Grudges are the hardest to let go of. All we need is a nudge, or an excuse, to do so while saving face. Pride and image are one of man’s greatest weaknesses.

~Nuada the Silverhand, First God King

After half the day had passed, they weren’t sure what to do. Crow hadn’t woken up yet, and the formation disappeared when the Mana Crystals were used up. It was the first time they’d experienced the Shadowmen, but that didn’t mean it was a one-off occurrence.

“Stay or go?” Munro asked her. “I can carry him if need be.”

“What about those people?” She pointed at the six men around the burned-out campfire who were seriously injured and hadn’t moved all day.

“Not our problem. They wanted to rape you and kill us yesterday so they can figure out their own shit. I remember Crow told me once that his father had a rule called ‘four by ten’—or was it a hundred? Knowing his dad, it was probably ‘four by a hundred.’”

“And what does that mean?”

“For every kindness, repay it four times over, and for every grievance…”

“Repay it a hundred times over,” Hooligan finished.

“Exactly. Crow’s dad is not someone to cross, and it looks like he is his father’s shadow.”

“Fine, let’s pack up, and we’ll carry him back. If we move fast enough, we can reach Colossus before dark.”

“Y-you can’t just leave us here!” Jeb or Jeremy or Jean—Munro forgot his name, but he was the group’s spokesperson and the least injured among them.

“Fuck you. I already did you a courtesy by allowing you into our camp last night. Remember, in your next life, don’t be a fucking dog.”

Hooligan chuckled and realized Munro wasn’t all bad. He was still an idiot, but he had changed over the past few months. She was sure it was Crow’s influence because despite having a grievance against this childhood rival, he put it aside and didn’t let it affect his leadership of the group. He didn’t show bias toward him either. She wondered if Crow really followed his father’s rule or if he was willing to quell it for that wife of his.

“I’ll carry Crow. You forge our path. I can use my ability to aid you.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, he’s not heavy, and thankfully he isn’t wearing any of his armor. It’ll be safer this way.”

Munro wasn’t sure that was true but understood the reasoning after they left camp. Decked out in his armor, he was slower than her. If he had to carry Crow, their pace would have dropped to the point they’d never reach Colossus by nightfall.

They’d barely left their camp when they came across a blood-soaked forest. No matter how much they’ve fought, killed, and experienced, there were some experiences that a person could never prepare themselves for.

“The Scath did this?” Munro asked.

“It might be best if you just called them Shadowmen. That word is ancient Draoidh which might get you in trouble,” Hooligan said. “And yes. This is their work.”

“And the Shadowmen, there are stronger ones than those?”

“There are, but they can’t come through those rifts. Only the weak minions can pass through.”

“Why is that?”

“Technically, it is supposed to be impossible to escape Tech Duinn, but they are managing to create small space tunnels using overwhelming power. However, their control over the tunnel is weak, which causes the rifts to form in random locations. Also, that tunnel would collapse if anything stronger than those minions passed through. My people believe they are scavaging for resources to build a powerful formation that will allow their knights or lords to pass through.”

“You mentioned knights and lords,” Crow croaked from Hooligan’s back. “Are you referring to the Scath-ridire and the Scath-tiarna?”

“Look who lives,” Munro snorted.

“Yes, those are the Shadowmen I’m talking about.”

“Does that mean the Scath-ri are also real?”

“The Shadow Kings are very real. Their power is that of the gods. Us mortals would cease to exist in their presence. I have a question. You claimed last night their bodies are created from blood—how sure are you?”

“Didn’t you feel it when you fought them? You can put me down now, by the way.”

Crow’s strength returned, but not his mana. He was a body cultivator, so hiking or any physical activity wouldn’t strain him too much. It was just that he wouldn’t be able to use any mana-based techniques for a day or two.

“We never realized it was blood essence because it’s so steeped in Dark and Death Mana.”

Crow had felt that Hooligan was acting funny ever since he talked about the Scath. It dawned on him that she had a lot of experience fighting them, and with her affinity, they made the perfect counter to those vile creatures.

“How long have your people been at war with them?”

“Can’t hide anything from you,” she mumbled. “Every year for the last fifty, they’ve appeared more and more frequently. This past year was the worst yet, and many sects, clans, and academies—whoever we could recruit—joined us to fight back the horde. Half our planet is always covered in darkness, so they don’t have to return to their world.”

“I’ll give you that formation before you leave. There are ways to make it permanent, and if you have smart formations experts, they might be able to etch it into armor. I’ll write out everything I’ve learned about them, too. You can bring that back to your people.”

Hooligan looked over at Crow with watery eyes. She wanted to ask him for the formation but wasn’t sure how to do so. Never had she expected he’d just give it to her.

“Told you,” Munro whispered to her.

Hooligan didn’t say anything more, but in her heart, she knew she’d give Crow anything he asked. Before, she teasingly accepted being his woman but hadn’t really believed it. Now… there was no more resistance.

Two hours later, they arrived at the Colossus. Hooligan looked at Munro and Crow.

“You two should talk,” she said and excused herself.

“You leaving?” Crow asked Munro. Having solved twenty Shrines, Munro accomplished what he needed to do to escape this place.

“I am.”

“Be sure to trade off your points in the Reward Hall. At the very least, you earned it.”

“Crow…”

“It’s fine. You’ve improved, and I don’t despise you so much anymore. We may meet again. Keep Esme safe and let her know Mara misses her greatly. Their dad might be an asshole, but the two sisters are good people who are dedicated and loyal.”

“You aren’t angry Esme broke the engagement?”

“I never was. The curse was all a sham if you didn’t know. It was something Mugna devised to prevent the big players from attacking me.”

“Son of a bitch,” Munro said, shocked. “Esme’s panicked over that for years.”

“That is why I’m telling you now. There is a bigger story behind everything, and I do not even know all the details. I’m trusting this information to you so that you can protect our people and Esme. Everything went down the way it did to unify the Druid people. The Druid Council believes we will reach the upper realms soon. Our enemies are more cunning and powerful than you and I can even imagine. I’m not sure who made all the decisions, but in the end, it was decided that some sacrifices had to be made because a divided people would have been the end of the Druid Order.”

“I don’t understand. Why? Why are these powers still seeking to destroy us?”

“Those powerful sects see the Draoidh as the favored of the heavens, and they can’t risk any of us rising to power and disrupting their control. There is a thirteenth tower that supposedly can control the Heavens. It establishes punishments and truths for the upper and lower realms.”

Munro paused, and his eyes roamed Crow, searching for any signs of deceit. “Is that all true?”

“It is. I didn’t know it then, but the council used me as a pawn in their schemes to unite our people. Mara, Esme, our supposed allies in the Hunt, and more were exploited. Even Barnes, the Bard who taught me archery—I realized recently that he was the chosen assassin for your father because his death was near. It was a way to bury all enmity.”

“Then why aren’t you enraged?” Munro growled, unable to stop his own anger from rising.

“Because… once the rage goes away, you will have to choose. Are you a Druid, a seeker of knowledge and nature, or a seeker of power and position? The Draoidh were powerful because they didn’t care about political gain but personal growth. They sought the stars and what lies beyond the void. It could be said they were seeking power, but it was never for suppressing or controlling people. They could have wiped out all their enemies during their reign, but to do so meant giving up everything they were and stood for. Their doctrine led to their demise, and they chose to stand by their ideal and fell with it. It was a fate worse than death, but they understood that they needed to fall so they could rise again under a new standard. A new standard that we, the younger generation, will end up defining because it’ll become the sect we end up controlling.”

“This new world order you are proposing… what is your ideal?” Munro asked.

“Reciprocity. Knowledge. Truth. The first rule… for every kindness, we repay it fourfold. For every enmity, we repay it a hundred times over.”

Hearing Crow’s words, Munro couldn’t help but chuckle as he recalled saying those exact words to Hooligan earlier.

“Kill one of us—we kill a hundred of you. I’m no saint but provided no one harms our people, we won’t harm theirs. We won’t involve ourselves in other people’s affairs unless it spills over to the innocents. That’s the ideal I plan on building the new era of Draoidh on. There are enough enemies at our gates that humanity doesn’t need to be fighting itself. In fact, I’m willing to let old grievances die if they don’t pursue us. I do not know what happened thousands of years ago, and I’m sure the only person who would know is Mugna.”

“You think they will just leave us alone? Based on what I know, we were a powerful force that suppressed everyone.”

“We didn’t suppress through force or violence, but through knowledge. We never went after any of them and often presided as unbiased judges. It was our knowledge that scared them. And no, I don’t think they’ll leave us alone. This is why the first principle I stressed was reciprocity. We will destroy those that wish to end our bloodline and do it so thoroughly that others will fear crossing us for the next ten thousand years. But we must balance that karma with other acts of kindness. Aiding those that attempt to aid us, helping those in need even if they didn’t ask, and sharing knowledge that will help all of humanity. I’m not talking about cultivation but things like medicines, alchemy, and other Scholarly Talents. Things that can help us overcome the genuine threats like the four generals of the Caorthannach and their related armies.”

“Why tell me all this? We aren’t friends.”

“I know. But hopefully, after all this, we aren’t enemies either. I’m not seeking anything from you other than hoping we can put aside our personal grievances if it comes to our people. I want us to trust each other as we’ve done in the past few months.”

Munro nodded. “I can promise that.”

Crow reached out his arm, and Munro grasped it.

“By limb and root,” Crow intoned.

“By root and limb,” Munro replied.

“Take this,” Crow said and handed over a large sack filled with Mana Crystals. “Don’t overthink it. Give them to Esme. That’s a cut of Mara’s wealth from our faction. She’s been saving it to give to Esme. There are also a few techniques, but I’m not sure what they are. They were things she put aside for her sister.”

“Faction?”

“Yes, in the future, if you need to shelter somewhere. Look for the Nightstar faction. We’ve reached the fourth floor, but we probably won’t set up a branch there. That place is evil as hell. My advice is to pass straight through that floor—don’t linger.”

“We are on the second floor.”

“The exploding trees? They sell a cloak that can repel the wood from those trees. It is worth the purchase. Also, we try to set up an auction house near the Keystone, so you should be able to find us if you ask around. If you ever want to resolve enmity between us…” Crow sighed, not sure if he should push it.

“Say it.”

“Apologize to Song Xue for that dance. Every time I want to let it go, I remember that day and want to punch you in the face. If she can forgive you, then I can let it go.”

“That’s it? That’s why you harbor so much resentment toward me?”

“Do you not remember how I grew up? Isolated, without parents and people that cared for me. Gavin became my pseudo father, but he wasn’t really there. Otto backed me up, but he’s different. Song Xue was the only one I had a deep relationship with at that time. And that dance was one of the best memories I had of those years in Oiche.”

Munro sighed, too. He knew that Crow always valued his friends more than himself, so it shouldn’t surprise him. The guy in front of him always acted according to his own set of rules and held to them, no matter how much he’d suffer for them. The arena battle was a perfect example. No matter what, he would never back down.

“I’m not saying to do anything now. Just think about it. For what it is worth, I am really sorry about your father. Even though I was an unwitting pawn, and we had our differences, I’d never have taken it so far as to kill those close to you. Our grievances were never worth that.”

“I don’t blame you for my father. If I’m being honest, I knew he wanted to kill you. And you became the calamity they were warned about, so they weren’t wrong, either.”

“That’s the thing about fate. It isn’t fixed and knowing that something could happen influences your actions. Your father played. Had he never known about this fate, he would never have taken action, and it most likely would not have come to pass. I’m afraid of telling you more and putting you in danger but never trust fate. It’s a manipulation of the Heavens, and remember what I told you previously. Understand?”

Munro didn’t understand and said as much.

“Just think about it. Who punishes us for going against it? I really don’t want to say more. Even though the Heavens can’t see me, they will see you. Even if you figure it out, you can’t show it. Just don’t believe in any fate because Seers only see the path the Heavens want you to follow. Think it through on your own before taking action.”

“Alright,” Munro agreed. It felt like he was learning a massive secret, but it felt like it was unrelated to him. However, Crow never deliberately wronged him this entire time. He was made fun of, toyed with, and even pranked, but when it came to stuff like this and cultivation, his guidance was always sincere. He had no reason to doubt him, yet every part of Munro was rebelling at the thought of going against fate. That feeling made him uncomfortable, and because it disturbed him so much, he felt goose bumps pebbling on his arms.

Am I really repulsed by the idea that fate is made up? Munro asked himself. He wasn’t a complete idiot and had enough intelligence to want to question everything, so he couldn’t wrap his head around why he was so adamant about following his fate.

“Ascend with honor.,” Crow told him and could already see the seeds of understanding in Munro’s eyes.

“Ascend with honor,” Munro replied before walking toward the Reward Hall. Crow watched him go and felt conflicted in his heart. While he had saved Munro at least a dozen times, his old nemesis had done the same. Unable to resolve his feelings, he sighed and returned to his room.