Sachihiro

I'd like to think scaling the shear cliff face would be almost effortless by now if it wasn't for how tenuous the grips are or how slippery the rocks. I have my grip guards on as I jimmy the tips of my fingers into the small crevices, breath deeply and heave myself up. My entire body weight zanpakutō, o-katana and pack strapped tightly onto my body.

No one offered to carry anything for me and I didn't ask. My forearms feel as though they are about to snap as I put the edge of my foot over the tip and use my leg to get up all the way over. I breath deeply again as I stand on the small rest area on the side of the mountain, a spot with just enough space for two, maybe three people if they squeeze.

I look down at the clouds below us almost completely obscuring land but numerous peaks break the cloud cover here and there. It's nearing sunset and the colours of twilight are pure and unfiltered up here, the hairs on my arm are standing on end from a combination of cold, exertion and the sheer glory of the view. This is something Asriel should draw.

His arm appears at the tip of the cliff as he pulls himself up almost effortlessly and dusts himself off. He makes it seem so easy, barely breathing hard even, [shaking head].

We've been climbing this mountain for nearly ten hours now, since the beginning of dusk in order to get a head start on the vampires and not have them wait for us again. For the kites to be able to carry us far enough across the land we have to be high enough to glide following air currents downwards and across, a dive I've learnt to look forward to as I get to experience the wonder of flight.

[KAAAA].

A piercing cry splits the silent mountain air as I duck my head on reflex reaching for the throwing axe tucked in the front of my pants.

A shadow blots out the sun as another creature makes a swooping pass, I grp the rockface as a gust nearly takes me over the edge.

[VHOOO].

A huge ass griffin sweeps past threateningly, followed by two more in quick succession.

[Shoo], [shoo],[Shoo].

They circle above us, crying out but not attacking because Asriel has his aura out in full force again, I really need to learn that skill. Aura's are everywhere and everything has an aura; people, animals, plants, even places and things have auras. Before I left the Tundra I wasn't aware of that but its been a very productive two and half years. I can feel auras now almost without effort. Only beings that can hide their auras or have very complicated aura signatures can fool me now.

Feeling the current aura around myself I know that the mountain is stable, old and ever present, dependable. It will be here for millennia more, content to stand vigil over the valley below.

The griffins are threatening, worried and angry. They are big enough to carry us off and drop us from the sky or even use those massive claws to rip us to ribbons. But a bird is still a bird no matter how beautiful and powerful it may seem, at least that's what I'm telling myself right now. Asriel's aura is that of a Lord, honed and developed over many years of training and struggle. They wouldn't dare attack.

"We've probably gotten too close to a nest," Asriel says beside me as the sun finally goes all the way down.

I nod my understanding, they will definitely attack if we get any higher if its a nest regardless of whether or not they have a chance. Asriel changes his aura, making it more welcoming and peaceful. Conveying friendship and trustworthiness. The thing with aura is that you can only convey things you have within you with it.

You cannot lie with aura, a person that has no killing intent cannot project killing intent, a person with no peaceful intention cannot project peaceful intentions and beasts in nature are the most natural aura users in the world. The hackles of an animal in a place with bad juju will rise long before it can sniff out the threat.

The griffins above us keep circling but one comes down. It dives almost too fast but then opens its impressive wingspan of at least 8 meters or 26 feet as it hovers facing us. Blowing the cold wind of the Titan Range in our faces. I have never seen anything more beautiful, a sight more majestic. Up close it's bigger that I thought it was. It's feathers have a glossy shin to them but they still look like feathers. The creature itself has a body of about 5 meters in length. Its huge, it's claws tucked into its stomach.

A pressure builds between us for a moment, as though my ears are about to pop. Then the pressure is gone and the griffin sweeps away. The thing isn't flying the way birds usually fly, it only occasionally flaps it's wings as it swims through the air as if by magic.

"It's a magical beast?" I ask Asriel as he goes first this time continuing the climb.

"How can you tell that anyways?" I ask following him.

The climb is easier from here as the mountain face slants slightly and there is no ice on this particular face. Something keeping it warm from within though it isn't a volcano.

"It told me it would lead me to a good spot to glide from," he says not looking back.

I know he is serious, but I'm still having a hard time with the concept of talking beasts. I've never personally had any interaction with Awakened Beasts, they are simply just too dangerous. Creatures with all the instincts and advantages nature gave them and the sapients that rivals the best mundane human minds. Not something you want to mess with in it's home turf.

"You planning on teaching me how to talk to Awakened Beasts anytime soon old man?" I tease half seriously.

"I didn't talk to it, it spoke to me." He says moving quickly, trying to push me I can tell.

I think about that a moment while making sure my footing is stable and I don't fall to my death, it's dark now and anything could happen. I doubt nocturnal hunters would attack a mountain full of griffin's though.

"My crown chakra is fully opened. I can't do anything with it as of yet, its not one of my talents. But I am able to sense psychic, mental and metaphysical communication much easier than someone without a developed or open crown chakra."

Asriel explains further giving me something to think about as we climb.

"What language does it speak?" I suddenly ask, extremely curious. With my ability with languages from the blessing from that cult, maybe I could learn it.

Asriel's giggling quickly snatched by the wind discourages me though. He wouldn't laugh if it was that simple.

"Sorry, I forget how little you know about the world sometimes."

He says switching to Sandersonian, which is only when he makes the switch that I realise we've been conversing in Japanese this entire time. The language of the Hito people, one of the most complicated human languages on Gaia according to Asriel.

"Mental communication can use words but it mostly doesn't. Its almost like directly passing a concept or feeling from one mind to another." He says, already seeing that he has lost me. Whenever he climbs he uses his spacial awareness skill to scout the immediate area around us.

If he focuses on a small area, like about 100m radius, he can get more details. Like the confused scrunching of my face even without turning around.

"When you're hungry your mind doesn't tell you in a language with words that you're hungry correct?"

"Yes."

"How does your body then let you know?"

"I just know, I feel it in my stomach."

"Then imagine if you could take that knowledge of hunger and convey it to me mind to mind. I will just know what you mean because the feeling of hunger isn't ambiguous. Hunger is universal. Makes sense?"

I nod, moving through a difficult spot which he seemed to just shimmy over as he did that thing where he gets an after imagine of himself following after his every move. Definitely cheating.

"That is the Universal language. The language of the mind that most psions, psychics, mystics, some Awakened Beasts, all Ancient Beasts and definitely all Ancestral Beasts can use."

Yea interesting information. I definitely have to be more diligent in developing my chakra pools. Chakra is just too useful and can do almost anything if you just learn how to unleash it though it's still not as powerful pound for pound as mana. But for me Awakening is far off still, I think. In another 30 years maybe, I hope sooner...

The rest of the climb is conducted mostly in silence. The air thin up here but the ether richer, which is probably why the most dangerous beasts like the peaks so much.

By the time we reach the spot the griffin has in store the Brave Blossoms have joined us. 15 elite vampires of the Hito Vampire Clan charged with escorting us to the Tundra and securing the agreement I have initiated for myself and my people.

For 200kg's of celestial ore I managed to jump the many decade long queue when it comes to having a soul sword forging. Getting a zanpakutō for myself, Mira and Saya when she's old enough. Then secondary spiritual weapons forged for another 50kgs of ore. Scalable weapons that can only be used by the person that binds them with their spiritual energy for as long as he lives. Invaluable items that get more powerful and resilient as the spiritual power and resilience of the wielder increases.

But zanpakutō's are on another level all together. A power unto themselves, and very difficult to forge. The pain of it...

Something that can only be done with the help of practitioners of soul magic and master samurai swordsmiths. A concept that originated from the Hito people in their struggle again creatures that could not be killed using magic or martial strength alone. Creatures that damaged the souls of their victims and could only be effectively combatted using soul magic. That is until the concept of a sword forged from the soul of its wielder was introduced. Through desperation, a people quickly going extinct in their struggle against the Reapers of Souls found a way.

A way that many could use for everyone has a soul, though only a few are chosen by Soul Magic. The first soul-sword, the zanpakutō, was made purely of soul, ether and spirit. Said to be a sword so powerful it could slay a god.

Cutting down creatures that were thought to be immortal for millennia, teaching them to fear humans once more. But it was too late for the Hito who were forced to abandon their ancestral lands in the Underworld, forced to retreat and to find a new place in the Surface World.

There, they dedicated themselves to the blade, kenjutsu, the art of the sword and for the best of them, zanjutsu, the art of the soul-sword. There they vowed to keep the Reapers at bay from the rest of humanity and one day reclaim their former home. An entire people dedicated to a way of life that encourages discipline, honour, sacrifice and martial might.

That first zanpakutō became the example every other sword they made since tried to emulate. Perfecting the art of forging razor sharp blades that bend but never shatter, the katana's that we know today.

"What's with the escort?" Keiji asks indicating the Griffin's who's numbers have been increasing.

"They were leading us here for our jump," Asriel says before pulling out the 17 kites from his storage ring.

The thing still amazes me when objects are pulled seemingly out of thin air. And the kites are big, they have to be big enough to carry a man.

"You ready?" Keiji asks everyone. He being in charge during this mission apparently.

"Let me lead this time," Asriel says stepping forward after harnessing himself in.

"Why?" Kenzo Suzuki asks.

He usually leads the jumps and all the other kites follow his down to the next mountain by-passing hours of travel and days of climbing by flying a few hours through the air. I've learnt to enjoy the jumps, even climbing is sort of peaceful allowing me to meditate on my body while doing it.

"The Griffins will escort us through the wind updrafts, we'll get more altitude if we follow them and travel further. They say we could skip an entire mountain and save ourselves another day of travel." Asriel says looking at all of them.

Kenzo shrugs when Keiji looks to him for his opinion. "Either way it will be interesting," is all the vampire says.

With a nod from Keiji Asriel goes to the edge first and jumps. We follow suit one after the other. High above the clouds jumping of a mountain and we can't even see the ground.

As I jump my stomach does a little flip. It feels like jumping of the edge of the world and for a second I drop like a rock.

Then I soar!