Chapter 2

The Sister

Great, now Duke Ping was only a distrustful slender snake.

“If I lose, I have nothing left.” she concluded. There was fear in her voice. She couldn’t go back outside, not to a world that didn’t accept her. Only in the Pit was she somebody.

“Y-you’ll have some money.”

“Outside, I am a war orphan.” Hari snapped, letting her emotions explode a little. Outside, she was the enemy. There was no place for her in the world.

“I’m not your father, Hari.” The Fist Maker’s words hurt more than Hari had expected. They pierced her heart like a stake. She knew he wasn’t her father, but Hari hoped he would at least regard her as a daughter. That didn’t seem to be the case. “I am the Fist Maker. Shit, you don’t even know my goddamn real name.”

“So tell me.” she walked up to him. The Fist Maker hesitated, looking at Hari for a moment before looking away again.

“I-I can’t be a father, Hari. D-do you know how many orphans died because of my hands?” he stared at his hands, and Hari could have sworn she saw tears form at the back of his eyes. “I-I’ve lost count of how many children I’ve thrown into the Pit, just for my own good, for my survival. I-I filled their heads with hope, telling them they would have glory. A-a place in the world. I-I lied to them. I-I lied to you.”

Hari just stood looking at him. She couldn’t move. It was the first time she had seen the Fist Maker so vulnerable. Hari wanted to hug him, but feared what it might do to him. The Fist Maker looked like a sandcastle, fragile, as if any touch would reduce him to dust. And what about her? This was her home. Fighting was all she knew how to do. He and Alin had taught her everything she knew about it.

Now, would he just pretend none of that happened and let her go? But, she left her with no options. The Fist Maker seemed determined to take this further. She clenched her fists. “I’ll do it. I’ll lose the fight.”

The Fist Maker flashed a shy smile. “T-this is best for you, Hari. Y-you must get out of here while you can and look for your sister. T-this place doesn’t deserve you.” he concluded, opening the door. “Now get out. We have nothing more to talk about.”

Search for my sister? Never.

Hari left, walking past the other orphans in the Alcove as if they didn’t exist. Her world was clouded, her emotions confused. Hari could barely hear the cacophony of her thoughts. In a hurry, she brushed aside the orphans that stood in her way, nearly tripping over some of them and knocking over others. But she didn’t apologize and continued walking. She had to be alone.

“Hey, Sister. Look what I found. A rainbow beetle.” a familiar, distant voice said, someone tugging at her sleeve. She had to refocus to realize that the source of the voice was Yaozu, one of the newest orphans to join the Alcove.

Hari turned to him, smiling. “That’s quite a beetle, Zu. You really have a talent for finding weird insects.” she said, analyzing the small colored beetle that Yaozu displayed.

Yaozu smiled brightly, the kind of smile that could turn night into day. That made Hari smile automatically. He then became serious. “Is everything alright?”

She couldn’t worry him. He was still getting used to his surroundings and naturally, he’d gotten attached to her first. Hari was keen to create a pleasant atmosphere for the younger orphans. “Yes, Zu. I’m fine, I’m just a little tired.” she said, running her hand through his hair, making him smile again.

Yaozu looked to be seven years old—she wasn’t sure; he had dark eyes, but a long shock of white hair stood out in his short black hair. Proof that he had some descent with the ancient conquerors, as well as Hari. But… Hari’s hair was completely white, and her skin was dark, which made her lineage even more apparent.

Looking at Yaozu, Hari had the strangest urge to protect him from everything and everyone. And it was like that with all the children who entered the Alcove. But, living here, Yaozu needed to get strong fast if he wanted to survive. Like the others, he had to fight.

“Are you really going to fight Gojo tomorrow?” he asked in an innocent tone.

“Who told you that?”

“Little Lin told me.” he paused. “She told everyone.” Zu whispered.

Hari rolled her eyes. Lin should learn to be quiet sometimes. “Lin loves gossip, doesn’t she?” she said aloud and watched as the little girl ran through the Alcove to hide from Hari’s thirsty eyes. “But yes, I will fight Gojo.”

“You’ll win, right?” Yaozu’s eyes filled with an excited glow.

What should Hari say? Should she lie and say yes, just to not let him down? It wasn’t worth it. It would only disappoint him later. “I don’t know, Zu. Gojo seems to be quite strong.”

“You’re strong too! Just like the Cultivator’s Treasure.” he said with a wide smile.

Hari put her hand to her forehead. She was feeding him too many stories.

After discussing Yaozu’s insect collection and commenting on how Lin always knew everything that happened in the Alcove, Hari took Yaozu to his room. At his request, she told him a few more stories about the Cultivator’s Treasure. Yaozu fell asleep in a snap. Hari stayed with him for a while, before heading to a hole in the Alcove's wall she called her bedroom.

Starting tomorrow, she would have to return to the world and abandon the family she’d built here. Back to the war that killed her parents. Hari sighed. Saying goodbye to Yaozu and the other kids wouldn’t be easy. She felt like she was abandoning everyone.

But as much as Hari wanted to take them with her, she wouldn’t be able to take care of them. In the end, staying with the Fist Maker would at least give them shelter, food, and a chance to earn fame and money. With Hari, they would be as lost as she was.

That thought made her question whether her sister’s abandonment had been purposeful. Maybe Alin wanted to spare her, just as she wanted to spare Yaozu and the others. Good Heavens, she would probably never know the answer to this.

She pushed the uncomfortable thoughts away. Now she needed some comfort. Carefully, Hari pulled a book out from under her pillow. The cover was old and torn and had lost its color, but she could still make out the pattern of a moon joining a sun in an unnatural eclipse.

The Fortunate Cultivator’s Treasure [to Greatness].

When she was a child, her mother used to read the adventures of the mercenary group to Hari and her sister. She imagined herself fighting monsters, traveling the world, and joining the Cultivator’s Treasure.

Mudan, the fire breather. Bo, the lightning step. Sarif, the swordsman of dawn. Cassim, the brute. Neera, the corrupt beauty. Bakhtam, the storyteller. And the mysterious Jien. The stories said that Jien could summon the power of the sun and moon to fight on his behalf.

Good old days, she thought.

But the war took everything from her. The Immortal took it all. No family, no dreams, no nothing. Even her sister left in the end. For a long time, Hari even thought about taking revenge on the Immortal. She smiled, imagining the Immortal’s death by her hands, making him pay for all the destruction he’d caused. But these were distant memories of an innocent girl.

Heroes who fought monsters no longer existed. Only monsters remained.

Hari glanced at the pages of the book, smelling the ink and aged paper. It brought her great nostalgia. She could see herself running through the fields of Guinam, picking flowers—she had picked a tulip for her mother that day. And then, the Immortal’s army appeared on their huge horses, dressed in dark green and black.

That day, they killed everything in their path, and Guinam ceased to exist. The sight of the Jade Knights still gave Hari nightmares. She closed the book, looking down at her hands. A fighter’s hands, scarred and marked. Hari had come this far.

She wouldn’t lose, for herself and for the others. If she had to leave, she would leave fighting.