"You know Saya."

"What is it, Sawyer?"

Saya asks back with her dagger in hand.

"Why is it that I can't sense or hear them at all? If it wasn't out of my instincts to dodge and parry any incoming attacks from my training. I would have been hit a lot of times or I might suffer critical damage."

"Pff, Says the guy who doesn't block my punches," Saya cracks a smile and hides her face to laugh.

"T-There's a big difference between can't and don't okay!"

"Sure, sure whatever you say, Sawyer."

We argue and banter until I finally push small bodies to the side as I close my eyes. My hands shaking and so is my knees. As their life dims, their bodies grew cold and lifeless.

(I wish they could just leave us alone).

"Hah, fine, I'm not gonna go on to the nitty-gritty details of their origins and all of that, but just know that rat-kins are varied. And this city provides some of the most uniques rat-kins that specializes in urban areas. Like this one came from clans that specialize in sneak attacks and climbing. So they revolve their body for sneaking around where not even their steps make any noise and even echoes pass through them- Enough explaining lets move on."

Saya cleans her dagger and sheaths it back as she chants:

"{Lagfre}"

As the piles burn, leaving not even ash nor smoke. Their bodies burn to nothingness.

(I just realize she's been cleaning and sheathing her dagger a lot).

I nod replying:

"I see, but I wanna ask something else that kinda bugs me."

Saya stops in the four crossroads and looks back at me with a smile.

"Oh? About what first?"

She asks back with curiosity and excitement.

(Is she expecting me to ask something suspicious here? Um... Maybe I should throw that question out and ask something instead. Um...)

"Uh, it's about this place?"

"Place you say?"

As I try to think up a question Saya's ear twitch in delight while her red eyes glimmer like rubies even in such a dark place.

"looks... Um... How do I say this..."

Saya smile turns around to a frown as I try to think.

"You know Sawyer, I know you're trying to change but don't force yourself. Here's an important quote of a wise man,

"Xin wasn't built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour."

So just take things slowly but surely or you'll face the consequences of your future. This cannot be made more clear when everyone was suffering from the World Invasion."

(World Invasion... One of the few histories that are actually very interesting and fun to hear since it features everything a story needs. Heroes, villains, redeeming villains, fallen heroes, bonds, vengeance, oaths, betrayals, conspiracies, truths, lies, evil empires, resistance fighters, call for independence, so on and so forth along with all that good jizz. A dark age two centuries after the Liberation Era. Like what Moriz said, lasted for centuries. A time where the world had to change to survive or disappear from history!

I wonder why May didn't tell me about this? The reason I like stories, legends, and sagas about heroes was because of this! I'm glad Nicole took the time to tell me such stuff. I mean I even ask him to just stay for the weekend just so he can tell me more. And the most mysterious thing about this history is who is the invader in the first place?

I even went to the public archives just to search it and ask May's friend who works there. But all that searching almost result to nothing if it wasn't for that one old crew list we found behind some shelves in the deepest end of the archives. Sadly it's so smudged and blurred for its age. We can only read the title and tiny bits of the content which I don't really understand since I can't read cursive and smudge words combined back then. I think the paper's title reads,

[Operation Arise, sector A-13 crew report].

This discovery baffled her friend so much she said she wanted to keep it and all.

As I think of something else entirely, I smile to her even though she can't see it.

"Uhm, I see. Thanks, Saya."

"Yes, so what are you going to ask? Go ahead, maybe this time I'll stop hitting you for now."

"Uhm, I was just wondering why you keep pulling out and sheath your blade all the time. I mean, we're in enemy territory, shouldn't you be keeping your weapon out in all time? Oh! Is it too heavy? I'm pretty sure there was a spell that can make weapons lighter or something."

"Ah, well it was a miscalculation and I was just making sure of the situations. Tell me did you ever see rat-kins fight alone?"

"Huh? Now that you said it, no I don't think so. I mean we just killed like eight just now..."

Guilt clutches my heart once more.

"I wish Sis Yuwei or someone could do something for them at least."

"Alright, alright, stop with your nagging. Continuing on my explanation. From what we see, it can easily mean that they are not that stupid. From my days in the gutter, a group of rat-kin is usually moving around 8-24 kins strong. And we just rid sixteen of them, counting the worst-case scenario means we just wipe out more than half their numbers.

And since a village only sends one group to one territory that spans around two hundred meters each, we won't encounter anymore surplus of them. Coupled with the fact that they broke easily, they will probably retreat when around 20% or rarely 40% of them got wipeout. And this... Well, it's probably a special case where they didn't expect their second try to fail. Their leader must be either desperate or just stupid. Well, it's definitely the former since we are going to their leader now."

"O-oh? Okay..."

(That's quite a lot to take in. But...)

"What do you mean by going to where their leader is?"

She continues walking ahead explaining:

"Like I said, we're going to where their leader is. Don't you remember what we're here for?"

"The train right? Are you saying their leader is in the train we're going to ride?"

"That's right! Well more like outside the train- just stop asking that and follow me. You'll see it for yourself, and I hope you can keep that strict one-hit-kill policy going on. It will help a lot with destroying the rat-kins morale."

"Sure... Saya, where did you get that rusty necklace?"

Peeking a little out of her skirt pocket is a rusted necklace that looks like it seems to be a mix of both steel and silver.

Saya takes out the necklace and throws it away without thought looks at me with a satisfactory smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem, so you sure you didn't take anything else?"

"Hmm..."

Saya rummage through her dress and bag before shaking her head saying:

"Nope, now let's continue on. Keep reminding me okay?"

"Yea, sure!"

(Maybe, just maybe, I should probably buy her a gift at least. And actually try my best to fulfil what she will ask of me when we arrived at the Sector).

*************************************

*shank* *scracth* *clank* *thump*

"Hshsukabvsj!" "Hajanama!" "Raaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!"

As I got closer to where the voice is. I could see a group of rat-kins smashing and doing everything they can to break some kind of door with a tiny window with their claws, slings and tiny blades. It connects to a giant metal worm-like structure that stretches far beyond the tunnels and I could see light and other items and furniture inside the thing...

(Could that giant thing be the train? Now that I see it, it's very impressive, no wonder May was enamoured to even tell about it).

Passing through the metal dome fence, the rat-kins finally start noticing us. I close my eyes and focus around to see if there are any more people...

(None, looks like Saya's right. This is their final batch... Wait, didn't Saya just told me that it's useless to search with sound. Maybe with smell?)

*sniff* *sniff*

"Urgh!"

A horrid stench permeates the air as it almost makes me puke.

*thunk*

I extend my spear to a proper length and hearing the pommel of my spear hitting the ground. I prepare for my final combat... Hopefully.

"Angshajah! Jajajahaha!"

The rat-kins prepare their blade and the one wearing a hood shouts to command the rat-kins.

(One, two, three... Five rat-kins).

Two enemies on the rear immediately use their sling to throw some weird gooey thing. But I easily dodge by moving my head to the side and close the distance. When I look up, I see two rat-kins jumping to stab me in the face.

"Almighty powerful tiger technique, the path of the mighty: End Claw strike."

*slice*

My spear easily tore through their flesh into three parts like cutting through cabbages before twirling my spear and swipe it to the side. With momentum, ridding my blade of their blood as it splatters to the floor beside me.

I have to admit, after breaking through, I could finally use more advance techniques more easily now without any burdens... And my body, especially my body feels so much stronger now- yea, that's a complete lie since I still can't even beat Sis Yuwei or even Sis Fei in terms of pure strength or speed yet. I wonder if I'll ever get time to shine-

"Ereeaaggh!!!"

An ear-piercing child scream disrupts my process of thought. One of the sling wielding rat-kin runs away, crawling to the ceiling leaving only two left. Their hooded leader pulls his ally's arm shouting something as it points at me. The one who stayed looks at me with its ruby-red eyes and pulls out a small dagger that actually looks like a dagger for once.

"Haha... Hahhahaha! Hahsisjsbbla!"

The leader, laughs? As he points his tiny hands at me. I took one step forward and they respond by moving one step back. I took another step forward twirling my spear and prepare a battle stance. Pointing my spear down on the floor, I lock my eyes on both of them...

"Leave," I speak to them as I try to sound as serious as possible.

But instead of running away, they actually stand their ground not budging an inch as their backs are now on the train's door.

(Could it be they do not understand me?)

"Don't bother Sawyer. They actually understand you, it's just that they are just that desperate."

Saya appears beside me with her arms folded and a face showing pity.

"What do you mean, they are just that desperate?"

"Haah, I meant what I said, if you look at their corpses closely you can clearly tell they are refugees. And knowing their customs, they are probably forced to search for food and pay a fee to actually stay inside."

"If that's so, why did we even kill them? We could just ask Sis Yuwei or someone to take them in!"

Saya pulls her dagger out and points it at them saying:

"Sawyer, if you don't know. The entire Phoenix Sector is currently undergoing the final phase of their massive expansion, modernization and growth revolution that is comparable or greater than Central right now. And that means all abandoned districts, tunnels, stations, fortress, strongholds, sectors and et cetera have now either been renovated and upgraded or demolished for better repurposes.

And that means this rat-kins are either given a choice to either join them and live on the surface or leave and find a better place. And when I found out that this station and tunnels are the only one still being abandoned for some reasons, so many rat-kins are migrating here. They chose the life they have previously when given a choice. So do them a favour and honour their choices would you?"

"But..."

"No buts, follow your word and do your job, Sawyer. Or are you saying, your words are nothing but hogwash."

Saya looks at me with eyes that could kill as she sheats her dagger. I break my stance saying:

"What about you? Aren't you enough proof to convince them that you're living a well-"

"Sawyer...."

Saya cuts me oof on my words as she pulls her dagger out again. But this time, she points her blade at my face with murderous intent. For once she looks at me with disgust and fury saying:

"I see, so you still think I was living like this from what I told you back then huh!? Well, let this senior tell you how the world works for the defeated. Back when you lost to Rana, she is actually trying to kill me. I had to prostate and beg for my life as she turns me to her slave for her cause! In truth, I never wanted any of this! I wanted to live and that's true! But I just want a normal life but being with you just making this even harder!"

Saya turns to look at the two rat-kin and wave her arms at them shouting:

"{Lagfre Urdoga!}"

A great wall of black flame rise beneath their feet and burns them to cinders and ash in but a moment. Their wails and cries didn't even ring or voiced. And even the bodies of the dead rat-kin I killed burn along with them.

"So please, I beg of you! Just... Please, just... I don't know anymore."

Saya as if she had her life taken away, she looks at me with tired and pitiful eyes and just walks away to the train door. Pulling out a key card and placing it to on the black spot. The door opens and she entered inside quietly. As I followed her and enter, she closes the door by placing her card again and went right.

Opening a door and entering with silence as only our footsteps are the only source of sound in this seemingly empty world filled with rooms, connecting chairs, shelves and small windows on the side. As we reach the fourth door, Saya opens it with her card and we enter some sort of giant room with a table filled with the so-called buttons, switch and other levers. The room has one chair near the giant table and a giant window showing the view outside.

Says silently sits down on the chair and uses the card to open some case with a key inside and twist it. Grey buttons suddenly glow in colourful lights, and as I take a step back it looks so dazzling. Saya twists a red knob and pulls a red lever. The train shakes forcing me to grab the wall and the train begins to move with a vrooom and sound of clashing steel. The view in front changes and starts to look blurry like the time in that limo.

Saya folds her arms and crosses her legs as she looks at the ceiling. My heart, filled with guilt and burdens my body to sit down on the edge of the room as I shorten my spear and look at her tired face.

"I'm sorry Saya, I never knew... I'm sorry."

"..."

I speak softly to her but she ignores me and stayed quiet. I stand on my feet and walk to the door, looking back at her saying:

"I'll leave you alone for now. You can find me in the previous room."

I open the door and leave. Taking a sit on one of the seats with no borders. I cross my legs and close my eyes. I take a breather and started cultivating. As I try to remember the sensation I felt in training, breath properly and enter it...

*************************************

As I enter that place once more. Bright white light flashes before my eyes before dimming. The great throne to heaven is now somehow farther than ever. White clusters of light surround me as I try to ascend the stairs.

Maybe I should tidy this all up. If I remember what Nanny, Mike, and Sis Yuwei said:

"When journeying to the path of transcendence, one must always be clean and pure inside and outside. That way, your foundation shall be strong as you climb higher and higher."

Ever since they measured my strength and continue to teach me. I finally learned a more advanced skill to boost my energy control. Energy manipulation along with energy assimilation.

Or in this case, qi is the corresponding energy either through the source of life spiritually or materially. In the first day of my training, Nanny told me that even though my body is pretty solid in the foundation, my spirit is not. That's why I tire so quickly after so few moves and qi blast, why she's been teaching me a lot of ways to control my energy.

"Those balls of light, it shall be mine as I become stronger. It's probably foreign energy. So please, forgive me and thank you."

I raise my hand and begins to manipulate the energy and make them flow inside of me as I ascend with heavy steps. The cluster of light quickly vanishes much faster than the one at the palace where in this place needs only seconds, in the palace I need as much as minutes. Is it because I improved? Or is the energy here is inferior?

(I hope it's the former).

I stop my tracks and begin to absorb more of clusters of light to strengthen my inner energy. But, as I continue to absorb, cracks begin to appear around the endless vast space surrounding me. As I stop my manipulation, the cluster of light still moves by its own and enters me.

"What's going on?"

As the light dims, shadows encroach ever closer. The scene of harmony shatters as everything turns to turmoil.

"N-no... No, what's happening!? I need to get out of here! I need to wake up!"

The shadows envelopes all to darkness and the throne to heaven falls down to the abyss below. The stairs I climb starts to disappear. Now standing in eternal darkness with the few clusters of dimming light shines upon me. Giving me the colour.

"Why... Why won't I wake up? Is this... Is this perhaps that weakening sickness Angie told me about back at Central Guild."

I look at my hands and close my eyes...

"If so... I better do something."

I look back at the cluster of light and begin to absorb them again.

(Angie told me that the weakening effect means that energy of my life will be sap out but my body is feeling stronger and stronger).

I try moving forward and feel my body being drag down.

(Yea, if it's heavy it's the right way. This is a desperate attempt but if I broke through, I can probably wake up).

As I keep moving forward, the surface below turns to water, rising slowly from just my sole, heels, ankle and just keep rising. As I look at my hands, cracks start to appear like before.

"Oh, no!"

The light that enters through my hands was tainted black. Darkness rise and the light quickly fades, fusing together with the darkness.

"No! Not now!"

I walk faster, feeling my leg being torn, my arms being drag back, and pulled my heart being ripped apart as I feel the same power that enter me during that Bloody Dawn. My leg falls asleep and my knees touch the endless darkness below. I hold my chest in pain and realize I'm sinking in.

I breathe heavily but there's no voice. I try to raise my hand up but the water swallows me whole. My whole body descends underwater but I'm breathing fine. All I see now is nothing but darkness, silence fills my ears where not even the sound can enter.

(What is this? It's so scary... Please, anyone...)

I can't see my hand but I try to reach out for something.

(Please... I gotta find a way out of this. Think, remember, find something to get out of this situation...)

My battle with Sis Yuwei's mother. That moment... I saw my mother... The emblem in my headband.

Remember it!

Lines of dark purple lights crawl forward from my arm. Gathering on the palm of my hand and continue to combine together.

(That's it! Now, what else...? Other than that mysterious power, I received... A weapon! That crooked weapon that can turn to a spear and sword. I don't really remember what it looked like but I better start remembering it... Or I should reforge it anew).

As the new pommel forms, the water around me starts to gather around the light in my hands.

(It hurts, but I must continue!)

A perfect shape for a pommel would be... A bludgeon type of attack. Most of my enemies now use armour and a form to block both slash and piercing attacks. Just like the pole weapon I use now.

The grip and hold for my pole weapon is something... It doesn't need to be beautiful or opulent. Just make it very comfortable to hold and easy to move my hand around all sides. Just like the spear, Nicole gave me.

Water, light, and soon something like steel starts to take shape before my eyes. The weapon is almost complete. I must continue, just a little more. This is it.

The final part is the blade or the head of the spear. I realize that a normal spear with only a piercing attack is not enough. I must use something else, something more effective and versatile. Something that could help me give a reach... A poleaxe.

As the head form, I imagine an axe, a small hammer, and the tip of the spear. But that's not enough, I need it to be effective and versatile like I said, so it can retract and extend, and most of all change the head.

(This is it!)

The light clustered together into the weapon of my creation and so do the water turns into a great vortex surrounding me. I grab the weapon and felt like I have held this weapon since forever.

(This is... Very nice if only the pain in me isn't increasing).

The cracks around my arms shine and I realize not only my arm but my whole body too.

(I'm not going to die or disappear! I'm going back!)

With only my weapon as the source of light, I look up toward the open space created by the vortex, it's there... I can feel it, the way out. I swim up toward the vortex and before long, I could feel the pain subsiding.

*************************************

"Urgh... Huff, huff..."

I quickly fall to the ground. I could feel a great burning heat beside me, I could feel a strong gust of wind blowing to my left. The smell of burning steel seeps through my nose as the sound of loud dragging steel rings true on my left.

I open my eyes and look at my left hand, opening the glove a little, I could see similar cracks from that bloody dawn.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

I take my time to breath and stand on my feet with the help of the steel pillar near my seat. I put my gloves back and clean my eyes wondering,

(How long have I've been cultivating?)

As the view gets clearer, I could see a blurry open field of green and myriad of flowers in front of me as it moves so far and fast.

"Hold on..."

I rub my eyes again from the absurdity I see. I was sure, I was holding the train steel just now. I look again and it was the same. I look around me and it seems that I am still on the train and half of the room I'm at is missing...

"Saya!"

With a surge of realization, I shout for her name to respond and look behind me. The door leading to the other room with buttons is open and I quickly enter it. I could see Saya's bag on the seat but she is nowhere here. And the front glass that shows the vast field of plants and flowers is shattered, it's glass pieces is scattered everywhere.

"Where is she? Could she... Abandon me? No! Just because we had our few fights doesn't mean it' like that!"

(Focus, listen to the surrounding!)

I could hear the sound of the train, the part that drags on the earth below.

*cling* *clang* *bang*

"Above! But how do I get up there?"

I look at the front window...

"It's risky... I know!"

I touch the ceiling above and felt two people moving around. One is definitely Saya with her light and small child steps while the other is definitely the one responsible for this.

I move to the other room again while tracking her movements. I try imagining the weapon I made and soon dark purple light gather on my palm and forms an elegant looking poleaxe that has a mix of beautiful carving and an air of cold and malevolent beauty surrounding it. Different than the one I had made in that dark place.

"I don't know how it works but as long it's there... I can do it now."

I point the tip upwards and pull my hand back as I prepare to thrust upwards at the enemy. Gathering my qi to coat the tip of the weapon, I realize unlike the usual white, my energy is now a mix of the colour black and dark purple.

(I could gather and control my power so much easier now, but now's not the time to think any of that. I need to help Saya).

I try to go where the assailant is but the assailant keeps moving, and so, I waited for my time...

(I'm sorry Saya, but please hold on...)

And soon, the other assailant steps on top of me. I lunge my weapon upwards, unleashing the power I've gathered.

*bwoooommmm*

As I hear cracking sound from inside of my armour, my attack melted a chunk of the ceiling as it continues up to the clear blue sky, emitting a purple light. Lighting the entire sky like purple dawn for a while. As the edges of the hole boil with purple colour, I could see the assailant almost falling off the train if not for grabbing the edge of some metal pipe.

"It seems, I miss."