Myriad Rivers to the Sea

The morning air in Kyokai City was crisp and carried the faint scent of silver tea leaves. Li Yu stood in the center of his courtyard and he was moving with a slow and rhythmic grace. Gilded Calamity was a weightless extension of his arm and he had grown quite accustomed to holding it now. He swung the ornate blade through the air.

Within the last two days his mind had been a chaotic mess. The cycle of emotions had left him physically and mentally exhausted. He had started with a burning anger toward the Eidolon Court for their attempted kidnapping. That anger had quickly morphed into a heavy and suffocating guilt. He felt responsible for Old Du’s people missing their greatest opportunity for restoration.

Then the guilt had turned back into anger. He resented the Eidolon Court for putting him in a position where he had to feel guilty for his own safety. He had finally managed to reach a state of wary acceptance. He had made his choice and he was prepared to live with it.

But now a new layer of frustration had settled over him. He was angry that he had spent the last forty eight hours suffering through these thoughts. He gripped the hilt of the sword tighter. He channeled his frustration into a series of sharp and precise strikes. The blade whistled through the thick air.

The heavy sound of footsteps at the entrance of his courtyard broke his concentration.

Li Yu lowered the sword and turned his head. He saw Old Du leading a large group through the gate. Khaos walked beside the ferryman. Behind them stood the five members of the original Eidolon delegation. Torend looked pale and his amethyst eyes were fixed on the ground.

However, it was the two individuals leading the Eidolon group that caught Li Yu's immediate attention.

They were both tall and wrapped in robes of shimmering grey silk that seemed to flow like liquid smoke. Their skin was more translucent than the others. It gave them a truly ethereal and ghostly appearance.

Li Yu didn't need to see their cultivation base to understand the threat they represented. His instincts screamed at him that these two were vastly stronger than both Old Du and Torend. The pressure they radiated was heavy enough to make the silver grass at their feet flatten against the soil.

The two leaders stopped walking the moment their eyes landed on the sword in Li Yu’s hand.

They both flinched visibly. It was a subtle and synchronized movement of their shoulders. Their amethyst eyes widened in a flash of confusion and suppressed alarm. They looked at Gilded Calamity and then at Li Yu. Then they looked at the sword once more.

They did not say a word. They did not ask him where he had acquired such a weapon. They simply took a deep and measured breath to regain their composure. It was clear that they recognized the blade just as Old Du had before them. They were not too shocked though because their shock was placed elsewhere.

Their gaze then shifted to Khaos. They showed more surprise at the presence of the ancient warrior than they did at the sword.

"Li Yu," Old Du said with a weary voice. "These are representatives from the highest echelons of the Eidolon Court. They have come to speak with you."

Li Yu did not lower his guard. He stood his ground and watched them. "I thought I told the last group to leave."

The tall man at the front stepped forward. He offered a shallow but respectful bow. "I am Haelan. This is Jhyra. We represent the ruling council of our people. We have traveled here to personally offer our apologies for the inexcusable actions of our delegation."

The woman beside him, Jhyra, nodded slowly. Her voice was cold but carried a tone of forced sincerity. "Torend acted without our direct orders. His decision was born of a foolish and short sighted desperation. We do not condone the use of violence against a guest of the Trial Grounds."

Li Yu remained unimpressed. He suspected that if Torend had succeeded, these two would have been rewarding Torend rather than apologizing for him.

"Let us sit," Khaos suggested calmly. He gestured toward the wooden table in the center of the courtyard.

The group moved toward the table. Li Yu moved mechanically. He gathered the clay cups and brewed a pot of hot tea. He set a cup in front of Haelan and Jhyra. He then sat down between Old Du and Khaos. The five Eidolon warriors stood in a line behind their leaders. Torend remained at the very center of that line. He looked like a man waiting for a death sentence.

Haelan took a sip of the tea and set the cup down with a quiet clink.

"To mend the fracture between our people and to show our sincerity," Haelan began as he looked Li Yu right in the eye. "We have decided that a price must be paid. Torend overstepped his authority and he brought shame to the Eidolon Court."

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Jhyra looked at the Torend and then back to Li Yu. "To make amends, Torend will pledge his life to you. He will come under your command via a slave soul contract. His strength, his knowledge, except the sensitive ones of course and his very existence will belong to you permanently."

Li Yu was stunned. He looked at Torend. The man was as strong as Old Du. He was a general of a multi realm empire. And his own leaders were throwing him away like a piece of discarded equipment just to appease a Law Integration youth. It showed a level of ruthlessness that Li Yu found difficult to comprehend. It also highlighted exactly how desperate they were to secure his cooperation.

"I don't want him," Li Yu said flatly. "I have no use for a slave. I don't want to own another person's life. The last one I got randomly wasn’t very helpful and is off living his best life."

Torend finally looked up. His face was a mask of grim determination. "If you do not accept, I will take my own life right here. I have failed my mission and I have brought dishonor to my bloodline. My life is forfeit either way. I would rather serve than return home in shame."

Li Yu felt his anger rising again. He slammed his hand onto the wooden table.

"You are trying to force things on me again!" Li Yu snapped. He glared at Haelan and Jhyra. "You come here with apologies but you are still using the same manipulative tactics. You are trying to trap me with guilt."

Haelan did not flinch. He slowly raised his hand. A pale and shimmering energy began to coalesce around his fingertips. It was a dense and lethal power.

"We are not forcing anything," Haelan stated coldly. "If you truly do not want him serving you then he is of no use to us. If you refuse the contract I will strike him down right now to prove that our apology is not empty words."

Haelan began to move his hand toward Torend’s head. The intent to kill was absolute.

"Stop!" Li Yu commanded.

Haelan’s hand froze inches away from Torend’s brow. Li Yu stared at them in disbelief.

‘These people were crazy. They were insane. No… those words are probably too tamed for them.’ Li Yu thought.

He had dealt with arrogant young masters and ruthless sect leaders before but he had never encountered a culture that viewed their own high level powerhouses as such disposable currency. He looked at Torend and he saw a man who had acted out of love for a dying home. He couldn't let them kill him over a rejected apology.

"Fine," Li Yu muttered through gritted teeth. "I will accept the contract. Just put your hand down."

A flicker of satisfaction crossed Haelan’s face. He lowered his hand and the lethal energy dissipated. Torend did not hesitate at all. He stepped forward and knelt before Li Yu. He closed his amethyst eyes and began a complex internal chant.

A moment later a shimmering orb of translucent purple light emerged from his forehead. It was a fragment of his very soul. Torend sent the soul fragment toward Li Yu.

Li Yu reached out and allowed the orb to sink into his chest. He prepared to guide it toward his inner world.

However, hidden deep within the soul fragment was a jagged and microscopic needle of black energy. It was an ancient and ruthless technique of their people. If the recipient's soul was not strong enough to perfectly suppress the slave's energy the needle would expand. It would cripple the master's foundation and leave them as a mindless puppet.

Haelan and Jhyra watched with intense focus. This was their final test. They were indeed willing to let Torend be bound to Li Yu. But they also wanted to use it as a test to confirm if he truly possessed the soul strength they were looking for. If he was weak, he would die or be crippled. They were confident enough in their own strength to escape The Veil even if Khaos and Old Du attacked.

Li Yu felt the soul fragment enter his ethereal space as a normal slave soul contract should.

Inside his soul, the five Nascent Souls were resting. The Fisherman was sitting on his rock. The Human Soul was reading something. The Whale was drifting somewhere below. Muddy was chewing grass and the Koi was swimming through the skies.

When the Eidolon soul fragment entered it was like a small pebble falling into a deep ocean. The sheer density of Li Yu’s combined soul power was unimaginable. The black needle technique didn't even get a chance to activate. The moment it touched the periphery of his soul space the crushing pressure of the five Nascent Souls simply erased it. It was like a spark of fire hitting a mountain of ice.

Li Yu didn't even notice the trap was there. He simply guided Torend’s soul fragment into a corner of his soul space and bound it with a series of silver ethereal chains. The contract was finalized.

Torend gasped and slumped forward. He felt the absolute and unshakeable weight of the bond. But he felt something else as well. He felt the terrifying depths of the soul he had just bound himself to. He looked up at Li Yu with a look of genuine horror and awe. Since he was bound to Li Yu, he wouldn’t be able to say anything about what he just learned.

Haelan and Jhyra exchanged a quick and stunned glance. They had expected Li Yu to struggle. They had expected a violent fluctuation of energy as his foundation fought the trap. Instead nothing had happened. He had absorbed the soul and the lethal technique as if he were drinking a cup of water. The boy didn’t even notice he was schemed against.

The realization almost staggered them. The youth standing before them was not just a lucky candidate with a strong soul. He was a monster whose foundation was what they were looking for. He was looking more and more like the person they needed. The urgency increased.

Li Yu let out a slow breath. He felt the connection to Torend but he still felt the lingering heat of his anger. He looked at the two leaders.

"It's done," Li Yu said coldly. "He's bound. Now tell me what you really came here for. And no more games."

Haelan and Jhyra remained silent for a long moment. They were processing the reality that their hidden test had failed to even leave a scratch on the boy. The silence stretched on as the morning light grew brighter.