*******

TIAN DOUBLED OVER, COUGHING OUT WATER.

She was pulled out of the rushing rapids mere moments ago, thrown to the riverbank and into safety. She’d thought she was going to die. Join her Mother with the Dao. But something saved her from drowning. No— someone.

A Sacred Beast stood at her back. It wore the body of a white fox, with three flowing tails that spread open like a fan. On its neck was a golden mane. Wisping. Like it was alight in flames. And its head— it was that of a fox with a flattened face. Its nose didn’t protrude, pointed sharply out. Instead, the black dot sat on a small lump just above the mouth.

The girl stumbled back, staring up at it. “You… you saved me,” she breathed.

“I did, indeed.” The Sacred Beast didn’t bother with any pleasantries, but Tian was raised by a good mother.

“Thank you.” Bowing her head deeply, she waited for his response. When none came, she hesitated. “A-are… are you going to eat me?”

It cocked its head. “Eat you?” Its face contorted. Even if its features were so alien to Tian, she could recognize the look it wore. “Disgusting. I would never consume a Ren”

She paused. This had to be a trick, right? But— it could just gobble her up if it wanted to. So, why would it lie? “You really won’t eat me?”

“Do you not know what I am, child?” Its gaze bore down on her.

She felt her shoulders grow burdened from the stare alone. It forced her nose to the ground, prostrating herself against the Sacred Beast. “Y-you’re a Sacred Beast. I apologize for my disrespect, oh heavenly being!”

“Stand, child,” it said, snorting. “I have no need for your reverence, nor do I have need for your fear. I have saved your life. All you need is offer me your gratitude and you may be on your way.”

“Offer you… my gratitude?” Tian was uncertain what that meant. She slowly drew to her feet and bowed her head as Mother taught her. “Thank you. For saving my life.”

“It is that simple, is it not, child of Ren?” The Sacred Beast shook its head.

She nodded. “Yes. But—” Hesitating, she bit her lower lip. “Why’d you save me in the first place?”

“Why would I not?” It fixed her with an inquisitive look. “Life, no matter who it belongs to, is precious. Do you not cherish your own life?”

Tian hesitated. Of course she did! But she just felt tired. Exhausted. Mother was dead. And now she was all alone.

“I-I do,” she said in a voice far too small for any conviction. “I’m just… sad. And I don’t know if I’ll survive out here, all on my own.”

“Is your core not open, child? Can you not fend for yourself with your cultivation?”

Glancing down at the palm of her hands, she spoke softly. “I have only ascended from Bud to a Bloom today. I don’t know any techniques that can help me fight off Spirits or wild animals or other Sacred Beasts.”

“Do you take us as creatures of the wild to be fought?” It peered at her, and she shrunk back.

“I-I’m not sure. I—”

“Speak properly, child of Ren. I cannot understand you when you stumble over your words.”

“I don’t think you’re evil!” Tian sputtered, fearing that it would eat her even after saving her. “I’ve just heard stories of some Sacred Beasts attacking people!”

“The same can be said of Ren,” it said with a scoff. “Your kind is as merciless in killing mine without a cause. Yet, I do not fear you. Yet, I do not fault you.”

She blinked. Then she lowered her gaze. “Right… I’m sorry.”

There was a pause as the Sacred Beast stared at her. She shifted uncomfortably, not meeting its gaze. Finally, it let out a sigh.

“Come, child of Ren. Walk with me. I will teach you how to defend yourself against this harsh environment.”

Tian looked up, puzzled at first. But when she saw the Sacred Beast heading away from the rushing river, she dashed after it, stumbling over the brush and the branches which it almost seemed to float over.

“Y-you’ll…” She caught herself, taking a deep breath and speaking out as properly as she could. “Will you truly train me?” she asked in a hopeful voice.

“I will,” it said, seemingly uncaring. But there was a flicker in its eyes. It was like it had no pupils. Only a white sclera within its sockets. “And do not question why: I am doing it out of pity, and I will not do it for long.”

“I understand.” Tian nodded, not upset over its blunt words. Simply glad that she wasn’t left alone for dead.

“Raise a hand child, and draw out your Qi. You can do that, can you not?”

She tried to do as she was told. It was something she managed to do just moments ago— creating flowers out of nothing but the soil alone. But that had been an accident. Her Qi had leaked from her core and into the dirt, but she had no intention of creating flowers then.

“Well?” the Sacred Beast asked expectantly.

Tian pursed her lips. “I’m trying.”

“There is power within you. But you cannot draw on it if you do not thirst.” It leapt atop a small mound of dirt, a glow overcoming its body. She could see the Qi pouring forth from its core. A tree sprouted from the very lump of dirt it stood on, fully blooming, wisping pure leaves down like slow and misty raindrops. “Vye for it, child of Ren. And it shall quench your tongue!”

She wasn’t sure what that meant. She wasn’t particularly thirsty, especially after falling into a raging river. But she did as asked, anyway.

“But how do I…?”

“Reach for it, child of Ren. Not just within yourself, but for the Dao. It is pervasive. Every present. It empowers you, and you empower it.”

Tian struggled to grasp this concept. She could see the Qi— the core of other beings. And she had a thought. She looked down at herself. And there was a glow. One that was dim, but present.

She peered into it, and it stared back at her. “This is—”

“You see your core now, do you not? It may seem shallow, but trust that it is deep. Throw your bucket, child. And pour it forth!”

And Tian did. There was a deluge from her core. The Qi emptied from her like she was a broken wineskin. It emptied itself to the ground— the earth. And life bloomed all around the girl. The seeds of trees that had been laid sprouted out like a beautiful flower. It came up in mere moments as she watched and marveled at what she had created.

Even the Beastkin paused to stare. “You… your Qi is abundant. You have a well of potential within you. I am surprised you have not unlocked it sooner.”

“I…” Tian didn’t want to stutter to offend it again. But she couldn’t even find the strength to speak. “I’m tired…”

A fluffy tail caught her before she collapsed. It spoke once more. “Perhaps there is more for you to learn, child of Ren. For now, you may rest.”

And everything went dark.

*******

I fly over the crash site in the Flourishing Flatlands. A comet fell from a hole in the sky, and it left behind a massive crater, deeper than a lake. I hold Nindran and Kalmat in my hands. Beihal, Keshiy, and the others wait in Thornthistle for us to return with our assessment. So far, we have none.

“I don’t see nothin’,” Nindran says, squinting.

“There is a spherical object at the center of the crater. But nothing else.” Kalmat shakes his head. “I do not believe anything came out of it.”

“Shall we investigate further?” I slowly descend.

“Right, ‘course you didn’t wait for us to give an answer.” The azure-haired woman rolls her eyes.

I let go of the pair, and they lightly land on the ground with magic already gathering around them. They are both marked by the Elocunive. Nindran is not as high-leveled as Kalmat, but she can hold her own.

And I am here. I am certain that whatever is in that spherical… disc-like object will not be too much for me to handle. I cross my arms as I watch the thin white smoke dissipate around it. It is, as Galgom calls it, a ship. He claims that it carries the end. The void pirates whom he betrayed.

It is about the size of a house. And a slit-like door opens up, with a ramp extending down bit by bit until it touches the ground. A pair of figures meander their way down. One of them is far larger than the other. He… or she… stands twice as tall as me, even with a hunched back. They drag with them what looks like a spiked club that crackles with electricity.

Oh, also their skin is made of metal.

The other does not walk down the ramp. Rather, they hover as dozens of green tentacles just avoid touching anything, fluttering below like they are being pushed by the wind. No arms. Just a being made of tentacles, and the bloated body of a fish.

I step forward as the Essences gather around me, and Kalmat’s Aspect materializes. My wings vanish before I ask a simple question.

“Who are you? Why have you come to this world?”

The large being with the spiked club grins, spreading their arms wide. “We… kill.” And they attack us.