Taryn’s nostrils filled with the suffocating humidity of the forest as Rala rose on another wonderful day outside of Haven city. He groaned as he stretched his legs and back, preparing to go through with the arduous task of crawling out of his comfy bed of moss. Though his body had mostly healed from having a tower dropped on him- he was still filled with aches and pains that made it difficult to move.

He sat up and stretched his arms high above his head. He let out a yawn, followed by a contented sigh as several of his vertebrae released quiet popping sounds.

“Morning. You’re the second one awake.” A woman said from a few paces to his left.

Turning his head in that direction. Taryn found himself looking at Fan Shun- the woman who found and adopted him as her grandson. Though she was in her eighties, eighty-seven if you wanted to be specific, Fan Shun appeared to be in her twenties- with vibrant blue eyes and short black hair.

Though she appeared weary, there was a life in her eyes that Taryn realized he wasn’t used to seeing. Back when they were living in Haven city, Fan Shun did everything in her power to make sure Taryn had had a good life. And now, seeing her free from her responsibility, he saw a vibrance in her that made him sad.

Sad that she’d had to give up her life in order to raise him, sad that she’d suffered as much as he did- though in a different way.

Taryn reiterated to himself for probably the dozenth time that he would never allow himself to put her in that position again.

“Really?” Looking around, he found the unmoving forms of two others sleeping off to the side of the small campfire Fan Shun set up the night before.

Qiao Xia Yawen and her younger twin brother, Qiao Xia Wei were their traveling companions and fellow haven city refugees. The two former nobles had seemed in low spirits as of late, though Taryn didn’t know why.

He’d thought about asking them, and trying to be a good friend… But he remembered that they weren’t friends- not really. And he didn’t want to mess up their tenuous relationship by prying into something that wasn’t his business.

He would be there if they wanted to talk about what was on their mind. Otherwise—

“Hey, Taryn. Did you fall asleep sitting up?” Fan Shun asked with a note of humor in her voice.

“No, I was just thinking about something.”

“Try not to do too much of that. You tend to make bad decisions when you’ve been thinking.”

“Funny. Hang on a minute while I go find my sense of humor. I’d hate to miss you in such rare form.” Taryn stood up from his makeshift bed and trudged away from the campsite. His body was drawing attention to a particular need, and he knew that if he didn’t answer nature’s summons now- he’d be changing his pants after Fan Shun hit him a few times.

Taryn desperately tried to get out of the way, but he was too slow. The fist that landed in his gut struck with enough force to lift his feet off the ground and launch him back several feet.

Though he tried to maintain his footing. The added pressure of Fan Shun bearing down on him was enough to make him stumble backwards in a desperate attempt to buy time.

Fan Shun threw a flurry of quick punches that Taryn barely managed to dodge. Each blow passing within two centimeters of his body.

Those he couldn’t dodge, he attempted to parry. But Fan Shun was much stronger than he was, and every parry required all of his strength and focus to complete. Any less and Fan Shun would knock him senseless.

Taryn back flipped over a kick aimed at his legs, and immediately attempted to counter. He leapt forward with his leading knee aimed at Fan Shun’s face… It was only after seeing her smirk that Taryn realized his mistake.

Fan Shun dipped beneath his knee and lifted her shoulder directly into his pelvis- Taryn shouted in pain as his body came to an immediate stop on the wall that was his grandmother. He attempted to curl in on himself, like a turtle retreating into its shell, but Fan Shun wasn’t done with him.

With a few movements of her head and shoulders, Taryn was headed straight for the ground— only to be surprised when his head landed on something soft. Fan Shun had “gently” rolled him onto her leg and used her foot to push him into a seated position.

“Thanks— ouch!” Taryn shouted as Fan Shun’s palm made contact with the back of his head.

“What did I tell you about trying the fancy stuff?” She asked him.

“Not to?” He replied while rubbing the back of his head.

“And… why did I tell you that?”

“Because you’re mean—” Taryn flinched as Fan Shun raised her hand. “I- I mean- what I meant to say was… because you’re concerned about me.”

“Taryn.” She sighed. “That flying stuff might look fun, but you’re not at that level yet. You can barely lay a hand on me when I’m not using Eco- how are you going to deal with someone trying to kill you?”

“Ask them really nicely not to.”

“You’re not funny.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Taryn muttered, growing frustrated with the conversation. “Why don’t you give me an example? Tell me what’s happening, and I’ll tell you what I’d do in that situation. Sound fair?”

Fan Shun shrugged her shoulders. “Someone’s attacking your left leg with a kick.”

Taryn took the image of someone kicking at him and used it to run a search through the mourner’s memories for possible counters. Thirty-seven martial techniques returned almost instantly, with more coming the longer he thought about it. He then took those that fit the qualifications- low Eco use, relatively quick set up time, and possessing enough power to— Fan Shun kicked the side of Taryn’s leg and swept his feet out from under him.

Taryn’s body spun through the air for a moment before crashing onto his right side. He groaned as he pushed himself into a kneeling position- “I wasn’t ready.” He muttered.

“That’s exactly my point.” She sighed. She took him by the arm and helped him to his feet. “I understand, believe me. You have all this knowledge in your head, and no idea what to do with it… Which is exactly why you need to stick to the basics first. Understand?”

Taryn sighed and nodded his head. “Yeah.”

“Good. Then let’s do this one more time; from the top.”

Taryn groaned again, though for a completely different reason. He supposed it was almost entirely his fault. He begged and pleaded for training for years. Now that she was able to do so without the looming threat of the clan finding out, Fan Shun was eager to make up for lost time.

Perhaps a bit too eager…The worst part- at least in Taryn’s opinion- was the fact that she wanted to train him, without allowing him to use Eco.

As a shifter cultivator- someone capable of using wild Eco to transform their bodies into more bestial forms- it was impossible for Taryn to use his full strength in his normal form… Which is probably the point. He realized.

“There you are.” Qiao Xia Wei said as he meandered into the small clearing between the seemingly unending line of Mokan trees. Fan Shun and Taryn had claimed it for their training sessions almost immediately.

Not that you would find Xia Wei complaining. Since leaving the city, he’d seemed happy to lounge by the campfire and sleep the days away. Meanwhile his sister- Xia Yawen had spent the last few weeks training in the ancient art of disappearing for ten hours a day.

She would sit by the campfire for a few hours in the morning, disappear around mid-day, and return after nightfall. Fan Shun said she was likely off training, but Taryn didn’t think that was quite right. She didn’t seem tired when she returned. At least not physically. Instead, she seemed… Downtrodden. He would even go as far as saying she seemed sad. She probably misses Gao Feng.

“Elder Fan Shun.” Xia Wei said after approaching them. “Sorry to bother you during your daily Taryn thrashing session. Though I am slightly upset that you didn’t tell me before you started- you know how I like to watch—”

“Get to the point. Please.” Fan Shun chuckled.

“My sister and I were just wondering if the two of you would like to get moving. After breakfast, of course.”

Instead of answering immediately. Fan Shun turned her head to Taryn and regarded him for a moment. “Aside from the bruises I just gave you. How are you feeling?”

“Sore.” Taryn admitted. “But well enough to get moving. We’ve wasted enough time because of me- I’d rather not be the reason we wasted anymore.”

“Wonderful.” Xia Wei smiled and clapped his hands together. “We’ll begin moving after another bowl of my delicious mushroom surprise.” He said before leaving with a wide smile on his face.

“The surprise is that it leaves your body faster than it enters…” Taryn muttered with a disgusted look on his face.

“I think I’m going to go hungry today.” Fan Shun shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well. Might as well go back to training while we wait on the two of them to eat… Unless you wanted to join them?”

Without even thinking. Taryn threw a back fist at her face- which was blocked- and followed it with a kick aimed at her hip. She casually knocked his leg aside at the last possible moment and stepped into his body- she lightly thrust her palm into his side, just above his fourth rib— He felt something pass through his skin and directly attack his organs.

The blow sent him reeling for the few seconds it took her to bring her hand down on the back of his neck and knock him into the dirt. “A bit simple. But not bad. Again.” She said with a grin on her face.

Taryn coughed out a mouthful of spit and glared up at her. “I’m going to hit you eventually, and when I do…”

“Bring it on, brat. I’ve got nothing but time to kick your butt into the dirt.”

Taryn pushed off the ground and immediately rushed her. So, what if he had yet to last ten seconds in a spar. Like she said, they had nothing but time… And truth be told, Taryn would gladly take a few more bruises if it meant he didn’t have to suffer through Xia Wei’s “surprise” again.

Qiao Xia Yawen pinched her nose at the smell wafting from the campfire. Her brother had returned in a surprisingly good mood and immediately set to cooking that abomination he called “mushroom surprise.”

She let out a sigh and leaned back against a tree. She was nervous, though she didn’t know why. No one knew where they were- and while she had no doubt that they would send someone to look for her. She was confident that they were far enough away from Haven city to avoid any patrols they might send.

So, why can’t I shake this uneasiness? Yawen knew she should be happy. She’d gotten what she always wanted- freedom, from her overbearing mother, and from the clan who only wanted a puppet to control.

Had she stayed in Haven city. She knew she never would’ve found peace… But then again, she wasn’t at peace now. Throughout all of her planning and dreams of this moment. She never would’ve thought that she would be alone.

Gao Feng, you idiot. Why did you have to leave? She knew she should still be furious with him. And on some level, she was. He’d betrayed her trust and chose a life in the Ukata clan over a life with her.

She knew she could not stay in Haven city. There was no way her clan would ever allow her to give up her name and marry him. They would see her dead before they allowed their precious techniques to fall into the hands of the Ukata.

She sighed and stood up. She was preparing to walk into the forest, as she had done every day for the last few weeks—

“Don’t disappear on us. I already asked Elder Shun and Taryn if we would be moving out today. Elder Shun, has declared that we will move out after breakfast- mushroom surprise?” He asked while holding out a makeshift wooden bowl full of a mysterious purple liquid.

Yawen paused in her tracks and looked back over her shoulder at him. “What kind of mushrooms did you say you used?”

“No idea. But they didn’t kill any of the animals I watched eat them. And they taste all right… Could use a little bit of salt, though.” He trailed off while staring intently at his bowl of purple yuck.

Yawen shook her head and quietly made her way back over to the tree. If they were moving out soon, she may as well sit down and wait since there was nothing else for her to do.

A little voice inside her mind told her that she needed to train- to grow stronger— she quashed that voice and shoved it to the back of her mind. She was finally free of her family. Her martial arts were the only thing still connecting her to the Qiao clan… And she would die before she let them have any more power over her.

Whether it was their martial techniques, their equipment, or their name. Yawen wanted nothing to do with any of it.

It was much to Yawen’s relief that the four cultivators began moving shortly after midday. The sweltering heat was making their clothes stick to their bodies, and their mouths dryer by the second. But they didn’t have the luxury of waiting for the weather to suit them.

They were in the peak of summer. It would be months before the temperature dropped below ninety degrees. And none of them wanted to rough it in the forest until then.

They’d been lucky so far. The Eco beasts that called the unyielding forest home had mostly left them alone—

“Here you go little Yi. Say Ah~” Xia Wei muttered while moving a purple mushroom towards the small rodent riding on his shoulder. The floppy eared rodent shook his head and dashed away from Xia Wei’s hand, choosing to hide within the collar of his robe.

“What’s the matter little guy; aren’t you hungry?”

“I don’t think he’ll eat those mushrooms.” Taryn said while staring poignantly at the mushroom. “He’s a carnivore. Maybe you should try giving him some jerky?”

“Nonsense.” Xia Wei shook his head. “You like mushrooms- don’t you little Yi?”

“No, I think Taryn is correct.” Fan Shun interjected. “I think your little friend will have stomach issues if you force it to eat that.”

“Why?” Xia Wei asked.

Yawen could tell by the look on his face that he was genuinely confused. And more to the point, she was embarrassed by his questions. “Honestly. I knew you slept through most of our classes but come on Wei. Even you have to know the answer to that one.” She said in a tone more forceful than she’d meant.

“I’m not stupid.” Xia Wei huffed. “Just confused because I thought rats were omnivores. So, why wouldn’t he eat it?”

“Because it’s poisonous.” Taryn sighed.

Xia Wei tossed the mushroom aside as if it bit him. “Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” He shouted. What if I had eaten that- I could’ve died.”

“Please.” Taryn snorted. “After seeing you eat that thing you called mushroom “surprise”. I’m not sure if you can be poisoned.”

As Taryn and Xia Wei began to bicker back and forth. Yawen caught herself staring at Taryn’s uncovered face- something she’d never seen back in Haven City. The horrible burns across the top half of his face should’ve made her sick to her stomach. But they didn’t. They were just another part of Taryn- one she found that she didn’t mind.

Come to think of it. I don’t know how he got those scars. Did he always have them, or did he get them in Haven City? Yawen blinked as something occurred to her. What do I actually know about him? Yawen tried to remember any of the conversations the two of them had during their brief friendship. But none stood out to her.

Thinking on it a bit further. Yawen realized that she couldn’t remember a single thing they’d done together. She was so caught up in her home life- and her relationship with Gao Feng- that Taryn became an afterthought. An uncomfortable weight settled into the pit of her stomach as she recalled how she’d treated him.

How she’d abandoned him to his fate. Without so much as a warning of the fate the clans had planned for him.

The weight of her guilt tripled in intensity, and she began to feel slightly nauseous. She’d spent so long hating the Qiao clan for the way they treated people. But was she really any better? Well, she might not have been directly responsible for their crimes against Taryn- she had done nothing to prevent any of it.

The idea that she was becoming anything like her mother made her grit her teeth and tighten her fists until her knuckles went white.

I am nothing like her… I’m not.

Xia Wei discreetly glanced between Taryn and Yawen. He couldn’t help but sigh at the way they were acting.

While he was by no means an expert on all things Taryn. He could read the expressions on Yawen’s face as easy a turning the page of a book. He could see the guilt eating her from the inside. Could see the self-pity and hatred festering- bubbling to the surface like a pot of boiling water.

He could practically hear the voices inside her head besmirching their mother. And that brought a sympathetic smile to his face.

He hated the ice queen too- but not for the same reason as Yawen.

He hated her, because she’d hated him. The men of Qiao clan were only good for one thing; bringing daughters into the world to lead the future generations. But with Wei’s preferences being what they were. He was worthless in the eyes of the clan…

Wei agonized over that for years— At one point, even debated forcing himself to marry some woman just to make his mother look his way. He’d often wondered if that would make her proud of him.

But the truth was. Nothing he could do would ever be good enough for her. He would never be strong enough, or talented enough for his witch of a mother. So why bother trying?

He only wished his sisters had come to the same conclusion.

His younger sister- Xia Yazhu, was a lost cause. She was a carbon copy of their mother. But he’d always held out hope for Xia Yawen. She was the smart one of the siblings. If anyone could break the tradition and bring hope to the Qiao. Wei wholeheartedly believed it would be her that would do it… Now, if only she would learn to apologize. The one thing Wei knew she’d inherited from their mother, was pride and stubbornness. Wei had no doubt that Taryn would forgive her, and they could move past whatever issues they had.

Wei only hoped being out of the city would help them overcome their issues. He wasn’t sure how long he could watch the two of them glance “meaningfully” back and forth. It was enough to drive a guy crazy.

He reached up to pat little Yi’s head and let out another sigh. “They’re just being silly. Aren’t they little Yi?” He whispered into the little rodent’s ear. Little Yi responded by rubbing its head against the back of Wei’s neck and snuggled into the collar of Wei’s robe to sleep.

Fan Shun watched the teenagers from behind with a smile on her face. Now that they had a moment’s peace. She was hopeful that, with her newfound freedom, she could make up for the years Taryn was forced to suffer… But something had been weighing on her lately.

She glanced down at her left hand and grimaced at the bandage wrapped around her knuckles.

Fan Shun gingerly, as if it were a tube of delicate glass, sent a bit of Eco through the channels inside her hand— Blood burst from beneath the bandages, causing her grimace to deepen.

Fan Shun knew what was wrong. She just wasn’t sure how to fix it.

She’d been a cultivator on the spirit rising level before she adopted Taryn, and subsequently had her Eco sealed. But now, with the seal removed, the Eco inside her body was too much for her atrophied channels to handle.

Fan Shun wasn’t sure what would happen if she continued using Eco techniques— Which was why she was so hell bent on making sure Taryn could survive on his own… because Fan Shun knew she wouldn’t be around to protect him forever.