"Reiko, as you know, today is the big day," he said, putting the packages down on the grass and taking both of my 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," My Master explained.

We began our 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. You are small and agile, and I don't think that's the best course for you," he continued as we walked.

He led me to a small patch of even ground overlooking the water. "Sit," he told me.

Silas took a moment to look around the hilltop. He looked down into the water, and then turned to look down into the sleepy village, which hadn’t woken yet. He still had one hand on my shoulder, and I looked around at him. 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.

I didn't hesitate and assumed the lotus position as instructed. Kio stayed behind. This wasn't why she was here. Helping me shape my core was my Master's job. I completely believed Master Silas would walk me down the correct path. Auntie Kio stood back in silence, watching with her arms folded across her chest and a look of intrigue on her face.

Master Silas stood over me and walked me through the process. "Close your eyes and breathe in the salty ocean air. On these hills is the perfect spot to form your core. We are overlooking the great ocean. Now, go beyond the smell, and focus on the aura. When you were 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."

He continued. "Eventually, you will process any aura and convert it to what you need. It 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."

As Master Silas instructed, I 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 came into my body, it naturally converted itself into the liquid madra. I could visualize an incredible blue line running through my madra channels, behind my belly button, just like he said. There it sat as I waited for more instructions.

"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. The madra is floating there, waiting to explode. You're holding it there through pure force of will." Master Silas spoke and waited for me to do as he said, focusing on giving that cool blue liquid a home in my middle.

If developing channels was a superficial burn, this was a wildfire in the middle of my very soul. I gritted my teeth to stop myself from yelling in pain. Sweat formed on my brow.

"Good, Reiko," he gripped my shoulder. "Don't lose it!" he shouted at me now, commanding me.

This went on for an eternity until finally, I yelled out, unable to hold it in anymore. I must have passed out for a few minutes. When I woke up, the sun was fully up when I opened my eyes to Auntie Kio's voice.

"Silas, I guess you have an eye for talent," she whistled through her teeth, "that's probably the largest core I've seen someone develop."

They both looked at me with broad, goofy smiles while I sat up.

"You stink," was all Master Silas could say with a child-like giggle.

"Huh?" I could feel it now. It felt like sludge all over my body. Looking down at myself, there was a layer of black sludge covering me. My mother would kill me for ruining these clothes, and there was no way they were getting clean. "Oh, man."

Master Silas snickered. "It's fine. I told your mother whatever clothes you wore would be ruined," he must have read my mind. He then reached down to help me up. 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?"

She gave him a flat look and raised a hand over the bucket, filling it with water. I gasped, staring and trying to understand what she had done. Master Silas set the bucket between us, looking at me with a smile, before picking up the two packages. He grabbed the leather wrap and put it under his arm. My Master then held out the paper-wrapped cloth to me first.

"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, and in return, he shall apprentice for me," Master Silas said, his voice coming out slowly and earnestly.

Without me noticing, Auntie Kio had walked behind me and whispered, "say that on your soul, you accept to be his apprentice and will learn everything he has to teach. Then take the package."

My mouth was open as I moved forward. I thought I had to wait until I could apply. I did not know that they also welcomed me into the sect today.

I took the package from him and was surprised at its softness. As Auntie Kio said, I spoke. "I, Liu Reiko, promise, on my soul, to be an apprentice to Master Silas and learn everything he has to teach." My soul tightened as the words poured out of me. I had heard about soul oaths before, how breaking one could have dire consequences on your cultivation. Breaking one could make it so you could no longer cultivate at all.

Silas's eyes lit up. "Open it."

There was no hesitation as I ripped open the package. Inside was a piece of paper from the sect hall in the village, welcoming me to the outer sect and confirming that I was to be Master Silas Zhao's apprentice. A set of cultivator robes was underneath the letter, in the same color as his, cream on the inside lining and darker brown on the outside. These were the colors of the Ox, of The Divine Body Sect. I 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, which is hard for a simple member like me," Master Silas explained.

"Yeah, a simple member." Auntie Kio rolled her eyes, and Master Silas shot her a glare, her smirk disappearing from her face. I looked to my Master questioningly, but he ignored my look.

"Then I had to go to my forge and finish these for you by myself," he held out the leather roll. I took it and unrolled it slowly. Inside were two small weapons. I was aware of what they were looking at from studying in the library. They were a weapon called picks, miners who would use a larger version of them. They designed these for speed and precision. The handles were polished wood, and the metal of the pick itself was a dark gray, almost black, with green specks throughout it. I turned them over in my hand, admiring their quality, and in disbelief, they were mine.

"A core from a fiery spirit beast," Master Silas informed me, seeing my quizzical look, "once you're able to activate it, you'll be able to make some truly astonishing attacks."

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

He grabbed my arm to lift me, "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."

As I was climbing to my feet, I heard someone yelling in the distance, “ELDER ZHAO! ELDER ZHAO!” A young man ran up the hill as fast as possible. 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 so swiftly that I couldn't track his movements.

The man continued to wheeze heavily, finally catching his breath. "I don't know why they didn't send a cultivator to do this." He fell to the grass with one hand clutching at his chest. He gripped the robes as if they were not allowing him to breathe.

Auntie Kio squatted next to him. "Take your time and catch your breath." She then walked over to me and caught my questioning look. She shrugged. "Village business, I don't know. I'm sure it's fine. If it isn't, Silas will ensure it becomes fine. You can head to the ocean to clean up and change."

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The young man suddenly sat up, seeming to have had enough rest. “There’s more to the message. There's going to be an emergency meeting tonight at the Elder Hall. All the Elders must present themselves. They said there's going to be an announcement," the man explained. I furrowed my brow, my stomach flipping with worry as I went off to do as Auntie Kio said.

The rest of the day progressed without incident. The village worker man left once he was rested, and Auntie Kio sparred with me after I cleaned up. She gave me some improved forms from what Master Silas had taught since they used different techniques. After several hours, she stopped to let us both rest.

"You must be getting hungry, and it's almost time for this meeting. As Silas's apprentice, you'll have to be there. It'll give you a chance to show off your new robes and position as an outer disciple of one of the major sects." She smiled at me, "you were outstanding today. You move well for being so young. Once we break the bad habits Silas got you into, you'll be even better."

I smiled and pressed my palms together, bowing to her. "Thank you, Auntie Kio." The bad habits she spoke of were only different approaches to fighting since she and my Master fought differently. As I picked up my pick roll, I beamed with joy. We began heading down the hill to the village proper.

I broke off from Auntie Kio to walk home. It surprised me to see the house in a flurry of activity. My mother was making bowls of noodles and meat for the three of us. My father was whispering to a few kids around my age, all apprentices to the other elders.

"Finally, you're home, Reiko! He kept you on that hill all day?! Hasn't Silas been busy elsewhere?" My mother asked me as soon as I walked into the door. Although my mother tried to portray herself as tougher than she was, her stressed rushing caused her voice to come out louder than I've ever heard her speak. I stood in stunned silence, trying to process my mother's frustrated yells.

My father sent the other boys running from the house with their orders. "Hold it! Mama, don't you notice something about our son?" my father asked my mother. My father studied me up and down with a prideful look.

My mother turned away from the food to look at me with a smile. They both clasped their hands together and bowed to me. "If it isn't the great Liu Reiko, the newest outer disciple of The Divine Body Sect," my father's voice was somewhere between genuine and teasing.

They, of course, weren't Sacred Artists. So when they bowed, it was strange, especially since they were my parents. And yet, I awkwardly returned the gesture, "thank you, Mama, Papa. What's going on?"

"Come, sit and eat quickly. We must go to the Elder hall. A Mother is visiting us. We must be ready for them. I have no more details, but it's a big deal," my father explained while moving into his seat at the end of the table.

My eyes widened. The mothers were almost a myth. They were oracles who wandered around reading fortunes and giving warnings when they saw one. They were almost entirely their own sect with the practitioners and guards they employed.

I nodded my head and sat as well. Slurping the noodles and the hot broth were the only noises at the table. It didn't take long for us to finish, and I was thankful to eat something after the long day. Auntie Kio made me work during our sparring, showing me distinct movements that Master Silas never had. There was much more finesse and grace sparring with her, almost acrobatic.

"Come, we'll clean later. We must get going." My father urged my mother and me as we quickly climbed to our feet and left the house. We moved through the busy streets, heading towards the central part of the village.

Upon reaching the Elder House, we saw it was packed with villagers hoping to glimpse this mysterious mother and hear a sliver of news causing this commotion. My father took my hand, and I took mamas. He called out to the crowds, "pardon us. I am a village official, and we must get up front!"

The villagers turned around with disgruntled looks, annoyed that they had to move. Slowly, they began shifting to the sides to allow us to pass through and into the building. The building, while it looked small on the outside, was quite large on the inside. It was spacious and didn't bother with frills or decor to make it look like an office building for a big city. Instead, it had simple benches with backs pointing to the room's head. They faced a long table with seven seats, one for each of the six elders and the village protector, Master Silas. His spot was on one end. It was just far enough from the wall for an apprentice to stand behind their seated Master. It was the apprentice's job to cater to any need they might have.

My father looked at me. Smiling softly, "Silas will be in the back room behind that table with the rest of the elders. Knock. Knock on the door and tell whoever answers it who you are. They will let you in," he told me, and our eyes met, and he gave a firm nod.

Before I pushed my way through the crowd, who hadn't found seats yet. I scanned the room and noticed that there were also guards posted. There were two by the main doors that we had just entered, two on each wall and two at the head table. I recognized two of these guards. They were monks from the island of Sunhae, south of Sinpo, which was west of us.

The monks were cultivators with their own sect, The Kunlun. They weren't as powerful as others, but remained neutral and peaceful. They were available to help protect any and all lands that called for their aid. A few were part of the guard force that helped protect the village. They lived by the mantra, 'it was better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.' With halberds in hand, the remaining guards stood at attention, watching over the room. The monks, however, had simple quarter staffs, but they looked ready for anything.

As I approached the door, my Master swung the door open with a serious expression. "Good, you're here. We're about to begin. Wait in your spot behind my seat."

My father stood in front of the head table and motioned for me to wait. In his hand, he carried a cone-shaped item and spoke into it, which elevated his voice above the muttering and whispers from the crowd.

"Attention, everyone! The meeting is about to begin. If you aren't seated when the elders enter, we will escort you to the outside in the overflow area. Please make your way there now if you are not already seated." My father yelled into the cone, commanding the room to silence.

Once the announcement was made, the people finally either found a seat or left the Hall. The back door opened, and Master Silas stepped out, scanning the Hall before turning back to the room and nodding. Six other elders exited the room and filed into the hallway to take their seats. The younger of the six took the middle seat. He was the First Elder of the village. He was in the spirit realm of cultivation himself. Master Silas took his seat at the end. Once he was seated, five other boys and one girl filed from the room and stood behind their masters, and I finally took my place behind Master Silas.

The Third Elder, the only woman 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. Even though I was unprepared for any fight, I reached for my newly sheathed picks in my robes.

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 sword, on their side. Yet, their body language showed they were not looking for a fight. There was an air of authority from them I couldn’t pinpoint.

Silas gave a soft gasp, almost in understanding. He reached back and grabbed me by my outer robe, pulling me forward, and whispered in my ear, "pay attention and reach out with your senses. Feel everything you can."

His words set me on edge, and I kept my hands close to my picks. Soon after the men, an old woman entered. Probably the oldest woman I had ever seen. Long, scraggly, gray hair and was hunched over, walking over with a cane. She was tiny and frail in all-black robes akin to what Auntie Kio wore.

She looked over the crowd, slowly taking them in. My eyes grew wide when I noticed 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.

Everyone, including the elders, seemed to have stopped breathing. The Third Elder had sat down when the commotion occurred. They were all 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 Master 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?"

I stood there, mouth agape, and saw my Master in a new light. The head family? This must be what Auntie Kio meant when she quipped at him about being 'just a member of the sect.' I looked back to the old woman, who sniffed and continued.

"I suppose you will. I have seen it. It is written so in the great book. The Gods are playing their games, and you will get shrouded in shadow and forgotten." The old woman 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 looking to the rest of the Elders and the villagers that were in attendance. Silas was floored and stood there staring at her with his jaw open. I looked at him for a moment before looking back at the Mother, still feeling out with my spirit like I had been instructed. I didn’t want to miss anything she said.

“The ones you know as gods. There is a war brewing. There shall be trouble and Kyoto will be the first battle, and the place of many new graves.” The old woman looked around once more. Her guards simply stood and watched.

“Do with this information what you will, but I have given my warning.” She then stared right at me, giving me a hard glare. I had suddenly gotten a weird feeling in the pit of my gut and frowned, gasping a little.

She eventually looked away from me and scanned the room once more before turning and leaving the hall, her guards following close behind her.