Chapter 277 - Quiet Introductions

In a deep pit not connected to the physical world, all was dark and silent.

The air was still and cold and smelled like crushed rock.

Time seemed to stand still.

At the bottom of this place were the remnants of an avalanche. The slabs of rock had fallen from the sky with terrible sound and violence and then settled into the immemorial silence of the pit. 

Buried beneath the rubble, the ten year old boy named Nilya lay unconscious in a tiny pocket within the rocks. He was unharmed, despite having fallen an immeasurable distance from the top of the cliff.

Wake up.

A soft, ethereal voice called out to him from oblivion. 

Wake up, Nilya.

His dust-covered cheeks grimaced slightly as he stirred. A gentle white light appeared above him in the void of his subconsciousness. The voice was calling out to him from the light.

You must wake up.

The voice continued to beckon him with greater urgency. A slender feminine hand reached out to him from the light, as if to pull him up into it. 

Nilya let out a soft gasp, his eyes fluttered open as he woke. His hand was outstretched into the darkness as the dream of the hand in the light lingered in his emerging consciousness.

He closed his fingers, still imagining he could touch the hand in his dream and let it pull him out.

“You’ve awoken…” A soft, raspy whisper mumbled from the lips behind his ear. The flesh moved sluggishly, devoid of vigour. 

It took Nilya a moment to respond to the guru-chi’s voice, which was completely different than the soft voice that had woken him from unconsciousness.

“Master—“

“Quick now… I can’t hold much longer…” The guru-chi coughed. There was a slight tremble in the rocks around Nilya as the guru-chi’s strength waned. 

He realized with a start that he had been buried beneath the rocks, but the guru-chi had used his giant stone hands to form a protective shell around him, saving him from being crushed.

Nilya’s shoulder blades ached as he felt the strength of the guru-chi’s arms falter.

“Quickly get to safety, then seek the owner of this pocket world.” The guru-chi instructed, 

“The ruler— you mean the trial?!” Nilya exclaimed.

“The trial is no more. Your only hope to survive is with this world’s ruler.” The lips behind his ear coughed, trembling as they began to sink back into his neck.

A crack in the stone fingers opened up as faint starlight poured into the shell. Pain jolted through Nilya’s shoulder blades as the stone arms snapped off. 

He scrambled through the crack, finding himself in a jagged, narrow crevice in the rocks. The space beneath him collapsed as the stone hands crumbled, causing the loose rocks and earth around him to shift violently.

Nilya had the sensation that he was being assisted by an unseen force as he scurried out to the surface. The ground lurched, filling in the crevice with a crash that reverberated through the earth.

As the dust and sound settled Nilya found himself standing on the uneven rocky terrain in the shadow of the huge mountain that he had fallen from. The valley around him was blanketed in darkness. The meagre starlight from the sky above cast faint outlines of the stony, jagged plateau around him.

 “My pneuma, my connection to you— is about to perish.” The guru-chi’s voice strained, “I will guard your physical body until you find a way to return. Watch out for Bacchi, we are the same. If the guide is alive my elder brother’s pneuma may have survived.

“You must survive…”

The guru-chi’s lips grew sluggish, then still. Nilya could feel his master’s presence fade as he said his parting words. The lips behind his ears stopped merging in his flesh, leaving behind a rough scar.

A cold wind whistled in a low mournful tone as Nilya looked across the bleak landscape with a solemn expression.

~

As the sun rose in the physical world, a fit of coughs broke Somm’s meditative posture. The guru-chi keeled forward and to the side, spitting thick black blood onto his cloak and the mossy ground. He supported himself with a leathery thin hand while he trembled and retched horribly.

Across his body chunks of flesh were petrifying into stone, losing their flexibility and vitality. A corruptive energy pervaded across his body as he fought against losing control.

The ring of candles around Nilya’s motionless body had already half extinguished as the remaining flames flickered wildly from an unseen wind. The swamp wildlife in the area felt the disturbance and fled, leaving the guru-chi to struggle alone.

Somm’s groans and screams were swallowed by the desolate surroundings. His hood flew off as he clawed away the intricate wrappings around his face, revealing the wrinkled visage of the old man. Time had not been kind to his appearance. His blotched, uneven skin had a leathery appearance. His nose was crooked, his sunken eyes were completely black with no whites. His chin was sharp and hooked, his cheekbones pronounced.

He had a miserable appearance as he flailed about on the ground.

Even though he was an immortal, even though he was a powerful Exalted with incredible powers. 

This ancient advisor to the Sun God who had once proudly shared rulership over nation had been reduced to such a state.

Time and tribulations had worn him down and brought him down from his throne above the mortal world.

A chaotic, inhuman light flickered in the depths of Somm’s eyes as he couldn’t stop the corruption from spreading within him. The petrified flesh bulged and cracked as rock shards began extruding out from within.

In the midst of this turmoil he became aware of a presence near him. It had approached without concealing itself, though he had no ability to comprehend or deal with it as he struggled in the throes of corruption. 

His movements were sluggish now, weakened from exhaustion.

A slender hand reached out and gripped his chin, tilting his mouth upward. The lip of a small porcelain vial touched his petrified bottom lip as a tiny amount of clear liquid was poured into his mouth. 

A cool, refreshing sensation swirled down his throat as he felt a rush of vitality in his spirit. The light in the guru-chi’s eyes returned as he inhaled sharply, feeling strength return to his body and soul. His hardened flesh softened and became whole again as he fought off the corruptive energies with this newfound vigour.

The unknown presence nodded, retreating a few paces as Somm slowly recovered and stabilized.

After some time he no longer felt that he was in danger of falling apart, though damage remained on his body. His left hand was petrified into rough grey stone from the wrist down, clenched into a permanently malformed fist. His skin was grey and rough, his joints felt stiff.

As soon as he was able to he pushed himself to his feet and looked over at the person that had saved him.

She sat on a nearby fallen log, her legs crossed casually with her hands clasped over one knee. She wore a common traveler’s cloak with the hood down, revealing a youthful face and long black hair. Her complexion was clear and light, her grey eyes intensely intelligent. She was clearly not from Fuha, but her delicate facial features and thin frame were also not typical of people in the surrounding lands.

A pale, weak morning sun shone down from the grey sky. The swamp was still and silent.

“You saved me.” The guru-chi said plainly with a solemn, sincere tone, “May Shuma’s light shine brightly on you.”

Corruption was a danger that every Exalted would face throughout their life. The stronger an Exalted became, the more dangerous and often it would appear. Corruption was an intrinsic part of Exalted existence, a law of the universe, a threat that not even the gods could avoid.

Each path and domain had their methods to deal with this, known collectively as purification techniques. There were as many different methods as there were stars in the sky, but they varied just as greatly in cost and effectiveness.

In the world of immortals, purification techniques were highly treasured, closely guarded secrets.

Therefore Somm did not ask this girl how she had saved him, it was enough that the corruption had been staved off.

The girl nodded, accepting his gratitude with a calm expression. She was not friendly or hostile, nor did she give off an air of authority or subservience. Her casual posture showed confidence, but the seriousness in her gaze kept her from appearing aloof.

The look in her eyes told the guru-chi that she knew who he was. The simplicity and effectiveness of her purification technique hinted at hidden depths of skill and knowledge. An aura of mysteriousness surrounded this girl.

The blessed of a god? The guru-chi could only surmise that her status was no less than his own.

Without speaking a word, the girl already established a strong impression on the guru-chi. 

“I am Somm Chusok,” The guru-chi bowed gently, “If it is within my power to repay you, you need only speak the word.”

The girl nodded again, bowing ever so slightly to return the show of respect.

“My name is Shou Tao. We can discuss reparations in time.” Yuzu said, introducing herself with a name she had come up with for this encounter, “For now, I am tasked with bringing you and Nilya to safety.”

Yuzu stood up, and faced toward the south. The guru-chi followed Yuzu’s gaze as she looked off into the distance. Though he could not sense anything, he felt a sense of foreboding from her words.

“We must leave.” She said, “Your elder brother is coming for you.”