The view of the mountains was beautiful enough to make me forget about the poison and Mother’s revelation for a moment. It had taken some more time until we could leave, and I didn’t know how long I’d waited in that room before that, but at some point dawn had come. Now, the sun was just leaving the horizon behind, sending its rays out over the Central Mountains.
I stood on a hilly outcropping a little further down from the real peaks, but with a great view over a valley in the mountains. A few clouds decorated the horizon, adding to the scenic beauty. The morning wind pulled at my clothes, a simple but durable set of robes. The fresh air made me feel a little better.
But I shook my head and turned away from contemplating the scenery, instead focusing on my immediate surroundings. A small group of us had traveled here by airship. Mostly guards, who surrounded us in a wide perimeter now, all of them probably Mother’s personal guard. Then there were Mother herself, Kariva and Alaster. I’d thought about calling Tenira to accompany me, but something made me hesitate.
Maybe I didn’t want to burden her with it, but it might just be that I didn’t want her to see me like this.
“So, what are we doing here?” I asked, pushing useless thoughts aside.
“This part of the mountains is home to many spirits,” Mother answered. “Especially the area further up here. It’s where their influence is felt strongly. There’s a sort of … special place up ahead. A particular phenomenon of qi. You should be able to enter it and, hopefully, awaken a connection to the Moon.”
I frowned at that. “Why go here, and not, say, to a shrine of the Moon?”
She shrugged. “It’s where I went to do that bargain. Yeah, I could have gone to the shrine, but this is, well, more suitable. More private. Come on, I’ll take you there.” She glanced at the others. “The rest of you, stay here.”
Al rushed me again for another hug. I returned it and ruffled his hair. “Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got this. I’ll come back healthy soon, okay?”
“You’d better, Nari.”
I nodded at Kariva, then turned to follow Mother, who had already started walking.
After a minute of walking up a hilly slope leading to a rocky area, I decided I might as well pry a little. Walking was taking a toll on me, more than it should, but Mother kept the pace slow enough that I didn’t have trouble talking. “So, how did this bargain work? What’d you give him?”
“The heart of a sea dragon,” Mother answered matter-of-factly. “A powerful object containing a lot of qi, out of the Imperial treasury. It could have been used to craft a powerful artifact, but overall that’s not such a big deal.” She frowned a little. “Although it probably wasn’t much more than a snack for him. We should assume he had his own reasons to agree to it.”
“And how did it work? Did he take on a human form, like an avatar, or just some magic stuff?”
Mother cleared her throat, not looking at me. “Well, you want me to get into the specifics?”
“On second thought,” I said. “I don’t think I want to hear any details.” Those might be gross, I could live with being curious.
The next few minutes, we walked in silence. We’d started to get into more mountainous terrain, with rocky walls rising around us. It was also getting darker as we entered a bank of fog. Despite the poison, I could still sense the qi in it. The whole area was odd, with the qi having a different feeling than I was used to. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but the sensation increased as we went further.
Finally, we came out of a small valley into an open area nestled between rock walls and cliffs. Mother stopped. “It’s probably best if you go on alone from here.”
I glanced down, but couldn’t see the others. Mother remained standing here, and I could see the tension in her posture.
“You still haven’t told me why you went to the Moon,” I said quietly.
Mother chuckled a little. “That part’s the hardest to tell, to be honest. And I’m not quite sure how to put it.”
I frowned. I could see she was clearly bothered by all of this. “Was it about Carston?”
“No, not really.” Mother shook her head, looking down at the valley. “There was always a lot of pressure to produce an heir. I could have ignored it, but I felt like I needed to do it. For the sake of stability. And I did want children. But it was a big risk, in a way.” She glanced at me. “You probably understand that. My child would most likely inherit the throne. While I was confident in my own judgment, that I was doing good things with introducing civil rights and such, could I say the same about any prospective heir? Or ensure that my child would be strong enough to prevail?”
I nodded, but didn’t say anything. I could relate, but didn’t like the implications.
“Well, here’s the answer,” Mother said, not looking at me. “The best one I found, at least. I bargained with the Moon so the child would not only be strong enough to claim the throne. I bargained for an heir. For someone who could be the best ruler the Empire might have.”
I swallowed. That’s a hell of a thing to say. I took a step forward, shaking my head. “How could you be sure of that? Personality isn’t determined exclusively by someone’s genes.”
“Well, of course I can’t be sure.” Mother laughed curtly. “Of course a lot of things could happen, and I had no guarantee you would survive. I only ensured you had the potential for it.”
I took another few steps forward, getting a bit of distance, and looked out over the valley. “I guess I get it. Looking at it objectively, I’m impressed. Their heir is one of the most important factors for how much good or bad a ruler does, long-term. Actually using magic to help with that, going to spirits like that? Admirable, in a way.” But that doesn’t mean I like it.
I still didn’t look at her. I heard how she took a step, though. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“It’s still a shitty thing to do on a personal level.”
She stayed still and didn’t say anything to that.
“Well,” I took a deep breath. “See you on the other side.”
Not looking back, I walked forward, into the mist. It didn’t take long for it to swallow any sense of Acura’s presence. The place I went to didn’t have any clear boundaries, but I gradually entered something that clearly felt different. Or maybe just a different way of perceiving things?
I was still reeling from the revelation she’d just shared. But I tried not to think about it, to push those considerations and emotions aside. I was here to awaken my bloodline, my connection to the Moon, however that might work. That was all.
I could feel my surroundings slowly changing around me. It wasn’t like stepping into another dimension, more like the place warped around me. I still had trouble perceiving qi, but my senses actually seemed to sharpen. At least in a way. They also shrunk, making it hard to perceive my surroundings more than a few meters around me, even though I could feel the qi around me in a way I’d never encountered before. The whole thing reminded me a lot of the spirits I’d encountered. The sensation of the qi, its smell or taste, if it had one, seemed familiar and yet much more potent.
The ground around me flattened out until I stood on a plain, not the rocky terrain I’d been walking on before. It stretched away from me, smooth as glass. The air was still, not a hint of a gust, yet it didn’t smell stale.
Slowly, I became aware that I was not alone. I couldn’t tell whether it was because I saw them or sensed them with my qi senses, but I noticed that other figures existed in this strange place. They were spirits, of course. Their forms indistinct, sometimes changing, the feel of their qi unmistakable. Some of them seemed like animals, some had humanoid shapes. I could sense different levels of strength among them, although no one beyond the spirit I’d encountered in that forest. As I continued walking, I noticed more of them showed up, coming closer towards me.
At some point, I stopped. “Greetings. I have come here in search of my connection to one of the Greater Spirits.”
My words were swallowed by the mist of qi in the air, sounding small and weak in this place. Although a few of the spirits showed activity in response to them, moving around and acting curious, without coming any closer.
After a minute of waiting, I noticed movement in one direction. They seemed to be retreating? No, giving way to someone else. Another spirit advanced towards me, this one noticeably stronger than the rest. They had a humanoid form, even showing details like long hair blowing in the nonexistent wind, although their body shape was androgynous and their face blurry. They felt familiar, as if I might have met them or a related spirit before.
‘There you are, hidden light.’ The spirit cocked its head. ‘I do not think you will find what you really wish for here.’
It waved an arm, and the lesser spirits scattered, vanishing into the depths of this place quickly.
‘Who ever gets what they really wish for?’ I asked, crossing my arms. ‘In any case, I find myself curious about this place, and your folk. Will you tell me more?’
They turned away without answering and started walking. I hesitated for a moment, surprised, then hurried to join them. My body protested the movement, weakness dogging my limbs, but I didn’t care. I needed to follow this spirit, if they were the only one inclined to talk. They must have come to me for a reason, after all.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, the spirit let out a whistling sigh. ‘My time is not unlimited, Little Light. And neither is yours.’
I tried to suppress my annoyance. ‘Will you tell me about this place and what I’m supposed to do, then?’
‘This place is of no consequence. Simply a gathering spot away from humans. You could find the same in many places. As to what you’re supposed to do, you should know that.’
I sighed. ‘Yes, I’m supposed to awaken my bloodline from the Greater Spirit of the Moon.’
‘For your sake, I certainly hope you can do better at it than you are now.’
I huffed. ‘I’m sure I can do whatever is necessary, if only I had some guidance.’
The spirit turned their head to look at me and raised a suddenly more defined eyebrow. ‘And yet, you have not once so much as used his name.’
That shut me up for a moment.
‘I was under the impression humans were supposed to care about family connections,’ the spirit said, its tone now clearly prodding. ‘Are you not moved by the prospect of meeting your real father? Perhaps you are feeling hurt.’
I huffed again, something about their words and tone of voice rubbing me the wrong way. ‘I have a real father, my dad. And he must be grieving my death right now.’
The spirit chuckled, a rumbling sound like that didn’t quite fit its ethereal appearance. It reminded me where I may have met them before, when a spirit came to warn me against going south to the war.
‘What’s the point of this conversation, anyway?’ I asked, annoyed.
‘Perhaps there is none. You cannot hope to connect to your dormant potential if you do not accept yourself.’
I stopped walking, which caused the spirit to stop as well. ‘You don’t know me. How would you know if I accept myself? Because that sounds more like fortune cookie advice than anything helpful.’
The spirit cocked their head again. `You cannot even bear to ponder the basis of your creation. If the prospect of being made for ruling is so terrifying, how would you ever awaken your bloodline?’
I ground my teeth and glared at them, wondering how they knew about that. Maybe they’d listened to our conversation outside. I wanted to refute it and rant at them, but I stopped myself, took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. I needed to be in control of myself and able to face some personal enlightening, from the sounds of this.
‘It is time to give you something more challenging, and let you test yourself with more than words.’
The spirit smiled and waved at me. Before I could answer, the qi around us started rippling, coming from their hand. It distorted around us, bringing back the nausea I’d forgotten about since coming here.
When the wave passed, the spirit was gone and I stood alone. My surroundings had changed as well. Rather than the formless mist of qi, they now consisted of colors and forms.
I sighed, straightened my shoulders, and focused. If they wanted to give me a test of character, I’d play along.
“The heart of a sea dragon,” Mother answered matter-of-factly. “A powerful object containing a lot of qi, out of the Imperial treasury. It could have been used to craft a powerful artifact, but overall that’s not such a big deal.”
This really seems a bit 'cheap' in human terms, though spirits probably see things like these quite different.
‘Perhaps there is none. You cannot hope to connect to your dormant potential if you do not accept yourself.’
Which the protagonist really did a bad job with until now. Pushing thoughts away only leaves them amassing on the edge on consciousness until the dam one has build up breaks.
you went to the Moon -> should this be "Moon Spirit"? Or is Rijoko literally one of the moons? "the Moon" is used in a few places, and I'm not sure if you are meaning the literal moons or the moon spirits
I can’t be sure.” -> couldn't be sure,"
Ah, so Rijoko's price was a sea dragon heart? That's a lot less ominous than it could have been. He of course had his own reasons for accepting like Acura said, but hopefully nothing that will be a huge negative impact on Inaris (or Acura)
I wonder if the spirit she was talking to is something like her uncle or distant cousin through Rijoko's side. I wonder if Inaris noticed she's already become a bit more spirit like with the way she was communicating with the spirit
'The Moon' is Rijoko's title/epithet. He's not literally the moon, but 'The Moon' refers to him. He's *a* Greater Spirit, and *the* spirit of the Moon. I hope that makes sense.
And it's supposed to be 'can't' since she still can't be sure of it.
I was wondering if people would notice how easily Inaris uses telepathic communication. She herself doesn't really notice.
@Tejoka ah ok, fair enough about the 'can't' part, though from what we know she can rest easy since Inaris shares a lot of Acura's moral values.
And 'The Moon' as a title? Ok. That's probably one of the things that would be covered in a side chapter of Inaris writing down stuff she's found out since it would be extremely awkward in story for that title to come up unless he was being announced like in a formal meeting with foreign dignitaries
I figured he was *the* Greater (greatest?) Spirit of the Moon since that was how he was being talked about. Also- why else would Acura go to him for making an heir rather than some other spirit unless he was at the highest tiers of power?
It's kind of understandable for Inaris to not really notice how she's communicating then since she's really out of it both physically and mentally with the poison, revelations about her birth, and possible future all rattling around in her mind. I wonder if there will be a point of it made in story how Inaris has been able to telepathically communicate at stage 3 and 4 when Acura said that most people only really get it at stage 7 unless it's specifically part of their cultivation technique or heritage. Maybe it isn't clicked for her that being able to talk back telepathically is unusual at her level. It's obvious Acura and the other level 7s and higher could talk *to* Inaris telepathically, but that Inaris can reply back to them that way is unusual (I think, unless stage 7s can do two way telepathy just based on their own power?)
@MarkofWisdom Yeah, I should get to work on that side chapter. You're right that the Greater Spirits are the highest tier of power. As to telepathic communication, that's actually two-way based on stage 7 cultivator power, so that's not unusual. Although spirits would have to be fairly powerful to do the same. Inaris is taking to it like a fish to water, compared to normal, but she doesn't have a clear reference point and you're right that she has other things to worry about.
Thanks for the chapter.
The cover pic with the moon makes more sense now. But the phoenix in front of the moon? I don't think that's explored yet. Or could it be that it's symbol of reincarnation? Of dying (on Earth) and getting a new life in this cultivation world.
Yeah, that's pretty much the symbolism. The pheonix is also one symbol for the Empire, so the characters might refer to it. I'm not sure if there's ever going to be an actual pheonix in the story. Maybe.