Chapter 100
"Go on, child," the aged voice of the Elder urged her to move forward. "Don't be scared."
The world was scary, cold, and unfeeling today.
It wasn't always this way, Shui'er recalled. Just a week ago, she was loved and cared for, and the world was full of song and color. What has changed in the seven days? She didn't know. Just last night, after washing her, Maids had her don a silken night gown with embossing purple, lithe and light, before telling her to kneel in front of the altar all night and pray. Shui'er was a good kid, and she obeyed diligently, praying from the bottom of her heart--for all ten minutes before dozing off and falling asleep.
Luckily, she'd woken up before anyone entered the room, settling herself back into the praying pose. It wasn't but ten minutes later that the Elder entered and quickly ushered her out. There seemed to be a strange procession of people outside, two groups lining on either side of the road leading outside the village and up a hill into the Forbidden Woods. Among those were even her parents and her older brother, but when she called out toward them, they looked away.
Even her friends, as well as her Maids, and her teachers... none of them spoke to her. Not when she was walking through the village, not when she had existed it, and not now, when she was at the top of the hill, staring at the fluttering shrubberies between the trees. The Elder was telling her to go into the woods, into the spooky, horrid, terrifying edge of the world where bad children were sent to be punished. Was Shui'er a bad child? No! She wasn't! She was studious, she was pretty, she was proper, and she always addressed her elders with respect!
So... why was she being sent into the woods?
Why was the Elder who taught her with love and care as far back as she could remember looking at her so strangely? There was darkness in his eyes that she never saw before, and though he was smiling, Shui'er could tell it was a bad smile. A bad, bad smile that wicked people had.
But the Elder wasn't a wicked person. Nobody in the village was. They were all nice, and they all loved her. No, not anymore--if they loved her, they wouldn't be sending her into the Forbidden Woods.
"Elder--"
"--hush, child," her tender plea was rejected coldly. "This is for the good of us all. You're a good girl, Shui'er, right? Good girl who loves her friends and parents?"
"Y-yes..."
"Then be a good girl and go on. Save us. It will only be scary for a little while, child, but not much after. We will all be saved thanks to you, Shui'er. Good girls, yes, good girls would want to save us, right Shui'er?"
"Yes..."
She was cry, clutching tightly her dress with her shaky fingers.
What else could she do but say yes?
What else could she do but begrudgingly step forward under the Elder's heavy gaze?
What else could she do but endure her heart breaking into thousands of pieces?
Her feet hurt rather quickly, as she was barefoot. The fallen branches were rough, as were the countless tiny pebbles. Even the leaves seemed to have an edge to them, like sharpened knives.
She cried and walked, her vision blurring because of the trees. But she endured, onward and beyond the shrubberies and between the trees. Flowers arose from the sides, beautiful and horrifying, and colors swelled... yet the world was dull and gray.
She didn't know how long she walked before she lost all her strength, falling down. Unable to endure it any longer, she cried aloud, her voice a sorrowful wail echoing out into the forest's depth.
Why?
She asked a thousand times.
Why her?
She was a good girl.
Prim.
Obedient.
Diligent.
She cried and cried and cried, losing what little strength she had and falling to her side. Darkness swelled even amidst the spruced colors of the forest, and she found herself drifting.
It was cold.
Shui'er's eyes snapped open and she gasped for breath, shivering violently for a moment as she clutched her chest and stood up. Looking around frantically, she could seldom see a thing; everywhere, it was only darkness. Deep and morbid. And in the distance, she could hear... sounds. They were unpleasant sounds, strange and beastly, for the night had woken the monsters of the woods from their slumber.
She found a nearby tree and crawled over toward it, making herself seem as small as possible. Kneading her head into her knees, she didn't cry. Not for lack of want, but for lack of strength. She was hungry and thirsty and tired, and her feet and legs hurt, and her hair was disheveled.
Why?
There it was again, the question. The question that rang across her mind a thousand times, but never echoed an answer. She flinched, hearing strange, rustling sounds from nearby. They've come, she knew--monsters liked little girls, she heard. The tender, sweet, young flesh. She would be their feast tonight.
The leaves parted and from the nearby shrubbery she saw a pair of demonic eyes shimmer and shine; they were as round as the full moon, red like pomegranate, and thirsty. Thirsty for her, she knew.
And yet, even knowing so... what was she to do? Her entire body froze, cold and bereft of life, as the silhouette began to form while emerging. Perhaps it would devour her head first, and that would be it. Then again, it might want to play with her, gnawing away piece by piece until there was nothing left of her.
She prepared a scream in her throat that never left it--rather than a demonic monster with the form that would induce nightmares, what she saw was a rather shaggy dog instead. The dog's fur was gray and wavy, and its tongue was flapping back and forth as it panted, looking at her curiously. The red hue in its eyes softened and turned silverish, and even its size was no larger than that of an ordinary pup.
Poor dog!
Was he, too, abandoned? Or did he get lost?
"T-t-t-hat way!" Shui'er cried out softly, pointing toward where she came from. "Th-that's, that's the exit! Go! It's scary here!" however, despite her frantic cries, the dog never moved. Rather, its panting ceased and its tongue retired into its maw as it seemed to examine her.
"Woof!" it then barked, walking over and biting her dress before pulling it. It did so a few times before letting go and pointing with his head in the opposite direction, wagging its tail.
"Y-you... want me to follow you?" she wondered aloud.
"Woof!" the dog barked back.
It was stupid, Shui'er knew. There was no way a dog could talk, and there was no way she could understand it. It was all her stupid imagination, her tiredness, and her sorrows. But...
She stood up, dusting off her dress aimlessly. The dog barked yet again and started walking, and Shui'er followed. Its pace was rather slow, yet in perfect concert with her fastest. She followed the wagging tail as though it were a beam of light in a dark cave, all so against her childlike judgment. She would perish between these trees, anyway, she knew. Perhaps in her deluded want, she might yet reach a pretty fairy or two that will let her go in peace.
They walked and walked for a good while, and the trees grew taller and taller. And yet, at the same time, the darkness... dimmed. More and more, beams of moonlight managed to find their way through the canopy, illuminating the thick, tall roots and shrubberies. She'd often have to stop and climb over, and the dog would wait for her patiently, never urging her. Here and there, she'd stumble and fall, and the dog would walk up to her and lick her bruises and scrapes. And she would pet his shaggy fur and he would bark, and then they'd walk again.
Soon enough, Shui'er saw something that stunned her perhaps even more than the dog--she saw flickering lights in the distance, buried between the trees. Her heart jumped into her throat and she sped up as much as she could. Her tiny feet were already bruised and bloodied, and she could seldom feel them, but she urged whatever little strength she had in her teeny body to carry her onward.
The dog led her toward the light, and soon the trees began to part, and she stumbled upon a clearing.
There were hallowed flames roaring, tall and mighty and bright, and there was a house as tall as the sky.
"Eh?" and there was a voice, causing Shui'er to look to the side where she saw a dark silhouette stand up from behind the flames. It was a giant! A massive, bulky giant! And he had wild hair and wild beard and he had a wild look in his eyes!
Stupid dog led her to a giant that would eat her!
"Noooooo!!" she cried out in shock before weakness completely took over her, and she found herself drifting into the dark. Don't eat me, giant! she yelped inwardly. Shui'er is a good girl...
Chapter 101
Uh, what the hell is this tiny little thing?!
Leo cautiously walked over to a young girl that had appeared out of nowhere, well after midnight, and fell over to her side, comatose. Gray dutifully sat by her side, looking proud as ever, and Leo couldn't help but look at him strangely. First it was him appearing out of nowhere, then it was him leading him to Whiskers, and now... now he'd led what looked like a child back to his camp. There was something strange about this dog, and it had nothing to do with cultivation.
He crouched by the girl's side and took a closer look; she looked to be no older than ten, perhaps eleven, and was in a rather sorry state. Her feet were bruised and bloodied, gashes and lacerations aplenty decorating them. The dress she wore was torn and shredded, revealing even more wounds across her legs. Disheveled hair, cracked fingernails, dirt everywhere... if she were an ordinary child, it would be quite a harrowing sight. But Leo had doubts.
After all, this was a fantasy world--and in fantasy worlds, young girls were often old hags unable to let go of their youth. There was a good chance that this entire thing was a trap to let his guard down. Even if Gray led her here, it wasn't as though the dog had any keen sense of right or wrong. He was just a dog, at the end of the day.
He touched her cheek gently, frowning. She was rather cold, and it wasn't long before she began to whimper.
Leo sighed, relenting. If she was an old hag, then so be it, he figured. He scooped her gently into his arms and walked into the longhouse, finding one of the empty rooms and settling her down on the bed. Plucking a blanket from his spatial ring, he threw it at her and retreated. Though she had wounds everywhere, most seemed shallow and relatively unthreatening. He wasn't about to disrobe a comatose kid in the middle of the night, even if a gaping black hole opened up above them.
He didn't close the doors, and Gray entered after him, likely due to curiosity, though perhaps to keep an eye out on her. Glancing one last time at the trembling little thing under the covers, Leo sighed and left the longhouse instead of going upstairs to sleep. Tonight, he would meditate and cultivate, even if he wasn't feeling like it.
"It's just one thing after another," he mumbled as he exited the structure, looking around. Most everyone besides the usual suspects had left, and the night's silence was permeating every corner. He went back to the last roaring flame and stoked it again, sitting by its side cross-legged and closing his eyes.
Even if he was tempted to check in on her, he stayed outside, figuring that one of the animals would come and fetch him if things took a turn for worse. They never did, though, as night grew ever so brighter, and as the dawn ascended.
**
It was scary.
Dark. Unsettling. Silent.
Shui'er snapped her eyes open in horror and gasped for breath. It was strangely warm and comfortable, and after rubbing her eyes to make sure, she realized she was lying in bed inside some unknown room. It wasn't a particularly spruced room, with some haggard items thrown in the corners, lacking any decorations or even furniture beyond the bed itself. There was a window to her right, slightly ajar, letting in the beams of sunlight as they streaked across the floor.
Glancing to her left, she met a familiar set of eyes--beady, large, and curious-looking. The shaggy dog was there, sitting by the bedside and observing her silently.
That's right!
This stupid dog led to her to that giant! But no, wait--if giant wanted to eat here, how come she was still alive? Or, perhaps, was he one of those perverted giants that ate little girls while they were awake? Shui'er shook and shivered, pulling the warm blanket over her chest and eyeing the dog warily.
A set of footsteps alarmed her as she looked over to the opened doors, fearing that giant peeking through. Instead, however, it was a cute little kitten, no larger than a bowl of food. It meowed gently and nimbly climbed up onto the shaggy dog, eyeing her too right after.
Before she had the chance to process everything, more and more animals started walking through those doors--there was a stranger rabbit, a six-armed monkey, a weird owl, a pair of black and white cats(?), there was a tiny bear cub, a parrot--
Shui'er felt the stars spinning as her room turned into a walk-in zoo of sorts, crowded to the ceiling. However, none of the animals came even near the bed, let alone near her, keeping their distance and observing her. However, even so, she was terrified; there was so little of her, and so many of them. Perhaps... perhaps that giant would fatten her up and then eat her? Or share her with all these animals?
"Where is everyone--ah," a voice startled her, causing her to turn her head towards the doors. There he was! The giant!
However... he wasn't as scary as she made him up to be. Now that she could see him clearly, he seemed a bit softer; yes, he still had wild, devilish hair and beard, and he was still massive--tall and broad--and he wore strange clothes, but his voice was rather soft and melodic and the look in his eyes... yes, it was gentle.
"Everyone, out. Why did you come here to bother her? Out, or no dinner for you!" his words were like reckoning thunder, like a whip even--every animal, including the dog and the kitten, ran out as though for their lives. Within just three and a half seconds, the room was empty--save for him and her. She looked up and met his gaze, and he smiled. "Hey. Are you hungry?" she didn't have a voice in her to reply, but she did her best to nod. "Hm. Do you want to eat outside or in here?"
Shui'er clutched her fingers into a fist and shot herself full of determination. If she would die, it wouldn't be in some dull, stinky room! Before she could leave the bed, he called out suddenly.
"Ah, wait--here," he put down a pair of sandals near the bed. "I, uh, I can also carry you if your feet hurt."
She shook her head and donned the pair of sandals. They were quite soft and comfortable, and though her feet did hurt, she was a brave girl and ignored it, only whimpering once or a twice. She followed him out of the room and around the corner and through a rather massive hall where quite a few animals were currently sleeping, and out the tall doors.
The world outside was alive with colors and sounds that caused her heartbeat to quicken. The Forbidden Woods was a scary, scary, scary place. It was where monsters lived, monsters who ate people, and where even flowers were deathly and lethal.
However, this place... was simply beautiful. The trees were tall, yes, but they were bright and dashing. The animals were all cute and rolling around lazily. The flowers decorated the nearby shrubberies with the wildest colors. The air was clear and she never found it easier to breathe.
"Here, sit," the man pointed at a small boulder with a cushion on top. She nodded and followed instructions as he poured something from a massive, black pot into a bowl. "It's a vegetable stew. I don't have any meat, unfortunately. I hope you'll like it."
Shui'er remained silent, though she did take the bowl. She was hungry, after all; hungry, tired, afraid, and nervous. What was happening--that was her question. Was the giant really just fattening her up?
She couldn't quite reconcile what she knew of this place and what it was actually like. It was bright, sunny, and relaxing; there were no animals howling or growling, nobody was fighting, and though there was a scary giant in their midst... he, too, seemed strangely gentle. Or, perhaps, did she fall asleep in the dark, and never quite wake up?
"Ah!" she exclaimed upon the first bite, her eyes widening. It was delicious! Super, super delicious! More so than any other food she'd ever eaten before in her life! Even the sweet bread wasn't anywhere near delicious as this!
Impatient, she began to gobble it up, choking for a moment, coughing so much that her eyes grew teary, but eating further immediately after. She didn't stop until the entire bowl was empty, finally realizing what she'd done. Her cheeks flared up, and she felt every ounce of heat upon them; growing fidgety, she shyly looked to her side where she saw the giant looking at her with a smile.
"More?" instead of making fun of her, or correcting her behavior, he simply offered more... and she accepted.
She ate three whole bowls in total before she finally felt full--perhaps even too full. Silence fell, and it weighed heavily upon her, though only for a moment.
"T-thank you," she squeezed a voice between her teeth; it was low and barely audible, and permeated with fear and uncertainty, but it was hers.
"I'm glad you liked it," the giant stood up and walked over to one of the strange huts besides the massive building, shuffling inside for a moment before leaving. In his hands, he carried two cups, handing her one. Inside was a rather colorful and sweet-smelling liquid that seemed to kindle her full stomach yet again with yearning. She took a sip and felt... divine.
Shui'er felt her entire body grow strangely wobbly, but not in a bad way. The pulsating pain from her feet and legs slowly disappeared, and the fog in her mind dispersed. Every sip, it felt, returned years of life back to her.
"... thank you," she squeezed the words yet again, though grew even more worried. Why? Why was he treating her so nicely? What would he ask of her in return? Would he, too, ask of her to brave the dark in the name of saving the village? She didn't want to. Not again.
She didn't want to feel the cold. The fear. The pain.
"What's your name?"
"Shui'er."
"How old are you, Shui'er?"
"Eleven."
"My name is Leo."
"Hm."
"Can you guess how old I am?" she looked up from the floor and at his face yet again. He seemed old, yet young, both so at the same time.
"Uhm, eighty-seven?"
"Kah!"
"A-ah, sorry! A hundred and eighty-seven?"
"S-stop, I'm... I'm dying here."
"S-sorry! Shui'er's a bad girl, I'm sorry--"
"--no, no," the man suddenly laughed rather gently, shaking his head. "Do I really look that old? Aah, maybe I should shave and get a haircut. I'm only thirty-seven, you know? Ah, I suppose... I should be turning thirty-eight around this time, huh?"
Shui'er bit her lips and clutched her hands between her thighs. She'd done something wrong, and she would now be punished. She only hoped that the punishment wouldn't hurt.
"I'm sorry if I scared you," the giant said. "I don't mind it, you know? I just didn't think I'd still be conscious of my age. Goes to show that I haven't grown-up as much as I thought, I guess. Since Gray led you here, and since you followed him... I'm guessing you don't have anywhere else to go."
"N-no," she mumbled. Where else? Back to the village? No. Never.
"What the hell's wrong with this world," the man mumbled softly, mostly so into his jaw, but Shui'er heard. She braved looking up yet again, meeting his gaze. The color of his eyes reminded her of the woolen parka that she quite liked wearing. "You can stay here, if you don't mind. There's not much to do, but you'll be safe, at least."
"T-thank you," she said, growing firm with determination. "I, I will work! I can, yes, I can clean, and I can carry things! I may be small, but I am strong! Very strong!"
"Ha ha, I'm sure you are," his large hand suddenly hovered over her as fear took over. She closed her eyes, steeling herself; however, he merely patted her head rather gently as he spoke further. "But I'd sooner walk bare-ass naked into a lake of shattered glass than let a kid work. Don't worry about it. There's a rather nice pond nearby where I take baths. Do you want me to take you there, or would you prefer one of the animals?"
"... y-you," she mumbled softly.
"Is that so? Let's go, then," he stood up, extending his arm with yet another smile. She followed, reaching out and grabbing it. In comparison, she truly was tiny--her whole fist was barely large enough to tangle around one of the giant's fingers. It was coarse and rough, but also warm and gentle.
Why?
Perhaps, for the first time, she didn't ask why. She merely followed the large footsteps the best she could, never looking away from his face even after stumbling a few times. Maybe, just maybe... there was happiness in reserves for her waiting still.
Chapter 102
They'd reached it, the Broch.
The canyon between the various cliffs was far narrower than it was at the top; there were far fewer plateaus, too, and jutting sides that could house any manner of structures. Those structures, too, were far smaller; they were less forts than they were constable offices with some walls and secondary facilities.
There were far more tunnel openings, too, with Yue noting just shy of two hundred within her field of vision that was quite limited. The winds this deep were also fast and cutting and yet, despite that, there was permeating fog that colored the entire place with certain haze that never seemed to lift.
It was never silent, too; either it was the winds howling through drafts, or it was some distant beasts sounding out into the dark. The atmosphere was truly incomparable to anything above, and yet, Yue didn't necessarily feel fear. While there was some heaviness to it, the truth was that there were forts almost everywhere, spreading out warding arrays that were frequently overlapping. In fact, in more than just one or two ways, this place seemed even safer than the ones above.
"Most of the Sect Disciples only ever come this deep," as though having read her mind, Gon quickly fired off an explanation. "To train and expand their horizons, as it were. As such, most forts here are sustained by the Sects themselves, headed by one or another external Elder. It is not so obvious on the surface as the mutually-agreed-upon laws don't necessarily permit it, but such is the reality. There are arrays abound, even inside the tunnels, and most of the experienced guides can be found on this layer. The pay is lucrative, and it is seldom dangerous."
"What about the flooding, then? Don't the Disciples go down after it?" Liang queried.
"They do, but do so in groups of hundreds, often thousands. If you were a Demonic Beast, or even an Other, would you dare intercept them?"
"Ah, suppose not."
"Hm," Gon nodded. "For the most part of the year, however, this is where the vast majority of the Disciples reside. Well, that's not quite true--where the valued Disciples reside. Those weaker ones tend to stick to the layers between the Crown and the Broch, and the desperate ones forsake themselves and try to reach the Sword. Unfortunately, even with an experienced guide, reaching the Sword still requires a level of luck and strength that most of them do not have. Some, on occasion, though, do succeed, but what awaits them is being the rungs and rats of the Seniors down below. Years of slaving away, if they're lucky, to have a chance to reshape their destiny."
"This place is more complicated than I thought," Yue said, frowning faintly.
"And it is still only but a surface of it all," Gon chuckled, rubbing his beard. "Let us depart for Eon Sanctuary. We can rest there for a day or two and resupply."
"Resupply?"
"Going further down than this," Gon spoke as they walked. "There are no more shortcuts, no safe passages, no secret ways to descend without danger. Every tunnel is infested, every path is a battle, every corner a potential trap. However, if cultivators had to fight every hour of every day on their way down, nobody, not even those at Soul Ascendance Realm, would have managed to reach the Sword, let alone the Cradle. As such, Alchemists concocted powders and pills that can alleviate some of the struggle of the descent."
"Ah, sort of like Beast-Scattering Powder that is popular on the outside?" Liang asked.
"Uh, sort of like that, I suppose? But not quite."
"Not quite?"
"Hm," the old man nodded as they took a sharp turn into a nearby tunnel. A perfectly-shaped sphere of light illuminated the rough and coarse walls that slowly began to narrow as they reached toward the tunnel's exit. "Most repelling powders on the outside are made from herbs and such--for instance, Cave Wolves, naturally, cannot stand the scent of lythmia. However, lythima doesn't really bloom anywhere near their natural habitat, and even on the rare occasion that the two overlap, it is in such small doses that it only acts as an irritant more so than anything else. Lythmia Powder, though, is a massive concentration that would cause physical harm to the wolves if they were to come in close contact. It's not only made for the Cave Wolves, but Lythmia Powder doesn't really have some sort of a universal role."
"Right."
"Here, it's a bit different--powders are made from the carcasses of Demonic Beasts." Gon's words shocked the duo, but they kept it to their expressions. "The stronger the Demonic Beast was, the stronger the powder. Instead of acting as a natural repellant, it's more so a cautionary one--if the Demonic Beast smells a scent of another, more powerful one on you, it will probably think twice about attacking. It's not a guarantee, though; hunger, fear, new mothers... there are a myriad of reasons why the powder may fail. However, it's as good of a shield as we have."
"You also mentioned pills?" Yue asked as they showed their identifications at the entrance. The pair of guards seemed to mumble something among themselves as they passed, but as Yue was too invested in Gon's story, she didn't pay much attention to it. If it was something alarming, she felt Liang would have picked up on it instead.
"The pills work in the reverse of the powder," Gon said. "You toss 'em, make them explode, and they scatter out an attractive scent, often a mix of herbs and weak but delicious animals and Demonic Beasts. It causes the entire set of tunnels nearby to go berserk and for almost every Demonic Beast to converge toward the location. The pill has multitude of uses--distraction, baiting, training, and so on. In combination with the powder, and some other pills--mostly poison pills meant to inflict ailments on the Demonic Beasts--it is the safest way to go about descending."
"They can't be cheap, I imagine," Liang said.
"Ordinary ones are, and they are, for the most part, good enough that you'll get around eight to ten hours of peace a day. But yes, the powerful ones are expensive. The best of the best can go as high as a Sky-Tier Weapon does."
"Wow!" the two exclaimed as Gon led them to a nearby inn--it was one of the six facilities that existed beyond the main keep, and the largest one to boot. There was a decent stream of cultivators going in and out, and most wore Disciple robes of various Sects of the Lower Ashlands. Yue even spotted a couple of younger kids, no older than twelve, who were accompanied by an Elder, all three of whom belonged to the Heavenly Jade Pavilion Sect, the strongest Sect of the Lower Ashlands.
"What about the Others?" Liang asked.
"... there are no shortcuts, I'm afraid," Gon said with a faint sigh. "The best we have is a weekly-updated map that is free to observe for everyone that details where they attacked the last seven days. It can be indicative of their movements, but as they burrow their homesteads deep into the cliff, it is extremely difficult to avoid them, and twice as difficult to find them. The good news is that purely homicidal attacks are rather rare--most times, they'll simply ask for a 'passing fee', a gentleman's way of robbing you, and let you go."
"That's why everyone leaving the fort is carrying bags of food," Liang said, prompting Yue to look around and finally realize it herself. She felt her cheeks flush red in shame as she completely failed to notice it, too engrossed in the conversation. Liang, on the other hand, paid attention to both. More and more, her goofy Junior Brother seemed far cleverer and better-prepared than her. No, she realized--he was. He was a Sect Disciple for over ten years, having gone out on dozens of missions. There was no way she'd be more prepared for something like this over him, someone who barely ever left her Clan before running away.
"Yes. Very, very, very few things grow in the tunnels and the caves, and even fewer of those are edible. Most of the Demonic Beasts, too, have developed various poisons and venoms that make them, at best, dangerous to eat and at worst deadly. As such, the Others are left with very few ways to feed themselves--catching mortal animals, of which there are fewer and fewer with every passing year, feast on the weed and moss that has about as much nutritional value as bricks and stones, grow Wood Ear Mushrooms and endanger the entire settlement as the Demonic Beasts are quite sensitive to its light, rob the increasingly rich cultivators that pass by, or just... die."
Yue felt a trace of sympathy in the aged voice, though didn't comment on it. It wasn't her place, after all; whatever transpired in the Cradle over the countless years, only a fraction of it ever made it out. And even that only through second or third account stories, all embellished beyond count. To her, the Others were no different than Demonic Beasts, both in the context of the Cradle as well as outside of it. They were one of the few enemies that both the martial artists as well as mortals had in common.
Actual humans, even if they were criminals, colluding with the mutated beasts that wish to call themselves humans, too, put them all on the lowest rungs of the living, just about where the Demonic Beasts resided. However, Yue had never actually met an Other--she'd seen bandits aplenty, and fought them a few times as well, but never the Other. She only ever saw the sketches of their appearances, but as for how accurate those were, she had no means of knowing. Unless, of course, they encountered some in the tunnel. Ah, perish the thought...
"You two rest in the inn," Gon said as they settled inside the rather small room. "I will go visit some shops and buy the supplies. This time of year... I'm afraid there won't be any Angelic Powder, which is what we call the highest-quality one."
"It's fine, just grab whichever," Liang said.
"Hm," Yue saw a glint of condescension in Gon's eyes as the old man merely nodded before leaving.
She turned toward her Junior Brother and saw him sighing, glancing back at her with a faint, fading smile.
"What?" he asked.
"You seem... on edge." she said.
"He's a sympathizer," Liang said.
"A what?"
"A sympathizer," he explained. "Someone who likely believes that, at least in part, the Others are no different than us."
"Is that wrong?"
"Uhm, not so much wrong as it's dangerous," he said. "Have you ever met an Other?"
"No. You?"
"Once. Shortly after I joined the Sect, we had a class where one was trotted out in chains and binds in front of us. He, she, it, whatever it was... it was tiny, no larger than a child. And it seemed calm, unassuming, almost indifferent to its own plight. After relaxing a bit, we, being the kids that we were, started playing with it--poking, prodding, pinching... but it showed no reaction." Yue listened carefully as Liang's voice dropped. "At some point, rather than fun... it just seemed kind of sad. However, the Elder in charge didn't reprimand us, merely staying on the side. Then, Jao tripped, skidding his knee and drawing some blood. As soon as it caught sight of the blood... it went berserk."
Liang took a moment's break as Yue felt her heart quicken, image forming inside her mind.
"Its tiny frame bulged to nearly twice its size within a second, ripping through the chains and the binds as though they weren't even there. The calm, indifferent expression was distorted beyond anything I'd seen, and in that moment, I was certain I was going to die. That was when the Elder stepped in and restrained it. Do you know how Others came about to be, Yue?"
"..." once again, he used her name. She flinched slightly but shook her head still.
"The most common way is through corruption--someone desperate, or otherwise emotionally charged, dabbling with Demonic Essence. The Essence, then, dislodges a part of who they are and replaces it with something else entirely. The truth is that the Other I saw as a kid is a rather rare mutation--most do not look that different than ordinary people. Perhaps an unnatural limb, an extra eye, or even just something inside that you cannot see with the naked eye. However, all of them, without exception, suffer the same affliction: Blood Rage. As soon as blood is drawn, the Demonic Essence within them awakens and completely transforms them into demented beasts. And once they're in that state, they can never go back. For all intents and purposes, they become humanoid Demonic Beasts, except even more aggressive.
"That's why I was often warned by the Elders and Seniors back in the Sect, that if I ever come here... I should stay away from the sympathizers. Chances are, someone close to them was Changed at some point in time, but never awakened fully. They will see the world loudly dub them monsters, while the Other hasn't done anything wrong."
"--is there a way to reverse it?" Yue asked.
"A few," Liang nodded. "But they are so inordinately expensive and seen as a complete waste of resources that only a few attempts have ever been made. For the most part, they are either killed, imprisoned, or banished."
"Then, we should be careful," Yue said, not knowing whether she'd be any different than Gon if someone close to her underwent that 'change'.
"Hm, we should," Liang mumbled before choosing a corner and sitting down to meditate.
There was so much, Yue realized, that she didn't know--though she was always aware on some level that her knowledge of the world of cultivation was fairly limited due to her upbringing, ever since joining Master and befriending Liang, she'd become rather cognizant of the fact that she knew practically nothing. Beyond just the shallow knowledge of famous Sects, Factions, and some minor things about cultivation itself, she was wholly blind.
The Cradle, its layers, Disciples, the flooding, and now the Others and the Demonic Beasts... was every corner of the world infested with stories, interesting and otherwise, that she was never privy to? Was the same true of her home, the Forest? Likely yes, she knew.
She relaxed in her Master's shade, forgetting that the Nameless Forest wasn't a home to anyone, least of all a stupid, young girl like her. And yet, she lived there, embraced by the Spirits. If she told it to anyone in the world, nobody would believe her. It was such a moronic statement that they'd think she went into Qi Reflux and was dying.
Sighing, she retreated into the corner as well, sitting down and closing her eyes. Whatever shall come, may. She still had the feather and the scroll with her, always one finger away from activating either. In time, she would learn, she promised herself--learn not just of this place and its many secrets, but everywhere. The Forest, her own clan, Liang's Sect, and all other Sects of the Lower Ashlands. She would learn it all, and then lord her knowledge over her stupid Junior Brother.
Chapter 103
Kids were truly something else, Leo mused while watching Shui'er running around relentlessly, chasing after Gray while Whiskers chased after them both. Even when she slipped and stumbled and fell, she just got back up and continued, nothing but a big, beaming smile on her face.
One would think it had been months, perhaps even years since she crawled into his camp--but no, it has only been two days. The transformation was rather magical and surreal (largely the latter), since she was so abjectly timid that she barely uttered a sound her first day and night here. And yet, there she was, running around without a care in the world. In fairness, that was how children ought to be--free, unrestrained, though still watched over.
He didn't have the heart to ask how she came here, and she never volunteered the information. After all, young kids don't simply stumble upon this place while going out to explore a little bit, especially considering the forest's lore in the outside world. Either she was dumped here by her family or people she knew for one reason or another, or she was forced to come here by the circumstances--sort of like Lya and Song did the first time around.
"Uncle Leo, Uncle Leo! Look at this flower!" she suddenly ran toward him, clutching an alyssum flower whose petals all had different colors. "It's so pretty! Isn't it?"
"Yes, yes, very pretty..." in the span of just 30 hours or so, Leo had gone through quite a few nicknames--it started with Old Man, then Master, then Senior, there was also a brief period when she called him Savior, but after desperate begging, he finally got her to call him Uncle Leo at the very least. Uncle, after all, he could be. If Sarah grew up as he did, chances were that he would have become an uncle.
"Ah, no fair, Whiskers! I wasn't looking!" the young kitten snapped the flower from her hands and ran off, with Shui'er running after it immediately.
All Leo could do was sit down and sip on the fruit juice, watching the scene play out. Perhaps... yes, it was very much possible that he was dreaming this thing up. Or, at the very least, partially so. But it did him little good to dwell on his own idiosyncrasies, so he moved on quickly.
What bothered him more, however, was that he knew nothing about young kids--especially young girls. Women in their twenties and thirties? Sure, he knew a thing or two. Even teenage girls, he knew the broadstrokes of it all, though those broadstrokes probably changed in fifteen years since he'd been a teenager himself. Young girls? Zilch.
He also had no change of clothes that fit her--he had quite a few robes and other items of clothing in his spatial ring, but none that fit her. And even if he by some miracle knew how to sew (which he most decidedly did not), it wasn't as though he had a whole heap of sewing tools just lying around. The one dress that she had was already torn up by the time she came here, and with two (well, one, really) extra day of running around and falling repeatedly, it was just about done.
"Whether I know it or not, it's time to magically learn it..." he mumbled the words into his jaw, preparing to take out one of the spare robes and try and figure out the logistics of turning them from 'meant-for-old-men' to 'kind-of-sort-of appropriate for young girls', when a window appeared in front of him, causing him to sigh.
[Beginner Sewing> + Beginner Sewing Tools -- Free]
[Challenge Generated: '???????' yearns for your cuisine. '???????' feels abandoned as you haven't visited even once after shocking it the first time]
[Quest: Fashion a treat (sweet, sour, or bitter) and present it to '???????'. Your young companion must be the one to present it, though you may accompany her]
[Time Limit: 7 days]
[Bonus Reward: Silenced Black Feather]
[Silenced Black Feather: while on person, muffles all the sounds you make until nothing remains. Can be consumed by burning it, allowing you to hear everything within 10 mile radius. Warning: System suggests you reach at least Nascent Soul Realm before attempting to burn the feather, otherwise you will most likely experience sensory overload and potentially die]
[Punishment for failure: you will not be allowed to communicate in any way for 3 days]
He smiled faintly as the window disappeared, while a splitting headache tore through him. It lasted for less than a second, however, and as it passed, a rather massive bundle of knowledge remained in its place. Though it said that it was 'beginner sewing', Leo pondered silently where it would be considered 'beginner'. As it stood, he now knew how to fashion clothes out of grass and cow milk, something that sounded intrinsically insane, yet was kind of, sort of possible.
There was also a set of tools residing inside his spatial ring, now.
Glancing at Shui're and seeing that she was rolling freely with Gray, he took out what he considered to be the prettiest robe that he had, and went at it. Though it was called 'sewing', it was more akin to material manipulation--Leo didn't have to painstakingly thread a needle a thousand times in an attempt to create a satisfying result; instead, he used to Qi to shear, cut, combine, and reshape the fabric to his liking. The 'tools' were merely conduits that allowed for more minute manipulation, such as threading in new patterns that he would have never been able to do by hand.
Bit by bit, the massive robe that was one size too large even for Leo began to grow smaller and smaller. The long, loose sleeves were rounded and tightened, the shoulders were scaled down, and in just about fifteen minutes, the robe for grown men turned into... well, a dress.
Leo scratched the top of his head in confusion, but no matter how many times he looked at it, it was a dress. A pretty dress, he thought, but not a robe. Then again, it made sense; though he became aware of the 'technicalities' of 'sewing', he wasn't also given a whole heap of designs to copy from. Rather, he had to conjure up the look all by himself, and it seemed that his mind wasn't exactly capable of creating a perfect distinction between a dress and a robe.
Figuring it was fine for the time being as it certainly beat the rag she was wearing at the moment, he set it aside and looked over toward her yet again. She was taking a breather, drinking the fruit juice from a waterskin while Gray and Whiskers licked off the drops that trickled down from the corners of her lips. She must have felt his eyes on her because she turned and faced him as soon as she finished, smiling widely and walking over.
"He he, here!" she handed him the waterskin, causing his eyebrows to twitch temporarily. "Don't be shy, Uncle Leo. I saw you looking at it." Leo took it from her, though immediately felt his lips, now, twitch; there was barely a gulp left in it, and she acted as though she was doing him a massive favor.
"I was actually looking at you," setting the waterskin aside, he said.
"You were?"
"It took me a while, but I made you a dress. Want to see it?"
"A-ah?! Really?!" she jumped, her round eyes widening--they were rather beautifully colored, sapphire-blue at their core with etched golden lines flaking out of her pupils. She crossed the distance between the two and grabbed his arm with hers--she was so short Leo suspected that his arm was actually longer than her altogether. "Show it, show it! Hurry up!"
"Here," smiling gently, he used the free arm to take out the dress and unfurl it. While Shui'er's eyes drew toward the dress, his went toward hers. If at all possible, her eyes widened further and her lips parted... and then tears coalesced and began to slowly streak across her cheeks.
"W-wait, it's so bad that it made you cry? Geez, I didn't think I was that bad--"
"--no, no, it's... it's really pretty," she said, lowering her head and suddenly nestling it into his sides. Her voice turned into a hum as he felt her tears wet his robes. "So pretty it's wasted on me. It's fine. You can just make me something simple instead."
"And what will I do with this, then?" Leo's voice was rather gentle as he spoke, prompting her to look up. "Hang it on the trees? Try to put it on myself? Or give it to the wide assortment of other girls living here whose numbers total in--oh, wait, there's nobody else. Besides, do you know why I made it so pretty? Because I was thinking of you the entire time. And, well, there's this rule--if you're thinking of something pretty, you will make something pretty."
"... there's no such rule," she mumbled, her cheeks flushed with red.
"Are you saying that I'm lying?"
"N-no, of course--"
"--pfft."
"Meanie!"
"Come on, put it on," he said, lifting her as though she were a piece of paper and setting her down while putting the tress into her arms. "Don't worry about anything, okay? I can make as many dresses as you'd like. So, run it in, fall in it, sleep in it."
"No," she shook her head, holding tightly onto the piece of cloth. "This... will be my special day dress."
"As I said--"
"No!"
"I can make--"
"No!"
"... but every day is special--"
"No!"
"Right. Okay. Go, try it on at least," Leo forgot one of the cornerstones of children: their stubbornness. Especially around the stupid things that old people like him could never understand.
She went in and out of the longhouse rather quickly, her footsteps almost soundless. It truly did fit her, though was still a bit too big. Leo himself knew little about fashion--all he focused on was giving it bright colors and some flowers, but it was less so that the dress maketh the girl, and more that the girl maketh the dress.
A distant, distant memory swelled inside his mind for a moment as Shui'er stopped between the two trees, the golden light washing her from behind.
It was for his eleventh birthday, and before Sarah was diagnosed. Though she was half of Shui'er's age, and a full head shorter, she was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. It was one of the few memories he had of her where she was carefree, laughing, and, most importantly, eating most of the cake while nobody was looking. Mom and dad scolded her like crazy, while he defended her. It was one of the few moments where he felt and acted like a big brother.
Though he was a bit too old to be Shui'er's brother, and a bit too incompetent to be any sort of a father figure, he'd become what she called him--an uncle. He'd let her grow and make for her the wings, and part the thorny roads of life. Over and over, he realized, the world was giving him second chances but it silently turned into a whispering curse of the heart. It was as though he could hear her voice from beyond the membrane of life and death itself, whispering softly and coldly.
"Uncle Leo? What's wrong?" Shui'er's voice pulled him back to reality rather suddenly. He realized she was standing right in front of him, grabbing his cheeks as his head was hung low. There was concern on her flushed face, and worry in her radiant eyes, and he could only smile at the sight.
"Ah, your cuteness temporarily stopped my heart."
"..." the worry and the concern disappeared almost immediately, replaced by a frown. "Humph. You're a bad, bad liar." she sauntered off into the longhouse, coming out wearing the old, tattered dress. She glanced at him and scoffed before quickly looking and running away, this time going to bother poor Blackie who was peacefully sleeping nearby.
Leo smiled and looked up toward the sky.
Life was ethereal and sublime, and he merely a tiny fish in its mighty stream. Try as he may to fight it, some things were indispensable. Memories, aching and jubilant alike, were the reason who he was today--and if his was the cursed existence bound to never be freed of the cold whispers, then that was his destiny. He had a chance to make a difference, however small of a one it may be, and for however few people, and instead of wallowing within himself and stewing in silence, he chose to embrace the chance. Again and again. Until either he died, or his innermost heart was finally the way he made it seem.