Fear Of The Unknown.

  Jianrong landed well before dawn.

  Valen awoke to her soft touch and the smell of a strong tea brewing.

  “What has happened?” he blurted.

  “Everyone is fine, Mom and sister are fine. The game and the players have changed. Let me show you.” Rong murmured.

  Valen moved over and made space on the bed for his daughter.

  “I can feel your upset; you want to rest first?” Valen asked.

  Rong lay down, then with a nod she took his hand.

  “Dad…it has been a rough eight weeks.” She admitted.

  Valen stilled, then wrapped his arms around her.

  “Your mother and I are so proud of you. We know you didn’t want this, but still, you did it for the Village, for your sister.” He whispered.

  There was a long silence.

  “I miss being a man.” A fragile voice said in the darkness.

  “Is this form…uncomfortable?” he asked honestly.

  Rong shook her head. “No, I don’t have a lunar cycle, THANK GODS.” She admitted.

  “It's just there are so many expectations…I knew that to a degree, but you don’t know how hot the pan is until you put your hand too close, ya know?” she added.

  Valen nodded, then just let her breathe and work through it.

  Then the memories poured in: the retraction of Golden Claw, the battle between Nascent Souls reaping lives, the reality of intent against their spirit-anchoring, and the lack of presence to resist it.

  “What is your plan?” Valen said through their connection.

  “I cannot ask gods, they are not human, or at least they don’t think like us. They will see things differently, so it would not help me. But, in the treasure, they have information—generations of knowledge. But I have to get energy up and running. We have made good progress, I think it's time I focus on that and cycle Qi like a cultivator.” She replied.

  “But you love them.” He reminded her of her feelings for the two gods.

  “Yes, I love them, but both eat people, and Ling is likely older than humankind. So…context.” She reminded him.

  Their connection ended.

  “I will go get your mother…what about Gaila and the sisters?” Valen asked.

  He knew the entire family saw them as an extension of themselves. He did not understand it, but he respected it.

  “If Mother Gaila and her daughters want to come, then we will make room,” Rong said simply.

  Valen nodded. Then smiled. “I am glad you're home; we could use your help.”

  Rong snorted. “Of course, I am happy to be home too, and helping… I was born for that.” She admitted.

  The two lay in silence, and a weariness overcame both of them for what was coming.

  When Jianrong slept, the powers that moved Heaven tested her by sending a challenge. Jianrong didn’t know it, but she had faced tribulations over and over again.

  Heart demons meant to break her willpower, break her Dao.

  Jianrong moved through a structure, and people were screaming, begging. First came curses, then negotiations, and finally tears, sobbing, and wailing.

  One man disappeared into the darkness. Like others, he made a sound, as if meat were pulled from the bone, the bones crushed in it's jaws.

  The other person, an older man, missing part of his hand, held onto her leg, but she couldn’t seem to get him to let go.

  “What are you doing, Elder?” Rong asked.

  “Please, mercy, don’t do this! We are cultivators, we follow the great Dao! To do this is to follow the path of a Heretic.” He shouted at her.

  Rong looked down at him, then smiled. “How many women and children have you violated, sold, murdered…tortured?” she asked, realizing she recognized this person. He had taken her with others to be used, discarded, or sold.

  He just didn’t know Jianrong was waiting for him.

  The man looked at her, then hardened.

  “SO, WHAT!? Heaven recognized me! I am not a beast like them; I am above them!”

  “Sure, you are, now into the hole.” Rong laughed.

  The man was so strong she could not budge him. “Jianrong Dar Bloodforge, you are committing a crime against Heaven by doing this.”

  The man said in a strangely commanding tone.

  Jianrong crouched so she could be face-to-face with the man.

  “So, Heaven sanctions these activities, is that what I am hearing?” Rong asked, looking into the person's eyes who had at first seemed to gain power over her.

  Now they looked small, almost pathetic.

  “I can't hear you, speak up. Does your Heaven advocate for your actions?” Jianrong pressed.

  “Mortals' lives do no-“the man's voice was cut off by Rong's hand around his throat.

  “I disagree; if Heaven disagrees, they can strike me down.”

  The man's face turned beet-red with rage.

  “You face judgment! You dare stand with me to see who is right?!” he wheezed.

  Jianrong touched his face with her other hand, then smiled.

  His eyes widened, then bulged when she picked him up.

  “You think we are the same?” she laughed, the sound broke free from her like the sound of temple bells. Clear and powerful.

  Her eyes fell upon his, upon the spirit sent to test her as if she could see through everything to their true form.

  “We…are nothing alike.”

  Her arm locked around the man with enough force to crush stone. Then she leaped into the hole with him, unwilling to let him escape.

  Jianrong’s eyes opened.

  All around her was shared breath.

  Her hand moved to her chest, where several Crows slept.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Gently, she petted them and closed her eyes once more.

  Rong moved through the early light to her residence.

  Na was there with Ai and Shen, getting a fire ready to cook.

  When they saw her, the room came alive with children's laughter.

  Rong carried both children around, following Na, who kissed her cheek as if they had always lived together.

  When Lin Su came out of her room and heard the ruckus, she yelped and embraced the younger woman.

  The children were shooed away so the two could chat, Lin Su listening intently as others sat nearby.

  More children arrived with their mothers because her house had the largest kitchen, the largest pantry, and the most communal seating.

  Before she knew it, Jianrong was drinking tea, surrounded by matrons, a baby swaddled and being fed, as she updated everyone on what was happening.

  Her day was filled with helping around homes using her Qi to smooth the wall, shape the stone, and be an ear to listen.

  When Janice caught up to her, there was a glow to her. Rong nearly fell down when she realized they had succeeded.

  Their time was spent decompressing problems and complaints.

  Janice apologized for what had happened before; she had not realized how Rong was taking her change. But the younger woman smiled and shook her head.

  “It is fine, I know you were being honest and trying to help,” Rong replied.

  The days, like most, when there was too much to do, fled over the horizon.

  That night, Janice, Na, and Lin Su remained at her home, joining her in her room so she could enter the Bloom.

  Before she knew it, Ai had taken a place curled into her.

  Jianrong appeared alone in the Bloom.

  With a practiced ease, she moved to the doors and raised her hand to push inward, then froze.

  Her forearms were flame-red fur, a mix of orange and red, her nails obsidian-black, glinting sharply.

  She remembered there was a mirror halfway down the hall, so she moved to it slowly… afraid.

  What she saw took her breath away.

  Unlike Rou, who was silver and white like moonlight come to life.

  She looked like a flame incarnate.

  Here, hair was no longer black.

  She didn’t realize how much that would bother her.

  She felt a connection to her mother in their skin and hair… now she could not see her mother.

  Just like Matron, the fur did not cover the entire body.

  She dropped her robes to look, needing to know what was happening.

  Her feet had the same sharp, nail-like claws; the tops were furry, with longer tufts of white at the ends.

  When she turned, her blood went cold as a tail much too large and too vibrant waved as if it had a life of its own, then she realized she had more than one.

  Then she looked into her own eyes and gasped. Her eyes had changed.

  No longer did she have the dark pools; like all her siblings, her eyes were a deep golden amber.

  Then movement drew her attention, and she realized she had massive ears that swiveled atop her head, their tips black.

  “No,” she said weakly.

  Then, with a trembling hand, she moved her hair.

  Her human ears were gone, replaced with hair and flat skin.

  She stared in horror.

  “When we first spoke, I did not think you would one day be a sister,” Matron said gently but proudly.

  Jianrong turned to her as she stood to the side with an approving smile.

  “What happened?” Rong tried to ask, then choked on the words halfway through.

  “This is a spiritual projection, so this is what you are under your current form. Your blossoming!” Matron said with enthusiasm.

  “yay” Rong replied quietly.

  Matron curled into her arm. “You don’t understand.”

  Jianrong looked at her.

  “Our people will see you and know you can be trusted.” She explained.

  Rong forgot her mental anguish and became immobile, her mouth fell again, her eyes searching for truth in matrons.

  The treasure spirit nodded. “It is true, you are something even my kind has not seen often. So, you must be careful.” Matron Bright said earnestly.

  Rong nodded, then put her robes back on. “Did you have any luck with our search request?”

  Matron smiled brightly. “Yes, Shepard and Dar are waiting for you.”

  As she went through the doors, both her siblings turned to see her and say hello. Both stood dumbfounded.

  “Sol?” Dar asked.

  Rong nodded. “Soul projection, I don’t look like this… not yet, at least.”

  Both siblings approached and took stock.

  “Well, you look like your spouse now,” Shepard stated.

  After a brief touch and realignment, they all looked at the projection.

  It was a utilities map.

  With the ease of someone who had done something more times than they could count. Jianrong pointed.

  “There is the power junction; we should be able to access the automatic circuit reclosers or whatever they choose to use for distributing power,” Rong said with a smile.

  Matron could not move past the doors of the ‘Lobby’, which they called this place after the double doors.

  Each hugged Matron and moved into the city proper.

  All three had a ball of light that raced around searching.

  Even together, the darkness felt as if it were only being held at bay.

  They kept moving until they saw that the walkway was crushed.

  There, a person lay in white and silver cultivator robes.

  “Stop!” Rong said suddenly.

  Everyone froze. “Kill the lights.” She said softly.

  Darkness rushed in, but then they saw it.

  Symbols of light wafted off the body.

  “What the fuck is that?” Dar Luso breathed.

  “Give it a wide berth,” Shepard warned.

  “This is the person who killed everyone.” He said weakly.

  His brothers paused, then both spat on his body. Nothing came from their mouths, but it was the act of disrespect that mattered to them.

  “Fuck you!” Jianrong shouted.

  Dar gave the desiccated body the finger, and they moved on to their goal.

  They found the door was recessed into the ground. It took a key.

  Shepard stepped and wiggled his fingers, and Qi flowed here just like the white space. Then it was open, and both brothers clapped.

  Shepard bowed theatrically, making them clap louder with cheers.

  Their lights moved around until they saw the stairs that dropped nearly thirty flights.

  “This must have taken generations to build.” Rong breathed.

  “Heaven still found them,” Shepard whispered.

  “Never underestimate someone searching for benefits.” Dar Luso pointed out.

  “Our species is the worst,” Jianrong stated, as if it were a fact.

  Chimes of time passed.

  “Winner, Winner,” Shepard shouted from a side room.

  The three gathered, then Rong closed her eyes and began calling out numbers to seal it off.

  Beta1-2-1

  Cappa 1-3-1

  Delta 1-4-1

  “Beta and Cappa over here,” Shepard called out.

  “Delta is right here.” Dar pointed.

  Rong took Delt, Dar took Cappa, and Shepard took Beta.

  “Confirm all are at the yellow setting facing upward,” Rong called out, verifying hers was at the connected position.

  “Confirm,” Shepard shouted.

  “Confirm,” Dar called out.

  “On my mark, move to down position,” Rong called out.

  “3”

  “2”

  “1”

  “MARK!” she called out as city blocks were being disconnected from prime power.

  There was a brief moment, and the lights flickered on.

  All three began shouting in excitement.

  They ran outside and looked around as the sky began to light up, not with lights but with words.

  SYSTEM RESET.

  All three siblings howled with excitement, then Rong thought of someone and ran to the dead man.

  “WORTHLESS FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT, YOU SEE THAT?! WE WILL SUCEED, YOU FAILED YOU ARE A FUCKING FAILURE!” She shouted down at the corpse and swore it trembled under her verbal assault.

  What followed were hours of exploring the Cultivator's path to figure out what he had done.

  The constructs found seemed to have shifted in the past. They had no moving component, simply orbs with runes or arrays on them. Complex and dense.

  All the ones they found were partially destroyed.

  “Some kind of defense system.” Dar guessed.

  “They probably didn’t think someone would find them, one guy probably begged for more, and all he got was that.” Rong speculated.

  “We will have more,” Shepard stated.

  All three nodded. They would make an army if need be. They just needed the know-how.

  Then they found where several layers of the ground had been torn asunder, metal bent as if by a god.

  “Fuck face was powerful,” Rong said.

  “I vote, when we put up a memorial for the fallen, we list that as his name,” Dar stated.

  “Here lies the innocent Cat-kin whose only sin was not wanting to be considered property and disposable. Cultivator Fuck Face cut them down because he lacked ethical understanding, morals, even beasts acknowledge as a minimal baseline of intelligence.” Shepard spoke as if at an opening ceremony.

  Dar and Rong clapped.

  When they found where the portion of living inhabitants had evacuated to, the heavy metal was cut open as if it were made of paper.

  All three stood in horror. They could see bones inside. Even from a distance, it was clear they were children.

  All three knelt and prayed.

  After they were done, they remained there.

  Finally, Rong began to scream in rage.

  She cursed heaven, cursed the Dao, cursed everyone and everything that let this happen.

  She promised herself she would grind up fuck face’s bones and eat him so that she could shit him out.

  Then there was a fourth person amongst them.

  Matron Bright stood still as she looked into the bunker and began to cry.

  Her memory of those days' events had been corrupted.

  Even now, she was processing more and more data as the system began to receive energy that had not done so in so long; she didn't know if she wanted to know.

  Jianrong tried to speak and began sobbing.

  Her emotions ran wild as she could not take her eyes away from the fallen.

  Finally, Dar and Shepard pulled her away.

  The two moved away when Matron sat beside Rong, who lay on her side, shaking, trying to relax and let the pain pass.

  “When I recognized you, a part of us became part of you, Jianrong. Cat-Kin are deeply emotional; they care for their family deeply. What you are feeling is normal. Take your time, don’t be ashamed.” Matron Bright said softly as her hand came to rest on the young woman's shoulder.

  Rong turned. “How are you doing?” she asked, worried.

  Matron smiled through her tears. “I have known for so long, but only now have I been able to pay my respects.”

  Jianrong nodded, then sat up to hug her.

  After a while Jianrong spoke. “Do you think they kept the knowledge of how to fix the Bloom?”

  Matron's eyes glowed for a beat. Then she turned to Jianrong. All information on the Bloom is hard copy. It couldn’t be erased if someone wanted to.it

  Jianrong stood up and looked around her mind, picking up speed. “We cannot do what the ancestors did, but what we can do is… prepare people, outfit them, and put them somewhere to flourish,” Jianrong said softly.

  Matron joined her. “Most people wouldn’t waste their time helping others to such a degree.”

  Rong's head lowered, then she looked up and turned around slowly.

  “What are you saying? These are my people after all.” She stated it as if she were Cat-kin.

  Matron smiled, then her head pressed against Rong’s, “Sleep, I will find out what needs to happen next to the Bloom. Until then, keep cycling and practicing.” Matron's voice moved through her as the young woman wrapped her arms around her family and closed her eyes, falling asleep and returning to her body.

  Matron watched her disperse, then moved to the other two.

  After she explained she sent them out, so only she remained.

  Her feet carried her to the cultivator.

  “It seems even for a clone, you were diligent. To leave such laws in place…I can only assume this is why their Chakras were blocked each cycle. What a diligent little drone you are…cultivator fuck face.” She said the words, then smiled, liking how it sounded.

  Matron leaned down.

  “How will you deal with a soul that is already mixing with divinity?” Matron thought aloud, excited about their change of luck.

  Matron leaned closer.

  “I can see it in her eyes; she wishes to devour you… won't that be a beautiful day?” Matron giggled.