A woman stares out over a snow covered land, her hand wrapped imperiously around a golden scepter. Her white irises look at more than the landscape. She watches over the flow of qi and spirit, noting strange changes and occurrences. She looks no older than thirty years, but her presence and cultivation show an age far beyond that. Her hair is as white as the snow she looks at. Her red and white robes barely flutter as the wind blows by her.

“Matriarch Mai Shun. You called for us?”

Twelve men and women, dressed in the colors of their sects gather in a circle on the hilltop that the woman stands on.

“I am happy to see that the sects of Shanping still answer the call of the First Sect.” The woman says, her eyes still lost in the flow of qi and spirit. “All of you have felt it, I’m sure.” She says, finally turning to face the powerful cultivators gathered. “The seals were broken, and the doors have reopened. Immortals are waking up, and qi is reaching even the most mundane of lands.”

The matriarch taps her scepter on the ground, and the snow forms into a portal, swirling with visions of other lands. “Treasures thought long gone will be found and the demons kept from our worlds will return.” The image of a terrible beast wrapped in chains shows through the portal. As if sensing the attention of the cultivators, it lifts its head and roars. The pressure of it’s qi causes everyone but Mai Shun to tremble. “Many will have forgotten the sects of Shanping. And we ourselves have forgotten our purpose. World devourers, enslavers of mortals. It was once our task to defend against them. It will be so again.”

Her eyes gaze over every cultivator present, seeing to their very core. “It seems that during my own rest, I have allowed rot to fester amongst the thirteen sects.” Many of the cultivators stiffen at her words.

”Kun Lung,” A large man whose eyes had stayed closed during her speech, opens his eyes when she speaks to him, revealing two glowing blue orbs instead of eyes. “I know you to be righteous. Many of those gathered here have fallen into depravity, and the slaying of mortals and disciples alike for material gain. Remove the rot.”

Kun Lung bows, “Your will be done.”

Before any of the cultivators can react, Kun Lung stabs the man standing next to him, then brings his sword up to slice through the spirit of the stabbed immortal.

Mai Shun shows no reaction, except for the slight nod of her head. “We will be facing demons, and we cannot afford to have demons amongst us.”

Many of the cultivators draw their weapons, only to be slain by those loyal to Mai Shun.

“The only thing that never changes is change itself.” Mai Shun says, turning away from the bloodshed to look at the vision of the great beast in chains.

***

In the forest surrounding the sect known as The Flowing Rivers sect, an elderly woman calmly walks through the forest, leaning heavily on her cane. The creatures of the forest, both weak and powerful, wisely avoid her. She hums softly to herself as she comes upon a clearing that used to be the home of a powerful beast.

She walks to the middle of the clearing before tapping her cane against the ground. Dirt, gravel and plants move away from the cane, revealing a large stone tablet twice as long as the old woman is tall.

The stone tablet depicts a beautiful snake staring down on a massacred band of cultivators. Only two cultivators stand against the snake, pooling their power to seal the creature.

A large crack runs down the tablet, splitting it in two.

The old lady cackles. “I had come to help you, my daughter. But it seems you have cracked the seal on your own. You always were clever.” The old lady turns away, smiling at the men who watch her from the trees. “And look at these lovely snacks. I was feeling a mite peckish.”

With more cackling, the old lady’s robes fall to the ground. A purple snake slithers out of the clothes, a crown of golden scales sitting on her head. As she moves, her body expands, becoming larger than the trees around her.

Screams of men echo through the forest as Doma’s men find themselves at the mercy of a heartless hunter.

Ming Lai

I remove my sword from the chest of the man I killed, his body slowly freezing.

“By this point, they know we’re coming.” Jing Xia says, holding her hand over a cut along her arm, qi flowing into the wound. “We haven’t been as subtle as I’d hoped we’d be when we started.”

“I agree. It is strange however, we haven’t encountered anyone capable of taking on Tai Qiu in these ambushes.” I respond, my sword melting into water at my feet.

Jing Xia frowns, “Maybe they’re testing us? People of Tai Qiu’s strength aren’t sent to battle easily.”

I bite my lip as I think. After a moment, I tell Jing Xia my decision. “You should continue on without me. I can’t sneak around like you can, and I’ll be here to support you if you get into trouble. You can find them, figure out if anyone from the caravan is still alive, then we can decide what to do from there.”

“I agree. Your methods are…” Jing Xia looks at the patch of forest now covered in ice. “Less than subtle.” She smiles “I’ll be counting on you to bail me out if I get into trouble.”

“I’ll be there.” I respond, “Just try not to get into trouble in the first place.”

She smiles mischievously as she fades into the forest. “I’ll try.”

***

Jia Lin

“Jia, wake up Jia.” A soft voice I can barely hear, echoes through my dreams. “Jia, you need to wake up my little one.”

My eyes open wide as I carefully control my breathing. The bed I lie on is softer than I’m used to and my sect robes have been replaced with a thin shirt and loose pants.

I carefully sit up, the bed covers falling down.

The room around me is dark, lit only by the moonlight filtering through the shudders above the bed I’ve been left in.

Activating The Movements of The Silent Monster, I slip out of the bed. My sword and flute lie against the wall, and my robes sit freshly cleaned on top of a dresser.

With practiced movements, I dress in my robes and attach my sword to my side. “Shia?” I whisper.

“Mm? You’re finally awake?” The snake sleepily sticks its head out of a hole in the wall.

“Something’s not right.” I whisper, my voice tight. “We need to leave.”

The snake slithers across the floor, climbing up my leg into my robes. “What makes you say that?”

My breath freezes as the creaking of the door opening echoes through the room. I step back into the corner of the room, hoping the shadows and my technique will hide me.

A man steps into the room. He wears a cloak so I can’t see his features. The shadows twist around him, as he holds his unsheathed sword up and walks to the bed I’d been sleeping in moments ago.

I put my hand on my own sword, scared that the sound of unsheathing it would give me away.

The man creeps to the bed slowly and I position myself behind him.

He pauses in front of the bed, confusion clear in his stance as he sees the empty sheets.

I silently breathe in.

With my exhale, I draw my sword and in one motion slice through the man.

The man dissipates into shadow, reappearing a few feet away from me.

“Who are you?” I ask, holding my sword up. My heart beats unsteadily at his easy avoidance of my sword.

“I’ve been wondering what it would be like.” The man says, his voice deep.

I frown at his response. “What do you mean by that?” I ask as Shia slips out of my robes, slithering silently across the floor.

“I didn’t get to play with the warriors from your land.” He says, the shadows curling around him and slowly creeping across the floor towards me. “And the one we have isn’t very fun while in shackles.”

My head snaps at his words, The one we have? Could someone from the caravan still be alive?

“Please, entertain me.” The man says, his form shifting.

Out of instinct, I duck and roll away.

I land in a crouch, to see the man standing where I’d been just a moment ago.

The shadows. He appeared at the tip of where the shadows were. My eyes track the strange shadows spreading around him.

“Oh? You figured that little trick out fast. What will- AH!” The man crumbles as Shia bites his ankle. Faster than I can follow, she’s slithered back to my robes and back into her usual spot.

“You little bitch!” He curses as purple lines travel up from his ankle.

I keep my expression neutral as I walk towards him. “You’re going to die soon.” I say it as a fact, cause I know it to be true.

“I’ll kill you!” The man says, trying to stand up before falling down again.

“I’m sorry.” I say, looking down at him as he dies. I truly am sorry. I don’t enjoy watching the man in pain. “Is there anything I can do for you?” I ask as I sheathe my sword

The man looks at me with confusion as he fully collapses to the floor. His body starts to stiffen as his eyes lock with mine.

I kneel down and put my hand on his, just holding it as he dies, his sword forgotten next to him. “I’m sorry.” I say again, gentler this time.

His eyes widen with enlightenment as our eyes stay locked onto each other. He whispers something and I lean closer to hear him.

“Doma keeps her in Tun’Lun”

Then he dies.

I carefully let go of his hand, then use my fingers to close his eyes.

Shia shifts, slithering up my chest. “You are a strange one.”

“What do you mean by that?” I ask as I stand up. I pick up my flute from where it still leans against the wall and slip it into the pocket of my robes.

“Your heart is too kind. He would’ve stabbed you through, if he’d had the ability to.”

“Probably. But someone told me that I should stop fearing death.” I say, looking at the body on the floor. “I would’ve felt horrible if I’d just let him die alone.”

“Where are we going now?” Shia asks as I open the door to leave the room.

“I’m going to find Matu. I’m going to see if he knows where Tun’Lun is.”