Chapter 80: Who is he?

He did not mean to fall asleep again.

He was looking at the ceiling thinking about where he was and what resources he had. Then the ceiling was gone and the white was back and when he returned the light through the shutters had moved significantly.

Cold tea on the floor beside the sleeping mat.

He sat up. Registered that several hours had passed. Heard the voices outside.

Below, on the platform where the path widened before it descended into the cloud sea. Loud enough to carry through the walls.

He stood.

The main room was empty. The door to the outside was open.

He went through it and stopped at the hall’s entrance.

Morning mist drifted below the floating peak, slow and white, layered across the cloud sea like something that had been there since before the mountain existed. Spirit cranes moved through it far below, their calls arriving faint and clean. Wind bells chimed from the hall’s eaves behind him.

On the platform below: six men and the two sisters.

He was barefoot. His hair was still from sleep. He was wearing clothes nobody on this mountain would recognize as belonging to any sect or region.

Status.

Nothing.

System.

Nothing.

He looked at the platform.

The one doing the talking stood slightly in front of the others. Well-dressed for a merchant. Heavy silk, southern cut, an expensive jade ring on his right hand that he turned slowly between his thumb and index finger as he spoke. He had not raised his voice once. He was smiling.

"The debt was your father’s," he said pleasantly. "Your father is dead. The debt transfers. Very standard." The ring turned once. "Seals. Paper. Such fragile things." The ring turned again. "I prefer to settle matters in person. Much cleaner."

"Come before the magistrate then," Rui said. "We will settle it there."

"The magistrate." He looked at her. "That would take months. I am a busy man."

He nodded once.

One of the six stepped forward and took Rui’s arm.

Wei’s hand went to her sword.

"I would not," the merchant said, ring still turning. "Six against two. On a mountain with no sect affiliation, no elder present." He tilted his head. "Who would know."

Wei’s stance shifted. Her fingers tightened around the sword hilt.

The merchant raised his free hand toward her.

The six closed inward.

Itsuki stepped forward.

His hand came up.

No.

The air bent.

A blue line split the space between the merchant’s raised hand and Wei’s face. Then the flame unfolded from it. Silent, no heat in the stone beneath their feet, no smoke. Blue fire in the space where contact had been about to happen.

The merchant’s smile disappeared.

The jade ring stopped turning.

His shadow moved. The edges of it burning blue before the fire had touched any part of him at all.

Then the sleeve caught.

He looked at his hand.

He looked at the flame.

He took one involuntary step backward.

"...What," he said.

One of the six, very quietly: "That is not spirit flame."

Another: "Run."

The merchant stood looking at the blue fire, the ring still, the smile gone.

Rui blinked once.

"...Well," she said. "That was new."

Wei’s pupils had narrowed. She was looking past the merchant now, past the flame, past the six men who had stopped closing.

The flame held for five seconds.

Then it went out.

The merchant looked at his shadow.

He looked at Itsuki.

He turned without another word.

The six followed. Quickly.

The platform was quiet.

Itsuki lowered his hand and turned his fingers over slowly.

Nothing there.

Status.

Nothing.

System.

Nothing.

That was not Hell’s Fire.

I did not cast anything.

Then what just answered.

Wei was watching him.

"Are you all right," Rui said, to him specifically.

He turned to her arm.

"Are you," he said.

She rotated it. "Yes."

She looked at the space where the flame had been, then at him.

"Wei," she said.

"I see," Wei said.

"He saved us," Rui said.

"He did something," Wei said. "I do not know yet what it was."

"Those are the same thing."

"They are not," Wei said.

Itsuki turned to the cloud sea.

The sky above it was the wrong shade. Just different from every sky he had stood under before.

He thought about whether Veyra could see this one. Wherever she was now that the seal was gone. He hoped she was alive enough to wonder.

He looked away.

"Come inside," Rui said.

"He should not be inside," Wei said.

"He is already inside. He has been inside since yesterday. You put him there."

Wei said nothing.

"He is barefoot," Rui said. "On a stone platform. In the morning cold."

She started toward the hall without waiting.

Itsuki followed.

Wei stayed on the platform for one more moment, watching the space where the blue flame had held in the air.

Then she followed them inside.

The hall was warm. Rui moved to the stove and began heating water. The wind bells outside chimed once and were quiet.

Wei sat across from where Itsuki had stopped.

She studied his hand. Then his face.

"Who are you," she said.

He looked at her.

"Where are you from," she said.

"...."

[Host Mana Reserves Critical.]

[Entering Hibernation Mode.]

***

He did not mean to fall asleep again.

He was looking at the ceiling thinking about where he was and what resources he had. Then the ceiling was gone and the white was back and when he returned the light through the shutters had moved significantly.

Cold tea on the floor beside the sleeping mat.

He sat up. Registered that several hours had passed. Heard the voices outside. Below, on the platform where the path widened before it descended into the cloud sea. Loud enough to carry through the walls. He stood.

***

[The Quest Has Begun.]

[Objective Updated.]

[Reward: ???]

[Sub Quest Accepted.]

Objective: Acquire your first understanding of Qi. Complete one successful Qi circulation.

[Reward: Sin Ink ×100

Host Adaptation Progress +5%]