Seventh Wheel had not changed a single hair on his head since the last Tai Sho had seen of him.

Which, granted, had been less than two weeks ago. But still – it set his heart at ease. It was foolish of me to imagine anything else. If the Heavens crashed down on the mountain, Master would walk out without a scratch.

That was the sort of dependable person his master was. They turned a corner, then another, then two more, all in a clockwise direction until their path formed a loop. Then they retrod the same square path twice more, before coming to a stop in the middle of the corridor.

Seventh Wheel turned to the left wall, bowed low a single time, then walked into the seemingly solid surface. The richly painted wood didn’t so much as ripple in his passing, nor did it move when Tai Sho performed his own bow and followed along. They went from a well-lit hallway to a much darker one, only glowing patterns on the top and bottom corners keeping things above pitch-black.

The feeling of coming home redoubled in his chest as he descended a narrow spiral staircase, powerful arrays playing over his body with every step. This was the special operations wing, a small sect hidden inside the larger one like a sword in its sheath.

Disciples bowed to his master as they made their way into the wing proper, their stoic bearings betraying no emotion. Down here, they did not wear the concealments that they would when out and about, and Tai Sho recognised many of his senior’s faces – and they were seniors, almost all of them.

Special operations did not recruit without careful thought; they were not exactly a secret – every major sect had to assume their neighbours had a group like theirs, even if it went unseen – but a certain level of discretion was enforced.

Junior sister will likely get a small reprimand for revealing herself. Nothing serious, of course, but a reprimand nonetheless.

Finally, they reached their destination: Elder Seventh Wheel’s private chambers. The door swung open at the touch of his master’s sense, revealing a much smaller room than one might associate with a respected Elder in a sect as prosperous as theirs.

But despite the size, this was one of the most important rooms on the mountain – perhaps even the continent. His master took a seat on a thin cushion on the far side, placing himself under a tapestry depicting the Heavenly Wheel, and Tai Sho took his own seat nearer the door.

There was no cushion for him; this was a place of function over form, with only the smallest possible amount of lip service paid to propriety. The thing in his soul had little to say about this concealed wing, which was one of the reasons he loved it.

“Report.” The word was abrupt, without even an attempt at preamble. The last wisps of anxiety lifted from Tai Sho’s shoulders like a flock of sparrows taking flight.

“Yes, Master.” A moment to get his thoughts in order, then he began speaking without pause. “The secondary objective was successful. The primary objective was going well when I left, though I was unable to turn any agents. Junior sister Suu Li performed below expectations, but not disastrously so.

“Contact with the foreign civilisation began immediately upon my arrival, as I came ahead of White Knuckle or any senior diplomats; present was the Horrible Swamp leader titled ‘Clanboss’ Still Water, a half-dozen Horrible Swamp elites titled ‘Warboss,’ names Pluck, Horpion, Stolid State, Jelly Eyes, Breen, and Glitterwing. One unknown entity showing abilities ranging from young Elder to venerable Elder. Referred to itself as ‘Granny Poison,’ presumed allied to Horrible Swamp based on perceived motivations and references to Still Water as a romantic partner. Diplomatic actions were started by myself, inner disciple Lan, and outer disciple Lu…”

He spoke for several hours without any interruptions, beginning with the overview before returning to the start and drilling down each interaction he had had in detail. Some might have found the back-and-forth chronology unnecessarily confusing, but Tai Sho knew this was the way his master preferred to receive information.

Then, after he finally concluded with that last moment when the alien had broken the gate in the liminal space, Elder Seventh Wheel opened his mouth. “You say you spent only six days between entry and exit?”

Hairs stood up on the back of Tai Sho’s neck. Master has never asked for clarification on such a simple point before. Did our realities de-sync to such a degree that..? “Yes, Master. Though it is possible I misunderstood the manner that the natives mark days.”

Seventh Wheel nodded. “I see. Based on your accounts, and the accounts of the other disciples who were recovered two weeks ago-“ Two weeks? “-There is only one conclusion I am able to reach.” He leaned forward slightly, his eyes stabbing down on Tai Sho’s like steel blades. “…But let us do things in the proper order. Three months ago, even as Patriarch Steadfast Heart held off the meddling of the Heavens, contact was partially lost between our realities. While certain divinations continued to function, direct communication could not be achieved.

“The reason was unknown, but assumed to be a Heavenly Mandate laid down to hinder us; with an absence of information, it was decided that the best course of action was to allow things to play out. We could observe the diplomatic team safely arriving, but there was no telling when, or if, any reinforcements we sent would arrive. Things seemed to be going well for a time… until contact was lost completely.”

His master continued to speak as Tai Sho listened intently. As with his own report, there was not a single interruption, even though they had spent nearly half a day in the busiest part of the wing.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“…And so, it is my belief that your group’s actions are what broke down the foreign divinity’s hold.”

“Is,” he paused for a fraction of a second, surprised at the hesitancy in his own voice, “That a good thing or a bad thing, master?” If the barrier had remained impermeable, our worlds would remain cut off. There would be no gains to be made, but no risks either. After experiencing the Sixth Reality’s hospitality first hand, he was much more sympathetic to Heaven’s desire to… simplify things.

Seventh Wheel clasped his hands in front of his chest. “That remains to be seen. Now, report to the infirmary for decontamination.”

The basic debriefing was over. With a short bow, Tai Sho stood and left the room.

----------------------------------------

For the third time in his living memory, Lu marvelled silently over the softness of the sect’s bedding. It really is quite nice. I was only gone for a week, but it feels like so much longer in hindsight.

Perhaps that was a function of slipping through realities, his mind and body in disagreement about how much time had passed – but more likely it was just stress taking its toll, inflating those few days into monstrous things shuffling around the darkness in the back of his head.

Well… Let’s put those thoughts aside for now. I’ve succeeded! Bull is home!

The four of them were all together now, after having been split up and treated individually. Lu didn’t know what was in the pills they had fed him, only that the ki contaminating his dantian had lost cohesion almost immediately. While also making me violently ill. Blah. The mass of energy – stringy like the inside of a melon, for all that he disliked describing it in such mundane terms – was gradually being broken up by the circulations of his qi, provided by a high-quality spirit stone cupped in his palm.

It was actually feeling a bit crowded, despite there being more empty beds than full ones. Probably because their personalities are so big.

“And he stands there looking like I’ve led him to the gallows! Can you imagine being so afraid of a simple piece of cloth?”

Four peals of laughter rang out; two human sounds courtesy of Lu’s Interpreter, and then two louder ones provided by Cobo and Stingy’s real vocal cords. The mingling low and high tones wavered discordantly. Ugh. As least her voice isn’t literally deafening me now that I’m third realm.

Cobo’s amusement died down to chuckles first. “[I can imagine it. You should have seen his face the first time he got jumped by a swamp leech.]” He mimed an exaggerated reaction, reeling back in horrified shock.

“Ha! That’s it, that’s the exact expression!”

Another round of laughter went up, and Lu could only sigh. They sure seem to have gotten over their enmity in the liminal space right quick. Who would have thought men could bond so quickly over making fun of their shared friendships?

Not that he could blame Cobo, given how they had left off. I’ll have to actually sit down and apologise properly… ah, later. After I work myself up to it. Bull had much less of an excuse, but at the same time it was heartening to see the man in his element.

But still, there’s only so much I can take. Clearing his throat, Lu lobbed a verbal grenade into the middle of the room. “[You know, that expression actually looks very familiar… Ah, Bull, it reminds me exactly of you, when junior sister Wu Chou confessed to you back when we were children! You made a sound like…]”

A flex of qi and mental effort, and an illusory Bull, age eleven, cringed with a mix of disgust and horror in the middle of the room.

Bull’s face was thunderous, but Lu could see the hidden amusement beneath.

Eventually, things calmed down. This was both good and bad; while Lu preferred a quieter atmosphere while recovering, he really would have rather avoided the more serious conversations until he was out of bed.

But one couldn’t make a coin land on both sides at once. Cobo dragged his bed around until it was right next to Lu’s, uncaring of the screech the metal frame made as it slid across polished tiles. Then he got back in, adjusting the covers until he was comfortable.

“[So.]” Interpreter painted his voice in bland tones. “[I think I heard you say something about an explanation, earlier?]”

Lu wet his lips. “[…Yes, I suppose I did say something to that effect.]” His eyes slid around the room. Bull was turned away, either sleeping or feigning it to offer some privacy, while Stingy was… Blatantly eavesdropping. Of course. She had her head cocked to the side, staring right at him. “[So… Right. Go ahead, ask me anything.]”

Cobo was silent for a moment. His face was a slightly different shape than Lu remembered – or perhaps he just held himself differently enough to make his silhouette unfamiliar. “[What did you think would happen, after you left? To me.]”

Lu’s expression tightened. He had been going back and forth on how much to massage his image, but seeing the way Cobo was looking at him… He’ll know if I lie.

“[I didn’t.]” It hurt a little bit to say. “[I didn’t think about anything other than getting home – I’m sorry.]”

Cobo made a short sound, the alien equivalent of a hn. “[You were planning it from the start? Just leaving?]”

“[…Yes. I came out in Horrible Swamp territory, and they picked me up. Made spying on Junk Dog a contingent to helping me find the portal again – not that I ever fulfilled that request, in the end.]”

Again, the warrior was silent. Looking into his eyes, Lu could see them slowly changing colour; red to green to blue, yellow to black, then back to blue before transitioning to purple. There didn’t seem to be a pattern. “[…I never thought of killing you, you know.]”

…I should hope not?

As if he could read his thoughts, the man snorted. “[I thought I would. But I never did. Like my gut just didn’t consider it an option.]” He took a handful of pills out from a pouch on his side, crunching them up with his teeth before swallowing.

Lu declined to point out that you weren’t supposed to chew medicinal pills, simply bracing himself for the next question.

It was a long time coming. But eventually Cobo opened his mouth, the scent of the ruptured pills harsh and chemical. “[I can’t believe you were a fucking alien. That’s so- so- fucking stupid.]” His eyes were far-off as he shook his head slowly.

“[I know! I was living it, and it was still surreal! I was terrified that every stray remark would get me found out, I’m surprised my hair didn’t turn white.]”

Another snort.

Eventually Cobo turned over, and the half-tense half-cathartic silence was broken by strange snoring, like a cat’s purr if it had swallowed a speeder’s engine. I remember being surprised at how quietly they slept. But now, he rests so fitfully. As if to prove his point, the warrior jolted lightly in place, gasping. Is that the sickness the Elder warned about, or did being exiled change him so fundamentally?

…I’ll have to teach him the rest of what I know. It’s a master’s job to pass their knowledge down, after all. And if it soothed his conscience, well, that was just icing on the cake. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to trust each other again, but… Well, there’s no harm in trying.

Lu rolled over himself, and began to drift off despite the gently pulsing tangle sitting at the bottom of his dantian.