Chương 254: My apologies

After their visit at the Skysinger Priory, retelling the last few years came easily to Kite as it was a well-practiced tale by now. There was a stark difference in the audience though, as Mistress Dew seemed to pick out quite different details about which to ask her questions. Kite had to rack through his memories more thoroughly to describe certain details, especially about the offshoot cult of Winter which Kite had helped assault during a contract with the task group.

"Interesting," Dew said, leaning back in her chair.

"A shame that whatever was used to overcharge the ritual there at the end didn't survive. I would have loved to feel its power and the way it expressed the ice and the cold."

"Oh? Why? Working on a ritual?" Dragonfly asked, earning a shake of the gold-ranker's head.

"I can go more into depth about that later," Dew replied while throwing a subtle glance towards Sprite. Kite thought that he understood her meaning, as his thoughts had already gone to the mysteries of gold rank, but as the story continued from there he was soon forced to put those thoughts aside in favor of the present. Once he eventually finished his telling, Dew seemed more pleased than he had expected.

"You know, it does warm a teacher's heart to see her erstwhile student make some waves. I am also most curious as to how your martial technique has developed, but that is a matter for later in the sparring grounds. This does also provide more context to the warnings you sent me some time ago, allowing us to purge some outside elements within the sect. One of them was even suspected to be a priestess of Discord, but I left the rest of that matter to the Adventure Society.

She was only a bronze-ranker though, so it is unlikely that she would have known too much of this plot you have started unraveling."

"Honestly, I am unsure how much unraveling I am doing as opposed to playing into their games," Kite sighed.

"This web of intrigue isn't where my experiences are of much help."

"Then trust in your path and forge the way forward anyway," Dew countered.

"With enough momentum, webs will simply snap before they can even tangle you. Staying true to one's path is what will take one to the heavens, after all."

"I… shall take that advice into consideration," Kite replied, feeling that while the woman had a point in regards to personal power, he had a feeling that moderation was best in that regard.

"But please, Mistress, would you tell us of your return to the sect? Last we saw each other, you were on a path of vengeance; a goal which you seem to have fulfilled."

"Yes, Rupert should have been able to tell you at least that much," Dew said with a faint smile of satisfaction.

"I've heard a foreign saying; that vengeance is best served cold. Given my path, I find it rather poetic as such is how I delivered it. Dear Rupert was even a great help in that regard, as it would turn out that his path is excellent at allowing a pair of dedicated silver-rankers to slip far into the domain of a lax target."

"The former sect leader? Wasn't he previously your betrothed?" Dragonfly asked.

"He was indeed, but it should come as no surprise that said commitment became null and void when he poisoned the rest of the sect against me, fabricating charges of misdeeds that led to my exile and allowing him to freely ascend to the sect leader's seat without having to clash with me in battle," Dew confirmed.

"He still retained that seat when I made my return after the last surge, and was quite surprised when I suddenly appeared at one of the meetings of the sect elders and challenged him. With Rupert using his sound manipulation first to sneak us in and then to make sure that the whole sect heard my words casting shame over him and his so-called accomplishments, my dear former betrothed was left with little choice but to accept or his reputation would never have survived him not personally defending his honor."

"So you clashed. And won," Kite said, stating the obvious.

"What was his path?"

"The former sect leader's path consisted of the might, potent and zeal essences, with the wrath confluence showing clearly in his aggressive set of powers. And while he too was a peak silver-ranker at the time, it turned out that living a life steeped in politics did not leave time to work on the minutiae of his powers to the same extent as did the life of an outcast being one of the lynchpin defenders of a whole region of the north for years," Dew stated with a chilling smile.

"He looked satisfyingly chagrined as I crushed his frozen head beneath the power of Subjugator of Autumn." Kite remembered the power of his former mentor's conjured, giant armor as well as the potency of her restraining powers of ice and frost. With both the cold and ice essences, Mistress Dew had really doubled down enough for some vicious synergies.

"There were a few more who took the opportunity to challenge me in the wake of that clash, but the former sect leader had held his seat for a reason, as they weren't his match. Nor mine. Some of them still live today though, having learned the errors of their ways and become most compliant. Especially after I ascended to gold rank and chose to continue leading the sect.

It has been an interesting few years, although the details aren't half as spectacular as your little adventures of late, mostly being internal politics, deciding on matters of policy and defending the sect's interests on a wider arena. But I have at least come far in ensuring that the Fated Severance sect approaches its path with an ethos of stability, neither recklessly seeking honor nor punishing any hint of non-compliance.

Another lesson from the north, only driven home further by your warning of Discord's actions. It casts a grim pall over the proud warrior culture our kingdom claims."

"At least action is the way to work against such influences. I honestly expected to be challenged at the gates in a much more direct way when we - a pair of outcasts and members of a guild that some consider infamous - came seeking you so brazenly," Kite noted.

"And I appreciate you taking our warnings seriously. Not everyone has…"

"Pride, fear, indifference… There are many sentiments that may blind one to the truth of things and lead one grasping for other, more comfortable explanations. With the sect, I have responsibilities now; ones that will shape many future warriors and defenders of our kingdom. I won't let myself be blinded to your words, student, no matter your age or affiliation. Oh, but speaking of which, I have also made sure to care for the upcoming generations in other ways too.

Should you choose to stay for a few days, I'd be happy to introduce you to one of them; Petal Pressed to Singing Steel, my personal disciple." Petal was balancing on a knife's edge, at least in the metaphorical sense, as the six swords spun about her in an intricate dance. Each flew freely while being minutely controlled by her own mental nudges; from angle to direction to velocity, weaving a web of offense and defense that her current sparring partner found difficult to keep up with.

Inner Disciple Scar was skilled with the spear, true, but even his mighty dashes and impressive footwork was not enough to shatter Petal's balance and control. One floating sword was slammed to the side by the butt of a spear before the man lunged, initiating a special attack only to be forced to abort it as two other swords had gone on the offensive as Petal used Unfurling Blade Flower to momentarily create even more blades that followed the trajectory of the first pair.

The inner disciple decided to accept the slashes with a roar, charging through while throwing the rest of the sword formation aside with his spear before transitioning his momentum to the flying kick that was one of his favorite tricks to keep up his sleeve against new opponents. The man's foot essence mostly helped him with mobility, but that one special attack fit into the rest of his path well as his opponents mostly found themselves preoccupied with the spear.

Unfortunately for the inner disciple though, Petal still retained her balance and equilibrium, her path always living and dying by her skill and control. And this time, she lived." Sword-Self Juxtaposition" For a brief moment, one of Petal's conjured swords - a straight, elegant weapon of perfect balance - seemed interposed upon her form as her form was upon it, conveying stark difference yet also shared purpose.

Then the moment shattered, and Scar found it too late to avoid the cutting waves emitted from the sword now in Petal's place along with the five others that had flown in to surround him like an angular, abstract cage.

"I yield. Well fought, Senior Sister," Petal's foe called out a moment later, careful to not lean on his injured foot too much as he lowered his spear before the ominously glowing sword formation.

"Truly, a peerless counter. I have yet to find any way to bait it out without overcommitting and paying too high a prize. It is no wonder that you are our sect's chosen for the Proving."

"Thank you, Inner Disciple, for both the praise and the tempering. But with the looming trial ahead, I will need to keep seeking the heavens for all that I am worth, as I am sure that there are plenty of strong challengers this year. Even the outcasts have been given a spot, which I doubt would have happened unless the King had seen potential among their ranks," Petal replied, trying to emit as much poise and grace as possible while containing the gleeful giggles inside.

It was a bad habit she had worked hard to shake over the years, having achieved enough self-control to not let the exhilaration and thrill of the fight and subsequent victory overtake her, and she hoped that her honored teacher would be proud to see her progress. At least she had seemed to be before some unexpected visitor had - to Petal's dismay - called her teacher away from their practice session.

"The flower of the sect will surely conquer the Proving with ease," Inner Disciple Scar said, bowing again and managing to keep most of the attraction Petal knew he felt toward her in check. With her fine features and lustrous black hair, Petal was aware of how she was turning many heads in the sect, and after the Proving she might even consider exploring whether such affections were something to pursue further.

But for now, she would try to embody dedication and control, leaving little time for flustering dalliances or romantic pursuits. The inner disciple was about to say something else when a pulse of indomitable aura had the both of them turn towards the entrance, bowing deep.

"The inner disciple greets the sect leader!"

"The student greets her teacher!"

"Student, Inner Disciple," Frost among Morning Dew greeted as the gold-ranker stepped into the sparring grounds reserved for herself, Petal and anyone the two might invite for more secluded practice.

"Good to see that you kept working hard despite my unexpected absence, though it turned out that it was not just an opportunity for me, but also for you."

"Teacher?" Petal asked, curious while giving Scar a wave of farewell as the inner disciple correctly assumed it to be time for him to make his discreet departure.

"There were indeed some unexpected guests at our doorstep, ones I haven't seen in a long time. And now that we have caught up, I thought it time to introduce you to them. Please enter." Another trio of auras, silver-ranked and unfamiliar to Petal, revealed themselves outside of the practice yard, pulsing in greeting as their originators stepped into view.

Two humans and one draconian entered: a man with dark hair, an easy yet polite smile and metallic tattoos framing his face; a shorter woman with an impressive mane of thick, curly pink hair and a passionate fierceness to her looks and spirit; and a draconian with pink and pearlescent scales dressed in a spectacular outfit seeming to be made from a floating mass of gemstones.

The display of the latter was enough to momentarily distract Petal from noticing that the draconian was in fact some other type of creature until the differences in aura became more clear, leading her to the deduction that she was probably a familiar to one of the others. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"This, my student, is your predecessor," Sect Leader Dew said while gesturing towards the man.

"He is called Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune, later named the Pathbreaker after some impressive deeds up north. And he is honestly the reason why I sought other students even after ascending to the position of sect leader. Accompanying him is his betrothed Dragonfly upon Sun's Reflection, her student Little Sun Sprite and his familiar Glint."

"On behalf of the sect, I greet the sect leader's honored visitors," Petal greeted while hiding her curiosity and bewilderment. Her teacher had mentioned one previous disciple, but little else. Petal knew that Sect Leader Dew had spent a few years as an outcast, and shouldn't have felt so much surprise at her former student being one as well, but somehow she'd conjured the image of this Kite being some kind of lower sect initiate upon which her teacher had taken pity.

"And this -," Dew continued, gesturing towards Petal, "- is Petal Pressed to Singing Steel, named as such by me after witnessing her excellent showing in one of the inter-sect tournaments two years prior. She is my personal disciple and our sect's representative in the Grand Proving."

"We greet the personal disciple of the sect leader," the man called Pathbreaker replied, giving an equally respectful bow.

"Your teacher taught me a lot back in iron and early bronze rank, and I still very much value her counsel. And you being chosen for the Proving speaks highly of your skill."

"Thank you. I do my best to live up to Teacher's example," Petal replied, still not quite understanding the motive behind these introductions. Or at least she did not before her sect leader next spoke.

"Good. With introductions out of the way, I aim to compensate for the lack of time I have given you today, Student," Dew continued.

"As Kite here isn't his guild's representative for the Proving, I thought that he could become an excellent teaching opportunity for you; one that he has kindly offered to participate in."

"I… see," Petal replied, mind working to find the reason behind this turn of events.

"It's a test, but of what?" she thought.

"To compare us and see how her teaching methods produce different results?" Still Petal knew that she at least had something to ask before they began.

"Teacher, do you wish for me to impose any particular restrictions upon myself?" This wasn't uncommon as Petal often sparred with those of lesser skill in the sect under various restrictions such as not using special attacks, only fighting with three of her swords instead of the full six etc. Perhaps this would be-"None," Dew replied, interrupting her thoughts.

"Given his path, Kite here will handle that part for you. Facing opponents blind with all of your strength will be good practice for the Proving too. Are you ready, Kite?"

"I am, Mistress, as long as your honored student doesn't need time to recover?" the man asked, directing the last question towards Petal. Given his words, she had expected it to be some kind of taunt, but felt only honest concern in his spirit. As such, Petal could only match his demeanor as she drew herself up.

"I am ready, but thank you for your concern." A few moments later, after the others got themselves seated behind the barriers at the sidelines, Petal once again turned to regard her unexpected opponent as she fell into her ready stance while feeling her sense of perfect balance come over her. Across the yard, a flash from an armband at his wrist left the Pathbreaker covered in a full suit of armor seemingly made of the same metal as his tattoos.

"A conjuration? No, an enchantment. Most impressive work," Petal thought as her six swords were conjured in a formation behind her. Bowing, she intoned the ritual greeting.

"I, Petal Pressed to Singing Steel, challenge you to this clash, its sole purpose being tempering and the exchanging of pointers."

"And I, Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune, accept your challenge and its purpose. May Warrior witness us," the man replied, drawing no weapon.

"Then may you both learn from this," Dew called from the sidelines, aura poised to signal the start of the bout.

"Begin!" Petal moved with ease, three of her blades flying towards the Pathbreaker in varied arcs while the others swirled before her to ready her defenses. Petal's path consisted of the sword, adept and myriad essences which had blessed her with the master confluence. It was a path that had so much potential for Petal yet to discover, and she kept working hard every day to draw out more of this power set that almost completely relied on her skill and judgement.

But Petal had also become very good at balancing on that knife's edge, the thin line of complete control feeling as wide as a city street these days. As long as she could keep that control, she- With sounds like the faint cracking of glass, the three swords Petal had sent arcing towards the Pathbreaker were shattered as his tattoos came alive with light to reveal two additional pairs of spectral arms wielding short, wavy-edged blades whose energies scattered the conjured weapons like dust in the breeze.

"Wha-" The thought had not the time to fully coalesce before Petal reacted on instinct, interposing her final three blades to parry a series of ripples in the air that appeared moments after the Pathbreaker let his own blocks transition into strikes. Her dismay only grew as this left her unscathed but also now completely without weapons as the final three swords shattered.

"Curses, I need to-"" Wall!" Petal had only managed to half draw one of her physical swords out of a dimensional pouch at her side when panes of force appeared all around her in the air while pressing in from all sides in one swift motion.

This forced Petal to throw her sword out between the rapidly closing gaps in the enclosure, the only object currently available for her Sword-Self Juxtaposition to get her out of the closing trap, only for the short-ranged teleportation to also fall flat beneath the attentions of a trio of vortices that had appeared above the man.

"No!" With a growl, she managed to reach in and draw another sword from the bag quickly enough to smash its pommel into one of the incoming barriers, the special attack shattering the barrier and allowing her to painfully squeeze through and roll out of the side of another series of projected attacks sent her way while the Pathbreaker was closing in on her location.

Sword in hand, Petal met the blade of her foe in rapid clashes, but those accursed additional arms kept finding new angles that hindered any attempts at retrieving more of her weapons and bringing her path more fully to bear. Blow for blow, Petal thought she might surpass her foe in pure skill and technique, especially as he only fought with a single blade in his actual hands without using his left, but with him denying her many parts of her path in turn the gap was easily bridged.

And worst of all, Petal's balance and equilibrium was lost, leaving her in a more reactive and desperate state than she had felt in a long time as she struggled to adapt to the sudden and brutal restrictions.

"Cease." Both combatants stopped the instant the gold-ranked aura of Dew nudged them, taking a few steps backwards before quickly giving each other a quick bow.

"That was probably enough of the lesson I hoped to impart on you, Student, though it was honestly more… intense of an experience than I expected. Kite has always had a path which has been hard to deal with for many essence-users, but it has also grown to a new level since I last saw him. Do not feel shamed by this experience. His name Pathbreaker is well earned."

"I… will try and meditate upon this, teacher," Petal replied, trying to keep the very same shame and embarrassment of her defeat tightly under wraps.

"You will do more than that, student," Dew replied, lips quirking upwards in a smile.

"I did say that Kite and his companions had kindly agreed to assist us. They will be enjoying the hospitality of the sect for two days as my personal guests, where you will face each of them repeatedly to give you more experience with their kind of paths before the Proving." Petal froze at her words, unable to help her stare from wandering from her teacher to the man who - along his companions - was to be her sparring partner for the upcoming two days.

He apparently saw something in her eyes too, because he bowed briefly in apology with a helpless smile.

"If it is any consolation, it does tend to get easier with time."

"She really is skilled," Kite noted softly where he sat next to Mistress Dew while Dragonfly had another go at clashing with Petal in the sparring arena. The student of the gold-ranker was a human woman who Kite suspected was around his own age, though silver rank made it hard to properly gauge.

With her poise, dark hair and fine features, Petal Pressed to Singing Steel looked very much the image of a sect's young talent, and through the continued clashes of the day before Kite believed that he might have started seeing at least some of the reasons why his erstwhile teacher took her on.

"That girl has control and dedication to carry her to the heavens and back," Dew replied with a faint smile.

"But it's mostly the latter that made me want to cultivate her talent further myself. Her path is a balancing act, and adding a bit of my own relentless, offensive touch to the mix has done wonders."

"I thought I recognized the feeling. Once she started bringing out the non-conjured swords, that sense of pressure really took me back down the long lane of memories. You have really left a mark on her, Mistress. In more ways than one," Kite finished, nodding towards Petal whose painted lips matched the color of her teacher. From what he had seen during their day of visit, it was also a common fashion statement among the students of the sect.

"Oh, I aim to leave more than just a mark," Dew replied.

"This sect will be built anew from the ground up. But slowly, one relentless step at a time. Not the physical structures, of course, but the spirit. We need to stand apart from the other sects in the heartlands, both in quality and foundations, not just be dragged into their pace and old feuds. It's hard work, but fortunately I - barring an unexpected and abrupt end to my path - can expect a long life during which to accomplish it. Petal is one of those steps.

I foresee her doing well in the dueling half of the proving, which will stand as proof to the more backward elements still remaining within the sect that my teachings and ways produce results. So I thank you again for helping to temper her. While she is more in her element against Dragonfly, dealing with a ramping path like hers is a challenge of its own. Not one too popular against the top duelists, but you only need to be caught unaware once to ruin your chances of recognition."

"As I said, we're glad to help. And it is probably good for me too, now that I am close to fully healed," Kite noted, flexing his left hand. Some resistance remained, but the patches of glassed flesh were now few and far between.

"We are also honored to hear that you will be attending the wedding."

"What is power if I can't use it to set my own schedule once or twice a year," Dew said, waving away his comment.

"It'll be a good little break. The sect is stable enough and has been for some time. It is also an opportunity for some other happy reunions, not the least my dear Rupert. But we can speak more of that later. Things seem to be stabilizing in the arena now, and I want you to make a rapid switch with Dragonfly to push Petal a bit more. Are you ready?"

"Of course, Mistress," Kite replied, rising to his feet while regarding the furious clash of blade and flame before him.

"And to you, Disciple, my apologies."

"Kite? Dragonfly? May I ask you something?" Petal ventured, breaking the silence of their meditation where they sat in Mistress Dew's garden. While she had been a bit hesitant at first, using the more informal names of their visitors had come easier with time, a kind of closeness that only thoroughly bashing one another with both steel and spell over two days could facilitate.

Now that their stay with the Fated Severance sect was nearing its end, it had apparently made the disciple comfortable enough to pose a question Kite suspected had been brewing in her mind for some time now.

"Of course," he replied, creaking open an eye to look at her.

"If your guild is also sending someone to the proving… Why agree to help me with my tempering? From what I gathered, Mistress Dew didn't specifically need to call in favors from you so… Wouldn't this just risk your representative's chances?" Her question had Kite and Dragonfly glance at one another, with the latter being the first to crack before both started laughing.

"... What?" Petal asked, confused as she clearly felt in their auras that their mirth wasn't due to her question in and of itself and thus not laughing at her.

"I'm sorry," Kite said, managing to force his laughter down to a chuckle in order to be able to speak properly.

"It's a reasonable question, Petal. But our guild's representative? Well, when it comes to tempering herself, she's anything but. Knowing Soul, she would probably have been most cross with us for not taking the chance to help the opposition grow stronger. But I do hope that this stays between us though. Best to let the other contestants find out on their own."