Azai Ayaika closed her message book, having just given notice that she had arrived at the border guardian’s estate and passed through the gate unchallenged. She would be expected to give a full account of her conversation with the sage conversation as soon as she had an opportunity to do so, but until then, she was on her own. She checked her appearance in the small hand mirror she always kept tucked into the silk sash around her waist, assuring herself that a single line of jet black hair did indeed fall forward from her neatly pinned coiffure, starkly contrasting with her porcelain skin. Ayaika had not been commanded to seduce the young sage, but the patriarch would certainly not fault her if she did. She was known as a beauty even among pure artists, and she considered her appearance to be but one more weapon in the arsenal of a cultivator.
The border guardian’s manor was well appointed for such a rural locale, but it was nothing to what she had seen in the Jade City on the rare occasions when she had been privileged to enter. It was an important position, all educated people knew that demons could not be allowed to enter the Blessed Lands and drink of the sacred essence of the world soul, but it was not a particularly honored one. For generations, the post had been manned by cultivators who hadn’t even produced a mana body. Part of the reason for that was the border’s proximity to the Soma crop of Fringe Town, but that wasn’t an issue any more. The truth was that demons were only a threat after they entered the world and had years to adapt to its mana rich atmosphere. At the border, they could be handled by cultivators who were little more than initiates themselves.
Ayaika’s cultivation sense warned her of the threat a split second before she was attacked. She rotated, calling on her spirit blade, Rain Song, as she did so, and raised it to meet her assailant. Her blade was thin and straight, not showy or oversized like so many spirit weapons, it was a thing of precision and hard won skill, like she was. The blue forged mana of the blade had the appearance of ice, but the hilt was simple leather wrapped steel.
The spider turned its body over in mid leap, spiraling to one side to avoid her blade, landing in a crouch. It was a spirit beast, and quite advanced, judging by the quality of the red mana radiating from its legs. Rather than continuing its attack, it rubbed its jaws together in a manner that produced a rasping sound eerily akin to laughter.
“Ogumo! What are you doing?”
A pretty young woman with dark eyes and long brown hair had appeared at the manor’s entrance to scold the spider.
“Scared…her.” The spider replied in its almost human voice. Ayaika did not dismiss her blade, but she did lower it a fraction.
“A thousand apologies,” the young woman said, using an earth technique to slide along the ground and reach her in a blink. “This is our guest,” she scolded the spider, “and you are being very rude.”
“I was not afraid,” Ayaika said. Clearly, the spirit beast was bonded to this young woman, or due to be bonded, and she didn’t have control of it yet. It would have been a shame if she had been forced to kill it, but that shame would have not been hers to bear.
“You were…” the spider laughed again, and color rose in Ayaika’s cheeks, “you were.”
“Please ignore him,” the young woman said, “his master gives him too much freedom, but he gives all of us the same, so I cannot fault him for it. My name is Jin Janna, may I ask who you are?”
His master? Then the spider did not belong to this young woman. “I am Azai Ayaika, sent by the will and word of the patriarch of our clan to meet with the so-called Heart Sage and discuss his future.”
“Oh,” Jin Janna bowed, so at least her manners were not as lacking as the spirit beast’s. “You are welcome here, of course. I apologize for not recognizing you, but we have many visitors, and we did not expect to see anyone from the patriarch so soon.”
“I am here,” Ayaika said, “and I would speak with the young sage.” Though she was not supposed to acknowledge him officially before he had agreed to her terms, all the information they had collected so far about the Heart Sage suggested he was legitimate. Occasionally, those who claimed to be sages were merely cultivators who had stolen or unearthed old knowledge and attempted to pass it on as their own, but the master of the Heavenly School of the Azai had already given a favorable assessment in regards to Sunwhisper. A strange name, but sages were entitled to their quirks, after all.
Jin Janna led her inside. It was an old house, with well worn furniture, and many obvious repairs. The sage did not care for luxury, it seemed. They passed through a room of artists channeling in a circle, and the sight unsettled her. There was nothing wrong with meditation, of course, but Ayaika had been chosen for this task because of her cultivation sense, which was extremely refined for someone of her level of advancement, and she wasn’t familiar with the channeling techniques they were using. It reminded her of what yosei did in the wild.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Sunwhisper was sitting cross-legged in an empty attic. There was a single window, and it was almost entirely blocked by the form of a six-winged raven that eyed her so sharply she hesitated before stepping fully up into the room. The young sage was a handsome man with short dark hair and large eyes that seemed older than his face. There was kindness in those eyes, and also sorrow. The moment she saw him, all the tension of her journey left her. She still knew what her duty was, but there was no urgency, she felt as if she could have stayed in this room with this man forever, and not be the worse for the decision.
A part of her knew that this had to be manipulation, it had been reported that the Heart Sage could touch the minds of anyone he saw and force them to feel what he wanted them to feel. That was almost certainly an exaggeration, but even if it was true, she found it difficult to care.
“Please,” Sunwhisper said, “sit with us.”
Ayaika bowed, and sat as Sunwhisper was sitting on the floor, joined a moment later by Jin Janna.
“I have come to you directly from the patriarch of our clan.”
Sunwhisper nodded. “And what interest would the patriarch have in one so lowly as myself?”
Ayaika could not say if this was true humility, or an attempt at humor by one who was full of pride. The young sage gave nothing away in his expression or manner, even so, she knew that he was not entirely with them. Spirit links extended from his core in every direction, so fine that she could barely make them out, so many that they would be impossible to count without making what she was doing obvious.
“A new sage is of interest to everyone, even forgetting what happened in Fringe Town not so long ago. The patriarch wishes to assure you of his support.”
Sunwhisper smiled. “As he would support any loyal member of the clan, yes?”
“Any loyal member, that is correct.”
“Technically,” Jin Janna said, “Sunwhisper is not a member of the Azai clan. He is of the Soga, as is my own family.”
“And as the Soga owe fealty to the Azai,” Ayaika answered quickly, “they are like unto a little brother. It would be foolish to discuss the Soga as if they were of a different family. However, to avoid confusion, the patriarch has suggested an adoption.”
“That would be a great honor to some,” Jin Janna said, and Ayaika did not care for her tone. There was no need for her to engage with the young woman, however, as only the opinion of the sage mattered here.
“He would give me the Azai name, then?” Sunwhisper said. Though he was looking directly at her, Ayaika could not help but feel that much of his attention was elsewhere. She would have found it insulting, should have been insulted, but it was difficult for her to summon any semblance of offense in the presence of the sage.
“He would. Elder Furui has spoken of the service you did the clan when they fought the barbarians. For that alone, you would be welcomed into the bloodline.”
Sunwhisper frowned at her mention of barbarians, but she pressed on. “An adoption is warranted, but it could be cemented all the more firmly with a marriage.”
How clumsy could she be? Ayaika wasn’t sure whether to be aghast at her own temerity or the inelegant nature of her proposal. Jin Janna scoffed, but Sunwhisper seemed amused.
“I would be honored to bear the name of the Azai, but I am afraid I am not yet ready to be bound in marriage. What else does the patriarch ask of me?”
That he accepted the Azai name and was placed under its authority was all that mattered. Ayaika executed a seated bow to hide her own embarrassment. “He asks that you accompany me to Jade City. There are many there who would wish to meet you, including the patriarch himself. I believe he wishes to express his gratitude for your services to your clan personally, as well as to bestow your name, so that none can doubt it.”
“I cannot go.”
The phrase was so simple, and yet Ayaika could scarcely believe she had heard him correctly. A request from the patriarch was as good as an order.
“Not yet,” Sunwhisper clarified, “I have business in Goth. When that is done, I will be happy to seek an audience with the Azai patriarch.”
Ayaika noticed that he said “Azai patriarch” rather than “our patriarch,” but decided to let the slip slide. What business could the sage possibly have with the barbarians?
“What could be more important than the desires of the patriarch,” she asked.
“The creature that threatened the Blessed Lands still lives,” Sunwhisper said, closing his eyes, “and I have delayed long enough. Let your masters know that I intend to return when my work is finished, but not before then.”
“Creature?” What was he talking about? There were no sacred beasts of note in Goth. It was a mana desert, and therefore could not support beasts of meaningful advancement. Exactly what had happened in Fringe Town was not clear to Ayaika, but it was clear that the local cultivators had grown restless and caused most of the trouble themselves. “The patriarch will not be satisfied with such an answer,” she asserted, confident that it was the truth.
“Satisfied or not, that is my answer.” Sunwhisper’s aura flared, and Ayaika felt her cultivation sense shrink away in confusion. There were four stars on his arm, but she had felt the power of four-star cultivators often enough to be sure that he was something more, and something different. “Tell your patriarch that I will be glad to meet him, and to accept his name, but the creature responsible for the loss of Fringe Town is still alive, and grows more dangerous with each passing day. Unless he chooses to meet that threat himself, then I must go, and I will go. There is nothing else to say.”
To this, Ayaika could only bow.