by C. S. Harte
“I thought about it too,” she said in a quiet voice.
“Killing me?” Ren shrieked.
“No!” she chuckled. “About having to kill another person. But we have to remember, gifteds aren’t humans. That’s one of the first words my parents said to me.”
“I know, it’s hand-painted on the wall in my house.”
“They wouldn’t hesitate to kill us. You know the history. All the millions of people they’ve killed. The Mongol invaders, the Aztec sacrifices, the Spanish Inquisition, the Black Plague…”
Ren continued the list, “…the Rape of Nanking, the Killing Fields of Cambodia. Dinner table stories in my family.”
“I can’t believe you’re confused about this,” Crystal said with a pinched expression. “We don’t have a choice. We have to fight gifteds and kill them off.” She punched him playfully. “Who else can go up against Gods?”
“I miss us playing board games and not talking about this.”
Crystal leaped up and stared down at Ren. “You’re not a child anymore. You’re 12 years old! You have to start growing up!” She huffed and began walking away.
Ren pushed himself up and followed her. “Wait! Where are you going?”
Without looking back, Crystal said, “I’m going to study two-handed sword form with Meng.”
The mentioning of the name Meng instantly shaped Ren’s lips into a frown. Meng was taller than Ren and faster, stronger, and more popular with the girls. He always had perfectly combed hair, dark brown with shades of red depending on the angle of light. He was as physically gifted as Ren was academically smart. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him ever since you passed your Kaoshi!” His voice came out louder than expected.
Crystal stopped in her tracks. “I guess I’ll be spending all my time with him if you don’t pass your Kaoshi and become my Huoban.” She scoffed. “I might even ask him to be my Huoban if you’re too much of a child to join.”
Ren ran to her and reached for her arm. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. I don’t know why I did.”
Her face softened, but she didn’t speak.
“I’ll understand if you want Meng as your Huoban, but I hope you choose me,” he said as he stared at his feet.
“Does that mean you’re going to take the Kaoshi?”
Ren nodded slowly.
She released a sharp scream and hugged him. “I’m so excited now! I have to tell your mom!” She pulled him toward the housing complexes.
Did she just trick me into taking the Kaoshi? Ren scratched his head as she dragged him through the woods back to town.
Crystal began walking faster and talking even quicker. “You know, you probably won’t even do much fighting against gifteds. Master Tsai said he wanted to give you special lessons with Philters and Cordials. Said that you had the potential to be the brightest pupil he has ever taught.”
Ren glanced at her. “He said that?”
“Of course he did! For a smart guy, you don’t know a lot of things.”
“Were you really going to choose Meng as your Huoban? Or were you just tricking me to join the Jin-song?”
“Well, I had to pick someone to be my Huoban. So yes, probably. Maybe. I don’t know. But I think he already has a partner.” She shrugged.
Ren tugged at Crystal to stop. “You tricked me!”
“This is why I beat you all the time at Go. Anyway, it’s too late. Can’t change your mind!” She spun forward and began talking to herself. “This is so exciting! We only have a month to get ready. You’re so behind on your weapons training.”
3
Tides of Sorrow
The next day Ren jumped out of bed as the sun peaked through the mountains. He had trouble sleeping after promising Crystal he would take the Kaoshi. The decision happened so abruptly that it seemed it was made for him. His stomach began to churn. He needed to talk to someone. Ren quickly dressed and packed his bag with a box of matches and a tube of Chinese incense.
The air still carried the night’s chill as Ren stepped outside. He scanned the streets for signs of people and found himself alone. There was a quaint silence that Ren enjoyed about the early morning. It made him feel that the world was his in a way, without the influence of others.
Ren knelt in front of his brother’s tombstone. From his backpack, he removed three sticks of incense and a matchbox. The stinging but sweet scent of the smoldering incense filled the air. Ren placed the short red handles in between his palms and held his hands in front of his chest. Slowly his eyelids lowered shut. In his mind, he began reciting a prayer to Cheng. Brother. Can you hear me? I hope that wherever you are, you have peace in your heart. I miss you so much. Mother and father miss you dearly. A tiny string of embers fell on his fingers as he rocked his hands back and forth. Ren opened his eyes and pushed the incense into the soft soil in front of the grave marker.
For minutes, Ren watched as the burning ash tumbled off the incense, joining the earth. He released a heavy sigh and began speaking to his brother as if he was in front of him. “I’ve decided to take the Kaoshi. I know, it’s a surprise to me too. Part of me doesn’t want to become a Jin-song Warrior. I don’t want to fight gifteds. But I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t. The war seems hopeless. We’ve been fighting them for centuries. The only thing that is guaranteed to happen is we’ll all die.” He paused to consider his next thoughts. “The elders would never allow me to leave Kunlun. I guess I was born into this war. I feel powerless over my own life. What should I do, brother? Tell me what to do!”
The hairs on his neck stood. Ren quickly spun his head as he felt a presence behind him.
“I figured I would find you here today,” Crystal said as she sat next to him.
“I knew you would come here to find me.” Ren gave a faint smile. “Your shadow stepping is becoming very good. I didn’t hear you at all.”
“Thanks.” She gave a half-smile. “Hey, I know I was being a little bit selfish in wanting you to become a Jin-song Warrior. But we were always meant to be Huoban ever since we came out of our mothers' wombs.” Crystal reached for Ren’s backpack and took out three sticks of incense.
Ren offered her the box of matches.
She lit the incense, mouthed a short prayer, and planted the sticks into the ground next to Ren’s.
He turned to her and asked, “What did you say to Cheng?”
Crystal gave a sly smile. “That’s between him and me.”
Ren returned his stare forward and watched the burning of the new set of incense sticks.
“If you pass the Kaoshi and become a Jin-song Warrior, you’ll be able to take the Longevity Potions, and we could be together for two hundred years.” She rested her head on his shoulders. “Don’t you want that?”
The flowery scent of her hair distracted Ren from answering. “You know I do. But…” He sighed.
Crystal pulled away. “But what?”
Ren lay on his back and gazed into the sky above, ignoring the mix of confusion and anger in Crystal’s eyes. “A year before he died, Cheng took me to Thailand. We were on the beaches of Pattaya, and I remember watching the tide roll in and out.”
Crystal grabbed Ren’s backpack and used it as a pillow to lay next to him. “Of course you would watch the tide instead of jumping into the ocean.” She snickered.
“I spent the whole day, sunrise to sunset, watching the waves, the people, the birds. I drew everything and everyone.”
“Uh huh.” Crystal closed her eyes and looked relaxed.
“I eventually got into the water after Cheng pulled me in. I remember the power of the wave crashing on top of me. It knocked me off my feet, and for a moment I thought I was going to get swept away by the ocean.”
“That must have been scary.” She turned over on her side, facing him.
“A little. But I knew Cheng would be there to help me if I got in trouble.” His voice started to break. “Except Cheng isn’t here anymore. And I’m afraid to enter the ocean a
gain.” Tears began streaking out of his eyes.
Crystal wrapped her arms around him. “You know what I said to Cheng in my prayer?”
Ren had to force the words out of his mouth as he struggled to hold back his emotions. “What?”
“It’s a promise. The same one over and over. I make sure to repeat it five times.” She wiped away the tears from his face. “That I would protect you. No matter what.”
All six incense sticks ran their course. Ren unfolded Crystal’s arm as he pushed himself up. “I’ve learned many things that day. The ocean is big, powerful, and merciless. It’s unfeeling, uncaring. The world belongs to it, not us. Regardless of what we do, it will continue to be that way.”
Crystal stood and faced Ren with her arms folded across her chest. “Do you remember what Master Sheng taught us over and over? The Jin-song is the dam that protects the world from the flood of gifteds. Without us, the world as we know it would be gone. If we stopped fighting them, everyone would have drowned a long time ago.”
Ren hung his head low and softened his voice. “I know this. You know what else Master Sheng likes to repeat? Always find the optimal strategy. Whether it’s chess, go, or fighting the gifted factions — always find the optimal strategy. How many Jin-song Warriors die each year opposing people who are essentially Gods in this world?”
She reached out to him and looked at him with eager eyes.
Ren weakened his stance and took her hand in his.
“You’re not wrong.” She pulled him close to her. “But the next step is still to pass the Kaoshi. You can’t change the battle tactics if you’re on the outside looking in.”
“I know, Crystal. I know.” He squeezed his arms around her.
She squeezed him back. “Let’s go practice hand-to-hand. Martial arts has always been the weakest of your five disciplines.”
Ren picked up his backpack, and they began walking toward the training grounds.
Crystal held his hand as she walked slightly in front of Ren, pulling him forward. “You’ll have no trouble with Alchemy. Master Tsai loves you. Same with Natural Sciences, because you’re you and you’re a nerd.”
Ren blushed and smiled as she looked back.
“I’ll quiz you later on Jin-song history and philosophy. But as long as you say you hate gifteds, I don’t think Master Guo cares.”
“I’ve heard that before too.” Ren chuckled.
“Then you have two chances to beat one of the Chujis in a strategy game. Hopefully, you’ll get Mao. She’s not very good. I wouldn’t worry, they want more Warriors so the junior classmen will go easy on you.”
Ren nodded, only half listening. His thoughts kept drifting back to that day at the beach with his brother. It was the last moment of genuine happiness for him when his life felt settled and whole.
“Oh, and I asked Meng to help you with Sword Mastery.”
“Wait! What?” Ren tugged at Crystal to stop.
She narrowed her eyes as she talked. “You have to be good at two weapons in addition to hand-to-hand. Meng is good at every weapon. Especially swords.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean, why did you ask him? I don’t want him to help me.”
“Why not? He’s always been so friendly and helpful, especially to me. You’ll learn a lot from him.”
Ren felt a heat behind his neck. “Can’t you teach me Sword Mastery?”
Crystal tapped her foot and muttered, “Why would you not want to be taught by the best…" Her lips curled into a smile. “Ren Yi, are you jealous of Meng?"
4
Alchemy 101
“Ren! You passed! You passed!” Crystal yelled as she ran toward him in the Jin-song academy courtyard.
Ren smiled and waved.
She slammed into him and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. “I knew you could do it! Well, you barely passed Sword Mastery, but that’s OK. We can work on that later. The important thing is, you can be my Huoban now!”
“I know, and I’m…”
A loud ringing came from the academy tower.
“We need to get to class! We’ll talk later after school.” She pecked him on the cheek and scurried away.
Ren stood frozen as she ran. She had never placed her lips on his face before. He felt a warmth on his cheek, and later the same warmth radiated through his chest.
Ren hurried into Master Tsai’s Introduction to Alchemy class. He was late. Master Tsai had already started his lecture. Dozens of eyes belonging to other newly minted Luse darted in his direction as he entered. Ren kept his head down as he said, “Sorry, Master Tsai.” As quietly as he could, Ren shadow-stepped toward the back of laboratory, passing shelves full of clear glass jars containing preserved animal parts and live insects.
Master Tsai waited for Ren to sit before continuing his lecture. His dark black eyes followed Ren closely as if looking for something in particular. He began stroking his neck-length, snow-colored beard looking lost in thought.
The other students whispered to each other and returned their stares to Ren, who shrunk into his desk and hid his face.
Master Tsai turned around and wrote three words on the chalkboard.
Philters
Potions
Cordials
He tapped the board with his bamboo teaching stick. “Who can tell me the difference between these three things?”
Every student but Ren raised their hand. Instead, he was peering into the training courtyard, watching the hand-to-hand combat-focused Luse practice their form. His sketchbook laid opened on his desk, his hand eager to draw.
“Ren Yi,” said Master Tsai, emphasizing both syllables.
Ren jumped in his chair. “Yes, Master Tsai.”
Another student pointed at the chalkboard, helping Ren.
“Um, Philters are Chi-infused compounds that allow Jin-song Warriors to gain temporary Chi-based abilities. Potions, like our Longevity Potions, are elixirs with permanent effects. Cordials, such as Healing Cordials, have temporary effects.”
Master Tsai nodded. “That is correct. We have a sacred duty among the Jin-song as alchemists. As much as the more military-minded members of our Order would have you believe, our combination of science and alchemy is the Jin-song’s greatest weapon against gifteds. We would have no chance otherwise against them. And neither would the world.”
Ren raised his hand.
“What is it, Ren?” Master Tsai asked as he cleared the blackboard.
“Is there more we could be doing against the gifteds?”
Master Tsai didn’t answer. He walked to a locked cabinet and removed a cardinal-red, rectangular box with gold trims.
The students leaned into their desks as Master Tsai placed the wooden case on his table.
With great care, Master Tsai opened the box and removed an eight-inch, two-toned steel dagger. The center of the blade was gunmetal gray with ornate etchings while the edges were mirrored silver. Gold and copper trim wrapped around a royal blue titanium hilt to complete the dagger. It hummed as Master Tsai lifted it from its resting place. “How many of you have seen Chi-infused weapons before?”
No one raised their hands.
Master Tsai laughed. “That’s good. You’d most likely be dead, killed by the gifted wielding it.”
“What is that, Master?” asked a student at the front of the class.
“Why don’t I show you,” Master Tsai said with a wry smile. He gripped the hilt with both his hands and held the dagger over his chest. The blade began glowing with a pale blue aura, filling the room with a crisp, white light. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
A collective gasp sounded in the room.
“Who here can see me?” Master Tsai’s disembodied voice asked.
The Luse in the front of the room shrieked and jumped as Master Tsai reappeared.
“This is an Atma, what we call a class of weapons infused with Chi energy.” Master Tsai returned to the front of the class and held up the dagger for everyone to see. �
�This particular dagger is made from Silverlight metal, which is steel imbued with Photokinetic Chi. Photokinetics, as you are aware, can distort the light around them to make themselves invisible. Thus with weapons forged using Silverlight metal, you can become invisible.”
Ren began drawing the dagger as quickly as he could. “Atma,” he whispered to himself as he labeled his sketch. If every Jin-song Warrior had access to these kinds of weapons…
Master Tsai put away the dagger and wrote the following items on the blackboard:
Bark, Jade Tree
Lotus Root
Hallowed Basil
Feather, Vermillion Sparrow
Skin, Three-horned Snake
Berries, Langgan Tree
Lingzhi Mushroom
Xiantao fruit, Xiantao Tree
Speaking with his back turned to the class, Master Tsai said, “Ingredients for our Longevity Potion. Your task for today is to gather these items. Most of which will be around the western clearings of Kunlun. The three-horned snake is not poisonous but will bite if provoked. Find its nest for shed skin.”
The students gathered their belongings and picked up straw baskets near the classroom entrance as they went about their assignment.
“Please stay, Ren,” Master Tsai said as Ren was about to leave.
Ren stopped mid-stride. He placed his basket on a desk and faced his instructor.
“I see a curious light emitting from your eyes.” Master Tsai waved his student closer.
Ren stared up into his teacher’s cloudy, white eyes, uncertain how to respond. “Master?”
“Do you know how old I am?”
Ren shook his head. Other than his snow-white hair, Master Tsai had taut, blemish-free skin. He didn’t look any older than Ren’s father who was in his fifties.
“225.” Master Tsai paused as if allowing the number to sink in properly. “Each dose of the Longevity Potion is having less and less of an effect. I am on my last dose and soon my time will come.”