> Water turns into the Earth, after enough time. Anything that attracts and binds is earth. Earth grants stability, it grants a place for growth, a place for things to come together and thrive. Within the earth all things live and die. Upon the earth the ghosts dance, upon the earth the gods conduct their political proceedings. Those that keep to the Elder Ways become one with the Earth, and in a way achieve what the Awakened would too. You find it in the mountains, in the pebble, in the stone artisanry, in the boughs of too-old trees.

>

> Treatise on the Great Powers

For the rest of the day, Raxri and the Abbot practiced the movements of the Adamantine Sword. It came quickly to Raxri in truth: there were interesting circular movements that echoed the movements of the Whorl Hand. The movement of the sword was complex: long diagonal arcs, quick thwipping wrist slashes, flat-of-blade to edge-of-blade fanning strikes, locking movements with the base of the sword and the pommel of the sword when in close range, wide arcing spirals when in long range. Through it all, the Abbot taught Raxri to keep the other hand moving, quickly changing, tapping, pushing, rising and falling as the sword fell and rose.

"What is the purpose for the movement of this empty hand, Abbot?"

The abbot smiled. "It is our utility. With that hand, you may disarm, snatch, or otherwise lock your opponent into compromising positions. Witness." The Abbot quickly closed in on Raxri. Out of instinct, Raxri performed a quick sword flick going down to up. The Abbot savagely denied that by hammering down Raxri's thwipping sword with the flat of his own. Then the Abbot's other hand snaked in, locking Raxri's swordhand. In the next moment, Raxri was on the ground, sword disarmed, but hand still in the Abbot's clutches.

"Wow." Raxri caught their breath.

"Not just that," said the Abbot. "Perhaps more importantly, the Adamantine Sword was created in tandem with another martial art. The Thunderbolt Shield, which focuses on shield movements, disarms, and thunderous knockbacks. You can tell now why it is so emphasized."

Raxri smiled. "Yes. Please, teach me more!"

The Abbot smiled, and looked just a bit impressed at Raxri's eagerness to learn. And so they did. More movements of the sword. More lessons in the nuance of a blade's movement. More important body dynamics, the flicks, the subtle footwork.

Very soon they were exchanging blows. Raxri's natural aptness to martial arts helped them grasp the complexities of the body dynamics. The cross-legging required to properly swing power into a slash. The deliberate movement required for the blade edge alignment. The quickness of a required strike.

The Abbot taught as they traded blows, parried strikes, performed complex locks and breaks. "The Adamantine Sword is so called as it is manifests and emphasizes the most important aspects of the Adamantine Path," he said, deflecting Raxri's strike with their empty hand and unleashing one of their own, which was promptly blocked as well by Raxri's own swing and then they replied with a counter slash diagonally upward. The Abbot stepped away from that, evading it easily and without much effort with the proper cross-legged footwork. "The explosive understanding of Enlightenment, the indestructible wisdom of Liberation, the sure annihilation of obstacles with the understanding of the nonduality of Extinction and Suffering. At first, these are emphasized in the tandem movement of the Live Hand and the Sword Hand, never without the other. This is also emphasized by the sudden lightning strikes of the blade. All too quickly, unseen by the eye, with the express intent of killing with every strike. We never feed our blades unless absolutely necessary to open up defenses. We overwhelm with perfectly aligned blows, like Shagara's Fulminating Thunderbolt."

Soon they were performing rudimentary defenses and countering. The Abbot took control of the movement. They moved as if they were playing, the Abbot striking and then Raxri parrying which flowed into a strike which the Abbot parried which flowed into a strike. Whenever the two of them got too close, they parried sword hand against sword hand, redirecting the flow of the sword. Whenever the two of them exchanged blows in long range, they parried with the flat of the blade. Or better yet, emphasized the footwork and the spacing required to fight in long-ranged swords.

"Good. You soar through the fundamentals of the Adamantine Sword," said the Abbot as they performed a wide vertical arcing slash, called the Spiralling Dragon. This Raxri quickly employed the Vayu Wingslice, which was a quick diagonal movement to the left, combined with a wide diagonal slash up. Movements like this, the Abbot had taught, required good bodily mechanics and conditioning.

The vast majority of warriors do not have this required bodily maneuverability, and so they resort to the simple parry-counter when attacked by such an attack from afar. The Abbot had told them as well that while effective, almost workman, it funneled one to strict movements and was not effective for all violence theaters. "Though the tall men of the Northwest Continent will tell you otherwise! They are notorious for their haughtiness in war, superceding even that of the Warlords of Shennin Society!" The Abbot had laughed.

They continued to exchange strikes, almost moved into a dance where their blades almost hit each other but never did. There were some strikes, however, that the Abbot performed a counter in such a way that Raxri would be reprimanded for a lazy stroke, or a wide slash. This counter always ended with a blade against Raxri's neck, or a nick against their belly. Raxri knew that if they were fighting for real that it would only really take the Abbot a single move to kill them.

As they moved, Raxri couldn't help but comment upon the fact that a large number of the strikes, movements, counters, defenses and more all resembled dance moves. Long ranged slashes like the dance maneuvers that copied eagles, close ranged strikes resembling intense movements of weavers, sped up.

Eventually they stopped to take a break. They drank from clean river water, blessed by the gods. The sun slowly set. Despite almost training for most of the day, the Abbot did not seem the least bit fatigued, while Raxri's muscles burned and their lungs heaved for air.

As they drank water, Raxri asked: "Teacher, may I ask? The movements are akin to dance moves... Is that intended?"

The Abbot smiled. "The Adamantine Sword, as I've said, was developed on the isle of South Ra-Om, among the Selorongian River Communes. The movements are a mix of Shennin footwork, Selorongian war dances, Bidaree jives, and the emulation of the sacred statues of the Saints, Conquerors, and Saviors. It is continually iterated upon by the regions where it is brought into. Here in Pemi Island, we are continually adding techniques from the Nunuk League." He smiled. "Their dances are dances to honor their gods. Many of their movements even aim to emulate the subtle ones and the emanations of the many Awoken. These we also incorporate into our Adamantine Sword, Thunderbolt Shield, and Thunderbolt Staff."

"Those are the three martial arts you teach in this monastery?"

The Abbot nodded. "Alongside that, we also have masters in the Talismanic Tattooing Practice and the Whispered Seal."

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"The Whispered Seal?"

"Yes. An esoteric magick tradition. Using mudras and mantras to affect the world about you, rituals to change destinies..."

"Is this the very same mantra sect that witch Akazha studies?"

The Abbot nodded. "She came here for initiation into them, yes. She practices them still, to this day, but she has a different master, I believe. I am not quite sure, it's been some time since we've seen her. However, this Whispered Seal mantra magick is used to great effect during the great wars that ravaged our land. Intertwining, clashing rituals marred the karmic landscape of the Utter Islands, sinking us ever into attachment."

Raxri blinked. "That... does not seem good."

"As with all traditions," said the Abbot. "A minority of those that dance along the river of the Law use the knowledge they've gleaned for selfish, hateful means. It is our responsibility to make sure those we teach never become like that, but some beings surrender to their karmic resonances and fall. You see, Raxri Uttara. No person is every truly bound by their karma. They have the will and the agency to change who they are, if they manage to be reborn as a human. Despite this... there are some whose karmic bonds are so strong that it is easier to fall into them than to transcend them. Many of these people become war hungry tyrants and despots. Many more become bandits, pirates, hateful ministers."

"I see. Does that mean... all bandits are this way due to their past karma?"

The Abbot shook his head. "No one is a certain way because of their past karma. Karma is simply the ripening of consequence. It ripens often in rebirth, though also in a single life. It never makes someone inherently evil, however. That is a lie. No being is ever inherently evil. Evil comes from suffering, you see."

Enlightened, Raxri could only bow.

When the sun was halfway below the horizon, the Abbot rose and fixed their food and tea. Raxri hurriedly got up to help. They placed it into a woven palm leaf bag, and Raxri offered to carry it. The Abbot only smiled and nodded, uttering full thanks.

They trekked back. The sky darkened. In the distance, sometimes, when the dense foliage of the mountain path broke and showed Raxri the rest of the vale below, the torches and lotus lights of the various villages that lined the great river shined. A warm feeling rose from Raxri's belly. Some light in the midst of darkness, yet.

As they walked, the Abbot lifted their sword. It shone a dull white light, like a low-burning fire. "Our torch, for now," said the Abbot, smiling.

A question arose in Raxri's inquiring mind. "Master, that sword... it is a most beautiful sword. Is it the only kind of sword usable in the Adamantine Sword?"

The Abbot shook his head. "Every kind of longsword can be wielded. Even the popular straight sword common in North Ra-om! Though often the straight sword is easily broken, unless it is magicked and inhabited by gods, and so our blade-on-blade blocks will not be easily applicable. Similarly, sometimes, single-edged blades you will have some difficulty of applying the swordwhips with, but in that sense you will only realize that blunted damage is sometimes just as damaging as cutting damage."

Raxri nodded eagerly. "I see. I will keep it in mind. The sword calls to me yet."

"You wielded a different blade when you first came here, Raxri Uttara," said the Abbot. "Ten harvests ago. You wielded the straight sword, tasseled and imbued with magicks. It was the same kind of sword wielded by the Bright Savior, the King of Wisdom. You wielded it to cut through all obstacle... or so you said. You visited only for such a short time that I was not able to witness your martial prowess."

"I see..." Raxri bit their lip. Still, no memory of such a thing ever happening recurred to them. Perhaps in learning the Adamantine Sword it will return to them yet? "The Adamantine Sword, Abbot... it is a Path to Power, is it not?"

"Yes. Though it can be a Path of Enlightenment, that is only possible if it is mixed with practices of the Path of Enlightenment. The violent means of the Adamantine Sword is only part of its Path of Power. Progression in the Adamantine Sword has six stages."

The Abbot pointed at the handle of the sword. "The first stage is the Sword Grasp. This is where you stand. Upon the realm of the Sword Grasp, you will seize the fundamentals and incorporate it into your Mindstream. You will learn how to move the sword, how to apply it, how to live and die by it."

The Abbot then pointed at the handguard of the sword. Raxri almost tripped and fell staring the sword as they walked. "Next is Sword Intent. This is often the stage where mortals end their journey. To many, this is mastery. But in truth, it is not. Sword Intent is the fusion of one's mindfulness and awareness with the sharpness of the blade. Many weaker-willed only master this stage and leave, starting blade schools of their own. They possess the wrong view. Sword Intent has the beginnings of Will manipulation, you see. The manifestation of the unique kind of Will used for higher level swordplay: the Sword Will. You will develop this soon enough. Along with this are more advanced techniques, more specifically locking techniques, long ranged techniques, and techniques that emphasize multiple strikes in the time it would take for your opponent to blink. Remember, Raxri Uttara. In the matter of weaponry, trading blows can only exist as a necessity. Always incapacitate your opponent at the earliest possible move."

Raxri nodded. The Abbot pointed at the base of the blade. "Next is the Sword Soul. Here, only Lightning-Enterers and other such cultivators of the appropriate level can arrive. The Sword Soul gives rise to the Sword Will. Here, esoteric techniques are taught. And truly, it is the longest and lengthiest of the six Adamantine Sword Stages. Here you will learn to strike without dulling your blade, perform slashes that send wind-slices against your opponent, and to even manipulate your blade with nothing but your concentration. And much more, of course. The Sword Soul separates the swordhand from the swordmaster."

Raxri remembered theirs and Akazha's first meeting. Was Akazha of the Sword Soul level when it came to swordplay? They even wielded a kalis, which was intimately similar to the sundang they held in their hands.

The Abbot then pointed at the middle of the blade. "Next is Sword Divinity. There are only a scant few that have reached this level, and even fewer reach this while also upon a Path of Enlightenment. The Sword Divinity promises untold levels of power, of skill with the blade. Here one can ride upon a blade, summon a sword from one's very Will, unleash ten thousand cuts in a second, and bend fate itself by sighting down the lines of sword strokes. Greater masters of Sword Divinity have even cut rivers and gouged ravines into the earth! However many masters of Sword Divinity are demonic accumulators. Those that reach this level of skill quickly through underhanded means, through the draining of other's Will. Most Sword Gods arrive here at Sword Divinity, and never think there to be anything past it. "

The Abbot pointed at the Sword's tip. "What follows is Sword Royalty. Here, only the greatest masters, sequestered away in mountain hermitages, forest grottos, and sea caves, have attained. The Sword Void requires a certain level of enlightenment, as it recognizes swordplay beyond heaven. Its violence is unmatched: those that stand upon Sword Royalty cannot be harmed by mortal blades, so they have their soul with the sword's edge. They can cut through the weave of spacetime, embodying the essence of cutting. They can strike with nothing but their fingers and cleave mountains in half, all with the understanding of their Sword Being. They can cut their restraints from the earth or from others, bending causality to their whims, unleashing sword dimensions and sword fields and replacing healing with cutting. They are demons of the blade, cutters of the Trichiliocosm. I personally know no master that has reached Sword Royalty, though I am absolutely sure a large number of them exist, and many of them exist within higher levels of Cultivation... more likely in the many heavens above our own. For many, this is the peak of the Adamantine Sword--and truly, of almost any Sword Cultivation, of which there are a thousand thousand more."

Finally, the Abbot pointed at the edge of the entire blade. His finger traced in the air the entirety of the sword's razor edge. "The final stage it is said only ten have truly reached, and they are beings in the Form Domain. Half of them are Saints, others are Saviors. Only some are Creator Gods. Only two are still mortal beings we can find today. Or at least, so I'm told," the Abbot said,s miling. "Sword Void cuts one's attachments from the world. You see, it is said that the one fault with Sword Royalty is in the belief that the highest form of enlightenment is in the refining of one's soul into a sword. But that is not true. In Sword Void, one cuts away that delusion and realizes there is no sword at all. There is no cutting at all. There is no soul at all... All these things exist dependent of each other. And upon realization of that dependency, one can cut it. With just a finger, with just a thought, those that have attained Sword Void can bisect entire world systems, entire universes, entire world-systems...," the Abbot sighed turned the blade in such a way that the edge pointed at Raxri. "Or so I'm told."

Raxri realized then that they had already arrived by the monastery. "I did not even realize we were at the monastery."

The Abbot smiled. "Even time itself is an illusion, Raxri. It is time for you to prove some of your mettle."

Raxri blinked. "What does the abbot mean?"

Suddenly, a keening war trumpet ripped through the air, like a hammer destroying skin.