Chapter 13: Setting Sun, Gliding Clouds

He felt haggard. He continued moving. Moving… running he couldn’t stop. “It” was always lurking just beyond his perception.

How long this time?

He wasn’t sure… however he felt it was around a year this time.

His breath was heavy, he always felt tired in this place… And yet, it never caught up to him.

But something was telling him the only reason for that was because he never stopped moving.

This world never changed… The gray sky only produced red rays on bloody light, casting onto black soil.

The trees only in darkened shades of brown and green.

This place lacked life, and it lacked beauty.

Others often felt that Agi seemed older than he actually was… the truth was this–Time did not flow in this place.

The duration of his stay was completely random. Everytime he closed his eyes he would end up in this place.

Its claws would latch onto him, dragging his body deeper into the depths every moment.

And by the time he was only enough to recognize what was going on he could not do anything.

He could only wallow in his own fear and run for his life.

He had once attempted to face it, however as he felt it approach, he shivered tremendously only to wake up his body drenched in blood, his mind hazy.

He felt that if he were to pass out he would undeniably die.

After that he had become an insomniac.

Staying up for nights on end within the ashen room.

The thick scent of burning fire and gray ash was his solace. The dark red room had become his utopia, where he always knew, no matter how long he stayed within, he would never be killed inside that room.

However none of that mattered right now.

His small form leaped from branch to branch, ducking and straining his body to its limits.

His teeth were gritted, his eyes were bloodshot.

“I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL KILL YOU AND EAT YOU!”

Agi cried out, his body speeding up in bursts as his soul continued to shoot through his veins like pistons.

His heart thrummed furiously, and he snarled at the idea of dying here.

He took a final leap, his body connecting heavily with the dirt as he vanished from the world.

An eerie silence overtaking it.

As he awoke within the Isolation hall he shot up.

He caught his breath holding a hand over his heart.

His hand scratched painfully into the cold stone floor, blood dripping from his fingernails.

He stood up after finally calming down.

However there was a barely restrained fury within. He walked to the center of the dimly lit isolation hall.

There sat a willow tree, barely the size of an adult male. It had red leaves, its branches falling like rope.

Agi reached out, his hand drifting over the leaves.

“A man follows his own path…”

Agi let those words echo in his mind, the soul within his body shooting out like tendrils, he had long since surpassed the stage of grandmaster.

The stages were simple yet effective.

Novice was hardly worth mentioning, only when you first begin to sense soul can you be considered a novice.

By the time you move your soul you are an intermediate.

And once you learn a method of Heram you can be considered advanced.

Only once you master such a method can you be considered a master.

However none of that mattered to Agi who had surpassed all these steps in a single go.

He had reached the stage of grandmaster within a week, creating his own technique to optimally manipulate his soul.

However now, after being trapped for a year, he had taken another step.

He had reached the stage known as manifestation.

His soul could now leave his body, so long as he kept it close and did not create runes.

Slowly the invisible tendrils circled around the branches, and soon Agis spirit invaded deep inside them.

The willow tree shook vigorously, and slowly the entrance to the Isolation hall begun to move.

Agi had done something that would shock even the Emperor.

He had gained control over the Isolation hall.

Pushing the soul within his body deep inside his vessels his presence became indistinguishable.

Even while looking at him it may be difficult to realize he’s there.

Slowly he stepped out from the Isolation hall, and the warriors, settled in their light garments, were sitting lazily, just playing cards.

Lazy amateurs like these… They could never sense Agi.

Just like that–Agi had vanished from the Isolation hall.

Not a single soul aware.

Deep within the temple Vistar was training, as the knight captain Vistar held his own courtyard. it restd just outside his room.

It was very large, having a small pond, a pavilion, and even a designated training area.

There were little flowers scattered, colored blue and green.

In the ceiling above, it somehow seemed as though clouds were scattered beneath a blue sky, and a yellow sun shone above.

And blood red butterflies flew around, occasionally they would make a strange sound akin to cackling.

Sweat trickled from him, he did not enjoy wearing a shirt while training, as it would get sweaty it was annoying to deal with.

Vistar swung a heavy sword, it weighed at least eight times greater than his traditional weapon. And yet, he did not seem hindered at all.

Similarly to Soul, weapons shared their forms of mastery, and Vistar had become a master in the sword, after practicing the entireity of his all too long life, he was truly a fearsome master on the edge of grandmaster.

Vistar felt a chill, he quickly spun around, and just across the pond, sitting comfortably at the table under his pavilion.

There sat a four year old child. He had dark hair, fierce eyebrows, and a feral glint in his eyes.

He lazily ate the snacks scattered on the table, his canines were unusually thick and sharp, and his movements were greedy.

Vistar looked at the young tenth lord, Agi.

The boy he himself had named.

However right now his heart shook… When did he get there?

How long had it been since anyones gotten so close without him realizing? He would have had to walk right past him to sit there!

Vistar lowed his sword hesitantly… “Agi?”

He had heard yesterday of his feat, he had injured his mother. It was rare for Agi to leave the Isolation hall only a day after going back… and he was always informed.

Agi set down the snacks,* “Vistar… what are these?”

He asked while eating something covered in some kind of frosting.

“They are commonly referred to as sweet bread.”

He set down the sword, no matter how strange he seemed right now, this was undeniably Agi.

Agi set it down, “Meat.”

He said hungrily, practically wiping the drool from his mouth.

Vistar was shocked, this hungry brat…

“That is not how you make requests. Do not forget your dignity Agi. You are the tenth lord.”

Agi snorted, and Vistar felt Agi was constantl changing, it was unusual for a child to change his emotional state so frequently.

Agi walked forward, His stance becoming feral, “Let’s have a match Vistar.”

He looked down on Agis form, he was becoming more similar to his mother… was that a bad thing? Or was it exactly what she wanted?

He put his fists up in a tradition Temple stance, “Fine, However I will not use my sword, nor will I use The Gift.”

Agi nodded, “That’s fine.”

He didn’t wait a second longer, his form becoming a blur as a kick slammed heavily into Vistars arm.

Vistars eyes widened in surprise, however he quickly recovered, Grabbing Agis ankle while his leg swept him, before his hand cleched tightly around his neck.

Agi squirmed on the ground attempting to get free, but he only gained relief once Vistar released him.

“You surprised me, My old instincts kicked in, my apologies.”

Vistar bowed.

However Agi inside was shaken, he though he had gotten stronger, however Vistar could have killed him in a single moment, even though he admitted himself he was shocked by his speed.

Agi stood up from the ground, his teeth baring as he grunted, “Not enough…”

Vistar just ruffled his hair, “Cheer up Agi, You are still young, only four years old. I am already an old man.”

Agi couldn’t help but sulk slightly, “Then how old are you?”

Vistar held a wistful gaze, “The Emperor was once my fellow knight.”

Agi titled his head, “The Emperor was never a knight. Don’t lie to me, Vistar. Ramana already taught me our history.”

Agi had a frown on his face, Vistar did not lie to him often, so he was upset to be lied to over something so trivial.

“No,” Vistar shook his head. “Before this experiment of his. Before the Temple.”

Agi felt Vistar only spoke nonsense and turned from him, losing interest.

“Vistar, I looked around a little.”

The knight captain recalled how Agi had suddenly appeared within his courtyard. The implications were a bit frightening.

“The other lords… Even Asketill, and Even my new brother, Ari, despite being younger than me, despite being unable to even speak coherently, have followers.”

His gaze held a strange light.

“Why?”

Vistar sighed, “There are many issues with our system, however the Emperor began to have children for a simple reason, he has begun to look for a succesor. Not now, maybe in a hundred years or more… However the loyalties have begun to shift.”

He seemed to be greatly irritated, “Some knights are begining to align with the different lords, meanwhile elders, and counsilers are even getting involved in the foolishness.”

He scoffed, “I’ve even seen inquisitors attempting to ally with the first lord. It is a time of great unrest.”

Agi clenched his fists, “Am I unworthy?” He glared at Vistar, “Am I less deserving that two babbling babies?”

Agi had only been four, however his mental age would have been closer to ten.

Vistar set his hand on Agis shoulder, “Thats not it… it’s not so simple…”

He seemed to hold great guilt.

However Agi did not care, “Because Father is scared of my potential? Because Mother scorns me?”

Vistars heart clenched hearing the words coming from the mouth of this young child.

“It doesn’t matter, Ramana already told me.”

Vistar sighed, it seemed he had been doing that a lot lately.

“Then what will you do, Agi?”

He walked to the pond, “Vistar, Will you follow me?”

Vistar was slightly shocked before laughing, “Agi, You know I care for you greatly, but I cannot. I am the knight captain, and my loyalties must not shift.”

However before his eyes, Agis form seemd to be becoming indistinct, it was truly strange, as though he could hardly get a grasp on the child standing right in front of him.

“I will walk my own path.”

He declared, his form seemed to vanish from the courtyard.

Vistar could only wonder if it had been his own delusion, however the sting in his arm, and the prints in the grass were undeniable.

A great shift would be coming to the Temple, and his mind played the scene of Agis birth, how close the Emperor had come to snuffing him out right then and there.

Its true… The Emperor, that lofty untouchable man, the general who led Vistar through all his greatest victories… and greatest loss, had a distinct fear of his own son.

Blood God…

Does he still rule your mind, Icarus?

Agi’s footsteps echoed as he slowly began to plot his move.

However it wouldn’t be until a year later when the shift would begin. On Agis fifth birthday, the ritual hall, filled with warrios and knights all simaltaneously kneeled.

Their hands clasped in front of them as they bowed their heads to a child who slowly materialzed before them,

“We celebrate the great Tenth Lord! Long Live the Tenth!”

Agi had no emotion on his face, however the looks of his brothers and sisters who had been present changed distincty, Agi had never been present for this day.

Never once before had he entered the ritual hall, they were well aware of that.

However he who had appeared before them for the first time in such an ominious manner, began to grin ferally at their father.

The Mighty Emperor sitting upon his throne.

“I greet Father.”

He said with a small bow his hands clasped above his head.

This day would be engraved within their minds, their young little brother, standing before a vast assemble of loyal men, bowing to their father with barely hidden disdain.

The Emperor returned the grin, “Good! Good!” He laughed looking toward the other lords, “You bunch of worthless mongrels.”

His expression contorted in indignation, “How much have I given you? My gift from the day of your birth, support in all your endeavors…”

One of Agis sisters looked toward him with hatred, and she spoke out, “Father, That is not fair.” She pointed at him,

“That thing, can hardly be called a human.”

The Emperor was going to speak once more, in fact Even Agis mother, who sat beside the emperor was going to speak, however he was interupted by the kneeled men rising up, simaltaneously drawing their weapons.

Agi laughed loudly, “You are my sister… What was your name again… Es…?”

A nearby knight whispered into Agis ear, “Thats right, Esfir. Grovel or die.” His face immediately become stone cold.

She was shocked into silence, in fact the entire room fell deathly silent.

Ramana stepped forward, “Agi, she is your sister, for my sake please calm down.”

A dense wave collapsed down on them, a beast roared out from the depths of Agis soul, its claws rending the fabric of the world as It tried to claw free.

Ramana looked on his eyes trembling… Half step manifestation…?

“I am perfectly calm. Now stay out of this elder brother.”

The Emperor chuckled again, “How irritating. You are the most suited.”

Agi averted his attention from the sweating Esfir, “What?”

The Emperor waved his hand, Agis opressive instinct collapsing like an illusion.

“I declare, Agi Vitold will from henceforth be known as the second lord.”

A child of a mere age five, barely on his fifth birthday, was to become the second lord.

Esfir held her tongue, clearly afraid of both her father, and now Agi.

The now third lord–Adonis flet a burst of irritation but only bowed to his father, “I Hope this was not an impulsive decision father.”

The Emperor reclined, “You’re overstepping.”

Adonish shivered, not raising his head he replied, “Apologies father. I simply find this hard to accept.”

The Emperor looked down at Agi, “Will you continue to obstruct the ritual?”

Agi shook his head, “I will not obstruct anything, so long as Father allows me to participate.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, “You wish to become a warrior? You who has not received The Gift?”

“I need no such thing.”

The Emperor was amused, his eyes traveled to Siv, She had definitely been manipulating this child somehow… there was no other reason for him to be averted to such a powerful blessing.

He nodded, “Fine. Stand amongst them, you will be judged as an initiate of our Temple. If you fail, you will fail. Even as the second lord you will receive no handouts.”

Agi walked to the back on the initiates, “I would have refused anything given by you, Father.”

The Emperor was endlessly amused by this child, though he felt uneasy about his potential, “What a brat. That’s your kid?”

He said to Siv, who only ignored him, acting like a distinguished lady. Entirely unlike the feral woman who ruthlessly beat her son.

The Emperors children did not find his mood amusing at all, they were well aware, that his idle jokes were a veil.

The Emperor was a truly twisted man.

Becoming a warrior was no easy task, let alone a grown man, a child should not even be present.

The initial trial was simple.

Its design was to cull the most worthless of the bunch.

Based on the true culture of the Temple the initial trial was a round of combat, the way to win was determined only by a single rule.

The death of your opponent.

Until your opponent dies, you must keep fighting, in history the longest fight lastest a week.

Both had opened their gift to its full potential in the midst of their fight and kept fighting until they fully exhausted their gift blood.

But that was irrelivant to Agi, His opponent was a tall man.

He was burly and it was clear he held disdain for Agi.

Adonis held his gaze on their fight, his eyes latched onto the mans back.

Agi leaned forward, and before the man could reach he had already jumped twoard his neck.

Latching onto his chest Agi chewed his throat viciously and grunted as he pulled back.

The man slammd Agis back repeatedly trying to pull him off, only for his throat to be torn from his place as Agi leaped back.

He spit it out, his jaw covered in blood.

On the sidelines, one of the warriors who had kneeled to agi shivered, was it not this exact scene that had convinced him to switch sides?

Agi stood tidying his hair, though blood was still dripping from his jaw.

His gaze momentarily met Adonis, snickering.

Before finally settling on his Mother.

“I won’t keep you waiting, dear Mother.”

Agi wiped the blood with the back of his palm, only smearing it before standing on the side and kneeling in quiet meditation.

This was one of the ironclad rules of the ritual that Agi could not violate.

After completing a trial one must enter meditation.

Agi opened his eyes only once he heard the drums calling an end to the first trial.

Rising leisurely he observed his competition.

Surprisingly, he found a few to be wary of.

Agi locked eyes with a woman, she was short and anything but intimidating. She had cute features, and her hair was curled.

However Agi could smell the dense scent of blood.

He narrowed his eyes, this woman must die in the next trial.

She only glanced at him, waving with a gentle smile.

Agi snorted in response.

“I’ll eat you.”

She seemed to let out an exasperated sigh, but Agi ignored her.

A small willow tree in the center of the room shook lightly, and the room shifted.

From the ornate ritual chamber filled with mats to an open field. It seemed like a forest, rain poured from the sky and Agi could smell all kinds of scents.

He felt the rain smashing against his face, looking at it curiously.

“Ramana told me about this… rain? Are we outside?”

He heard a voice enter his mind,

“The task is simple, Survive.”

Agi did not know how long this trial would last. he had attempted to gain information, but the duration changed each time.

They seemed to be on some kind of mountain.

The sky was a strange shade of red, but there was a distinct ocean hovering above.

Agi has never been “Outside” before so he could not determine whether they had left the temple or not.

He didn’t care either way, it didn’t change what he had to do.

The first day he ran around looking for a fight.

He was eager to kill… Eager to show he now walked on his own.

However he soon found himself exhausted.

After running around all day he found nothing, the night was settling in and he found he could see nothing.

The world was darkness.

He shivered, if he got attacked like this… he might really die.

He quickly ran to find shelter, finding a cave he settled inside.

Ramana had told him the rain outside could kill normal men, so he had been constantly circulating his manifestation.

However it was taxing. He was hungry… but there was nothing to eat.

Though he had been lonely and scared within his inner world, he had never grown hungry.

Hearing a step entering the cave Agi leaped up, he stood ready for an attack.

He could not see his oponent, however he could hear their fury, “You threatened my woman, I couldn’t act in front of his grace, but now… I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart.”

Agi frowned, “Your woman?” Agi had never heard of such a foreign concept, were people owned? And how could such a fierce combatant be owned.

The man huffed, “Just a brat, listen up. Annika is my woman, and insulting her is the same as insulting me.”

Agi just furrowed his brows, he didn’t understand, but he also didn’t care.

This was a dangerous situation, his opponent had received The Gift… and although his vessel had not yet fully adapted and mutated, opening his gift, he still had a vastly superior body to Agi.

He would take damage this fight, it was impossible to avoid.

Agi was unaware of the mans condition, but even at worse he would still be capable of seeing at least a little.

Agi had to make the first move, he abandoned his powerful soul method, opting to erase his prescne, he pushed his soul to the depths of his world vessel, vanishing from the mans perception.

The man looked around slightly shocked.

However he had passed the first trial, he was definitely not incompetent.

Agi dodged a fist that barreled toward his head.

“I see. What a terrifying skill. When you’re close enough to touch me I can sense you. However anywhere further you disappear.”

Agi clenched his jaw, it was true. if he approached he might die Agi stepped back, reaching down to claw at the dust of the cave.

He silently got close, throwing it into the mans eyes as he finally reached him, prompty slamming his fist into the mans abdomen with the full force of his soul, before jumping back and vanishing again.

The man lurched over, the breath leaving his lungs, but he set an arm on the wall, quickly recovering.

Agi took the chance to attack again, lunging toward him,

However the man slammed his fist into Agis nose.

Rolling back the man stood back to his full height, “Seriously? Thats it?”

He strutted toward Agi, “You’re a lot weaker than you made yourself out to be.”

The man threw a kick at Agi, only for his foot to be caught as it connected.

“I can’t see you… So this will work.”

He jerked his head back before slamming down, hearing the crisp snap his head throbbed, however the mans shin was twisted unnaturally.

“You–”

The man recoiled in pain.

However Agi began to climb up his body, latching down with his jaw onto his shoulder, his fingers clawing at his neck.

Blood fell from the mans wounds, and by the time he finally threw Agi off his back he was breathing heavily.

“Crazy fucker…”

His leg would take a while to heal, although he had not yet opened The Gift, his healing factor was already boosted by it

Agi snarled, “You taste disgusting.”

The man looked down at Agi, this kid has yet to take a fatal blow… however he can tell, Agi does not want to fight now.

After breaking his leg he’s not sure if he can deal with the strange movements of the child.

He grunted and left, slowly backing away.

Agi waiting until he was finally gone before fully hiding his prescene again. It would be bad if somone else found him.

His nose was bleeding but he could deal with that for now.

In the morning, he would need to find food.

Walking hesitantly from the cave he covered his body in a faint coating of soul, that man was not nearby, and even if he was, he could not sense Agi.

He continued to explore until he eventually found water, he was practically leaping with excitement as he crouched down and drank a handful.

However his eyes bulged as he began to wretch.

The taste was disgusting and his throat burned painfully.

He let out a groan as his already empty stomach lost what little it had.

His vision was blurry as he looked up, in front of him stood a handsome man.

He wasn’t really huge, more lean than anything.

However on his shoulder his shirt was torn.

Agi cursed inwardly, if he survived… this was going to be a very long trial.