Visibility increased as we got further from the epicenter of the battle, but not by much. The air was still murky, the hilly plain dark around us, lit by occasional flashes of light from techniques used behind us. Every so often, a crash or boom rung out and the ground under our feet shook. Mud sucked at our boots, and icy droplets splattered against my face with the full force of the gales behind them.

I stumbled forward, less quickly than I would have liked, but still far more than I could have ever moved as a normal mortal. My qi senses gave me a reasonably good picture of my surroundings, but I still felt like I was fumbling my way through a labyrinth with a blindfold on. Luckily, my cultivation let me ignore all those pesky environmental hazards.

For once, I didn’t feel like something coming from beyond me was guiding me to anything. If anything, all I got from my connection with Rijoko was a vague sense of ‘get the heck out of there’. Which I couldn’t exactly argue with, but was still less than helpful. Luckily, it seemed like the more passive aspects of that bloodline ability were working as intended, because I could still find my way to my target.

At least, that was what I hoped. A faint change in the ambient qi background indicated it, barely detectable amid the influence of all the chaos coming from the battle. I hurried up, finally away from most other people except my guards and companions, and ran up a hill. I took a heartbeat to orient myself, then rushed down it on the other side before I even had a full mental map of my surroundings. We probably hadn’t even been running for a full minute, though it felt longer.

I knew Jideia was most likely going to come after me at some point. That had to be one reason why he incarnated himself here and joined the fight. But I didn’t know how long he’d take stomping his way through the army, assuming that’s what he was doing.

The shrine to the Moon I finally reached was a simple affair, barely more than a few pillars of stone forming the bare bones of a building around a stone altar in the center. That one was carved with a few decorations and someone had put up a brazier beside it. I slowed my steps and walked forward, breathing in deeply and almost tasting the hint of spiritual qi in the air. It was thin, but I could work with it. It would have to do.

“Are we going to take advantage of the protection of a shrine again?” Yarani asked, breaking the silence. I noticed she’d drawn her weapon and was angled to guard my back from a threat coming from behind.

“Not really,” I answered. I frowned up at the stone column, then took another deep breath.

I started focusing on the connection to Rijoko which usually sat still and silent somewhere in the back of my mind, almost hidden and overlooked under normal circumstances.

It was definitely there, and more noticeable than usual. But at the same time, I didn’t get the sense that it was really open. Rijoko was clearly paying attention to this area, I could have sworn to that even without any sign from his qi. But he didn’t seem inclined to talk to me, or really, to interact with me in any way. He’s not deliberately ignoring me, is he?

I frowned and shook my head. With a flick of my fingers, the cold coals ignited into a fire. I noticed that the others had withdrawn, presumably to give me some privacy, and were now backing away a little farther.

“Father,” I spoke aloud. “I need to talk to you. This is important; you should know.”

There was no reaction. I waited for a while.

I sighed. “Come on. At least, Mior, why don’t you come and talk to me? I get it if you’re busy, but we kind of have a situation here.” I paused. I didn’t sense anyone coming.

“Rijoko, if you don’t answer me, I’ll just go and negotiate with Jideia on my own.” I set my jaw and delved more deeply into the corner of my mind that housed my connection to my father’s qi. I grabbed at it with mental fingers, trying to wrest the qi into place. Trying to reach through it and get some kind of grip on the entity on the other side, the entity connected to me not just by his qi, but my own beliefs. I might not be able to do much more than poke him, but my father would by his own name react to me.

There was a sudden, sharp shift, although the outside world might not be able to tell and even my own qi and the strange mental stuff I’d been handling barely showed any change. But from one moment to the next, a person stood in front of me, just before the altar. I took him in quickly. Rijoko had shown up in the form of a thin, wispy bundle of qi shaped like a man, less tangible or elaborate than when I’d seen him before, but still unmistakably a link to the Greater Spirit’s consciousness.

“Father.” I bowed my head. No reason to be rude or disrespectful now. “Thank you for answering my call.” I took a deep breath. “I need you. Jideia is here, in person. He has an incarnation with a lot of power, one my army obviously can’t stand against.” I glanced behind me, where the sensations I got from my qi sense confirmed what I was talking about.

‘I am aware, Little Light.’ The Moon’s voice was as cool and measured as always, though notably less weighty and overwhelming than before. ‘It has taken him power and considerable preparation to pull this off. You have encountered some parts of those yourself.’

’The temples?’ I frowned. ’When he blew it up, the sacrifices, that was in preparation to let him incarnate? Wait, why couldn’t he do that before?’ Then it dawned on me and my eyes widened. ‘You mean preparations so he’d get to do it undisturbed.’

The ghostly presence inclined its head slightly. ‘Yes. Be assured, I am already taking advantage. His position in our own ‘realm’ will not weather this without cost.’

‘Great. And in the meantime, he wreaks havoc here?’ I crossed my arms and stared at him. ‘Don’t you want to stop him from rebuilding or expanding his base on these two continents? Not to mention, you know, my presence?’

‘Your efforts are appreciated. They have helped spread my power and limit his here, at least to some degree. But there are other strategies at stake, what you would call the “big picture view”.’

I narrowed my eyes, resisting the urge to clench my fists. This sounded suspiciously like he was just seeing this as a welcome distraction, which allowed him to score a point on Jideia in whatever game the two played. While, of course, I’d always known something like that was at the core of why my father supported my own efforts — arguably even the reason I existed in the first place — having it shoved in my face like this, while my soldiers were fighting and dying behind me, rankled.

‘What did he do?’ I asked, trying to stay calm and gather information.

‘He subtly attuned the qi of this land to his purposes, created formations that would hide his activities and energy flows from prying eyes, and fortified anchors that allowed him to project power here while at the same time stabilizing his presence in other places, and warded his centers of power there so they would not fall to a quick assault. The details are far more complicated, but you would not understand them without a comprehensive education I do not have the time to provide you right now.’

I nodded, making a mental note to see whether I could get some further knowledge and training from him later. But that would have to wait until all this was over. I got the gist of what he was saying, in any case. Jideia had set things up to give himself breathing room where he could act in this place without making himself vulnerable to his enemies among the spirits. I’d hoped I could prevent him from doing something like that, but, with so many locations presumably involved and without more to go on, that had always been a long shot.

‘So you don’t want to interfere here?’ I asked.

Rijoko inclined his head slightly. ‘I am already taking action against him,’ he repeated.

In truth, I’d always suspected it would come down to something like this, even if I didn’t know what exactly Jideia wanted to do. But I knew I couldn’t match him on my own, and I definitely couldn’t fight him directly. I had to rely on my allies for that. On other spirits.

‘You know, I spent quite a bit of time thinking lately,’ I said. ‘Considering my position and what I was really prepared to do.’

Rijoko didn’t answer, but I sensed a slight increase in the intensity of his regard. He knew I was leading up to something he might not like, maybe even to what.

‘In the end, this is all your problem. It’s your enmity with Jideia at the root of this, and I was only dragged into it because you made me to be of use to your side.’

‘I have never pretended otherwise.’

‘But I don’t really have that much against the Storm,’ I continued. I grimaced slightly. ‘Well, I do take all the times he tried to have me killed somewhat amiss. Not to mention a few incidents with my friends and family. But I don’t need to get revenge. My primary concern has been and still is my safety and that of my people. I only need Jideia to back off, I certainly don’t need him gone, or even defeated.’

‘You are attempting to pressure me with the prospect of you cutting a deal with the Storm yourself.’ Rijoko’s mental voice was still calm and neutral.

I shrugged lightly. ‘If that’s what it takes. He’s definitely in a weakened position, and I don’t think he can afford to be choosy at this point.’

Rijoko’s form cocked its head slightly, though it didn’t really have enough of a defined face to show any subtlety in facial expression. ‘And what makes you think that you have anything to offer JIdeia that would make him promise you safety?’

‘Pretty much the same thing I offer you,’ I answered calmly. ‘So far, I have eroded his powerbase and his worship, and indirectly increased yours. There’s nothing saying I can’t do the opposite. The Empire is stronger than it’s ever been, and it does have a long tradition of worship of the Storm, so it wouldn’t be too hard to accomplish. I could simply start burning your temples and having new ones built for him. It might be a little awkward with our present propaganda, but it’s not too late to turn that around, and I do have the means to influence what people believe. It might not hurt either of you all that much, but are you going to pretend I couldn’t affect you and your conflict?’

Rijoko was silent for a moment. I still felt his regard, more intensely than at the beginning. He didn’t feel angry, if he was even capable of that emotion. ‘And you would actually do this, knowing it is a step you could not take back?’

I met what passed for his incarnation’s eyes calmly. ‘If you won’t even raise a hand to defend me and mine, what sense is there in remaining loyal to you?’

It almost felt like our connection deepened, like he got a greater glimpse into my mind and I caught the edges of his, a bigger impression than before. I wasn’t concerned about this. I knew he wouldn’t force me to do or not do anything, anyway. It just wasn’t in him.

Then I realized he reached a decision, and I stepped back as more and more qi seeped into the figure in front of me. Pressure gathered in the air, and I was forced to lock my knees to remain standing. He exploded with light, and I had to close my eyes. When I opened them again, I saw Rijoko standing there in the flesh … more or less. He occupied a figure that was only a little bit smaller than the form Jideia had taken, with long hair, a beard, and a long spear clasped in his right hand.

I just stared for a moment, before I ducked my head, almost on instinct. “Thank you,” I said.

Rijoko nodded. “Come, daughter. You have more work to do.”

I frowned and was about to ask what he meant when I noticed another presence approaching. I stepped out of the temple and turned to the side, while Rijoko started walking forward towards the battle. My companions scrambled out of his way, most of them on their knees already.

Mior appeared like more of a spirit than the Moon, even if their presence felt quite solid. They grinned slightly as they appeared beside the rudimentary shrine. ‘I knew you’d get the old man to see reason, Little Light. Good. Now brace yourself.’

I tensed up slightly. “What do you mean?”

‘We have work to do.’ Mior’s voice somehow felt more tangible than normal, like their mental communication held an intensity they didn’t always bring to the table.

It sent a tingle up my spine. I took half a step back, darting my eyes around our surroundings. Rijoko had clearly drawn Jideia’s attention, and that of everyone else given the lull in the battle and in the techniques used that I could now sense. ‘What -’

Then Mior stepped forward, taking my hand. I glanced at it, then up at them, and snapped my mouth shut. Their presence laid itself around me like a tight blanket, before Mior’s qi flowed into me.