Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The artificial sunlight of Kyokai City cast long and sharp shadows across the polished white stone of the outer rings. Li Yu stood with his arms crossed and leaning comfortably against a decorative jade pillar. A few yards away, Daiki was pacing back and forth in front of the heavy wooden doors of a minor training pagoda known as the Pagoda of the Shifting Zephyr. The giant crimson demon had worn a shallow trench into the dirt from his relentless pacing over the last two hours.

"You are going to dig your way into the spiritual veins if you keep doing that," Li Yu noted calmly.

Daiki stopped pacing and let out a heavy and anxious breath. He looked at the sealed doors of the pagoda. "She should have been out by now. It is a minor trial. It only tests evasive footwork and wind arrays. For someone with her agility, this should be a simple morning exercise."

"She is just testing her limits," Li Yu reasoned, though a faint hum of unease vibrated in his own chest. "She has not drawn her sword in a long time. It is natural that she might be a bit rusty."

"I know," Daiki grumbled while rubbing his massive jaw. "But I told her it was too soon. We only just became Dao Companions. There is no need for her to rush back into the crucible. I have enough resources to support us both while she rests."

Li Yu smiled faintly. "You cannot cage a wolf, Daiki. Even if the cage is built out of good intentions. She is independent and is a strong person."

Before Daiki could respond, a deep and resonating chime echoed from the Pagoda of the Shifting Zephyr. The heavy wooden doors slowly ground open, releasing a stale gust of wind and a surge of exhausted residual energy into the plaza.

Daiki immediately surged forward with a wide and eager smile. The smile vanished a fraction of a second later.

Sora was not walking out on her own two feet. An armor clad Guardian of the Trial Grounds stepped through the threshold. The silent sentinels rarely interacted directly with the candidates unless a trial was catastrophically failed. The Guardian held Sora’s limp and unconscious body carefully in its massive arms. Her robes were torn and her silver fur was matted with fresh blood.

"Sora!" Daiki roared, the sound tearing through the quiet plaza. He rushed forward as his immense physical presence caused a few nearby natives to stumble backward in alarm.

Li Yu pushed off the jade pillar and followed immediately behind him. His mind instantly assessed the situation. There were no missing limbs and no catastrophic exterior wounds but her aura was dangerously thin. It was flickering like a candle caught in a storm.

The Guardian stopped and looked down at Daiki through the dark slit of its heavy helmet.

"Candidate Sora failed the minor trial," the Guardian’s voice echoed directly into their minds. It was a cold transmission devoid of any judgment. "She exhibited highly uncharacteristic delays in her reaction time. She was struck by basic wind blades that she normally would have evaded with ease. Her physical vessel collapsed midway through the second sequence."

"Give her to me," Daiki demanded. His hands trembled as he gently took the unconscious wolf woman from the Guardian’s arms. She weighed almost nothing against his massive frame.

"Her internal foundation is critical," the Guardian added before turning back toward the dark interior of the pagoda. "Seek the healers immediately."

Daiki did not waste a single breath. He turned and sprinted toward the Ward of Tranquility. He was moving with a terrifying speed that tore the cobblestones beneath his heavy boots but his upper body was completely stable. Li Yu stayed right beside him keeping pace with the giant demon's frantic strides.

They reached the elegant wooden pavilion in record time. Daiki burst through the sliding white doors, ignoring the hushed atmosphere of the medical ward.

"Elder Vaelin!" Daiki bellowed as his voice was cracking with panic. "Help her!"

The powerful native healer emerged from a private alcove almost instantly. She took one look at Sora’s pale face and flickering aura and her pupil-less eyes widened. She gestured sharply toward an empty jade healing bed in the back of the ward.

"Lay her down carefully," Elder Vaelin commanded. Her voice was absolute and steady, instantly cutting through Daiki's panic. "Do not transfer your own Qi to her. It will only agitate her meridians."

Daiki gently placed Sora onto the woven grass mat of the jade bed. He stepped back, his massive hands hovering uselessly in the air. Li Yu placed a firm and grounding hand on the demon's shoulder, silently offering his support while the healer went to work.

Elder Vaelin placed her hands inches above Sora’s chest. A soothing stream of blue water Qi flowed from her palms as it was scanning the depths of the wolf woman’s spiritual foundation. The elder’s brow furrowed into a deep and troubled frown.

"The wind blades caused superficial bleeding," Elder Vaelin reported quietly as she manipulated the healing energy. "But they are not the cause of this collapse. She has suffered massive internal damage in her spiritual core."

"From a minor trial?" Daiki asked. "That is impossible."

"It was not the trial," Elder Vaelin corrected him softly. She pulled her hands back and the blue light faded. She looked at Daiki and Li Yu with sorrow. "It is the damage from her previous failure in the Pagoda of the Chanting Blade. Her core was never fully healed. It was merely stabilized."

Li Yu felt a cold realization wash over him. "She was hiding the extent of the damage."

Elder Vaelin nodded grimly. "Seeing this damage now, I can guess what happened. Her core was fractured down to its very roots. The volatile integration she attempted weeks ago caused hidden devastation. While the outer shell of her core seemed intact, the inside was essentially held together by string and willpower. She most likely knew about this. The moment she tried to channel her sword intent inside the pagoda today, the strain probably shattered the fragile mending. The technique she originally used did far more harm than anyone, even myself, initially realized."

Li Yu let out a slow and quiet breath as the scattered pieces of the puzzle finally slammed together in his mind.

It made sense now. The sudden abandonment of her relentless training. The lack of her wooden sword. Her uncharacteristic willingness to settle down and accept a permanent relationship even if her feelings for Daiki were real, it was a bit quick for someone like herself. Sora had known her martial path was likely severed. She knew she could no longer push herself to the apex of the cosmos and decided on other things.

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Faced with the terrifying reality of a crippled foundation, she had tried to adapt. She had tried to find a new purpose in love and companionship with Daiki. Yet, old habits were incredibly hard to give up.

The pride of a swordswoman ran deeper than blood. She had likely told herself that maybe, just maybe, she could still manage a minor trial. She had wanted to test if the healing was enough to let her swing a sword. It was a tragic and desperate gamble to reclaim a piece of her identity and she had lost.

"Can you fix it?" Daiki asked. His voice was no longer a booming roar. It was a small and broken plea. He looked down at the woman he loved. The first woman he had ever felt this way about but now he was completely helpless.

Elder Vaelin sighed and shook her head slowly. "My healing arts can soothe her physical pain and I can stabilize her life force so she does not die. But I cannot repair a core that has shattered from the inside out. Not with the herbs and treasures available in The Veil. Our realm is too broken to cultivate the required tier of medicine."

"What does she need?" Daiki pressed as he was taking a step closer to the bed. "Tell me what it takes."

"To fuse a shattered core and rewrite the corrupted meridians, one would need supreme natural treasures or rare herbs that have lived for a very long time." Elder Vaelin explained. "Items like the Crimson Marrow Lotus, the Abyssal Sun Drop or the Nine Lives Ironheart. Any single one of these could potentially, I need to make that clear, it is only potentially, rebuild her foundation. But such items are the heavily guarded heritage of powerful clans and ancient empires. They do not exist here anymore. What we had, we have already used up through the years." Elder Vaelin went on to list several other items.

Li Yu committed the names to memory though he had never heard of any of them. They sounded like legendary items that would spark massive and bloody wars in the lower realms.

He turned to look at Daiki, fully expecting the demon to despair.

Instead, Daiki’s expression had completely changed. The panic and helplessness were gone. As Elder Vaelin listed the names of the treasures, Daiki’s golden eyes hardened into unyielding stone. His massive jaw clenched and his hands curled into tight fists.

"I know them," Daiki said.

Li Yu raised an eyebrow. "You know where to find them?"

"I have seen them," Daiki confirmed. He did not take his eyes off Sora. "My father keeps a Crimson Marrow Lotus and a Nine Lives Ironheart secured in the great vault of the Blood Iron Clan. They are some of our top treasures. I have seen my father dotting on them more than he does me. He has been saving them to trade for political leverage."

Li Yu stared at his friend. Daiki had spent at least the last two years hiding in The Veil. He had openly admitted that he was terrified of his father’s wrath. He had been so scared of returning home to face a forced marriage with a terrifying hydra that he had considered permanently surrendering his candidate status just to remain a ghost in Kyokai City forever.

The Blood Iron realm represented Daiki's greatest fear.

"Looks like I am going home," Daiki stated with terrifying calm.

Li Yu was genuinely surprised. There was no hesitation in the giant demon's voice. There was no debating the odds or trying to find a safer alternative. The moment Daiki realized the woman he loved needed something his father possessed, his cowardice instantly evaporated. He was willing to walk directly into the jaws of the beast he had spent years running from.

It was a display that took a lot of courage. Li Yu felt a deep surge of admiration for the demon. This was what true strength looked like. It was not just about swinging a heavy weapon; it was about standing your ground for the people you cared about even when you were terrified.

"You are not going alone," Li Yu said to him. He stepped up beside Daiki.

Daiki looked at him and his golden eyes wide with surprise. "Li Yu... my home realm is not a safe place. My father is a tyrant and the Blood Iron Clan is built on brutality. If I go back demanding our greatest treasures after fleeing my betrothal, they will likely try to kill me. Or imprison me. You do not have to drag yourself into my family's war."

"We are a trio," Li Yu reminded him while echoing Daiki’s own words from a month ago. "Besides, candidates are not prisoners here. We can leave whenever we want, provided we can pay the toll to leave and come back."

Li Yu did not wait for Daiki to argue. He reached into his dark robes and pulled out his dark purple soul-jade badge.

When Old Du had first given him the badge, the ancient ferryman had mentioned that Li Yu could use it to contact him directly in emergencies. Given the immense favor Li Yu had done for Old Du by allowing Xyphyra to visit their parents' graves, Li Yu felt entirely comfortable calling in the debt.

Li Yu channeled a focused stream of Soul Qi into the badge. "Old Du. I need a favor. Can you come to the Ward of Tranquility?"

Elder Vaelin looked at Li Yu with a mixture of confusion and mild reprimand. "Candidate Li Yu, the ferrymen do not answer to basic summons like servants. They are to be honored for the sacrifices they have made for this realm. They only—"

The air inside the medical pavilion suddenly dropped ten degrees. A heavy and stagnant scent of dry ash and deep water filled the pristine ward.

A swirling vortex of grey mist manifested directly in the center of the room. The mist parted and Old Du stepped out onto the woven grass mats. He held his worn wooden paddle in one hand and his tattered grey robes were drifting slightly despite the lack of wind.

Elder Vaelin froze. The words died in her throat. Her pupil-less eyes widened to a comical degree and she immediately dropped to her knees. She bowed her head so deeply it nearly touched the floorboards.

To the candidates that were recruited by him, Old Du was just the ferryman who brought them to the trials. But to the native people of The Veil, he was an absolute legend. He was not just one of the original survivors of the Great Devastation, he was a hero during it.

He was a nearly untouchable elder of their people. Seeing him personally materialize inside a medical ward in response to a simple summons was like watching a god casually walk into a tavern. Old Du ignored the prostrating healer. He looked directly at Li Yu.

"You called me?" Old Du said. He glanced at the unconscious Sora on the bed and then at the determined expression on Daiki's face. "What has happened?"

"Sora's foundation is shattered," Li Yu explained quickly, skipping the pleasantries. "She needs a specific natural treasure to survive. Daiki’s father possesses it. We need to leave The Veil temporarily. We need you to take us to his home realm."

Old Du’s weathered face remained impassive. He slowly tapped the base of his wooden paddle against the floor.

"Candidates are free to leave," Old Du confirmed slowly. "But returning to a hostile home realm is dangerous. If you leave, Astramentis will not protect you while you are there. Are you certain you wish to pause your trials for this?"

"I am completely certain," Daiki answered before Li Yu could even open his mouth. The giant demon stepped forward. "Please take me to my father."

Old Du looked at the giant demon and was studying the unyielding resolve in his golden eyes. He then looked back at Li Yu. The ferryman had not forgotten the respect Li Yu had shown his broken family in the desolate wasteland.

"Very well," Old Du nodded slowly. "Consider this a return of the kindness you showed me. I will guide you back there. But once you step off my boat, you are entirely on your own."

"That is all we ask," Li Yu said with a grateful nod. He turned to Elder Vaelin who was still kneeling on the floor. "Elder, please keep her stable until we return. We will bring the medicine."

"I... I will do my best to make sure she is comfortable, Honored Candidate," Elder Vaelin stammered. She was looking at Li Yu in an entirely new light. If this human could ask the legendary ferryman for a favor as an equal, his status was far beyond anything she had imagined.

Daiki gently leaned over the jade bed and pressed his forehead against Sora’s pale cheek for a brief moment. He whispered a quiet promise that Li Yu could not hear. When Daiki stood back up, he looked like a general preparing for a siege.

"Lead the way, ferryman," Daiki rumbled.

Old Du turned and stepped back into the swirling grey mist. Li Yu and Daiki followed close behind. The grey fog of the cosmic boundary instantly enveloped them. As Old Du pushed his paddle into the dark waters, the skiff surged forward and was leaving the Trial Grounds behind.

They were heading into the heart of a brutal empire and Li Yu knew that dealing with a tyrant father and a hydra was going to be an entirely different kind of war.