by Ivan Kal
Finally, as the hours passed, he stopped with his cycling technique and turned his attention to seven points inside of his body. To his inner sight they were ethereal, and looked almost like the crossroads of his many ki channels. The ki gates, as the old masters called them, had not been truly understood by the spirit artists of Vin’s time—perhaps not even by the greatest artists who had ever lived.
Except for those who had reached the seventh step of the Path.
To reach the sixth step had been the greatest honor that a spirit artist could ever hope for. With that step, their lives were prolonged by hundreds of years, their bodies were strengthened to the point where even without the use of ki they could shatter stone with their fists and see for leagues with their eyes. The greatest of Orb’s masters had been those who had reached the sixth step after a lifetime of following their Way and accumulating aura to turn into ki. Here, on this world, Vin had managed it in a handful of years. He had the advantage of already achieving that step, but it still just showed at how large of a disadvantage the spirit artists of Orb had been without the abundant ambient aura.
But the seventh step, the one that only a scant few had achieved, required an insight into what it truly meant to be a spirit artist. From birth, all people of Orb are taught that there were three components that made a person: the body, the spirit, and the soul. The body was the flesh, and it was the vessel of the soul. The soul was the purest form of a being, who and what they were; a sliver of creation itself. A soul learned through the body, it grew through the vessel, and it could not exist without it. The spirit was the ki, or anima as the people of Enosia called it. It was also the ki channels and the core, and everything else that has to do with power; it was the bridge between the body and the soul. The spirit was attached to the vessel, and it grew in power as a person strengthened their body and their ki.
But to take the seventh step, a person had to attach their soul to the spirit—and Vin had spent the last year doing exactly that.
It was not a simple thing to do. It required an enormous amount of willpower and certainty of purpose, but so far he had managed to attach six of the seven required points of his soul to his spirit; more precisely, to his ki gates. The connection would not be complete until he attached the last point, the heart gate. For some reason, he was having issues achieving that. He had already reached the peak of sixth step, he had more ki inside of his core than he had ever had. He had attached the six gates to his soul, and the only thing he had left was to attach the last point and pull in power from his soul—for his soulfire to surge through his channels and into his core, remaking him in the process, and allowing him to reach the seventh step.
Yet, no matter what he tried, he just couldn’t do it. The last time he had done this, it had come to him easily. He had simply focused and willed it to happen. Now, there was something wrong, and he couldn’t figure out what it was. The scrolls he had read that taught him how to achieve the seventh step spoke of being one with himself, of accepting everything that he was, of true balance. But Vin felt like he was balanced—he knew his purpose, his desire. He wanted to fight the Arashan, to defeat them and avenge his world. It was the reason he lived for.
Yet, his soul did not move when he attempted to attach it to the last gate. It was frustrating, and it made him wonder if the damage to his soul was far more serious than he had previously thought. The moment the Arashan had taken his soul from his born body, they had ripped apart his connections to his body’s spirit. He wondered if that could’ve perhaps damaged him in a way that was now preventing him from reaching the next step.
In the end, he didn’t have any way to be sure, aside from asking for help from the one person he didn’t want to ask anything from—the one person who he was now heading toward. Finally, he took a deep breath and stopped his cultivation, abandoning the effort.
He looked around, seeing their horses and the siblings asleep. Even when meditating Vin’s sensory net was active, and he would’ve known if someone attempted to sneak up on them.
Reaching down into his core, he pulled out his ki, pushing it into the threads spread out into his surrounding, focusing them behind him and toward the way they came from, extending the range quickly.
He had done this every night, as he had learned quickly that it was better to be safe than sorry. His threads of ki fluttered through the aura, sending back sensory imprints back to Vin. He could feel the animals with their minuscule amount of ki as they moved through the forest, hunting or running away, but there were no signs of anyone approaching them.
Vin closed his eyes and was just about to cut his net, letting the ki disappear into aura, when one thread sent an imprint of something—and then more and more as riders entered into his range. Immediately Vin focused and stood, turning around and focusing all of his will on the task. His threads fluttered through the air, leagues away from their position, and they encountered eight riders. Four were ordinary people, three were mages, and the last one was ordinary as well…but for the thing he felt nestled inside of his soul. He recognized that feeling, and so he knew who they were: soldiers and mages sent after them, led by a bearer of a fragment of power.
Vin grimaced. He had known that there was a chance of them being discovered, had known that their absence might be enough to make it clear that they had been spies, had known that there was a chance they would send a squad after them. What he had not foreseen was that they would send the bearer of the fragment to hunt them down. It looked like the Lashians did not want so much as a rumor of their construction escaping—which was why it had taken Vin so long to find them in the first place.
Quickly, Vin cut his net, and then turned around, walking to the two sleeping forms.
“Get up,” Vin said as he moved toward the horses.
“What is it?” Teressa asked as she stood immediately, followed by her brother.
“They have sent people after us,” Vin told them.
“Can we fight?” Jirross asked. He knew some of what Vin was capable of, and he was a good fighter himself—for an ordinary being. Teressa, for her part, was a mage of modest power.
“The fragment-bearer is with them,” Vin said and immediately heard the siblings curse.
They ran over and helped pack up their camp. Vin worked quickly, all the while thinking on his next course of action. He could fight the fragment-bearer, but it was a risk. They were far enough that it would take them a while to catch up to them. Vin knew that the Arashan fragment-bearers were all powerful in their own right, even the non-mages—perhaps especially the non-mages. For a mage, the fragment of power served as a nearly endless well of power, but they were still limited by their knowledge of spells and their personal talent. The non-mages with fragments, however, relied more on their weapons, like the staff of storms that Kyarra bore: weapons enchanted with incredible spells that drew power from the fragment.
Ordinary fragment-bearers might not be able to adapt like other mages, but in Vin’s experience they all held a much greater degree of mastery over their weapon. Their entire life was spent in practice, learning how to utilize their fragment best. During the war on Orb, fights against fragment-bearers had been carefully planned. They watched, learned what abilities their fragments allowed them, and only then did they strike, killing them quickly without allowing them to use them at all.
Vin knew nothing about this fragment-bearer. The Lashian Empire had two fragments, one traditionally given to the greatest Lashian mage, the adviser to their Emperor, and the other to their greatest warrior. Since the bearer coming after them was not a mage, Vin could infer that he was dealing with the warrior, and he knew only that his fragment had something to do with fire.
Finished with their packing, Vin climbed on his horse. He would not risk fighting him when he didn’t have to.
“Let’s go!”
CHAPTER TWO
ASHARA
Five Years Ago
Ashara Ravena, once a daughter of a prominent merchant in
the kingdom of Amaranthine, stood in the gardens of Tourran’s palace and looked over at the city stretching below her. She had come a long way in just a short time. Almost two years ago she had been running away from her home following the fall of her family and the resulting suicide of her father. Now, she was an adviser to the Queen of Tourran, she had a title and lands, and in all respects she had achieved everything that she had ever wanted.
Yet she could not banish the feeling that she did not deserve any of this. Her actions were what had caused her family’s downfall, what had driven her father to death—she did not deserve any of it. Yet somehow she had come out on top, and she could not help but worry that soon all of this would disappear as well.
She sighed and turned around, walking back inside the palace and making her way to the meeting room. She entered the room and inclined her head to the Guild Mage and the Commander of Tourran’s Guard. She took her seat near the head of the table and waited. The two mostly ignored her, and talked amongst themselves as they waited. Yet again she couldn’t help but feel like she was an impostor. She knew the only reason why she was inside this room was because she was close with Kyarra, because she helped organize the fight against the Lashian Empire’s occupation of the city, but she could tell that the others didn’t really feel like she belonged there, and Ashara agreed with them somewhat. She was a merchant’s daughter, a good trader for sure, but what did she have to offer during the meetings that concerned the fate of an entire kingdom?
Her mind flashed to the meeting with a golden-haired man dressed in red several months ago, and for just a moment her desires and the things she held locked deep inside reared their heads. But quickly she suppressed the feelings and cleared her mind; she did not want to think about the offer she had received. At times she even wondered if it had been true, if perhaps she had imagined everything.
Before she yet again fell down the now already familiar path, the doors opened and Kyarra walked in, followed by the court mage. She wore a simple blue dress, but it was nonetheless elegant, and was paired with a small crown on her head.
Everyone stood, with Ashara following just a moment after the other two. They bowed, and Ashara saw the uncomfortable look on Kyarra’s face for just a second before she reached the table and took her seat at the head and motioned for them to take their seats as well. Master Jeressi, the court mage, took a seat across from Ashara and next to Kyarra.
Ashara saw the Queen look at the empty seat next to Commander Atiok and she released a sigh of exasperation before turning to look at Ashara.
“Where is he?” she asked.
Ashara felt a pang of jealousy, but quickly she squashed it down. Ashara knew that it was an irrational feeling, especially since Kyarra had done nothing but simply inquire about where Vin was. It was not like she and Kyarra were together; she had no right to feel that way. But she couldn’t help it—it had been nine months since they had fought to liberate Tourran and since Kyarra had become the Queen, and they had not spoken about what the three of them all felt in that time.
Ashara knew that she was being selfish. Kyarra had just been handed a kingdom to rule, one with an entire Empire as its enemy, and that was not even taking in account the threat of the Arashan and that of an invasion from another world, which Ashara still had trouble believing in. There had been no time to talk about anything like the fact that both Vin and Ashara had stated interests in Kyarra and that she had told them that she cared for them both. But the more time passed, the more Ashara started to worry that Kyarra would choose Vin if she were pressed, and so she ignored the issue. The three of them were close; they showed up at important events together, and in all ways but those that mattered they acted as if all three of them were together.
But they weren’t. They just didn’t talk about it.
Those two, they are giants. She heard the words echo inside of her head, and again she tried to squash the thoughts that accompanied them. But it was true nonetheless. Ashara did not have anything to contribute to Kyarra, not really, and already Ashara had made it clear that she was not interested in sharing Kyarra with Vin. And Vin… Vin was the same as he had always been. Distant, respectful, driven.
Ashara shook her head, realizing that she had yet to answer Kyarra’s question.
“He said that he was going to the mountains to train,” she said quickly.
Kyarra shook her head, but then turned to look at the others. “What news?”
Commander Atiok cleared his throat and stood. “A mercenary company from Nalaria, the Iron Talons, made harbor yesterday. I have taken the liberty of sending them ahead to the pass.”
Kyarra nodded her head. “What are their numbers?”
“The Iron Talons’ number two hundred and sixty fighting bodies, with another forty as support,” Commander Atiok answered.
Kyarra tapped her fingers against the table, her eyes turning to look through the window to the side. “Where do we stand now?”
“With the latest arrivals, we now have three thousand soldiers under our command. Five hundred Tourran guards, and the rest mercenaries,” Commander Atiok responded.
Kyarra shook her head. “It isn’t enough. The Black Sun Legions alone number twenty thousand, and I am certain that Emperor Tou Denorof has moved more of his Legions south to reinforce them.”
“We can’t know that for sure, My Queen. The Emperor’s plan has failed, Tourran is free. I doubt that the Lashians would risk attacking again so soon,” Commander Atiok said.
Kyarra turned back to look at him. “The spell I used to close down the pass has run its course. The snows will melt soon, and then we will know for certain…but according to everything I have learned about Erius Tou Denorof, he is not someone to simply accept defeat.”
Commander looked like he wanted to say something, but held his tongue. This was not the first time that they had had this conversation. For her part, Ashara agreed with Kyarra—as soon as the pass opened up, the Lashians would send their troops south and into Tourran. She knew that the only reason they hadn’t attacked again so far was because they couldn’t afford to come at them from the sea, not while the Eternal Soul was in Tourran. Any such attack would be doomed from the start, as with her staff of storms Kyarra would decimate any hostile fleet that dared enter the bay.
Kyarra turned her eyes to the guild mage. “Master Galera, any word from the Academy?”
Ashara turned to look at the mage. She had the same ageless look on her face that all mages had, though her hair, streaked with gray, betrayed her age. Ashara knew that the relations between the guild mage and Kyarra had changed much after the occupation of Tourran. The Mages Guild and the Eternal Soul had been at odds for a long time, ever since Kyarra’s first life had bound his soul to never leave this plane of existence and in so doing made it impossible for the Mages Guild to recover the staff of storms—or rather the fragment of power that was nestled in its head. A connection between a fragment of power and its user is only broken upon the death, or more precisely once their soul leaves the mortal plane.
But the guild mage had been in Tourran when the Lashian Empire’s plan was realized, when they had killed the royal family and took control of the city, aided by the Arashan, invaders from another world that had already conquered Vin’s home. The guild mage had been a witness to this, and upon Kyarra’s return to Tourran to retake the city they had quite a lot to talk about it. Once any doubt about the Mages Guild’s involvement with the attack had been resolved, she had demanded answers. As a guild mage, Master Galera was one of the most powerful practitioners of magic in the world, but before the power demonstrated by the Arashan mages, she was nothing—and that was not even taking into account the power of Ming-Li, a spirit artist from Vin’s world who had joined the Arashan. Ashara herself had not seen her in person, but she had heard stories about her power spoken by the people of Tourran.
Master Galera looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then she met Kyarra’s eyes. “The council is still deliberating th
e claims of the Arashan. They have not yet reached a decision.”
Immediately, Ashara saw Kyarra’s eyes darken. “They have been deliberating for months. Is the account of one of their most respected mages not enough to convince them of the threat?”
Master Galera winced at Kyarra’s words. “Your Majesty… There is just so little evidence to support the fact that these Arashan are invaders from another world. You must understand their reticence.”
“You have seen the Arashan mages. You have met Vin. You know the truth. Or can you deny his strange ways of using power?”
“Of course not, Your Majesty, I am most firmly on your side. I believe, but convincing others… That is another matter altogether. These Arashan were Darji, and the council is not convinced that they were not simply rogue mages from across the sea. If Lord Kai Zhao could provide some proof other than his word…”
“And that is what we don’t have,” Kyarra said with a shake of her head. “The Lashians are readying for war, and if what Vin says is true, they will be building the gate for the Arashan. If they finish it, we will not only have the Lashian Empire to contend with, but also a world-conquering host.”
“The council is researching, trying to find any evidence that could support our tale. Magic that allows for travel across worlds is not something that the Academy had ever seriously entertained.”
Kyarra didn’t respond. Ashara knew she had spent the last nine months both securing her rule over Tourran, hunting down the nobles that had been complicit with the Lashian invasion, and sending out messages to other kingdoms, warning them about Lashian aggression and asking for support. She hadn’t mentioned the Arashan to anyone other than the Mages Guild, hoping that getting them on their side would make it easier to convince the others. After all, the Mages Guild has advisers across most kingdoms on this continent, and they liked to stay neutral, their mages serving only as advisers and mediators.