Ki'el awoke to find more than just Chian and Benai outside of her house. It was enough of a surprise that she was to her feet in a moment and to the door as quickly as she could be, despite just waking leaving her feeling strangely strained. Outside, Chian and Benai spoke with Mian and Xam, but also, Brothers Taru and Jito from the lesser sect, and... Brother Du's friend, Brother Bon?

"Ki'el." Mian gave her a lopsided smile. They had all either paused what they were saying, or finished a last thought, before turning to her, but Mian was still the first to speak. "You're awake."

"I was tired," was all Ki'el could think to say, though she knew it sounded dismissive. "Why is everyone...?"

Ben Jito and Fei Taru both stirred restlessly, as though they were the most certain that they didn't belong, though Ki'el's eyes passed the both to land on Brother Bon. The older Sect Brother, who also wore the robes of the Inner Sect, didn't immediately meet her eyes when she glanced at him, but when Ki'el's look didn't relent, he spoke.

"It barely took moments," he said, the words not immediately making sense to Ki'el, though he paused to dwell on them as though they were packed with meaning. "The rumors," he finally clarified, looking back at her. "It only took moments for the rumors to spread throughout the Sect. That you were the Angel's apprentice, wielding some sacred Sword. Some of us have separately heard that the Angel, though crippled by some prior injury, stood up to the Ren family Patriarch with that sword alone. That it bridged more than twenty Steps--sorry, I mean, that it allowed the Angel to fight someone six whole phases of qi above them. If that were true, it would be a sword of incalculable power. That may be only a story, but it is a powerful one."

Brother Bon continued without pausing. "And although it is clear that several Elders are keeping an eye on you, there are too many who think that you are fair game to duel, now that you are in the Inner Sect. I know you achieved something amazing in your Tribulation, Junior Sister, but there is a world of technique and subtlety, of experience and cruel intent. I remember your Intent from when we spoke before--not only the clarity with which you conveyed the Intent of fire. But your Heart's Intent. And it is something worth protecting, if someone like me can do so."

Ki'el didn't understand, and after a moment, Fei Taru stepped forward.

"Sister Ki'el," he said, after a moment. "I don't mean this to sound insulting, but... to myself and to Jito, you are just a kind young girl, a child. We can't." He looked at his partner, who looked back, and Ki'el was at a loss for what their shared look meant. "We can't do anything to protect you. But if we stood anywhere but between you and trouble, we wouldn't feel like adults."

Ki'el... did not understand those words, at all, but when she blinked, she felt unshed tears in her eyes, and was not sure why.

Xam sighed, loudly, and Ki'el looked at her, but the woman had adopted a pose, one that seemed almost theatrical. "The pains of running a Noble House," she said after a moment, but smiled, sweetly, at Ki'el, the smile having no falseness to it that she could see. "When the tiger drives monkeys from a forest, they will climb the tallest building they can see. We aren't even that large, yet, but you still attract all sorts, Ki'el."

Ki'el... was only mostly sure she understood the idiom, and from the look on Brother Taru's face, she understood it to be somewhat rude, but she still had to smile, slightly. "If you say so, Sister Xam," she said, but her mood lowered. "But... what can I do?"

"You aren't supposed to do it all," Mian said, shaking his head. "Didn't Chian say you had a task? We were talking about more shelter here, but you don't need to worry about that." He glanced at Bon, meaningfully, and the other man shrugged.

Ki'el looked around, but the looks around her merely seemed worried. Eventually, she nodded, and looked at Chian, who smiled at her. After hesitating, Ki'el said, "Since I have rested... I will gather my qi."

"Do you need me to keep you awake?" Chian's voice had a humorous edge, but it seemed a real question.

Ki'el looked at the other girl for a long moment, before shaking her head and moving inside. After moving as much of her qi out as she could... Ki'el took hold of the sword, again, lightly touching the purified tribulation qi stored within. She knew that it was strange qi--although the foreign intent should have been removed from it, some of the qi seemed to only contain Sinister and Righteous aethers, while some of it contained Genesis and Consumption... and some of it contained Acceleration and Reverse. Although her technique had been able to refine all of them, that was only with Kuli's help, and her own understanding of those advanced aethers was still weak.

But... unlike the advanced aether that Sobon had sealed within the sword, that strange mixture of qi was hers. She could feel it. And if she were trying to attract a greater spirit... should she not use the most advanced qi that she could?

With some effort, Ki'el drew out just a little of the time-touched qi. It felt... unusual, heavy and slippery, and it brought to mind broken memories from when she was suffering the aftereffects of the tribulation, and was barely able to control her qi, which had unlocked Genesis and Consumption. This, too, she felt almost unable to control... but with some effort, she manipulated it, willing herself to do nothing with the qi, nothing except feed it back into another Qi Turning Cycle.

Her first attempt stripped away the time aethers from the qi, and Ki'el discarded it. Her second and third attempts were the same; in the third attempt, Kuli even helped, but the intent came out twisted, impure. Ki'el tried a fourth time without Kuli's help, holding the concept of time aether in her mind as best she could... but it was another failure. Acceleration and Reverse were... difficult to conceive of.

What insight did I have before? Ki'el's memories were unsteady, twisted, but she felt certain that it was, in a strange way, about people. She did her best to calm herself, trying to find the chain of thoughts locked in those damaged memories.

Aether was... like a person? Or, as Sobon had said, like a bubble. At first, it chooses how to react to each person that it comes across--that was the first layer. Then... it maintained alliances even when separated from their allies? And that was the Space layer? And then...

[Specialization.] The concept almost seemed foreign to Ki'el when her memory clicked with it, but a part of her understood. Like Qi Natures themselves. time aether focused on accelerating something, or reversing something. It was not the power to accelerate everything, just as Genesis Aether didn't touch everything. Space reached out in specific ways, and Time accelerated certain things. Time aethers were all about accelerating something specific, with different types or blends of aethers accelerating different things.

And purifying time aethers meant allowing those time aethers to keep that potential, while not yet picking what they specialized in. Ki'el felt her heart almost burst as the qi within her system began to fluctuate, but it wasn't burning through her merdians or even rioting in her core. Instead, it felt like...

It felt like some of the qi within her body was just a touch more slippery than before.

But Kuli caught Ki'el's thoughts before they could go astray, and carefully, and very slowly--slower than the Healer had recommended, because that felt appropriate for this heavier qi--Ki'el formed another Qi Cycle that contained the tribulation qi tainted with time aether. She watched it grinding, noticing that this cycle seemed to actually have some purification to do, and once she had filled the cycle, she left it at that, seeking out her core and trying to find peace once more.

I don't even understand Space yet, Ki'el complained inwardly. And the third aether is so heavy, and my meridians burn so much... But she couldn't help the pleasant shiver that ran through her, the feeling like she was doing something right. She understood, without needing to be told, that qi containing the time layer of aether would be much stronger--but also, far more complicated to maintain. Surely, a small mistake in the use of time qi would cause it all to spiral out of control, if not immediately, then in time. If one part of a spell, one part of a carefully designed intent, was faster than another... or was held back more than another... if two pieces working together did not always mesh correctly...

How would she apply it? For something as simple as fire qi? Instinctively, she understood--fire qi might preserve fuel and oxygen to use later, or it might consume all of the fuel and oxygen in the same moment. Or it might allow the reaction, but keep the heat and light from escaping, preserving it until it was ready to release it all at once. Together with space qi... she could easily envision gathering an enormous amount of energy and releasing it at once, or ensuring that a fire never wanted to be put out, no matter what you tried to do to its fuel and oxygen and heat.

But then... wasn't that just fire qi?

Ki'el closed her eyes, feeling like she did, and did not, understand. Kuli spoke of Fate aethers as transferring energy across time. For something as simple as Fire Qi, there will always be energy that is unused, energy that is wasted. Gathering unused energy from every fire that you have set, every fire that you have passed, or have extinguished, for years... releasing it all at once... this is the potential of Fire Qi. Fire that never goes out, even when its form suggests it should, fire that seems to spring forth endlessly, fire that can be moved away from its source, fire produces no light, or too much...

Subtly, she felt Kuli gathering her thoughts, and Ki'el did her best to organize those thoughts, envisioning an Intent for [True Fire Qi] that made use of every layer of aether that she even thought she understood, and storing it all within a canvas that Kuli provided her. When she was done, Ki'el reviewed the thought--immediately finding things that she disagreed with, and she tweaked them, considered them, changed how they were phrased, how they were used. and she noticed Kuli putting subtle lines through the thought, lines that she thought broke the whole concept up by which layer of aether it referenced.

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{ Your definition of [True Fire Qi] is highly imperfect, and it would be dangerous to attempt, } Kuli eventually said, and Ki'el deflated immediately. { Your concept it what Fire Qi could be is not entirely wrong, but you hold the human spirit--and raw aether--in too high an estimation. Both qi and aether scripts dedicate large portions of their intent to managing the load the effect places on the user or substrate. Truly powerful weapons require managing many smaller energy channels that merge to create a more powerful effect only in a highly controlled way. }

Of course, Ki'el thought, glancing back at her intent. I have no idea what my limits are. But the augment's chiding rekindled something in her, an interest and an enthusiasm. As she reviewed the intent... her mental eyes were drawn to the portion of the intent that she thought resonated with Fate aether. It could... in theory, pull enormous amounts of fire from the future or the past for use now. Because she had added no limits... it could pull more energy from other times than Ki'el could possibly survive. It was effortless for her to imagine herself exploding from pulling too much fire qi into herself all at once.

From that perspective alone, Ki'el understood that the design was foolish, and she almost trashed it. In the end, though, she simply issued one simple command to Kuli. Never let me do something so foolish. And she felt Kuli stir, in what she decided was acknowledgement. She had felt Kuli do something similar, before.

"Ki'el?" Chian stuck her head in, and Ki'el opened her eyes and turned to face her friend. "Oh... a second ring? It's... different." Without Ki'el even saying anything, the other girl walked closer and closed her eyes. "The tribulation qi that you stored. It's... denser than your normal qi."

"A higher tier of qi, I think," Ki'el corrected. "I... felt like it would help, to offer that to a spirit."

"It will certainly offset your sign of weakness," Chian said, her eyes still closed. She knelt down next to Ki'el. "And it... really is still your qi, somehow, isn't it?"

"It is purified by my intent," Ki'el said after a moment. "Unless I am failing... it is definitely mine."

{ You are not failing, } Kuli answered her silently. { Because of what you mean to do, I would not allow you to proceed if you were wrong. }

Chian just nodded, and Ki'el thought the girl had definitely not heard Kuli's thought. "When will it be ready?"

Ki'el considered the cycle. It was... not proceeding too quickly, but the qi was also relatively pure to begin with. She brushed it with her intent, channeling a little more aether to accelerate the process, only until she felt herself approaching the safe limit. "It may be hours, still, but not too many."

Chian bit her lower lip, and Ki'el realized the girl was worried. "You can't feel it," Chian said after a moment, "But the world outside... feels more dangerous. I worry... we worry."

"I may not need to use it all," Ki'el said after a moment. "There is a little already--"

"No," Chian said, as she stood. "You're right. Using as much high-quality qi as you can would let you attract a strong spirit. If there's reason for you to rush, we'll let you know. Otherwise, rest and prepare."

Ki'el nodded, feeling strange as she watched her friend worry about her. Was it... really so odd? Or had it really been so long, since it had felt normal to be worried after by a friend? "Thank you, Chian," she said, and there was something to her own voice that she couldn't identify.

Chian just smiled back at her, but Ki'el saw it fading as the girl turned back towards the door.

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There has to be more that I can do.

The same thought ran through Ki'el's head over and over as she sat there, but she could feel the burden on her spirit simply from maintaining her qi turning cycles. She considered, briefly, revisiting the idea of fire qi... but no, she had put too much thought into that one topic for today. She was tired of it.

Kuli, she said after considering several questions. Tell me about swords.

Kuli considered the question for a while. { A sword is a [weapon] is [sharpened] to [cut] and often [pierce] any [weaker] material, such as flesh. Because it is [hard], it is often also used to [block] strikes. }

The various intents that Kuli layered one after the other each made sense, though Ki'el wasn't entirely sure that the whole concept was contained with them. Still, she closed her eyes, reflecting on the strange subtlety that lay within the augment's precise language. It can only cut what it weaker. Weakness is... a material that fails first, whether it shatters like ceramic, or is cut apart like cloth. It is... hard, which means that it must be shattered, unless it is cut by something harder? Ki'el frowned, having troubule following the thread.

{ There are numerous places where qi and energy change those simple rules, } the augment admitted. { But swords are an [ancient] weapon, from a time before qi use is common. I chose only to include those aspects of a sword that do not involve qi and aether. }

Ki'el conisdered that, but eventually nodded. Does cutting really only come down to... being [sharpened] to a narrow edge? Nothing more?

{ A [sharp edge] concentrates [pressure]. }

Ki'el felt the concept rushing through her mind. Force and area... so great power behind a narrow strike is more difficult to endure than the same power across more space. All of that felt natural, as natural as biting and tearing with her teeth. Idly, Ki'el clicked her jaws together, as she considered. More than that... Kuli chose to convey the intent of [weapon]... That felt odd, but in keeping with the way Ki'el and Sobon had continued to be, always worrying about seemingly normal things. A weapon is... a tool used in conflict. Of course it is, but is she saying more? Ki'el didn't ask Kuli, instead continuing to meditate on the idea. A sword is more than only used to harm. As Kuli said, it can be used to block, but is it also more?

She considered it for several more moments, before nodding quietly to herself. [I am a blade]... but I am not necessarily a weapon, am I? She rolled the thought around. Even if I was a weapon, my purpose would not only be to destroy. It would be to protect, by fighting if I must, but... can I not also protect other ways? Can't a sword protect in other ways than by being used? It is only a [tool] for conflict. There are many Ways.

{ A blade is sharp, and [hard] } Kuli added, and Ki'el noted that the augment did not add intent, this time. { It concentrates its effort on one thing, and it endures. }

Something in the augment's mental tone made Ki'el's thoughts slip. Concentrates. Specializes. Ki'el considered that. If I am going to specialize... No, that thought felt wrong. Ki'el frowned, and rephrased it. At any time, I pour all my energy into... she paused, rephrasing it again. I consume the present to create the future?

{ No, } Kuli interjected, and Ki'el felt like the single word from her companion was a censure. { You are capable of doing everything that aether does. It is your will and intent to accomplish things, and you do. }

Everything. But wasn't that so very different from being a blade? Indeed, wasn't that was Ki'el felt was wrong about trying to expand on the thought. Everything she tried to say about a blade was too little, too limiting. No matter how she tried to think about blades, her thoughts seemed shallow.

{ A blade is [True], } Kuli finally answered. { To use it, or to oppose it, are actions with [Consequences]. }

Ki'el understood, not only from the intent her augment put into the words, but by her choice of words. [True Blade Qi], like [True Fire Qi], was a concept that could be encapsulated into Truth Aether, using all layers of aether beneath it, and all of the layers would have consequences. At the lowest level, it would cut others while strengthing itself; it would have allies and enemies; different parts would work harder to cut, and would resist being cut; and Ki'el could envision [True Blade Qi] as being a thing that echoed throughout time, in ways that were difficult to put into words.

With some difficulty, Ki'el tried to conceptualize that ideal [True Blade Qi] and place it on a mental canvas, and this time, she didn't require Kuli's help to see several ways she had made dangerous and foolish mistakes. Isn't that cutting intent too active? Did I even phrase it right? Why do I act like a sword must endure its own sharpness--isn't the sharpness only the form of it? But I gave a concept of energy to sharpness, and now that sharpness must reside next to the strength of the blade. Or must it? Isn't the entire blade sharp, even if its effect is at the edge?

In time, Ki'el set aside that thought as well. Am I foolish, Kuli? she asked, after calming her mind slightly.

{ You are young, } Kuli answered. { And when I tell you that you have made a mistake, you want to do better. Foolish people do not care about doing better. They believe that there will be no consequence to disregarding the truth. }

Ki'el considered those words for a long time, until at last, she felt the last of the tribulation qi filter through her Qi Turning Cycle, and she stood. When she went to the door... she was surprised, to find that things outside had changed, and she had not been aware. Clearly Bai Benai had placed another set of wards on her home, to allow her to focus in peace. Since others had clearly been working on making another building out of wood and stone, that made some sense.

Still, the choice rankled her when she saw that Brother Bon was injured.

"What happened?" She knew that her voice snapped, and the others paused, looking over at her. "Why is Brother Bon hurt?"

"It was nothing," Brother Bon tried to say, but Bai Benai broke in before he could finish.

"You are a part of the Inner Sect now, Ki'el," the woman's voice was hard. "It is expected that Inner Sect disciples will engage in non-fatal duels to measure their skills against one another, test the purity of their convictions and the efficacy of their qi. If you are upset about seeing others wounded, you should simply leave the Sect entirely."

Ki'el felt a surge or anger flood through her, but she also felt Kuli, like a cool wood sprite in the back of her mind, touching her and offering calmness, even if it was only a taste. Ki'el took a moment to listen to that feeling, to experience that calmness, and when she spoke, her words were cutting. "But this was targetted at me."

Somehow, she got the impression that Benai was impressed. "Of course," she said, after a moment. "And it won't be the last time. Are you prepared?" Her deflection of Ki'el's next statement was unapologetic, undisguised.

Ki'el felt herself still breathing more deeply, in anger, but she let the complicated tangle of feelings flow away. "Yes," she said. "I believe so."

"Good. Chian," Benai turned, but Chian was already moving over to Ki'el, taking a place beside her. "Remember. In the spirit world, there is only dominance and submission."

Ki'el felt a twitch, an old memory, of her grandmother's insistence on the nature of qi. Only... the woman had said the nature of qi was violence and submission, and Sobon had said it was wrong. Was there something to it? How could there be? As far as Ki'el knew, her family had no ties to spirits--no one in the island did. Instead of dwelling, Ki'el focused on the old woman's words.

"Animals, even spirit animals, must know who leads and who follows. Foxes in particular are wily, and will often believe that they can be [the leading shadow]," the woman said, her intent painting a detailed image of a shadow that pulls a child into the forest, where a predator--or perhaps, the animal's true self--lies hungrily, waiting. "But equally, they will happily be the [shadow underfoot] if you are strong," that intent showing a shadow that forms a bridge over a dangerous river.

Ki'el shivered, feeling uncomfortable with the idea, but Chian's firm nod suggested the girl believed every word that the older woman said. And so Ki'el accepted it, letting Chian lead her back inside, and the two knelt down, the talisman laid on the floor before them.

"You don't have to be evil to be strong," Chian said, and Ki'el realized that the girl had sensed her reactions to what Benai said. "You should... try to be the girl who cut a man in half for trying to throw her off the island. Not cruel, but there are consequences to crossing you. That will be enough."

Ki'el meditated on that advice, stabilized her spirit, and finally nodded. Following Chian's advice, she began to pour power into the talisman--from her lesser, normal-qi thorn, not the one with the advanced qi. As she felt the talisman's power begin to merge with hers, and felt a strange, keening call throughout her spirit, she closed her eyes, and focused once more.

[I am a blade.]