Snake 22, Year 8693 of the Grand Wulin Era, Avarius Goldscale

I see, so it's my turn to add to this thing? Well, Alex asked, and that friend of mine who likes to use her feet to hang off of tree branches already contributed, so I guess I have to. Tch, how annoying, I have so much research to do and so little time. What,did you think that someone who's reached the point I have can just give up on improving? Nah, there's always more to learn and change and improve. But that's all beside the point, I'm supposed to be telling you about the events of that day from my perspective. I'm Avarius Goldscale, which is pretty funny when you consider that mine well, aren't. I hadn't had a super big role in these adventures yet, partially because I was young and thought being quiet was cool and scholarly, which in retrospect is really kind of embarrassing. So many thoughts were left unsaid because I wanted to seem cool and mysterious,and I think only a kid can really put so much effort into that for such a weird reason.

Right about when I was finished cooling off the poor tree, which was complaining in the heads of anyone who would listen about how badly it was hurt, the young-looking grandpa showed up. As Alex healed the trees, the old-but-young grandpa forced apart the two fighters, and began talking. By the time he'd admonished Aelia for being a disgusting entitled brat, Alex was about halfway through healing the trees. If you want to know how we heard the trees, let's just say a combination of high wood affinity and sapience makes it really easy for plants to annoy you about their problems, like the squirrel living in a hole on their trunk or the seasons changing or suddenly discovering the concept of death. If you didn't know berry bushes can be nihilistic, they can, and it annoys me how funny I find that.But yeah, anyways, back from my tangent. As the tree doctoring finished, Regulus spoke up.

"I have a lot of thoughts, sir, if you will honor them by listening." he said, staring at the young-old grandpa/General Quintus Maximus Optimus/ ah fuck it I'll just call him General Gramps, you all know his name.

"I promise to do so to the best of my ability, but for any requests out of my reach I will have to contact my superiors." General Gramps nodded, his mouth curving into a wry smile.

"First thing, I want all charges against my troops and I dropped, and anyone who wants to go home should be allowed to do so. Second, I don't want the people Aelia dragged along punished. Third, I want to leave the military and become a member of the Myriad Existences Sect, and I want any of my subordinates who would like to do so to be allowed to do so as well." Regulus said, his voice shaking slightly.

"I am agreeable with those terms, anything else?"

Dmitri, who'd been contacting my Mom and Uncle Marcus, laughed and said "Those conditions are good with our bosses too, the Myriad Existences Sect always welcomes people with good morals and a will to improve." He waved his hand and a green light covered the other prison walnuts, which burst open. Those inside had heard everything, and were looking at Regulus and General Gramps with a determined stare.

Regulus asked. "Sir, the two young birds I left back home, could you fetch them for me? I left them behind when they went on the run, but I don't want the poor kids to be alone any longer. As well, could you send my family, as well as the families of my soldiers, to the Myriad Existences Sect if they want to go?"

"I thought you'd ask, and the families, possessions, and pets of you and all those who left with you are in my World Ring, ready to follow the decisions their family members make. I spent a lot of time preparing to clean up the mess that damn brat made, and was actually on my way to visit you to discuss what to do when she took the opportunity to ambush you."

He waved his hand, and a bunch of animals, people, and Spatial Storage Bags poured out of the ring.Two older mortals and a young boy with an aura at 2nd layer Mist Sea, all three resembling Regulus, ran over, as well as two young birds that resembled the manifestations Regulus had used during his fight.

The birds began to rub against his legs,making excited coos and caws, and then switched to using recognizable words

"Papa, Papa! Khet and Waasi and Gramma and Granpda and Uncle Felix missed Papa!" The Bennu, which I was 100% sure it was by the small bits of fire she was breathing and her crane-like appearance.

The Thunderbird, which looked a lot like an oversized purple and blue eaglet, was crying. I hadn't known birds had tear ducts, but he definitely did. He stuttered. "P-papa.. Papa no leave Waasi and Khet again, kay?"

"I promise, alright? I'll only ever leave you behind if a mission is too dangerous for you, so train hard OK? Waasigan, you're a thunderbird, so you're gonna grow up big and strong, just like Khet will, and maybe then you two will be strong enough that I'm the one you'll protect." Regulus Septimus smiled, picking up the two human-toddler sized birds and cuddling them.After about two minutes, they climbed onto his shoulders, and his parents and brother closed in for a group hug. Even to someone like me, who was pretending to be a lot tougher and colder than I was, their reunion was obviously emotional and I held back tears as similar situations happened all around. It seemed all these former soldiers had decided to join our sect, which would actually be pretty useful and help us expand our operations by a good bit.

I was pretty sure the old folks would get together later, and discuss an alliance , with today's events being part of the reason. After all, it's a lot easier to paint it as an exchange of talent with an ally than losing defecting soldiers to a neutral party or enemy, which would make the people believe their leaders were cruel or inept, or both. After a bunch of laughter and happy tears, the people prepared to follow us back to the sect.

Regulus and his troops approached our group, as we gathered and prepared to lead everyone home.

"We have something to say, and I think we all want to say it together." He waved his arms at the group behind him.

In unison,as if they'd practiced, the words "Thank you for treating us like we were good people with good reasons to do what we did!' came out of their mouths. I didn't quite realize how cruel the world could be at that time, so I thought treating people who turned out to be good people as if they were good people was no big deal. I understand now how much that meant to them, and how scared they'd all been that we might turn on them or kill them at any time, and how safe they felt once they learned that General Quintus Maximus Optimus had interceded for their sake and our sect had decided to help them. We simply nodded and then bowed, as if to say it was just part of doing our duty.

In the end, I think it was. After all, if the purpose of a sect isn't to help and defend people and punish or rehabilitate evil, and to provide governance,then why gather together all that power and those resources in the first place? If the purpose of doing something like that is just to do it, then it's not just wasteful, you're letting the people you're supposed to defend down. Cultivation came into this world as a gift to us, to protect ourselves and what matters to us, so to treat it as something to control and oppress others with is wrong. I didn't realize, then, how many people disagreed and would use their power selfishly or for evil. After all, even if I was smart and well read, I was still a twelve year old kid,and I wanted to think the world was a good, safe place for people to be in. But seeing this happen strengthened my resolve to make the world the place I believed it was and thought it should be, cause I'd already seen how the world could be unfair , but not how cruel and inhuman people could be.

Well, I'd seen that Aelia woman go on her entitled brat rampage, and done something stupid and mean when i was younger myself, but I thought things were much kinder and sweeter than they were. Eventually, I'd be disabused of that notion, but I was still an idealistic kid who carried the dream I put so much time and care into even now.