Chapter 12: Silk, Dust

Agi had been lucky. His body was considerably stronger than others, and even though he was only three he held an incredible vitality.

Therefore despite being beaten to near death he would survive. The scene replayed in his head continuously, over and over again all he could think of were those cruel eyes that held not even a hint of love.

He could still feel the force of her blows and the taste of iron hung heavily on his tongue.

He gritted his teeth as he punched the wall before him, his body was shaking in anger and his knuckles were red with fresh blood.

His eyes were red and his teeth were bared, but hearing the familiar knock, the announcement of someone’s arrival at his Isolation hall, he composed himself.

Instead of an emotionless visage he had worn before, a heavy frown marred his features.

The door opened as Agi exited, “Vistar.” Agi said walking ahead of him.

In his mind he made a determination, Vistar who had walked so confidently, his mother who beat others ruthlessly, nobody dared to offend them.

It was surely the answer he sought.

Vistar could tell Agi had no idea where he was going, but didn’t stop the child from putting on a strong front.

“You’ve forgotten to take a turn here.”

Vistar reminded, and Agi stopped turning to look him deeply in the eyes, however he spoke no words.

Vistar wasn’t amused at all.

Agi had perhaps become even more recluse… and for a child who had lived his short life in Isolation…

He let his thoughts slip as they reached a new section of the Temple.

A large door covered in etched birds.

Agi pushed the door open himself, entering with a confident stride.

Though it was false.

Agi looked at the man in front of him, “Come greet me.”

He said in a domineering manner to the man, he wasn’t exactly tall, nor were his features particularly memorable.

But he held a strange aura to him, as though he was untouchable.

He stood stunned momentarily before letting out a boisterous laugh.

“You’re a bit different than I’ve heard.”

The man took a step toward Agi, and the boy flinched.

“Tell me, Why should the first lord bow to the tenth?”

Agi shrunk back attempting to put on a strong front.

The first lord instead of attacking him however, ruffled his hair, “It’s no fun bullying a brat.”

Agi was even more shocked and recoiled.

The man sat at the small table in the corner of the room, “I am your elder brother, Ramana.”

He pushed forward a cup, “Come, greet me.”

Agi frowned and climbed onto the chair, “I am Agi!”

He said with a slight glare.

“A good name.”

Ramana lifted the cup.

“How old are you Agi?”

Agi raised four fingers, “Three!”

Ramana laughed loudly, “Good, Its old enough. Drink with your lonely brother, and we will celebrate.”

Agi held the cup in the same manner as Ramana but asked, “Celebrate?”

Ramana grinned, “We will celebrate life.”

Agi didn’t understand, but he was quickly swept into his brothers rythm.

The two pushed back their cups and Agi immediately spit it from his mouth.

“Ah! It burns…”

Ramana set down his cup, “It’s not poison, little brother. This is what the strong drink.”

Agi narrowed his eyes, pushing his cup forward, “Good. Thats better.”

With a refilled cup Agi gave it another go, barely getting it down.

His eyes stung, and he felt as though his drink would climb from his nostrils.

Ramana pushed another cup toward him.

And Agi just grit his teeth, “Another…?”

The first lord shrugged, “Maybe its too much for you?”

Agi shook his head and threw it back.

And just like that time passed with Ramana making fun of the child before him.

“But really, you can’t even get drunk. You’re sure to have a boring life little brother.”

Agi huffed, “It doesn’t matter.”

Ramana shook his head, “Doesn’t it? Well, you’re off to a bad start anyway, earning the ire of mother and father.”

Agi frowned, “I…It’s not my fault.”

Ramana stood, “Perhaps, or perhaps it is. Men must take what they want with their own two hands Agi.”

Agi jumped from his seat, following his enigmatic elder brother.

“Mother will never be easy on you. So I cannot either. However, I can offer you something, a path.”

He led Agi into a hall with many chairs, and a large board, “A thorny path, filled with treacherous creatures and uneven footing.”

He sat Agi down, “But a path nonetheless.”

Agi titled his head, puzzled, “What good is that?”

Ramana shrugged, “You’ll have to find out for yourself. However, What I can promise you is this–Every step you take walking your own path, is a step closer to what you desire.”

Ramana began to draw a diagram on the board,

“This may be a bit too complicated for a child,”

But all he received were Agis fierce eyes,

“But I’ll toss you a bone.”

Soon three symbols were drawn onto the board.

“The heart, its a vessel that carries great power.”

Agi leaned forward, wanting to know, how could he claim it?

“However, without The Gift, much of it is meaningless. I wonder if you, little brother, who has earned the ire of our father will ever receive it.”

Agi ignored his comment, his eyes locked onto the second.

“Oh? Curious about the second vessel?”

He chuckled, “The world vessel… Its incredibly rare, though if what I’ve heard of your birth, you undoubtedly posses a world vessel.”

Agi frowned, “How?”

“I’ve heard that on your birth, numerous attendants lost their life.”

Agi settled in his chair, he didn’t understand.

“The world vessel can be thought of as a cultivating grounds for a power called Instinct.”

Agi folded his arms, “Whats that?”

Ramana grinned, “You’re much more eager to learn than I’d expect.”

“Just tell me.”

The first lord sighed, “So impatient, well you’ll learn the uses of it gradually on your own. It is not something that can be taught.”

Agi was not happy to receive such words but held his tongue.

“The final vessel, is the body vessel. All people posses a body vessel, even if they don’t posses the other two.”

He pointed at spots on his own body, “All that matters on the body vessel are nodes. Nodes connect soul to the body.”

Agi was already lost, but just continued to nod his head.

Ramana shook his head, “I forgot, you don’t behave like such a young child so I began to teach you as though you were older.”

He walked to the desk, “We must start from the very basics. Only then will I teach you to find your path.”

Agi jumped up, “No! I don’t want to do that, just keep talking, I can understand if I try.”

Ramana walked back to the board erasing it, “No. You will start with the basics or not at all.”

Agi clenched his small fists, “But I-“

Ramana gave him a glare, “You can’t even count three on your fingers properly, how can you understand complex systems?”

Agi looked at the ground in embarasment, he was right. and that did not make him happy.

“Fine…”

Ramana smiled, “Good. Now then…”

He started from the absolute basics, writing and counting.

The legendary Exalted Beast, once a child, stood grumpily counting on his fingers with a dull look.

“Vistar.”

Agi called out to the knight as they walked down the hall, Agi had an absent expression on as the two walked.

“This… Isn’t three?”

Agi put up four fingers and Vistar could only tilt his head,

“What had they possibly spoken about?”

“That is four Agi.”

Agi nodded, “So he wasn’t lying…”

Vistar cleared his throat pushing back a chuckle, it was so like Agi, and yet he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

This boy would even question something so simple.

He set a hand on Agis shoulder, receiving a flinch in return, “Ah, Sorry.”

Agi shook his head, “What is it?”

Vistar pointed, “We are here.”

Agi took calm strides, but his heart was pounding.

He had found out that he had a little brother, a little baby, still drinking milk.

The idea felt foreign and athough his heart pounds, and he stands ready for anything, he was also excited.

To his little brother, he can be strong.

He stands next to the little bed, small walls locking the baby within.

He looked at Vistar, “Did Mother name this one?”

Vistar had a somber tone, “…Yes…”

Agi nodded, though Vistar could tell that he felt hurt in his heart, Agi had already began to disassociate from his Mother.

“What is it?”

Vistar looks at the gentle baby, cooing lightly, “His name is Asketill.”

Agi reaches in and picks him up, causing the attendants to attempt to rush over.

Only for them to meet Vistars pointed glare.

Agi looks at the boy, holding him high above his head, “You will walk your own path. Like me. Don’t get pushed around, Little brother.”

Agi eventually sets him back down, but he looks at Vistar with confusion, “But…Why isn’t he in the Isolation hall?”

An attendant gasps in shock, whispering to the person near them, “Wanting to send an infant to the Isolation hall… What a twisted child.”

Agi only furrows his brow while staring at Vistar.

However, the knight could not answer.

No matter how hard he tried the words became lost in his throat, How could he tell Agi his Mother saw him as little more than a beast, and his Father did not even care for his existence?

But Agi would receive his answer.

“Do you think a normal child should receive punishment as you have?”

Agi shifted his eyes, his mother stood in the entry way, looking down on him with mock amusement.

“Beast, you were placed their by the Emperor as punishment for hiding in human skin. Why should Asketill experience the same?”

Vistar held the pommel of his sword turning his gaze to Siv.

“Hold your tongue. I lack the patience.”

Siv was slightly shocked at Vistars outburst but only chuckled, “Grown attached to the little monster have you? Suit yourself, Vistar.” She walks over and cradles Asketill.

“Do you seek to lead this one astray?”

Agi stands straight, “He’ll walk his own path.”

“You must have met Ramana.”

She leaned down, “That child, he lives for his own amusement, so don’t take his words to heart.”

Agi bared his teeth like an animal.

She stood back up, carrying Asketill away, “If you want to see my child, then you’ll have to earn a name.”

Agi takes a step forward, “I have a name! It’s Agi!”

Vistar grabs Agis shoulder, “Lets leave it at that.”

Agi breathes heavily, shrugging off Vistars hand he walks with a quick pace out of the room.

Vistar stops at the door beside Siv, “We once fought together, and I held your sister dearly to my heart. But you have changed. You have grown weak, Siv.”

He took another step after Agi, “If Pekko could see you… No, If Pekko saw you, I doubt you’d be left living.”

Siv bit her lip, her gaze traveling to the floor, Weak? Maybe. But she knew where her priorities lay, and for that…

Her gaze settled with resolve,

For that She would do anything.

Agi walked silently until he stood before the door to the familiar location.

“I will return to the Isolation Hall. I have to complete the task I was given by my elder brother.”

“You don’t have to go back.”

Agi clenched his fist, his whole body shaking, “No, I must. I must.”

Just a three year old child…

Vistar lamented inwardly but finally took a step back, “Alright. I will come find you as soon as I can.”

Vistar already imagined the consequences, Agi had avoided the wrath of his mother because he had been there, and his patience had already run thin, but next time Agi left, he would have to face his mother once again.

After a year had passed Agi found himself once more sitting in the hall of his elder brother.

The board had once again been drawn into the diagram.

“You’re a bit older now… and it seems like your soul is beginning to move instinctually, so I might as well teach you now.”

He recapped their previous lesson before moving on, “The important one for now, is the body vessel.”

He pointed at a node on his diagram, “Nodes can be in 16 different places, and their positions will drastically change what effect they have.”

“However you will always have a single node at what is commonly known as the boundary node.”

He then points to six positions, “There are six possible positions for boundary nodes. The position of your boundary node will determine your capability in manipulating soul, and the amount produced within your body.”

He touched a spot on his shoulder, “When the body vessel interacts with the fleshy body though the node, only then is soul produced. However keep in mind, soul is a finite resource. You do not produce more life force, you only consume it.”

“The other two vessels will also produce soul, however it is very inefficient, having to all flow through the singular boundary node.”

He clenches his hand, the air compressing in a resounding POP!

“The method by which you mobilize your soul is heavily reliant on the position of your boundary node. And the strength of the methods greatly vary.”

Agi felt his heart pounding in excitement, even as his face was cold as stone.

Over the past year, he had completely eliminated expression from his features, they had become a problem.

“How strong?”

Ramana let his hand fall back to his side, “Like I said, the methods vary greatly, and they were merely a means that the great hero Heram spread a long time ago to save those he couldn’t reach.”

He looked down at Agi, “Once more, You must find your own path.”

Agi nodded and stood up, “How?”

Ramana curled his finger, “Come here.”

Agi came closer and Ramana went behind him, placing one palm on his back over his heart, while his other rested on the crown of his head.

“It will feel foreign, but do not resist its flow, it will cause us both issues.”

Agis body lurched forward quickly going limp.

Within his body a furious storm was taking place, like submerging yourself into a pit of lava he felt as though he was being roasted from within.

The force was so incredible that Agi had even begun to cry, tears pouring from his eyes uncontrollably, however he did not sob. It was merely a physical reaction.

Agi could not regain control over his body, and he began to fiercly resist, his eyes and ears began to pour blood as he coughed repeatedly.

Ramana grunted as a similar situation took hold of him, “Agi! Stop… You’ll get us both killed!”

Agi was screaming loudly, the pain overhwhelming as he writhed, though Ramanas hands were still closely connected to his head and heart.

A terrifying pressure submerged the room like a wave as the viasage of a mountain eating bird spread its wings.

Its might claws rend earth, and its beak consumed stars, Its wings were all encompassing as white feathers floated from his back.

Agi began to settle slightly as the pressure crashed down on him, and Ramana took the oppurtunity to push the soul deep within his mind and heart.

As the soul became as serene as an untouched lake, Ramana breathed a sigh of relief.

He had never expected Agis soul to be capable of pushing back so hard, and as he materialized into he strange realm he was determine to find out why.

The sound of a drum shook his metaphysical body.

His soul trembled every time the colossal red muscle contracted, and he looked on with shock, he had never seen a heart vessel of such size.

The Gift blood was splashing about uncontrollably, however its amount was greater than most warriors even after years of accumulation.

As a son of the Emperor this did not surprise him, he had received the same treatment, and although his heart vessel was not so sizable, it was certainly something to look at.

He lamented inwardly, it seemed this younger brother of his was bound to surpass him one day.

He narrowed his eyes, should he take action?

But he let the thought perish as fast as it had come, instead being transfered to the second vessel.

And what he saw made his entire body tremble uncontrollably.

“Six… Boundary nodes?”

He was speechless, just one over the heart was enough to be considered supreme talent in soul.

However, having all six boundary nodes… what kind of little monster was being produced within the Temple?

However, lacking body nodes was slightly concerning… However with the size of his heart vessel, such a small problem can be solved after he receives The Gift.

He set his shock aside temperorarily and traveled to the third vessel, this already was enough to make him barely capable of thinking.

There has never been a single documented holder of three vessels. Ever.

You can be considered having dual vessels if you have two nodes and either a heart or world vessel.

This has happened before, and surprisingly they are often weaker than wielders of singular vessels.

But as he stepped down into the silent world he felt a shiver.

Something… Something was there, watching, just on the edge of his preception.

He felt a tremendous sense of danger and immediately fled from the world.

Reeling back he looked down on Agi, his body was covered in blood, and it was clear he had suffered considerable damage, however… that world… it was well known, those who posses a world vessel are always transferred within it while they sleep.

There are no exceptions.

Agi must have been going to that world… ever since he was born.

Ramana could only sigh, placing his hand over Agis heart once more he instead mobilized his gift blood, healing his body.

After Agi woke up a while later Ramana gave him a stern look, “Today we begin to learn soul manipulation. For you, this will be invaluable. Do you understand?”

Agi nodded, still shaken from the previous encounter, but he had felt its power earlier, andhe desired that for himself.

“Good, the best way to form ones own soul method is through a strange practice, it is something known as finding your steps.”

Agi tilted his head, “What?”

Ramana waved his hand, “It was named by a group of barbarians who call themselves the Human Order, you can ignore the minor details, however the practice is effective.”

However his elder brother gave him a look, “However, you stink. Go take a bath and clean off the blood. I’ll be waiting.”

Agi looked down at himself, he was right… but he couldn’t see how that triumphed in importance over this.

But he knew Ramana would never let him learn if he didn’t listen, so he turned and left.

Meanwhile, Ramana sat down, still needing time to process what he had learned from Agi.

For the first time in a long time, The first lord was truly shaken.

A week later Agi stood before his mother, the scent of iron clouding the training room, however none of that mattered to Agi right now.

His gaze was fierce, predatory, it was a subtle shift from what he had been.

His mother looked at him as a vicious grin covered her face, “You are quite the little beast, aren’t you?”

Agi snorted at her and took a strange stance, at that moment, his hands were open, and his body was leaned forward.

He looked like a feral animal.

Agi didn’t wait for his mother to move, he had no reason to wait any longer.

He stretched out his hand, attempting to grab her, however his mother only side stepped, kicking his side.

Agis body felt like bursting under the pressure, but he held on, piviting off the kick he lunged at her feet,

only to receive a powerful knee into his jaw.

He was sent rolling back, and once he stood all that remained was a feral glint.

“You didn’t show for a week, a long time, even for a disobidient thing like you. And all you did was embrace your true nature?”

Her face turned cold, “Truly pathetic. I’m starting to think you never want to meet your brothers.”

He was going to ignore her, but he stopped and spoke for the first time, “Brothers? There is another?”

She huffed, “Yes, there is.”

If Agi had been older he may have found it strange that she never appeared pregnant, however for the Blood Temple that thrives in bloody conflict they would never allow such a large problem go unsolved.

The Temple had many mysterious methods.

Agi however shook off the idea, he would think about his brothers later. For now, he must survive.

He lunged again only to get dodged, however before the familiar knee buried into him he leaned back, spinning around and slamming his heal into her side.

She didn’t even grunt, didn’t move. She was completely unfazed.

“Is that all, Beast?”

Agis expression contorted as he mobolized his soul… the image of Ramana appeared in his mind.

Standing with blood covering the slowly healing wounds, he had a wild grin on his face,

“You have already surpassed me in soul.”

Agi growled loudly the soul within his body mixing before bursting, his small body exploding with hidden strength, he latched onto her abdomen before burying his sharp teeth deep into her side.

He roared out as his jaw flexed, pulling back mercilessly and taking a chunk with him.

She took a step back, gripping her side, it was obvious she did not have The Gift.

“Crazy… You are three?”

She asked in disbelief.

Agi didn’t respond but after standing for a while finally declared, “Four!”

She winced slightly but soon moved her hands back down, she may not have had The Gift, but it was obvious she had a powerful inheritance.

Her wound had already stopped bleeding.

“You have surpassed the stage of grandmaster.” she said incrediously.

“Even Pekko… Even some of the supreme are stuck on the stage of master.”

A strange emotion began to bubble within her… pride? She quickly shoved it back down.

“It’s not good enough. You are still just a beast, barely deserving a name.”

Agi felt her blood dripping from his cheek, he had wounded her once, he could do it again, again, again!

He launched into a torrent only to be completely shut down at every turn.

Agi attempted to bite her again, however she grabbed his jaw tossing him onto the ground.

“Not bad, Agi.”

His expression contorted into pure hatred as he spat venomously, “I’ll definitely kill you!”

moments later his vision turned black as a foot ruthlessly jerked his head to the side.

She looked down on him, her expression unreadable, her heart in turmoil.

She turned to an attendant, “Take care of my son.”

The attendant nodded, quickly rushing to him.

It was like this every time, but the attendants began to wonder which was fake, and which was real.

Once more, Agi would awaken in that place, something lurking… He shivered, quickly turning and running.

Doing everything he can to erase his presence.

Eventually he found a cave, curling into the corner, covering his eyes and ears he shook,

“…Go away go away go away go away…” He whispered continuously, last time he had been here for a week before he woke up.

This time… How long will he be here?