Where did everything go wrong? No one knew why the Heavens decided to abandon the world of Oseo, but when they made their decision, it signaled the beginning of the end...
Not that Laude gave a damn about the end of the world. As far as he was concerned, world-ending prophecies were the kind of inane nonsense that imbeciles believed in. Had Laude not felt so indebted to White Dew Society for taking him in, he would have laughed his heart out when Fraxinus, the Head Elder of Ash-Tree Mountain, lectured him about the ominous future that awaited the world.
The old bag of bones wasn't the friendliest chap, given what he knew about Laude's unique condition. Fraxinus considered Laude to be the harbinger of the end, which he constantly reminded Laude about whenever he gave him a bit of sass.
It unnerved Laude a bit in the beginning, but these days he really didn't mind that much once he realized that Fraxinus was all bark and no bite. The old man had an attitude problem, but not once had he ever laid so much as a finger on him. He did assign him an unnaturally large amount of homework compared to the other disciples, though — some Laude always chided him about.
It was always the same routine every day he had a lecture to attend at Ash-Tree Mountain, much to the amusement of the disciples at White Dew Society. The instant that Laude entered Fraxinus's lecture hall, the old gargoyle said, "Well, look at what the gravedigger brought in. My 'favorite' disciple, the doom bringer..."
Laude smirked and said, "Don't stress yourself, Head Elder. It's not good for your body, especially at your age. We wouldn't want you to drop dead anytime soon, now. After all, where would we White Dew Society be without its one and only madman?"
The other disciples secretly smiled at their childish conversation when they heard both of them trade insults for greetings. It would've been weirder for both of them to actually greet each other like genuine adults at this point. Still, everyone in White Dew Society knew that Fraxinus was a big softie at heart, despite his irritable outer shell.
One only had to bribe him with his favorite childhood treat, candy apples, to gain the old fool's favor. In that way, Fraxinus was akin to a young boy at heart, despite his advanced age. Petty, childish grudges, schoolyard insults, and a love for sweets... Laude had difficulty accepting that this man was in charge of teaching disciples the mystic art of Exorcism.
"Hmph... In any case, hurry up and sit down, boy," said Fraxinus as he turned his attention toward getting today's lecture started. "Today, we'll be discussing the general characteristics of malignant spirits and how to properly deal with them."
Fraxinus pulled a long scroll out of his robe and unfurled it across his desk, and a ghastly apparition formed of Spiritual Qi popped out of the scroll — an artificial, illusory phantom created by Immortal Magic. It was a frightening, life-like reproduction of a man who had a terrible gash through his stomach all the way up to his neck, indicating he had been murdered quite brutally...
All in all, it was a real terrifying piece of work, but... no one in the room seemed to care about it. Hell, Laude even heard someone yawn behind him (very quietly, of course) in boredom. To them, it was nothing to be amazed about, but Laude still felt goosebumps whenever he saw the magical illusions.
Although he and the masses had some knowledge about mystic arts, given that many people possessed enchanted items that had some kind of Immortal Magic within them, they were usually only simplistic objects.
The types of enchanted items mortals owned were usually cooking stoves that used Spirit stones as fuel, simplistic talismans that protected people from weak spirits and demons, enchanted water wells that used Spiritual Qi to gather moisture out of the air...
Those were the types of enchanted items that mortals usually possessed, not high-class items like the illusory scroll that Fraxinus used. Suffice to say, Laude was astounded when he first saw what cultivators were really capable of with their Immortal Magic.
"...And that is why you must resolve the main issue that is preventing from leaving to the afterlife," said Fraxinus, as he surveyed his disciples with his hawkish gaze. "Are you paying attention, you brats? What, you think that saving ghosts is too boring for you punks? When did the youth of this generation become so heartless? You know, back in my day..."
"Yes, yes, you were all extraordinary cultivators that saved the day wherever you traveled. We can't compare to the older generations, so please forgive us for our incompetence in advance, Head Elder," said Vateria Ingel, jokingly.
Vateria was Shorea Ingel's so-called "little brother" and the cultivator who had saved Laude the day that mysterious heavenly tribulation had struck him. No dared call her a boy aside her older brother, though, lest they incur her terrible wrath...
Laude thought it was a shame. She was cute as a button, but her tomboyish personality was a turn-off for him. Nevertheless, she was pleasant to the eye — her short chestnut-colored hair and warm, emerald eyes gave her an impish appearance. She had the outward look of a forest sprite. Alas... she had the heart of a temperamental bull.
Fraxinus clicked his tongue in disapproval and said, "Watch your mouth, little girl! That's no way for a lady of White Dew Society to speak! Don't think I won't give you a proper spanking just because the Patriarch adopted you! Honestly, kids these days... So disrespectful and rebellious you'd think we were raising wild monkeys to be cultivators! Ahh, this generation is doomed..."
Laude chuckled and said, "The world's going to supposedly end any day now, right? Shouldn't it be 'this world is doomed,' Head Elder?"
"Full of zest today, aren't we, you brats? Well, I hope you both enjoy mopping the floors of the Windell Temple today! And don't expect to eat today, either!" said Fraxinus with a toothy grin.
'Oh, for the love of...! Not that goddamned temple!' thought Laude. Today was going to be a bad day...
Purposefully redirecting Fraxinus's ire onto himself was not something he was fond of doing, but he felt obligated to look out for the person who had saved his life. Regrettably, though, Laude had failed spectacularly this time around and gotten himself assigned with cleaning duty for nothing since Vateria also got punished as well in the end.
Out of all the punishments one could receive, getting cleaning duty at Windell Temple ranked amongst the worst punishments, by far.
It was an old, abandoned temple situated in another mountain separate from the five individual mountains that each Head Elder and the Patriarch used, respectively. It was the residence of the former fifth Head Elder of White Dew Society before he passed away many, many years ago. Nowadays, it was nothing more than an unoccupied temple that no one visited except for...
Laude let out a resigned sigh and said, "Why did you have to rile him up, you fool? Nothing good has ever come of getting on that skeleton's bad side. Or do you have some sort of secret cleaning hobby that you've been hiding from everyone?"
Vateria wordlessly stared at Laude for a moment before she swung her broom and struck him right over the head, causing him to tumble over into the pile of leaves he had been sweeping. They had been sweeping the courtyard of Windell Temple since midday and had barely finished cleaning the outer plaza of the temple. It'd be another hour or two before they'd finish...
"I don't appreciate it, you know," said Vateria as she continued sweeping, "Don't appreciate you sticking your nose to help me whenever I get in trouble. I'm not a child. Quit patronizing me. Hell, I'm even older than you by a year. So stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
Laude softly chuckled as he stood up and said, "You don't have the right to say that, you know. Tell me again, which one of us saved the other person from certain death? Oh wait, that was you. So don't talk to me about 'sticking your nose where it doesn't belong,' because you're the expert at that, not me."
The girl snorted and said, "Bah, it's hopeless trying to talk to you. I already told you that I don't like persistent guys. It's sad when guys refuse to accept reality..."
Laude smiled politely and said, "You're cute, Vateria, but you're not 'that' cute. Don't get ahead of yourself just because that pretty boy, Larix, looked at you a single ti—"
Another broom strike hit Laude square in the back of the head, and he fell onto the pile of leaves he was gathering again...
Laude quickly figured out that Vateria was a real piece of work once he got to know her. She was what some would call a "young rebel," so to speak. Having lived her entire life in the secluded mountain sanctuaries of White Dew Society, Vateria longed to see the broader world of Oseo.
Truth be told, Vateria had not even been permitted to leave White Dew Society the day that she had rescued Laude. She had actually snuck her out of the magical protective barrier that kept anyone from entering or leaving the Society on a little "fact-finding expedition," according to her words...
It wasn't always like this, though. In the past, disciples used to enter and leave the Society freely whenever they pleased. But with the slow disappearance of Spiritual Qi, new rules had been put into action.
Every strand of Spiritual Qi was now a precious resource to be guarded. And as per tradition, every Society in the world was built upon a Spiritual leyline, a natural fountain or well of Spiritual Qi.
In these troubling times, not even Societies were safe. These days, many desperate groups would gladly invade a Society and kill its inhabitants to claim the Spiritual leyline that it was founded on, White Dew Society included.
Inverted cultivation Societies, the Deep Forest Alliance, even other supposedly "righteous" cultivation Societies — if desperate enough — would likely target White Dew Society if the opportunity ever arose.
Laude sighed. At the rate he was studying, it'd be half a year before he finished his studies. And even then, he would not be allowed to leave the Society. Only disciples who had earned the title of "Elder Disciple" were allowed to leave the Society by themselves.
If Laude wanted to leave the Society, he would have to be accompanied by an Elder Disciple like every other regular disciple. In essence, a glorified nanny to keep them out of trouble.
And the only reason disciples like him were allowed to leave the Society was strictly for training missions. Nothing more.
More than anything, Laude wanted to visit Haalo. He wanted to see his family and friends. He dearly missed the sights and sounds of his village. He missed his mother's cooking. He missed the taste of the apples from his family's apple orchard.
White Dew Society had been kind to him, and Laude knew it was a good place, but... it wasn't his real home.
When Vateria noticed that Laude had not gotten up, she walked over to him and gently poked him with her broom a couple of times before she said, "Did you finally drop dead or something? Hello...? Hey, get up... Stop ignoring me already, goddamnit!"
It wasn't until Vateria dragged Laude up that she saw his gloomy, depressed face. She scowled at him and said, "What's the matter with you? Don't be a baby. I didn't even hit you that hard."
Laude sighed. He brushed her off and said, "Let's just get this done as quickly as possible, alright? It's nothing, really..."
Vateria glared at Laude, but in the end, she did not pry. It wasn't as if she was that interested in knowing anyway. Or at least, that was what she told herself as she focused on sweeping her side of the courtyard.
Windell Temple was a beautiful place to visit when one wasn't cleaning it for what it was worth. Unlike the other four mountain sanctuaries that faced westward toward the continent of Ibeum, Windell Temple faced eastward toward the sea.
The temple was situated atop a large mountain covered in trees that oversaw a lush, verdant valley called the Cradle of Noel. It was a pocket of generally untouched land that eventually led towards the Emerald Sea.
Midday eventually passed, and the sky turned warm amber as the sun began to dip across the horizon. It had taken them a little bit longer than expected, but Laude and Vateria had finally finished their task. Tired out of their minds, the two of them sat on the stone steps of the Windell Temple and took in the magnificent view of the Cradle of Noel as a sort of prize for their hard work.
Windell Temple looked beautiful as ever, despite being abandoned for decades. Laude presumed that some form of Immortal Magic was keeping the building in pristine condition, yet another marvel that left him amazed...
"This place is like a wonderland, full of all kinds of amazing things," said Laude as he watched the temple glow like a pretty candle as the sky began to grow dim. "Every day, I see incredible things in this Society that leave me wondering about this world that you people live in."
"And every day... I am reminded that this not the world I belong in. This fantastical world where ghosts, demons, and the afterlife cross paths. A secret world where people cultivate to escape the cycle of reincarnation. I mean, for Heaven's sake, I'm a bloody farmer!"
Vateria turned to look at Laude and said, "...And? I was an orphan up until I was seven years old. The same goes for my older brother, too. And every other disciple in White Dew Society. I'm sure you've already had some suspicion about this, right?"
Laude kept his eyes on the sinking sun and said, "Well... Yeah, I've had an inkling about it. Felt it was kind of weird that whenever I talked with other disciples about their pasts, they never mentioned any memories outside of this mountain range. So, yes, I had an idea about it."
"That's how it is in every Society, not just White Dew Society. We're all orphans that were adopted by the Head Elders when we were kids. Kids that can't make it into an orphanage get picked up by Societies. My parents died when I was little, and after that, my brother and I lived on the streets of Usala until... Alnus found us and brought us here," said Vateria.
"He clothed, fed, taught, and loved us as if we were his own grandchildren. And every day, I thank my lucky stars that he found and brought us here because I know that if he didn't... I'd be dead already."
Vateria slowly stood up and stretched her legs before she said, "The point I'm trying to get across is that I'm grateful. Grateful that fortune, fate, luck, the Heavens, whatever it was — saved my life and gave me another chance to live. So your moping attitude is pissing me off quite a bit right now."
She grabbed the collar of Laude's robe and dragged him toward a precarious edge of the temple that led to a dizzying fall onto the valley below. A single step was all that stood between them and a three-thousand-foot descent into the ground below...
"I saved your life because I thought that you'd want to live, but it seems that I might've been wrong. If you're really that weak-minded, that homesick, then let me know right now, and I'll throw you off this ledge," said Vateria, unflinchingly.
"Given your unique constitution, I'm pretty sure you'll survive the fall. It's the fastest way of escaping, by far. You want to go home and endanger your family? Go ahead. Give me the word, and I'll send you off on your merry way whenever you want. White Dew Society is my home, and it has been more than generous enough to you — if you don't want to stay, you're welcome to leave."
Vateria let go of Laude and left him behind near the ledge, unwilling to spend another second with him.
Laude didn't even bother trying to catch up to her since he knew that it'd only make things worse. He just kept his eyes focused on the setting sun as he thought about old childhood memories until the sun finally disappeared beneath the Emerald Sea...