“You did not ask this. But treat it as my figment of hope that I am projecting onto you. For I saw possibility, and hope, in your paths. The ritual they had been attempting to do, one of the ways they should be done is to do with impartiality and equality. The lives and Qiyun should originate from even roots. It is to be treated as death. It is to be treated as our chances to live. It is to be treated, as air, as the earth below our feet, as the space we inhabit. The vines of their doom and decay, are rooted in the choices of the road they paved.”

Marcus opened his eyes. There were only trees around him, and at the foot of another tree, sat Gloria with her eyes closed. It appeared they were sent to the edge of the forest around the old ruins. The bushes around them were thick, and the trees tall, providing them with ample shade and cover. Above them, the sky was gray, with a few clouds. It was almost evening, it seemed that the flow of time inside the ruins was slightly faster than it was outside.

“Okay. Where are we?” Gloria also woke up.

“I think - we’re at the edge of the forest, right outside the old ruins. We may need to walk out a bit to get some signal on our phone to know exactly where we are.” Marcus showed Gloria his phone: “Also the time is - is not right at the moment. So we’ll need a signal to correct our time.”

“Sure. Sure.” Gloria rubbed her temples: “Did - did you hear her last words?”

“Yes. I did. About the ritual needing to be impartial and even?” Marcus nodded and sighed: “I am - I am not sure what that meant - I can’t - ” Though he said this, he had a rough idea, just he did not want to face the implications of this question, at least not now.

“Oh.” Gloria looked straight at Marcus, then sighed: “I think I know. You know, I babysat for a family in the Northern District, and - I heard things. Because they’re transplants, they formed a community of their own and lived close to each other. So - ”

“I know.” Marcus rubbed his temples and nose bridge: “I know - just - let’s get outta here first.”

“Good idea.” Gloria let out a long sigh and nodded along.

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They did not know the exact direction in which they should go. So they just judged based on the height of the sun and headed towards a general Southern direction.

“Wait.” Just around ten to fifteen minutes into their way, Gloria raised her hand, signaling Marcus to stop walking.

“What is it?” Marcus knelt down behind a tree, along with Gloria.

“I heard something, up front.” Gloria narrowed her eyes: “Let’s lighten our steps. They could be our friends, but most likely it’s them.”

“My friends would find someone and come here in backup if I don’t get back to them in time. But it should take them a while since they don’t know much about this place.” Marcus sighed.

“Yeah. Good choice.” Gloria shook her head as she crouched along the shadows towards the direction of the sounds.

Before long, Marcus saw some shadows moving in the forest. It was a group of five men, all coming towards them in a search formation. All of them had flashlights with them, and seemed to be armed.

Gloria made a “shush” gesture to Marcus, then hopped onto the trunk of the tree in front of them and into the crown. Marcus took a look at the tree - he was not able to do that as quietly and swiftly as Gloria did. So he just found a bush nearby and hid behind it. He concentrated his Qi on his arms and legs, ready for a fight.

“What a load of crap.” One of the men groaned: “They pulled us from a 16 hour shift just to do this? Searching for two fucking people in this forest in the middle of nowhere? These fuckers, man - ”

“Just keep moving, man.” Another man coughed: “There aren’t many of us who can even do this work. They’re not gonna do it themselves. They’re not gonna go anywhere near the old ruins! They’re afraid their fragile body and lungs will just go ‘poof’ - ”

“That doesn’t even matter.” A third man spat: “Watch your seals. If they tarnish too much then we’re outta here. They can punish us all they want. If our protection break we’d be in much bigger trouble than their fines and shit.”

“Who the fuck cares!? Everything’s gonna be over soon after that fucking festival. And I’ll be the fuck outta this shithole city.” The first man whined without any concern for his volume: “If they want more fucking items, I’ll bring more fucking items. I can’t stand another day - ”

Before this man could finish his whining, Gloria already shot at him from the top of the tree, her Qi glowing around her.

“Shit.” Marcus rushed out of the bushes, also activating his Qi. His meridians appeared to have become slightly smoother and wider, allowing more Qi to flow through at greater speed. This amplified his swiftness or action and reflection. With his mind fully focused, the movements of these five men slowed down gradually, and he could predict their attacks and reactions with much more ease.

“You FUCKING BASTARD!” The sole of Gloria’s right foot crashed into the man’s face. A loud crunch echoed through the trees, blood and a few teeth spilled from the man’s face.

“Boom boom!” Marcus unleashed two palm strikes at two men. The Qi concentrated on both his hands exploded and unleashed two shockwaves, blasting them into the air. One man was thrown into a tree, while the other tumbled into a bush.

“What the - ” The rest of the two men tried to pull their weapons out, but they were instantly met with Gloria’s elbow and Marcus’ knee strike.