I sigh deeply while licking the fingers of my free hand clean. This isn’t really about telling it the story, honestly. Pretty massive changes just happened, and I tend to get a bit unhinged whenever I lose grip of my roots and past. So, I’ve made it a habit to occasionally go through my entire life when I feel unlike myself.
I look around the dark forest. Each tree and leaf I see is unfamiliar, their shapes weirdly angular and their colours slightly wrong. I put both hands around the little sleeping critter and sink into meditation myself, going over the rest of the story I had planned to say out loud.
Thinking back to the true start of my journey, I suddenly realise that my interest in the soul stems from that period of my life. Research into the soul is supposed to be god’s domain. That’s what all the sects, organizations, and churches have been spouting at me anyway. Me suddenly appearing in someone else’s body - even if it looks rather like my old one - kick-started my intense interest in the soul; I wanted to know how I got here and if I could go back.
That was my true goal as I travelled the world on my own. I gained some scarce resources and manuals and started to contemplate the path and Dao of Freedom. Being unbound and untethered, that was my personal goal. A rogue cultivator unbound by any sect or organisation, just the way I like it.
I travelled far into wild beast forests and explored expansive cave systems that crossed continents. I managed to avoid being in debt to anyone. I avoided sects like the plague. They all have these ways of cultivating qi that are unique, so I always ran away the moment I sensed those types of energy.
I even once came across the legacy of a demi-god realm cultivator, a legendary and mythical figure that ascended thousands of years ago. I deconstructed his methods into basic elements and used these lessons to improve my own cultivation method. I learned and used his knowledge instead of blindly following in the geezers’ footsteps.
Turns out, everybody’s best path of going forwards in life - also known as your Dao - is different. Most of the people I met restricted themselves to one single method or technique. They usually polished it to perfection and then complained that they had limited potential. Instead, I learned from everything I came across and chose my own path.
It took me centuries before I gained enough power to keep myself safe from the major forces, having pissed off enough of them in the process. What didn’t help was that I had also become known as a heretical soul cultivator. I didn’t truly cultivate my soul though; that’s fake news. Actually, messing with your soul tends to go wrong very quickly. I mean, that’s how devil or demonic cultivators are born. One small mistake with the construct that’s at the core of every being and things tend to go very, very wrong – most of the time in a spectacular fashion.
Spectacular as in wiping half a continent off the map. Spectacular as in spawning endless hordes of evil beasts that spread in every direction, killing all in their way and leaving an endless corrupted wasteland in their wake.
By then I fully understood why researching the soul was, and still is, so taboo in the lower realms. Messing around or even examining the soul tends to throw Fate out of whack. The Fate I’m talking about here is what I have learned to be a massive calculating machine in the higher realms. They use it to keep track of the mortals below, guiding - forcing - them into a path best suited for the machinations of these gods. This is all well-informed speculation, of course. It’s hard to know things for sure when actual, real-life mystical forces are involved.
It’s just another reason to mistrust sects. Any info they’ve got, the higher planes have as well. You put your hand on a big ass, talent-testing pillar? Congratulations, the higher realms receive a nice and tidy file with all the info that there is to know about you. Just because someone ascended to a higher level doesn’t mean they lose all interest in the place they came from, especially when that place is relatively easy to understand from where they are.
Meddling bastards, thinking they know better. All I ever did was cause the souls of critters to go berserk on purpose to learn what not to do. I then applied that knowledge to protect, and only protect, my own soul.
I had seen the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel by then and had started preparing for my inevitable ascension from that world. But that’s something I’ll think about later. The energies in my head and body have settled now, calming down from the rebellious state they had been in.
I decide to postpone any further reminiscing and do something about the black hole that is my stomach. A filled stomach is a happy stomach, and I start settling my tumultuous emotions with food. Grabbing another bunny leg from above the fire, I sprinkle it with a small salt bottle I retrieve from my spatial ring and take a big bite. As soon as I started cooking my hunger surged up, almost knocking me flat.
I need to make some adjustments to my priorities and place food a lot higher up on the list. I used to be able to sustain my body with energy alone, but this is no longer the case. Cultivation is done with a limited amount of energy and I need to ration the few threads of power I’ve got. I don’t want to waste my meagre fighting power on suppressing hunger.
Drool drips from my mouth as I bite into the succulent flesh. One of the tasty smelling roots I dug up from the forest starts to get blackened from the fire. Unwilling to wait, I decide it is done and dig in. I don’t worry about incompatible proteins and micro-nutrients. Alien vegetables are usually useless for any non-native beings when it comes to nutritional value, but using qi to break matter down into its individual components allows the body to use the sustenance anyway.
Having fed myself I look to the little bunny in my lap. I just ate its mother and I can’t bring myself to do it any harm. I decide to think about it later and just feed it some qi for now. It should sustain the little thing until morning. I tear off a strip of cloth and wrap the critter up warmly and then I lay it inside the hollow tree where it soon falls asleep. With the experimental subject stowed away, I focus on other things.
Other things like what am I supposed to do now? Seriously, I just got stripped of all my power, had my rightful place of power in a higher dimension stripped away from me without warning, and am now stuck here on this unknown world for an unknown amount of time.
I thank all that is holy and good that there is at least some form of energy in the air; each new breath I take is letting me regain my power slowly. It’s just a shame it’s such a negative source. The smell is still rather unbearable each time I breathe in.
I try hard to not let the fear of the unknown set in again. I finish up the few scraps of meat on the rabbit carcass, eat the other root vegetables, and bury the remains. I sigh deeply and nearly choke on the foul smell permeating the air. I sit down next to the tucked-in, snoozing critter and recall how I ended up here, away from everything I ever have known - again - and bereft of a thousand years of cultivation.
⁂
“So there I was, a cultivator at the top of the world and about to ascend!” I make grand sweeping gestures towards the little bunny. Her previous pink skin has started showing signs of white hairs here and there. I raise my eyebrow as the little critter looks at me while swivelling her ears around.
Oh yeah, I found out it’s a female. I did a check-up and figured it out after some searching. That’s all that needs to be said about that. I was slightly worried because normal rabbits remain naked for an entire week and need two weeks before their ears and eyes open. I continue my dramatic story as she follows my gestures with her lidded eyes.
“Looking around, I saw a majestic sight. A range of mountains many dozens of kilometres high stretched out in a fading tableau of stark ice and black rock. At that time, I was honestly getting pretty sentimental at the end of things, you know. Who knew I was that type of person, not me!
“Massive churning clouds were swirling around my figure as I sat on top of the highest mountain for leagues around. Thunder crackled through the clouds, a clear sign of imminent heavenly tribulation. Said mountain was far away fr
om any form of civilisation. I had picked the spot to allow me to ascend without any bothersome interference. I really shouldn’t have bothered though; the gods above were pretty unhappy with me.
“Anyway, that’s the only way I can explain why there were suddenly several ancient monsters and a hundred other mighty figures hanging in the air around me. Thinking back, the powers that be must have sent down prophecies to all the major sects. The message must have spouted something like a massive evil being outbreak is about to occur or some bullshit like that. They all looked pretty annoyed, and not all of that annoyance was directed at me.
“The thunder started building up power only half an hour before. That wasn’t enough time for even the most powerful cultivators to get to me from the civilised lands. I’m further guessing that those guys had gotten sick of me stealing all the good stuff from under their young disciples’ noses without leaving a trace.”
I actually chuckle as I think about the amount of extra work I caused those arrogant bastards. I shake my head and refocus on the story.
“Many voices shouted at me, yelling and cursing at the top of their lungs!”
I shift the pitch of my voice as I recall the deluge of comments, imitating the crowd of arrogant assholes as best as I can.
“You rogue bastard, don’t think that I, your father, will allow you to cause further havoc.”
I mimic an ancient voice, brimming with malice. What did I do to him again? I remember; I actually recognised him. Just because I was a bit better than his personal disciple he wanted to kill me? I didn’t even cripple that dumbass too badly; rude.
“You have sown enmity with our Great Heavenly Fields sect a thousand years ago; don’t think that I will let you off lightly.”
This time I talk in a smooth voice, one that will worm itself into your ears. Their name sounds nice and all, but their direct-lineage cultivation method required them to deflower as many young girls as possible. The mighty Heavenly Fields sect, an illustrious and worshipped sect, was just a bunch of perverted paedophiles. I smile as I remember the many times I underhandedly delivered some justice on their greasy asses.
“You spit on the name of my Dark Moon sect, refusing my invitations time and time again. If you won’t give me face, I’ll simply take it from you!”
This one is pompous and filled with empty pride. Why couldn’t those assholes simply talk normally? Causing havoc? Sowing enmity? Refusing invitations? I didn’t want to sit in the same place for the rest of my life. All I did was take some good fortune for myself and protect my own privacy, and they thought I stole from them. At that point, I was extremely sick and tired of hearing about face! That entire concept - or at least their interpretation of it - is bad. In my opinions it’s like honour but twisted and without the integrity and other good bits.
The little rabbit is staring at me with awe on her little face. Yeah, that’s totally awe. I let my arms drop from where I was waving them around pompously and dramatically look around.
“Pha, I thought, those tombs and crypts didn’t have their names on them. This might sound a bit arrogant, but the massive amount of raw power and influence these cultivators represented, would have petrified anyone else. Also because I was the youngest there but had the highest cultivation base of them all.”
I lean forward a bit, making sure to keep her attention trained on me as I continue my story.
“Closed door cultivation does help one grow, but the true polishing of one’s skills comes from living life! Going out and adventuring, meeting new people, and doing new things is what my Dao is all about. My speedy advance to the top must have scared the crap out of these millennia-old fogies. A young upstart not even a thousand years old dared to have a higher cultivation base then these tens-of-thousands-of-years-old monsters? How dare I!
“Energy fluctuations from around and above alerted me to incoming danger. The surrounding cultivators all had their most powerful techniques prepared and on a hair trigger, mystical light and archaic shapes surrounding their floating figures. The lightning up above started gathering at the eye of the storm. I closed my eyes and used a modified iron moulding technique to bring up massive quantities of metal from underground.”
I use the little qi I have to float sticks around me, using small wires of power to recreate the entire scene. The bunny has her eyes glued to the spectacle.
“Preparation is the key to everything. I had spent the previous couple hundred years gathering massive amounts of lightning-infused metals for just that moment. A Faraday cage made from the most conductive materials I could find sprung up around me as the lightning struck.
“The massive deluge of arcing lightning washed away the elemental dragons, sword qi slashes, and other various colourful attacks thrown at me. The gathered cultivators stared in dumb disbelief. One even twitched his eyebrow. Those old geezers all had immense power and absolute control over their bodies, so that physical slipup made me proud. To shake the heart of someone tens of thousands of years old was quite the achievement.”
I push my chest out a bit and smirk down at my single audience member. I can be smug if I deserve it, after all.
“In a flash they had new attacks prepared and the air was cloyingly thick with residual qi, remnants of the multitude of techniques. I reached out to this owner-less energy and used it to shore up my metal defences.
“The cage around me shone with a dim light, just in time to receive the second lightning bolt. The electric surge got transferred to the ground harmlessly, but I felt my control of the molten metal slipping. I changed a few aspects of the controlling spell, borrowing from a water manipulation method, to keep the glowing molten metal in place. I did a calculation and relief washed over me.
“You see, little bunny, ascending provokes the heavens into sending down seven lightning strikes, each more powerful than the last. I crunched the numbers and the metal should not have reached plasma state temperatures before the final lightning bolt hit, unless all the cultivators around me had started blasting me with fire techniques, that is.
“There were lots of stories about three, nine, or other multiples of three. The amount was supposed to hold great meaning, but I suspect that the first ascender of that world just randomly chose a number. So, it was seven bolts, and don’t let anyone tell you differently!
“The hovering crowd around me used the gaps between lightning strikes to bombard me with attacks. I let anything made up from water or ice elements hit me without interference, thankful for their cooling effects on the boiling metal. Any other technique was handled with a release of lightning qi that was still captured in my glowing cage. Not a single hair on my head had moved, while the mountain I was sitting on was slowly being destroyed.
“After the sixth bolt struck down, an unspoken signal caused a few sect masters to get into a formation. Four men and three women stood at equal distance from each other, forming a six-sided hexagon with the most powerful person in the middle. They all fed energy to the middle guy, causing him to flash with a green radiance. A massive bird made out of pure energy flashed towards my perch on top of the mountain, causing the very space itself to quake and crack. Black lines of fractured space-time followed the technique, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I threw most of the qi in the air surrounding me into the path of the bird, slowing it down just enough for the last stroke of heavenly lightning to strike.
“The lightning was the width of an average sized car. A quick glance at the surrounding metal told me that the white-hot glowing lattice was just shy of 5000 degrees Celsius. I was reassured that the critical temperature wasn’t reached yet, allowing the metal to remain in liquid form.”
My experience with plasma is limited because of the sheer energy required to get anything to that kind of temperature. I did some testing on a rather small scale, but a couple grams of plasma will surely react differently than the couple of tonnes of potential metal plasma around me. I don’t think I’ll die, but letting myself become surrounded with hy
per-charged plasma is not a risk I’m willing to take.
“Then, the clouds suddenly vanished and an eerie silence spread out for a few seconds. An enormous amount of golden light shot down from the heavens, surrounding me in a surreal glow. I felt the bounds of this planet loosening its hold on me while I started to float gently into the air. Then everything went white.”
I’m waving my arms around like mad, jumping up and down in order to convey the proper mood.
“A fraction of a second later, I felt like I was reaching warp speed. That’s the only way to describe the feeling of distance I was travelling. Surrounded by white blurs that sped by faster than I could think, I wondered how the higher realms look and what type of food they’ll have.”
I cough once and lower my chin. This part will be tricky to tell properly.
“HUUUMPPPF”
“A snorting sound larger than a planet crashed into me, and I screeched to a halt. I still saw white all around me, but now a faint barrier, light-years in front of me, was visible.”
“IMPETUOUS!”
I shout this word at the top of my lungs.
“Another galaxy-sized word rammed into my senses. I didn’t hear it with my ears; I heard this word with my very soul.”
“OBSCURING FATE, MEDDLING WITH THE STREAM, FREEDOM IS A CAGE.”
I cough a bit; my throat is starting to hurt from all this booming screaming I’m doing. The little rabbit is blinking at me while tilting her little head.
“These words left me reeling, my entire being shuddered with the words that were uttered. I felt a hand being waved without seeing anything at all. Then I was moving at a speed many factors above the previous hyper warp, booming through the universe.”
“I caught glimpses of galaxies swirling in a complex dance. I saw a universe being born, and I closed my eyes. Ignorance is bliss, I thought and tried to forget that I saw things that no human mind could ever contain. I especially ignored all those tentacle monstrosities.”
The DAO of Magic Page 4