I stopped and stared as the road wound around the side of a mountain. The road had been descending slowly for the past few hours, and now it seemed that we’d come to the end of the massive peaks. The road snaked downward beyond me, traveling in switchbacks toward the foothills a thousand feet or so below. Those swelled like lumps on a poorly made bed for maybe a mile before ending abruptly at a sparkling, bejeweled sea or massive lake. I could see ships in the distance floating on the lake, their sails oddly shaped and brightly colored against the sky streaked with the reds and oranges of the burgeoning sunset.

That wasn’t what stopped me, though. I’d seen the ocean before, of course. I’d even seen the sun rise over it from a beach in Bali, and watched it drop off the shores of Cabo. It was a pretty enough sight, but it wasn’t anything amazing. What held me in my place was the view of what had to be the city of the Sunrise Moon.

A brilliant, crystalline spire reared up from the water’s edge, gleaming a brilliant crimson in the sun’s glow. The spire reached as high as I was standing, over a thousand feet into the air, and had to be a hundred feet thick. It was surrounded by hundreds of lesser spires of varying heights and widths, branching up from the sea and land like jeweled coral, sparkling in the sunlight. Even from here, I could see that buildings had been carved into the various crystals, and that more clung to their sides, hung between them, or rested atop them. Even more buildings spread out along the shore and into the hills for half a mile in each direction.

I heard a gasp from beside me, and I turned to see Jing staring at the vista, her mouth agape and her eyes wide. “So beautiful,” she said softly. “The tales…they do not do it justice, Xu Xing.”

“What tales have you heard?” I asked her in an equally quiet voice.

“As are all cities, the City of the Sunrise Moon is built at a qi nexus,” she said. “Here, energies of water and metal connect, giving rise to the crystal towers. They say that, at sunrise, the light striking the towers forms a second moon in the sky, one that hangs only briefly before vanishing, thus giving the city its name. I heard that it was a place of great beauty, but…I could not imagine this.”

I kind of had to agree. This wasn’t the kind of sight that I would have been able to picture in my head before seeing it. The sunlight sparkled and gleamed as it refracted and reflected through the crystals, bathing the ocean beyond in a curious, dancing pattern of purples and greens. The air around the place seemed to glow with a dim radiance, one that I could feel more than I could see. I could practically taste currents of energy rolling out from the city, curling around the hills and bathing me in their power.

“Many react the same way upon first seeing the Sunrise Moon,” Shi Lo said from behind us. I glanced at her, and while she was looking at the city, it wasn’t with awe or wonder. Her expression was flat and maybe even a little angry. I suddenly realized that I really didn’t know why she’d left the city in the first place or what I was bringing her back to. Of course, whatever it was had to be better than where she’d been, but that didn’t mean it was great.

At the same time, though, Shi Lo wasn’t my responsibility. I felt obligated to see her safely into the city, but beyond that, it wasn’t my concern. I was hoping not to be here for too long, and that meant that even if I wanted to make her my problem, at some point, she’d be on her own. It was probably better that it be sooner rather than later, when she’d come to rely on me a lot more.

“Should we wait for the others?” I finally asked, breaking my reverie and shaking off the spell the panorama had cast over Jing and me. “Or should we go on ahead?”

“I would recommend entering the city as a group, master,” Shi Lo told me. “The elders will be granted entrance immediately, thanks to their rank and allegiances, and that will mean that the guards will look less closely at us.”

“Why would their attention be a concern?” Jing asked.

“The City of the Sunrise Moon has many factions within it, practitioner, but supreme among them is the Bright Ocean Sect, they who first founded this city and still hold it to this day. To aid in their mastery, they have decreed that none be allowed into the city unless they can claim an association with an existing faction. In this manner, new sects cannot rise to challenge them or cause disruption.”

“So, no one can enter unless they know someone in the city?” I asked.

“Or are entering on the invitation of a faction, yes, master. Even so, without a powerful sponsor in the city, entry can cost anywhere from a few slivers to a full qi stone.”

I decided that before I sent Shi Lo to wherever she was going, first, I needed to quiz her about things like money and the various factions in the city. I’d already gone into one den of thieves blind. I wasn’t about to do it again.

Before I could ask her anything, though, I heard the others trudging down the path behind us. I turned as Wim and Dif approached, and the old woman stopped beside me, her face neutral as she stared out at the panoply below.

“It never changes,” she said calmly. “Factions rise and fall, seasons come and go, but the City of the Sunrise Moon remains untouched by the vagaries of time.”

“As do all cities, wife,” Wim chuckled. “As that is the point of building them atop nexuses, that is unsurprising.”

“True, husband,” she said before turning to look at Jing and me. “It was wise of you to wait for us. The Bright Ocean Sect is less than kind to those who approach their city without just cause.”

“I don’t understand how being with you gives us that cause,” I admitted.

“Then we will explain, and it is here that you must make a choice, Xu Xing.” She turned to Jing. “As must you, daughter.”

“Your first choice is to travel with us. If you do so, you will have no difficulties entering the city, nor will you encounter problems within it. My husband will take you both to the Brilliant Desert School, where you will enroll as students, and I will train you, Xu Xing, in medicine. When you are prepared, I will present you to the Amber Tear Society, and as a member of both the school and the society, your future will be secure. However, this will take away much of your freedom and choice; it will certainly take years before you are an Adept of the school and society, able to make your own way in the world.”

She reached into her robe and pulled out what looked like a simple, silver ring. “Your other choice is to travel alone. Should you do so, you will need this; it is a storage ring, and within it are all the heads of the beasts you and my daughter slew upon our trip here, as well as your share of the medicinal ingredients you helped me gather. Present the heads as bounties to the guards at the main gate, and you will be allowed entrance into the city. Once there, you will be on your own, free to make your own way – but also free to fail. There are many dangers in the Sunrise Moon, and some of them are less recognizable than others. You will have none to protect you or guide you.

“You must choose, Xu Xing, between freedom and security. Gaining one means giving up another, as it always is in life, and neither is a guarantee of success or happiness.”

She didn’t really need to tell me that; I understood it perfectly well. To stay secure against people who might otherwise have wanted to kill me, either for revenge for a job I’d done or just to say that they’d been the ones to bring me down, I’d given up a ton of freedom. I couldn’t walk down to the grocery store to shop, or casually date, or have a group of friends I hung out with. I couldn’t go to a restaurant for dinner or drive home for the holidays.

Most of my marks, on the other hand, had died because they hadn’t given up enough of their freedom for security. They still indulged in their pleasures, drove their cars, met their mistresses. I’d capitalized on those lapses in security, and it ended up with them dead. In my former life, security was paramount.

However, this was a new life. It was a chance for me to be something and someone different. Security still mattered, of course, but did if have to be the only thing that mattered? I wasn’t a wanted man in this world; I didn’t have to hide from my enemies. No one was hunting me or trying to slip poison in my drink. Did I need all that much security? Or could simple situational awareness and healthy paranoia be enough to keep me safe?

I opened my mouth, but she shook her head. “You have made your decision. I can see that in your face. You will make your own path. I respect that, Xu Xing, though I fear you will miss out on much of what you might have become under our care.”

She took out a ring that looked to be simple silver and held it in her hand. “This ring holds the heads of the various beasts you and my daughter slew on our trip here. Return those heads as bounties, and you will be allowed entrance to the city. We will return these lost daughters you escorted, have no fear, and allowing us to do so will take much attention off your entrance. I fear that you will gather enough with what we have given you in that ring.”

I took the ring, and as I did, I could feel the power flowing inside of it. I slipped it on, and a moment later, a flashing light appeared in the side of my vision. When I opened it, a black wall of text appeared.

Storage Device Found!

You have unlocked the SARA inventory system. You may now track your possessions using a customizable display that is available through your SARA.

I resisted the urge to check my new option and instead bowed my head to the old lady. “Thank you for the gift, Dancer-in-Flames.”

“It is not much of a gift, as you earned what is within that ring, Xu Xing. Nevertheless, I will take your words in the spirit in which they were offered.”

Wim stepped forward and put a hand on Jing’s arm.

“And with his choice, daughter, you must now make yours. Your options are the same as his. You may travel with us and enroll in the Brilliant Desert. You will learn and train with other practitioners, perhaps make deep friendships or even find love, but you will give up your chance to repay your debt, which may damage your spirit. Or you can remain with Xu Xing and repay what he has done for you. If you do so, your spirit may thrive, but you may lose the chance to advance your skills beyond what they are now.

“Your choice, daughter, is between honor and achievement, and it is one that I do not envy you.”

Jing stood there, biting her lip, her face pale. At last, though, she bowed her head. “I must follow my spirit, Shifu,” she said in a quiet, hoarse voice. “I must follow Xu Xing and expiate my debt.” She looked over at me. “I have considered your words, and in that time, I believe I heard what you did not say. You see me as foolish and uneducated in the ways of the world. I see you as the same regarding the Heavenly Path. Perhaps, together, we can both learn and grow – if we are willing to try.”

“Perhaps,” I agreed. “I’m willing. Are you?”

“I am reluctant, but I will try,” she said heavily. “I will follow at your side, Xu Xing.” She looked back at her parents. “Once my debt is balanced, however, will I be able to return to you? To the Brilliant Desert?”

“If that is still your choice,” Wim nodded. “There will always be a place for you there, daughter – but that might not always be your place.”

“It will, Shifu – father,” she said, bowing low to the man before turning to face Dif. “Mother.”

“My daughter,” the old woman sighed, stepping forward and embracing her. “I knew always that you would make your own way in this world, but…I did not know it would be so soon.”

“I will return to you as swiftly as I am able, mother,” Jing replied, hugging the woman back.

“Make no promises of the future, daughter, for it is not given to us to see it. I hope that your words are correct, but we never know which way the winds of fate will blow us.”

Jing said a tearful goodbye to her sister, as well. The whole scene made me both sad and a little angry, in all honesty. Jing’s family was watching her go, and they were all teary-eyed and gushing. Even the old man’s eyes were gleaming. The thing was, I didn’t think for a second they were actually letting her go. They would be keeping tabs and her – and me, I supposed – the entire time we were in the city. Still, they were acting like they’d never see her again.

The day I’d gone to meet the bus that would take me to Fort Benning for basic, I’d been alone. My father had wished me luck as he left for work. My mother hadn’t even said goodbye to me. My brother gave me a hug, and that was about it. There were no tears, no fond farewells, no promises to return. I’d walked out the door carrying my bags, and I’d never gone back. I’d gotten one letter during basic; after that, I got a card on my birthday and Christmas. They never asked when I’d be coming home, or if they could come out to see me while I was stationed in Bragg. That morning was the last time my parents had ever laid their eyes on me.

I thought that particular wound was healed – or at least scarred over thickly enough that it didn’t hurt anymore. Apparently, it wasn’t, because watching Jing and her family…well, it hurt. It didn’t really matter. That life was gone, and I wouldn’t be getting it back. Even if I made it back to Earth, I wouldn’t be me anymore. At least, I wouldn’t look like me or have that life anymore. I might not even be in my own time. I could be in the Dark Ages, or maybe even the future. I had no way of knowing. Any chance of seeing them again was gone, forever.

I hadn’t really realized that until that moment. I’d given up on being part of my family long ago, but I guess I hadn’t given up on the hope of reuniting with them one day. That hope, though…that was gone, shattered the moment I’d walked through that door on that rooftop. Knowing that – really understanding it – that hurt worse than being shot ever had.

I turned away from them, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. I felt someone watching me, though, and when I opened my eyes again, I saw Shi Lo staring at me, her face filled with compassion and understanding, and I felt a little bit shitty. I mean, after everything that woman had gone through, here I was, about to cry because my family had more or less tossed me out. Really? I’d seen so many worse things over the years. I’d seen fathers whore out their daughters, literally. I’d seen girls selling their babies for drug money, or dumping them in trash cans because they couldn’t deal with them. I’d watched silently as a mark beat his mistress to death because she’d ‘let herself’ get pregnant, and he hadn’t shown an ounce of remorse.

I hadn’t felt one when I put the bullet between his eyes two days later in his bathtub, either. His own bodyguard took the blame for that one, which I didn’t mind, since the bodyguard had also been doing the mistress on the side and it was his kid she was pregnant with.

I took a deep breath and mastered myself. Did it hurt? Hell yeah, it did. But it was just pain, and it was a pain I’d lived with my entire life. Not everyone got a loving family. That was just how life fucking worked. They’d fed me and clothed me, and that was a hell of a lot more than some people got. I needed to put on my big girl panties and suck it the fuck up.

“Are you ready?” I asked as Jing finally stepped back from her goodbyes.

“Yes, Xu Xing. I am prepared.” The woman’s eyes were puffy and red, but she seemed to be in control of herself.

“Good.” I looked at the old man and woman. “Thank you for everything you’ve both taught me. It’s helped me more than even you might know. If I can repay you…”

“Watch over our daughter, Xu Xing,” Dif said simply.

“And use what you have learned to better yourself and your world,” Wim added. “Do those things, and we will consider the matter even.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

“That is all we may ask. Now go, for you should enter before we do. Our entrance with these women will likely distract from yours with your bounties, and that is for the best.”

“If you say so. Let’s go, Jing.”

“A moment, master,” Shi Lo spoke up hesitantly. “I – I am grateful to the elders for their offer. However, I will travel with you and your companion if you will have me.”

“Why?” I asked cautiously.

“As the elder said, master, you do not know this city, nor its dangers. You do not know which factions to befriend, and which to avoid. You do not know where to find lodging, or how to contact a school for your further training.”

“And you do?”

“Yes, master. I was born in this city and lived here all my life. I know it well and intimately, and I can guide you through its myriad paths. Sunrise Moon can be deadly for those who walk it in ignorance, but it can be a place where wealth and power can be found in abundance for those who know its secrets.”

I glanced over at Jing, and she shrugged. “I see no harm in it,” she said. “As she says, we are strangers here, and a guide would be welcome.”

I sighed. It seemed I wasn’t quite done with the woman after all. “Very well, Shi Lo. You can come with us.”

“Thank you, master,” she bowed low to me. “You will not regret this, you have my promise.”

Oh, I was certain that I would – and that Shi Lo wasn’t coming with me for my benefit. Something else was going on, here, and I could only hope that it wasn’t going to make my life even harder than it already was.