Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Li Yu retrieved the communication token Old Du had given him. He infused a small sliver of Qi into the polished wood. The token warmed slightly in his palm. He sent a brief and direct message to the ferryman.

He did not have to wait long.

Less than an hour later the heavy wooden gates of his courtyard slid open. Old Du stepped through the entrance. The ferryman’s dark eyes searched Li Yu’s face for an answer. Khaos followed right behind him. The ancient warrior moved with a silent and predatory grace. The miniature golden orb of Astramentis hovered over Old Du’s shoulder. It pulsed with a steady and anxious rhythm.

Torend walked in next. The bound Eidolon general took his place in the corner of the courtyard and knelt on the silver grass.

Finally Haelan and Jhyra stepped through the gateway. The two Eidolon leaders looked cautious. Their shimmering grey silk robes caught the artificial twilight of Kyokai City. They did not carry the arrogant swagger they had displayed during their first visit. The desperation was etched deeply into their pale features. They knew this was their final chance.

Li Yu stood by the wooden table. He did not offer them tea this time. He did not invite them to sit. He wanted to establish the dynamic immediately.

"I have made my decision," Li Yu announced. His voice was calm and carried across the quiet courtyard.

Haelan and Jhyra stopped walking. They stood a few paces away from the table. They held their breath.

"I will help you," Li Yu said. "I will return to your realm. I will allow your dying Ancestor to enter my soul space and use my foundation as a sanctuary to heal and help fight the poison."

A massive and visible wave of relief washed over the two Eidolon leaders. Jhyra closed her eyes and let out a trembling breath. Haelan bowed his head slightly. The heavy burden of their impending extinction lifted just a fraction. Old Du let out a soft sigh of relief as well. The ferryman realized the Realm Essence was finally within their grasp.

"However," Li Yu continued. His tone dropped the ambient temperature in the pavilion. "I am not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. I am fully aware of the threat you pose if I refuse. Because I am taking on this massive risk I will be dictating the terms. They are not negotiable."

Haelan straightened his posture. The relief vanished and was replaced by the wary caution of a ruler. "We are prepared to offer you the wealth of our empire. Name your price."

"My price is absolute security," Li Yu stated firmly. "Let us establish the reality of this arrangement first. If I agree to house your Ancestor our fates are tied together from then on. If I die, she dies. If she dies your entire race falls dead on the spot. Let that be clear from the start."

Jhyra frowned slightly. She stepped forward. "That is not necessarily the case. Our Ancestor is weakened but she is a supreme entity. If your physical vessel is compromised or killed, she could potentially detach herself from your soul space. She could survive in the void long enough for us to find another temporary host. It would be devastating to her recovery but she would not instantly perish."

Li Yu smiled. It was a cold and terrifying expression that was rarely ever seen on Li Yu’s face.

"That is exactly what I thought," Li Yu said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You view my body as a disposable inn. If the inn catches fire, the guest simply walks out the front door. That leaves me with absolutely no leverage and no guarantee for my own safety."

Li Yu looked directly into Jhyra’s amethyst eyes.

"So let me make my first promise to you," Li Yu declared. His voice was laced with an unyielding and ruthless iron. "If I am ever placed in a situation where my life is threatened by your people, your enemies or anyone trying to kill me, I will not wait to be killed. I will not give your Ancestor the chance to escape. The second I feel my life ending, I will detonate my own foundation. I will ignite my soul and core. I will ensure that she is completely incinerated along with me. We will all die together."

The courtyard fell into a dead silence.

Haelan and Jhyra stared at the young farmer in horror. The color drained from their pale faces. They had expected greed. They had expected him to ask for peerless artifacts or endless mountains of wealth. They had never expected a Law Integration youth to threaten mutually assured destruction.

He was holding their entire species hostage. He was using his own life as the detonator.

Old Du gripped his paddle tightly. He looked at Li Yu with a newfound respect. The boy was not kind and nice. He could also be fierce and when he was fierce he was terrifying. Khaos simply smirked in the shadows. The ancient warrior approved of the ruthless tactic.

"You..." Haelan stammered. His composure was entirely shattered. "You would destroy yourself just to take her down and all of us?"

"I would," Li Yu confirmed without a single ounce of hesitation. "I am not a victim. If you bring me to your realm, you will protect me with everything you have. You will ensure I never even catch a cold. Because if I fall, I am taking your entire empire into the abyss with me."

Jhyra swallowed hard. She exchanged a desperate look with Haelan. They realized they were no longer dealing with a junior that had something they wanted. They were dealing with a person that was like them, pushed back into a corner and was willing to do whatever it took.

"We understand," Haelan whispered. He lowered his head in forced submission. "Your safety will be our absolute highest priority. We will swear to it."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Swearing is not enough," Li Yu countered instantly. He uncrossed his arms and rested his hands on the wooden table. "Which brings me to my actual conditions. Condition one. I want every single member of your ruling council bound to me."

The two Eidolon leaders recoiled as if they had been physically struck.

"Bound?" Jhyra repeated. Her voice cracked. "You mean like Torend?"

"No," Li Yu clarified. He glanced at the kneeling general in the corner. "I do not want a slave contract. I have no interest in controlling your daily actions or dictating your thoughts. I want a life and death bond. I want the ultimate killing device within my hands. I want every single council member to surrender a piece of their soul to me. I want the ability to kill any of you, at any time with a single thought."

"That is insane!" Haelan roared. His shimmering silk robes flared with volatile Qi. "You are asking us to hand over the authority of our empire to an outsider! We are the leaders of the Eidolon Court! We command trillions! We cannot place our lives at the mercy of your whims!"

"You will place your lives at my mercy because I am placing my life at the mercy of your people and your Ancestor," Li Yu replied coldly. He did not raise his voice. He simply let the weight of his logic crush their protests.

"It is the only way to ensure my safety before I arrive in your territory. It prevents this entire arrangement from being a trap. It also serves as my insurance after the transfer is complete. You will all be bound to me. If you refuse, we are done here."

Haelan opened his mouth to argue again but Li Yu raised a hand to cut him off.

"I am not finished," Li Yu said.

Before the Eidolon leaders could process the magnitude of the first demand Li Yu delivered the next blow.

"Condition two," Li Yu stated. "I will also bind your Ancestor to a contract."

Jhyra gasped loudly. She took a staggering step backward. She looked at Li Yu as if he had just sprouted horns. "You want to bind our Ancestor? You want to place a collar on our god? That is blasphemy! That is an insult to our very existence!"

"It is a necessity," Li Yu said flatly. "I am not going to let an ancient and supreme entity roam freely inside my soul space without some ground rules. The terms of that contract will be discussed between her and me privately. You do not need to know what the contract entails. You just need to know it will happen."

Haelan looked like he was about to suffer a Qi deviation. His pale skin was flushed with rage and terror. He wanted to strike the boy down for his sheer audacity. But they were completely trapped.

"Condition three," Li Yu continued relentlessly. He did not give them a moment to breathe. "You will pay The Veil the Realm Essence. You will hand it over to Old Du the exact moment your Ancestor is safely transferred into my body. There will be no delays and no extra negotiations."

Haelan let out a ragged exhale. Finally a condition that made sense to them. Paying the price was easy. "We agree to the third condition. The Realm Essence will be delivered upon her safe arrival just as we had agreed to at the start."

"Condition four," Li Yu said. He leaned forward and his eyes locked onto the two leaders. "I want the authority to call upon the entire military force of the Eidolon Court three times during my life. If I summon your armies, you will answer. You will fight my enemies without question. That will be the only three times I ask anything of you. I won’t use my ability to kill everyone of you to force you to my whims, I only ask for three ‘favors.’”

Jhyra clenched her fists. Her translucent nails dug into her palms. The boy was systematically dismantling their sovereignty. He was taking their lives, he was taking their god and now he was taking their armies. The sheer greed and ruthlessness of his demands were staggering. They were getting incredibly annoyed with him.

"You demand our lives and our legions," Jhyra hissed. The cold anger was returning to her voice. "You treat our empire like a personal weapon."

"I am treating it like a business transaction," Li Yu corrected her. "You are buying the survival of your race. The price is steep. If you do not want to pay for it, you know where the gate is."

Jhyra glared at him but she did not move toward the exit. She knew they had to accept.

Li Yu watched their faces. He knew he had pushed them to the breaking point. He had secured his safety and he had established his leverage. He turned away from the Eidolon leaders and looked at Old Du and the hovering orb of Astramentis.

The ferryman had been watching the negotiation in stunned silence. He had never seen someone completely dominate this faction like this before. It could only happen because of the situation at hand and that Li Yu was actually quite well protected.

"Now for you two," Li Yu said. His tone softened slightly but remained entirely professional.

Old Du blinked. "Us?"

"You are benefiting massively from this arrangement," Li Yu pointed out. "I am walking into a den of vipers so you can secure a Realm Essence to heal your realm. I want compensation from The Veil as well. But my terms for you will not be as extreme."

The golden orb of Astramentis pulsed with a curious light. It drifted closer to the wooden table.

"I want to be able to call upon your people three times as well," Li Yu stated. "In my time of need I want the native forces of The Veil to come to my aid. Regardless of what happens or who I am fighting, you have to help me. To ensure this happens, the leadership of your realm will need to undergo a soul oath."

Old Du let out a slow breath. A soul oath was a serious commitment. It bound the Dao heart of the cultivator. If they broke the oath, they would suffer a catastrophic backlash. But it was not a kill switch. It was a promise built on honor.

"A soul oath for three favors," Old Du repeated. He looked at Astramentis. The golden orb hummed in agreement. The price was incredibly fair for a Realm Essence.

Haelan and Jhyra stared at the exchange in sheer disbelief. The disparity in the demands was comical. Li Yu had just extorted the total submission of their entire empire but he was settling for somewhat of a simple promise of three favors from The Veil.

The frustration finally boiled over.

"Why?!" Haelan demanded. He pointed a trembling finger at Old Du. "Why do they get off so easily? You demand our very lives and absolute authority over our council. But you ask them for a simple soul oath? How is that fair?"

Li Yu turned his head. He looked at the furious Eidolon leader. He did not offer a long explanation. He did not try to justify his actions with complex political logic.

"Because I like them more," Li Yu said bluntly. "And I trust them more. You started our relationship with an ambush and a kidnapping attempt. They started our relationship by offering me a chance to grow. You earn the chains. They earn the oath."

The brutal honesty of the statement stunned Haelan and Jhyra again. They were completely at a loss for words. Their own ruthless tactics had directly caused the heavy chains they were now being forced to wear.

Li Yu stood up from the wooden table. He had laid his terms bare.

"Those are my conditions," Li Yu finalized. His voice echoed with finality in the quiet courtyard. "Take them or leave them. It is your choice."

The two Eidolon leaders stood frozen in the pavilion. They were crushed beneath the impossible weight of the demands and the terrifying realization that they had no choice but to accept.