Chapter 6

Chain-Linked System

By the time the children pushed aside the heavy stone brick covering the sewer entrance it was nighttime. The stars glimmered in the sky. Torches lit across the city.

"From one dark place to another," mumbled Oswin. He climbed out of the tunnel and looked around before helping Ciara and Grey up. They hastily closed the entrance behind them and made their way to the inn. The innkeeper was closing the door when the children came running from the corner.

"Stop!" said Ciara, trying to catch her breath. "Let us in!"

"Children," mumbled the old innkeeper, shaking his hand. "Go off to bed."

"We are with a person named Iris. Let us in," said Ciara, anxiously. She walked up to the door, but the innkeeper stopped her.

"No runaways," said the old innkeeper firmly, holding his nose. She smelled like sewage water. He blocked her with his arm and pushed her back. She fell down to the ground.

"Hey you," said Oswin, a little angry. "You didn't have to push her down."

"Just last night, I had to kick a few of you younglings out of my door. Are you the same children stealing food from me too? Darn city kids."

Oswin was about to say something when Grey stopped him. Grey bowed respectfully, to the innkeeper.

"Please sir, we came with a person named Iris. I have this."

Grey pulled out the guild seal out of his pocket and showed it to the innkeeper. The innkeeper scoffed, and reluctantly let the children in.

"Second Floor. Room 4," scowled the innkeeper, shaking his head. Ciara picked herself up and rubbed her arm. They went upstairs and lightly tapped on the door. Iris called them inside.

"Grey. Oswin. Ciara," smiled Iris. She was sitting at her study, reading a book. She took off her reading glasses and placed it on the table. "You didn't go to the guild today? Is everything alright?"

"We nearly died," said Ciara, walking to her bed. She fell over, and plopped onto the soft mattress.

"Died? Grey? Oswin?" said Iris, looking for an explanation.

A mouse popped out of Grey's shirt, looking around the room.

"I...well," said Grey not knowing where to begin.

"We saw something in the sewers," said Oswin, taking over. He told Iris about their trip through the tunnels, their meeting with Ham, and the strange ruins underneath the city. Iris raised her eyebrow, but quietly listened to the whole story.

"And then that innkeeper pushed Ciara onto the ground," said Oswin, angrily. "Why did he have to do that? He could have just told her to show him proof."

"That's just the way he is," said Iris, gently. He went over and ruffled Oswin's hair. "No need to get angry. Anger clouds your judgment."

Iris took out a handkerchief from her table and wiped down Oswin's sweaty face. He moved away embarrassed and took one of the beds closest to the door.

"Your things are in the closet. I unpacked them earlier," smiled Iris. "We can talk about this more in the morning. For now, let's go to bed."

Grey walked over to his luggage on his bed, put on his pajamas, and sank underneath the bed sheets. He hadn't been in a bed since he had first met Iris. At that time, he was still bedridden. His body infirm and weak. He opened and closed his hands, to remember the feeling.

Iris kissed each of the children on the forehead, and blew out the lights. The night closed in and the darkness took over.

~~~

In dreams, Grey could hear the cries of a little girl in the cave. She had hair as gold as the sun, and wept softly by a rock. A boy lay next to her, withered away like a twig. Arms no bigger than the bones on his flesh.

"Why would you leave me," said the little girl, banging on the boy's chest. "You were suppose to be a hero. What kind of hero dies like this."

Grey remembered this scene. It was him, back when he had been enslaved. He went over to the young girl to comfort her. As his hand touched her shoulder. She turned around and glared at him. She had two holes where her eyes should be.

"Give him back. Give him back to me!"

Grey awoke with a startle. Iris was there beside his bed. The soft touch of her hand on his forehead.

"Another bad dream?" said Iris.

"Yes," said Grey, pushing her hand away. He got up and out of bed.

"This little mouse is pretty interesting," smiled Iris, playfully teasing the mouse on the nightstand. She dangled a piece of ham over the mouse's head, teaching it to spin around twice, before giving the mouse food.

"Ham. Ham," squeaked the mouse, happily.

"Iris," said Grey, suddenly. He touched the edge of the bed and made his way to the window. He felt the warmth of the sun on his cheek. "Can I ask you about my vision? The one I had in the sewers?"

"Yes," said Iris, curiously. "You can ask me. What did you see?"

"I could see Iris. My eyes. I saw an ocean of shadows at my feet, and then there a mouse with no eyes. The mouse told me that I stole its eyes. That's when I wake up. What does that mean?"

"Grey, let me ask you something," said Iris, standing up from his bed. She went over next to him and opened the windows, allowing a gentle breeze to run through her hair. Grey could almost see her. Her hair blowing in the wind.

"Why do you want to save those mice? The quest was to kill them remember?"

"Because it's the right thing to do," said Grey.

"You are still saying that?" smiled Iris.

"Sorry," said Grey.

"It's okay, that's not something I dislike about you," said Iris. "A person should have things that they believe in. Just remember it is better to bend the rules you follow rather than to break them."

"I'll try to remember," nodded Grey, getting out of bed. "But? The shadows? Are they telling me something? "

"One often sees different things. Dreams. Visions. They represent a part of who we are. Let me ask you this," said Iris. "What is it that you think the visions are telling you?"

"I think if I want to see again. I have to take someone's eyes," said Grey. "I have to grab it with my hands and take it from their head. I don't want to do that."

Iris smiled. "Think a little harder. Answers are always better when we discover it ourselves."

Grey sighed to himself. Answers. Dreams. Visions.

"I will say this though," smiled Iris, patting Grey on the head. "No more questing for you. I thought I had given you something easy to do and instead you have gone and set off on something difficult."

"But! I told them I'd help the mice. That I'd save them from-"

"The humans?" chuckled Iris, "Grey have you forgotten you are human?"

Grey's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. He felt a little silly. Save monsters from humans? Wasn't it the other way around? Already, his mind scolded him for thinking like that.

"It just doesn't seem fair. I feel bad. If monsters really could think and if they had families. I don't think I would have been so happy to kill them before," said Grey, fiddling his thumb.

"Here," smiled Iris, pulling up a chair. "Let us talk about something a little easier then. You taught Oswin and Ciara the 'Constellation of Aries' didn't you?"

"I-I did," replied Grey, nodding his head.

"How did that go?"

"We changed into a large tiger," said Grey, moving his hands. "It was a big one with teeth and fangs."

"Were you able to complete the second phase of the transformation?"

"No," said Grey, shaking his head. "I didn't hold it very long. I just showed them how to do it."

"Ah," said Iris, a little disappointed. "Well, we can try it next time. Come get dressed. I have thought of a place to take everyone today."

"Wher-"

Iris stopped Grey. Her finger over his lips. "No more questions."

Iris roused a sleeping Oswin and Ciara out of their beds. Ciara nearly jumped out of bed ready to fight while Oswin sleepily rolled over the bed onto the floor. There was a loud thump as he hit the floor. Iris nodded to the innkeeper at the counter, and then led three sleepy children and a mouse to a dojo located in the Market District.

An instructor stood in a large hallway lined with training dummies.

"Fight!" boomed the large man, "Thrust! Attack!"

"Vincent," smiled Iris, walking up to the burly old man.

"Iris," coughed Vincent, "I'm teaching a class here. Children this is Iris, an old friend of mine."

A children, six to nine years old, looked up to Iris.

"Hello, Iris!" they said, bowing.

"So?" said Vincent, "Why have you come to visit me old friend?"

"I have a few children I need to keep out of trouble. I don't suppose I can bother you to introduce them to the chain-linked system? They have some experience."

"Experience you say?" said Vincent, curiously. He looked at each of the children, assessing their talents. "Then it shall be no problem."

"Then I leave them with you," chuckled Iris.

She turned to face Oswin, Ciara, and Grey.

"I will be back. Behave."

"Yes, Iris."

~~~

"What skills do each of you have?" asked Vincent, as Iris left the hall.

"I can make things disappear," said Ciara. She lifted one of the leather balls on the floor. She touched it, concentrating her aura. Vapors poured out of her body. A melody came soft to the ears, and the tingle of harps. The ball vanished into thin air.

Vincent's eyes narrowed, and mumbled a word.

"Hmph?" said Ciara, sweating. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing," replied Vincent. "You there with the blonde hair. What is your skill?"

Oswin released his aura and smiled.

"Attack me and you'll find ou-"

Oswin stepped back as a knife landed straight down, striking the ground and narrowly avoiding his head. He looked up to Vincent who was laughing.

"I know what your power is now. A fellow I dislike is similar to you. Now, you brown haired boy. What is your skill?"

Grey sighed, and shook his head. "Healing. I can heal myself."

"Is that so," said Vincent. He did not say more, but merely glanced at the scars near the base of Grey's neck. He had worn long-sleeves and pants to hide the scars, but if one was careful enough they could still see.

"I shall teach you about inner and outer techniques," replied Vincent. "Inner techniques are known as 'nen' and outer techniques are known as 'xia'. Nen is to breath. Xia is to exhale. Two halves of one whole create physical techniques and magical spells. "Carissa. What is it that makes magic?"

A young girl bowed her head , "When we breathe we take in the world for what it is. When we exhale we give back to the world what we are. We are one and the world is part of us and who we are."

Vincent crouched into a low stance. His knees shoulder width apart. His hands in front of him. He pulled back his arm, resting it on his waist and threw a punch with his other hand.

"Strike out! This is the world. You hate it. It stops you from becoming who you want to be. People. Family. Memories. These are the things that hold you back."

"Hai!" cried the rest of the children in unison, copying him. Grey had to stumble before he realized he had to imitate the movement. He did not see what Vincent had done, but Ciara showed him by positioning his feet and hands with her hands.

"Inhale. This is you. You are the earth beneath your feet. The sky above your head. Purpose. Will. Courage. You are the master of your own fate. Of your own despair."

"Hai!" cried the children.

"Break through the doubts in your mind. You are children today, but someday you will grow up. What sort of person will you grow up to be? What sort of things will you do? Your life can only be written by yourself!"

"Hai!" cried the children.

The room grew heavy with magic. Their voices carrying power, each child emanating their auras. Grey began to realize he was not alone. That there were many children who underwent the ritual at a young age.

"Chain-Linked System!" shouted Vincent.

Magical chains materialized from Vincent, wrapping around each child. Grey could feel his body lifting up. He was floating.

"One body. One mind," said Vincent, "This is nen."

Vincent struck out, magical chains whipped across the room, striking a practice dummy in the middle of the hall. The dummy broke, shattering into a million pieces.

"This is the change we wish to see in the world. This is xia."

Vincent calmly clapped his hands together, and the aura surrounding each child slowly dissipated, allowing them to gently float to the ground.

"Now run five hundred laps."

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Author's Note:

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Direction. That's something that's been on my mind lately. What direction do I want to take this story? I think about the wuxia novels I've read online, which was what got me started, and even the fictions on this website. I feel a lot of them are missing that emotional drive. That rush I get when I watch anime and movies.

So I feel the direction I should take for this fiction is to infuse it with emotion, both intellectually and story wise. To drive the plots that are familiar, but add enough details to give them more meaning. To have a magic system that is both alive and dynamic. That death, uncertainty, and loneliness are the price we pay to live a truly good and transformative life.

Just some reflective thoughts. I shall now retreat to my secret cave.