It took another four minutes for the first question to come, even though she could see questions practically bursting out of them.
“Just who are you people?” Ren Wentian asked, looking grave.
That was a fair question, given what they’d just seen, and how it had been shown to them.
“Well, there’s no way to answer that simply. So, next question?”
Ren Wentian looked like he wanted to say something, to force the issue, but he stopped himself. Instead, he took a few breaths as he closed his eyes.
“How is that possible?” This time it was Bai Lian who asked, still looking like a ghost had walked over her grave.
“Well, how to put it?” Asura mused, then decided to obfuscate the truth with the truth. “Joram was fortunate enough to receive an inheritance from a supreme being, granting him abilities not seen in I don’t know how long.”
That sobered the trio up further. If their homeland was anything like the wuxia/xianxia/manga/manhwa/manhua that she’d read, then finding the legacy of an ancient, supreme, cultivator was the dream of every boy and girl over there.
She watched their reactions, finding Bai Lian’s especially entertaining. If she was reading her expressions correctly, then Bai Lian’s devotion to Joram might have gone up to the level of worship.
On the other hand, Ren Wentian looked skeptical. Asura wondered if of the three, he was actually the most analytical.
As for Mo Yu, her head had once again dropped in shame, an expression of such self recrimination on her face that Asura worried that she might do something foolish.
“Either way, it’s up to you if you choose to believe me or not,” she said with a shrug. “That said, it doesn’t really matter what you believe. The truth will always be what it is, regardless of who is there to interpret it.”
“Then, if he is so powerful, why did our realms drop,” Ren Wentian asked, motioning to Bai Lian.
“It seems that there are limitations to the technique related to the user’s cultivation base,” Asura said, pretty sure it was true.
“Then,” Wentian started, obviously searching for the right words as he spoke, then started again. “I know that junior sister’s cultivation was at the Earth Realm before… all this happened. Her cultivation dropped a full Realm. I was at the Heaven Realm before, but am now at the Earth Realm, also a full realm lower. So why didn’t Mo Yu’s realm drop? Was it because of that weird fire?”
Asura nodded along, appreciating the line of questioning and the thought that went into it.
It must have been very confusing for them as they tried to understand everything. Even the concept of resurrection was likely only a mythical tale to them.
“Well, to answer; Joram was only at the Earth Realm when he tried the ‘technique’ for the first time with Bai Lian,” she explained, causing a look of both joy and horror to pass across Bai Lian’s face.
“When he tried it on you Ren Wentian, he’d already advanced to the Heaven Realm. I’m not sure how he modified the technique for you, Mo Yu, but it was indeed interesting to observe,” she winked at Mo Yu as she looked up at the mention of her name, then turned scarlet when she saw the wink.
“Anyway. You’re all here because Joram wanted questions answered. He still wants questions answered. He probably also has other things in mind that he wants from you all, but we’ll have to wait for him to let us know what they are,” she said, looking each of them in the eye as she spoke.
Of the three, Bai Lian radiated willingness to do anything and everything Joram might ask of her. Ren Wentian’s expression once again turned guarded, while Mo Yu still seemed to be beating herself up mentally.
“For now, I’ll take you back to your cells so that you can think things over,” she said and stood up.
Surprisingly, it was Mo Yu who spoke up next as she got to her feet.
“Will the scrying devices in our cells still be recording everything?” She asked in a whisper, her face once again scarlet.
“Yup.”
* * * * *
Sulia smiled as she held Zaleria as she suckled. She had managed to finally augment her [Sustenance] ability for the first time. Normally, her body sustained itself on the Mental, er, Psionic Power it produced, but didn’t produce excess. Excess one needed to produce breast milk. Which she was now producing at will.
She’d been going through the meditation exercises given to her by Joram, making great strides in understanding her new body and how it worked.
She longed to start cultivating, but had been warned off by both Avi and Joram. They’d explained the reasoning behind their warnings… but it was hard. She’d decided to become a High Elan because she wanted power. Power to protect her family and loved ones. And power to annihilate her enemies.
But she wasn’t getting any more powerful while she wasn’t cultivating.
Sulia looked down when she felt Zaleria’s mouth release her breast, the child now in a milk coma. That brought another smile to her face that vanished again too soon.
She made her way over to Zaleria’s crib and gently laid her down for her nap.
As she made her way to the balcony of their new apartment, she recalled something else Avi had mentioned. That it was better to cultivate outside of the pocket realm they now lived in. She tsk’d as she realized that she couldn’t leave the pocket realm without Joram’s or Avi’s help.
So, she retrieved the small crystal that Joram had given her from her storage ring and examined it. He’d called it a Crystal Mind, then explained to her how it worked. It was a marvelous thing.
If their clan had had access to the method used to create Crystal Minds, then their work would have likely leapt forward by leaps and bounds. No more would they have had to smuggle out books and documents. They could have just copied the information into a Crystal Mind and disguised it as a piece of jewellery.
Nor would they have been limited to only a few books or documents if the capacity in one Crystal Mind was as vast as Joram claimed it to be.
She sighed wistfully, looking up at the afternoon sky. All of that no longer really mattered. There was no more clan, no more grand mission given by their clan progenitors. There was just survival now.
So, she did what would give her better odds of survival. She connected the Crystal Mind to hers and began to study.
* * * * *
“I’m sorry, Grammy. I haven’t visited as much as I should have,” he said, sitting next to her. “I’ve managed to empower [True Resurrection] to the point that the person’s cultivation doesn’t drop. But you’re still stronger than me,” he said quietly.
“I don’t want you to hate me for bringing you back weaker than you were,” he said, continuing to speak quietly as he placed a hand on her forehead, listening to the quiet beeping in the background.
He stayed like that for a while before taking a deep breath, then shifting his sight so that he was able to see her soul.
He was again astonished at how stunningly beautiful souls were. At how, even though her body was a broken mess, her soul remained the perfect reflection of who she was. All of her limbs were present, yet none of the other disfiguring wounds could be seen. Just Grammy as he remembered her.
He could use [True Resurrection] on her, augmenting the spell with psijic energy. But, he admitted to himself, he wasn’t hesitating because of her cultivation. No, he was hesitating because for the spell to work Grammy had to first die.
After contemplating it for a while, he finally wound up shaking his head.
“I’ll let mom decide,” he said, then stood up to go. “I’ll get stronger.”
It was time to get going.
- - - - -
Joram looked at the vehicle Avi had built him so that he could get to the Academy on time for registration.
He very much appreciated the design. He loved that she’d used pantone 2955C, his favourite one. He leaned left, then right, gauging the dimensions of the vehicle. He even reached out and opened a panel on the left side and found the old rotary handset waiting for him to use.
Then he sighed.
Having someone show up, out of nowhere, in an old blue box that was obviously bigger on the inside would be a bit too attention grabbing. Especially for him, given his personality.
Joram placed a hand on the door as he nodded.
“One day. One day,” he said quietly, but with great conviction.
He turned to see Avi standing off to the side and smiling for all she was worth. If she’d have been one of the Doctor’s companions, he was sure that they’d have taken all of space and time by storm.
“Got anything less attention grabbing?” He asked, a sardonic grin on his face.
Avi pushed another button, causing the floor to open and another platform to rise up, bringing its cargo into view.
“What’s with you and phone booths today?” He asked, looking at a generic phone booth you’d have found anywhere in the United States in the early 90s. Though, this one had an antenna on it.
“I was going for a theme,” she said with a wink.
“Anything more practical?”
“How about that?” She asked as another, larger, platform came up carrying a floating silvery-chrome ship reminiscent of a shell. He much preferred its second form though.
“Really? Are you saying that I’ll need time travel to get to school on time?”
Avi started laughing, knowing full-well just how anal Joram was about being punctual.
“No, but I couldn’t help it. These are all classics!”
“Indeed, they are. But not very thematically appropriate.”
“Well, there goes the Falcon, Enterprise, Defiant, and pretty much any other cool-looing ship,” Avi pouted, then perked up. “How about a Runabout?”
She wilted again when she saw Joram’s flat stare.
“I hope you’re not going to ask for something cliché like a flying sword or anything…” she said, now giving Joram a scowl.
“No. Why not something simple like a flying disc or something? Just put some force walls to keep the wind out, some inertial dampening, wind resistance. You know, simple.”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Avi now practiced her flat stare on him.
“Do you need room for passengers?”
“Sure? Probably, yeah,” he said, quickly deciding that it would indeed be helpful to have passenger room. Or “trunk” space.
“You’re getting a Runabout,” Avi said, waving away his protests. “It isn’t hard to get it up and going, sans-weapons of course. That said, we can even install one of the replicators to make it as authentic an experience as we can.”
“You don’t have one ready, do you?” He asked, knowing full-well that that was the case.
“Stop asking questions you know the answer to,” she said, flicking him in the forehead.
“Need me to shape anything?” He asked, resigned.
“Yes,” she immediately replied. “I’ll also need you to whip up some Tetra-3 and 4 for the frame, hull, and viewports. I’ll also need some circuitry made…” she said and kept talking.
Joram set M3 to listening while he started manifesting [True Creation]. They’d need a lot of materials that they were currently lacking, namely titanium.
As draining as [True Creation] could be, it was always exciting to use. Drawing ectoplasm directly from the Astral Plane, then converting that raw stuff of creation into the elements he needed, was challenging. He loved it.
He’d been bored for so many years on Earth, going from job to job. As soon as he became not just proficient in his role, but good, he would inevitably get bored. Then he’d need to find something else.
But being a Shaper, a Metacreationist, was absolutely awesome. Ever wonder how something was made? Study until you could [Delve] it! Oh, don’t have the right sized/shaped screwdriver? [Ectoplasmic Creation, Major] solved that problem! Needed an extra hand to help you? [Astral Construct]! Raining? Just a normal [Ectoplasmic Creation] would do! Something broke? [Reconstruction]!
Need a place for yourself that no one could intrude on when you’ve been social’d out? [Dimensional Shelter]. Want a more permanent retreat? [Genesis].
Then there were the many quality-of-life powers!
Joram sighed a happy sigh. He’d missed this. Just taking his time bringing his imagination into the real world. Taking raw materials and manipulating their structures to create something, anything. In this case, the titanium alloys he called Tetra-3 and 4, then shaping that alloy to fit his needs. Well, Avi’s plans to be precise.
Make the frame of the vehicle. Make some panels and panes of Tetra-4 for the viewports. Lots of screws and clips. Soooo much optic cable!
The requested circuitry and other electronics, panels, displays, holographic projectors, and even the seats were fun to make!
Sure, it took him a few days, all the while Avi nagged at him to see this person or that that. He just had Kinkade take care of those appointments.
Right now, he was in the zone!
* * * * *
Why does Joram get all the fun? Kinkade silently groused as he sat at a table with the Three Lotuses. He wasn’t even in his preferred holographic body. No. He had to cover for the prime. Joram.
“Why?” Ren Wentian asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Kinkade kinda wanted to smack him. Sure, he was bigger than Kinkade in his current form, but to so obviously try to show off in some sort of macho display of manliness… or whatever people called it. It was just stupid.
Well, maybe Kinkade could understand his displeasure.
“Because I need attendants at the Academy who can point out to me who I need to… schmooze,” he finally got out with a shudder.
The Three Lotuses just gave him a blank look. Probably because of the foreign word thrown in there.
“To get close to. To make an asset of. To flatter until they start liking me.”
“You mean, socialize with?” Bai Lian asked, wincing at his explanation.
Kinkade nodded.
“Ah, so you’re more of a shut-in, then,” Bai Lian said with a nod, an understanding smile on her face.
Kinkade’s eyebrow twitched.
“Aren’t most cultivators technically shut-ins?” He asked blandly.
When the trio looked like they wanted to argue that point he just raised an eyebrow at them. Mo Yu at least had the grace to close her mouth when the realization that he was right managed to sink in.
Kinkade “cleared” his throat, then continued.
“We should be ready to go in a day or two. In the meantime, I’ll make sure that you all get what you need for the journey and your stay at the Academy.”
Of the three of them, Bail Lian looked the happiest. She’d perked up when she’d been told that instead of a prisoner she’d now be Joram’s servant. She’d only gotten happier as Kinkade had described their duties. Mo Yu, surprisingly, was the next happiest. Well, that might have been an over exaggeration. She more seemed… content. Not happy, not particularly displeased with what her new life would hold. Just, content.
Ren Wentian just looked sour.
Kinkade guessed that it was because he’d be serving a “junior”. Never mind the fact that said junior’s cultivation was higher than his right now, even though none of them could get a handle on Joram’s cultivation… mostly because it was Kinkade in disguise. But the main reason was that because of Joram’s unique physiology, unless the person interacting with him was very gifted in psionics, they wouldn’t be able to feel his cultivation level.
That said, Kinkade didn’t worry too much about Wentian. He’d seemed genuinely interested when Kinkade had told him that he would be in charge of meals if the Academy didn’t provide them as part of the package. Prime had figured that since Ren Wentian was a foodie, that he could be the most likely to accept the position.
So, Bai Lian would more or less act as his page/gofer, Ren Wentian would be his cook/butler, and Mo Yu would act as his assistant/manager/face person. The three would cover pretty much everything that Joram might need… or just want to delegate instead of bothering with the minutiae of campus living.
“All right,” Kinkade said, changing the subject to something each of them would find important. “Let’s discuss your cultivation. Bai Lian, you’re the lowest Tier here, so you’ll need to work the hardest to catch up with the other two.”
Bai Lian nodded. She seemed annoyed at his statement at first, but she soon had a look of fierce determination replace it.
“Ren Wentian. Your cultivation should also be a priority, but not as high a one as for Bai Lian. You’ll have a lot of free time when you’re not cooking, and honestly, that won’t be that often. Keeping things organized won’t even take that much of your time,” he said, Ren Wentian giving a slight nod to that.
“Mo Yu,” he said, turning to regard the first person he’d consider on the same level as Avi when it came to appearance. “Your cultivation wasn’t affected like the others’ was, so you’ll just cultivate as you normally would have in the past; no need to push yourself,” he paused slightly as she nodded at that. “That said, of you three, you’ll have the most responsibility. Bookkeeping and keeping a schedule for me will be your main focus. Again, I don’t expect to need much done in those departments, so your main responsibility going forward will be becoming my personal assistant.”
Mo Yu, it seemed, had gathered that from his previous outline and just nodded. What he didn’t get from her face, he got from the Network. Determination was at the fore, but a bit of panic and unease also made themselves known.
“Now, it might not look like it,” he said, deciding to put out there what was already common knowledge in the clan, and would also likely come out when he registered at the Academy. “But I am only eight years old,” he paused as each of the three had their own unique reaction to that statement.
Bai Lian’s jaw dropped and was currently bobbing up and down as she tried to say something. Ren Wentian’s eyes widened, but then seemed to think of something that visibly calmed him down. Mo Yu, on the other hand, fainted dead away.
Bail Lian snapped out of her stupor and managed to catch Mo Yu before she fell out of her chair, but still seemed shellshocked at the revelation.
Kinkade sent a pulse of healing through the Network to Mo Yu, reviving her. It also seemed to heal whatever mental trauma had occurred because she managed to sit up again, thanking Bai Lian for her care before returning her gaze to Kinkade.
“Yes, I know that what I said is unbelievable to anyone looking at me. But, my premature growth is related to the body cultivation technique I practice.”
“Which one do you cultivate?” Ren Wentian asked, leaning forward, his eyes bright with interest.
“Ah, that’s a secret,” he replied, giving Wentian a cheeky grin. “I’m not ever going to share what cultivation techniques I’ve used or am using. I will, however, need to know what each of yours is so that I can best help you as you make progress in your cultivation. That includes reading the manuals for each.”
That statement was also received with mixed reactions. Again, Bai Lian was the most accepting, nodding the whole time. Wentian folded his arms across his chest again, looking stubborn. Mo Yu was the only one to speak.
“That wouldn’t be something normally allowed,” she said, then shrugged. “But given that our storage rings were confiscated, we don’t have much of a choice in the matter anyway.”
Kinkade nodded at that, happy that one of the three wasn’t afraid to point that out. “On that note, your storage rings will be returned to you, after each of you has sworn a Heart Oath of service to me.”
He felt as though the results of everything he said had them on a yo-yo. He’d say something as they calmed, then they’d all react. Rinse and repeat.
“I, Qin Bai Lian, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal and true to you, Joram Aneath, until the day I find my eternal rest,” Bai Lian immediately swore as she slipped out of her chair and knelt before him.
This time it wasn’t just their turn to react, but his as well. Kinkade had not expected Bai Lian’s reaction, more expecting that he’d need to persuade, cajole, or push for them to swear a Heart Oath.
A Heart Oath wasn’t something to be lightly entered. The wording didn’t matter as much as how one circulated their mana, or Qi, while making the oath. It would, like the ones he’d read about in cultivation novels, bind the oath maker to what they’d said. If that person broke that oath, their cultivation would be immediately destroyed, likely killing the oath breaker in the process. Even if they lived, they would no longer be able to cultivate in the future.
“Why go so far?” Ren Wentian asked, directing the question to Bai Lian. “Yes, we’re prisoners, but we can still live our lives with dignity, even if that means we’ll lose our lives for what we’ve done.”
Bai Lian looked over to Wentian as she took her seat again, a slight frown on her face. “This is my way to atone for my actions. Feel free to do what you need to so that you can live with yourself,” she said cooly, surprising both Kinkade and Wentian.
Mo Yu stared at Kinkade while Ren Wentian could only hang his head.
“You can remain here the rest of your days,” Kinkade said, directing his words more at Wentian than Mo Yu. “You’ll remain prisoners.”
Mo Yu shook her head. “My life ended when I came here. My life was given back to me, by you,” she said as she slipped from her chair and knelt before him. “I, Li Mo Yu, swear by the Heavens that I will be loyal, true, and faithful to you, Joram Aneath, forevermore,” she said, altering the wording slightly, but in significant and profound ways.
Both Bai Lian and Wentian’s eyes went wide, their faces red. For that oath sounded like nothing less than a marriage vow. Once the shock of those words wore off enough, Bai Lian jumped to her feet, finger pointing at Mo Yu.
“Even if you,” she blushed again furiously, “you swear that, I’m still the first! I won’t lose to you!”
Once the words registered to her forebrain, Bai Lian turned scarlet, then her brain promptly shut down for a reboot, causing her to crumple to the floor in a heap. Everyone was too stunned to even react to that.
The silence in the room stretched out as each person processed the things that had been said.
Mo Yu had the grace to look embarrassed with all that had been said, a faint blush colouring her cheeks as she looked to the side to avoid eye contact with anyone else.
Wentian just looked lost.
Kinkade could relate. He hadn’t expected Mo Yu to go that far with her oath, nor did she, he suspected. Or maybe she hadn’t thought out how it would sound to those present when said out loud? Either way, what was said, was said and done. Though, he idly wondered if that counted as him getting married.
“So, ah, what do you say, Ren Wentian?” Kinkade finally asked, turning his attention to the man.
“I, Ren Wentian, swear by the Heavens to be loyal and true to you, Joram Aneath, until the day I die,” he said, also changing the wording from what Bai Lian had sworn.
It didn’t escape his notice that the wording of Wentian’s oath made it so that it would end when he died. So, even if Joram brought him back again, the oath would no longer be binding as it would have been fulfilled upon his death.
Mo Yu gave Wentian a look as she, too, noticed the change in wording and what it meant.
Kinkade just nodded, as that didn’t really matter much to him. So long as they wouldn’t betray him or work against him in any way, then he was fine with what they’d sworn.
“Well, with that done, here are your storage rings,” he said, fishing them out of an inner pocket in his robes and placing them on the table. He glanced down at the still unconscious Bai Lian then nodded to Mo Yu. “Could you take her to her room to rest? I’ve arranged other rooms for you all. Just follow this to find them,” he said, handing Wentian a slip of paper with instructions and their addresses on it.
Wentian nodded, handed the paper to Mo Yu before she could pick up Bai Lian, then scooped up Bai Lian in her stead.
He shouldn’t have been surprised at that, given that they’d known each other before coming here. But he was pleased that the man cared enough for his junior sister to care for her. Now, it might have also been his pride coming out, not wanting to make a woman perform such a task. Who knew?
Kinkade shrugged as they left, the door closing behind them, leaving him alone in the small meeting room he’d used for the gathering. He looked out the window as he switched back to his normal form, wondering if Joram would let him and Asura go on their outings again any time soon.
Sure, he appreciated how important working on the replicators had been, and still was, but he found that the sliver of personality that Joram had used to create him had a bit more of an extroverted side to it. The augments to [Schism] that they’d developed and were using took principles from creating a psicrystal to make it work. Thus, their slightly different personalities and quirks.
Yeah, he was practically itching to get out into the wider world again. He also knew that it was very important for them, his family, and the other refugees, that he and Asura go out and make Crystals. He also wanted to go out exploring more; to find precious resources for them to use.
He was half-tempted to head to the cloning building and have a body made for himself so that things would be easier while he was out and about. It wouldn’t be like Avi’s body where she was effectively her own person, autonomous while still being connected to Joram at the level of their souls.
He, Kinkade, wasn’t his own being; he was a psionic construct that would disappear once [Schism] ended. That didn’t bother him, as he was effectively just a supe’d-up multi-tasking process. He was still Joram. Just another facet of him.
No, the body would just allow for slightly different uses, like actually tasting what he “ate”. It would effectively just be a remotely controlled vehicle, able to be used and discarded as needed. Though, issues might arise should the body fall into the wrong hands….
Hmm, further contemplation needed, he thought as he shifted back to the lab.
The one thing he would miss about the Realm when travelling was the ease with which he was able to get around. Since the Realm was part of Joram, and thus him, he could just choose where he wanted to be and not have to expend any more energy on that shift than thinking about it. [Teleport] cost psionic power to use, and thus reduced available resources in case of an emergency, and [Teleport, Greater] cost even more.
Heck, he could even use [Interplanetary Teleport], but that was just overkill. He wouldn’t need something like that unless he travelled to another star system.
Kinkade shook his head, once gain he was procrastinating his work on the replicators in favour of letting his mind wander.
Now that he’d finally gotten the basic models made, he could once again work on the more advanced models. At least he and Joram still shared the love of making things!