Relic awoke just as the sun began to retire. His dim eyes looked on to a familiar room and to a familiar girl was who was sleeping on a chair in the corner.

He was drenched in sweat. His eyes wandered aimless around the room before settling down onto his hands. Would his master still want him now that he became useless? That thought would not leave his mind.

As he got up, the little girl also awoke.

“How are you feeling?” she asked

“I…I do not know…” he said in a lifeless monotone

She could feel his sadness and didn’t know what to do. She didn’t particularly care about him, but as long as he was her dad’s patient she would try her best to help.

“You’re sweating you should go take a bath first.”

“Yea….”

His body swayed as he followed her out of the room and to a bath house located on the other side of the garden. Inside was a large wooden tub filled with water, large enough to fit 20 people inside. Ren ignited the fire under the bath and then ran out.

Relic showed no emotions. He carelessly toke off his clothes and dawned on a bath robe.

Before long, Ren returned with a small ball in her hand. She tossed it into the bath and then looked at him.

“I don’t know what happened to you to make you feel the way you do right now, but you’ll feel better after a bath. Take as long as you need.” She did not dawdle and quickly left.

As if he didn’t listen, Relic expressionlessly made his way towards the bath undisturbed. However, just as he was about to enter the bath he saw a reflection. A reflection of his face appeared in the water. It was a man in his mid-20s.

“Is-is that me?” He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In his mind he was supposed to be 17 this year, but the man he saw was almost a decade older. He reached to touch his face when he noticed something missing. His index finger was missing along with his spatial ring.

“Dammit! Who did this to me!” he shouted

Relic couldn’t even describe what he was feeling. He was now sure he was missing some memories, but by the looks of it, it seems like he was missing at least half a decade or so of it. There was also the fact that he was a now a mortal. He would never be able to go back to his sect and maybe his master might not be willing to see him.

And now… even his spatial ring was gone. Spatial rings weren’t actually that expensive. In fact his spatial ring wasn’t even that high of a grade, and the items he kept in there wouldn’t really make anyone salivate for them. However, the ring held special meaning to him as it was the first gift his master gave him after she took him in as her disciple.

His mood drastically fell and he felt even more helpless than before.

He stood over the warm water as he let gravity drag him down. The water splashed out as his entire body submerged to the bottom of the bath tub. His thoughts wandered in a helpless spiral, he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to get out. Maybe it would be better to just lay here forever.

As the last few air bubbles escaped from his mouth his vision began to go blurry. Darkness began to enclose on him. However, just as he was about to close his eyes for the last time, he managed to lay his sight on a trembling ball.

This was the same ball Ren had thrown previously. The ball looked like it was ready to burst open. A few seconds later, light burst forth filling the entire bath with motes of light.

The sudden burst of light jolted Relic awake and made him fling himself upward and out of the water.

Relic took an enormous breath of air. His panting was heavy as his body inhaled the sweet nectar of life. He soon realized the air smelled a bit sweet, almost familiar. The smell was similar to the smell the flowers in the garden gave off. Except it was much richer here than it was before.

HIs body became warm. As he continued to breathe in the scent of the flower ball. He felt like his worries were fading away. Soon a distant memory began to play.

……

16 years ago ---

“Master will I ever be as strong as you?” a little boy looked towards his master with awe and admiration.

“Perhaps, but you will have to work very hard. Your talent is less than others and the possibility of you ever reaching the pinnacle of cultivation is almost non-existent.” A woman was carrying an injured boy on her back as they flew, and said to the little boy.

The boy looked a bit discouraged and bit his lips, trying to hold in his emotions.

“But…..” she continued, “Master doesn’t need you to be the best. As long as you are by master side, I will be happy.” She said smiling.

The boy held her tightly as he nodded his head. Slowly closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.

……

After the memory replayed in his head, Relic seemed to be more at peace. Then something unlocked in his mind. His repressed memory began to resurface as he began to replay the last few years of his life. His loving master, someone whom he would die for, changed as time went on. She became colder, more distant from everyone. Eventually she picked up another disciple and began to groom this new disciple extensively.

This disciple had a rare constitution which made him one of the chosen within the sect. He was praised throughout the sect for his upright attitude and talent. Everyone thought he was destined to be the next sect leader and would raise the sect to the next level. Of course Relic knew his junior’s real personality; he was an arrogant and an egotistical person. However, he carried his master’s hopes and dreams and so Relic never spoke of it.

But the confusion that swirled in his head kept increasing. Was the change of his master’s attitude really because she wanted to elevate this disciple to the position of sect master? Was that really the reason why his master asked him to sacrifice himself for the sect? Was this the reason why his master destroyed his cultivation and abandoned him?

Relic couldn’t accept it! Even as the scene of his master crushing him played in his mind, he dismissed himself from seeing anymore.

Suddenly, his eye snapped open. His eyes lit up, a flame replaced the dim, desolate look he had previously worn.

He had to know. Even if his master were to really kill him, he had to know why!

With new determination, he dressed himself and sought out Kubo.

At this moment Kubo was lying in the middle of a sea of flowers. The flowers were wet from the frequent rain but it did not bother him. Everything was still; the air was permeated with the sweet aromatic smell of the flowers. He was completely immersed in an aura of peace.

Then he spoke, “Aside from our daughter, these flowers were my wife’s favorite thing in the entire world. Everywhere we went she would always have a bunch of these flowers near her. Her favorite flower was the Ren flower which we named our daughter after.”

He opened his eyes.

“Only these flowers bring me peace now. Mr. Astor, have you found your peace?”

Relic stood at the edge of the flower garden. His eyes lit with new found determination as he opened his mouth.

“You and your daughter treated a stranger with nothing but generosity. I do not know how I could ever repay the both of you.” A third bow was now given to his savior. However, this time his head did not rise up.

“I have no place to ask you this after all you have done….. But I have a request I hope you can help me with!”

“Oh, lets hear it.” Kubo remained motionless and did not seem disturbed.

“I’ve relied on Qi for so long I no longer know how to live the life of a mortal. I hope that you can help me return to my sect. In return, I will do anything you ask!”

“The Thunder Storm sect…. that is a 3 day travel from here.”

Kubo seemed to give a deep thought to it before calling out to his daughter.

Ren came walking out with a basket full of freshly picked vegetables.

“Dad, It’s time for me to prepare dinner. What do you want?” Her tone had a hint of displeasure.

“Oh nothing much, I was just wondering if you wanted to go to Red Sky City.”

The basket in Ren’s hands dropped and a glimmer of light flashed from her eyes. She dived towards her dad giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

“Yay, I knew dad cared for Ren.”

It should be known that Ren had been asking her dad to bring her there for months now.

Why?

That was because that city was the only city that happened to cultivate a certain fruit. Rumor has it that this fruit could make a middle age women look 10 years younger and her beauty intensified by 2 times. Ren was nowhere near the age which would make her need one. But even still, she was enticed but such a rumor. Perhaps she would become even more beautiful. What women wouldn’t want to look younger and more beautiful?

Kubo and Relic both looked at the excited little girl jumping up and down before giving a quick chuckle.

“Ok, Ok, settle down. We have to first deliver Mr. Astor to his sect first, then we can go.”

“OK!” she replied. Not even looking at the vegetables that were littered on the ground, she raced to her room to pack for the trip.

“Thank You! I will never forget this debt!” Relic finally rose up and clasped his hand.

Kubo gave a smile as he turned to his room to pack as well.

Relic seemingly turned to the direction of the Thunder Strom sect and inwardly made a promise to himself. ”I will accept whatever reasoning master gives me….But if you still needs me, then I will spend my entire life to fulfill her wish! ”