“Safi, we’re in here,” I said. Safi nervously peeked her head around the open door to find me and Teteli wearing barely disguised smirks.

“You had me worried for a minute there,” she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Come in,” said Teteli whilst standing up. “We need to get this door closed, it’s freezing outside.” she clasped Safi’s hand and brought her to the table whilst kicking the door closed. “Your friend here has managed to earn a spot in my cabin for the night so make yourself at home.”

“Thank you,” said Safi, whose excitement to meet Teteli was beginning to resurface.

They were properly introduced and an excitable Safi interrogated the understandably overwhelmed Teteli until she tentatively excused herself to continue working on her array.

I realised my tiredness first and began to unpack what little bedding we had. Teteli kindly spared a proper pillow for us to make it easily the best night sleep we had had in recent nights.

I attempted to forgo sleeping in favour of cultivation but unfortunately this body was still unable to attain proper rest without at least a little sleep. I drifted off, the sound of Teteli’s soft scribbles sending me into deep slumber.

I darted awake, more rested than I had felt since this lifetime started. I noticed Safi still out cold next to me, her delicate breathing a stark contrast to the snoring I heard coming from Teteli’s bed. She was a very convincing argument in favour of couples who prefer to sleep in separate beds, her legs were currently in a position I had previously considered anatomically impossible.

I cultivated until dawn, Safi and Teteli woke up at roughly the same time allowing us to share a hearty breakfast and giving Teteli a chance to explain what the day would entail.

“I’ve finished, actually,” she said. “I put the finishing touches on last night and I’ve found what I’m looking for.”

She laughed at our confused faces. “Not to worry,” she continued. “Now it’s the fun part. We have to fetch it.”

“Where is it?” I asked, I was hesitant to go too far out of our way.

“North East, inside Maer Mountain range.” I recognised that as the mountain range we’d been following for our journey thus far. Reasonably close for a potentially large reward.

“You have plans to set out today, I’m assuming?” I asked, I was already convinced but Safi seemed hesitant.

“Indeed, I’ll be going with or without you.”

“Do you mind if I talk with Safi about it?” I asked, Teteli agreed and vacated the cabin.

“North East? That’s pretty much back the way we came from…” she said.

“I know,” I admitted. “But, her cultivation is far too high for her not to be an important figure…” I began.

“And if she’s that important, she wouldn’t be wasting her time out here,” said Safi, finishing my point perfectly. “I see, but what’s in it for us?”

“A good relationship with a Broken Doors sect elder and maybe even a cut of whatever we find,” I said.

“Why is she even asking us to come?”

“It might be as simple as she wants some company.”

Safi sat back on her chair and pondered. She rubbed her forehead then finally agreed. “It’s not like we’re in any sort of hurry,” she concluded with a laugh.

We packed our bags once more, this time alongside Teteli who was busy sweeping pages of her notes off her desk and into her bag. We set off early, there was no significant snowfall the night before so our path was as clear as it could be.

We followed Teteli who was walking quite a lot faster than both Safi and I were used to. An hour of huffing and puffing later, the mountain range we had only just left behind came back into view.

What before was completely snow covered had thawed, the pale green rock was visible now. It shimmered in the morning light, it’s translucent surface revealed darker blemishes buried far from the rocks surface.

Teteli walked with her hands on the rock, occasionally closing her eyes, I assumed her to be checking her array. “It’s here,” she finally said. She placed her hand on the mountain side and paused. “Or not… The entrance must have collapsed.”

Safi and I stood still entirely unsure of the next course of action. Teteli hummed for a while, plotting her next move. “Let’s take a page out of Gutura’s book,” she said finally. “Though I’ll expend a little more qi than I was hoping to.”

She placed her hands on the rock and injected qi directly into it. It shattered immediately, Safi took a step back in shock. I could see her eyes fluttering open and closed as she tried to understand what had just happened.

“Everything has a qi limit, us humans, plant life and even rock.” I began to answer her unasked question. “If that limit is surpassed, that happens.”

“Even to us?” she asked in horror.

“Even to us.” I said. She shuddered in fright. Teteli continued to shatter rock after rock, until she finally found a small opening whereupon she immediately ceased expending qi and began to shift rocks with her hands. I joined in to make quicker work of it. Eventually we’d excavated a hole large enough to squeeze through.

“From here, we enter the old Matriarch of the Broken Door’s sect crypt. I hope you pay respect to the sect and her,” said Teteli sternly.

“She means don’t touch anything,” I whispered to Safi who nodded vehemently, entirely unwilling to offend the woman who had just spent ten minutes shattering rocks with her bare hands.

We shuffled inside, our bodies blocking the already minimal light barely shining through the newly opened crag. Teteli maneuvered quickly through the tunnel until finally breathing a sigh of relief as it opened up. She barely stopped, waiting only for Safi and I to catch up before resuming.

Finally we found the door to the crypt, it looked complex but undoubtedly ancient. It appeared the Matriarch was significantly older than I had assumed. Teteli threw down her backpack and began to channel a technique. Unsure of exactly what she was doing I shooed Safi away a little and took a few steps back myself.

Teteli summoned a small white celestial door which shimmered with ethereal light. A small crack appeared on it that appeared simultaneously on the door of the crypt. It grew larger and larger until finally the door was split from the top to bottom.

Teteli opened her eyes and got up, she poked the door with three fingers and stood back as it clattered to the floor. She smiled and invited us forward. The crypt housed a coffin, unsurprisingly, and several other doors that seemed just as antique as the first. We walked forward to pay our respects to the dead Matriarch.

Then, we walked straight for one of the doors. Unfortunately, I was a little caught up as my foot slipped through the floor. I called out to Teteli and I saw her turn around in panic but it was too late. I was suddenly somewhere else.

“Sen’o?” said Safi behind me. I sighed in relief that at least we hadn’t been separated.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Teteli will figure this out,” I said with all the confidence I could muster. It did not take long for it to get much worse as I heard a noise behind me. “There’s a woman there,” said Safi who was understandably confused.

“I think you should stand back,” I said. She launched towards me then swung at me with a vicious kick.