Chapter 273

Chapter 273

Sitting in the void which is my Natal Palace, I shut out the world at large and reflect on my training progress. Martial Warriors are kind of a big deal in the Empire, especially considering the admission process is so straightforward. All you need to do is close your eyes, reach for Balance, and draw the first wisps of Heavenly Energy into your body. Follow these three easy steps to naturally form your Core and officially join the ranks of other Martial Warriors in training. Although it doesnt sound difficult, 99% of the population never make it this far, a tangible barrier which separates plebeians from high society.

Its kind of a bum deal for ordinary peasants, the backbone of society who are never properly appreciated by their superhuman overlords. Without them, Martial Warriors would starve in the streets since they require two to five times more food than a normal commoner. In some ways its a good thing everyone cant become Martial Warriors, but Im not convinced economic viability is the reason most people fail to form a Core.

Ill never forget when I first became a Martial Warrior. Six months into training, I found Balance for the first time while sitting on a cliff overlooking the village which took me in. It was as simple as closing my eyes and breathing, something Id done countless times before yet never truly succeeded in. This world was a complete nightmare when I first arrived, but Baatar and Sarnai, Alsantset and Charok, Taduk and Mei Lin, they all took me in, gave me a place to call home, and filled it with people to call family. They showed me I belonged in the village, that I was safe and more importantly, I was loved.

In comparison, Tali and Tate found Balance at the tender age of six, a mere four months into training, which is part of the reason I feel ashamed whenever someone gushes about how talented or gifted I am. All I do is pick up new things quickly, there's nothing amazing about it. Still takes me forever to master them.

Finding Balance was like discovering someone loved me, only this someone is the world. The hell-hole of a planet opened its metaphorical arms and welcomed me with a loving embrace, which brings up a few conflicting emotions. Either way, I had a Core. It wasnt a foreign object lodged inside me but a natural part of my body like any organ or muscle. I even developed a sixth sense which allowed me to perceive it, and though I lack metrics to measure it by, I always know whether my Core is empty or full the same way I know whether Im hungry or tired. When I meditate, its like sitting in the cool shade on a warm summer day as the Heavenly Energy rushes into my Core, making me feel safe and loved. I became a part of something bigger than myself, more in tune with nature around me as my mind processed a myriad of details Id never noticed before. I could see farther, hear better, feel, smell, and taste more, all because Id taken the first step on my Martial Path and joined the 1%.

Whoopdy-do.

While forming a Core is a fundamental first step to becoming a Martial Warrior, you might as well celebrate learning how to breathe because thats essentially all it is. Its not air youre breathing, but Heavenly Energy, passively converting it into Chi for your use. Sure, your prospects improve significantly upon forming your Core, allowing you to find work as a hunter, guard, mercenary or soldier, but a peaceful life is forever denied to you. A Martial Warrior treads along the Martial Path on a journey to the peak of the Martial Way.

Calling it the Martial Path is something of a misnomer. A path implies a trail or track laid down for others to follow. Whether it be well-worn dirt walkway in a dense forests or a paved avenue through the heart of the City, a path facilitates the movement of traffic and make things easier for those who follow it.

The Martial Path does none of those things.

They call it a path because it's the route you take to strength, one you forge through overcoming adversity and hardships. Before you is a mountain of infinite height and your lifes purpose is to scale it by carving one step at a time out of its adamantine surface. Advice helps but only to a certain extent, because no two people walk the same Path using the same tools. Every person is born unique with differing aptitudes and capabilities, which you use to shape your Path. For example, Baatars Martial Path suits Baledaghs personality well, a hyper-aggressive, overbearing approach to combat, reliant on instinct and reaction. Thing is, Baledagh cant do what Baatar does because even though theyre similar in personality, theyre not the same person. They have different thought processes and instincts and will come to different conclusions. While certain things can be taught, its always better to find what works for you instead of following someone elses Path.

The Empire does things differently with many families or factions adopting a particular style, like BoShui and his uncle BoHai. As much as Id like a rigid guideline to follow, Baatar and Akanais free-form teaching style seems to work pretty well for the People, so Im giving it my best shot.

As usual, things arent going great.

Inside my Natal Palace, its like I have a seventh sense which allows me to visualize the flow of Chi in addition to sensing it. Its an incredible diagnostic and testing tool, but the problem is everything I learn leads to more questions, which gets confusing after a while. Ive been working on defining the rules and properties of Heavenly Energy, and by extension, Chi. Assuming Heavenly Energy is a natural phenomenon and not something esoteric like an all-powerful entity lending us power, then it stands to reason Heavenly Energy follows a set of rules and behaviours, like how water flows downhill or wind blows from high pressure to low pressure. Unfortunately, Ive yet to properly define what those rules are.

Complexity of the task has no bearing on the difficulty of Chi use. Take Honing for example, the first real skill I learned. I want to cut, I visualize the cut, and Peace shears through metal like butter. Simple, easy, effective, except its none of those things. When I Hone, my Chi flows around the blade like a chainsaw, but Baatar describes Honing differently. His Chi solidifies on his sword and forms an edge so thin you can hear it cut the air instead of part it. Theres no moving chain for him, which means were doing two different things to achieve the same results and calling it Honing. Since were both capable of replicating the others methods, this tells me that Chi is highly dependant on visual imagery. That doesnt mean I can do anything I imagine, but if I want to succeed, knowing what to visualize is important.

Except it isnt.

Case in point, Reinforcement. Its not a passive strength increase like I initially believed, but an active technique which you sustain indefinitely. The outcome is the same but in practice, much more difficult. Instead of flipping a switch for extra strength and forgetting about it, its more like keeping a basketball spinning on top of your head at all times, assuming the basketball gave you superhuman strength while spinning. Difficult, but you get used to it after a while and the results are worth it. When I Reinforce my body, Chi flows to all my muscles and organs to support them. I can punch harder, jump higher, and run faster because Chi is augmenting my bodys basic abilities. The augmentation is multiplicative, so the stronger your body naturally is, the more benefit you get from Reinforcement. This doesnt necessarily mean bigger is always better, but a 700 kg punch Reinforced at 1.5 times effectiveness is equal to a 1-ton punch Reinforced at 1.05 effectiveness. Unless you feel like wasting all your focus and Chi on Reinforcement, then its best to hit the gym.

Yes, Ive decided the amorphous blob of water is a he. Theres no way Im comfortable with Blobby being female even if he was birthed from the tear ducts of an otherworldly goddess, which Im still not 100% convinced of. Ive also decided he shouldnt pretend to be bigger than he is, swirling all around me and Baledagh while were inside our Natal Palace. Hes a droplet, so he should act appropriately.

Summoning the droplet to my palm, I watch Blobby... be water. he doesnt do much of anything these days, sluggishly drifting about day and night with the room I crafted for Baledagh embedded within. My little brother likes the watery surroundings, says it makes him feel warm and safe, so I let him be. I could fancy up my surroundings, but I find the complete and utter lack of distractions necessary to train in, since I have the attention span of a six-year-old hopped up on sugar and cocaine. Like now, I should be practising but instead Im reviewing all my failures because Im a closeted masochist.

Well... considering my training regimen, maybe not so closeted. I, Falling Rain, am openly masochistic. I mean, Mila broke my hand in our first passionate encounter and I cant stop smiling about it. I love how flustered and apologetic she got afterwards, gently and diligently helping me wash and splint my injured hand. In retrospect, she was probably trying to get rid of the smell so Lin wouldnt realize what we were up to, but I digress.

Pulling back from my distraction, I refocus on Blobby. Maybe its the lack of food, but after serving as inspiration for my Beyblade Aura, Blobby hasnt responded to any of my attempts to plead, cajole, or blackmail him into paying more rent. Theres nothing I can do. Tainted are hard to come by, which means either they were more prevalent in Sanshu than normal or the Spectres have all upped and left, presumably with the army of Defiled who disappeared from our doorsteps. Maybe they figured itd be easier to take the long way around to the Western Province, but nothing in my experience tells me Defiled would ever retreat from a fight. Im expecting the war to resume any day now that winter is coming to an end, with spring mere weeks away. Blobby is my best chance for a massive leap in strength, a requirement if I want to have a bigger impact in the war.

Fighting Defiled is the least I can do for these people who took me in and gave me a family. Id rather contribute in other ways, but ever since those first few days after I returned, Sarnai has shown no signs of improvement. If anything, her bodys health is deteriorating as expected from a long period of inactivity, the lack of Tainted or Demons really putting a damper on my Heavenly Energy collection efforts. The cleverest housewife can't cook a meal without rice and the greatest healer cant bring the dead back to life. Maybe Taduk was right, maybe Sarnai already passed away and weve been caring for a living corpse these past months. Even Baatar cant remain hopeful for this long and its killing me to see him in so much pain.

I wanted to be a hero and accomplish the impossible, but I failed.

Story of my life.

The rest of my practice goes by without significant accomplishments or insights. Unable to bear the mental strain from the complete detachment from my physical body, I break my self-imposed seclusion and reconnect with Baledagh. Hey little brother, I say with a mental smile. How was tea time with Lin and the twins?

Please stop sending me on these dates Brother, he answers, not the least bit grateful. I find them exceedingly uncomfortable. Also, we ran into a problem.

Oh lighten up, theyre not dates. I explicitly told Lin shes not allowed to be clingy in public or in front of the twins and you had both. Its an afternoon snack in a tea house, not a sunset stroll on the beach. I figured seeing the adorable twins eat to their heart's content would be good for Baledagh, and if not, at least he could try some delicious desserts. They have this almond jelly that is to die for which I cannot for the life of me figure out how to duplicate. Frowning as his words sink in, I ask, Wait, what problem? Its a public tea-house, what sort of problem did you run into? Please dont tell me he started another feud...

The problem came after. You know the delivery of slaves you were expecting?

Yea, from Yazhu. I figured you could check if there were any Tainted and sign off on the shipment. What happened? Yazhu came highly recommended by Rustrams dad and seemed like a decent enough person for a slaver.

The guys who delivered it tried to kill us. Not Yazhu, unless thats the guy I stabbed in the face. Two assassins, both dead. I tried to take them prisoner but they werent having any of it. Anyways, Im just waiting for the guards now. Oh, and what happened with our hand Brother? It wouldve been much easier to fight with my right hand.

This time, massaging my temples does nothing to ease my suffering.

Only Baledagh can turn an afternoon tea-house trip into a double homicide.

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