Chapter 2013 - 144 - 152

Chapter 144: Phylactery Stone

The Wine Master shook his head in response to the Doctor's query. "I'm not sure. What is clear was that the power radiating from it was intense. Even under strain from my Singularity, it was raising shields to protect itself. Keep an eye on that bit – even the small piece feels like it's full of life. Jewelry Master, tell us what happened here."

Lan Jue's voice was deep and thoughtful. "From what I've gathered after these few hours, I don't believe these beasts are from Taihua. They must have come from elsewhere. How they got here I can't say. The mist they release is destructive, but it doesn't destroy life – it devours it. They use the life force they steal to replenish themselves. The key to their enormous power and size was Taihua itself, and the sheer amount of animals and plants they could sap for strength. The one we just killed was likely their maker. It somehow released eggs across the planet, then used the surrounding life force to keep producing."

"Your most pressing concern should be yourself," the Doctor interjected. "How much longer do you suspect your body can hold out?"

Lan Jue plucked the golden mask from his face. "I have no idea," he said through a tight smile. "I can't tell you the state of my body. Before now I wasn't recovered from an injury. I was at perhaps forty percent of my capabilities. After only a few hours of combat, I was nearly spent. I also hadn't brought any recovery gems. I just had to keep going. Later I used the forbidden art 1 to temper and control the power the decoction granted me. The higher levels of energy needed to maintain it are staving off the decoction's effects.

The Wine Master addressed the Doctor. "Just tell us what needs to be done."

"Well, first we need to get back to ground," he said. "Right now we're all in danger. His powers could spiral out of control at any moment. You keep him in check." The Doctor's face was hard and serious. The undulating electric powers that raced through Lan Jue prevented him from doing any sort of examination.

"Wait a moment." An azure light flashed from above, depositing Thor directly behind Lan Jue. The mecha was swallowed in to Thor's Promise. Only then did Lan Jue indicate to the Wine Master that he was ready.

The old man waved his scepter. In the next instant, they vanished without a trace.

The world flashed around them several times before they were deposited to ground. Lan Jue's body had still not reverted from his Ascension. As before he was still towering over the others, and emitting a dazzling golden light. Erratic bolts of lightning snaked over his body.

"How are you feeling," the Doctor asked.

"Pretty crappy." Lan Jue smirked. "It feels like my body's energies will slip out of control at any moment."

"Yup, that's about right. One of the Fantascia Genetica Decoction's frightening aspects is it's variability. It effects people differently, and the stronger the adept the stronger the reaction. The potency of the energies it stimulates are also enhanced. You already possess a ninth level Talent, and so the decoction has granted you powers equivalent to a Paragon. However your body can't sustain that amount of power. Not even close. If you're going to survive this, we need to drain this excess energy immediately. But this method is extremely dangerous – by it's nature it's very difficult to control an entire energy dump. It could end up totally consuming you. Right down to your life force. Hell, even if you make it I can't say what kind of damage your body will have sustained." Hesitation was clear in the Doctor's eyes as he finished.

Lan Jue didn't appear interested in discussing consequences. He just smiled. "I knew what I was getting in to when I took the decoction. If I live through this it's already better than I anticipated. Alright, just tell me what I need to do."

The Doctor stared fixedly at the enormous Lan Jue. "I really don't like you. You know that, right?"

Lan Jue cracked a grin. "Is it because I'm more handsome than you are?"

"Bullshit," the Doctor spat. "Handsome as a pig's butt-crack. If you hadn't shown up, then management of the Avenue's power gems undoubtedly would have fallen to me. I'd be Skyfire Avenue's Jewelry Master. Worse, after you showed up the Beautician stopped calling me so much. Said you had more class than I did. You can't understand how infuriating that is. Only now, seeing you like this, all I can say is the Clairvoyant made the right decision. I'll get no relief for my sense of justice, but I'll do right by my sense of duty. Now lie down."

Lan Jue rubbed his nose and laid down on the ground. "Why does it feel like you're giving me the 'friendzone' speech." 2

"Shut the hell up," the Doctor ordered. "At this point you're lucky to be alive. I expect ten percent off all future power gem purchases just coming to this hellish house call."

Lan Jue broke in to laughter. "You got it."

"And a bottle of Romanee-Conti if you live," he finished, walking to Lan Jue's side.

"And when will you expect payment?"

"Immediately. Suffering that damned interspacial transfer has it's price. Bottle of conti, no arguments."

"How am I supposed to get you one?"

"Not my problem," the Wine Master piped up. "So you better live. You also have yet to go with me for that bottle we discussed. Some gentleman you are."

"I'll need your help," the Doctor said, speaking to the Wine Master. "I can't get past his body's defenses. Once an opening is established to drain the energy, it'll also need to be controlled. We'll need to guide it, then at the precisely right moment stem the flow. We need to get it just right – too little and the power will kill him. Too much and we'll drain his vital force."

"Alright, just let me know what needs doing and when."

The Doctor hesitated, then fumbled at his collar. He pulled out a necklace, and removed it from around his neck. The swinging pendant strung on it was a purple gemstone that twinkled with a gentle inner light.

Lan Jue's business was power gems, so his eyes lit up in interest as they fell upon the pendant. "Is that a phylactery stone?"

The Doctor frowned. "Of course it is, stop wasting your breath. You better pay me back for it, too! Any equivalent level power gem will do. But another phylactery would be nice."

Lan Jue looked the young man in the eye and nodded.

Phylactery stones were c-ranked gems. Of all the known gems, their energy storage capacity was the greatest. Their energy stores were enough to power a command ship for an entire year. It wasn't the rarest or most precious of the c-ranked gems, but it certainly was one of the most useful. Were a mecha's core gem a phylactery, it could keep up constant battle status for one or two years nonstop.

Of course it's rarity as in line with what one would expect for a c-ranked gem. They were only found on a small planet in the Northern Alliance. It took a hundred tones of the raw mineral to produce a single gem. The small planet only really had about a million tons available for refinement, so once all was said and done there would only be around ten thousand of these gemstones in circulation. A total of ten kilograms. But those ten kilos of gems could run a star bastion – though it wouldn't, it was far too extravagant and wasteful. The North carefully regulated their sale and use.

The one clutched in the Doctor's hand was perhaps thirty grams. It's price couldn't be measured in simple cash.

"Left hand, in the palm. Cut a cross." The Doctor was stern and serious as he spoke to the Wine Master.

Lan Jue opened his hand, and the Wine Master's scepter shined as it shrunk in to the form of a glimmering silver knife. The blade was only seven inches long, with a brilliantly shining surface. However if one were to look closely, they'd see threads of black interwoven with the silver. The opposing colors spun around one another, drawing the eye with their mesmerizing dance.

Lan Jue was keeping the tumultuous powers within him at bay, but not for long. Already the edges of his vision were growing dark. Soon, only the Doctor remained in a world of darkness.

The Wine Master's hand moved with a quick flick of the wrist. A silver cross appeared, stark against Lan Jue's golden palm.

The Doctor sucked in his breath. A bluish-green light flooded out and around him, filling the area with vitality. His right hand fiddled with the phylactery stone, then carefully pressed it against the cross-shaped slice. He turned his head and nodded at the Wine Master.

"Tear." The old man's voice was clear, but quiet. Lan Jue's left hand suddenly shook and the silver cross vanished, replaced with a sudden and violent burst of energy.

The Doctor pressed the gem against Lan Jue's palm with all his strength. Golden blood flowed from around the gem's corners, splattering against the Doctor's white coat. Where the droplets landed, they quickly began to fire off bolts of electricity. The Doctor began to shake and convulse from the shocks.

The Wine Master was at his side in an instant. He clapped a hand down on the young man's shoulder, and a pale silver light wrapped around him like a protective membrane. The slithering arcs of electricity danced over the surface but did no further damage. Still the Doctor trembled, recovering after a few moments.

As he did, the gemstone pressed against Lan Jue's hand had started to undergo a strange change of it's own. It's faint light had expanded in to a glimmering halo that radiated out from it. By virtue of the stone, the spurts of golden blood quickly slowed and stopped. It was acting as a sort of cork to stop up the wound.

The stone began to flicker, casting off sparks of light that appeared and vanished around them. It thrummed and flashed like it had a life of it's own. As they watched, it began to fill with a golden light.

The Doctor released a sigh, no longer shaking from his shock. "Jewelry Master, right now you and the gem have established a link. Phylacteries are strange stones, with the ability to join with almost any form of life. It fuses with anything that possesses a genetic make up. Once it's fused with the host, it'll begin to absorb any energy released by it and release anything else. As a result every gem can only ever have one master. It's for this reason they're rarely directly used with machinery. They are not alive, and thus can't make a link."

1. This mean his Ascension. I'm not sure this is necessarily 'forbidden' but that's how he describes it. Michael's Adventus is another example.

2. In Chinese this is called 'playing the good guy card' – equivalent to my generation's 'dear john' letter. Oh, you're a good guy and all, but why don't we just be friends.

Chapter 145: Treatment

All s-ranked gemstones were, by their nature, mysterious. Only those with a talent in understanding them were ever able to glimpse their true capabilities. Lan Jue lay upon the ground, and though able to move remained still and listened to the Doctor's explanation. 1

And his blood flowed from the open wound, he felt his body begin to relax. The Phylactery's stones pulsing energies were gentle and soothing, and in fact he felt no discomfort with the process.

Gradually, the internal light of the stone changed to a shimmering gold. It had begun with flecks of gold, and they melded together as the stone drank up Lan Jue's flooding energies.

"Alright, good. Now just focus your discipline in to the stone. Infuse as much as you possible can. Eventually it'll become as part of your body. When you've recovered, the energies inside will begin to be absorbed back in to you." The Doctor spoke over his patient as the process continued.

Lan Jue just nodded. He focused his efforts of moving the unstable energies of his discipline in to the phylactery.

In the beginning he was hesitant to release too much in to the stone too quickly for fear it couldn't support it. However soon he discovered he'd underestimated the power gem's capabilities. No matter how much of his excess powers he flooded in to it, it vanished like salt in the sea waves. The gem swallowed as much as he gave, insatiable. He likened it like the vast emptiness of space.

This caused Lan Jue to breathe a sigh of relief. He let his constraints slip, let his control relax, so that his power could flow at its own pace. His body shone with a fierce golden light that brightened as his power flared.

The Wine Master looked a little apprehensive as he spoke to the Doctor. "How will you know when his power is sufficiently drained in to the stone? How much experience do you have with this?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I only know how to keep him from dying. The effect all of this will have on his body, we'll only know when the process is done. We'll need to do another examination then to know the full extent of the damage. A ninth level Talent, the Genetica, a sudden catapult to Paragon, not to mention his previous injuries… it doesn't look good. Thunderbolt Disciplines are among the fiercest of abilities. It would be best to mentally prepare yourself for the worst.

The Cosmagus sighed. "Do what you can. The Jewelry Master suffered this while saving Taihua and its tourists. It was damn heroic, so we'll do whatever it takes."

The Doctor responded with a sigh of his own. "I must say he's earned my admiration. I can't say I'd have done the same if our roles were reversed. I guess my strengths lie in self-preservation instead of blind bravery. I certainly wouldn't have had the stupidity and courage to effectively commit suicide and take Genetica to do it."

Lan Jue's weak voice wafted up towards them. "Even your compliments sound like curses."

The Doctor smirked. "No one ever said anything about compliments. Tell me with a straight face you're not a total moron. Didn't you give any thought to the consequences?"

Lan Jue laughed quietly. "Actually if our roles were reversed I'm not sure you'd have run like you claim. If you'd have been here to see that monster shooting down airships, to see our compatriots slaughtered, used as food for the creatures, you'd see differently. Something like that really opens your eyes!"

The Doctor stuck a big thumbs-up under Lan Jue's nose. "You win. Now shut up and concentrate. Laughter you won't be laughing."

Lan Jue's expression changed as the Doctor's words were confirmed. His expanded body began to shrink back down as the power racing through him was drained away.

The Wine Master's body shook as he looked on. He knew this meant Lan Jue no longer had the necessary power to sustain Paragon status. But he couldn't stop now, he had to keep draining the explosive power of his discipline otherwise he would be destroyed by it.

"Draw back just a bit," the Doctor ordered. He knelt again at Lan Jue's side and held him down with both hands. Once more that gentle green light flowed through him to the Jewelry Master until he glowed as well.

With each passing moment that his powers were draining, Lan Jue felt that danger receding. He felt as though he were stepping back from a precipice. There wasn't any pain anymore, just… emptiness. Like he was just a shell, like he didn't exist.

Lan Jue's smile was forced, for the situation he faced was even worse than he'd anticipated. Sometimes, it wasn't pain that was to be feared. Sometimes the absence of pain was the most frightening thing.

The phylactery continued to flash, though now sparks of electricity danced on its faceted surface. As Lan Jue's powers waned, he felt his control slipping as well. He was finding it more difficult to direct the flow outward. But the process continued, and after half an hour his body returned to its normal size. The golden tint to his skin had vanished somewhat earlier.

Lan Jue's vitality was weakening. Lying on the ground, he felt it. His face was pale. Not like a man's, but like frost over a statue. His eyes rolled shut when he no longer possessed the strength to keep them open.

Yet the Phylactery Stone did not dim or weaken. On the contrary, it was growing brighter, more vibrant. The stone had buried itself in Lan Jue's palm almost entirely. Only a small part of it remained visible, twinkling furiously. With as much energy as it was drinking from Lan Jue, their connection was powerful.

The Doctor looked on, his face dark. The purgative and healing energies released by his hands had changed. It was no longer a simple green ray, and was instead now an exuberant jadeite. Steam arose from the top of his head, and he was covered in sweat. He didn't look too good, himself.

The Wine Master just stood at the Doctor's side. In this situation, he couldn't help. All he could do was watch and wait. Only Disciplines that lay in a similar vein could support another.

The Doctor's face was hard, a chiseled mask of concentration. "His condition is worse than I anticipated. The Genetica triggered the very core of his abilities, and it's more potent than I've ever encountered. It was evaporating his bold. Any later and I'm afraid he'd have been boiled from the inside. We're not out of the woods yet, either. His organs are still in danger of being burnt and torn apart. His meridians are bordering on total fracture. Only his bones are managing, leaving about a hundred and sixty-three unscathed. The damage he's endured from this is incredible!"

"Is there anything we can do," the Wine Master asked.

"All I can do now if employ my greatest healing abilities. Perhaps they will be enough to help keep his organs and meridians from being completely obliterated. At the same time, I can instigate hematopoietic functions and try to bring it back to homeostasis. Bone fractures will be the easiest to handle. But meridians… there are simply too many in the body 2 and as they break they're like a bowl of noodles in there. Trying to connect them all together again is too difficult. The best I can do is ensure the most important meridians remain intact. Even if he lives, I'm afraid he'll likely end up disabled…"

The Wine Master was well aware of the Doctor's healing capabilities. Hearing the prognosis, his face was bleak.

Ah Clairvoyant… surely it doesn't mean your Visions were wrong? Or maybe someone changed fate. This is already past the point of just appearing dire. If the Doctor really is unable to cure him, then he…

Two aquamarine gemstones had appeared in the Doctor's hands. He placed one in the center of Lan Jue's chest, and the other in his own mouth. Almost instantly the gems began to glow.

An hour passed. The Doctor sat beside his patient, legs crossed, recovering his own powers as he meditated. Lan Jue remained where he was, his skin still pale as snow. The gem on his chest pulsed slowly with his heartbeat.

After an hour of rest, the Doctor stirred and continued the treatment. To him, the man laid out on the floor looked like a human-shaped jigsaw puzzle. It was as though everything within him was fractured as shifted. He would have to be practically rebuilt. It was an enormously difficult process and, had he not immediately employed vast amounts of bioenergy to support the Jewelry Master, he'd likely already be dead.

As they toiled below, the skies over Taihua were gradually clearing. The grey fog that concealed them was dissipating before the sun.

ζ

With a moan, a massive ship broke through Taihua's atmosphere and barreled towards the ground. The East's first contingent of relief troops were inbound.

The ship descended until it was a thousand meters over land, then stopped to hover. The doors opened and several figures issued forth. They fell to earth like dark petals. Or perhaps more accurately, like a dredging net.

They were mechas, and they towered a frightening fifty meters. Each one pulsed with powerful energies. Mechas were separated into many sorts, with different systems. Ten mechas constituted one unit, and the way they fell to earth in perfect formation gave testament to their high battle prowess. The moment they made landfall, they spread out and got to work.

Shrill cries and plumes of purple smoke dotted Taihua. Once the sea creature had been dealt with, the monsters had stopped multiplying. They were being eradicated. Their fate was sealed once their nest was destroyed.

Mo Yu piloted his own mecha, a Mammoth 444 Suit, racing at the front of his unit. The Mammoth 444 was the Eastern Alliance's National Defense mecha system, and every unit had one as the heart of their team.

They were the core defensive unit, the best the East had to offer. They were the pinnacle of mecha research and possessed every weapon they could bolt on to it. Infantry dreadnaughts, and everything that stood in their way was annihilated.

1. Here I think the author made a typo, since he described this gem as a c-ranked gem in the previous chapter. In my estimation it's meant to be S-ranked.

2. Not really. There are twelve normal meridians, eight extra meridians, and some divergent meridians. Doctor needs to bone up on his Traditional Chinese Medicine!

Chapter 146:Gold 3rd Grade

Two V-Class Swordsmen mechas followed the Mammoth III. These were the melee arm of the unit. Six V-class gunner suits and a white Aegis III were in tow.

Together they comprised an average assault force. A recon unit would likely have replaced their more combat-oriented mechas for other sorts. At present there were ten or so common mecha unit configurations, and the mechas for each alliance didn't differ terribly from one alliance to another.

"Captain, according to satellite imagery the two kilometers thirty degrees to our left are experiencing energy fluctuations. Moreover, the map captures are hazy."

Mo Yu confirmed the information. "Forward, battle formation," he ordered. As the present Emperor-Class pilot, he was the unit's leader. He also bore all the responsibility for their success or failure, and the lives of those in his team. The two V-Class Swordsmen mechas followed behind him in an inverted wing. The others remained a few steps back, the gunners surrounding the Aegis III. As they moved forward, the mechas scanned in all directions, on alert for foes.

They moved inexorably further through the tree cover. For a mecha unit, two kilometers amounted to nothing. As they barreled through the jungle, the trees suddenly parted. Mo Yu didn't need radar to see the two – no, three – people by the water's edge.

What was that green light? They weren't monsters, certainly, so the light must be a result of a Discipline.

"Citizens, immediately identify yourselves. Do it now." Mo Yu's voice boomed at them through the Mammoth III's speakers.

The air rung with the sound of metal as the swordsmen drew their titanium alloy blades. They took up positions on either side of the small group. The gunners hoisted their laser rifles and pointed them at the strangers. The appearance of the ten towering mechas made the scene at the water's edge far more tense.

"We're from Skyfire Avenue." The deep voice rang in the ears of each soldier, as though someone were speaking directly to them in their cockpits. They each were taken aback by the voice, Mo Yu included. Two of the gunners were startled enough to almost accidentally discharge their weapons.

Skyfire Avenue? Mo Yu was of course aware of the place. He was about to continue his line of questioning when a silver light blinded him, cutting him off. The Mammoth II had an impressively thick alloy hull, and yet despite this there appeared in his cockpit a floating emblem that shone before his eyes.

Mo Yu had done his time, he'd been around the proverbial block. He knew what he was looking at. "Interdimensional Discipline."

The oval medallion was a deep maroon, but as it dropped in to Mo Yu's hand ten threads of golden light snaked out from within it. They were bright, powerful, but held no danger. The signal fluctuations were striking.

The master control unit of the Mammoth III sparked to life, delivering its report. "Identity verified: Gold 3rd Grade Military Official."

Gold 3rd Grade?

Mo Yu was nearly struck dumb by the realization. Like any military organization, the East had their own internal military ranking system. The lowest ranking military officers were designated 'Iron'. Acting Second Lieutenants were Iron 1st Grade, First Lieutenants Iron 2nd Grade, and Captains were 3rd Grade. Copper Grade came next, then Silver. Only upper level commanders were Gold.

Single-Planet Generals were Gold 1st Grade. Fleet Admirals were Gold 2nd Grade. Defense Secretaries and the highest generals were Gold 3rd Grade! And this, this was the mark of the Blood-Iron Marshal.

Mecha pilots were the most numerous military personnel in all the three Alliances. Mo Yu himself was only a junior Captain, but had fought his way up to lead his own squadron. He was only a Copper 1st Grade. An infinitely vast difference from Gold 3rd.

Wait, he thought, his heart racing suddenly. Skyfire Avenue! Gold 3rd Grade!

But what did it mean, to have these two together? Denizens of Skyfire Avenue certainly weren't capable of acting as commanders in the armed forces, or Defense Ministers. They weren't even able to work in any higher office. And yet they acted as protectors and defenders of the Alliance.

A Paragon!

This… this must mean one of them in a Paragon! As realization washed over him, the emblem in his grip flashed again, and was gone.

Skyfire. Paragon. Interdimensional power. With those three together, the man's identity became clear.

Mo Yu swallowed hard. His voice rang clear and loud of their dedicated internal channel. "Identity acknowledged, secure our rear. Rescind red alert issued for these three."

The other nine mechas retreated hastily. They turned, almost as one, and directed their murderous focus outward.

The chest plate of the Mammoth II hissed and split open. A simple metal ladder spilled out to get it's pilot to the ground. Mo Yu nimbly slid down the ladder and trotted towards the flashing green light.

"No need to come over," the deep voice curtly commanded.

"Yes, sir!" Mo Yu stopped dead in his tracks. He snapped to attention.

"Eastern Alliance Pilot 34, Captain of the Third Infantry Company's Thirteenth Mechanized Combat Squadron. Squad Leader Mo Yu, reporting for duty!" Mo Yu was rushed, excited. His chest rose and fell with his speedy breath, his cheeks were ruddy.

How could he not be excited? This was a Paragon! As an emperor-class pilot he was naturally an adept himself. Fifth level, to be precise.

He'd learned of the existence of Skyfire Avenue when he was small. The Adept's playground. Home to three Paragons, who protected the Avenue from harm.

Even the Northern Alliance, as powerful as it was, dare not harass the East largely due to these three powerhouses. They were better deterrents than Bastion ships.

A single Paragon's destructive capabilities certainly couldn't match up to a Bastion, however one had to consider the bulk and make-up of a Bastion. Compared to a man? If a Paragon made up their mind to kill someone, their target's only hope was to be a Paragon themselves. It was for this that the presence of Paragons was considered when judging an Alliance's strength.

There were ten known Paragons currently. Seven of them were officially accepted as members of an Alliance – or, rather, there were seven who allowed an Alliance to claim them. They focused their efforts to the betterment of their people, if they so desired.

The North and West boasted two each. But the East, it had three.

Chapter 147: I Can Save Him!

"I must ask you all to clear the area as quickly as possible, don't allow anyone to come near. One of our companions has suffered grievous injury." The Wine Master's voice was calm, deep.

"Absolutely," Mo Yu responded. "Do you need any further assistance, commander?"

"Make this a restricted area."

"As you command."

Mo Yu cast his eyes to the mysterious trio, silently watching them for a moment before running back to his mecha.

His brief glance at the party revealed that there were indeed three of them, but the green light made any further distinguishing characteristics difficult to reveal. Considering the rank of the man he encountered, he didn't dare press for more information, much less try to spy what they were about. To your average Adept, the Paragons were like living gods. – and the three Masters of the Eastern Alliance were their godly protectors. How could he dream of disobeying?

Three hours later.

"The bone fractures are healed. The damage to his aorta and inferior vena cava has also been reversed. I need to rest for a minute, then I'll get started on reestablishing capillary channels. From this point on we'll start seeing some decent recovery. Thankfully the damage from the decoction was centered in his torso and core. The injuries don't appear to spread to the limbs or head. If it had, it would take powers far beyond my own to bring him around."

The Doctor's face was drawn and pale. He was drenched in sweat, as though he'd been fished from the nearby ocean. Wisps of steam emanated from him. With his diagnosis delivered, he immediately settled down to meditate and recover.

Lan Jue remained where he was on the floor. His breath was coming more ragged than it had before, but looking at him no one would guess his life was in danger.

The Wine Master sighed. After all, even though it looked as though they'd be able to pull Zeus from the brink of disaster, total recovery of his health and Talent would be exceedingly difficult. The destructive power of the Fantascia Genetica decoction had mangled him severely, and total recovery wasn't a sure thing. The worst of the damage was to his meridians, which had been fractured and thrown in to chaos. The Doctor had no means of fixing all of those, and putting them right. His energy was flowing now in to the purple phylactery affixed to his palm, and it was the only thing ensuring his explosive Thunderbolt discipline didn't snap back to obliterate the Jewelry Master.

Right now, their greatest hope was that he'd at least recover to the point where he could live a normal, average life. That he wouldn't awaken an invalid.

The Doctor continued his meditations for the space of a couple hours, then continued with his healing regimen.

"And what about you? Are you holding up?" The Wine Master's deep voice wafted towards the Doctor.

The younger man laughed wryly. "Our Jewelry Master sure did a number on himself with that decoction. But if I wasn't able to handle this, how could I ever hope to be a committee member? Look here!" As he spoke, revitalizing tendrils of green light stretched from all ten of his fingers. They buried themselves in his patient's body.

ζ

"A-Li! Heh heh, a fine brother indeed, here to come and greet me. Where's that kid A-Jue?" Chu Cheng's fiery red hair was easily spotted as he made his way from the entrance of the public air hangar. He chuckled mirthfully as he spied Hua Li, all bundled up like a dumpling. He snapped the pretty boy up in a bear hug.

Hua Li shoved the brash young man away with a scowl. "Oh he's just grand, off vacationing on Taihua. He'll be back in a few days."

"Planet Taihua?" Chu Cheng's face blanched.

Hua Li saw the change in expression, shooting his companion a questioning glance. "What is it?"

Chu Cheng's flippant smile melted away. "I heard it on a newscast on my way here. Something happened on Taihua. But come on, A-Jue's strong enough, even injured, to hold his own or even escape if he has to."

"What?" Hua Li's wide eyes were revealed as he snatched the thick sunglasses off his nose. "But he hasn't even halfway recovered!"

"Its fine, I'm sure," Chu Cheng said, though his face still betrayed concern. "He always brings Thor along with him."

Hua Li was already furiously jabbing numbers in to his communicator. His face grew sullen, and he shook his head wordlessly at Chu Cheng before tapping out another number.

"A-Li! Where are you. You know you're supposed to be here rehearsing and readying your voice. Your concert's in a week. This absolutely must be a success." The rough sounds of an angry female voice burst from the instrument on Hua Li's wrist.

"Mo Xiao, listen to me carefully." The singer's voice was tense and constrained, like a volcano about to erupt.

Mo Xiao fell silent, taken aback by his tone. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I need all the latest information about Taihua," he said. "Also, get Poseidon 1 here as soon as you can. This needs to be done at all costs. A-Jue's stuck out there."

"Got it," she said without hesitation.

Hua LI turned his face to look at Chu Cheng. His red haired compatriot's eyes were narrowed, and a cold hard light lived in them. "I'm going with you."

ζ

Seven hours. Seven tense hours where Death loomed close overhead. Finally the Doctor could bear no more and collapsed. The Wine Master was beside him, and grabbed him before he hit the floor. The younger man looked at him with a smile through half-lidded eyes.

"He won't die. He may not live a happy comfortable life, but at least he'll live." He panted small, shallow breaths as he lay against the Wine Master's chest. The Doctor was too weak at this point to even lift a pinky.

"Thank you."

This brought a chuckle from the exhausted Doctor. "That's all well and good, but I'm going to need to hear it from him when he comes around. But there will always be some issues. There were… so many breaks, fractures through his body. I joined them where I could – bones, joints, vessels, meridians – but he may never fully recover. I've connected together fractured meridians but their energies are routed. I don't have the ability necessary to help him get things back on the right track. We can only wait, see how his healing progresses, then take it from there."

This brought a light to the Wine Master's eyes. "Are you saying there's a chance he could recover his Discipline?"

The Doctor's smile was a bitter one. "There's a chance. A one percent chance, but there it is. In reality, we're hoping for a miracle."

The Wine Master was about to speak further when he was interrupted. He spied the yellow soulcaller gem on Lan Jue's chest flicker. Something flashed through the old man's eyes before he shot his head skyward.

"Come out!" He groped out with his right hand. Suddenly the air split with the sound of broken glass. A thirty-meter long blimp hung in the air where moments before there was nothing.

"Please stay your hand, Chronomagus. I'm here to help Lan Jue." The voice that accosted them was pleasing to the ear, feminine. The Wine Master, angry and ready for a fight, stopped as requested.

Mo Yu and his team of crack pilots were almost instantly aware of the breach. They raced forward to intercept. However, their advance was halted when the Wine Master shot an arm out towards them.

The newly arrived ship slowly made landfall. The doors hissed as they opened, revealing a young woman. Her features were hidden behind a silver mask., but her lithe and elegant figure was clear to all. Her long dark hair hung free at her back, framing a pair of blue eyes. Anxiety glimmered within them. She paid no mind to the gathering crowd around her. She raced to the Wine Master, Doctor and Lan Jue as though the others didn't exist.

The Wine Master placed the weakened Doctor on the floor. His bright eyes watched her come.

Having a Paragon's full attention was not a comfortable situation to find oneself in. And yet this young woman didn't seem the least bit put off. She squatted by the Jewelry Master's side and felt for a pulse. Afterward, her sky-blue eyes showed relief. She looked directly at the Paragon.

"I can save him."

Chapter 148: Open Your Core

"I can save him!" They were four simple words, but the resolution with which the masked woman said them was comforting. There was even a hint of relaxation behind the words.

The Wine Master was a fine judge of people, and immediately picked up on her easy mood. "Who are you," he asked in a tepid voice.

In lieu of an answer, the girl arose to her feet and plucked a necklace from around her neck. It was simple, with a pale yellow crystal pendant that gently glowed in her palm. She wordlessly pressed it in to the Wine Master's hand. She did the same for the identical gemstone around Lan Jue's neck.

The evidence she provided him required no further explanation. Still, questions rumbled in the old man's mind and his eyes adopted a curious silver light. He dropped them towards the soulcaller gem, which reacted with a strong and sudden golden flare.

"Why the mask?" He handed the necklaces back to the girl.

She clasped one gem around her neck before replacing Lan Jue's. "Because I don't want him to know it was I who saved him. If I am going to heal your Jewelry Master, my one condition is you keep this a secret. It's like you've never seen me before. Once I've done what I can, I'll leave immediately."

Her voice was strange, deep. It appeared she had some means of modulating the sound, but it made her tone no less melodious.

The amazement in the Wine Master's eyes only grew. However, before he could continue his line of questioning the Doctor had come around and begun to make his own commentary.

"I find it curious you have the self-confidence to claim you can heal him all by yourself. I find it hard to believe there's anyone better than me at what I do."

The masked woman slowly shook her head. "I'm no doctor, nor can I heal illnesses. My abilities and my healing methods can only be used with this man alone. I don't know what happened that caused him to end up like this – he shattered like a pane of glass – but I'm confident I can heal him."

The Doctor's brows furrowed. "I don't believe it. We can't reasonably hand him over to this woman. Even with this 'proof' you showed, anything short of him waking up and personally telling us about your relationship I won't accept. Until then his treatment is up to me. Our first priority is his safety."

She was silent for a moment, but soon shot back with a response. "His current prognosis is grim, as you know. If we waste time the situation will only get worse. We need to begin right now. I'm asking you not to get in my way."

Finally the Wine Master joined the exchange. "If you can do what you claim than do so, but first you have to tell us the method you'll be using. We must also be sure you don't mean any harm."

This set the young woman to pondering for a moment. "I'll lower my defenses. Your Excellency can scan my thoughts and Core for any sign of malice. If you do, I'll be at your mercy, and you can end me in the space of an instant. As for my treatment method, there's no point in putting it in to words. When you see me do it, you'll understand."

"You'll open up your Core?" The Doctor was shocked at her preposition, and looked at her with considerably less suspicion. It was clear what opening one's Core to an outsider meant – you were placing your life, everything you were, at the mercy of another person.

An Adept's Core was the most important part of them, the center of their being. It was through the power of their Core that they were able to control the force and instability of their Discipline. It was like she said, if any ill will towards Lan Jue was discovered, it would be she who would suffer first.

"Fine. Get to it." The Wine Master had no time for hesitation. The decision was made quickly.

She turned slightly away from him then, and gently tapped her forehead with her right hand. The small motion set her eyes to changing. The depths of her sky-blue eyes suddenly looked as though they housed a pale mist. What started small, however, quickly grew until it filled her eyes. In an instant they were white a snow, clear as diamond, with no pupil. Just a field of white.

Gradually a glimmering image like a snowflake appeared on her forehead where she'd touched. Gentle waves of energy pulsed from her.

"Energy concealment!" The Doctor whispered in astonishment as he looked on.

It was a surprise indeed, for even at his level of cultivation the Doctor hadn't thought this girl was anything other than average. And yet here she was, veritably pouring with power. This really only had one explanation; she had learned and was employing some method of hiding her Discipline, to make her appear as though she was a normal person.

The snowflake image emblazoned on her head slowly began to rotate. It swirled until it became a milky vortex, and from it's depths began to exude a powerful chill. It was a cold that transcended the body, threatening to freeze one's spirit.

The sudden cold set the Doctor's whole body to shivering. The cold went to his very bones, and yet his sense of exhaustion seemed eased.

What sort of power was this… ?

As the image on her head continue to twist and undulate, a crystalline object slowly revealed itself. It shone behind the snowflake like a star. It wasn't white, but instead was entirely translucent like a shard of ice. It was a Core, and though not large was spotlessly clear – entirely pure.

"Such a chaste Core." The Wine Master hummed to himself in consideration. His silver eyes flashed, and the tiniest spear of shimmering light shot from them to bore in to the woman's Core. It was visible in the immaculately clear depths of the Core, swirling about within as it searched.

The young woman's body shuddered. After a moment she recovered, and her Core vanished once again within her forehead.

She wasted no further time with speech. Immediately she was at Lan Jue's side once more, kneeling beside his supine form. She glanced over him briefly, then blanketed his form with her own.

This close, she could see the contours of his face, how pale and bloodless his skin was. "You hateful bastard!"

She dropped her head to gently kiss his pale lips. Pale lines of light once more began to exude from between her eyebrows. They traced the lines of that strange snowflake.

The small threads of light reached out and hung in the air for a time before turning back in on one another. They pressed close and congealed until they became a single thread of silvery yarn that connected her to Lan Jue.

The Doctor looked on in silence, carefully watching her every move. He knew once she'd agreed to open her Core that she wouldn't dare cause Lan Jue harm, however he refused to believe she had some sort of ability that could do more than he already had. His confidence had surely ballooned since earning the title of Doctor on Skyfire Avenue, and for good reason, so it was his interest and pride that had him burning to discover just what sort of powers this young girl claimed to possess.

The Wine Master's eyes continued to flash with silvery energy. He was able to sense every pulse, ever flutter of the young woman's core, opened as it was to him. Even the quiet, almost invisible pulses of her spirit weren't hidden from him. However, he was careful not to disturb her in the midst of Lan Jue's healing. He watched her, still as stone.

He was a Paragon, almost a god among men, and with that came a great deal of power. Power enough to react the instant this woman had an untoward thought. By virtue of his absolute power over space, he could cut her apart or send her to another solar system.

The mech suits that had been pressing around them at the arrival of the girl, began their withdrawal at Mo Yu's command. They spread out and continued their vigilant guard. That old man was a Paragon, and his orders were to be followed. They awaited further instruction.

Mo Yu remained, and through the information updates in his army mecha's monitor he was kept appraised of the situation. In just a few short hours most of the beasts found on Taihua had been annihilated. Those that remained were few, and scattered. Soon they'll all have been swept from the planet.

The screen flashed as recent statistics came through. It was a calamity, compounded by the fact the planet was near saturated.

In order to protect the ecosystem, Taihua had stipulations as to how many tourists were permitted at any one time. That number was around a million souls. When a planet is considered saturated, that means it's total population of tourists, security and service workers are near to or have met the occupancy limit.

The result of so many bodies and such horrible creatures was no surprise: a slaughter. Recent numbers put the missing at one hundred and fifty thousand. Another three thousand and sixty soldiers would also call this their last, eternal tour. However, headcounts at evacuation showed only about half of their saturated total were accounted for.

One hundred and fifty thousand was a high number, a frightening sum. But half a million…

The satellites surrounding Taihua had been blocked from spying the situation down on the ground. That thick grey mist had covered everything, until in the final moments a blast of air had revealed something. The satellites had caught the final moments of that battle over the sea. It caught only a glimpse, but in those moments the satellite caught three figures battling a colossal monster. The energy reading from below neared the blast power of an expeditionary cruiser.

Mo Yu watched the information filter past his screen, and instantly recognized it. The place he stood now was were the satellites caught their break. That burst of startling power was just a few meters from where he stood.

Without question, it must have been the Cosmagus himself who saved those that made it out. He was Taihua's great protector, guarding against the invaders to keep losses to a minimum. Mo Yu felt his blood racing. He had the honor of guarding a man such as this, a great Paragon and guardian. It was likely the greatest mission of his life.

The countless silken threads of white energy lowly intertwined. As time went on it became an undulating cocoon around both Lan Jue and the young woman. It grew stronger and thickened. As the others looked on, the two figures within became more and more indistinct.

From beginning to end, that young woman didn't move one hair. The Wine Master could feel her through their link, and knew that she was using the best and most gentle method available. She was channeling her own restorative powers to him through their kiss.

Chapter 149: The Power of the Silkworm and the Mystic Raiment

The great silken cocoon pulsed with power, and eventually their figures vanished from view. Stranger still, there seemed to be no energy fluctuations coming from within – at least, none that the Doctor or Wine Master could distinguish.

The Doctor looked on as well, resting as the strange scene unfolded before him. He watched in silence, absorbed in thought. At the onset he'd watched the young woman work with a distinct light of scorn in his eyes. However, as that cocoon developed and surrounded the two, that light changed to something more dignified. But anxiety and doubt could still be seen. It was as if he'd figured something out only, not entirely. There was still something he couldn't put his finger on.

He wasn't alone in his ruminations. The Wine Master, too, looked consumed by thought. In all the worlds there were only a very few Disciplines he wasn't familiar with. This woman's was one of them.

The energy he'd felt exuding from the girl was infinitely gentle, abnormally pure and far beyond the ken of your average Adept. By his estimation, she possessed a ninth level Talent. It was a great power, despite her weak appearance.

Naturally a ninth ranked healer would have enormously powerful healing abilities, precisely like the Doctor. But there was something strange, and though he didn't know why he suspected her healing abilities weren't so simple as they appeared. She may even be more powerful than the Doctor, for all his training and ability.

Hmmmmnnnnn

Before them the cocoon began to hum and vibrate. The silken tendrils began to quietly break apart and the air around it shimmered with a white aura.

"Hm?" Mo Yu and his team shuffled uncomfortably in their mechas and watched. Each and every one of them were Adepts themselves – you had to be to pilot a mecha – yet none so powerful as the group they stood guard over. They would fight tooth and nail for even a tenth of the power they witnessed.

The sky darkened, suddenly, for reasons unknown to those gathered. Mo Yu's band of armored soldiers flashed as their integrated lighting systems came online. They were shocked, but not simply from the sudden change of light. This was no normal darkness, they concluded. It was a dark that swallowed light up, devoured it. The blazing lamps affixed to the mechas did nothing to dispel the gloom, becoming little more than dim specs in a sea of black. The only thing that pierced it was that white cocoon.

"Changing the laws of nature… ," the Doctor whispered to himself. He quickly scrambled to his feet. With the help of the cocoon's gentle light, he was able to see the Wine Master's face. What he saw mirrored his own shock and confusion.

Yet the Wine Master lifted a hand, silently assuring the Doctor that as was well. After all, he was still monitoring the state of the woman's Core. Without their interruption the shell continued to brighten, making everything around it look blacker still.

Mo Yu sat still as stone in his towering Mammoth III mecha. He linked to the satellites overhead to check their imaging status, to see what they saw. What he found was nothing – the scene looked normal from overhead. It looked like it always had, clear and with no anomalies. The dark could be seen up close, but not from afar. Like some kind of illusion.

This…

A pale fog or steam seeped from the cocoon, white like the light that surrounded it. It was stark and clear against the inky backdrop. As it continued to smoke the plumes congealed until they formed another shell, identical to the one beneath it.

Lights flashed within, beams of it peaking through the cracks. Where the light shone, strange flowery lines appeared upon the shell's surface.

A rapid burst of energy pulsed outward from the cocoon. It washed over the others leaving no trace, causing no harm. But the Doctor and Wine Master, close as they were, felt it keenly when the power washed over them. They could feel their spirit embrace it, filled to brim with it. They sense the pulsing energies enhancing their inner being.

The Doctor swallowed hard. His stunned voice broke the relative silence as he muttered to himself. "I think I know what this is… It means that story must be true, that there really are people with the Silkworm Discipline. Damn… who'd have thought today we'd witness a miracle."

"Crack – crrrack!" The sound was clear and crisp. Fissures had begun to appear on the cocoon's surface. They started at the top and snaked their way down in shimmering golden lines. The emanating metallic light was dim at first, but their intensity increased as the cracks spread further.

The light tore through the pitch black world like a towering golden spear, a pillar of heaven. It rose unimpeded towards the heavens where it split the sky in half. From above the golden light shone down like rays of the sun, bathing the white cocoon in warmth and light.

The golden luminescence sent the darkness running. Everything came under that glow, shimmering in it's embrace. Even the Wine Master, with all his power and ability, was cast away by the force of the golden light. The Doctor was thrown like a ragdoll just behind him.

At last the silvery cocoon split. From within, a wriggling golden form slunk from the ruins of it's protective shell. It was no more than a meter tall, chubby, and covered in intertwining golden lines. It's flesh, however, was white as fresh snow. Almost immediately after escaping from the cocoon it began to grow taller and wider. A second series of cracks could be heard afterward.

A soothing white light began to emanate from the creature, contrasting with the golden glow that bathed everything else around it. It continued to wriggle and change. First were the wings, pure white and powerful. The writhing figure shifted and evolved in to a golden white-jade humanoid.

It was an angelic figure, beautiful, and covered in white light like it was made from it. It was so pure that onlookers couldn't make out any details. Still, the sensation they got simply by looking on was one of great purity and beauty.

The silvery light in the Wine Master's eyes vanished. He felt it clearly now, there was no more question. The small piece of his power he'd left in her core extricated itself, and returned to him. There was no further need for it.

Protomorphism. Indeed, it was a power not unlike his own. Whoever she was, she was already peaking in to the realm of the Paragons.

Such a puny looking thing, capable of wielding a Paragon's Talent. It was nearly inconceivable, but for the fact it was happening before his very eyes. There was no malice in her art, and the Wine Master could sense Lan Jue's condition improve far beyond where he was before she began.

"Rectitude!" The emotional voice thundered around them. The words were simple, but they filled the air like a chorus. As the words faded, the ruins of the cocoon near the white figure vanished without a trace.

It rose to it's feet. Before it was the second cocoon, still housing the woman and Lan Jue in it's protective enclosure. Then, she began to dance. It's movements were gentle, care-free, like a sprite sailing through golden sunlight. The pale white light around it continued to glow soothingly.

As the creature's dance continued, the cocoon adopted a more golden hue. The protomorphic energies at play began to worm their way inside.

"What in the hell is this?" The Wine Master could no longer hold his piece. The Doctor turned his head to look back at the aging Paragon.

"Unless I'm mistaken, this is that Discipline of legend, told to us before even the great Stellar Migration. Pure altruism… Regination."

"Regination?" The Wine Master looked back upon the dancing figure in surprise. "You're telling me this is the Savior, the Queen of the Silkworms?"

The Doctor nodded emphatically. "That's right. The power of the Silkworm and the Mystic Raiment."

The power of the Silkworm and the Mystic Raiment! Nine simple words, but they were enough to cause the Cosmagus to retreat a step. Shock was written clear on his face.

"I was certain this mystical power was lost ages ago. But here it is, before us!"

The Doctor explained: "The legends state that this Discipline, Regination, is passed on only to one member of the family per generation. In actuality it's called the Silkworm Discipline, but they call it Regination because the bearer holds the purist, most altruistic Discipline in the known universe. As one might expect, the Queen of the Silkworms holds no great combat proficiency, but their speed of cultivation is far greater than your average Adept. The power comes with extended life, greater vitality and an almost inhuman physique – but that's it. No forceful attacks or great combat ability come standard. And yet, when the conditions are right, Regination can be the single greatest ability in the history of mankind."

"When possessors of Regination approach a ninth level Talent – quickly, usually, by virtue of their Discipline – they are able to make connections with others. With these connections they are able to transfer their own powers to others. Like this, so long as the person is alive, they can sustain inhuman amounts of harm and come right back. This is what's called 'the Silkworm's Power.'"

"In fact, the more damage someone has sustained, the more benefit they receive from the Silkworm's 'Mystic Raiment', namely that cocoon. The foundation of this healing is the nourishment of marrow and tendons, but the healing seeps way down in to the person's very spirit. Even their Core can be remade, cleared of impurities. They adopt the Silkworm's purity."

"But there are limits. Applying the Mystic Raiment obliterates the Queen of Silkworm's abilities. Afterwards they must start all over, from the beginning, cultivating themselves back to their former power. In the tales it is said a Queen can only use the Mystic Raiment three times in their entire life. After all, this sort of protomorphism has the ability to complete change a person's fate – to upend the laws of nature! Who'd have thought that today, when it was needed, we'd actually witness this power with our own eyes. No wonder she was so sure she could heal him. If even the Mystic Raiment couldn't heal him, he's as good as dead. It looks like our Jewelry Master had a great deal of luck or the grace of God on his side."

As they conversed the dancing figure appeared to grow tired. Her body sagged and her wings extended until they draped over the second cocoon like a blanket. As they looked on the gorgeous creature began to change, becoming liquid. Quietly, the power of the Queen of Silkworms was absorbed in to the shell.

Chapter 150: Hera?

"What is this place?" Lan Jue blinked, and looked all around.

It was a world of white. Wisps of cool white mist covered the floor below him. The sky overhead was a soothing eggshell hue. Everything… everything around him was that same pure white.

As he peered all around, he was struck with a rather unsettling sensation – he couldn't feel himself. He was here, but at the same time he wasn't. Like he didn't truly exist. His heart sank, for he knew that he was dead. The spirit was capable of living in the place between time and space. A man with enough power of will could stop his soul from escaping to other realms. Was this death? Was he to remain here for eternity?

Just as he begun to sink in to depression the mists around him began to congeal. Not far from himself, a figure appeared through the haze and approached. Each step brought clarity.

A pure, white dress. Long, dark hair and shimmering blue eyes. A face so beautiful it almost hurt.

"Hera!" Lan Jue called out to her, and before he knew it he was pulling her in to his embrace.

The young woman hesitated, but soon acquiesced and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"As long as I get to see you again, I don't care what comes." Lan Jue's voice was soft, almost a murmur. A small contented smile spread across his face. "Had I known all I had to do to be with you again was die, I'd have done so a long time ago. How are you? What happened that day? What did you encounter? Was it really just some disaster, like they claim? Why was it the whole thing left me with a strange feeling?"

Lan Jue did not move, did not react. There was no outward sign, but inside he felt himself fill with joy. His spirit soared with a sense of good fortune.

Nothing else meant anything anymore. Finally he was together with his Hera, and that's all he cared about. Living or dead, he didn't care – so long as they were together. Through the years they were apart, he never put her out of his heart. In his soul, Hera was the only one for him, and here she was.

"And if I hadn't died, would you still have made this choice?" Her voice was soft.

Lan Jue was taken aback. He loosened his grip and placed his strong hands on her shoulders. He looked at her carefully.

"Would you?" She looked back, her question genuine. Those dazzling blue eyes held his own.

Lan Jue took a moment to consider her question carefully. "If there was a one in a million shot at survival, I'd take it. But if there was no choice, no chance, I'd still do it. All just to tell you one thing; your man is no coward. Even if we were to be parted forever, saving these families from the pain I felt would be worth it."

She looked surprised. "So," she said, "in your heart duty is more important than love?"

This brought a grin to Lan Jue's lips. "No," he responded. "This isn't about duty. It's humanity. If I didn't do at least this, how could I call myself a noble?"

The young woman smiled, and drew nearer. She took him in to her gentle embrace. "If there ever comes a second chance, I do hope we can be together. I don't need to know your glory, what honors you've achieved. I just want to be with you. Where you go, I go – my greatest wish is just to see your face."

"Hera," Lan Jue murmured. "My queen. I love you darling."

A strange fog seeped around them, covering the world and bringing a muted silence with it. The mists surrounded the two of them, until everything vanished.

In the rapidly shrinking reality around them, she gently placed her forehead against his own. Two crystalline tears appeared at the corner of her eyes, and traced a line along her cheek. Upon reaching her chin they fell, and landed cold upon his face.

Her breathing had become arduous, and a golden light began to fill her up. Motes of golden light floated through her, from her, in all directions.

"You're sleeping, darling, and that's the good news." She gently lifted her face, and placed a kiss against his lips. She drew back, the shimmering snowflake emblazoned on her head also vanishing in to nothing.

She wrapped him in a hug. It was strange, for instead of feeling empty for her loss, her heart was full. The one she held was her love, her pride. This was her glory, right here in her arms.

The sky above became blue, bright with the light of day. It appeared as though things were returning to normal. Little by little the pale white light from the cocoon dimmed until it was barely visible. The shell, originally definitely a construct of the woman's energy, was a solid thing now. It looked almost like plaster, despite the gentle pulses of vital energy that surrounded it. However, as the others looked on, the cocoon changed once more. This time, it seemed to turn to stone, and it no longer moved.

Then, the sound of tearing.

The Wine Master's eyes hardened at the sonance, and he immediately turned to find the source of the noise. What he saw made his brows furrow.

Mo Yu, too, turned to see. Surprise was clear in his eyes as he saw it approaching. The commands from on high were clear: no one was to approach. What, then, was all this?

It started as a simple blue light, but that lasted only the space of a blink. Before long the light had grown enormous, shining against their gathered faces.

The ship was a hundred and fifty meters long, with a streamlined hull shaped like a dolphin. It slowly drew up to their location, leaving behind a metallic blue contrail. The dazzling tail began to vanish from view even as the ship was stopping.

The side of the ship sported a strange design, lines of gold wrapping around itself. It was circular, with the image of a cresting wave in it's center. The very middle of the complicated design housed a rhomboid blue gemstone.

It was after seeing the design that the Wine Master relaxed somewhat. His brows eased, and his frown dissipated for he knew who it was that joined them.

The door to the ship opened as it docked, and two figured emerged, lit against the ship's bright interior.

Just as Mo Yu was preparing to give his snipers the order, the Wine Master's voice rung clear in his ears: "Don't impede them. They're one of us."

As if on cue, the two figures began to move towards the group. It took them no time to arrive at the aged Paragon's side.

"Cosmagus!" Though Hua Li's eyes were certainly revealing signs of anxiety, the young man still made sure to show the Wine Master his proper respect with a bow. The fiery red haired youth at his shoulder followed suit.

"You're here for the Jewelry Master I assume?" The Wine Master asked.

Hua Li nodded his head.

Their conversation was interrupted when the Wine Master's ears picked up a sound.

"Cosmagus, don't let them see me. The treatment is almost complete. Get them out of here – they can see Lan Jue when I've finished."

The voice was soft, but clear. The Wine Master, in response, raised his hand and motioned in the air. Much to Hua Li and Chu Cheng's surprise, the world warped around them as they were swallowed in to the void.

They found themselves in some interspacial reality, composed of flickering silver light. Clearly this place was unstable, but remained safe so long as the Wine Master was present and exuding his power.

"C-cosmagus, what's the meaning of this?" Chu Cheng piped up, a scowl on his face.

"The Jewelry Master is currently undergoing his treatment," the old man responded. "It should be complete soon. It is important that you don't interrupt the process. I must ask you to wait patiently until it's complete."

Hua Li did not take the request happily. "What's wrong with us watching A-Jue get treated?"

The Wine Master tried to reassure them. "Please, you two, be at ease. The Jewelry Master is a member of Skyfire's Council, a very important friend to us. My own care and attention is no less than your own. Unfortunately, how we treat him is a Skyfire secret. I can tell you that he'll be fine, however."

It worked, and both Hua Li and Chu Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. A Paragon's assurances were more than enough for them. On top of that, both the Cosmagus and the Clairvoyant of Skyfire were well known for their trustworthiness.

"We saw what happened on the way to Taihua," Chu Cheng said. "Those monsters that showed up so suddenly, they had to have come from off planet, am I right?"

The Wine Master explained. "As far as we know, yes. But where precisely they come from we haven't determined. We'll need to do more research. The monsters themselves were not weak, and appeared quickly from nowhere. We did discover that they have a powerful phagocytic ability that devours all life around them, which they use to nourish themselves. Just moments ago we took out their progenitor, some sort of living nest out there in the sea. It appears the others monsters we've encountered here originated from that beast's body. Afterwards they spread out and began absorbing the planet's vitality, which made them stronger. The stronger they became, the higher the demand for life energy, and so they just kept killing everything they came across. As for their purpose or goal, we haven't been able to discover anything as of yet. Your companion the Jewelry Master showed great courage and nobility, taking out as many as he could. He waded in to the densest areas of the fight to save the tourists trapped there. It was largely due to him that the death count here is as low as it is. Things could have been much, much worse."

Chu Cheng couldn't help himself, and pressed for more information. "You're sure A-Jue will come out ok, Cosmagus? He was hurt before all this happened. According to what we've been able to discover, he was fighting for a long time out here. If the creatures were as strong as you say, then he…"

The Doctor rose to his feet at cut the Divine Monarch off. "He'll be fine. The treatment being employed will work so long as he still has breath in his body."

Hua Li swept his eyes to the young physician. "I'm sorry, we haven't met. You are…?"

The Doctor's heart was in chaos. On the one hand he was intensely excited to have witnessed such a miracle as the Queen of the Silkworms, saving a Talent who by all known medical science should be dead. Of course his pride wasn't in such fine spirits.

"You may call me Doctor. I'm also a member of the Avenue."

"Greetings, then," the two mercenaries hailed. Knowing the man was a Doctor, and was present for A-Jue also brought them some measure of peace.

A short time passed, then the Wine Master once again raised his hand. The world twisted uncomfortably, shifting until Chu Cheng and Hua Li once more felt solid ground beneath their feet.

"Huh?" Almost immediately Hua Li noticed changes. The stone-like object that was before them when they arrived was cracked, revealing a large fissure. The small ship set not far off when they arrived was also missing.

Chu Cheng, impatient as he was, was gone in a flash and appeared before the stone. It didn't take him long to spy Lan Jue within, naked as the day he was born.

His face was ruddy and flush. His chest rose and fell with even breaths. Golden light still danced on the surface of his skin, the last evidence of his struggled. He looked better than new.

Chapter 151: Aftermath

Hua Li followed Chu Cheng to the strange rock. They both had to see with their own yes the result of this treatment. Lan Jue did indeed look like he was going to be fine.

The Doctor pushed passed them to his patient, and placed his hands over his body. Almost immediately the familiar virescent glow encompassed them both. After a few moments of concentration, the Doctor's surprised voice arose.

"All his meridians are as they should be, no longer broken or tangled. Blood flow is one point five times normal rate, vital signs are good. Skin elasticity about twice as good as it was… and that's all I can see now. The rest I suppose we'll discover later. It's almost inconceivable, I mean his meridians were a mess. Now it's like nothing ever happened. They weren't kidding when they said -"

"A-hm!" The Wine Master's sudden cough stopped the Doctor from going further.

The Doctor knew his cue, and stepped over to join the other three. "The Jewelry Master is already in much better condition. All he needs now is rest. He'll wake up on his own after a little while."

Hua Li narrowed his eyes, but he did recognize how much better Lan Jue looked. He relaxed visibly with the confirmation there before him. He turned then to the paragon and spoke in deferential tones. "Sir, are you and the Doctor planning to return to Skyfire soon?"

The Wine Master nodded.

"If the Cosmagus would prefer, we could take Poseidon 1."

"I appreciate it, thanks for taking the trouble."

Ten minutes later, the group was safely aboard Poseidon 1 as it rose. The ship dissolved in to a brilliant blue light, streaking off towards the heavens, then was gone.

Their escape was quickly followed by the arrival of dozens more ships. The destruction of Taihua was monstrous, and the aftermath would require a great deal of manpower and effort to address. First, of course, would need to be a search and rescue operation for the missing. It would be an exhaustive process to finalize the list of the dead – and then, the families had to be told, and compensations made.

ζ

The airship shuddered gently as it began its descent.

"Hm?" Tan Lingyun awoke with a start from deep sleep. Her body protested every movement with aching pain and groaning joints that caused her to moan in discomfort.

Her eyes were hazy, like the area around her was covered in a fog, but with each passing moment her vision cleared.

"Where am I?" She suddenly shot up to a sitting position, assailed by the crippling pain in her muscles. She winced against the discomfort, trying to look in all directions at once.

It was clearly the interior of a ship. Empty. Save for herself, it looked like there wasn't anyone else around. It wasn't a large vessel, and judging by the interior it was for civilian use.

She patted her forehead, urging her sluggish mind to recall the details of the last few hours. What stood out most among the haze was a towering blue figure. But there was more. Eyes, stately eyes that glowed gold.

Such a powerful mecha! Was that the thing that saved me?

"You're up?" The voice that greeted her was somewhat curt.

Tan Lingyun turned in time to see a decidedly disheveled Wang Hongyuan exiting the cockpit.

"You? It was you who saved me?" Tan Lingyun's surprise was anything but concealed. Her expression was incredulous. Was it even possible that this dance instructor was the one who piloted that magnificent mecha?

"No, not me." Wang Hongyuan's voice faltered, and his eyes grew distant as though lost in a painful thought.

"Not you… then who?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Some blue mecha just deposited you on to the ship. Then it was gone as quick as it'd come."

Tan Lingyun's face fell. She struggled to remember any detail of what occurred, but the more she fought the less she remembered. Only that sapphire machine and those golden eyes.

The reason she stayed behind came back to her all of a sudden. "And Professor Lan?"

Wang Hongyuan hesitated. The briefest flash of sadness darkened his features before he spoke. "I don't know. We got separated."

Tan Lingyun, the powder keg that she was, immediately burst in to a rage. "Separated? Didn't you run out there like an idiot specifically to get him and bring him back? He's just some man, and you're supposed to be an Adept with power. You're telling me you couldn't even protect a single teacher? You're as garbage as I've always said you were!"

Her sudden outburst took him by surprise, but contrary to their earlier spat the dance instructor did not attempt to refute her curses. "You're right," he muttered."

"Compared to him, I am garbage. Go, we've already arrived on Skyfire and its time to disembark. I take full responsibility for Professor Lan's disappearance.

Tan Lingyun took a deep calming breath. She spoke again when she regained some measure of composure. "I'm sorry. It wasn't meant to be directed at you, it's just with what we saw, if he isn't here it likely means… I'm just upset. I'm sorry!"

Wang Hongyuan met her apologies with a sad smile. "You aren't wrong. We're the lucky ones to get back alive. But I, at least, don't deserve to be. I am not as courageous as the others who stayed behind to help. After a catastrophe like this, things have become clear."

Tan Lingyun sorrowfully nodded her head. "Let's go… there's still a lot we have to do."

ζ

"This is the Eastern Alliance News Network, bringing you the latest information from around the galaxy. We've just begun receiving reports from Taihua, where we hear a terrible attack has occurred. Monstrous beings from outside of our galaxy attacked the tourist destination. Preliminary reports say that as many as thirty percent of the visitors lost their lives in the ensuing chaos. This truly was a terrible tragedy for everyone involved. Thankfully a number of stranded and missing tourists have already been found as rescue operations continue. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims."

"Satellite video and images from around Taihua were uncovered, revealing a number of heroic individuals who fought the fiends themselves. Undoubtedly their brave deeds saved untold lives. We will continue to look in to the events on Taihua, and the identity of those heroic people. Whoever you are, we salute you."

"Already we've heard of both the North and Western Alliances calling Chief Minister Zhou to offer their condolences. They've sworn to cooperate with our own agencies to try and uncover where these beasts came from, and what exactly they want."

"The Goby Entertainment group has pledged ten transport ships for use in the search and recovery effort, in addition to their state of the art facilities which they've graciously opened up for use during this catastrophe. This comes with a donation of one hundred million NED which they hope can help in discovering where the aliens came from, and bring some small measure of peace to the bereaved."

ζ

Jin Yan sat within the electives building, stunned and silent. She stared off in to the distance, with images of Taihua racing through her mind. She still felt like she was locked in that nightmare, unable to free herself from the fear of certain death. Her body was still shaking.

In the whole of the office, there was only her. When they'd returned, it was Wu Junyi's first order of business to send all the teachers home to rest. Jin Yan, however, didn't know what do. After what felt like half a day she stirred herself to move. Her feet led her here.

She'd been kept appraised of the events as they unfolded, and knew that the last of their number had come back, Wang Hongyuan and Tan Lingyun. Professor Lan was nowhere to be found.

Is he really gone? When she'd heard, it was like the world went dark. The ring of the class bell chimed in her mind, with his voice calling over the din: "This is nobility!"

That elegance, his impish grin, that noble countenance. They all lingered in her slowly beating heart.

Gone… missing! What about Jin Tao? Where did he bring my brother? With him gone, what about the boy? What am I going to tell our parents?

She sat in the encroaching darkness, lost.

She was roused when the sound of footsteps came from down the hall. Clunk, clunk, clunk.

Immediately her head shot up, grasping at the unlikely hope that she'd see that thin figure rounding the bend and entering the office. Desperately praying she'd face him again.

But it was not to be.

White shirt, black suit, slick black hair. Wang Hongyuan silently entered the electives office.

Without a sound, he walked in, making his way towards the far window where Lan Jue had chosen his desk. He stood before the vacant chair for a time, then dropped to his knees and bowed.

"Wang Hongyuan…" Jin Yan slowly rose to her feet.

The dance instructor rose to his feet and turned to face her. His face was pale and drawn. "Professor Jin," he muttered.

Her response came hard and bitter. "Do you really have no hope that Professor Lan will come back alive?"

He stood silently before her, shifting from foot to foot. It was a dozen long seconds before his sunken voice replied. "I can tell you that he was a damn hero. But I'm afraid…"

Jin Yan's eyes were red and swollen. "Whether or not he's a hero isn't important. I'm only interested in whether or not he'll be coming back!"

Wang Hongyuan said nothing further. His own eyes were red from tears. The Etiquette teacher's final words before they parted were still fresh in his memory.

Beep, beep, beep! Jin Yan shook with a start as the communicator on her wrist vibrated. She looked down out of pure habit, but was met with an unfamiliar number.

Still, she answered.

"Hello, who is this?" Jin Yan fought valiantly to get her voice under control, forcing the sadness down.

"Hello Professor Yan. I was hoping you could help me ask for leave. I'm afraid I'll need a few days of rest before I can return to work." The voice that greeted her on the other end of her communicator sounded tired and worn.

She looked at the contraption on her wrist like it was made of snakes. When she did talk, her voice was several octaves louder than she intended.

"Professor Lan?!"

Hearing her cries Wang Hongyuan rushed to her side. He stared at the number with eyes wide as saucers.

"It's me. After helping where I could I took another shuttle back. I'm already back on Skyfire. Please tell Director Wu and the others not to worry over me. I'll be back to work in a few days.

She couldn't help it. The tears she'd been fighting came unbidden to her eyes and rolled down her pretty cheeks. Only these were tears of a different origin. And as her body shook it was not from fear or sadness, but joy and relief.

Wang Hongyuan grabbed her wrist and pulled it towards him. "Lan Jue, it's really you? You really aren't dead?"

Lan Jue's response was a tepid one. "Disappointed?"

Wang Hongyuan scowled at the communicator. "Why didn't you let us know earlier?!"

"What's this about," Lan Jue challenged. He sounded uncertain.

The dance teacher was quiet, a flood of emotion crossing his face before settling on a small smile. "I'm just glad you're alright!" With that, he cut the connection, then with as much force and ferocity as a thunder strike he grabbed Jin Yan up in a hug.

Jin Yan yelped. Her tears had stopped, but she heard the choked sobs coming from her shoulder.

"He's alive… alive. Thank whoever'll listen the bastard made it! Hah! He made it!"

Chapter 152: Lan Jue's Uncertainty

Lan Jue was propped up in one of Poseidon 1's spacious and comfortable lounge chairs. He had come to about an hour earlier, but still felt out of sorts.

Poseidon 1 had already entered Skyfire orbit by this point. It would be perhaps another hour before they were on the ground. He'd used Hua Li's communicator earlier to get in contact with Jin Yan – hers was the only number from the NEU staff he could remember.

Wang Hongyuan, this guy… A smile crept across Lan Jue's face.

He turned his head and looked at the Doctor, sleeping fitfully nearby. He shook his head, deeply impressed.

He had no idea the young physician possessed such talent in healing. At the time he could feel the cold grip of death reaching out for him. He could sense his own body and the damage it had been dealt; the broken bones, the fractured meridians, the injured organs. After the decoction, he certainly should have died. Just the fact he was still breathing was a miracle. But here he was…

The golden tint that had overcome him after taking the potion remained, but it had dimmed considerably. Now, only a closer look would reveal something out of the ordinary. It became more apparent, however, if the skin was palpated.

His various meridians and collaterals were firm and unobstructed, in better condition than they had been for years. The benefit extended all the way to his Core, which was safe and stable in the hollow of his chest. Shadows of golden lightning still hung around it, but there was no danger. He'd been awake only an hour, but he could feel himself improving rapidly. Already he gathered he was about halfway to total recovery. All in all he couldn't be healthier – not a scratch remained from his earlier fight with Michael or his time on Taihua. Even the secondary effects of the Fantascia Genetica decoction were absent.

Could this be because of the Genetica? Could it have remolded him after he survived the initial rush of power? But that would simply be too amazing to fathom. The Western Alliance have had this technology for an age, but their research never uncovered anything like this. So the more practical answer was that the Doctor somehow brought him back from the very brink of death.

The questions rattled around in Lan Jue's brain. Unfortunately, he couldn't get an answer out of anyone. Chu Cheng and Hua Li claimed the Doctor had completed his treatment before they arrived. The Doctor himself was asleep. The Wine Master would only tell him it was a miracle.

It was quite the damn miracle.

"We're about to encounter atmosphere. Please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts." The electronic voice filled the cabin and shook Lan Jue from his reverie. The smile on his face spread further.

Whatever the causes he was still breathing, and the experience was certainly something. Going through it brought him a strange sense of peace. Perhaps this was part of a new beginning, a fresh start. There was still so much in the universe for him to enjoy. Not to mention, acting the hero felt pretty good. He was starting to understand why his big brother had stayed in the army all these years. He'd gotten a taste for what it was like to be a guardian.

He lifted his left hand as he pondered, and stared at his palm. The slightest hint of a purple stone stuck out, no more than a centimeter. Occasionally bolts of golden lightning would flicker in its depths.

The Phylactery Stone! Already the power gem was becoming a part of him, inexorably tied to his life force, like it's been there all along. The frightening power of the Genetica – the power that catapulted him in to the realm of the Paragons – was safely contained within. If he concentrated, he could feel maddening fury of it.

What he owed the Doctor couldn't be rectified with simple things, not just for saving his life but all the other positive side-effects he'd accrued here. He had just been saved from the brink of death – good things were sure to follow. The stored energies in the phylactery were only secondary, for there remained the protomorphic abilities he'd gained while a Paragon. Of course he wasn't a real Paragon, not yet, so the powers were weak. But they were there. Whether when employing his Ascension or achieving Paragon status in the future, what he'd lived through would certain prove to be invaluable.

Hhrrumnnn… Poseidon 1 shuddered gently as they struck atmosphere. Half an hour later they were in the Public Hangar, with a private Gobi cars already waiting for them.

"So how are you feeling, A-Jue?" Hua Li rose to his feet and stretched, dispelling the travel fatigue.

Lan Jue smiled. "Can't get any better than where I'm at. Maybe too good, actually. I'd really be curious to know how it is I'm not a cripple."

Hua Li's response was sans his usual flippant demeanor. "Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. You have no idea, when we couldn't get you on your communicator we were sure you were dead. Luckily the Cosmagus and the Doctor were around to save you. How about the next time you go out to handle business, you keep your suicidal impulses to a minimum?"

Lan Jue lifted his hands in front of his defensively. "Alright, I concede. I'm still in recovery, don't go teaching me any lessons."

Hua Li stuffed his hands in his pockets, and flipped his fop of blue hair dismissively. "Fine, I have to go prepare for the concert anyway. If I miss any more rehearsals, I'm afraid Mo Xiao will bite me. Alright Chu Cheng, this bastard's your responsibility now."

Chu Cheng chortled. "I'd heard from A-Jue before that there was this old coot of a Wine Master on the Avenue who operated out of a Gothic-style winery. I've been wanting to take a look for myself since forever. It's supposed to be full to the rafters with excellent spirits. What kind of drunkards would we be if we didn't raid the place at least once?"

The Wine Master, himself just arrived from a nearby seat, stopped in his tracks to glare at the red-haired young man.

Lan Jue shot Chu Cheng a warning glance, but the airhead didn't notice. He had to cough a few times before his fellow mercenary got the hint.

The Wine Master clapped a hand on to Chu Cheng's shoulder before taking the lead and exiting the airship. His pleasant voice wafted towards them from over his shoulder. "The Gothic Winery welcomes you."

"Eh…" Chu Cheng may have been an airhead, but that didn't mean he was stupid. He slowly turned his head to stare at Lan Jue, eyes wide.

"Don't tell me the Cosmagus…"

Lan Jue grinned, apparently pleased with his lot. He patted Chu Cheng on the shoulder as well. "I'm not sure if I should call you homie or halfwit. Think about it, if you're planning to store fine wines from the former area, wouldn't interspacial abilities come in rather handy?"

"Ah, I guess you're right."

Hua Li suddenly interjected. "A-Jue, Jin Tao's situation is good. Normal. He's currently in Deep Sleep, triggered from the genetic changes. I have Mika monitoring him. You should go talk to all your ladies, actually. Are they aware of what happened on Taihua?"

This caused Lan Jue to laugh. "Of course not. If they did I'd already be getting an earful."

Chu Cheng's shot him a cool grin. "No? I'm pretty sure they do. I just heard the recent news reports, they're even streaming pictures and video from Taihua satellites. They're even saying stuff about these heroes that were there for the fight. Are you sure they didn't get any footage of Thor? On top of that your communicator's been offline. How do you think they'd react if they couldn't get a hold of you?"

"W-well…" Lan Jue stopped, his face changing to a look a distress as he snatched Hua Li's communicator and dialed in a set of numbers.

"Boss, are you ok?" Mika's voice arose from the other end.

"fine, fine. I'm already back on Skyfire. See you in a little while." He was working hard to keep any fatigue or worry from his voice. He sounded the very spirit of ease.

"The boss is back," she said to someone next to her.

"Long live the boss!" A second perky female voice answered.

He didn't expect her voice to change to a threatening growl so quickly, but when she spoke again he could feel the anger. "So you sneak off to Taihua for a vacation, run in to this catastrophe, and then lose your communicator. Do you have any idea how worried we were? We're already aboard Zeus 1. Any later and we'd already be on our way to Taihua."

"I'm sorry, forgive me!" Lan Jue chuckles sheepishly. "My communicator was broken in the scuffle. I'm fine, really. Perfect condition. Oh, and then that means you guys are here at the hangar. I am too, on Hua Li's Poseidon. Let me go out and join you."

Chu Cheng couldn't hide his mirth, and chuckled heartily at Lan Jue's side. "That's what you get for getting enjoyment from other people's misfortunes! At least you're treating those ladies well. By the way, Hua Li was telling me their full on babes. Xiuxiu's off the table, but you definitely should introduce me to those other three. Mmm mm."

"Get lost!"

Despite Lan Jue's desperate hopes, not a single happy face met him when he joined his Amazons. Even Xiuxiu, the sweetest and warmest of the bunch, stared at him with a cool indifference.

"Ugh, A-Li! Look, we just have the one verti-car. Too tight. How about we call another to come take me back." Lan Jue sounded guilty, a dog with his tail between his legs.

"Boss!" As a single, pissed off unit the girls stamped their feet and glared at him, hands on their hips.

"Forget I said anything." Lan Jue hastily bade farewell to Hua Li and Chu Cheng before clambering in to his own verti-car.

Whoosh! In a flash they were on their way back to the safety of the Avenue.

Chu Cheng watched him go, then blinked like he was slapped in the face. "This guy, no humanity! He just left me here!"

"Right?!" Hua Li glowered at the rapidly vanishing verti-car. "Come on, I'll take you in."

Chu Cheng answered in lilting tones. "How about you eh? Other than Mo Xiao, you got any hotties following you around? Just a little eye candy, amiright? That guy there's trying to build a harem, I tell you. Worse, it's a harem he doesn't even use. What a waste1! He obviously doesn't realize that waste and corruption are man's greatest sins."

"See ya!" Hua Li clapped his hands, then turned on a heel and made to leave.

"H-hey now, A-Li, you can't just throw me away here! Look, I didn't say nothin'. Worse comes to worse I suffer a dry spell for a few days, right? Wait up…"

"Get lost!"

ζ

Within the McKelly P12 Verti-Car

The atmosphere in the car was stifling. Mika and Lin Guoguo sat up front, while Lan Jue sat between Xiuxiu and Ke'er.

All four women stared ahead with sour expressions. Not a word was spoken.

Lan Jue wanted to say something, but every time he opened his mouth he couldn't summon the words. All he could do was shut his eyes and try to nap.

1. Lol, what a pig.