So long as there is blood to be shed, human nature demands: more.
— Excerpt from Meditations, by the Red Emperor
Sanctuary, the Great Bonfire
Though there was no particular name for the Festival's great bonfire, Komura preferred to think of the main one in each City as the Great Bonfire. Some larger households liked to have their own smaller bonfires in their homes, and certainly not all of them could be referred to as "the great bonfire." Or so Komura reasoned.
This would be her fifty-eighth Festival. Of course, Komura couldn't remember every single one of them, but she could never forget her first Festival. The vivid memories of sights and sounds, of smiles and laughter, of food and lanterns. The grip of her mentor Priestess Ori's hand, gentle and warm, as she walked Komura through a different City in a different time.
"Do you know why the Festival of the Hero is important, Komura?"
"The food."
"Aha, that might be important to you, maybe."
"What can be more important than food, Priestess Ori?"
"Well, what happens if there is no food, Komura?"
"I would be sad."
"People would be sad indeed. And when people are sad, they start to blame each other for their sadness. Some might even think that there must be food, but others are keeping it for themselves, and do bad things."
"So food is the most important."
"Ah-ha, not quite. The most important thing is the people, coming together as a whole. Bonding, trusting… understanding that while we may share differences, no matter what, we are all closer than we think. That we all share the same past and walk towards the same future." Priestess Ori always liked to squeeze Komura's hand when saying things like this. "Though I'll admit that realizing we share a need for food helps us understand we might not be too different. Whenever you want to bond with someone, eat with them. Remember that."
Perhaps this was why Komura toiled, despite her age. The Festival represented something that had been passed down through the ages. It was more than some silly tradition — it was a binding reminder to the people that once, they had all shared the same suffering during the Endless Night.
The children wouldn't understand. How could they? Moreover, Komura preferred that they did not, at least, for now. Let them enjoy their right to naivety and innocence. But to ensure they did not think any of this to be unimportant, every Festival should always be a dazzling experience for all. Precisely because each Festival would be someone's first.
The teenagers — well, Komura had learned to lower her expectations over the decades. Old enough to know, but not experienced enough to understand. It took a delicate patience with them, one that understood they were taking their first steps on the journey from childhood innocence to understanding—the knowledge that the bright world they were born into came from the Eternal Night. And Komura could not expect them to be happy when learning about the underlying darkness.
But the adults, and the older ones — they would know. The ones who had really, truly seen the difficulties of life. There were always the occasional ones that blamed others for their misfortunes, and sometimes it was even true. Komura understood that sometimes people did horrible, terrible things to their fellows. But that made the Festival's core message all the more important.
Priestess Ori's voice surfaced again. "We either face the darkness together or individually become lost."
Looking at the Great Bonfire and the rings of people holding hands, moving and dancing in the warmth of the flames, Komura believed it could happen. She saw the dream Priestess Ori had shared with her; of people helping each other for a better tomorrow, of looking past what was different to focus on what they all shared.
It could happen. It still could.
And yet, Priestess Ori's dream seemed as far away and unattainable as when Komura first donned on her white Priestess robes. Half a century later, the Empire of the Sun still marched, the Free Cities still squabbled, and the children still needed someone to step up.
Komura felt it in her bones; she was running out of time to make Priestess Ori's — no, also her own — dream a reality. Her meager attainments in aura would only delay the inevitable, and deep down Komura grew weary. To think some of the Titled Ones had seen multiple centuries. She would never understand how they did so without complaint.
A disturbance in the air shook Komura from her reverie. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled at unexpected change in the Whale of ZhiXia's Domain — what had always been a smooth flow of aura covering ZhiXia City and lapping at the edges of Sanctuary had become a roiling, seething torrent.
Looking around, she saw the other Priestesses overseeing the Great Bonfire and even some of the Festival-goers had felt it too. They all looked in the direction of the Martial Arena, where the Whale of ZhiXia was supposed to be overseeing the Martial event. What had happened?
A young boy yelped — Komura saw the water in his cup flowing up and outwards. He wasn’t the only one. Komura saw it join other streams of water in the air, repeating everywhere in the vicinity; she imagined all of the water in ZhiXia City was responding similarly, streaking towards the Martial Arena.
"Priestess Komura."
Priestess Shantayla's shy voice always reminded her of a mouse. Komura looked around then recoiled with surprise. The younger Priestess's face, normally tan with rosy cheeks, now blanched. She looked petrified.
"You must have felt that." Komura tried keeping her voice gentle; she couldn't imagine what the aura-sensitive Priestess must be experiencing. "Can you share with me?"
Priestess Shantayla looked down, shuffling her feet. Her shoulders shivered. "Outrage," she whispered. "Fury. Wrath."
Komura felt her breath leave her. The Whale of ZhiXia, angry? Who could have done that?
Moreover, who would even dare disrupt the Festival?
Another Priestess walked up to them. "Priestess Komura."
"Priestess Dayne." Komura nodded in greeting, noting the stressed tone in Priestess Dayne's voice. "This is my first Festival at Sanctuary in several decades, but I suppose that isn't expected?"
The Priestess shook her head. "I've never felt that before. Priestess Lalafena said she felt another Domain attempt to establish itself, but that would imply another Titled One is here." The idea lingered briefly in the air. "I haven't dismissed the thought, but for that to happen, it would mean—"
A strong gust of wind blew through pillars and weaved through the entrance of Sanctuary, pulling back the hoods of many of the Priestesses. The flames of the Great Bonfire flickered, but did not go out. As the Priestesses looked at each other, the earth trembled. Lightning struck, and thunder rumbled moments later from the Arena's direction as Master Ji's Domain dissipated.
Foreign aura flooded Komura's senses like a cacophony of confusing scents and colors. And though no new Domain came through, even Komura could sense several distinct colors of aura working together in layers to suppress the Whale of ZhiXia's Domain.
Komura and Priestess Dayne shared a look, then Priestess Lalafena walked up to them, barking her orders.
"The people need to be secured. Get them to Sanctuary and protect them. Master Ji would avoid using his full strength inside the city, but we don't know who he is fighting." The brown-haired Priestess delivered her instructions clearly, then pressed her lips together. "We will need to assume it is the Empire and act accordingly. There are three… no, possibly four of them, and we run the risk of Master Ji being forced to use all of the water in the vicinity."
Her tone left no room for question or debate. Komura and the other Priestesses nodded, and they began wading into the crowd around the Great Bonfire to direct the people towards Sanctuary in an orderly line.
It seems our dream will need to wait a while longer, Priestess Ori.
***
Martial Arena
"Stay within Molam's Domain," Master Ji commanded them in a firm tone. He positioned himself between Molam's group and the Empire's four Titled Ones, the muscles on his bare arms flexing in anticipation. The tattoo of the whale swam and the image of the tiger bared its fangs.
Yellow, orange, green, and purple gazes turned onto the Whale the moment he spoke, their owners falling silent. Molam froze at the intensity of their scrutiny from even within the protective perimeter of the fiery Domain. The others near him seemed to have stopped breathing as well. Shurra took a step back from the edge — no, she was forced to take a step back; the red Domain surrounding them had shrunk by at least an arm's length.
"The Whale of ZhiXia." Roxxa greeted Master Ji with a slow, tense step forward, looking as though she walked underwater. "The Empire has been charged with the Prodigy's well-being, and our friend Kymja is always… overzealous in her activities. After we collect our friend and the Prodigy, Sanctuary will receive a full apology from the Empire."
The fiery red edges of the spirit's Domain convulsed in violent jolts as though squeezed by an unrelenting force; Molam could not See it, but he could only guess at the sheer battle for control over the Arena's space outside of his borrowed Domain. He murmured a silent prayer to God Thraw hoping for Master Ji's success.
The Whale responded simply. "No."
Crack.
Molam almost flinched, looking wildly towards the sound. A stalagmite on the Arena's floor split and crumbled. One by one, each of the hundreds of stalagmites and leftover icicles began disintegrating and collapsing to the ground.
Then everything happened at once.
A green gust encircled the falling debris, blowing them towards the group in Molam's Domain. The Whale brought a hand up towards them; the falling icicles melted into water, then coalesced around the rest of the airborne debris to drag them to the side.
The OutCast rushed forward, low to the ground despite her size. The moment she bent down, Desmi's harpoon shot past where Roxxa's shoulder had been, aiming straight at the Whale's head. Master Ji sidestepped the projectile and snagged it from the air before it could fly past him and into Molam's Domain, preventing it from injuring anyone within.
But touching the harpoon sent yellow sparks streaking up Master Ji's arm. The momentary paralysis gave Roxxa an opening for an upward cleave of her poleaxe, intending to sever the Whale's hand at the wrist. Stepping inward, the Whale tackled Roxxa with a brutal shove of his shoulder, knocking the larger woman to the side before rearing the harpoon for a stab at her heart. The harpoon sparked again and Master Ji grunted, dropping it onto the ground to shake his numb arm while his free arm raised upwards, pulling with it a thin veil of water that instantly froze into a sheet of ice. But before the shield of ice could fully form, a green gale shattered it, forcing Master Ji to block Rei's follow-up attack with his bare arms. Emerald wind cut at reinforced skin, doing little damage but shredding Master Ji's clothes and lacerating the ground beneath him. Desmi made a pulling motion, summoning his harpoon from afar, but Master Ji stomped down on it to keep it in place.
Roxxa wasted no time with a low kick towards Master Ji's legs while he was occupied with the combined attacks of the other two. Her leg connected into his shin, but did not move the Whale. Wincing visibly, she slammed her poleaxe downwards, burying the dagger-end into the ground to hook the harpoon free from under Ji's foot. She then flicked it back to Desmi as she retreated, bringing up a clenched fist. The gesture brought stalagmites erupting from the ground near Ji, lethal tips aimed at his exposed body.
Most broke harmlessly against the Whale's skin — he broke off the sharp edge of one that came close to his neck without looking. In a smooth arc, he launched the stalagmite's broken tip up at Rei and ended the movement with a finger pointing straight at Desmi. Rei brought out the flat of her fan to block the thrown projectile while Roxxa stepped in to parry the lethal water for Desmi; both were knocked back as a result, with Roxxa crashing into the Arena's walls and Rei sent flying. When Master Ji took a step forward, Desmi held up his harpoon, threatening to launch it while yellow lightning sparked from its tip. The move was enough to give Master Ji pause, making him unable to follow up on his advantage.
"Sorry, Ji. This may feel unfair, but it is the nature of things." Desmi leapt up to the second floor, affording himself a position to launch his harpoon on the Arena no matter where Ji went. He spoke in a fast tone, as though the thoughts came out of his head before he could fully form them. "May I call you Ji, by the way? I don't mean any disrespect by it, it's just such an easy name to say. No response? Well, my apologies, Whale of ZhiXia, but the Prodigy comes with us. I'll admit I couldn't fully believe Ruskru when he said four of us were necessary, and now I see why. Two would definitely not be enough, and even the three of us might not be able to fight you normally… but we can contain you."
The crumbled walls of the Arena were roughly shoved aside. Standing up, Roxxa dusted off her clothing. "So this is the Whale of ZhiXia," she said again with a grudging tone of admiration, then coughed and fanned away the dust, bowing her head slightly in respect. Her glowing orange eyes never looked away from Ji. "It is an honor. Suppressing all of us at the same time. Your stories hardly give you justice."
Master Ji answered neither of them, looking upwards as Kymja vaulted up to the fourth floor of the Arena with Nettie in tow. He pointed a finger, then was forced to sidestep when Desmi's electrified harpoon shot through the air. And yet his jet of water aimed true. Molam could see it would pierce Kymja mid-leap, until Rei dropped down to deflect it with her fan. The water flattened into ice against the fan's metal frame, forcing the Tempest towards the HushFang. A torrent of water crashed over the top of the Arena, shoving Kymja off the wall and towards Rei.
Roxxa dashed towards Molam's Domain, her orange gaze fixated upon them. The fiery dome retreated even further. Bounding right towards the edge, Roxxa pressed low to the ground at the edge of Molam’s Domain, bringing back her poleaxe to strike. Then she flinched and teetered backwards, narrowly dodging a jet of water as it shot past where her face would have been. Master Ji leapt close with a fist that Roxxa sidestepped, retreating nimbly out of his reach. She did not linger within the vicinity, backing fully out of the range of his fists, but Master Ji looked up again, his attention elsewhere now that she was too far to attack the red Domain.
Far above, a blast of wind blew apart the ice and water threatening to engulf Rei and Kymja still carrying Nettie under an arm. Another wave of the fan brought Kymja and Nettie back to the wall. When Master Ji raised his arm towards them, Roxxa rushed forward once more, ducking under the Whale's grasp and aiming straight for Molam.
The waterfall spilling over the Arena stopped, with the HushFang shaking off the excess water and leaping to the next floor. Nearby, the Whale had grabbed Roxxa by her ankle, dragging her off balance. The Northerner hopped on her free leg, unable to reach Molam, then looked back at her captor. Without warning, she scrunched up her body, pulling herself towards Master Ji using her trapped ankle as leverage, her weapon swinging forth.
He responded by dragging her ankle upwards, the movement pulling Roxxa completely off balance. She fell downwards, kicking upwards with her free leg as she adjusted her swing to aim for Master Ji's own. But the moment she turned, she saw his foot kick upwards, straight towards her face, far too late for her to dodge.
The Islander's yellow aura crackled throughout the air and the Whale of ZhiXia's body stiffened before the kick could land. Taking advantage of Master Ji's momentary incapacitation, Roxxa went for a swift strike with her weapon towards the Whale's head. But it went awry as the incompleted kick stomped down and shifted his balance; the weapon glanced off his shoulder instead. Recovering her own balance, Roxxa pulled her ankle out of his grasp and retreated a healthy distance from Ji while he shook off the effects of Desmi's attack.
Shurra made to move, but Primrose and Scarlette held her back.
"Don't," Primrose whispered. "You can't See the sheer amount of aura clashing for dominance outside." She shook her head, "We are only alive because of Molam's Domain."
The fight between the four Titled Ones continued unabated all around them, falling into a familiar pattern. Kymja would try to escape with Nettie, supported by Rei. Water would pull Kymja back down from afar, but Roxxa would rush Molam's group during this time to force Ji to act in close quarters combat, supported by Desmi from the third floor with attacks the Whale could not shrug off.
"There must be a way," Shurra said with gritted teeth, her eyes fixing hostility and rage upon the OutCast. "We need to help him fight! This has become a standoff. What are we doing here, cowering like newborn chicks?"
"There's much to be said about not acting helpless," Madam Scarlette nodded. Molam did not want to respond to her outer laid-back manner; he felt her gaze on her from behind that veil. Martyker paced restlessly at the edge of the Domain, his sword grip tightening visibly. The Madam added, "It would be best to act while we can, before our dear Whale drowns ZhiXia City."
But it didn't seem to be a standoff in Molam's eyes. The cycle of moves would change with each iteration, as each side tested the extent of the other's capabilities.
Master Ji attempted another bid for the escaping Kymja. Predictably, Roxxa immediately came close to threaten their group. But it seemed Master Ji had also caught on; pointing downwards from the second floor, a small puddle of water locked the OutCast's legs to the ground with ice. He continued bounding upwards, pivoting through streaks of lightning, dodging the harpoon hidden in the falling storm. When he broke through the Islander's attack, he dug one hand into the Arena's wall to keep himself from falling and brought up his free arm to block the wall of wind shoving him downwards. But Kymja nearly crested the highest floor and Master Ji had no choice but to abandon defense; he directed another wave of water as it swamped Kymja's movements, dragging her away from the edge. The Tempest's wind forced him down as well, pushing his hand into digging a straight line through the wall
A loud crack signaled Roxxa freeing herself from Ji's ice. In one leap, her weapon slashed downwards at them. Martyker met it with his greatsword, and their weapons clashed in a furious spark that keened angrily in the Arena. The blow sent Martyker staggering backwards two paces; Roxxa advanced.
Master Ji charged in, the impact of his shoulder slamming Roxxa off her feet. Without wasting a breath, he looked back up and gestured to drag Kymja down again with water, making the Arena's balconies and walls slick.
The iteration changed again, with the Whale attempting another angle of attack only to be unable to fully break through their formation before being forced to defend Molam again.
"Molam?" Shurra looked at him. The same look she had given him when he had told her to be patient, that he would let her know when it was time to step up for a fight.
But Molam shook his head. While this was certainly a situation he couldn't smooth out with words, Shurra would die if they stepped into this. "This isn't something we can be involved in."
"But you have a Domain!" Shurra rounded upon him, her eyes glistening with frustration. "You could join this!"
Molam shook his head. "I can't use aura the way you hope I can."
"Shurra." Primrose stepped up for him, as he hoped, "Molam is telling the truth. We don't understand his injury, but this —" she gestured at the flaming dome around them, "— this must be taxing him already just to maintain."
Shurra turned around without a word. Primrose gave Molam a look of apology for Shurra. Molam clenched his teeth, trying to think.
"I should have kept Mursa Shang," Madam Scarlette said, "Even if fighting is not his specialty, just another Titled One should be able to disrupt their formation."
But did it need to be? The question leapt into Molam's mind. Three of them contained Ji's movements, but only barely. If they could disrupt the formation for just even a moment…
"First things first. We move closer," Molam declared as the Whale made another leap after Kymja. "The least we can do is minimize the distance Master Ji needs to cover and not tire him out." He moved without waiting for their acknowledgement; they moved with him as a group, walking towards the area where Kymja still tried for the roof. She had given up on running into the Arena itself, having found the hallways swamped with water. Far above, a small lake of water seemed suspended in the air above the Arena. The Tempest was attempting to control the amount of water getting into the Arena in between her work protecting the HushFang's ascent.
"Let's revisit what we currently know," Molam said as they walked close to the Sage's Mirror, trying to avoid flinching when the fighting got too close. He saw Master Ji give him a curt nod of acknowledgement as they walked closer. "Their strategy is simple but effective. The HushFang runs away with Nettie while three of them prevent Master Ji from leaving. If he forces his way out, they threaten to kill us." His voice lowered. "If we disrupt them at the right time, Master Ji should have an opening."
"That sounds more like you," Shurra clapped a hand on his shoulder. "What do we do?"
"I wish I had time to listen to what you two can do," Molam glanced at Martyker and Madam Scarlette, "but we don't have time. At the very least, reinforce for defense. And because they can listen as well, you're going to need to trust me on the fly. Now."
He timed it just as Ji blocked Roxxa from reaching them again, shouting at Ji and pointing up. "Master Ji, shove the OutCast towards us, then attack the Tempest!"
