"Reiko, as you know, today is the big day," Silas spoke as he set the packages down on the grass and took both of Reiko's shoulders in his hands.

"A day that will set you on the path of cultivation. You've already taken small steps towards the bridge, but today you will cross over that bridge. You will eventually become one with the world, and maybe, if the gods are kind, you will reach immortality," Silas continued as they walked. They began their walk up the hill that faced the ocean.

"When I tested you, one of them assessed your affinity for the elements. You seemed particularly strong for water, which is why I wanted to get Kio to help train your martial ability. I, as you know, am a metal cultivator. I stand strong and burly, while you, water artists, dodge around and make my head dizzy. Of course, water can also be an epic force of nature. As hard as metal, but you are small and agile. I don't think that's the best course for you," he continued as they walked.

Silas led Reiko to a small patch of grass overlooking the water and told the boy to sit. The Master looked around the Hilltop for a moment before he looked down at the sleepy village, which hadn't woken yet. It was a beautiful view from here, surrounded by the cherry blossom trees. Silas finally took a deep breath, taking in the morning air.

"Assume lotus pose. Morning is the best time of day to grow your core. The peaceful morning time gives you a chance to concentrate," Master Silas instructed. Reiko did as he was told without hesitation. This was the day he had been waiting for, the day he had been working so hard for months now.

Silas stood over his apprentice and walked him through the process. "Close your eyes and breathe in the salty ocean air. On these hills is the perfect spot to do this, overlooking the great ocean. Now, go beyond the smell, and focus on the aura. When developing your channels before, it didn't matter what sort of aura you took in because you weren't keeping it. Now you're going to keep it in."

"Eventually, you will process any aura and convert it to what you need, but that will be a while before you work on that. Right now, it would be best if you only focused on the blue aura of the water. Bring it inside of you through the ends, towards the outside of your body, and let it rush through you as a crashing ocean must do. Feel it rushing through your body into your center, the center of your spirit, Reiko. This is very important. Concentrate on it. If you are successful in the end, you will have a small area just behind your belly button filled with it," Master Silas instructed his student through the process.

As Master Silas instructed, the student obeyed. Reiko grasped onto the blue aura floating from the water to bring it inside and fought not to let in any other aura. As the water aura entered the boy's body, it naturally converted itself into the liquid madra. Silas visualized the incredible blue line running through Reiko’s madra channels. Reiko was directing the aura just as Silas told him.

"I can feel it inside you, Reiko. You are doing good. Now, like when you worked on forcing the channels to burn inside your spirit, you must do the same in your middle. All of that madra is just floating there, waiting to burst out. You're holding it there through pure force of will," Master Silas spoke and waited for Reiko to do as he said, focusing on giving that cool blue liquid a home in his middle.

If developing channels was a superficial burn, this was a wildfire in the middle of Reiko’s soul. He gritted his teeth to stop from yelling in pain. Sweat formed on his brow.

"Good Reiko, don't lose it!" Silas was pushing Reiko now, helping him through the process. Reiko held on as long as he could until the boy yelled out in pain and then fell to the grass and passed out. Still gripping the boy's shoulder, Silas eased him down so he didn't hurt himself.

"Now is always the hard part for someone. See if they did it successfully." Silas looked up at Kio with a bit of worry in his eyes.

"You have been training him. I'm sure he will have his core intact and full of the ocean blue water, madra." Kio looked at Silas with a small smile comforting the man.

Silas stood and moved, standing next to Kio, reaching out into the boy with his spirit sensing his progress. This was a hard time for a budding cultivator. So many things could go wrong. Either the apprentice didn't take in enough aura. Nothing would grow, or he would take in too much of the different types. He would have a core, but it would explode, and he'd never be able to practice the sacred arts.

"It's taking too long…" Silas said but stopped suddenly when Reiko opened his eyes. He grew a child-like grin and looked down at his apprentice lying in the grass, now covered in the impurities from his soul.

"You stink," he said to Reiko, giggling a little.

"Huh?" Came the still dazed noise from the boy, not noticing the sludge coating him. It took Reiko several moments to process what Silas had told him, then looked to his arms. "Oh, man…."

Silas snickered a little more. "It's fine. I told your mother whatever clothes you wore would be ruined." Silas read his student’s minds before Reiko had the chance to say anything. He then reached down and helped Reiko to his feet.

Silas turned and took the packages from the bucket, leaving them on the grass. He handed the bucket to Kio, "Auntie Kio, mind helping me out here?" Reiko gasped at the display, staring and trying to understand what she had done. She looked at him and raised a hand over the bucket, filling it with water. He grabbed the leather wrap and put it under his arm. Silas set the bucket between himself and his apprentice, looking at him with a smile and holding the two packages.

Silas handed the paper-bound package to Reiko and said, "First, I, Silas Zhao, a member of The Divine Body Sect, welcome little brother Liu Reiko to the sect as my apprentice. I promise, on my soul, that I shall teach little brother in the ways of cultivation to the best of my ability. In return, he shall apprentice for me." Master Silas said, his voice coming out slowly and earnestly.

Without Reiko noticing, Auntie Kio had walked behind him and whispered into his ear, instructing him what to say. Reiko's mouth gaped open as he moved forward. Reiko didn't know he'd become a sect member on this day. It wasn't normal. Usually, people had to ascend the ranks of cultivation a little before a sect would take them in, even as an outer sect member.

Once Reiko reached Silas, he took the package and said what Kio had instructed him. "I, Liu Reiko, promise, on my soul, to be an apprentice to Master Silas and learn everything he has to teach."

They both felt their souls tighten once Reiko was done speaking the words. It was a soul oath and could be devastating to break for a cultivator. If Silas, the more powerful of the two, broke his side of the promise, his core could become shattered and never cultivate again. Losing his power and any chance to become immortal.

While having formed his core, Reiko would still be injured if he broke his promise. His core wouldn't shatter, but he wouldn't progress any further than what he was right now, a baby in the sacred arts. Silas's eyes lit up, "open it." He instructed.

There was no hesitation as Reiko ripped open the package. Inside was the letter from the Sect Representative in the village welcoming him. There was a set of cultivator robes underneath the letter. They were the same color as Silas’s, cream on the inside lining and darker brown on the outside. These were the colors of the sect, the colors of the Ox. Reiko let the packaging fall to the ground and held out the robes in bewilderment.

"You kept me quite busy trying to get ready for this morning. I had to go down to the Sect Hall and get approval. This is hard for a simple member like me," Silas explained.

"Yeah, a simple member," Auntie Kio rolled her eyes. Silas shot her a glare in return. Reiko didn't need to know about Silas's history. About the family he came from, about his path forward. It wasn't his business.

"Then I had to go to my forge and finish these for you by myself," Silas explained, holding out the leather roll. Reiko took it and unrolled it slowly. Inside were two small weapons. He knew what they were from looking around in the library.

"A core from a fiery spirit beast," Master Silas informed me when he saw Reiko's questioning glance at the red stone in the metal of the picks. "Once you're able to activate it, you'll be able to make some truly astonishing attacks."

Reiko dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the grass, to bow to Silas in kowtow. "Master Silas, thank you. I do not deserve this."

Silas grabbed his arm and lifted the boy back to his feet. He never was one for that sort of thing, "It's time to clean yourself and change into your robes. Auntie Kio didn't come to town to look pretty. You're going to begin your martial training with her."

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“ELDER ZHAO! ELDER ZHAO!" A younger man came running up the hill as fast as he could. Although he seemed to be in his twenties, he was horribly out of breath. Master Silas cocked an eyebrow and looked down the hill. The man was wearing a set of green dress robes, showing that he was one worker for the village. He had short dark hair and a face like a rat.

Bending over and putting his hands on his knees, breathing deeply, trying to catch his breath, "the Elders…. They need you…. At the Hall…." Master Silas didn't give him a chance to finish. He grunted and looked at Kio, who gave him a nod before he ran off.

It didn't take him long to push his madra to his legs and speed them up. He dodged some carts and farmers carrying their wares to the village's central part, where some set up small shops selling things. He reached the Elder Hall in no time, pushing through the double doorway, "where is the attack?" he shouted.

The six other Elders of the village were sitting around a long table in the back of the Hall. There was a messenger standing there waiting to deliver a message. The First Elder was younger than the rest but was given his position because he was the only person to reach the spirit development stage of cultivation. His father was also an official in the capital and worked out some deals to get his son into the position of First Elder. It was always politics with these people.

"Silas, no need to come in yelling. There is a message that I feel like all of us should hear," the First Elder said and motioned for Silas to take his seat. The man had a tone and carried himself like a rich boy with everything handed to him. He never worked hard for his power, just took pills to progress. His core was bloated and weak.

Silas frowned. "A message? This is why you called me down from the hill? My apprentice gre…"

Silas was interrupted by the First Elder once more. "We wouldn't have called you if we didn't think the Village Protector should be here himself instead of one of his underlings."

Silas bristled. He had other things to do than attend their silly weekly meetings where they ignored him and didn't talk about anything but listen to villagers air out their dirty laundry. He moved to his seat behind the table to face the messenger, "alright then. What is it?"

"Greetings, Master Silas Zhao," the messenger spoke, looking at Silas and bowing lowly. "It is a pleasure to meet a Master of the School of the Jade Mountains."

"No longer a master there. Now I am but a simple man living in a village with his wife, trying to live in peace and keep this village safe from harm. What message do you bring?" Silas responded blankly.

The messenger was dressed in simple black robes and looked like a younger man. Silas figured they were someone who always wanted to be a sacred artist and either couldn't find a mentor or just lacked any sort of talent. Without hesitating, the boy continued. "I have been sent here from a Mother Oracle. She has seen great woe for this village and you, specifically Master Zhao."

The rest of the Elders leaned forward in their seats and even gasped softly. Silas groaned a little, leaning back in his seat. He wanted nothing to do with these Mothers, Oracles, or whatever they called themselves. They were old women who wandered around and ate mushrooms they found in cow dung and then claimed they could see the future.

"Did they say anything else?" The First Elder questioned the messenger. "No, First Elder. They wanted you to call a meeting tonight, and they would be here with their protectors to announce their seeing to the entire village. They felt it was best if everyone heard it."

Silas perked a little. Their protectors, though, were proper Sacred Artists, brainwashed and delusional, but they were known to be notable fighters. They traveled behind the Oracles and made sure they were kept safe. Silas quietly thanked the gods that his father hadn't sent him with them when he sent him away. Since his father had no respect for the Oracles either, Silas supposed it'd be better for him to just be in a rival sect, not with crazies.

The First Elder waved the messenger away and thanked him for delivering the message before the messenger gave one last bow and then exited the Hall. The First Elder looked around at the other Elders. "Well, obviously, we have to do it."

"You're a cultivator, Ichiro. You buy into the Mothers?" Silas asked the man leaning back in his seat, sarcastic.

"Do you not?" The First Elder glared at Silas.

"Well, I do, and I agree we should call a town meeting tonight and get everyone we can in here," Jiang spoke up. She was the Third Elder, maybe? Silas could never quite keep track of who was who besides Ichiro being the First.

Silas groaned softly and finally shrugged. Soon enough, the rest agreed with Jiang. Ichiro knocked his gavel on the wooden table. "Very well then, Silas, get some of your people ready for tonight. They're doing guard duty. I want to make sure no one tries anything with the Oracle in case she says anything upsetting. Of course, she'll have her own guards, but they will only protect her, not us, and not village property."

Silas sighed and nodded but stood so he could comply with his order.

__________________

That evening, the Elders were in a backroom of the Elder Hall, preparing for the meeting. Silas could hear Reiko's father trying to get the crowd outside seated and ready for the meeting. Silas kept his arms folded and stayed by the door until he felt the presence of his apprentice walk towards the door. Before Reiko could knock on the door, Silas opened it and leaned down at Reiko.

"Good. You're here. We're about to begin. Wait in your spot behind my seat." He commanded his apprentice, who didn't respond and just did as his Master bade him.

Silas looked around the Hall and ensured everything had some semblance of order. He had guards on each room wall, some monks from the Kunlun Sect. They didn't dress like most Sacred Artists. They wore reddish-orange robes and only ever used quarterstaffs as their weapons. Giving the rest of the Elders a nod, he stepped from the room and let the others move in front of him and back to the table they were all sitting at before. This time all the seats were against the wall facing the crowd.

The Third Elder stood and slammed a gavel on the table. "Attention! Attention! We are here in an emergency meet—" she was cut off as the double doors violently broke open, hitting the guards nearby and causing them to stumble. The other guards readied themselves for an attack, and Master Silas jumped.

Two men entered the Hall, neither of them in a threatening stance. They wore all black, including the material wrapped around their faces and heads, leaving only their eyes to show. It was almost pointless, considering the skin around their eyes was also inked entirely black. They carried a jian, the double-edged straight sword, on their side. Yet, their body language showed they were not looking for a fight. The men gave off a sense of authority that I could not pinpoint.

Silas gave a soft gasp, almost in understanding. He reached back, grabbed Reiko's robes, pulled him forward, and whispered in his ear. "Pay attention and reach out with your senses. Do not let any feeling get past you."

A few moments later, an old woman entered. Probably the most aged woman the boy had ever seen, with long, scraggly, gray hair, was hunched over with a cane. She was tiny and frail in all-black robes akin to what Kio wore. She looked over the crowd, slowly taking them in.

Silas looked surprised. He knew she was coming. Still, he had never actually met an oracle in person before. Her eyes were two different colors, one eye was white and cloudy, and the other was darker than the night. A tattoo on her forehead, above the bridge of her nose. It was an eye outlined with soft lines coming from the bottom.

Every person in the room seemed to have stopped breathing, including the Elders. The Third Elder had sat down when the commotion occurred. They all seemed too shocked to say anything. It was finally Master Silas who took the initiative and spoke to the woman. He stood up and was stern and kind. "Mother, what brings you to our humble village of Kyoto?"

She stared at Silas. "You. I know you, Son of the Patriarch of the Zhao family. Head family of Shaolin Temple. Your father always gave us no heed, even when we told him what would happen to you. Will you follow in your father's footsteps and pay us no heed?"

Silas frowned. He remembered the night his father had received a guest. He found out it was someone everyone kept calling Mother, but he didn't know who it could be. When she arrived, he was kept locked in his room. A few days later, he was shipped away to finish training at The School of the Jade Mountains.

"I suppose you will. I have seen it. The words were there in the great book. The gods are playing their games, and you will get shrouded in shadow and forgotten." She raised her cane and let it point across the room accusingly, adding an eerie emphasis to her claims.

Master Silas seemed speechless. He eyed her with a steely gaze for a few moments before questioning her. "Mother, you must tell us what you mean. What warning do you bring us besides vague and cryptic messages?! What gods?"

She shook her head and spat on the floor towards Master Silas before leaving the Great Hall. Her bodyguards gave one last sweeping look, making sure that nobody was coming after this Mother person, before turning to go.