A thousand times a child told does not equal one skinned knee honestly experienced. Life is experienced, or it is not lived.

~Mother Danu, The Primordial Goddess of Nature

The next day, Crow skipped breakfast. Barely even talked to anyone the day before, and everyone seemed to understand his mood, so no one approached him. Only Gavin came to find him and explained that his grandpa would stop by in a few days.

It appeared like he wanted to say more, but in the end, he too walked away in a dark mood. The Maddox clan might not have paid attention to him and even had misgivings about the boy, but no one touched one of their own. Most were understandably upset but didn’t have a way to voice their complaints.

Crow hadn’t explained his situation either. He endured for an entire evening and then ran to the House of Danu to find Song Lin. Luthais was already there, setting up for the day and restocking herbs and tinctures.

“Crow? Why are you here?”

“Is Song Lin in yet?”

Luthais’ eyes narrowed, and he saw a spark of hope in the boy’s eyes.

“Why?”

Crow paused, and time seemed to stop for several breaths of time before he asked in a rush. “Can I explain when she’s here?”

“That is fine. Come.”

Luthais led the boy to the third floor, and Song Lin was concocting some pills, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead from the warm cauldron. Her concentration was so focused that she’d not even noticed the two of them enter, and the two remained silent, afraid to disrupt her.

Tink.

The clock candle dropped a tack into the tray, and only then did she close the lid and step back away from her workstation.

“Oh!” Song Lin nearly shouted, and she flinched back, not expecting to find two people in the lab with her. “How can I help the two of you?”

“Teach me a new cultivation method,” Crow blurted out.

“W-what!?” Luthais and Song Lin said at the same time.

It took an hour of doing, but they finally unraveled all of Crow’s jumbled thoughts and what he’d found out from Mugna. After it was all said and done, both Song Lin and Luthais stared at the boy in shock.

“Soul Burn? He is sure?” Luthais finally asked.

“Yes.”

“This… is bad. I can’t in good conscience condone this,” Luthais mumbled. “I’m not sure I can watch you try to cultivate under these conditions. Your father would kill me.”

“My father would tell you to go to hell if you tried to stop him. I’m no different, but I’m not as much of a hothead, and we both know it.” Crow growled back angrily, and Song Lin’s laughter stopped their argument.

Luthais and Crow looked at each other guiltily, and maybe for the first time with a sort of mutual respect. At the very least, Luthais acknowledged Crow was no longer the little boy that liked to run through the forest naked.

“I guess it’s time I end my arrangement with the Morrison clan. The facade has gone on long enough, and Xue’er is getting angrier by the day. I can do this for you, Crow, but can your clan agree to train and educate my sister?”

“Not a problem,” Luthais said immediately. He realized the implications of this agreement were far-reaching, but the boy was right; if he interfered, Conall would kick his ass.

“I’ll need a private courtyard to teach him, I allow no one to oversee or spy on this process. I can’t protect your clan otherwise.”

“I’ll speak to Gavin and make sure you have what you need. We can have it all arranged by tomorrow.”

“Then the last promise I need is from you, Crow. You must vow to teach no one what I will teach you unless I give you permission. I cannot officially become your teacher, but you must obey me as if I was one. Lastly… this isn’t a handout. Some sacrifices must be made, and promises kept, are you willing?”

“What sacrifices?”

“I cannot tell you for now. Understand what I’m offering you and the value of it. We both know I wouldn’t deliberately harm you or put you in danger. So make this vow on faith, or this conversation ends now.” Song Lin’s voice was more solemn than he’d ever experienced in the past, which made him both nervous and worried.

“Will this harm the clan in any way?”

Song Lin’s eyes held a hint of sadness, but otherwise, she maintained her calm. “You… may suffer, but it won’t cause you permanent harm. As long as your clan isn’t implicated, they won’t suffer either. That is all I can say because I cannot control events if they discover us. I will say that the cultivation method I have in mind doesn’t belong to my clan, but something my mother discovered within the tower.”

Crow looked at Luthais, who stared back but said nothing and outwardly showed no sign of agreeing or disagreeing. His stance was clear—it was Crow’s choice.

“Father Oak, please bear witness. By limb and root, I make this vow. I will guard Song Lin’s secrets, never to tell unless she explicitly gives permission. By root and limb, I freely make this vow.”

An invisible wave of energy pulsed outward from Crow’s chest. Both Luthais, as the witness, and Song Lin as the one asking, felt the nature of the vow. Only one spoken true of heart would echo outward, and a vow of such power would ruin the person who broke it.

“Do you do anything in half measures?” Song Lin asked in exasperation.

“He’s like his father. That man schemes very little and relies on his strength and honor to handle any situation in the most direct method he knows—with pure sincerity.”

“You can associate slaughter with sincerity? You sure know how to talk,” Song Lin laughed.

“He warned them what would happen if they went against him. He was sincere and held true to his word.”

“Pfft.” Song Lin laughed, and Crow was surprised by how casual the relationship was between the two. “Crow, I have one more request. I… I’m going to attempt something soon, and if I am successful, I request your aid in the future. Call it you owing me a favor.”

“You’ve finally decided?” Luthais asked, and when he saw her resolve, he just nodded. “Very well.”

“Crow, we start tomorrow. Arrive at the residence your clan provides me before daybreak and expect to be there until noon. Read over this cultivation method and then destroy the vestige afterward.” Song Lin took out a vestige and pressed it to her forehead while she concentrated. The vestige glowed brightly for a moment before she handed it over. “Xue’er and I cultivate a similar method because it actually has two versions. The female or yin version, which cultivates cold and ice. Or the male or yang version, which cultivates fire. Soul Burn has elements of fire, which is why I chose this method for you. Memorize it all before attempting to do something stupid.”

Crow took the object nervously and stored it away, only remembering the gift from the red-robed man. He headed back to his room and study both.