by A F Kay
Sift’s head snapped up. “What?”
“You may leave with Kysandra and Ruwen when they depart if you wish,” Padda said.
“But what about all that stuff about death?” Sift asked.
Madda took a deep breath. “It is all true. This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, and I’ve lived long enough to make a lot of them. We love you, but your path is your own. For you to grow, you will need to spread your branches.”
Sift dove forward, hugged his mom and then moved to his dad. “Thank you so much. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
Padda smiled sadly. “Being careful will not be enough. You must listen to Kysandra, both of you, if you wish to survive. Your paths are intertwined.”
“Ruwen,” Madda said and waited until their eyes locked. “Kysandra did not ask that you be taught the Steps, but her desire was clear. What is your desire?”
That was a good question. Ruwen didn’t want to die again, but that sounded a bit selfish. The reality was this wasn’t much different than the question Uru had asked him, and recent events had added another desire.
“I desire truth and the ability to protect my friends,” Ruwen said.
Padda and Madda looked at each other before facing Ruwen again.
“That is not the answer I expected from a sixteen-year-old,” Padda said.
“Two days ago it would’ve been different. A lot has happened since then,” Ruwen said.
Padda and Madda whispered to each other in another language, and Ruwen used the distraction to look over at Sift, who had a huge grin on his face
“Ruwen?” Padda asked.
Ruwen faced Padda. “Yes?”
“We wish to offer you the mark of our Clan. It will allow you to retain the techniques and skills associated with our Steps,” Padda said.
Madda continued. “Our Clan is unique in that our Steps do not focus on offense or defense, but encompass the whole. Those who witness our techniques will not be able to clearly recall them unless they bear our mark.”
“We, too, believe in truth,” Padda said.
“And we’re very invested in you protecting your friends,” Madda added looking at Sift.
The chance to learn self defense from masters would be fantastic. It was an incredibly rare opportunity. But he had just discovered a hard lesson about jumping into things without knowing all the consequences.
“Thank you for your generous offer. What will I sacrifice?” Ruwen asked.
“You show your wisdom, Ruwen,” Padda said. “For the first few years you will be learning the initial Steps and only be bound to this rule: purposefully harming a Clan member is forbidden unless your life is in danger.”
“Once you pass Step thirty, you will need to further bind yourself to the Clan. But that is years away,” Madda said.
Padda raised his arm to show his wrist. “Our Clan has ancient enemies who are agents of despair, chaos, and subjugation. Some despise all the Clans for guarding our knowledge. And some wish to test themselves against Clan members. All these and more will be new dangers for you.”
Madda displayed her wrist as well. “Most Clans will welcome and aid you. In a world of darkness, they will be islands of light.”
“If you wish to join our Clan, hold out your right wrist,” Padda said.
The part about new enemies scared Ruwen. He already had so many. But they offered a way for Ruwen to protect himself, and he sorely needed that. If he wished to survive what was coming, he needed every advantage he could gain. He held out his wrist.
A viper coiled around a stalk of bamboo appeared on Padda’s wrist, and then on Madda’s. Unlike with Ky, who had made him repeat a whole litany of promises, Padda placed his wrist on Ruwen’s and then removed it. A bamboo stalk appeared. Madda placed her wrist on Ruwen’s and when she removed it a viper now coiled around the stalk.
A notification appeared with deep red script and like before his whole body felt tingly.
Thrum!
You have been offered a Soul Oath…
Learning to Crawl
A Bamboo Step Grandmaster and a Viper Step Grandmaster have deemed you worthy to bear the mark of the Bamboo Viper Clan, and have offered passage into the Clan’s ranks as a Novice. You vow to never knowingly harm a Clan member unless your life is in danger.
Reward: Novice Mark of the Bamboo Viper Clan
Reward: Ability to retain the first 10 Steps of each style
Warning!
This is a soul binding and bridges death.
Accept or Decline
Ruwen selected Accept, and his whole body warmed like sunshine had enveloped him. The mark flared brightly on his wrist and then faded. He opened the new notification.
Ping!
You have learned the Ability Snake in the Grass
Ability: Snake in the Grass
Level: 1
Class: Any
Effect: Detect the presence of a member of the Bamboo Viper Clan.
Type: AoE
Ruwen noticed new quests. They had the stacked appearance like Ky’s Black Pyramid ones, but the symbol for these was the viper coiled on bamboo. Glancing through them it appeared there were quests for every Step learned for each style. He would look at them in more detail later.
“Welcome to our Clan, Ruwen, Champion of Uru,” Padda said.
“May your Steps lead you to enlightenment,” Madda said.
They each held their left fist out from their body and placed their open right hand on top of the fist. Ruwen mimicked them and bowed.
“You have honored me. I will do my best to learn,” Ruwen said.
“Speaking of that,” Padda said and faced Sift. “Adept.”
Sift held out his fist and covered it with his hand. “Yes, Grandmaster.”
Padda continued. “You will take charge of this Novice’s training. His progress will weigh on the decision for your advancement to Master. Learning the Steps is difficult. Teaching them is harder. Do you accept?”
“I do,” Sift said solemnly.
“May the Steps protect you both,” Madda said. “I fear you will need it.”
Chapter 26
Padda and Madda stood, but Sift remained seated. Both parents sat back down.
“What troubles you, Son?” Padda asked.
“I showed Ruwen a basic breathing exercise, and he immediately dropped into a deep meditation,” Sift said.
“The sign of a tired mind,” Madda said.
Sift glanced at Ruwen and then back at his parents. “They are getting deeper.”
Sift spoke in another language, and Hey You translated one word. “Worried.”
“Sift says you are excellent at meditation,” Madda said.
Ruwen shrugged. “I just learned.”
“How does it make you feel?” Padda asked.
“Rested,” Ruwen said.
“How do you retain your focus?” Madda asked.
“I don’t know. Everything kind of just goes black,” Ruwen said.
“Maybe you could show them,” Sift said.
The three of them stared at Ruwen, and it made his stomach turn in nervousness. He closed his eyes and imagined sitting in an empty room. Everything fell away: his aches, anxiety, fear, until nothing but the emptiness remained.
From a distance, he felt shaking and someone calling his name. Sharp pain on his cheek brought his thoughts back to the present, and he opened his eyes.
Madda had her hand raised to slap him again, but Padda stopped her.
“He’s back,” Padda said.
“Thank the balance,” Madda said.
Sift’s parents sat back down across from Ruwen, and he wondered what he’d done wrong. Why would Madda slap him for meditating? They had told him to do it.
Padda stared at Sift. “When did you teach him?”
“Last night,” Sift said. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, of course not. Meditation is valuable for all things,” Madda said.
Padda and
Madda spoke in a different language, and Sift’s eyes grew wide. Ruwen immediately went to his Abilities tab and used his free ability point to increase Hey You. He wondered if the ability point he gained from the Observer branch could be used on a Worker ability and tried incrementing Hey You again. It worked.
He should have spent time considering the other abilities, but his curiosity demanded to know what these two were saying about him. The second level would take him from a five-year-old’s vocabulary to a basic understanding of the language. The third level made him fluent. His concentrations had been so intense, he’d advanced both times without saying a prayer to Uru.
Ping!
You have advanced the Ability Hey You (Worker Level 2)
Ping!
You have advanced the Ability Hey You (Worker Level 3)
Sift’s parent's conversation became understandable.
“…is bound to Uru. How can he even find his center?” Madda asked.
“I don’t care. We vowed to never fight for those gods again. Why would we throw that away for this boy?” Padda asked.
“You witnessed it. Without guidance, you know the consequences,” Madda said.
“We have taken him into our Clan. He will learn to protect himself. Anything more risks all our lives,” Padda said.
“Have you become so fond of this life that you now fear death?” Madda asked.
Sift held up his hand. “Can I –”
Both Padda and Madda looked at Sift and spoke in unison. “No!”
Sift frowned but remained quiet.
Padda’s voice rose. “All life is our concern, including our own. This play by Uru can only mean that war is imminent. We must not take part this time.”
“We won’t be. We are only keeping this boy from ruining his mind. We will set him on a path and let him crawl down it.”
“You know Uru did this on purpose,” Padda said.
“Of all of them, she is the purest,” Madda said.
“That is irrelevant. Winning results in too much power for a single being to possess, even Uru. And by helping her Champion in this way, we are helping her. Just as she probably planned,” Padda said.
“We have already helped by adding him to our family,” Madda said.
“Don’t make an equivalence. The difference between the Clan and what you propose is a raindrop to a thunderstorm,” Padda said.
“I followed you here. You are my soul mate. But inaction is action itself. We cannot separate ourselves from this conflict.” Madda held up her hand to stop Padda’s argument. “I agree we will not be pawns in their game, but this is about saving this young man’s life, not about the fate of the universe.”
“It is connected,” Padda said.
“Which is why I will not have my balance altered knowing we could have helped this boy and didn’t,” Madda said.
“We could forbid him to meditate,” Padda said.
“Teenagers never listen, and what happens if it reaches for his active mind?” Madda asked.
“We are taking a step that might start an avalanche,” Padda said.
“I created this problem,” Sift said.
Sift’s parents faced him.
“Don’t blame yourself,” Padda said.
Sift shook his head. “If I hadn’t shown him how to meditate, we wouldn’t be sitting here in a circle arguing.”
“Don’t carry baggage that isn’t yours,” Padda said. “He would have learned it from someone at some point.”
“But he didn’t. I taught him. This lands on my scales. If you don’t help him, and something bad happens, it will weigh on us all.”
Madda smiled at Sift. “He has his father’s wisdom.”
“Oh, that is not fair. Flattery and a lecture in the same sentence. I don’t deserve you,” Padda said.
“You do not,” Madda said, still smiling. “But with effort, you might someday.”
“Effort like showing Uru’s Champion how to Cultivate?” Padda asked.
“We are only showing him the path, not guiding him to enlightenment,” Madda said. “I will give him the standard geometry quests. By not revealing our personal Cultivation methods, we can’t be accused of picking a side. It will take the boy decades to finish, and by the time he is ready to move into level two, the situation will be clearer.”
Padda closed his eyes for a few seconds and then sighed. “Fine.”
Madda switched back to Common. “Sorry about that, Ruwen. We were just discussing the best way to help you.”
“Is something wrong?” Ruwen asked.
“Not wrong, just dangerous,” Padda said.
Madda continued. “After the first few seconds, you aren’t even meditating anymore. You’re trying to do something called Cultivating.”
“I’ve heard of that. It’s the magic of the Unclassed and Godless,” Ruwen said.
Padda’s brow furrowed and Madda put a hand on his arm. “What you call magic is a manipulation of the energy that surrounds us. Everyone has access to it. When you bound yourself to Uru, she created shortcuts for your learning. Those who don’t bind themselves to a deity can learn your abilities and spells, but it takes an immense amount of time and effort. That is why almost no one does that willingly. Before your gods, it was the only method.”
“If Cultivation makes you more powerful, why doesn’t everyone do it?” Ruwen asked.
Padda spoke up. “The problem is the process. It may take someone a hundred years of Cultivating to gather, understand, manipulate, and manifest the energy to create a small flame. It might only take a year after that to create and direct a ball of fire, but it’s that first hundred years people are not willing to invest. Not when they can bind themselves to an entity that will just give them that power.”
“Is Ruwen doing something wrong?” Sift asked.
Madda waved her hands. “No, nothing wrong. It’s just he stumbled into his center, and without a little direction he could get stuck there.”
“Oh,” Sift said and looked down.
Madda reached over and squeezed Sift’s shoulder. Ruwen wondered what had caused the sudden shift in Sift’s mood.
Padda spoke. “People might spend their whole life looking for but not finding their center. There are many reasons for this. The most common being a blockage in too many of the twelve meridians. Without your center, you can’t Cultivate energy from your surroundings. All you can do is sift through the energy that touches you or is directed at you.”
A shard of light went through Ruwen’s mind as his brain made a connection from what Padda had just said to earlier memories. Ruwen rubbed his temples as he remembered Sift saying it wasn’t his name, it was what he did. And earlier, Sift had told Blapy his parents were trying to unblock him. Ruwen glanced at Sift and saw his friend still stared at the floor. Padda was describing Sift.
Madda continued the explanation. “Once bound to a deity, the chance of finding your center is almost zero. There is too much contamination of the lines of power in your body. It is like listening for a cricket in a thunderstorm. Possible, but unlikely.”
“And you're saying that when I meditate, I’m going to my center?” Ruwen asked.
“More like you are being sucked into it,” Padda said.
Madda leaned forward. “That is why we want to show you the basics. Your center is trying to Cultivate, but without direction or focus. When you meditate, your mind and its energy are freed from your body. Your center senses this unbound energy and starts to Cultivate it.”
“I’m cannibalizing myself?” Ruwen asked.
“Yes, and without help, you will put yourself in a coma, and then die,” Madda said.
Ruwen’s mouth went dry. “I don’t want that.”
“Neither do we,” Madda said as she looked at her husband.
Padda ignored his wife’s stare. “Don’t worry, the solution is simple. When you Cultivate, you pull energy from your surroundings and store that in a structure in your center. The most common form of energy is
light, and the most basic structure is a point. All you need to do is focus your center outward, let it gather the light around you, and fill the point you created.”
“Don’t worry if your point never lights up,” Madda said. “You aren’t training to become a Cultivator, you’re just trying to keep your center from destroying your mind.”
“What happens if my point lights up?” Ruwen asked.
“You keep creating more advanced structures,” Padda said. “A point becomes a line, a line a triangle, and then a square. You keep adding sides until you can create a circle. That completes level one and will probably take you a decade. Then you start again using three-dimensional shapes. A couple of decades later, if you work hard, you’ll be able to form a sphere. That brings you to the cusp of level two, and then the hard work begins.”
Madda held out her hand. “I know that was a lot of information. You have years to work through it all. And honestly, most Cultivators never finish level one. We are only doing this so you stop harming yourself.”
“Show me, please,” Ruwen said.
Madda moved to sit directly in front of Ruwen. He accepted the quest line she offered and saw them appear with his other quests. The Cultivation quest symbol was a green sphere.
Madda grabbed his hands and spoke. “There are as many methods as there are Cultivators when it comes to gathering. You can picture yourself at the bottom of a funnel or dozens of arms stuffing energy into your mouth or giant wings that scoop it into your body. The point is your focus needs to be outward, and those types of visualizations can help. Now, with your focus outward, close your eyes and imagine the tiniest point possible. So tiny you can barely see it. Do you have it?”
Ruwen nodded.
Madda’s voice became a whisper. “When you start to meditate, and your mind begins to fall, bring this point with you. You will stay more aware of your surroundings since your center will no longer be feeding on your senses. Are you ready to try?”
Ruwen took a deep breath and nodded again.
He thought about what he should use to gather the energy around him. The dozen arms seemed too slow, and while the idea of wings sounded awesome, it still felt convoluted. From his laboratory classes, he knew the power of a vacuum. He’d gotten his hand stuck on the top of a flask after the liquid in it cooled faster than he’d expected. The vacuum it created made it impossible to pull his hand away, and he’d had to break the flask to free his hand.