Wu Cai and I are currently sitting around a fire I made, in a clearing of a forest not far from our path south. At Wu Cai's suggestion, we decided to set camp as the sunlight started to fade, after he reminded me of how potential predators and low light conditions could hinder us.
I'm sitting on a dead piece of wood and spooning at bits of the stew Wu Cai made using a hare he hunted, while I stare at him. I know he's the silent type, but it's the end of the first day of our journey, and Wu Cai has barely said two words to me. Is he just not going to talk to me the whole way?
Wu Cai look up from eating and catches me staring at me, making him to pause. He lowers his bowl from his mouth, and raises an eyebrow. I tilt my head at him questioningly, as he lets a single, soft laugh.
He brings his bowl back up and raises it to his mouth, then drinks the remainder, before putting it down at his side and placing his hands on his knees. He gets a thoughtful look on his face, then starts to speak to me, finally, "...Do you know where you're going, Sarah?"
I swallow my food, then nod at him and put my bowl down. I grab at my pack by my side and search through it. My fingers brush the shape I'm looking for, its engravings rubbing against them, causing me to pull it out and raise it to him, "Do you know what this is?" I ask, but he shakes his head, "It's magic."
Wu Cai gets an interested expression on his face, as I start to explain, "I don't know if my master told you, but when I found Jian," I gesture to it, sitting on my hip, "it called to me. When I first laid my hand on it... I can't explain it, but I understood it's history." Wu Cai gets a serious look in his eyes as he listens to me.
I continue, "The same thing happened when I touched this disc. The moment I came into contact to it, I knew what it was, and how to use it."
I cup the disc on my palms, then speak the passphrase, "Lead the way." The symbols on the disc alight with the orange glow of sorcery, before they rise and gather above it, forming the shape of an arrow that points to behind Wu Cai.
Wu Cai's eyes are shining as he takes in the magic, "How?" He asks, a hint of wonder in his voice.
I smile at him at and explain, "It's a guide. Once it's activated by the phrase, it leads one to the home of the sorcerers." As I speak, the magic starts to fade. A time limit, maybe? "If it wasn't for the certainty provided by the disc, I wouldn't have left the safety of the temple so soon."
Wu Cai watches as the magic disappears, then looks at me solemnly, "...What's driving you?" He asks, getting to the heart of the matter with few words, as always.
I take in his question and raise my head, staring at the stars above. Wu Cai seems content to wait in silence until I give him my answer.
There are a great many thing that are causing me to take the path I am, but the main one has to be... Fear?
I lower my gaze at look at Wu Cai, "You know where I'm from, I take it? Someone told you?" He nods, confirming my guess, "Well, in my time, half the world died." I start to spin my tale, using the future of this world as my story.
Wu Cai's eyes widen dramatically. It's the most emotion I've ever seen him display.
"Yeah." I sympathise. "It wasn't caused by the actions of humans, or a terrifying series of natural events... But by some being from beyond the stars." I watch Wu Cai, his face regaining its usual stoicism, but his body still broadcasting his distress. "I don't know how it did it, or the reason why, but with a single snap of its fingers, half of life died."
I stare into the fire, pushing my acting skills to their limits. Its not hard to get in the right mindset; I may not have personally experienced it, but I saw the act with my own eyes, albeit on the big screen.
"I was a part of the half that survived, and lived through the aftermath." I close my eyes, as if the memories haunt me. I take breath, then open them and continue, "The genocide was eventually reversed by a group of heroes who sacrificed themselves; but... the action of that being opened my eyes to the dangers waiting for humanity out in the cosmos."
"Until I was left here by some unknown force, I believed there was nothing I could do to save myself if such a thing were to happen again. But now... with the teachings of the temple and the opportunity to learn magic from the Master of the Mystic Arts? There is no reason I couldn't prevent that future." I finish as the fire starts to lesson, dimming the light of the camp.
The half shadowed Wu Cai sits in silence, digesting my words, before his voice breaks the quiet, "...Tomorrow, I speed up your training." He promises, understanding the enormity of the task he believes me to have set for myself.
I nod at him, knowing the reason behind his decision, then lay my head down to get some sleep, listening to the crackle of the dying fire, the hardship the next day present in my thoughts.
…
I'm woken from my sleep by a strange whispering sounding in my ears. Alert, I snap my eyes open to find a hooded figure laying beside me, mirroring my position. Shocked, I sit up instantly and reach for Jian, only to find it missing. I start to shuffle back in a hurry, trying to gain distance, my hands finding purchase beneath me; all the while the figure mimics my every action.
The persistent whispers seem to grow louder as I move, causing me to stop and get to my feet. The being stands with me, but doesn't move any closer, leaving a bit over a meter between us. Seeing it make no other moves, I steady my breathing and get into a stance, then examine it.
It's slightly shorter than me, covered in a thick, course cloak, its hood obscuring its face. It's presence isn't unnerving, nor does it ring any danger signals in my mind, but that doesn't make me lower my guard. For all I know, that could be its ability, making its target see it as harmless and then attacking them.
No matter its intent, the way it has chosen to show itself to me makes me wary, never mind the fact that Jian is missing. I run my Chi into my hands, enhancing them and making them glow, then choose to attack. I step forward and strike out with my right hand, aimed at its chest, but the being raises it own hand and catches it before it connects.
I didn't even see it move.
Worried now, I try to pull my hand back, but hooded figure is unmoved, its strength that much greater than my own enhanced strength. I kick out with my left leg, when suddenly, a second hooded figure, identical to the first, appears from under me and captures it.
I keep my balance thanks to my training, but begin to feel anxiety spawn in my stomach. As I rapidly begin to think of a counter, the second figure surprisingly lowers my leg and plants it on the ground, then moves around the back of the first to stand at my right.
Confusion in my mind, I whip my eyes between the two, as a third figure, with the same appearance as the other two, reveals itself on my left. This one stares at my maimed left hand, then grips it and lift it to the other two, who turn to stare at it.
...What the fuck is happening?
The other two place a hand each on my raised extremity, before I feel my Chi be guided without my input, pooling in my hand and making it glow an intense green. As the last of my Chi is gathered, the figure of a ram-horned serpent reveals itself, wrapped around my hand. The serpent raises its head to the three and hisses at them, causing them to nod, then rises off me, where they grab at it with their free hands.
The left and right figures pull on either end of the serpent, while the front one clutches its centre, tearing the serpent into the three. They bring the pieces to their obscured faces and throw them in. The whispers grow for a moment and sound out from beneath their hoods, before soft, green energy, similar to grass, flows back out from under the hoods. The energy wraps around my lifted hand, where I feel it fuse with my Chi.
I sense the Chi in my hand intensify, its power feeling purer somehow. I watch in wonder as some of the Chi flows to the stumps of my two missing fingers, and starts to grow flesh and bone. Half a minute later, I'm left staring in amazement at my new digits, the feeling of the night air running over them, a sensation I've sorely missed.
The three release my healed hand, and turn to stare at me, before the centre figure grips my chin and tilts my head to the side, causing me to look over. There, I see myself sleeping peacefully, my head under my arm acting as a pillow.
...A dream?
…
My eyes fly open and I bolt up, getting my feet beneath me. The morning light makes my eyes water, causing me to wipe them with my hands, clearing my vision. As I pull my hands away, I catch sight of something that leaves me breathless.
My hand... it's healed. The previous absence, that I tried to ignore, has been replaced, with two fingers sprouting in its place. I wiggle the new fingers, the sensation I receive convincing me they're real. I kneel down and place a shaky hand on the ground, where I run it through the grass.
...Not a dream, then?
As I'm enjoying the returned feeling, a couple of notifications get my attention,
[Power Learned – Chi Healing: Through the mark left on you by an unknown deity, the Genii Cucullati were able to come to you in your dreams, enhancing your Chi with the mark of the deity, and regenerating your fingers.
The infusion of the healing domain divine power has accelerated your progression with Chi, granting you the ability to heal yourself and others by channelling your Chi. Should you be dismembered or suffer great wounds, you can consume a great amount of Chi to regenerate your injuries, though the process can leave you exhausted.]
Thank you... unknown deity, whoever you are.
[Internal Alchemy – Qi Stage (Skilled): Due the infusion of divine power from a nature deity, your Chi has grown in quantity and quality, and has gained additional recovery power. As you cycle your Chi through your body, your longevity will increase at a greater rate. You can now also manipulate your Chi with greater ease, aiding your cultivation and easing the learning of Chi-based techniques.]
...Seriously, thank you.
A cough from my side interrupts my praying and gets my attention. Turning, I find Wu Cai staring down at me with a raised eyebrow, his pack in hand.
I flush a little, then stand and raise my healed hand to him. His other eyebrow joins the first, as he grabs my hand and observes it, "...How?" He asks, curious.
"I dreamed of a god." He looks at me with confusion, so I expand, "On my first day in the temple, I had a dream where I met two strange entities, one of fire who emerged from the temples grand hall," At the mention of this being, an expression of intense interest appears on Wu Cai's face, "and another from the forest of Mount Heng."
"This one was a horned man wielding a metal ring in one hand, and a horned serpent in the other. In the dream, the serpent bit my damaged hand, causing me to wake." I start to channel my Chi into the hand, "Last night, I dreamed of three hooded figures. They used the bite of the serpent to regenerate my wounds, I guess. I would've passed it off as just a dream, but as you can see..." I wiggle my fingers at him, causing him to chuckle.
As my hand begins to glow with the power of my Chi, I pull Jian from its sheath and bring it to my glowing hand, then slice at it, leaving a small cut. Wu Cai takes a step back, concern in his eyes, but watches. Using my new power, I infuse the wound with the Chi, and watch as it begins to close. It takes a couple of seconds, but in the end, it's fully healed.
Wu Cai steps forward and stares at the result, then asks, "...Can you teach me?"
I think for a second, then respond, "I... think so? I understand the process, somehow, and know what to do to make it work, so I should be able to, in theory." Wu Cai has a smile on his face as I answer, before a slightly serious look replaces it.
"...You know this means I'm going to increase your training, correct?"
I give him a slight glare, then laugh, "Of course. It's what I would expect of you, Wu Cai." I walk around him to the remains of the fire, and pick up my pack, "I was thinking the same thing, in fact. Should I be able to teach you this power, I expect you to train me to the point of collapse. If by the end of our journey I can't even land a single hit on you, then I've failed to learn." I turn to him, awaiting his response.
Wu Cai watches me gather my stuff, but nods to me in agreement when he sees me look at him. Once he sees I've finished preparing, he starts to walk back to the path, forgoing asking me if I'm ready.
I roll my eyes at his back, then move to follow him. Going by the location of the temple and from where I think Hong Kong to be, I've calculated that the journey should take us two weeks of walking, taking into account rests. More than enough time for Wu Cai to train me up until he's happy with my skills.
Hopefully I'll be able to pass my ability to heal onto him; I'd like knowing that he's able to treat himself should anything happen to him after we separate.
Taking another look at my healed hand, I smile widely and run to catch up to Wu Cai, who walks at speed. I wonder if he knows who the man of fire is?