Chương 246: Proper Use

Auspicious Winter Raven ran through the gardens of her home with a smile on her face while her mind wandered. Being a bit over four years old, Raven really hadn't managed to comprehend why everyone didn't just run everywhere, all the time. It was much faster, and a lot more fun. And from what she had glimpsed at times, Big Brother Kite, Auntie Dragonfly, or one of the other so-called silver-rankers (which Raven had heard was apparently a big deal, though she had yet to grasp why; wasn't that just how adults were?) could run really fast. So why did they still bother with walking? Or just sitting around at times when they could be doing magical things? Raven really hoped that she too would be able to do magical things once she grew up. Her mommies had hinted that it was possible, but only if she ate her vegetables and did her chores to make her body strong enough. So Raven did, because she really wanted to do magic.

Uncle Little Crow - which was a funny name because he was much taller than Raven - kept giving her these fun toys too, and was really proud of her when she showed him how she practiced with them. Soon enough - as running once again proved itself the superior mode of transportation - Raven reached her goal, almost forgetting to stop and knock at the wooden door before promptly opening it and barging in.

"Sprite! Sprite? Are you here?"

"In my room!" came the voice of the older girl, and Raven promptly made her way across the ground floor of the house that Big Brother and Dragonfly shared. Sprite had a small room of her own on the bottom floor, and upon entering Raven saw that it was kept neat and clean as usual. At least until Raven had spent some time there, examining everything as she was prone to.

"What are you doing?" she asked the older girl, noting how Sprite was carefully folding clothes before putting them into a small bag. Said bag had been a birthday gift from Auntie Dragonfly, and Raven had found no end of fun in trying to see how much they could fit into it once she learned that it was somehow bigger on the inside.

"Teacher said yes! She said yes!" Sprite replied, turning from the bag to proudly make the proclamation.

"Ooo, so you're getting your magic now instead of waiting?!"

"Well… no. She keeps saying that it's dangerous," Sprite replied, deflating a bit before finding her stride again.

"But she's letting me come with her to the capital! With Senior Brother Kite, Sister Glint and Uncle Walker!"

"Oh! Oh…" Raven began, and it was her turn to deflate once the statement sank in.

"So you're going away. On one of my big brother's trips. The really long ones?" She tried fighting the tears which started pooling at the corner of her eyes, but apparently failed as Sprite winced, kneeling down before the much shorter girl.

"It won't be that long, little Raven. Just two weeks."

"And how long is that? Will you be back tomorrow?"

"Well… No. That is fourteen days." Raven scrounged up her brows at the number, and started counting them out on her fingers only to realize that she didn't have enough. Which only further served to drive home the severity of the matter.

"But that's forever! Who will I play with? And I'll miss you! And big brother! And Auntie Dragonfly!" By now, the floodgates had well and truly burst, Raven's words becoming more and more garbled as she started crying in earnest as the imagined loneliness struck in full force. But that was also when Sprite proved why she was the best. She didn't show it much when around the adults, but with Raven she showed her true colors.

The elven girl - apparently a teenager now, whatever that was - didn't say anything else, instead just drawing Raven into a hug. And as Raven had learned long ago, Sprite gave the best hugs. The younger girl did not know when the older one became such an expert on loneliness and how to chase it away, but it once again worked wonders as Raven's sniffles started dying down.

"Feeling better?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Then just a bit more then. So you can have a reserve that lasts until I get back."

"... What's a… reee-serve?"

"It's something you've saved up to use later. Like water for a trip. Or a treasure you cannot use yet."

"Oh… I like treasure."

"I know you do, little Raven. And I'm sure we'll even bring some back to you from the capital."

"You will?!" Raven called out, tears still present but at least somewhat forgotten.

"We will. I'll make sure of it," Sprite replied, breaking the hug to give Raven a good head pat.

"You just keep up being a good girl here at home, and I'll be back before you know it." Unbeknownst to the two girls, their little exchange had an audience. Dragonfly, upstairs and making her own preparations for departure, couldn't help but wipe at her own eyes upon hearing her little student handling Raven's feelings with such care.

It wasn't a true surprise, as the young teenager's spirit often revealed a caring nature even when keeping up her dedicated, somber front, but bearing witness like this was something else entirely.

"Oh, little student," Dragonfly thought, continuing her packing.

"If only you would start to accept some of that care for yourself too. At least you seem to be getting there. Practice makes perfect." As Glint rose into the air, floating ship in tow, Kite took an extra long look at his family compound which grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

From the gardens in full summer bloom, now established and flourishing to the main house that had long since lost the wooden smell of a new construction to the house he and Dragonfly shared which had just begun the process of being further expanded to turn it from a guest house to something more unique.

"I've left many times, and always come back to things having changed," he mused out loud to Dragonfly who sat beside him in meditation.

"Have I finally reached the point in life where I really can say that time flies and mean it?"

"Master Force used to tell me something about things always being in flux, with change being the only constant," Dragonfly replied, following his gaze.

"That was quite profound, given that she was a bronze-ranker at the time."

"She would be glad to hear someone appreciate it, as I am quite sure that the young me wasn't as receptive. Now though? I'm not sure. Perhaps it isn't merely a matter of rank, but of time. Experience is experience after all, no two ways about it."

"Probably why Uncle Walker keeps calling himself old too. And speaking of, it will be nice to go on a trip with him again, even though the circumstances this time are quite different."

"Ain't that the heavenly truth," Dragonfly said, leaning back in her seat and looking out at the landscape zooming by below.

"A summons from the King. The one we saw conquer his foe in the arena. I'm a bit worried about what this all means, and I'm not even included in the audience." Kite could only nod in agreement. He had expected that all the attention directed towards them upon exiting the gate would lead to complications, but a summons to the royal palace was not within his realm of expectations. But on the other hand, neither had a trip to the palace of a diamond-ranker and he had made it through that ordeal too.

"That he sent a messenger and not champions to detain us does bode well," he said, leaning back as well and crossing his arms. Or, well, trying to, as the crystalline one remained quite unresponsive.

"Yeah, the ambient mana around Convergence can sustain a gold-ranker so I'm glad that it wasn't one of those who came knocking," Dragonfly replied.

"Although I think Soul might still have tried fighting them."

"Said gold-ranker better have brought a stash of coins then, as enough ambient mana to get by isn't the same as a regular supply of enough high-quality sustenance. At least we wouldn't have to worry about a prolonged visit. But then again, had they come with violence in mind, I don't think they would have needed too much time. Van Sztramm was a core-using researcher, and his power was still most impressive."

"Well, if we assume that it is indeed a friendly type of summons then… why? Why would the King care enough about you and Walker? Don't get me wrong, you're the light of my life, but he's the monarch."

"That is a question that we cannot rightly answer at the moment," Kite agreed.

"Hopefully the Crow clan or director Temren can give us a heads up. Or perhaps Ardent Horizon Seeker? Unless we are delayed, we should have several days to spend in the capital before the audience in question." As Fortune seemed to favor them this time, Kite's words did not prove to be prophetic. Glint made good time during the first leg of the trip, picking up Walker in Convergence before turning south towards Heavenward.

With Glint's increasing speed the journey had only grown shorter in the years that had passed, but it was still a matter of days. The group spent their time taking turns helping Sprite practice the many skills which Dragonfly wanted to teach the girl, with Kite complementing Dragonfly's more typical balance and strength-building exercises with perception training, some basic meditation techniques and more simple rituals with cheap materials they had on hand.

It felt quite nostalgic to help someone process the same exercises that he had been put through as a teenager, and even though Kite hadn't become a master ritualist by any means it had still helped a lot to give him a decent foundation when trying to disrupt hostile ones. And Walker? His lessons became more… abstract.

"-and with the damaged dimensional bag starting to come apart at the seams while the pack of galezards was still breathing down my neck, I knew that things might get quite complicated, quite soon. The reagents I was carrying were crucial for the village's defenses after all, or they would risk weathering the monster surge completely unprotected," the older man said, animatedly telling yet another story from his plentiful courier contracts around the Autumn lands.

"W-what did you do then? Weren't some of those reagents unstable too? The burst of a collapsing bag…" Sprite breathed, completely enraptured with the adventure.

"Ah, I see that you didn't miss that little detail. You've got a nose for the important things here, little Sprite," Walker replied with his signature roguish grin.

"You'd make a fine courier yourself, should you fancy that path." This made Sprite turn to look at Dragonfly with a clear 'Can I?!' in her sparkling eyes, which in turn only made Dragonfly give an amused shrug.

"Your path will be yours, my student. As long as I'm confident in you defending yourself and having a good foundation for your path, you will be free to wander. At least once you're bronze-rank. And have managed to give me a proper warcry." At her words, the young elf grew serious again, nodding in determination. Walker picked up on it too, as he smoothly continued. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Speaking of a warcry, that isn't a far cry from how I managed to get out of the sticky situation-" By then, Kite had already zoned out the continuation of the story. Not that he was disinterested by any means, as he could still find a sense of comfortable deja vu in hearing Walker tell his tales much like when he had stopped by Starberry Peak. But in this case, it was a sensation sent from Glint which had him exit the cabin of the small enchanted ship and walk out to its prow.

The wind howled around them, but Kite didn't need to speak to send his thanks through the familiar bond as Glint had apprised them that their journey was about to come to an end. In the distance, Heavenward had just started becoming visible at the horizon as they flew above walled and warded villages, estates and farmlands.

But given the speed of their approach, it wasn't long until the capital's most distinct landmark - the Heavenly Stairway, the mountain whose many plateaus formed a stair where each step housed a city block of its own - was towering above them. And this time, the palace at its top dominated Kite's attention.

"What do you think awaits us there, little beauty?" he asked aloud as they started slowing down for their final approach, Glint turning her antlered head to give him a look as she replied.

"This young mistress is quite certain that it will be nothing we cannot handle, my bond," the celestial carp replied.

"Merely another arena in which to show off my impeccable style. My concern is more for what I am to wear, as I expect several to come calling once they learn of my arrival."

"Glad that someone is looking to enjoy herself, at least," Kite replied with a fond smile, glad to take his mind off the upcoming audience for a moment as he imagined the quarreling suitors - now four of them - who tended to congregate around Glint.

"A trip to the palace might sound like a nice prospect, but given the results I've had so far when the eyes of the kingdom have started looking my way, I can't help but feel a bit of trepidation." Entering the city proved not to be a problem though, and Kite - along with Glint in her Draconian form - soon found themselves leading the others throughout the much more metropolitan city as they made their way towards the Tengu clan's compound.

In the mess of auras that was the capital, Kite had trouble sensing if any eyes followed them in particular, and had chosen to keep the masking veils of his wide-brimmed hat up. He had worried that Sprite might find trouble, but those were quickly dispelled as the young elf stayed glued to Dragonfly's side, eyes wide as saucers at the much more pronounced magical infrastructure with plentiful flying traffic as well.

"No, of all those in our little group, I believe that I have the worst track record in that regard. Trouble does seem to have a habit of finding me."

"Another message, Mistress," one of Ametrine's servants said, offering the seated woman a small folded note which she took without letting her eyes wander from the proceedings of the court below. No big moves were made though, as had been the case for some time now, yet there was still a budding tension as the families of the mighty had started maneuvering for the upcoming Grand Proving.

Two years were but the blink of an eye in the grander scale of things, after all, and who were in favor and who weren't would make a difference in the final preparations when last minute orders for equipment or other preparations were crucial. Ametrine dismissed the man with a wave before quickly reading the note, one corner of her lips turning up slightly as she gleaned its contents:'The Pathbreaker, the guildmaster and their companions have been seen entering the city.

With them is the woman called Dragonfly as well as an unknown elf girl of normal rank. Given her deference, she is assumed to be a student or ward of some kind. They have sought residence with the Tengu's clan.'

"As expected then," Ametrine thought as she let the note disintegrate in one hand to create a puff of shimmering smoke while she began writing out a few messages of her own.

"Welcome to the stage, Pathbreaker. It's time to put you to proper use to compensate for the trouble you have brought for our cause." As he felt the powerful aura from the next room pulse in acknowledgement, Kite opened his eyes from his meditations as he once more let his feet touch down upon the polished hardwood floor.

The waiting area outside the chambers of branch director Temren were unchanged since his last visit, as was the gold-ranked woman herself behind her desk; slight of frame but with a mountain of an aura which felt like it would cut you and the very space around you to pieces if you displeased her. Much like before she was dressed in Hua-Xi fashion, rich chestnut hair up in a bun kept in place with a pair of hairpins.

Anasta Temren's office still reminded Kite more of a library than a meeting place with its high bookshelves crowding the two mezzanine floors of the huge room. But unlike the first time he had attended a meeting there, the gold-ranker gestured up towards one of the group of couches atop one of said floors before making a snipping motion with her fingers that teleported her into one of the seats.

Taking the invitation for what it was, Kite walked up into the air atop his conjured barriers, bowing before taking a seat across the table from the director.

"Director Temren."

"Pathbreaker. Your name has been circulating around the capital much as of late. But I suppose that getting a very public invitation to meet a diamond-ranker nobody has met for decades is bound to make people curious," she said tiredly, pouring herself a glass of something vibrant red that Kite suspected would be quite poisonous even to his silver constitution.

"I suppose you thought 'Why not add the current monarch of the kingdom into the mix while I'm at it'?"

"I hope you excuse me, director, when I point out that neither of these invitations were the results of any machinations of mine."

"I know, I know. I'm just considering if I can go back in time to slap the past me who thought that this city - or sketh, even this kingdom - would just let someone like you go about your adventuring career carrying out honest contracts the way things are supposed to be done," she grumbled, some kind of foreign curse word leaking into the mix that gave Kite the impression of some local accent.

"But in the moment, one does best by trying to adapt to what trials the heavens lay upon you," Kite replied.

"That is why I'm quite grateful that you took the time to see me on such short notice. Do you have any insight into the reason why King of the Pure Firmament would choose to summon us like this? Because of the two invitations, I found the prospect of meeting Soaring Soul a lot more reassuring."

"Given that I am overdue a proper debriefing of your meeting with the diamond-ranker and the interrogations I've read about in the reports, I thought it best to kill two birds with one stone," director Temren said, putting her glass down on the table as she leaned in.

"But best to get your question out of the way first, as the answer is simple; I don't know. There have been no more statements, which has made people very curious. Expect everyone who could reasonably get into the palace and get away with it to be present. I will be too. This hasn't kept people from speculating though, with some spouting wishful thinking of how the King will punish you for going against whatever tradition they've made up to cover their jealousy of your opportunities.

But I've heard plenty of more wild rumors too, from King meaning to take you as his personal disciple to forcing you to turn your guild into a proper sect."

"And you, director. Any guesses?"

"My theories are too vague to share, at least beyond one thing; had King of the Pure Firmament wanted to actually punish you, I do not think he would have called you to an audience first. That would be extremely out of character for him."

"Quite a relief then."

"In part, sure. But don't go relaxing just yet. The King might appear simple, but he isn't. And especially not his advisors. I'm sure there are more politics involved here. You have started making some waves, but you're still not powerful enough to be more than a pawn to them. Should you reach gold - which you seem well on the way towards doing by the way - things might be different. But that is still a few years off even in the best of cases, though the surge might be just what you need."

Kite took a moment to ponder her words, Anasta showing no signs of wanting to rush him, before he nodded.

"I shall take this into consideration, director. Thank you. Your presence at the audience will be appreciated too."

"The society needs to show our presence here, regardless of local sentiment. You are a member of Gauntlet and - recent attentions aside - have taken a lot of actions that serve to solidify our presence in the north. Given that you are starting to get noticed now, we might as well be clear in our support of the outcast rising star."

"Still, I am grateful," Kite replied, bowing his head in acknowledgement.

"But you also mentioned gold-rank, director. I-""It is not my place to speak more of that matter," Anasta interjected, apparently picking up on what Kite was to ask.

"At least not unless there are no other alternatives. You have progressed at a good pace, so it might be time to speak more about what further advancement entails. But I speak from experience when I say that it is best to do so with someone who knows you, both in powers and as a person. A mentor, family member or other contact. Preferably more than one too, but I realize that not every silver-ranker has an abundance of gold-rankers to call upon. Perhaps someone within the task group?

Or that sect leader who used to mentor you, Frost Upon Morning Dew?" Kite had not expected such a thorough answer to his intended question regarding the mysterious progression to gold rank, as it was more hints than he had ever gotten before in his interactions with people who had reached such lofty heights of power. And seeing that the director had given him a surprisingly clear direction of where to take the matter, he saw no reason to push.

"Then I thank you for your advice on this matter. I shall take it into consideration," he instead replied, to which Anasta nodded.

"If that was all on the matter, I would like to get to this debriefing I spoke of earlier. Your time inside the gate seemed to have been well spent, at least given the report the Crows sent us. But I would hear it from you as well." And seeing no reason not to, Kite did as asked. The only thing he omitted was River's particular allegiances when it came to the divine, but fortunately the gold-ranker was much too busy with the details of Discord's clergy and the Builder's cult to notice.

A few hours later, Kite found himself making his farewells to leave a very thoughtful Anasta Temren, currently busy grumbling her frustrations at diamond-rankers doing whatever they pleased when it came to the executed prisoners. While it had taken some time, her advice in regards to possible people to ask further about the steps to reach gold rank had also been sound, and it meant that Kite had even more reason to schedule a trip to visit Mistress Dew in her sect.

But unbeknownst to the director, Kite also had another possible option. One that, at least for the moment, was much closer at hand. And from what few hints Kite had picked up in regards to the mysteries surrounding the transition from silver-rank to gold, he also suspected might be supremely qualified to help.

Ardent Horizon Seeker had received many gifts throughout his life, his position as a favored disciple of the sect and then sect leader leading to many people wanting to impress or ingratiate themselves with him. But as of late, one of the latest additions to his collection had captured his attention a bit more than expected. That was why he currently found himself taking great care with each tiny droplet of infused water which he was dripping upon the void dahlia that had been a gift from Kite.

The flower had been moved from its initial white ceramic pot to a much larger one, in which Ardent had arranged certain stones, crystals and other similar objects which he felt resonated with the magical plant. This had apparently worked too, as the void dahlia seemed to be thriving and expanding its petals that seemed to be made from nothing, and Ardent had found it increasingly helpful to care for the flower as a new sort of meditation as he reflected on the concepts he could glean within.

As for the one who had gifted him the flower though… That remained somewhat complicated, even though Ardent thought that he and Kite had a mutual understanding of the role they could fill in each others' lives. But there was someone else in the room with Ardent at that moment, someone who did not agree.

"So, you're telling me that after all this time you still address each other as student and teacher?" Obsidian Crow Unseen on Skies of Night commented from where he was occupying a nearby couch. Ardent didn't stop in his meticulous tending to the flower, though he did shoot his old friend the aura equivalent of a single raised eyebrow as he replied.

"I am teaching him to control his spirit. Thus it is the proper form of address, is it not?"

"I've taught plenty to my children, grand-children, nieces, nephews and so on over the years, and none of them has ever called me teacher."

"But then you have also been part of their lives until then, your roles clear-cut. The karma between me and Kite was severed, not ever intended to be reconnected. Thus we have found something that works. The distance is a reasonable one, I'd say."

"And yet you've spent how many hours caring for that flower he gave you?"

"The flower has already helped me along in my insights, something whose value you of all people should appreciate the value of. Not taking care of it would be foolish."

"Well, true… But if it's purely the utility of the matter then I suppose that you don't care too much to know that the young man in question is currently making his way towards your sect?" This did cause Ardent to pause and look up, though his supreme control of his spirit made it all but impossible for Obsidian Crow to sense the slight stir of his aura at the unexpected mention of Kite, who the celestine had no doubt detected through his web of shadows.

"He is early then? The audience isn't for a few days, no?"

"At least you knew that much. With how reclusive you are, I thought you might have missed the rumors," Obsidian Crow 'tssked' as he was unable to get a rise out of Ardents with his poking.

"Will you go there?"

"No. If he could see our likeness from a mere painting, it is an unnecessary risk for him to have me appear alongside him in a room full of people who will all be heavily scrutinizing him."

"Hmm, you're correct, I suppose. Will you see him now though?"

"I don't see why not. It will be good to see how he has progressed." Obsidian Crow only shook his head in response before melding into the shadows and leaving, his aura vanishing to Ardent's senses. And as announced, Kite was led to his personal quarters not long after.

"The student greets his teacher," the younger man with his usual polite tone.

"It has been a while."

"And the teacher recognizes his student's progress," Ardent replied, feeling Kite's growth since last time in his aura. Each step beyond the infamous wall of silver rank felt glacial, and given his progress it seemed like Kite had been through a challenging trial lately. But given recent events, that was no secret.

"The trial of the Queen of Jade and Sky held true to its reputation. Come. Show me what you've learned." This time though, Kite did not immediately acquiesce, and Ardent could feel the younger man preparing for something. A question.

"Teacher, I hope I do not overstep when I ask you this but… Will you tell me about the ascension to gold rank?"