Zu Mari, having no idea that his cousin wanted him dead, walked to the library whistling merrily to himself.

The library!

Zu had never been allowed into the most sacred of buildings before. His constant failure to live up to his family’s standards left him out of nearly all activities that could have helped him improve. It was a vicious cycle, his incompetence preventing him from doing the things that would have alleviated his incompetence.

But the Sacred Moon pill had changed all that, cutting through all the stupid reasons holding him back and granting him access to everything he deserved for his years of hard work.

He strode up to the library whistling happily, surprised by how small and insignificant the houses he passed seemed. Strength and confidence really changed how he saw the world.

Zu didn't want to waste a single moment before searching out the clan's greatest secrets and powers. He'd dreamed of this moment for so long, when he finally was able to look into the sacred arts manuals and find his proper path.

"Good day, young one," said the librarian, an elder crone with piercing eyes and a formal robe patterned with gold and red magpies. "What are you looking for today?"

"Everything," Zu replied without hesitation. "I want to see everything."

The librarian laughed dryly. "Then by all means, help yourself."

Zu nodded and stepped past her into the main vault of the library, then stopped and stared in sheer amazement.

The interior dome was a hundred feet high, with balconies upon balconies to reach all the tomes and scrolls. Interior standalone shelves stretched to the heavens, scroll racks with gears and levers to bring the higher shelves down to where they could be reached.

Golden sunlight filtered down from above, giving the whole room a sacred glow.

Zu couldn't believe he'd been so close to such an amazing treasure trove his whole life and never even realized what he was missing out on. He stepped forward reverently, then his steps hurried in eagerness as he crossed to the first scrolling shelf. He grabbed a scroll at random and opened it, eyes skimming across its contents.

The Flowing Flowers In A Winter Stream technique is often used for relaxing muscles and regaining flexibility after excessive strain. It can be used as a counter to seven of the Winter Stream attacks and even act as a moderately powerful shield against such techniques. It is best used when the sun is high, but is effective in moonlight as well. If the sky is fully dark, the Red Fish Swims Through Cold Depths is an acceptable substitute.

Zu eagerly read the technique, committing it to memory. Flowing Flowers In A Winter Stream reminded him of the stretching exercises he'd seen people performing in the practice fields. He had to learn more!

He spent the rest of the month going through every scroll he could get his hands on. His reading speed had always been good, due to his diligence and focus, but now it became even faster. He could read an entire technique scroll and commit it to memory in just a few minutes.

In that way, he expanded his repertoire of techniques from zero to thousands, until he had learned everything the library had to offer. He could do things the rest of his clan would have overlooked as insignificant, like light a fire with his core without using his hands to form seals, because he took the time to study even the most obscure and unclear of texts.

But still he felt dissatisfied. A thousand basic techniques would still never be enough. Nowhere had he learned how to fly, or how to hold his own against the likes of the immortal who'd flown by overhead the day the heavens granted him the Sacred Moon pill.

His clan was, he had to admit it, insignificant. All their knowledge amounted to only a lake. Wide, but not deep.

Then, when he despaired of learning more, he remembered the key! His grandfather had said there was a secret vault beneath the library!

Zu took the key and walked the library, searching for the keyhole. He had seen no doors that could not be opened, so he knew it must be hidden where only the worthy could find it.

He found it only on the third day of his search, when he had already gone over the entire floor twice, because he had been foolishly assuming it would adhere to physical constraints. Instead, the vault keyhole was in the ceiling.

He climbed to the highest balcony, reached up so his fingers brushed the dome with its skylights and ancient symbols painted in black and gold ink, and found the indentation he'd spotted from below. It fit the key perfectly. The moment he turned it, he was transported into the vault.

The sudden transition from brightness to dark made him blink, but the darkness was not complete. Each treasure in the vault glowed with its own aura.

His breath caught in awe. This, this was what he had been missing.

A sword lay on a table, gleaming purple and red. Its aura was harsh and sharp, so sharp he felt as though he would be cut apart if he stared for too long. A sheathe lay beside it, white as pearl and carved with the clan motto.

Zu reverently picked up the sheath and buckled it to his waist, then took up the blade in his hands.

"Hello, Zu," the sword whispered. "I am Heart Of Fire And Spirit Of Twilight Death."

"Hello, Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death," Zu answered, his heart racing as he felt the sword's spirit integrating itself into his soul. Its power fed into his perfect core, and his own power flowed back through the sword, strengthening and purifying both.

"I think we will be great friends," Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death said.

"Yes. We will destroy my enemies and bring honor to this failing family." Zu slid Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death into its sheath, and felt the warm hum of contentment from the sword.

"It has been a long time since I was wielded by one who truly had a spirit of fire to match my own."

"I will prove myself to the world," Zu insisted. "And you will help."

"Yes. We will show them all what we can do. Prove to them that I'm more than an ornament to be worn in ceremonies and set aside to be admired," Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death said the word 'admired' like it was the vilest curse, "no, I am Fire and Death and power eternal. I am meant to be used, not set aside."

"You have no need to worry," Zu told the sword eagerly. "I have no intention of setting you aside. And if I admire you, it will be only in the heart of combat as we destroy our enemies and bring honor to our names."

The sword sighed happily. "If you can prove yourself to me, I will teach you things I have never shared with another," Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death promised. "I was born in the primordial fires of the world's forging, and I have seen much for many ages. It is pitiful that I have fallen so far, to be tucked away in a vault and forgotten about, but if you prove that you too have a spirit of fire and death, I will show you powers that no one in this age has ever seen."

"Yes! Yes, that is all I have ever wanted," Zu said, touching the hilt to reassure himself that it was still there. "I will never abandon you," he promised. "I will carry you as long as there are foes to be fought, and then when I am old and ready to ascend I will give you to my heir so that you may continue to fight for our family's name."

"I will serve you and your family well, if you truly keep your word," said the sword, and then their commune ended. Zu felt it as the blade retreated into itself, and he felt a sense of loss, but also he knew that it would be ready to come to his aid if ever he needed it.

"Do not worry, Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. There will be no shortage of enemies on my path to ascension."

The blade did not answer, but he knew it approved.

Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death may be the greatest treasure in the family vault, but that was far from the only thing that awaited him. A tome of power lay on one table, its pages thick and crumbling at the edges, fragile with age. He turned the pages as gently as though they were rose petals, memorizing each of the ten powerful spells within.

Form of Perfect Sphere gave any elemental power the shape of a sphere. Light Spirit Lifting gave any spell the ability to fly true and straight. Brilliant Flame converted any spell into a fire-based version of itself, and Winter Wind froze any technique into a frost attack. Mirror of Soul could reflect any technique, and Capturing Spirit Vision would slow time long enough that one could fully examine an enemy's technique to learn it for yourself.

Shadow's Darkest Secrets Surrounding concealed you from enemies, while Shadows Lifting Beneath The Sun's Revealing Light could pierce through any concealment. Finally, the most powerful of all, Mysteries of Forgotten Lands could translate anything either spoken or written, and Striding Wind Sustaining allowed you to walk on the air as though it were solid. It did not let him fly, or move faster than his body could already manage, but it was still a great advantage being able to walk in the air in combat.

He carefully closed the book and re-latched it for the next family member who might need these powerful secrets. Most spells were complete in themselves, and finding modifiers that could be used universally were invaluable. With the hundreds of spells and techniques he had learned over the past month, these modifiers would make him far more powerful than anyone else who had the same basic knowledge.

It wouldn’t be enough for him to ascend to the heavens just yet, but it was a good start.

The third item on the table was a strange belt, with a zipper across the whole front to open a flap, but no pouches. Just a gaping hole that could be opened. He did not at first understand what value this treasure would possess, but it glowed like sunlight and he knew it must be precious, so he put it on. As soon as it lay snug around his waist, knowledge filled his mind.

The flap opened into a false space, where items could be held securely where no thief could touch them. Items of great power could not be stored within, but there were hundreds of elixirs and pills and all the mundane weapons or armor a person could ever want.

Zu felt himself smiling. He moved on to the last item on the table. A small round pebble, soft like gold but perfectly clear, with a living flame at its heart. The flame danced and twisted within the containment, mesmerizing. For a time it flickered like an ordinary flame, but then it seemed to Zu that it leaned toward him as though aware of his presence. It swayed from side to side, as though examining him, then licked up the inside of the sphere as though pressing itself against the edge to see him closer.

Almost without thought, he brought the pebble up closer to his face, so he could see the flame within more clearly, and so it could see him.

He felt a sudden rush of kinship and approval from Heart of Fire and Spirit of Twilight Death. He looked between the pebble and the sheathed sword and then he understood. They were kin. Somehow, the trapped flame was also a spirit, alive, and his sword knew it.

Zu cupped the pebble in his hands, feeling the warmth of it flow into him. Following a sudden hunch he pushed some of the qi from his perfect core into the pebble. Immediately, the thread of qi ignited and fire flowed backwards through it. Before he had time to gasp the fire reached his core and set his soul on fire. He felt the burning like an intense agony and pure joy in the same heartbeat. After an eternity of a moment both extremes faded, leaving him transformed.

The flame within the pebble was gone. It sat in his hand clear and empty. But the flame hadn’t disappeared. It had moved into his soul. He could feel it, deeper within him than the core of his power, wrapped up in his very self. Though he couldn’t see it, his eyes had turned the color of a glowing ember and flickered with internal light. His skin seemed more golden than before as though the blood in his veins had been replaced with liquid magma.

And when he raised his arms, he felt the echo of ethereal wings flowing in their wake. He knew that with but a thought he could transform and fly.

Zu Mari had become one with the Spirit of Phoenix. His heart overflowed with joy, and tears were in his eyes as he exited the secret chamber and found himself once more standing in the library.

“Thank you,” he said to the librarian, bowing in respect. “I have learned everything I can. Now it is time for me to find new knowledge and bring it back to enhance the family’s name and fortunes.”

“I trust you will do just that, Master Zu. I look forward to seeing the great secrets you will uncover for our sect and clan.”

“I will make you proud. I promise.”

The librarian smiled fondly. “I know you will. You have always been a good and hard working child, Zu. I’m so sorry that you were so poorly treated in your youth, and it gladdens my heart to see you receive all that you deserve. You know you will rule this clan one day.”

“Perhaps I will, but that is not my end goal. If I were to rule the world itself, it would be too little.” Zu Mari cast his gaze upon the heavens. “I will be no mere patriarch. I will rule among the gods.”