Silas entered the tavern with the Elder slowly. It was empty save for four people, three of which he already knew. William was sitting on a table near the bar counter, and Kio and Maisy were on either side of him, facing each other, speaking.
The fourth Silas didn't know, it was a sizable pale man, much like the traditional sacred artist you read about in legends. The man was tall and hulking with massive muscles. He had to be at least a head taller than Silas. Like William, he had pale blonde hair that was short-cropped and spikey. He had a grim facial expression, severe. Even the pale blue eyes seemed to not have much expression in them.
They all wore the same colored robes, black outer with grey inner. The Elders were a faded gray. They looked like their own little sect, something proper. Not some random group of mish-mash cultivators or wandering sacred artists. These guys looked like their own thing.
When Silas and the Elder entered, the three Silas knew turned towards the doorway and smiled.
"Oi, there he is. There's the great Shadow Cultivator!" William called out in mocking playfulness.
Kio and Maisy glared at him, but then looked back to Silas and smiled softly.
"Welcome, Silas. This is where we usually meet before we go out and do whatever we need to." Kio was speaking to him, still smiling softly. "Come have a seat." She’d then give William a little shove, so he'd get off the table, which he did and sat.
The girls sat down, and Silas moved to sit with the three of them, wondering exactly what was going on and who this other man was standing behind the bar. Silas tried not to keep looking over at the man, but the man was built like the perfect cultivator. Silas wanted to even reach out with his senses to get a feel for the man, but he didn't want to offend him. He was half scared by the seriousness of the man's expression and demeanor. He'd try to throw him through a window just for doing that.
"Silas, you already know those three. The man behind the bar is Magnus. He also came from the Divine Body Sect but has since left." The Elder spoke. He was still standing by the doorway, looking at the group. "Magnus came from a region to the west of Zhangshu, but still considered Pyanza, sort of."
The Divine Body Sect had the strongest physical sacred artists, concentrating more on physical than spiritual development. Well, that explained why the man was built the way he was. Silas did not differ from this man. He was just shorter and chubbier.
Silas had a different sort of strength. Or did, before the past winter. He had lost some weight in the hardships of the season. He was now leaner and more toned thanks to the training he did. His mind wandered, and when he snapped out of it, the Elder looked at him with that gentle smile.
"Well, my little rat beggars." the Elder looked away from Silas. Looking at all of them now with that smile. "Now that we have our new initiate, he must at least become an Adept before the big tournament." The Elder's gaze was centered on Silas when he spoke about the tournament.
Silas's mind reeled when he thought of the implications of that. A tournament hosted by beings beyond the mortal realm where they choose representatives to join them in their planes? Help them with their duties and serve humanity? It was an honor, Silas was sure. To serve the people was something sacred artists strove for.
The Elder looked at the three Silas was sitting with. "Silas here is a lot like Maisy, it seems. He was infected with a Kami's mana and not just any Kami, but Kenji. There is no known mortal with his mana, none that I've heard of. Kenji has never chosen someone from the tournaments to support. We should be able to make quite a presentation if we can raise him to Adept," the Elder continued.
"Don't worry, Old Man, I will show him the Oxen way," the voice came from behind Silas. It was deep and spoke slowly.
The Elder looked at Magnus and shook his head. "No, Silas was already well along that path before this all happened. I don't believe Kenji's mana is good for that sort of thing. It's more flowy instead of blocky, if you will. More like how a water artist fights."
Kio snorted and began laughing before Silas and The Elder both looked in her direction, giving sour expressions.
"Yeah, I know he was well trained. That's why I wish to spar with the great Silas Zhao. He was a great fighter and wrestler." Magnus spoke up again, and Silas could feel him staring into the back of his head.
"Oh, don't worry. You all will train with Silas quite a bit. He needs to get a grip on this new mana and develop some techniques. There isn't really a manual or anything laid out for Silas. He'll have to draw on his own experience with you guys helping him to develop his path." The Elder told them all with a menacing grin with his eyes centered on Silas.
Silas had a pit in his stomach and was increasingly worried about what in the world The Elder would put him through. Still, before he could overthink it, The Elder continued to talk.
"There have been some reports of a dragon on the island of Sunhae to the south, which means the cult will send some people out and see if it's true. From there, they'll harvest the mana. You know what to do. You'll go as a full group this time to ensure everything is well so you can all train Silas along the way." The Elder clapped his hands together and gave a light bow before turning his back and leaving the tavern, letting the four of them work out their plans.
Silas sat there and cocked his eyebrow, looking at the others for a second in confusion. "He wants us going after dragons?"
William was the first to laugh. "Nay lad, he mostly wants us to stop the cult, or the Heavenly, whatever blah blah nonsense they call themselves on the surface. They're a bloody cult, and they chase after them damn dragons, trying to suck the mana they give off."
Silas furrowed his eyebrows in thought now. "So, they use the mana from the dragons? Are the dragons Kami?" He looked over at William, since he was the one who spoke.
"No, Silas, the Kami are like people." Maisy took over and paused a moment, looking at Silas with a bit of sorrow in her eyes, "sort of. They are kind of like what most people think are gods. Thinking of them as the gods is the easiest way to think of them." Maisy nodded as she ran through it a little in her own head. She then put a hand on his shoulder and smiled a little.
"You have power over one of their mana now as well. I can feel you still fighting it inside your body. Tonight, when we make camp, I will help soothe you. I know what it can be like. I used to be a water artist," Maisy continued speaking to him. "Now I have mana of my own. That's how I wound up in this merry little band. I was with the Moon Lotus Pavilion when I was younger. They weren't nice to the girls where I'm from like they were in Zhangshu." When she spoke about it, Maisy got a faraway look in her eye.
Kio stepped in now. "Maisy has unique abilities as well, Silas. She's not really a fighter, but she'll be able to help you figure it out better." Kio then stood from her chair and pulled Maisy away from Silas to the bar, where they got her a drink.
Silas watched them away questioningly and started to say something, but stopped when he saw William staring in his eyes, shaking his head quickly.
"Alright then, kiddos, looks like we're visiting the Kunlun Sect, huh? This should be a blast!" William told them all, now standing himself. "It'll be nice to go around together for a change. Traveling this whole time by myself was getting boring as hell. Is everyone ready to go now?"
The Kunlun Sect was a sect of monks who lived on the island south of the mainland. They controlled most of the island and were mostly left alone since they were considered a do-gooder sect. That was the sect the First Elder back in Kyoto went to for help and was ultimately denied because Silas didn't go with him, or so Silas had thought. He figured he'd look into it while on the island and see their side of the story. They were the ones who followed the dog constellation in the stars, and like a friendly dog, they were always willing to help, or well, mostly always.
Silas shrugged at Williams' question. He had his ring on him and his wife's scarf. Silas lost the messenger bag between passing out on the ship and waking up in that medical building. So he supposed he had everything he had and could set off whenever. A moment later, the others said they would need to grab some things. This left Silas and William leaving the tavern and heading for the central square, which was just as it sounded. A little area with a small park for any children, and then off to one side, there was a small sparring ring for any who wished to train.
Silas and William were standing near the sparring ring, watching a couple of sacred artists sparring. They were still somewhere in the body-cultivating stage of their paths. Still, Silas and William watched. They couldn't use the madra outside their body without being in the spirit cultivation realm. Instead, they used it to reinforce their bodies to fend off others' attacks, make their own attacks hit harder, or speed up their movements.
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It took longer than Silas expected, but Kio, Maisy, and Magnus all walked up to Silas and William, where they were waiting. They all stood there, staring at each other. No one spoke, but they gave each other a solemn nod. They didn't have to talk. The group knew what they were going to do. They walked off, leaving the little central park and making their way out of the village and away. Silas suddenly realized he needed to figure out if there was a plan for them to get down to where they were going. Sunhae wasn't strictly within walking distance.
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Genki stood on that round meeting table in the cave where the family met. The pure white stone slab with bits of a sparkling diamond. She looked down at all of her siblings. Her usual little playful smirk on her lips was gone. She now even looked a little frightened. All the Kami were there except for their father, which she was thankful for. She knew she wouldn't be able to survive this if he were there.
She knew he wouldn't end her for what she did, but simply for being bothered. Father was always busy playing with his mortals. Genki knew he didn't care for them. They all knew deep inside, if they cared to admit it to themselves, they knew.
Genki was in her usual robes of teal and purple. Her hair was purple, faded into the same color as the robes, and braided with one long braid behind her ear. She still had little white fox ears on her head. They had caught her while she was still in fox form, and she couldn't finish forming into her usual self, thanks to their powers. Her hands and legs were chained to the table, shackled together with black sticky goo and shadow stuff, and then reinforced with mana that felt like death.
"Where is my piece?!" Kentaro shouted, slamming his massive fist on the table at her feet. The slam echoed through the chamber and caused the other Kami to look at him.
"Calm, dear brother, we'll sort this out." Lilith wasn't sitting, but was standing behind the chair that she would typically call hers. The chairs matched the table, the same lines carved into them.
"Yes, no need to go smashing things down," Kenji said. He knew Kentaro couldn't break the table, but his fist thudding on the table was just annoying.
Kentaro seethed and looked at his siblings, glaring before looking back up at Genki, who returned his stare. Kentaro just glared. Anything he said right now would be less helpful to the situation. He just wanted to get up and rip her in half, but deep down, very deep down, he knew it wouldn't get his piece back from her. Then it would just be lost forever, and he still wouldn't have it back.
"Stop this!" Daichi spoke up, slamming his hand on the table and standing, his chair getting knocked back because he stood so quickly.
The rest of the family looked at their elder brother and blinked, taken aback by his outward display of emotion. Daichi was the calm, levelheaded one. Everything was figured out, so he didn't have to get worked up over anything.
"The book of fate does not have any of this. This is a serious matter, and none of you appreciate that. Do you not realize how off course we are as a family?" Daichi looked at them all, centering on Kenji for help. Kenji took his responsibilities seriously and could glimpse into the fates a little, so he hoped Kenji would help him.
Kenji simply looked back at his older brother and sighed a moment. He nodded his head. Kenji was in his typical beggar king get-up. He finally stood calmly and looked at all of them.
"Daichi is right, I think. We should calm down and keep a level head. It's not brute strength that will get us through this, dear brother." Kenji looked to Kentaro, who was still glaring at Genki.
"We already have her. It's just a matter of finding the missing property and returning it to you and me. I believe we are the only ones who have been stolen from thus far?" Kenji looked at the other siblings with a cocked eyebrow behind that blindfold.
Lilith, Misumi, Daichi, and Minako all watched Kenji and nodded when he asked them.
"Very well then. Genki was far from putting together the wand and doing whatever she wanted," Kenji said and gave a shrug. “We will find our property, eventually. It's just a matter of time until we do. Also, we'll have to figure out a way to keep our eyes on our dear, troublesome little sister.”
"She can stay in the lands of death. I'm probably the most fortified, besides maybe Kentaro, but…." Lilith trailed off, not really explaining why keeping their little sister with Kentaro was a bad idea.
Kenji looked at Lilith and nodded his head. "I agree with this." It was no surprise Kenji wouldn't want to take direct responsibility for Genki, and Lilith was his favorite sibling. Everyone knew they were closer than the rest of them.
Misumi and Minako were sitting there and remained silent until now. They were such an odd pair, Misumi in their bright-colored robes with designs in gold inlay. Then there was Minako, sitting in her dark gray and black robes with the cowl pulled over her head. Dark eyes peered out, bits of long black hair coming out on the bottom.
"We agree." Misumi spoke up for the pair, and Minako gave a gentle nod.
Kenji looked at them both and nodded his head before looking at Kentaro and Daichi, who sat next to each other at the table as the oldest two siblings.
Kentaro simply growled for several long moments but, realizing he wouldn't get anywhere, merely nodded his head in one small, fast movement.
Daichi looked at Kenji, then looked at Lilith before looking back at Genki. You couldn't see his expression hiding behind that cowl like he did. Kenji tried to peek in from where he was standing. Still, sometimes you had to wonder if Daichi even had a face hidden beneath the cowl of the old brown tattered robes he wore. This was Daichi being truly worried, however. Kenji couldn't recall a time when he had seen such a thing.
Daichi never worried about anything because he always knew the outcome. His book and fate could change, so it is always an approximation. If anything happened drastically, something changed in his book, and he knew. Now they were all off the beaten path. Not even fate could see one of the Kami becoming this greedy and trying to steal something from their siblings to try to take power.
"There's an argument to be made that my gardens might be better. I can keep Genki there, lock all access," he finally spoke up.
"We can all do that, brother," Lilith replied. Kenji took a moment because he could see the assessment Daichi was making.
Daichi always had people around in his gardens, able to keep watch over Genki. However, the people there could have been more powerful, which was the problem. Kenji put a thumb and forefinger to his chin in thought, wrapping one arm around his waist.
"The Sacred Artists I've brought into my lands, as my agents are more powerful than your old women Daichi. You know this to be true, and I can lock down my lands, if not better than you. I have the hallway, gates, and gatekeepers." Lilith told Daichi and the rest.
Daichi sat for several more long moments, looking at everyone. No one was really buying his argument. He'd finally shrug his shoulders. "Alright then, take her. Keep her safe. Make sure nothing happens so she can still do her duties."
"Well, that is one thing in our favor. The mortals will always be greedy, and tricky careless mortals. She doesn't have to do much in the way of work other than just being," Kenji informed the rest. Though it came out a little harsher than he intended, it was no secret that he looked down on most of the family.
None of them had to do much. Lilith did, tending to the dead. He had to work with the shadows and ensure they were just so. It was a tricky balance, making sure there were shadows in the right places. He could go on and on with his work.
Lilith went to the table and extended her arms, grabbing Genki and throwing the girl over her shoulders. Genki didn't fight. There wasn't a point, and she knew it. The Kami were together on this. Their wills intertwined and were unbreakable in terms of power. The only person who could match and defeat that was their father, but he created them, so it was only expected.
"Don't worry, baby sister, I'll take care of you, and we'll find out where you hid our brothers’ pieces." Lilith spoke and carried Genki down one of the long tunnels leading to her own lands.
Minako and Misumi went together down Misumi's, one arm around Minako's shoulders, holding her close as they went. Once they were gone, Daichi stood back up, his palms resting on the table. He sounded defeated. “Well, if we have nothing else to discuss, I guess our meeting is over.” He turned and walked away from the table without another word. The rest of them filed out shortly after him, each going down their separate tunnels into their own lands.
Minako could hold it together for the meeting through sheer force of will and by not saying. However, if you were to reach out with your senses, you could tell all of this broke her up. The fact their baby sister was stealing from their older brothers.
She was in chains up there and being spoken about like she wasn't there. It was too much for the little empath. As soon as Misumi and Minako were further down the tunnel, she broke and cried, which only made Misumi hold her closer and whisper comforting words in her ear.