Sweat poured from my brow as I slammed the hammer atop the narrow strip of metal over and over again. The ring of the anvil became a constant rhythm as I focused on the thickness of the glowing steel, flattening the piece with each blow as I whittled it down to just the right size.
“Don’t race!” Master Koh barked at me from behind me. “This competition is about quality not speed.”
I glanced across from me, to where Mal’Kira was hammering away at her own piece of glowing, red-hot iron. She was already on her third pass, having folded the metal twice already. I was still on my second. I cursed inwardly, realizing I had probably flattened the metal way too much again. Rushing back to the furnace, I dipped my unfinished blade in a mixture of ash and crushed Crystal Lizard scales before thrusting it into the roaring kiln of blue flames.
This part was crucial.
I’d performed it thousands of times by now, but like always it was a nerve-wracking dance of ‘feeling’ for when the metal was at just the right temperature to pull out. The color was an important component of that too, a hint at what that temperature might be. Now, thinking back to my encounter with that Cursed-Star-Born Deep Dweller, Zh’urong, I had superheated my weapons to something that rivaled the interior of the sun.
This flame was much cooler in comparison, but still just as critical and perhaps even more so to get right. I withdrew my blade when it was glowing a luminescent bright orange, with the scales and ash now incorporated into its form. I took it to the anvil and folded it over while still pliable and then went to hammering it again.
An hour went by as I repeated the process two more times before finally quenching it in Qi-infused water and then moving on to polishing. By that time Mal’Kira was already working with Elder Akemi who was overseeing the second part of the crafting exam, lacing the small dagger with a tassel made of spirit silk threads.
After four years, I was what was considered just a barely competent smith by now, but I had only just begun my tutelage under Elder Akemi in the fine art of weaving and sewing. By the time I finished polishing and sharpening my blade to get to that task, I was already dreading the outcome.
Whack!
“You missed a stitch!” Akemi cracked me on the head with her palm leaf fan. “Scrap it and start again!”
“Yes, elder,” I said reflexively and without even pausing, tossed my hour’s long worth of work aside to begin knitting a new tassel from the glowing spool of golden spirit silk before me.
Akemi took my scrap and with a twirl of her fingers, began unravelling it and winding it back onto a new spool again. “I swear if I were ever to go into business with you, I’d be destitute within a month. Focus harder and stop rushing! Don’t mind that Mal’Kira is already finished.”
I glanced up at Mal’Kira who leered back at me with a good natured, yet annoying, shit-eating-grin. “It’s okay, boss. You’ll get it eventually.”
The three of them had a good chuckle while I muttered a curse under my breath. These six-month evaluations were commonplace to me now, yet still I dreaded them like the plague. Tests in school were never my thing, and the evaluations reminded me a lot of them. Still, this was the method used to gauge my competence to graduate to the next weapon, and I desperately wanted to move on from daggers and get to the next one of the list: the Axe.
After another two hours of failing upwards, I finally managed to produce something that Elder Akemi approved of with a stiff nod. “I suppose I could sell this. Master Koh, they are all yours again.”
Akemi handed me the dagger hilt first and I gave her a bow. “Thank you, Elder.”
“Good luck with the next portion of the evaluation.”
I grinned. “I won’t need luck with this one. Let’s go, Mal.”
It was now her turn to let out a groan as the tables were turned. While Mal’Kira had a natural aptitude for the artisan crafts which I lacked, when it came to our combat training, I thankfully still held an edge.
It was close to dark by the time Master Koh took us both to the small training ring in the center of the village. As we took our respective sides, I went through the layers of forms and techniques now imprinted in my mind like an encyclopedia of martial knowledge. I didn’t realize it at first, but there was a method to the order of the weapons Master Koh was teaching us as well. Now after four years of study I could connect the intricate dots between the various styles. Each weapon came with inherent flaws and advantages and depending on the match up, your approach would dictate whether you truly won or lost.
Looking back now, I lost most of my ring battles in a technical sense, powering through with brute force, which was the advantage of heavy weapons like Axes and Glaives. But now I was about to partake in the exact opposite.
The delicate Dual Dagger technique that was purely in Blue Rose’s realm.
“Ready?” Master Koh asked the both of us as we squared off in martial stance. “Commence!”
I dashed forward with my refined footwork skills and wasn’t surprised when Mal’Kira, did the same to counter me. Our newly forged blades cross with blue sparks, and she let out a laugh.
“Keep it up!” she said. “I’m sure yours will break before mine. Then I’ll win by default.”
I twirled the tassel on the hilt of the dagger and the blade began to glow. “Yeah we’ll see.”
We crossed blades again as we lunged, spun and countered. It was a high-speed chess game that took the rudimentary lessons Fia taught me, about blocking, countering and feigning to the next level. The moves became near automatic, and as our blades crossed again and again, I feared Mal’Kira might be right with one of mine finally breaking before hers.
The weapons were sharp and agile, yet delicate and while I couldn’t feel the Qi running through them, I knew the daggers in my hands were now more potent than any weapon that could be found back home on Earth.
I couldn’t help but think how much Master Hei Dong would be impressed by what I had made. I’d sent him letters of my progress along with those to Fia. It sucked that I had to wait a whole year for a reply, but when the letters did come back to me via Blue Rose’s visits, they were like taking a vacation from my training monotony, transporting me back to the real world as I read of their exploits if only for a short while.
Fia gave me updates on Bryce and how much she was actually enjoying spending time out in the ‘country’ as she called it. Although she did complain that Kelsey was sometimes doing too good of a job in protecting Bryce from being exposed to the Bloodmoon, chasing them both from the edge of the barrier the second it got close to sundown. Kelsey gave me updates as well, giving me an all clear when it came to I’xol’ukz’s activities. That meant I was hopefully on track to surprising the bastard once I finally found where his true domain lay. Blue Rose gave me updates on that front as well, sending back the reports from Mu Lin and Xi Xha on their research thus far.
Their search was still going strong, but it now seemed a lot harder than they first figured. In one of her letters Xi Xha explained that the small hint I had gotten about the Soul Emperor’s ascension held some kind of double meaning. It was that Grand Sage Zin Tai who had helped them understand that the ascension being referred to in the reference was not his ascension to the Soul Emperor Realm, which would have been well documented, but instead it was a reference to his first ascension to the celestial realm as a True Deity. That being the case, it would be a much more obscure event to find as he would have been pretty much a dime a dozen Lesser Deity Realm nobody at the time. Still, the sealing away of a great evil was something to go on and the search continued. I did my best to describe in writing the place I had seen and sent it back to them to help with the search and prayed that the Grand Sage would not be able to connect the dots on me the same way.
But that was a risk I would have to take for now.
“Hey, you paying attention?”
I snapped out of my thoughts, as Mal’Kira, who now had her blade at my throat, twisted our arms in a deadly lock. I looked down and noticed my own blade was pointed at her heart. I motioned for her to look down and when she did, she let out a curse.
“Shit! Another draw? This is going to take all night again!”
I realized then that the sun had long since set and that we were now battling by torch light. A small group of our neighbors and fellow smiths had gathered to watch, including the Chief who was sitting arms folded on his stool.
I’d been so deep in drifting off in my thoughts, that I didn’t even realize how much time had passed with us going back and forth in our duel. It frightened me for a second that I was on complete autopilot while battling her. On one hand, it was evidence of my level of mastery now. I could literally fight in my sleep, but damn what if I had gotten lucky with a fatal strike like just now?
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Sorry, Mal,” I said, withdrawing from our deathlock. “I’ll try to stay focused.”
Master Koh started us off again and I kept my head in the present this time. I was only moving at mortal speed, keeping within Mal’Kira’s physical constraints, but even still I was moving faster than I ever had before, now adapting to the speed and cadence of the dual blades.
We went back and forth, our techniques matched in a synchronized dance of skill and violence.
“You miss them, huh?” Mal’Kira said in between one of our bouts. “Is that where you were just now?”
I could see the genuine concern on her face and simply nodded. “Four years and counting. I’m starting to forget my own sons face.”
“I can’t imagine,” she said, sparks flying between us as our blades crossed again. “I don’t have as much to miss, but I’m starting to feel the same about Du Bok Ghong as well. Not that I’ll be back there anytime soon.”
As we continued to spar a thought occurred.
“Wait a sec,” I said and drew our combat to a halt. “Mal, you really plan to go back there?”
“It’s my purpose. To train the next generations. Once I’ve completed my service with you that is.”
I stared at her a moment and processed exactly what that meant. I was a half step from the Lesser Deity Realm now. Unless I was killed, which was, in and of itself, becoming less probable the stronger I became, I would live well beyond her mortal life span. Which meant she was bound to spend the rest of her days following me.
“What is it you truly want, Mal? If you wish to return to Du Gok Bhong, I’ll release you to do so.”
She laughed. “Then who’ll help you spar?”
The laugh and deflection was far too quick.
“I mean it, you know. I appreciate your loyalty to me, but I want you to live your own life too. If you want to go back, I’ll let you.”
“Thank you, Max,” she said, her heart flowing with lemonade. “But my duty is to you. Still…thank you.”
I simply nodded before tears came to my own eyes. “Come on then. Let’s get this done so we can get to the next weapon.”
She smiled and dropped into ready stance. “At your lead.”
* * *
Our sparring match went on for another three hours, with neither of us giving ground. The same determination that went into forging our weapons came out in our spirits. Either of us could simply have folded to the other to end the battle prematurely, but we now held far too much respect for each other and our village of masters, now glued to watching us, for that.
It probably didn’t help that using tiny blades, built for agility and speed, were the antithesis of our preferred styles and body types, but we didn’t let that stop us. When the match point finally came, it was Mal’Kira who struck the winning blow.
We both collapsed to our knees, breathing and sweating heavily.
“Never been so glad to lose a match in my life,” I said, panting. “Congrats, Mal.”
She just laughed.
I could have rejuvenated myself with a dose of Frenzy at any time, but it was nice to know my natural endurance was at this level of peak performance now. It was a reminder that no matter how skilled, a mortal was no match for a cultivator.
Ever.
“You are both fit to progress to the next weapon,” Master Koh said. “Well done.”
A slow clap started, and I was surprised to see Chief Muraboshi standing and giving us an ovation. “A fine show. We do not get entertainment like this often. Come, let us celebrate their progression. Food and wine!”
The festivities kicked off much to my surprise, led by Chief Muraboshi himself. I’d gotten accustomed to the Summer and Winter festivals they held a few times a year and even those were somewhat muted affairs with a little extra food and wine being the center of the festivities.
This time was no different and perhaps even more scaled back, but after living here, with the tranquil peace and routine of the village day in and day out, it wasn’t like much more was needed to be considered a party. As I settled in with the friends of my new village community, gathered around the forge, sharing stories, food and plum wine, I felt almost content.
Perhaps that was the true magic of the village.
The same that had worked on Mal’Kira perhaps.
This was a different kind of Celestial Heaven.
Not one born of conquest, but the simplicity of hard work, dedication and the endless quest for mastery.
It wouldn’t be enough for me, I knew.
I still had far more to accomplish than this.
But it was the closest thing I could equate to a vacation thus far.
“Max, come with me.”
I looked up from my cup of wine to see Chief Muraboshi standing over me. I rushed to my feet without question and followed him. As we got towards the edge of the village, I began to wonder what was going on.
“You’re not kicking me out, are you?”
He chuckled. “Not unless you wish to go.”
“Are you starting my next lesson right away then?”
It was indeed nearly time for that, but still a couple months away. Perhaps with my passing of the dagger trial he was letting me progress a bit early.
“That will come in time,” Muraboshi said and stopped at the edge of the bamboo forest. Overhead was a bright white moon that bathed the night in a bluish-hued glow. He took a seat in lotus position on the ground and gestured for me to do the same.
“I never fully thanked you for saving our village, Max,” Muraboshi said. “At first, I was unsure what to make of it. Master Koh said you were a legionnaire, and I knew there was a chance you had the power to accomplish what was needed, but I never thought it truly possible. Not after that Cursed Seed had over ten thousand years to spawn and grow.”
He then waved his hand and a small image appeared between us. It was a Cursed Star core, it looked like, the same I had retrieved from Zh’urong, but it was slightly smaller and less vibrant.
“This was the core I first recovered to create Misato village fourteen thousand years ago,” he said. “As you can see, it had only just awakened. I was lucky in finding it before it could truly evolve. But I know the core you acquired, was far from being benign like this.” He waved his hand and the image disappeared. “It is why I never thought it possible for me to retrieve it. As long as I have lived and as powerful as the Inner World of my Dantian has become, even I lack the spiritual fortitude to ever face such a demon of the world that is unseen.”
He paused then, but I didn’t know what to say really.
“I’m just glad I could help,” I said. “And learning from you is more than thanks enough.”
Muraboshi chuckled. “You would be terrible at bartering if you ever thought such an exchange was a fair one. Which is why I wish to give you this.”
From out of his robes he produced something that pulsed faintly with Cursed Frenzy.
I recoiled slightly, but he raised his hand as if to reassure me.
“This is a piece of the core that you retrieved,” he said. “I have no more to teach you in the techniques to build your Inner World. Now, all that is left, is your choice of how to populate it. And I know, for what you were able to accomplish, a fragment such as this, is akin to the Path of Flame that you now tread.”
My heart leapt.
Inside my Flame stirred with uncertainty yet solid recognition.
He must have seen it in my eyes because he rushed to reassure me again, this time patting me on the shoulder. “Fear not. In my time, I have come across but two who have trod your path before. I know not of its details and wish not to know, for to know would bring folly to both you and me.”
Holy shit…he knew of the Path of the Frenzied Flame?
“So you’ve met others like me before?” I said. “Who? Are they still alive?”
“I know not. They were travelers like you. Upon a path like no other. They were driven as you are, as well, but I must say, you supersede even they that preceded you. I know only that the path you follow and that of the Cursed Stars is somehow connected, which is why I bequeath this to you.”
As he handed me the fragment, the Cursed Frenzy gnawed at my Flame. “What should I do with this?”
Muraboshi merely shrugged and then stood. “Only your path and your own Inner World can tell you that.” He then smiled. “When you challenge the stars and all Hell breaks loose, just remember little Misato village will you? I would not want this sanctuary to fall even through the great cataclysm that is to come.”
My Flame flared again. “What great cataclysm?”
He looked back at me as if surprised. “Is that not what your path seeks? It is what one of your predecessors said to me once. That your kind will usher in a great cataclysm and it is why the Emperor shuns you.”
I didn’t understand what that meant. Was he talking about the Greater Will and the First Flame? I couldn’t even repeat that to him for confirmation. Not only did he not know what those things were, who knew what it would do to his psyche to be bombarded by such levels of hidden truth. And being inside his Inner World when that happened probably wouldn’t be a good thing.
Muraboshi then smiled. “Perhaps he was just a bit further down your path than you are now.” He then rested his hand on my shoulder again. “Fear not. Your secret is safe with me. We too are shunned by the Empire, permitted to exist only because we are useful. Such is the way of the empire. But we will never speak of this again, as it is unsafe to do so. For both of us.”
As he turned and walked back to the village I was left perplexed, holding the sliver of pulsing Cursed Star in my palm. I supposed I shouldn’t be surprised that someone as old and spiritually attuned as him, had come across a Berserker before and could peg them for what they were. It made me fear that that Grand Sage might be, one day, able to do the same.
As I looked back to the core, I knew there was only one place for it.
Diving into my mind’s eye, I summed my Hell-ridden Inner world. The oppressive orb of the Cursed Star hung dark in the sky, but it exuded no malice or influence. As I summoned the sliver, I went through the techniques Chief Muraboshi had taught me. I felt the Cursed Frenzy course through my soul, leaving burning scars as it transitioned through my Dantian and found it’s natural place inside my Inner World.
The Cursed Star above me flared and the Cursed Frenzy that came with it felt a hundred times stronger than the sliver itself had produced, perhaps now strengthened by the power of my own core. I shielded myself with [Sacred Soul Shield] and marveled for a second at what I had just accomplished.
I had just birthed a Cursed Star.
* * *
As I stumbled back to my cot a million thoughts were running through my mind. Who was that Berserker Muraboshi had met? Was it my predecessor from the academy? Or someone else? And what was this Cataclysm? Was the Path of the Frenzied Flame truly to stop it or create it? As I took another peek at the miniature Cursed Star now burning in my own soul, I couldn’t help but think there might be some correlation there.
“Give it up bro,” I said to myself. “You’re too much of a damn Chun to figure all this out. Just stick to what you know.”
And what I knew, was application, more than purpose.
I had a Cursed Star to cultivate under now.
My training regime just garnered a new leg.
It wasn’t a lot to cultivate from, but it was enough.
I still had to kill a dark god and breaking through to the next realm was imperative, not to mention I had whole new layer of Berseker techniques I needed to upgrade to the next level.
Cataclysm or not, a Follower of the Frenzied Flame was what I was.
And a Lesser Deity Realm Berserker was what I would soon become.