As he was mentally weighing the chances of learning directly from the tsovars, Kuroki had grown silent. When he noticed, Boneroot looked around at their destination. They had arrived in an atrium of sorts. Above them, the unnatural canopy was translucent, allowing light to filter through, colored by the process. In the locus of these red, blue, and purple rays was a basin of leaves, which held a large number of round objects.

As Boneroot inspected the basin more closely, he could see a whisp of something in the middle of each orb. It looked like the natural energy of the world given physical form. Driven by intense curiosity, Boneroot reached to picked one, but Kuroki latched onto his arm before he could.

The voice was just a whisper in the back of his mind, now, saying, “No! We can’t touch! Feli will get mad!”

Just as the boy was starting to wrap his mind around the consequences of angering such a being, the creature in question appeared at their side. The light of the atrium caught on Felindei’s mystical hair, but instead of shining through, it was swallowed up. The long strands had become blacker than should have been possible. Kuroki let out an audible yelp, while Boneroot’s breath caught in his chest.

“Kuroki...” The look in her eyes said what her words did not.

Whimpering with his ears pinned back, Kuroki slinked out of the room, undoubtedly toward the location of his unspoken punishment.

Turning to Boneroot, she spoke again, “He can hardly be blamed for wanting to show you, so he won’t be punished, but I needed a moment to speak with you. Have you seen any spirit stones before? I don’t believe your village made use of them,” Without giving Boneroot a moment to digest the implication of her words, she continued on,

“They’re a condensation of natural essence. Crushing one releases energy that is much more easily assimilated to your ki or qi cycle. They’re so helpful, in fact, that they are the most common currency among cultivators, worth much more than gold. The creation and regulation of spirit stones is just one way that your Empire’s nobles maintain their positions of power. These, however, were made by me personally. At your level of cultivation, taking one of these would flood your body with so much energy, it would practically collapse in on itself trying to accomodate all of it. If you’d like a taste, though...”

Boneroot couldn’t even begin to form a response. His head was spinning. What Empire? What’s a currency? Felindei knew of his village? Did she know what happened to them? As his emotions raged, the boy had to consciously stop himself from dropping into immediate meditation. Perhaps sensing this, Felindei pushed a spirit stone into his hand. It was different from the ones in the basin, more opaque, the wisp at its core not as lively. Before his faculties gave in to the rapid onset of his spiraling depression, Boneroot crushed the ball in his hand and dropped to the floor.

The effect of the spirit stone was immediately noticeable. As soon as he had his qi and ki intertwined and cycling, he could sense the increased efficiency with which he was pulling in ambient energy. It was just so easy. The essence that flowed through him from the outside felt almost as familiar as his own ki. When he finished cultivating the last trace of the spirit stone’s energy, he opened his eyes, appreciating the exceptional progress he’d made in such a short time.

Rising from the floor of the atrium, Boneroot had to mentally admonish himself once again. He knew if he didn’t fix that habit he’d be meditating in front of an actual enemy one day. Looking around, though, he couldn’t spot any sign at the source of his simultaneous unease and good fortune. Just as he took a step toward the door, though, there was Felindei. Boneroot couldn’t even tell if she’d been there the entire time, or had just appeared there. He’d have to try to copy that technique, whatever it was.

“How long was I...” Boneroot trailed off, his throat dry, his voice groggy.

“Little more than a half-day,” Felindei answered with a shrug, glancing toward the dawnlight coming through the canopy, “I should have given you a less potent stone. That one was of the Orange realm. You seem to have managed just fine, though.”

The gentle smile on the woman-like creature’s face struck Boneroot as exactly as genuine as her ‘mistakenly’ giving him a more potent spirit stone. Trying to hide his skepticism, he offered a weary grin.

“You have my gratitude.” Boneroot pawed at the back of his neck.

“Certainly. You’ll have to apologize to Kuroki, however. He came by looking to play last night once he realized no punishment awaited him. He mentioned you had meditated in front of him before. That seems trusting to a fault for a boy surviving on his own in this forest.”

This time, Boneroot pounced on the opportunity, “That! You know something! About me. You know about the Village. What happ— Where...”

“You would be wise not to make demands of me.” Boneroot felt a stir of absolute power in the air, sending his stomach into knots. “But yes. I know of you and I know of your Village, just as I know of every creature which calls my forest home.”

The boys eyes lit up and his hands shot forward toward Felindei’s shoulders. They never made it, though, as he quickly found himself incapable of moving. Frozen in the middle of an excited lunge, Boneroot was only left with control over his eyes. With them, he found Felindei with her arms crossed and an eyebrow cocked. Boneroot blinked twice to signal his understanding. When he regained the use of his body, he took a deep breath and a step back.

Arms at his sides and eyes on the floor, the boy implored, “I’m sorry, but can you please tell me what happened to my village. I have to know.” His hands shook as he awaited the information he’d been seeking for years.

Unfortunately, Felindei’s answer was only one word, “No.”

Shocked, Boneroot raised his head. She continued, “Of course, I do know what happened to them. However, I’ve no reason to tell you. Not yet, anyway. I suppose now would be a good time to discuss why you are here. Why I allow you to be here.”

The boy gave a meek nod, but his hands were still shaking and he was struggling to grapple with the abrupt shift in Felindei’s tone.

“I have allowed your passage into this grove because I will have a use for you in the future. And, should you meet my expectations, even more use in the distant future. Don’t be mistaken, though. For you, this is an opportunity unlike any you’ve ever known. Should you cooperate, you will be in a position to know true power. Eventually. Naturally, not cooperating isn’t an option. You already know that you will do as I say.”

The curt, objective timbre of her words left no room for argument, but it almost didn’t register over the pounding of blood in Boneroot’s head. For what felt like the hundredth time today, he nodded impotently.

“This opportunity has to do with Kuroki. He is a genius. A once-in-a-millennium prodigal cultivator who broke into the yellow realm after only twenty years in this world. Mind you, for our species, that is beyond impressive. My kin do not mature as quickly as yours. For one, we only achieve sentience upon breaking into the Yellow realm. Life prior to that tends to feel as a haze, with only certain memories standing out. Such is the reason for his childlike curiosity. In the thousands of years I have been tending to my pride in this forest, very few have ever done what Kuroki has in such a short amount of time. Fewer still survived long enough to capitalize on it. In those millenia, however, I have come to wonder if perhaps I have been mistaken in staying within the confines of this forest. The number of Black, or White realm cultivators to come from your species, for example, is exceptional by comparison. That is why I want to send Kuroki out into the world. Those who have left the forest before only did so at a much older age, their minds fully formed, but steeped in arrogance. I would like Kuroki to avoid the mistakes of his ancestors. To that end, you will be his escort. A guide, of sorts. No, a vessel would be more accurate. I will bind the child to your shadow and send you off into the Empire so that he may learn and grow and usher in a new era for our kind. Though I may be immortal..."

"Close your mouth, boy, it’s unseemly. Yes, I am immortal. Did those villagers teach you nothing?” Boneroot bristled at the jab. “Regardless, my powers are still limited. The world is changing and, should something happen to me, my pride will not survive. You will help me remedy that. You have some talent. Some. You will benefit greatly from this arrangement, provided you do nothing to jeopardize it. Kuroki has taken a liking to you. He takes a liking to most, but that is beside the point. If he can experience the world outside this forest, make connections to other humans, and expand the horizons of his cultivation, he may one day be able to lead our kin in my stead. Do you understand what I am demanding of you? Speak.”

So he did.

“I watched Kuroki try to fight a ladybug...”

Annoyed, Felindei waved his comment away, her deadpan expression offering no hint of amusement. Boneroot was satisfied, though, to have at least reclaimed some manner of agency in the conversation.

Narrowing her slitted eyes, the feline woman continued, “Make no mistake, Kuroki will become a pillar of this clan at the bare minimum. The moment you become an impediment to that end, you will be removed.”

In the face of that threat, Boneroot found it a bit harder to be glib.

Felindei spoke over his mumbled retort, “Enough. You will stay here for approximately one year, training under Kroshieshi. At the moment, your art is merely mimicry of our own. We will fix that. Kuroki’s own power will be stagnant for some time. His maturity must catch up with his cultivation. Until then, he is simply not able to understand the world to the necessary extent that progress demands. During that time, you will catch up to him. I will not send Kuroki out into the world saddled to a feckless boy more anchor than partner. And finding a new one would be tiresome, to be honest. You will be provided with the necessary resources and tutelage, so I expect you to break through to the Orange realm by the end of the year, before yours and Kuroki’s departure.”

The most pressing question on Boneroot’s mind leapt out of his mouth, “Departure to where?”

“The Brightmoon Sect. It is at the northern edge of the Wei Mountains, looking over the primary entrance to the Empire. You will know more of this in time.”

“What’s Empire? You keep saying that, but I don’t know what it is.

The left side of Felindei’s face scrunched up as she answered. “I needn’t explain the basics of the world to you. Kroshieshi will handle all of that, though it is beneath him too.”

Boneroot rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling more embarrassed than he might have expected.

“Enough questions. Come.” As she being turned to leave, the waves of Felindei’s otherworldly hair remained utterly still, unaffected by the movement.

The boy followed her out of the atrium, only then fully realizing he’d been in the room since the previous night. The two walked a short distance through a dazzling, wide hall of purple bamboo stalks bearing gilded engravings depicting some triumph or another. Boneroot didn’t have much time to admire, though, for they quickly arrived at their destination.

“You will live here,” Felindei instructed, then pointing toward a familiar-looking basin off to the side, “There are spirit stones appropriate for your current level over there. Use no more than one stone every three days, increasing to every two days after reaching mid Red realm. I will be gone for some time, but I expect to see significant progress upon my return.”

Boneroot studied the room that was now to be his. The vibrant green, botanical walls housed only a bed, basin, and rough approximation of a washroom. It was bare, but his last room was a cave, so he couldn’t complain. He turned to the immortal to express his satisfaction, citing only one request.

“I just need to go back home to get my flowers and th—”

“No.” The creature’s face held not a shred of sympathy.

“No, it’s just that without—”

“You are weak and you have no time to spare. You will begin training immediately. You will not disappoint me”

Boneroot was still struck silent by the refusal when Felindei left, blinking away without warning. Though he made quite an effort to hold back his tears, they began to fall as he thought of the flowers left to wither in his mountain home. They were more than meditative aids. They were mementos of his parents.

He hardly even registered the spirit stone breaking in his hand as he cycled his qi to prepare for the swell of rage bearing down on him.