by the smallest of margins.

My gaze moves to the window as an escape. The orange light of fire blazes outside.

I clutch Ai closer to me with one arm as I draw my sword.

Still, no sound exists in this world as the oppressive qi of the strange cultivator stifles the room.

I set Ai down next to Lu Kun, who still draws the symbols with his sword. Clearly Sun is buying time for Lu Kun. I won’t let him fight alone.

I rush forward, entering into the forms of The Roars Of The Ruinous Dragon. I need to hold my ground, not dance around using the Whispers Of The Silent Raven.

My sword slices towards the strange cultivator and a gleam enters his eyes as he smiles.

His speed increases as his form changes, where before he held one sword, now he holds four, all striking at different angles.

Sun and I work together to fight the man, but it is a losing battle. Every swing of our sword is met with two more blades slicing for our throats.

Death looms ever closer as my body protests the fight, my injuries acting up as I twist my body in ways that I shouldn’t.

The smile on the cultivator’s face disappears as he looks behind us. Suddenly the intensity of his attacks increase as he moves with a ferocity and urgency he didn’t have before.

I feel my skin tear as I reopen my old wound, blood flowing down my back.

I stumble and a blade moves towards my throat.

Shia jumps out from my robe, attacking the arm aiming for my neck. The strange cultivator pulls back his attack, twisting away from us to dodge the strike.

Shia lands on the floor before quickly slithering back over to my feet and crawling up my robes.

The strange cultivator pulls back as whatever Lu Kun is doing finishes. Nothing happens for a moment, and the strange cultivator takes a step forward to continue the fight.

Then reality twists and everything goes black.

Sound returns with a vengeance as I drop onto hard cobblestones, bruising my knees. Lu Kun somehow took us to an alleyway. The sounds of the ocean and sailors yelling out tells me that we are somewhere near the docs.

Sun sinks to the ground beside me, as Ai runs up from behind me to hug me. She pulls away when she realizes that some of my blood is on her.

Lu Kun steps up behind me, “Are you alright?”

“You’re bleeding.” Ai says, fear in her voice.

Sun looks up at those words, his gaze landing on me. His spirit shifts as his eyes turn green. “Oh, both you and I have hurt ourselves quite a bit, hmm?” Sun’s voice enters a higher pitch as he talks. He turns to Lu Kun, “Kun, be a dear and find us some bandages and healing supplies.”

Kun bows, “Of course. Stay safe while I’m gone.” He turns away, hurrying down the alleyway.

“I’m not sure what I can do before he gets back, but I might as well take a look. You’re bleeding an awful lot.” Sun moves towards me, reaching towards my robe.

I grab his hands, blushing.

“Oh right, not exactly used to being… well, this.” Sun pulls his hands back to motion to his body. “It’s strange how different things can be in a male body.” Sun puts his hands in his lap, palms up. “I do need to see your wound, the amount of blood has me worried.”

I take a deep breath, turning away from him to untie my robe and expose my back. Ai glares at Sun from beside me, watching him carefully.

“Your bandages are soaked through. We’ll have to wait for Lu Kun to replace them.”

I nod, not trusting my voice as my face flushes. I pull my robes back up.

The next few minutes are agonizing as we wait, but eventually he returns.

Sun has Lu Kun stand guard at the entrance to the alleyway as I expose my back to him again for him to check my wound.

Once the bandages are replaced and some medicine is applied, I bring my robes back up and Sun treats his own wounds.

Eventually, Sun’s spirit returns to normal as his eye color reverts and Lu Kun is called back into the alleyway.

“Do you know who that person was?” I ask the boys, leaning against a building to support me. “I recognize the robes, but not him.”

“I’ve heard of someone like him.” Lu Kun says after a moment. “A four armed cultivator that enjoys fighting and killing. He’s a soldier of the Shan Mountain Sect.”

“It really is the Shan Mountain sect then?” I ask. If that’s true, it means that they attacked the Flowing River Sect, it could mean a war between the sects.

Lu Kun reluctantly nods.

I look at Ai thoughtfully. “I need you to deliver a letter for me to Princess Shi Da.” I tell Lu Kun.