Baira sent all of her Spiritual Tera into the staff and turned the lower portion of it a light blue. She was rapidly progressing with her Water Aspect and felt that she’d be able to change the entire staff within the next week or so. She got up from the soft grass and exited the wooden hut to an eerily quiet forest. Green grass illuminated the night while flora of unknown origins floated overhead.
“Amani really likes to overdo it with her Nature Aspect,” Baira thought as a strange flower brushed against her shoulder. Still, there was an artistry to it that even Baira couldn’t deny; each plant felt vibrant and full of life. If it didn’t clash so heavily with the natural flora of the Red Forest, she’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between a real plant and what was conjured via Aspect. It also wasn’t lost on her just how powerful of a Divine Artist her sister had become, her Spiritual Tera alone was strong enough to craft living quarters and maintain its integrity for hours; not to mention her plants could actually produce fruit.
Baira felt a bit peckish and though she could go another week without eating, she saw no harm in having a snack. A few feet away laid a gnarled, green tree that was a foot thick and tall. A singular, gray fruit hung heavily from its branch and Baira could feel an intense amount of Spiritual Tera exuding from it. She reached for it and felt the Spiritual Tera as if it were a physical force, it felt like her hand was pressing against an invisible wall.
“Hey, hands off my fruit,” Amani said in a feigned outrage, “you dirty thief.”
“What is it?” Baira kept her Divine Sight on the fruit and it nearly blinded her. “ Is it made solely from Spiritual Tera?”
“That and something else. It’s an experiment of mine, I’m calling it Spirit Locus Fruit…for now, the name is a mouthful.”
“Spirit Locus Fruit? So what’s your plan, bypassing Tera conversion by directly ingesting pure Spiritual Tera? That’s pretty-”
Baira turned to face Amani and saw she no longer had her Kolo uniform on but instead wore the colors of the Monsari. She had on sleeveless gold midsection with a black hood that fell to the middle of her upper back, a black waistband with loose fabrics of black and gold hanging from it in alternating fashion, black boots with gold trim, and golden circlet.
“Why are you in our clan’s colors? What’s going on?”
“An envoy is being sent here from home, under mom’s orders,” Amani said in an annoyed manner, “honestly, did she think I couldn’t handle something like this?”
“Wait an envoy? Did something happen at home? Are we under attack?”
“Do you really not know? You haven’t been in the Abstraction this whole time?”
“No,” Baira said, “I was training with my Aspect. What happened?”
Amani sighed. “I think it’s best if you check for yourself, but be quick. The envoy was dispatched and will be here any minute, they’re under emergency protocols.”
Baira hadn’t experienced the protocols, but was familiar with what they entailed. A group of Diamond Soul Divine Artists would be dispatched to recover each member of the Monsari and bring them home, whether they were in enemy territory, the Wilds or on the other side of the world. Sensing the severity of the situation, Baira immediately entered her meditation and went into the Abstraction. The purple world of fog and clouds wrapped around her and she immediately knew something was off.
A thrumming ball of purple and brown floated in a circle overhead before landing at her feet.
“An Astral Missive? But this was sent via the Vassal Network,” Baira said as she lifted the orb. She had to hold the orb until it registered that it had reached its intended target, and when it did, it leapt from her hand and exploded mid air, revealing an image of Mion Okari.
The image spoke.
“Greetings members of the Five Great Clans, I am Mion Okari, son of Bain Okari. I have the great misfortune of delivering upsetting news; Chief Bain Okari has died. Our village was attacked by a group of unidentified Divine Artists, who unleashed Chimeric Beasts and scourbeasts upon us during our Divination Ceremony. My father fought them valiantly, but there were too many and after holding on for so long, he eventually succumbed to his injuries. I am having our instructors assist in preparing the body for departure to the Peaks for burial, but it may take some time due to most of them recovering from the attack.”
Baira wanted to destroy the image but thought better of it; there had to be more to it if her family was sending an envoy.
The image continued.
“I and Uncle Jahn were able to discover that the attackers had inside help from someone who despises both the village and the Okari, a Null named Noki. When he was set to be executed, he used trickery to escape into the Red Forest and we believe he is headed to meet up with his accomplices. Uncle Jahn discovered that he was in league with the group called The Ten Shadows and is most likely telling them everything he knows. I wanted to go after him to make him pay for his crimes, but his accomplices had sent people into the forest to stop us. I don’t know how many people are connected to this, but out of caution, I am sending this to all of the clans. I hope you all heed my warning, and I will be in Watercliff Village, awaiting a response.”
The image then ended and Baira returned to the Physical Realm in an instant.
“No one actually believes that right? That’s something that we can easily disprove.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t.” Amani said, “ at least not to the other clans. Think about it, with Bain dead, the title of Chief would have gone to Jahn right?”
“Yes, until Mion was old enough and a Greater Iron,” Baira said. “This means Jahn must have abdicated the position, making Mion the interim Head Chief.” That made sense to her, Mion’s speech was far too clever for him, it must have been something Jahn told him to say. “So then what’s Jahn’s plan? Making up a group of Divine Artists is risky.”
“The Ten Shadows are real and the families have been wary of them for a while now. They believe one of the goals of the Shadows is the eradication of the Five Clans and the queendom, so it was smart of Jahn to throw that in there.” Complimenting Jahn made Amani grimace, but she continued. “ The real issue is that he mentioned Noki and the people in the forest.”
“By making it known that Noki was a Null, he can color him as someone who hated the village and by extension the Okari since they lead the village,” Baira said, “ but I’m not following the second part.”
“It’s no secret that I was visiting during the attack,” Amani said, “and there’ve been rumors that the Ten Shadows had moles all over, including in the families.”
“You’re saying they’re trying to make it seem like you’re working against the clans?” Baira’s incredulity slowly melted away when she remembered just how paranoid and vicious the families had always been; they’d use any opportunity to take another clan down, even something as ridiculous as that…though she couldn’t outright deny the possibility of a clan member joining the Ten Shadows.
“This is why I hate politics,” Baira thought to herself, “you always have to be prepared against invisible attacks.”
“Looks like you’re starting to see it from their perspective,” Amani said as she started to call back her Aspect. “If we go and contradict what Mion said now, it’ll just look like we’re trying to shift the blame and that’ll only make us look more in league with the Shadows. They’ve also made Noki a direct problem for the Okari, and that’s never good.”
“What will the clans do?”
“My guess? Mion will try to claim that since Noki got his father killed then he should be the one to kill Noki. The Okari will most likely invoke the Law of Clan Retribution to make certain that no other clans interfere with their handling of Noki, you know how prideful they are.”
Baira was hoping Amani didn’t say that, but she knew that was the only logical recourse they’d take. The other clans wouldn’t fight them on that, not over a Null, and the Okari would save face since it wouldn’t be them unfairly targeting a Null but rather taking out an enemy of the Queen. It was a good thing Noki wasn’t with them after all, otherwise he’d have been delivered straight to the Okari as a gesture of goodwill between the clans.
“You didn’t send Noki away, knowing this would happen, did?”
“What? You think I could be so meticulous and thorough that I could have possibly foreseen Jahn plotting something like this and maneuvered things in such a way that by things going according to his plans, that my plans would ultimately win out? I’m honestly flattered you think so highly of me.” Amani made sure to dramatically swing her arms with each word, until she ended up her hands clasped together over her heart.
When she said it like that, it did sound completely ridiculous, but Baira couldn’t shake the feeling that this was somehow all according to Amani’s plans. She always had a talent for moving people into places and making it feel like they were in charge.
“You’re right,” Baira said, “ I must be losing some Mental Tera if I thought you could plan that far ahead without me catching on.”
“Now you’re just being mean.” Amani pouted for a moment before turning east and focusing on something in the distance. “They’re here, right at the base of the mountain. We’ll have to go to them, otherwise their presence might alarm the scourbeasts.”
Baira had almost forgotten that the entirety of Watercliff Village and the Red Forest were situated on the peak of a mountaintop;the area was so huge that you could travel for days without experiencing any shift in altitude.
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“I can’t believe they’re here already, Golden Oasis is still two-hundred miles from here.” Even as a Divine Artist that would eventually reach a higher level, it still boggled Baira’s mind that a human body could cover a distance like that so quickly; If she had left this morning, she’d still be two or three days away. “ They must be Diamonds of great skill.”
“Eh, looks like a few Greater Golds and only one Diamond. They must have really been scrambling if they couldn’t send all Diamonds.”
Amani started down the path east and Baira followed. They made it to the edge of the Red Forest and Baira realized she hadn’t been this far away from Watercliff Village in years. She’d almost forgotten just how small it was in comparison to the rest of the world. The navy blue sky stretched on for eternity, matched only in length by the earth miles below them, and the moon shone brightly in the night. It was taking on a dull purple hue, a sign that the summer months were ending, and gave the sky an extra, ethereal quality. Stars flowed and shimmered in the sky like a calm river, and one star in particular glowed with silverish blue light. No, it wasn’t a star, that much was obvious when Baira used her Divine Sight.
“It’s like a mass of Spiritual Tera, but it’s way too concentrated.” Baira could feel her own Water Aspect react to the source of Spiritual Tera, and the feeling overwhelmed her. She gripped her right arm and dropped to her knees as her Aspect drew nearly all of her Spiritual Tera and was eating through her Physical Tera.
Amani slapped a white pad on Baira’s forehead and a blue array lit up across its surface. Baira felt her Aspect come back under her control and replenish her Spiritual and Physical Tera.
“Do I even want to know what just happened?” Baira was on all fours, catching her breath and trying to come to terms with whatever transpired.
“You will, but not now.” Amani studied her sister for a moment before glancing at the mass of Spiritual Tera in the sky. She suffered no ill effects from staring at it and a few moments later, the mass streaked across the sky and disappeared. She gave a warning look before grabbing Baira by the arm and lifting her up. “This might feel strange, but bear with me.”
“Wh-” Before Baira could even mutter another syllable, the world went white and then she was immediately at the bottom of the mountain. She broke away from Amani and stumbled like she had inhaled five glasses of Pure. Baira didn’t get her bearings until she clawed at the side of the mountain and steadied herself. “Amani…”
“We needed to get down,” Amani said, sensing the confusion and rising anger in Baira’s voice, “and it would have taken too long to slow down for you.”
“I understand that. What I don’t understand is why I could see or sense anything.”
“Ah, that.” Amani chewed it over for a bit before finally saying, “basically you couldn’t process what was happening because you’re not strong enough to do so yet. Anyways, it’s time to get in.”
Baira thought she was going to have another bout of whiplash with how fast Amani had dismissed her. And what had she meant by ‘get in?’ Baira then noticed that a mere five-feet away from Amani, the envoy had been standing there with a palanquin.
At her attention, the four guards straightened their backs before dropping to one knee and placing their left arm across the right side of their chests. Dressed in all black save for a golden waistband, the Monsari Envoy looked like living shadows. When they spoke, they spoke as one.
“Second Daughter, Amani Monsari. Third Daughter, Baira Monsari. It would be an honor to escort you back to the Golden Pond.”
“Second Daughter…haven’t been called that in a long time,” Amani said before adding, “just call me Amani, or Kolo Amani if honor requests it. It’s weird right? It makes it sound like there’s only daughters.” She was addressing Baira, who was still coming to terms with the fact that the world had blinked out of existence for a second. “I wonder if Kayin likes being called First Brother or-”
“Kolo Amani, I hate to interrupt, but time is not a liberty we have at the moment,” a voice said from behind the guards. They parted as a man of impressive height strode by, wearing a golden cape and clothing similar to Amani’s, yet not as extravagant. “I ask that you and Third Daughter Baira enter the palanquin.”
“Oh this is a surprise, they made you captain Daed? How’s it feel to be able to show your face?” Amani gave him a sly smile and literally elbowed him in the ribs. Daed didn’t react, which surprised her. “Looks like you really did hit Diamond, in the past you would’ve-”
“Kolo Amani, As much as I would love to talk, I have orders to bring you and the Third Daughter home. Please get in the palanquin.”
Amani’s eyes met Daed’s impossibly green ones and the two locked gazes. Daed was taller than Amani and had naturally black and gray hair. He wore his hair in a short twist that fell to the top of his ears and had a gold nose ring. His clean shaven face looked smooth to the touch, and Amani was tempted to find out, but settled for allowing her eyes to trace a pattern over his handsome face.
It dawned on Baira that Amani was examining Daed rather familiarly and immediately wished her brain didn’t work the way that it did.
“Captain Daed,” Baira said in an effort to stop…whatever was happening in front of her, “I don’t think we’ve met.”
Daed snapped to Baira and immediately bowed. “Second Daughter Baira Monsari, I am Daed Ziri, Minor Vassal of the Okari and Captain of the Monsari Envoy.”
“Ziri…that means he’s related to Kila.” “Well Captain Daed,I do believe it’s time for us to leave.” Baira made her way to palanquin, turned to Amani, and waited for her to join.
“Oh you can ride without me,” Amani said while dismissively waiving a hand at Baira, “I’ll travel in front with Daed.”
“Apologies,” Daed said, “but it would go faster if you also rode inside.” He was trying his hardest to maintain an air of confidence, but that was difficult to do with Amani around. “My men are shrouded right now, but with you inside the palanquin, you’d be able to shield the Third Daughter.”
Daed let the implication hang in the air. A shroud limits the abilities of a Divine Artist; for his men of Lesser Gold Rank, they’d have to reduce themselves to Greater Iron in order not to risk any harm to Baira; which would make them more vulnerable to attack and severely hinder their movement speed.
Amani casually shrugged, “That’s too bad, I was looking forward to…catching up.'' She gave Daed a look that nearly turned the dark skinned man a bright red. Satisfied, she sauntered over to the palanquin and entered with Baira.
The inside clashed with the plain, black exterior of the palanquin. There were layers of arrays etched into the sides, floor and roof and Baira knew they were used to manipulate the physical space of the interior. The roof stood several feet high and the entire interior was fully furnished with everything ranging from a bathing area to a space meant for cultivation. Soft, golden pillows adorned seats of the finest materials, and there was a large table made of Yellowbark that housed courses of meals. Baira smelled the familiar aroma of Gilded Tea and Glintfish and made her way to the table.
“I haven’t had this in years,” She said as she sat on an exceedingly comfortable chair and dug in.
Amani ignored the offerings and eyed the bath; she didn’t need to take one, but the return trip would be longer than the arrival and it would be a waste not to take advantage of the water.
“You must be starving,” Amani said as she drew the black curtain that separated the bathing area from the rest of the room, “didn’t even wash your hands before eating. How…unrefined.”
Baira wanted to make a retort, but knew that Amani was right. She’d been in Watercliff so long, enjoying meals with Noki and having a level a freedom to her days, that she’d forgotten the norms. If she would have done that in front of her mother, she’d have never heard the end of it and would probably have to take etiquette lessons again.
“It’s not like I even care about all that stuff,” Baira thought, “but if I want to be the Matriarch of the Monsari one day, I can’t let myself slip up like this again.” Baira didn’t say thank you to her sister, instead she removed herself from the table and went over to the sink to wash her hands. The sink was carved into a standing piece of Yellowbark that had an array etched on both sides; one to channel ambient Tera and the other to convert it into Water Aspect. Baira could feel the energy as she let the water flow across her hands, but it was far too weak and diluted to use for her own cultivation.
“This place is pretty big,” Baira said, “you could fit at least ten more people in here comfortably. There must be a five-layer array at work here.”
“Yea, probably,” Amani shouted from behind the closed curtain. “It’s fairly large in the bath too, you could probably fit eight..” Amani paused for a moment as if remembering something, laughed to herself, and continued. “....no, nine people in here.”
Baira scrubbed her hands together with enough force to draw blood from her skin, anything to keep her mind from analyzing that pause from earlier and how Amani knew how many people would fit. “ So, are you going to tell me now what all that earlier was about?”
“Oh, Daed? Well I was young and he-”
“The other thing! The mass of Spiritual Tera in the sky!”
“Oh.” Amani slid further down the large bath until her chin was touching the golden water. “When I said later, I meant when you were at least at Lesser Gold…but I guess there’s no point in telling you. That was a Grand Stellarbeast.”
“I’ve never heard of that,” Baira said as she returned back to her table, this time with utensils. “ there are more than chimeric and scourbeasts?”
“Oh so much more. The world is much bigger than just Queen’s Embrace; there are entities out there that rival the power of the Ascendants and even dwarf them.”
Now Amani was just being foolish. Ascendants were Divine Artists of such power and skill, it’s said just one of them could level the continent with just their Intent alone, whatever that meant. If there were beings of larger power than that, they’d be gods amongst gods.
Amani continued. “Grand Stellarbeasts are a completely different breed from even a Scourgebeast; they have remarkable intelligence and intentionally seek out powerful hosts to merge with.”
“People can merge with Stellarbeasts?” Baira’s mind was unraveling at the thought. “Is that why the difference between an Iron and a Gold is so vast? They have beasts inside of them?”
“Well that’s a bit different since they usually merge with a scourbeast, but in theory it’s similar. I feel like we are getting off topic here: what you saw was the birth of a Grand Stellarbeast. No, I don’t know where it went or when it’ll hatch. No more questions? Good. It’s been a long week and I’m going to take this time to relax, you should do the same.” With that, Amani closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink to the bottom of the bath.
Baira could sense Mental Tera coming from Amani and figured she was headed to the Abstraction. She wouldn’t do that while she was bathing, but she was a Lesser Iron; she’d drown after thirty or so minutes. She looked around the room and after finding a few elixirs, headed over to the cultivation space. It looked just like the one Amani had constructed earlier, except in the center was a patch of gold dirt and the flora coursed with Water Aspect. She pulled out her staff, entered her meditation stance and placed the staff across her thighs. She tried to focus on turning it completely blue, but her thoughts wandered; there was just too much to think about.
“Noki is in trouble and with Bain dead, Mion will be in charge of the entire village. Maybe it won’t be so terrible, Instructor Gazin is still there and she can reign him in. In fact, I’m sure she’ll get him to recant his statement about Noki and-”
Baira cut off her own train of thought. That was twice she had thought about Noki’s safety but not of her own nor that of her family. Jahn was out there plotting something and there was no telling if he had other assassin’s waiting in the wings. Sure, she was surrounded by a Diamond and four Lesser Golds, but Amani did say the world was larger than she thought; what if Jahn was in contact with a Greater Diamond or someone stronger? It would be best to ignore Noki and focus on the bigger issues.
“No,” she told herself, “ I won’t be the kind of person to betray those that I care about, I won’t be like him.” Anger and pain flooded her memories and Baira snapped her eyes open before those memories could form. She was too worked up to focus on her cultivation, so she placed the staff onto the dirt, got up and joined her sister in the bath.