Green Forest, Outskirts of Avion,
Soaring Eagle
The strong northerly winds, could not pass through the dense forest, nonetheless , the winds blew and blew against the dark woods much the same as a battering ram would ram a castle's gate. From an aerial view of the green forest, some trails could be seen, twisting and turning, on one such trail, a man walked leisurely, but every step he took covered many meters.
'It has been a year since I last came.'
The man had a pointy gray beard, a face with a few wrinkles, and his twinkling blue eyes hid a deep sadness that seemed to fade as you looked closer.
'Twenty years, and I still can't forget. In this life, you are the only one I will ever love Zhelan-ji. Back then, I would not have stopped until everyone suffered as I did, but now.' He glanced at his wrinkled hands. 'I am not that brazen and young anymore, If only I cou…'
Suddenly, the old man glanced up. Not too far from him, a child was sitting down, meditating. What surprised the man was the perfect control of his inner energy, Qi. A slight white-mist surrounded the boy's body.
In one step he was a few meters behind the child. Looking at the boys back, he began to wonder.
"What do you want Old Man?"
Feeling the use of Soaring View , the old man thought 'He must be of the Soaring Eagle Clan. Really good for such a young age. He can't be more than 8 or 9 years old and already at Qi Condensation Realm! '
"Who is your master boy? Daegan? How is the old fool?"
Turning around with an incredulous face, the boy replied "Who? Are you talking about Old Perv? Or what are you talking about Old Man? "
The expression set him back a little. "Certainly, you are from Soaring Eagle Clan my boy?"
The kid stared back blankly. "First of all, I am no one's boy, I am an orphan. Secondly, why would I join something so cynical?"
"Haha, Now I know who told you to say that. You sound just like Lady Cui! Is that what you believe? " The old man chuckled.
The boy looked uncomfortable, as if he didn't know his opinion, or no one had asked it before. He had long silky-black hair and hazel eyes, his flawless pale skin, now had a hint of pink, the white mist dispersed as if a wind blew it away, no trace left behind, as the boy scratched the back of his head.
"I, I don't know... How do you know Lady Cui Old Man? I have never seen you before."
"Answer me this and I'll answer yours, How did you know I was behind you? And that I was an old man, cough cough, in my middle years?"
"That's easy old man, I was practicing 'Soaring View' while meditating and I felt you before I saw you moving closer, you shine brightly like a star." Cael's expression changed from amicable to serious in the blink of an eye. "Who are you Old Man? I have never seen anyone shine so brightly."
"Well, first tell me your name so I can stop calling you boy."
"My name is Cael old man, how do you know Grandma Cui? I mean Lady Cui, you won't tell her I said that right?" The child asked worriedly.
"No, I won't, if you tell me how did you learned what you were just doing."
"I don't know, Old Perv told me it was a clan secret, and not to tell anyone."
"Think about it Cael, do you want Lady Cui to be angry? And Old, ah , Old Perv is not going to find out that you told me."
"That's true, okay, I'll tell you, but you promise not to tell Grandma Cui? Okay, it's a promise! Well, you see I love walking in the forest, it is just to boring staying in that orphanage. One day I was coming back from walking at night time, I was a bit scared Grandma Cui would get angry at me, it was dark outside, and she gets angry when we play until late."
Taking a deep breath before continuing. "Anyways Old Man, as I sneaked myself through the back baths, I saw an Old Perv peeping at the baths, Lady Cui was taking a bath, she had told us boys and girls are not supposed to be in the same bath. I was going to tell Grandma Cui, but the Old Perv saw me. We eventually made a deal, he would say that I was with him , and he also taught me, um what was it called?" Cael scratched his head, trying hard to recall a memory.
"I don't remember the name, it basically allows you to see very cool lights around you and inside people. But it doesn't do anything else, the Old Perv is a little slow, it took him a while to teach me something else, I told him I would tell Lady Cui. After that, whenever he would come, he would teach me something , haha." Cael grinned from ear to ear. "Last year, he taught me 'Soaring View' and how to meditate better. The was Priest Michael told us to meditate is too boring, time goes by very slow!"
The old man was surprised, not only was the boy a bit mischievous, no , what was impressive was the fact that he learned a technique that was taught only to inner disciples, and only the most apt of disciples could learn it.
"Cael, why are you meditating here?"
"Why? Because there is no one to bother me here, well, besides you Old Man."
He did not know if he should laugh or keep a straight face at that. "Well ahem, I meant, why do you meditate? What is your goal or purpose?"
"As in dream Old Man? Why do you have to say weird words, just say your dream." Cael huffed before continuing as he looked up at the sky. "I want to be strong, strong enough to make all those faces full of pity look at me in awe instead. Strong enough to protect my home." Cael blocked the sun with his hand as he slowly made a fist.
Cael looked back at the old man. "That, that is my dream Old Man!"
"Hahaha, I am sorry I am not laughing at you , I promise, you just remind me of someone, haha." The old man was bent over in laughter, he hadn't laugh so much in years, so much that a tear rolled down his left cheek, before sliding off his beard and smacking the grass below.
"I am going to visit Lady Cui, do you want to come with me Cael?"
"Well, I might as well, it is very boring sitting around." Cael stood up as he started heading down the trail, dusting off his green pants.
The old man chuckled once more before heading in the same direction, looking at the boys back, he remembered a time he was young and naive.
'I won't let you be like me boy.'
Cael turned back. "Hey Old Man, you never told me your name."
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"You have not come visit in over a year, a year! And the first thing you ask, is about one of my children? Mmh? Well speak! Or do you want me to make you speak?" A tiny middle-aged lady holding a wooden spoon with one hand on her hipped demanded.
"Ah Lady Cui, I, I , came over here to see you, I took time off to come."
"Oh, so you are very important you had to MAKE time to see me? Huh? You shouldn't have come then! Why bother? Just leave, shoo, get out." Lady Cui motioned with the wooden spoon before walking back into the kitchen.
The old man sighed as he followed her into the kitchen, extending his hand into the empty air in a grasping motion, a basket appeared as if magic was used. A black ring in his forefinger seemed to reflect light for a second , before becoming a regular black ring again, devoid of light.
Lady Cui had his back to him as she stirred a big pot on top of a fire. "Just put the basket on that table, and wash your hands! Food is almost ready."
The old man placed the basket where he was told, and obediently marched to the bucket of water outside the kitchen.
Once he came back from cleaning his hands, he wondered how he should start the conversation.
"Cael was found full of soot and starving, the poor boy didn't even remember a thing. He was dazed and just kept repeating his name, holding it like a plank to keep him from drowning. We don't know where he is from, just his name and his ability to learn like a sponge. I have never seen the like." She stopped stirring the pot as turned her black eyes at him.
"Not even you were like that. If you are going to take him, it will be on him, hopefully he might have a happier life with you." Her eyes watered as she turned to continue stirring.
"Just like Adael once had." She said softly.
She paused her stirring once more to grab a small box hidden underneath the stove. She opened it with care, and pulled out a necklace. "He did have this with him." She said as she handed him the necklace.
It had a small detailed pendant of a black dragon, coiling to the right. The old man inspected it from every angle.
"Now get out of my kitchen, I have to finish preparing and you are in the way!"
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Cael was enjoying some of the food he stole from the kitchen, while seating on a top branch in a tree. He mumbled angrily as he chewed on the food.
"Train this, Do that! Fifty pushups! Why doesn't he do it!"
Cael had been in the nation of White Tiger for the past two years, it was cold most of the year, but bearable except on winter when it snowed nonstop. He had expected a life of luxury at first, but all he kept doing was training and training, he hated it. He had only advanced to late stage from early stage, he was still in the Qi condensation realm. His master had promised he would become powerful.
"That lying old man. Him, and Uncle Tian, good thing Uncle Tian is easy to trick." He laughed a little as he took another bite out of a chicken's leg.
"Instead of practicing like you said you would, you are here eating Young Master."
Hearing the voice below him, Cael chocked on the chicken. "Cough, Cough. Uncle Tian! You almost killed me!"
"Good, maybe I won't have to follow you all day to make sure you are doing what you are supposed to and not slacking off, Young Master."
Uncle Tian, as Cael called him, was a skinny man in his late 40s, he was assigned to him by his master when he first came to White Tiger.
"Now come here Young Master, you have to finish your training."
"No, I don't want to! Why don't you do it yours-" before he finished his sentence, Uncle Tian appeared next to him before dragging him down to the ground.
"AH, ah , stop don't pull my ears Uncle Tian, stop! You'll make them bigger! Stop, I don't want to look like a donkey, I'll go , I'll go!"
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Cael slowly inch himself forward, suppressing his Qi, hiding his presence. Taking measured breaths, he continued inch by inch as he reached the cliff's edge. Releasing a breath slowly he didn't know he was holding. Peering over the edge he glanced at the river below, before slowly following with his gaze upstream.
He could hear giggling and water splashing from his position, as a perverted smirk marred his handsome young face. Cael spied the first one, but alas, only her head could be seen, as the rest of her lay beneath the water. 'Just a bit more.' He moved one inch forward slowly.
"So this is where you where." A voice whispered next to his ear.
Cael jumped from the scare, quickly covering his mouth before any sound came out. Hearing one of the girls say "Did you hear something?" He ducked farther back, as he glanced next to him.
"Second brother, I- I was making sure they were safe from harm." Cael whispered in embarrassment. His second brother scared him, he was always training, just looking at his 6' 4" body full of muscle, and his face that never showed any expression, it would scared the most bravest martial artists!
"I know what you were really doing you were trying to get a look at the girls bathing, and I told you not to call me that. I might be the second disciple of master, but as brothers, you and I , just call me by my name Qian."
Holding up a hand to silence Cael. Qian said. "Don't lie to me Cael. I think it is time I give you this two books. Once you are finished with this two, come and look for me for more." Qian handed him two books from his ring, before disappearing as if he was never there to begin with.
Cael had his mouth open, he had been expecting a reprimand from his second brother, but all he got was books. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, he glanced at the title of the books.
'The Art of Peace' Was the title for the top book.
"Art of peace? What do I want with that?" Hoping for a better book, he glanced at the other one.
'Annals of Light Sects and Dark Sects'
"What? I hate reading , and history books? That's even worse!"