IV

Will

Guard follows Water,

Strike as Earth,

Split Fire and ride the Wind,

The Four Elements seek the Firmament.

Excerpt from 'The Foundation of the Falling Star,'

written 278 after Zhanhai,

by the third patriarch of the Falling Star Sect,

Fang Ryung.

***

"You're alone?" I asked.

"That I am," the man spoke nonchalantly, revealing no intent to hurry after Mei. "I've come in my entire lonesome to bring back a runaway child throwing a temper. Poor use of my time, I must say.

"Why are you helping her?" He asked, stroking his trimmed beard. "Even now? If you're running like that, you must've realized."

"It's none of your concern."

I put my hands up, taking a fighting stance. Running away wasn't an option, not when he'd already set his eyes on us.

"Did she pay you?" He asked unbothered by my actions. "I've heard what you did to those other men he hired, and I admit, I'm impressed. All of that without leaving any traces of Qi behind. A remarkable feat for such a young man."

"Impressed?" I snorted loudly. "How much is that worth coming from an old man who is still building his foundation at his age?"

"You can tell?" His eyes twitched. He chuckled to hide it, but I knew I'd hit the nerve I aimed for. "Yes, I am rather old for that, aren't I?"

I saw it. He drew on the fire-attuned Qi in our surroundings, gathering a shining mist like sunlight around him. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of my head. The sun had already set - at least one advantage for me.

"This is my last warning," he took a step, his robe dancing with the sparks flickering around him, "stay out of this." Another step and he readied himself with a regretful sigh. No more talking this out. Did he sense my determination? Either way, I was prepared. This couldn't have gone any other way.

"You're merely prolonging the inevitable, boy." His body was lax. He was in no haste, nor did he reveal any concerns. In his mind, it was a matter already dealt with, something he just had to go through the motions to end it.

"The girl can't run forever."

Like a fire bursting to life, his feet shot forward with a thin blaze trailing behind him. I didn't meet his lunge directly. His fist sailed past my face by a hair's width, leaving but a black smirch on my cheek. Using the opportunity without hesitation, I rammed my fist into his liver.

An audible gasp escaped him, and I saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes before he turned, trying to swing his elbow into my face. My hand barely guided it away from its target, my action not nearly as flawless and smooth as my first one. I ignored the smell of burnt hair as I connected a second strike against the same spot. He growled, and I felt the anger in his Qi spiking around me.

The first stage of cultivation, Foundation, was divided into three steps. Qi Gathering, Formation, and Nurturing, which were likewise divided into three levels of their own. I'd correctly placed my opponent into the third level of his Formation, bordering on the step of Nurturing.

The heat emanating from him distorted the air around us, throwing me off my rhythm. Each breath I took was like a gust of fire burning my lungs. Many still in the Foundation stage relied on brute force, and I recognized him as no exception.

The knowledge alone would help me little. It wouldn't shrink the enormous gulf between the fundamental difference of our bodies. My opponent pressed on, determined not to drag this out any longer. Are you ashamed, old man? I wanted to taunt him, but my mouth failed me, lacking both moisture and concentration for the words.

None of his attacks found their target. I parried his fists with every part of my body, sliding off the force between his strikes. When he raised one leg, he found my own, striking at his other. Swift as he was, faster and stronger as his cultivation made him, his technique was lacking. Any technique would if compared to the one that had been drilled into me since birth.

'The number one martial arts, unparalleled under the high heavens.'

That wasn't my own pride talking, but the pride of the Falling Star Sect renown throughout the continents since generations immemorial.

However, no technique could withstand an onslaught of brute force that exceeded it. I lost out to his foundations. My breath quickened faster than his. My limbs, scorched, dragging behind my intentions. A disconnection between my will to action and their willingness to follow. After my third strike against his liver, I was forced entirely on the defensive. The attacks had done little to slow him down - my defeat in sight.

Yet, I didn't relent. An image of the past stuck to the shadow of my opponent in which I saw him. That guy wouldn't ever relent. He would struggle, be it bloodied or broken, going on regardless. Like he'd had when he faced me. Back when all odds were stacked against him. In that same manner, my guard flowed despite my singed skin. I blocked and parried, enduring the fury of my opponent's flaring Qi, roasting me under the gaze of the summer night.

"You...!"

There it was. Impatience creating an opening. To deliver the final blow, he gathered more of his fire-attuned Qi, imbuing his fist with it. There would be no parrying that one, but the lapse of concentration, the task itself, slowed him down if only an instant. That was enough.

I'd taken my step towards him. I was already in range; my martial arts technique already in motion.

The dead core within me glowed, responding to the use of my technique. It took me by surprise. The two were closely connected, but this was beyond my expectations. The core heeded my call; its Will was seeking the firmament beyond through my body. No seal, no prison may prevent its desire, so it howled, so it quivered in its chains.

The faintest trickle of Qi flowed through me, taking hold within its stations. A drop of water in a desert, too little to change what had dried into a barren wasteland, but enough for this moment. My fist hardened, and my lungs flared up. It stuck to my arm like a pearl of rain, enduring the heat, as a breeze gathered around my feet.

My opponent's eyes widened in shock. He abandoned his plan, deciding for quicker action, and attacked. Where we brushed, my scorched arm screamed in protest, but I held firm. His strike glided past my own, heading for my chest - it'd arrive first. A whiff of smoke left my mouth as I exhaled; my body tensed like a bow to its utmost limits.

I let go and my fist shot through the space between us into his defenceless ribcage. As my body fought to hold itself together, the force behind my strike crushed my opponent into the ground. His Qi faded away. A faint trail of silver light lingered around my fist before it vanished into the air like twinkling stars into the night. I had thought to never witness it again, born of my own hands. I wasn't particularly happy about it.

My legs gave out, succumbing to the exhaustion, but I forced myself out of the desire for rest. Somehow, I'd done it. I walked over to the man twitching on the ground. He was still alive, but I hoped I didn't cripple someone important. The influx of my own Qi hadn't been a part of my calculations.

I rummaged through his clothing, finding a small, ordinary pouch to my relief. A spatial pouch would have risen his chances of being someone troublesome. I took it with me, and stumbled on my way, wondering if I'd see Mei ever again.

***

Someone moved the boxes.

I'd successfully evaded drawing attention as I went back into the alley where I hoped to find her. Little of my burned robe remained, and traces of his Qi still lingered. Someone with the right eye would've grown suspicious, but I was spared such troubles. The festivities had left this part of the city empty of people.

The pouch had contained some medicine for my injuries. It worked slowly since I wasn't able to guide it with my Qi. The seal placed on my core held as firm as ever, despite the earlier surprise. With somewhat renewed strength, I climbed the tallest box, using it to get onto the rooftop where I released a pent-up sigh of relief. It was strange, really. We'd only met that same day, yet I already found myself almost desperately clinging to her.

"This isn't very high," I said, walking towards Mei who sat with her legs tucked into her arms. She'd bound her hair into a pony, using a red ribbon long enough to reach past her shoulders. It looked crude but suited her much more than her previous, stylish hair, though that had admittedly been a complete mess.

"...Shin?" Her head turned around as if dreading what she'd find. "Shin!" Mei shot straight into my arms, and despite myself, I winced. "You're hurt..." She let go of me, taking a few steps back with a face plagued by regret. "I-I'm sorry... It's all my fault, I... I shouldn't have played around."

"Don't worry, it's much worse than it looks."

I wasn't lying. The medicine had taken care of the worst. Thanks to it, the severe burns became like nourishment to restore what lay beneath; their remains giving instructions like elders to their descendants. She seemed unconvinced.

"Everything I did was my own choice," I hesitated before patting her on the head. "Don't look down but over there," I turned her around, "the parade's still going on. You're going to miss it."

The body of the fire-spewing snake lit the night alive as it continued its march through the city. We sat down, dangling our legs over the ledge, and remained silent, watching the festivities. Mei didn't show the same enthusiasm as before. How could I cheer her up? I failed to think of anything when a sudden whistle startled us both. We looked up to witness the bright explosion echoing under the sky.

"Fireworks..." Mei craned her head upwards, staring at the flowery pattern in the night-sky. "Shin, look, fireworks! I've always wanted to see them, the big ones like-" another rocket howled towards its end, blossoming in the sky with one final thunderclap,"-this one."

"Yes," I said, "fireworks."

Her excitement replaced the dusty clouds of worry on her face. Her head followed after each rocket, trying to catch them all while occasional glimpsing at the dancing snake as if she wanted to take them all in at once, without missing a single thing. She was so joyous, whereas I had no clue what she found entertaining about them. A cultivator could've done more impressive things by snapping his fingers. But it was all the same, as long as it cheered her up. I watched her, deciding to wait until I voiced my doubts. Unfortunately, it didn't take long until the fiery display subsided.

"You need to answer a question of mine..." I broached the topic at last when the last rocket lived out its short but brilliant life. Who was chasing after her and why? A true cultivator, though not a rarity in the least wasn't something anyone would send to hunt down a girl.

Mei bit her lip, and I felt a sting of regret when her glee faded in an instant. She was like a candle. A bright flame of smiles flickering wildly in my world, her light thwarting the shadows of my past, yet so easily extinguished. Her laughter snuffed out with the slightest breeze. I shouldn't have asked.

"Why didn't you ask before?" She answered after a moment of uncomfortable silence. "Helping me without knowing what you're getting into... dummy."

"No reason." She hadn't asked me for my family name either.

"It's not like I wanted to hide it..." Mei averted her gaze, "but yes, you should know. I'm sorry, I should've told you... that... I'm... getting married next week."

"Are you telling me that I kidnapped a bride?"

"You did indeed," she giggled without heart.

"Oh, dear heavens, have mercy on me," I put a hand over my eyes, lamenting the cruellest of fates, "I'm cursed now."

"What?" She looked at me funny. "You believe in stuff like that?"

"A brother of mine once kidnapped a bride." Sect brother, actually, but she didn't have to know the details. "What do you think happened a year later, on the day before his wedding ceremony? He died. Just like that, in his sleep."

"That's... uhh... I'm sorry to hear that."

"That's not all," I smiled wryly. "An uncle of mine dropped off a cliff to his death when he took his brother's fiancee before the engagement was annulled. When my aunt's betrothed fell deathly ill it turned out that his affair was pregnant, right before the ceremony. It happens, this curse. Without fail to anyone I know, and now I am..."

"I... uhh..." Mei tried to think of something but fell short of it. "I'm sorry, I guess..."

"I'm just kidding, of course." For a moment, she was shocked. Then, she pouted until finally, we laughed. Some of the stories were true, but no one had died to any curses, only due to 'unknown causes.' Sect-speech for 'we have more important things to do than make a fuss about it.' Others might know it as 'we're too weak to address this issue, so let's pretend it doesn't exist.'

"You wouldn't believe what cultivators are up to all the time," I continued, trying to keep that smile of hers alive, "wife- and kidnapping are just a fraction of the whole. My f-, I mean, a person I know once told me that eternal youth was the root of all problems. You know why? Because only people that age start thinking upstairs."

"Everything you're saying..." It faded, her smile, my words extinguishing it with a breeze of my own making. "It sounds like you're a cultivator?

"...I was."

"You were?" She looked puzzled but almost relieved. "You can stop? Why did you stop? Everywhere I go, people talk about them all the time. Everyone wants to be a cultivator. It's... their wildest dream or something."

"I... left home. Left the sect and my family... I can't cultivate anymore without the sect's guidance and their manuals. Therefore, it would be wrong to call me one."

It was a blatant lie, but I didn't want to bore her with the details. No, that wasn't it. I didn't want to talk about the past. More than that, I didn't want her to know.

"Oh, I see," she gazed into the distance, "...Home."

"So," the air grew heavy between us, yet I was still missing an answer to my question, "who's the poor groom I owe a lovely bride?"

She hesitated and bit her lip until it almost bled. Then, finally, she pointed to the dark horizon with her trembling finger as she hid her head behind her legs.