Chapter 308 - Mystical Ingredients

Yuzu hadn’t heard of the Trial of Succession, though it was a simple enough assumption that it was the next trial related to the Sun God’s inheritance.

“The Trial of Succession?” Yuzu didn’t hide her confusion, “I haven’t heard of it.”

“Indeed.” Renshu acknowledged that her lack of understanding was reasonable, “But you don’t need to know much, only that the guru-chi with whom you’ve been associating with are heavily invested in its outcome.”

The finality in his tone and the subtle grin on his face told Yuzu that he wasn’t going to elaborate further.

If you don’t tell me the details, then how can I retrieve the amulet for you? Yuzu held herself back from asking the obvious question. She found herself reading between the lines of the Knowledge God’s statement.

Withholding critical information was a sign that this could be a test, to see if she could succeed with minimal knowledge. But if that was the case, then the implication was…

“After I retrieve the amulet, are you going to have more tasks for me?” She asked.

“That would go against the spirit of our agreement, wouldn’t it?” Renshu smiled amicably, “You wish to go home without the knowledge of Exalted entities, clearly you do not want to be disturbed.”

He fanned himself elegantly, shaking his head, “No, child. If it is your wish to be left alone I shall surely not be the one to break that arrangement. I promised a fair deal. There shall be no follow up requests upon your success.”

Yuzu accepted his words for the moment. If there was no follow up, then was there any purpose to test her? She discarded the thought that he was a frivolous, curious God that was simply treating her as a plaything for his amusement. This only made sense if he had further plans for her— then the games and tests would have a greater purpose.

Then… perhaps the Sun Brooch is what is important to Him. Yuzu concluded silently. But He is a God who can appear at will wherever He wants in the physical world— at least to some extent— If the amulet was so important then why would He task me to do it and not handle it Himself? He must have followers, why not ask them?

Given the uniqueness of the Fate Domain, I can assume that I am specifically suited for this task.

Yuzu briefly considered asking the obvious question again. Would he provide more details or assistance in some way?

She nearly opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself.

They gazed at each other across the desiccated table, sitting silently on broken chairs in the midst of the ruined building. Flecks of dust shimmered in the shadows around them. The thin light from an overcast sky shone through the collapsed roof, its naked timber arching above like the broken ribs of a long dead beast.

There’s something restricting him from directly interfering. The quiet epiphany came to Yuzu’s mind. He isn’t saying more not because he doesn’t want to, but because he can’t. He isn’t offering assistance not because he doesn’t have it, but because something is stopping him.

Li Ru’s lament from when she had first met him echoed in her ears.

We were but pawns on a chess board.

A shiver ran down Yuzu’s spine as she wondered what kind of arrangements was she being dragged into. What kind of plot could restrict the actions of a God?

“You wish to leave the Exalted world.” Renshu said.

“Yes.” Yuzu nodded.

His intelligent, thoughtful gaze offered no hint at His inner thoughts on the matter. Was He going to chide her, admonish her for her naivety? Or perhaps express disbelief and cynicism at the thought?

To her surprise she found Him nodding at her, a subtle look of approval touching the corners of His eyes.

“Good.” He said, standing with a swirl of his robes. He fanned himself lightly as he walked away. “When you retrieve the brooch, pray to me.”

“Ah.” He paused, turning around as if he just thought of something, “That reminds me, you won’t be needing this anymore.”

He made a delicate grasping motion in the air and Yuzu felt the air around her body shimmer, as if an invisible garment had been removed from her spirit. Yuzu’s eyes narrowed as her white string which had been concealed by the Ritual of the Cloak was now visible again.

The soft ring of chimes drifted on a fresh breeze as he slowly faded into the air while fanning himself casually.

"Good luck, white maiden."

~

A short distance away, Nilya sat before an altar that Somm and he had set up in the swamp.

It was a simple thing, constructed from a number of stones stacked into a pile. It was crude in a way that Nilya thought might offend a God- his upbringing worshiping the God of Life had imparted in him that altars had very specific requirements to please the gods- but the guru-chi didn’t mention anything.

A large stone bowl the size of a melon was placed on the top of the altar. A small pile of ashes sat in the center of the bowl.

“Ashes from the Solar.” The guru-chi said solemly. Solar was another name for Ying Chu, the land of the sun. The guru-chi never called his homeland by its colloquial name, the Ashlands.

The ashes did not look any different from regular ashes from a fire pit. The fingernail sized grey flakes were fragile, crumbling into dust when handled. The guru-chi took great care tapping them out of their metal container and sealed the lid immediately after.

“The ashes are the flesh of the Sun. The bowl cut from His bones.” The guru-chi said, “Though He has perished, these spiritual ingredients create the required resonance to access His arrangements.”

“The bowl is an ingredient?” Nilya asked.

“In the world of mysticism, every element must be considered.”

Nilya watched as Somm blessed the altar, walking around it with a silver dagger while praying in a soft, lilting voice. The boy felt the ritual's energies throb against him as he knelt in front of the altar with his head bowed.

After the prayers were spoken, Somm knelt on a straw mat and withdrew a mortar and pestle from a pack, along with a number of small, tightly sealed gourds and boxes.

"I shall now prepare the supplementary ingredients. These are separate from the ritual. They aren’t required but will bolster your spirit for you ascension to Apprentice." Somm said, "Pay attention to every detail."

Nilya nodded, keeping his mind on his breath as his Master had instructed. He watched as Somm took out a number of seeds and dried herbs. Nilya noted how empty the boxes were, some of the ingredients Somm emptied out the container, painstakingly removing the very last speck of dust inside and adding it to the mortar. The process seemed even more difficult due to the guru-chi’s petrified left hand, which didn’t seem to have healed at all since the battle.

"What are those?" Nilya asked.

"Rock wheat, Cardim nut. Herbs from the Solar."

"Isn't the Solar all ashes now?"

"It is. These are ingredients that I've saved from before the cataclysm. They are very precious." Somm said with a wistful tone as he ground the ingredients together.

“Couldn’t you plant them somewhere else?” Nilya asked.

“It has been done, but the spiritual energy is not the same… We’ve tried growing them in the Solar itself, but the land is dead.” Somm said. He carefully poured the crushed ingredients into the bowl with the ashes. “Bring the hollow ember here. Hold it steady.”

The melon-sized egg had a thick outer shell like rock. Somm carefully scored a circle on the top of the shell with a blade, running the edge across the shell over and over. Each cut scraped a little bit of powdered shell off, which Somm brushed away. Heat waves radiated from the black egg. The scored groove began to glow orange as the cut grew close to penetrating the shell.

“Remember when preparing catalysts, absolute purity is imperative.” Somm said, “Any imperfections in the potion will cause imbalances in the spiritual bodies once ingested. These imbalances may not cause the promotion to fail, but they will create problems later.”

When he was satisfied with the groove he tapped it sharply with the butt of his knife. The top of the shell came off with a crack as it broke cleanly off, revealing the thick molten liquid within. It was golden and gave off an intense heat and the acrid smell of sulphur.

Somm tilted the egg, pouring the glowing yolk into the large stone bowl. The thick, molasses-like liquid bubbled vigorously as it came in contact with the ingredients in the bowl. The ground herbs dissolved instantly into the yolk. The ash flakes darkened and curled up, but rather than be absorbed they thickened and hardened into a layer of black stone at the bottom of the bowl.

Somm prayed softly under his breath, stirring the mixture with a glass rod. The liquid diminished as the ashes were consumed, until only a small concentrated pool of glowing catalyst remained in the center of the rock-caked bowl.

“Hollow embers contain the essence of the Sun’s Domain. Combined with the ashes it creates an almost perfect catalyst. Such a simple combination is extremely rare to find.” Somm said, “Once you ingest this you will advance to Apprentice.”

“I… have to drink that?” Nilya hesitated, reflexively swallowing as he imagined ingesting the molten liquid.

“It will burn a bit, but you must drink it in one motion.” Somm said, “After swallowing the catalyst you must continuously repeat the prayer to Shuma that I taught you.”

“Yes, Master.” Nilya said nervously, “How much is a bit?”

“This is of utmost importance. Repeat my words to me.” The guri-chi’s voice took on a grave tone as he looked directly in Nilya’s eyes, “You must continue repeating it until I tell you.”

“I must continue repeating the prayer until you tell me to.”

“No matter how painful or uncomfortable it becomes.”

“No matter how painful… or uncomfortable…”

“Even if you feel like dying, you must keep praying.”

“Even if I feel like dying-” Nilya’s eyes widened as he hesitated, “Can I actually die?”

The ten year old boy stared at the golden liquid that still radiated with heat. Up to this moment he had thought that the catalyst would be similar to the potion that Shou Tao had given him to save his sister. The grave nature of this step hadn’t occurred to him.

The guru-chi’s eyes were stern, “Don’t stop praying.”