“Come on, Nari!” Al called, grinning. “Get a move on, you don’t want us to leave you behind!”

Grudgingly, I sped up. I knew the guards would take good care of Al, although I wouldn’t put it past Mior to let him run into trouble to teach him a lesson. But that didn’t mean I should let him get too far ahead. This wasn’t a safe place, after all. Even if everything seemed quiet and tranquil right now.

I craned my neck to look up at the peak of the mountain we were starting to ascend. It was lost in the clouds, but still an impressive view, with rocky slopes, a few forests and a glacier or two to decorate it. The Western Mountains weren’t as large as the Central Mountains, as a range or individually, but they still offered a nice view. Of course, they were probably more dangerous, since the whole mountain range was what I would call a qi anomaly. You could see that in the way the top of the mountain, peeking through and underneath the clouds, seemed to warp if you looked at it for more than a second. The qi around here was turbulent, flowing in ever-changing paths around the landscape. No wonder not many people lived here, especially not in the mountains at the back of this valley.

“Your Highness, the path seems to be shifting,” one of my guards said, a concerned expression on her face as she looked at the rocky path under our feet.

I sighed and nodded, before I put on a burst of speed. It didn’t take long until we reached Al, since the group of guards with him had the sense to slow down.

I hadn’t wanted to bring him along, of course. It was a stupid risk. But Mior had insisted on bringing him, supposedly so we could continue our mental defense training. Oh well. There’ll be more risk to me than to him, but even if they’re annoying, Mior will be there.

“The shifting seems to be getting worse in that direction,” I pointed out. “There’s another path to the side there. I think it wraps around back in the direction we were going. If nothing else, we should be able to climb that wall. Unless one of you can tell me more?”

I had channeled light qi into my eyes and had a pretty good perception with that, but I was still not even in the fifth stage. Maybe one of the others could see more. However, my hopes were quickly dashed by a chorus of “No, Your Highness”.

So we continued on our way carefully in the direction I’d chosen. It wasn’t really a path, maybe an animal track at most, but reasonably even so we wouldn’t break our ankles even if we weren’t cultivators. I still kept an eye on Al.

“Did you just want to come along to escape your birthday celebration?” I asked.

He scowled at me, then quickly focused back on where he was placing his feet. “Would you rather spend your thirteenth birthday attending a court party, or going on an adventure with Big Sister to explore some ominous mountain?”

“We’re not actually exploring the mountain,” I corrected. “There wouldn’t be much point with the way things change here, and any noteworthy resources or spirit beasts are known already.”

He rolled his eyes. “You haven’t told us much, what am I supposed to say?”

I sighed. It was a good thing I didn’t have to keep my eyes on the path, so I could look back at Al while we were talking, even though it was turning steeper. Still easy enough for a cultivator. “We’re trying to find an ancient fortress that is supposed to be located somewhere at the top of this mountain.”

“Okay, that’s at least twenty percent clearer,” Al snarked, before he focused on the path again.

At some point, mist started to gather. It reminded me a bit of the mountain where I’d met the Pioneer, although this one wasn’t as laced with spirits’ qi. There was still qi in it, though, and some of it felt like spirits, but that should be normal in a place like this. It covered the path quickly, reducing visibility a lot, even with me using qi. It felt like the path beneath us started to tremble again, too.

“Halt,” I called. “Let’s go up this slope. Aston, or Mior, can you carry Al along?”

“Of course.” Aston scooped up Al before the boy could even finish protesting.

Two of the guards started ascending up the rocky ledge right away, looking like it didn’t take more effort than going up an escalator. Aston followed them quickly, still holding Al. He seemed fine climbing with one hand.

I glanced around before I went after them. It would have been much easier to fly, but with the way this place worked, I’d rather not risk that. Certainly not with an airship, and flying swords weren’t much faster than going up the normal way, just dangerous.

I was climbing up the rocky wall quickly, since there were enough cracks and small ledges to make it feasible even in bad weather, when I noticed a concentration of qi. I paused, resting my feet on the nearest ledge, and turned just in time to see a spirit coalescing above me. They seemed to hang off a rocky protrusion, upside down.

‘Visitors. We rarely get visitors,’ they said, hissing their words. ‘And such a delectable young spirit-child, reeking of the Moon. What are you doing here? Perhaps searching for places lost and forgotten?’

I inclined my head just slightly. ‘I apologize for trespassing if this is your territory. However, our motives are our own. We will move on quickly and let you be.’

The spirit didn’t seem to like that response. They hissed and fluttered closer, one arm stretched towards me with talons growing from their fingers.

I let go with one arm and pushed away with my legs. Grabbing onto the spirit’s arm, I hung there for a moment, distantly thankful once again that Rijoko’s bloodline seemed to make me always able to touch spirits. Then my momentum carried me onward, and I landed in a crouch on another ledge, my hands raised. The spirit was spinning away, taken by my push, before they quickly righted themselves and settled into floating a few meters from me.

With a barely audible pop of displaced air, the figure of Aston appeared beside me. I could practically see Mior lurking under his skin, and in his aura. They reached out to swat at the spirit with a casual backhand that was accompanied by a surge of qi. The offending spirit was launched away, faster than I could have moved here.

“Come. Let us continue on our way,” they said.

I nodded and started climbing again, though I couldn’t help but glance in the direction the spirit had gone. I couldn’t see them or sense their aura.

They seemed to have passed Al on to another guard. Which he didn’t particularly like, judging from the scowl on Al’s face. I only saw him for a moment before Lirta started to tow him away, further up the mountainside. I hurried to climb faster so I could get back to the start of the group. It was easier here than before, as the rocky side started to flatten. I could sense the qi woven through the area tremble and shift a few times, but it seemed to have stabilized well enough.

It took an hour of steadily making our way upward until we reached the clouds. Two times, we had to pause and assess our surroundings and route. I didn’t manage to get back to the original path like I’d planned, but we found other ways up. Except Al, everyone in the group was a strong cultivator, so we could make quick progress. I had the suspicion that Mior might be helping us along, but they didn’t say anything and I didn’t want to ask. It was better to focus on our climb, anyway.

Although the cloud cover was sparse, it seemed to concentrate around the mountain peak. Although that wasn’t much of a change considering the persistent mist. At least the clouds weren’t laced with much qi, so they didn’t hinder our senses much. We were clearly coming close to our destination. I held up my hand for a third time and channeled more qi into my eyes. That helped me pierce the mist, although I still didn’t see enough. However, my qi senses were more useful. I felt a small disturbance a bit away, nestled on top of a plain just beneath the summit.

I adjusted our direction. It took a bit of doing to get from the ridge we were currently on to our destination, but I managed to chart out a way. We descended for a bit, moving away at an angle, before curling back around. This led us to the steepest ascent yet, which we took slowly. I checked back several times to make sure Al was okay, but Aston carried him easily, showing no more concern than if he was taking a stroll through the palace gardens.

Finally, we crested this ridge, closing on our destination. I could see stone walls reaching into the sky. They were pretty high and in remarkably good condition, though made from cut stones rather than a smooth wall created as one, like I’d usually seen. As I came closer, I couldn’t help but think that the whole thing looked like a medieval castle. The walls were made from stone and mortar. Where it was crumbling away at one point, I could see the wall was thick, material filled in between two mortared parts.

“Can you see or sense anyone there?” I asked the group.

“Not yet,” Aston said. “Maybe someone will come once we poke it.”

I shrugged. That’s kind of the point. But I didn’t say that, instead just starting to walk over. Al, who’d finally been set down, hurried after me, making me slow down a little. The footing was still treacherous here. But soon, we’d reached the towering gate of the fortress. The wall rose up in front of us, before the tops of a few towers. I carefully inspected the lock of the door. It was in remarkably good condition, but didn’t contain much qi.

One of the guards cleared their throat, and I stepped aside with a sigh. Two of them went to work on the door. They used a few talismans and techniques I didn’t recognize, probably searching for hidden formations or the like, before they carefully started to lever the door open. It creaked and groaned for a bit, but after a minute, the guards stepped through into the fortress. I hurried after them, taking a good look around.

The walls were really thick, and I noticed a number of fortifications at the door. There were small platforms set into the walls at certain distances, perhaps to house some anti-air arrangements. The inside contained a number of smaller buildings along with two towers, one of them built onto what might have been a temple or something. The ground was packed earth, looking pretty clean. The whole place had a stillness that set it apart from its surroundings. The qi here felt far more controlled. And it smacked of spirits. The eerie silence gave me goosebumps.

“Spread out, but stay at least in pairs,” I said. “Look for anything suspicious or dangerous. I’ll take the central building. Al, come with me.”

Of course, Aston/Mior joined us as well, together with a few more guards. I tried not to let my annoyance show, since I knew this was a perfectly sensible precaution.

It didn’t take us long to break into the central building. It had clear glass windows and, as far as I could tell from the vague sensations I got, pipes for carrying water and perhaps heat. There were small alcoves that might have housed lights in the entry hall as well, though of course they didn’t work. There were a few tables and chairs, looking like they’d only been abandoned for a few weeks. I could feel a bit more qi lying over everything here.

“Let’s go,” I said. “Carefully.” Something about the scene set me on edge, although I couldn’t pin down what.

Behind the entrance room, there was a corridor with several small rooms going off it, and what looked like a communal kitchen. Another corridor circumvented that part of the building, and instead led to a larger hall. This time, there were stained glass windows set into the stone, although most of them had been shattered. Alcoves dotted the walls, empty now, and what I assumed was the basis of an altar stood at the head. On the other end, there were several doors leading further in.

“Something’s odd here,” I said, walking forward slowly. I paused as my gaze rested on the highest intact window, almost hidden in the back left corner. There was a crescent moon depicted on a dark background. “Isn’t that Rijoko’s symbol?”

Al shrugged. “Yeah. I thought this was why we’re here? Or did you expect something else?”

I frowned, then continued walking. “In that book, there was speculation that this was the site referenced in one of the myths, the one where Jideia creates a great storm, and Rijoko guides a mortal hero against him, until Jideia picks him up. This is supposed to be Jideia’s sanctum, according to it.”

“Okay, then why did you want to come?” Al asked. “Wouldn’t that be pretty risky?”

I shrugged. Aston, who’d been following along behind us, snorted. His aura was saturated with Mior’s qi again. ‘This was always risky, young one.’

I glanced back at them. ‘Do you know more about this place’s history? Were you there when it happened?’

They shook their head. ‘No, this was before my time by a few centuries. Although I’d venture a guess that Rijoko and Jideia quarreled over this.’

I nodded and continued walking forward, sending my senses out. Something was clearly happening. It felt like the qi of the place became even stiller, which only reinforced its contrast with the outside chaos. I swallowed and steeled my nerves. One of the doors from here seemed to lead outside, the others deeper into the structure.

“What is this place?” I asked. “Something feels weird about it.”

Aston-Mior snorted. ‘Depending on how you look at it, it’s the only place not strange for many leagues.’ They shrugged. ‘These mountains feel like old times. Like the state of primordial times has concentrated here. That’s why the qi is like this. Not one of the stranger qi phenomena, really.’

That made sense in a weird sort of way. I glanced at the doors again. ‘Mior, would you go explore the middle one? It feels like spirits in there. Probably the inner sanctum if this was a temple. And Al, go back to the others and tell a few of the guards to reinforce a perimeter around us. Guards, protect him.’

Al opened his mouth, then closed it, probably remembering that he’d promised to follow my instructions. “Yes, Big Sister.” He walked off.

Aston-Mior regarded me for a moment, eyebrow raised. Then they turned away. The way Aston walked seemed a lot more like Mior’s once again, and he made no sound despite the creaky floor. His air qi billowed out to open the door. I watched for a moment, then turned around.

Quickly, I opened the left door and stepped through. I ended up outside, on a sort of veranda leading out into a glade surrounded by trees and steep rocky slopes behind them. The qi here was stirring just faintly. I stepped out carefully, keeping my senses peeled. It didn’t take me long to be sure someone was coming, just as I intended. I’d poked the bear, now it was time to face it.