Chapter 88 - Prayer

In the white world, Yuzu found her consciousness floating amidst an endless sky. 

She was completely disconnected from the physical world. She was unaware of what was happening in the Zhao manor. She only knew that her end was near.

She descended in that endless space, drifting downwards to the bottom of the aetheric plane. The clashing of chains resounded far below her, holding back the entity behind the vast and mysterious door. She felt like she was being drawn down towards it on an invisible current.

It wasn’t that the entity was actively trying to pull her down as there wasn’t any intent in the downward pull. It was simply a natural phenomena within the white world. So she drifted, down like a feather, slowly dissipating as the invisible winds washed her away.

Just as she came to peace with her end, she saw an opaline light blossom in the distance. It pulsated softly, obscured as if by mist or fog. The soft illusory sounds of prayers called out from the light as a white thread extended from it towards Yuzu. No, rather than extending, it was more like the thread was already there, and these prayers were illuminating it.

The white thread bloomed as the light of the prayers shot down towards Yuzu, and she suddenly let out a gasp as it burst through her. The light nourished her body as it took form once more. She grasped onto the thread with her newly formed hands made of light, and in an instant she flew across the void into the light.

A familiar stone shrine appeared below her, sitting atop a plateau of white earth and rocks. The shrine was old and weathered, and on its roof there was a symbol of five concentric rings connected together with lines. 

At the base of the shrine three sticks of amber incense emitted a fragrant smoke that glimmered in Yuzu’s vision. The smell invigorated her spirit and filled her with energy. Within the shrine a stone bowl held four persimmons stacked in a pyramid. They shone with a brilliant lustre, as if they were glowing. 

Yuzu reached towards the fruit and picked it up, biting into its aetheric flesh without hesitating. An incredible energy filled her body. The hazy light of her body began condensing as she ingested the fruit. Her long white strands of hair materialized and fluttered down against her shoulders, upon which hung a thin, silky gown. 

She closed her eyes and inhaled deep, feeling that the fruit was the most delicious thing she’d eaten in her life. She was still incredibly weak, far from completely rejuvenated, but it was as if she were dying of thirst in a desert and had received a flask of life saving water.

By the time she’d finished the fruit her mind had recovered enough to take notice of her surroundings.

There was a single thread curled at the base of the shrine. Yuzu felt an intimate connection to it as she recognized that this was the source of the prayers that had stopped her fade into oblivion. As she reached out to it she heard the prayers of a familiar voice.

The voice was thanking her, and praying for her well-being. It was telling her of the things that had happened in the world and the stories that had popped up overnight. Stories about the names that Yuzu was now known by: The guiding beauty, the guardian angel of Tye-An, the white maiden.

As Char Char prayed to her, Yuzu felt her spirit become stronger.

~

At the shrine, Char Char was kneeling down and sincerely praying to the maiden. She had set up the offerings as she had done with Yuzu and Edwin previously and knelt for ten minutes without moving.

Beside her, Edwin cradled his retrieved lodestone within his bag. He had found it at the base of the shrine, unharmed if a bit dirty. His thoughts were on his master and the blood monks that had caused so much chaos.

Sitting on a rock a ways away, Finn sat with his arm resting on his propped up leg as he quietly waited for the rich girl to finish praying at the shrine. He had arrived in the morning to find Char Char and Edwin preparing to retrieve his Lodestone. Finn wasn’t paying attention at the moment as he deeply contemplated how to proceed with his case.

Firuzeh leisurely patrolled the plateau in her official black and red uniform as a guard of the Red Lion Security Company. She had coincidentally arrived at the same time as Finn to check on Char Char’s condition. She had then been hired by Sansen after he finally gave in to Char Char’s request to retrieve Edwin’s lodestone from the forest.

Finally, standing close to but respectfully apart from Char Char was Chloe, Sansen’s personal maid who was tasked with caring for Char Char that day. She stood with her hands properly folded in front of her waist and her head bowed respectfully. 

The plateau was covered in tall, bright grasses and yellow and pink flowers that were not native to the region. It was quiet and serene on this late spring afternoon.

A soft wind with a scent of aether spontaneously came to life and swirled across the plateau as Char Char finished her prayer.

At once, all five people on the plateau felt a presence descend from above them. Everyone looked up as they thought they caught the glimpse of long white hair glimmering in the sunlight in the periphery of their vision.

Though the people on the plateau did not feel any danger or malice from this entity, they didn’t take this for granted. Their eyes narrowed and they sharpened their senses, on alert for any other strange signs around them. After all, the most basic lesson in the Exalted world was - Beware of the unknown!

The only one who didn’t have this response was Char Char. A broad smile grew on her face as she clasped her hands together and bowed her head.

Thank you, I knew that it was you! Char Char silently prayed. You saved me. You saved so many people. Thank you, lost maiden!

Though she hadn’t said anything aloud, her body language showed she was clearly invigorated by the presence of the mysterious being. This enthusiastic response to the arrival of the spirit was not unnoticed by other others. After a moment, Firuzeh approached Char Char, saying softly, “Do you know the source of that aura?”

Char Char hesitated before shaking her head, “I wouldn’t say I know her... But I know who it is. Remember last night, I told you I thought I knew who it was that saved me? It was her. The maiden spirit of this shrine.”

“A spirit?” Firuzeh’s eyes grew thoughtful as she asked, “Do you pray to her often?”

“I used to, when I was younger... And I did come here just a few days ago to pray. I’ve never gotten a response before now.” Char Char replied.

“There are rumours throughout the city of a beautiful spirit that saved several hundred people during on that night.” Firuzeh said, weighing Char Char’s response as she decided how much likely it was that Char Char’s identification of the spirit was correct. “Though no one knows her identity. No one, it seems, except you.”

The stories spoke of the benevolent actions of the maiden, but benevolence was not one of the primary traits found among mysterious, powerful beings. Most folk stories were cautionary tales in which the naive and innocent were victims preyed upon by spirits and monsters. Even in the stories where those spirits did good deeds, there was always a price to pay. 

Firuzeh had thought this was a simple forest shrine home to minor forest spirits. Had Firuzeh known Char Char’s intentions of praying to the infamous “white maiden” at this shrine beforehand, she would have stopped Char Char. 

However what’s done was done. They were now within this entity’s domain, and it was awake and aware of them.

 Firuzeh did not speak her concerns directly, worried that showing any sort of hostility would aggravate the spirit. Though she didn’t know what kind of powers this the white maiden had, there was no doubt that she was powerful. Far above her level. Perhaps even stronger than the Boss.

She didn’t sense the presence of any other being on the plateau with them, meaning the spirit was currently incorporeal. She could not sense its presence in the spiritual world, either. For someone who was normally able to locate hidden entities around her, Firuzeh found herself extremely uneasy.

At a minimum, the maiden would have to be at the Disciple level of strength. There were very few pathways that allowed travel within the planes, but most of them gained this ability at the Disciple level. Even so, there were many restrictions, making it extremely unlikely that this entity was equivalent to a Disciple. Even being at the Adept level, the highest state an Exalted could normally reach, was unlikely, if the rumours around the city were true.

No, based on the level of influence that the maiden had demonstrated, she was at least a demi-god. But of what pathway? What domain? Firuzeh had no clue. The powers that this spirit possessed were not like anything she’d heard of.

“If you can, try to ask her what she desires.” Firuzeh said carefully. This was a safe first step. It would be too rash to ask directly for this spirit’s identity, but learning its desires would help them gleam some information on her motivations.

Char Char nodded and closed her eyes, respectfully asking the question.

Almost immediately she received a response as she flinched a bit, opening her eyes with an embarrassed expression.

“What did she say?” Asked Firuzeh.

“...She said she wants me to stop getting into so much trouble.”