Blood is a fate all its own. Those born bonded by blood are hard to separate, but those bonded by blood through choice… not even the gods are willing to break that bond—not even gods are immune to karma.

~Arianrhod, Goddess of Rebirth and Fate

Tomorrow was his first fight. The nervousness he’d expected didn’t exist, not yet at least. It was a level of acceptance and knowing they couldn’t kill him. In the last three days, the rest of the clan went back to the ancestral grounds, and Crow worked hard on his cultivation. Other than Otto and Gavin, he didn’t tell anyone about the duels. He wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment or because he didn’t want to worry them.

Song Lin brought him a rare vestige called the Ecology of Fire. A cultivator recorded it after spending decades observing fire in nature. The vestige showed a lighting bolt striking a tree which sparked a fire. As the fire spread, it burned an overgrown forest to ash, and then the years sped by, showing the land recovering, plants and trees growing strong and healthy.

Ecology of Fire allowed the watcher to gain their own insight. Crow saw it as a purification method. Fire rid the land of corruption and allowed new life to sprout once more. He knew that fire couldn’t burn out all corruption, but Song Lin told him that Soul Burn might be the most tyrannical fire she’d ever seen. The vestige was fascinating, and he watched it several more times and gained some new insight every time.

During that time, Song Lin continued with the acupuncture too. At this point, Crow’s pathways were well-trodden and nearly perfect. Now all he had to do was reach equilibrium between his right and left sides and keep expanding the paths. Qi Gong advanced quickly because of his well-defined meridians.

The other gain was two-fold. Crow’s Mana Sense was becoming ridiculously strong. Splitting his sense into two focus points caused its growth to explode. Forcing the flames back while cycling Qi through his body also helped his mental focus too. It was to the point he couldn’t complain, even if he collapsed daily because of pain and exhaustion.

It was to where he didn’t need to concentrate on moving his Qi anymore. His Mana Sense was like breathing, and it could operate subconsciously. This allowed him to divert some of his attention to other things, like techniques, abilities, and deepening his understanding of Celtic Formation Knots. Gavin wasn’t lying about how complex they were.

Crow found that Celtic Formation Knots and Soul Carving held a profound connection that he couldn’t fully understand. Maybe it was just that he felt drawn to both. There were other similarities, like the three-dimensional nature of both. Or how they seemed to be connected to his soul more than his Source. Because of that, Crow had started reading books on multi-dimension formations, which changed how he viewed the world itself. It was almost as if the soul existed as a fourth dimension.

His understanding was still shallow and almost useless, but Crow didn’t give up on it.

Recently, his Mana Crystals were rated at a higher quality too. Gavin told him they weren’t far off from a mid-grade crystal. Crow had enough crystals to practice using them in formations. Gavin instructed him to work on a simple mana barrier and practice setting it up until he could do it in half a breath’s worth of time. Of course, it was made more difficult because he used Mana Crystals to power it.

Crafting a formation could be done in three ways: Drawing the Sky, Drawing the Oak, and Drawing the World. The first method, Drawing the Sky, is the most common, and most people start with it when learning formations. These formations were literally drawn in the air using their Source and could either be channeled or one-time blasts. A barrier, for example, is channeled and would remain active as long as there is Source energy to maintain it.

Drawing the Oak is one of the main reasons Gavin told Crow that formations and Soul Carving could work together. This method requires the pattern to be drawn on the surface of anything receptive to mana—Druids find that oak wood is very receptive. Further, after the formation is drawn, it can be infused and with energy using Mana Crystals—this completes the formation. This is the method Gavin hoped Crow could use to offset his weakness. Provided Crow prepared a lot of formations ahead of time, he could quickly use them in combat. Since a Mana Crystal is already used in its creation, it could be activated using Mana Sense alone.

Crow didn’t mind this method because it worked well with Celtic Knots, Sigils, and Runes too. Instinctively, he knew that Sigils and Runes would never work with Soul Carving because they lacked that multi-dimensional element. However, the more he studied, the more Crow felt he could convert them into knots. It was sort of what Gavin did to create the scarification on his back.

Drawing the World was more profound than the other two methods and something Crow couldn’t fully grasp. They were grand formations that could span hundreds of kilometers, and their variety was a limited as his imagination. There were two types of Drawing the World. They were known collectively as the River and the Mountain. River Formation Masters used moving people or objects, giving the grand formation a fluidity that could manifest the physical. A hundred cultivators in a formation like this could become a hundred-meter-tall giant that was every bit as real as they were.

Mountain Formation Masters created stationary formations, which were primarily used for locations. Clans, Sects, and Academies paid a lot of money and resources to have these made. With enough Mana Crystals, people, and potentially other outside help, it could fend off people or beasts way above their level to defend.

Lastly, all these formation types, if researched deeply enough, could reach a multi-dimensional level. These were like layers and layers of formations, which was complex and beyond logical thought. Crow hadn’t lied when he told Gavin that the scarification tattoo he created was a masterwork, and that was because it was more like art than science. It was a level of complexity that few could ever hope to accomplish. The amount of mental power needed to track all the permutations was something Crow struggled to imagine, and he had the advantage of having Sage’s Mind.

This was another reason Gavin was pushing formations so hard on him. His perfect memory made him an ideal candidate for learning formations. Crow didn’t even realize he’d already chosen a mastery, and he didn’t even know he had a way to choose. In all the time leading up to this point, he’d been focusing his complete research towards understanding Celtic Knots. Gavin recognized it and didn’t discourage him.

Any time Crow chose to pursue ancient Druid knowledge, Gavin would actively help him achieve those ends. No matter how smart Gavin believed himself to be, he knew the knowledge he’d gathered over the years and that the clan had on hand would never match up to what the ancient Druids knew.

Not that any of this would help Crow win his fight tomorrow. He wasn’t even sure he could use formations in those honor battles because he wasn’t allowed to use weapons. Unless he could Draw the Sky during combat, there was no way he could set up a formation ahead of time.

Crow stopped those lines of thought because they’d only lead to frustration, and that would interfere with his focus. The thing that really frustrated him was that his nightmares had changed. It wasn’t something he told anyone because they worried enough. Even Otto barely left his side recently. Out of everyone, the giant was probably the only one who knew how much he suffered, especially at night. On more than one occasion, he woke to find the big guy sitting near his bed meditating—a bowl of water and towel near at hand.

Once they were outside the lodge, Mara sat on the porch nearby, her strawberry blonde hair still wet from her bath. Otto was talking incessantly, trying to explain something Crow didn’t quite understand. The big guy was muddling through some thought and had it been anyone else, Crow might have snapped at this point.

“Blood?” Otto finally asked. Trying a different tack.

“Share.”

“I…” Crow’s brow furrowed in thought. “I’m not sure what you are asking. You want me to share blood?”

“This mommy knows what the big guy wants,” Mara laughed. She pulled her feet down off the railing, and they slammed down on the wooden slats at the same time as the chair she leaned back in.

“Do explain,” Crow sighed. She was another person he couldn’t seem to escape. Oddly, Mara took her responsibilities as his servant seriously. When he missed meals, she’d bring food would have hot water drawn for baths, and make sure his clothes were cleaned. It was so damned odd.

“He wants to be your blood brother, idiot. Wants to make it official.”

Crow turned to look at Otto. “Is that true?”

“Yes.”

Otto stared at Crow without looking away. A blood rite of any kind was a serious thing and bonded people together like a clan or family. Crow had long considered Otto his brother, and he felt he owed this big man a massive debt and felt overwhelmed thinking about it. Otto’s willingness to accept him as a brother would cancel all debts of honor. Between brothers, there were no debts. This is why Crow had already felt that Otto was his brother because while he’d do anything for the big guy, the giant sacrificed a lot for him. Otto stood by him in his darkest moments and never wavered.

Crow didn’t even feel the tears rolling down his face, but these last few months had been hard on him. Rather than say anything, he hugged the big guy.

“Baby,” Otto grinned at him, and Mara laughed like it was the funniest joke in the world.

“Asshole,” Crow grinned back. “Let’s go find Elder Gavin. He can perform the rite.”

“I’m coming,” Mara said and flung her arms around both boys as they walked as a threesome towards the Sweet Onion. After entering the third floor, they found the person they were looking for, and he looked up to see all three of them standing there.

“You all look like you are up to no good…”

Mara chuckled but took a step back, giving the two some space.

“Well, spill it, you came because?” Gavin asked. The palpable tension told the old man they came with a purpose.

“Blood brothers,” Otto said. “Do rite.”

Gavin expected a lot of things, but that wasn’t one of them. He nearly fell back in his chair. It was the first time witnessing Otto’s change. He’d heard Crow say the giant was intelligent but seeing it was something else.

“Sorry. You surprised me, which doesn’t happen often. You both agree to this?” Gavin asked, but looked at Crow.

“Nothing much to agree to. In my heart, Otto is already my true bother. Blood of my blood,” Crow said without hesitation and heard sniffling behind him and turned to see Mara dabbing her wet eyes.

“Don’t look at this mommy, handle your own damned business,” she growled at him, but he was smiling when he turned back.

“Baby brother,” Otto grinned.

“Ass,” Crow said and punched Otto on the arm. “You are the baby brother.”

Gavin smiled and nodded. In truth, he had no objection to this, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed how protective Otto was of Crow. The boy now had ten duels piled on him, and Gavin felt sure it wasn’t three times that number because of Otto. The big guy was quite the deterrent to angering Crow.

“Alright, I’ll help you two. Otto, can you draw on your Source at all?”

“Yes.” Otto held up his hand, and golden lightning rippled between his fingers.

“You can control lightning?” Gavin gasped. Not once had anyone mentioned the giant could control lightning. He knew the boy opened his Source, but he practiced in that private courtyard, so no one had witnessed his ability or affinities.

Otto shrugged.

“Very well. I’ll carve a symbol into each of your palms, do not let it heal on its own. Once done, you will grip each other’s forearms and repeat after me. Understand Otto? You must repeat the words exactly as I say them.”

“Otto understand.”

“Good. Crow, can you do this? It has to be your Source—Qi won’t work.”

“Do I need to draw a lot?”

“No, just a spark to ignite the rite.”

“It’ll be fine,” Crow was determined to give this to Otto. No matter the cost.

Gavin didn’t really need to ask, but this wasn’t a light commitment. Had he not known how close these two were, he’d never have agreed to this, especially without conferring with Crow’s kin, in this case, his uncle Luthais or clan head Niall. He started with Crow because he knew the boy’s wounds wouldn’t heal that fast, not without his Source, but as Gavin turned Crow’s palm up, he noticed some nasty scars.

“What is this?”

Crow glanced down and froze for a second. “When Gideon stole my mother and left me in the forest alone. My mother handed me a vestige before that man took her. I was just a boy, but it was the most important thing in the world, making sure my pap—father… It doesn’t matter. By the time I reached the road, it had cut deeply into my palm. It-it helps me remember her…”

“Gods…” Mara whispered and fled. She knew the story, but it didn’t make it easier to hear again.

“What…did I say?”

“She’ll be fine.” Gavin had a knowing smile on his face and couldn’t help but find comfort that there was still some innocence left in this boy. “Well, those scars can’t be healed, but this one will and won’t leave a trace. Memories are important.”

With that, Gavin cut a symbol into Crow’s palm. His scalpel movements were deft and well-practiced. Crow should know because the man had cut on him nearly every night. Oddly, it was a Rune that meant family, so those also had power when used on flesh. However, Gavin didn’t stop there. After a few more cuts, a circle surrounded the Rune, and now it looked like a compass. After he finished, he cut Otto’s hand at an even faster pace.

Once they both had bled enough, Gavin slashed both of their right forearms.

“Both of you, grip each other’s arms on that cut.” Gavin waited patiently for them to do as instructed. “Now repeat after me…

“Father Oak, please bear witness. By limb and root…” the two repeated the words.

“We invoke the rite of brotherhood…”

“With this offering of blood, we agree to share in all things…”

“Share in suffering, joys, failures, and success…”

“With this offering of blood, we shall stand together…”

“Through weal and woe, we’ll defy the heavens and hells should they seek to separate us…”

“By root and limb, I make this vow freely and without compromise.”

Crow and Otto completed the ritual, and Gavin indicated they should ignite their Source and power the runes on their palms. Otto watched as Crow silently ignited his. Despite the pain and suffering, even as his soul burned, Crow never flinched. Otto could feel it, the fiery tempest that ravaged Crow’s body, and found the feeling more terrifying than anything he’d ever felt in his entire life. Yet this brother of his bore it without making a single sound.

Otto’s massive hand wouldn’t let Crow stumble or fall, and then it was done. A searing pain flared on both their arms, and when they finally released each other’s arms, the cuts had all disappeared. The symbol that had once existed on each other’s palm was seared onto the opposite’s arm. They had each left their mark on the other, and the ritual was complete.

“By limb and root, I have born witness to this rite of brotherhood,” Father Oak’s ancient voice filled the room.

“Brother,” Otto smiled, but Crow fainted before he could respond. Crow hadn’t counted on the Rune drawing power all on its own. Otto caught Crow and gently scooped him up before carrying him off.

After they left, Mugna appeared beside Gavin.

“Heavens help anyone that opposes those two…” Mugna said softly, and Gavin chuckled.