The Night of Reckoning.
Back in Ishu Chu Village, Liwei Zhang walked with the Abbot through the Gardens of Thought and Peace, admiring the glowing flowers that shimmered faintly beneath the moonlight. Their steps were slow, reflective.
"They've grown so quickly, haven't they, Master?" Liwei asked quietly.
"Yes, Li," the Abbot replied, hands folded behind his back. "Especially the quick one, Killian. Ever since he became a vessel… my god trembles in his presence. If he were to ever spiral out of control, he would be a big threat indeed. The others possess promise as well. The giant boy, Deandre, still has much to learn about combat. And the white-haired one, Silas… he must discover himself before he can discover his strength."
Liwei nodded, though concern lingered in his eyes. "I fear they will soon outgrow what we can teach them."
"Birds eventually leave the nest," the Abbot said with a soft smile. "We cannot hold them forever. When the time comes, we shall send them to Gevin. From there, they can journey to the Holy Lands and continue to grow."
He paused, the wind brushing softly past them.
"But the question is whether they have the right mindset for what awaits."
Liwei frowned. "What do you mean, Master?"
"This world," the Abbot said, "is ruthless. Cruel. Cunning. And if one is not resilient, it will swallow them whole. Sometimes there will be painful decisions. Sometimes there will be loss. And sometimes… you cannot save everyone."
Liwei walked silently beside him, pondering those words as they returned to the Abbot's building. Inside, the boys waited, freshly fed, restless, smiling.
Liwei gathered them. "Tonight, we will patrol Nenchu Forest. You'll be joining your sparring partners from your first day."
Killian groaned. "Those guys again?"
"That big guy almost killed me," Deandre muttered. "Not really in the mood to be friends."
"Li Hong was punished greatly immediately after," Liwei said firmly. "They are still Warrior Monks of this village, and cooperation is expected." Dre rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Master Zhang."
The boys were dismissed until sunset.
They entered the equipment room to change into more protective clothing. Under the moonlight, they donned light monk armor and hooded garb. Killian and Dre grabbed knuckle dusters, while Silas got to use a real sword this time around. "I hope I won't have to actually use this on anyone guys." Silas said.
Deandre put his hand on Silas's shoulder, "Just don't get killed if anything happens."
When darkness settled fully over Nenchu Forest, they moved among the branches, gliding from tree to tree. Killian and Dre adapted easily thanks to their balance training; Silas trailed slightly behind but kept pace. The patrol was near completion when faint voices drifted through the trees.
Liwei raised a hand. Silence. Approach slowly.
They crept forward. Below, a group of armed men spoke openly.
"Tonight's the night. No one will see it coming."
Before the group could gather more information, Silas finally caught up, stepping on a weak branch.
It snapped.
He tumbled through the leaves and crashed down right in front of the soldiers. Blades flashed instantly. Three warrior monks dropped beside him, but they were outnumbered, nearly thirty enemies. More monks dropped down, their numbers had now been split up.
Silas surged forward. His blade danced through the air, non-lethal cuts, tendon slices, disarms. But one soldier lit a torch and hurled it onto a tree. Another followed. Soon, flames licked upward, spreading rapidly. The Spirit monks would have to come and douse the flames with water magic.
Liwei grabbed a passing monk by the shoulder, "get a message to the rest of the spirit monks, we have a situation in the forest!"
Liwei, Killian, Dre, and the two top recruits, Zhi Yu and Li Hong pursued soldiers that were retreating through the trees. The rest of the monks split off from the group to handle soldiers that were setting off fires throughout the rest of the forest.
"I get the feeling that there's more to this Killian." Dre said. "I know, but for now we have to handle this. So much for a calm time." Killian says.
Liwei spotted a soldier and dropped onto him immediately with crushing force, pinning him against a tree trunk. "What are you doing in Nenchu Forest?!" Liwei demanded.
The man spat at his feet.
Liwei broke his hand without hesitation. The man screamed. "Next time, it won't be just your hand!" Liwei growled.
Fear cracked the soldier's resolve. "This–this is all a diversion! Ishu Chu… it's being attacked! A larger force, an elite force is attacking as we speak! Your troops stand no chance!"
"What else!?" Liwei broke the other hand. The soldier wailed in pain, trying to get words out, "The Abbot, he–he's going to be assassinated!"
Liwei froze. His breath caught.
"We have to move. NOW!" Liwei shouted.
But Zhi Yu and Li Hong stepped forward, lowering their hoods.
"Afraid we can't let you do that," Zhi Yu said calmly.
"You snakes!" Deandre roared.
"We were never loyal to Ishu Chu," Li Hong sneered. "We serve Mechu. We serve Prince Weilong Zhao. We learned everything we needed about how your soldiers move, and what they are taught. The Abbot is weakened because of the training incident. Weilong will kill him with ease."
"You bastards," Liwei hissed. He had no time. He had to choose.
Fight here, or fight while running home.
His jaw tightened.
"Killian," he said, voice sharp and urgent. "You're the fastest. Go! Now! Save the Abbot! We'll handle these traitors."
Killian didn't hesitate.
Liwei stood still for a moment after Killian vanished into the trees, feeling the weight of his decision crushing down on him.
Please let me have made the right choice… please…
He couldn't show fear, not now, not in front of his pupils, and definitely not in front of the traitors smirking at him.
Zhi Yu's hand hovered near his concealed blade.
Li Hong cracked his knuckles, grinning.
"You sent your fastest one away," Zhi Yu taunted. "How tragic. You've weakened your group."
Liwei inhaled slowly.
He was shaking, not from fear, but from anger.
"You infiltrated my home. You pretended to be my students. You bowed before the Abbot…"
His voice trembled.
"…and you planned his death the entire time."
Li Hong shrugged. "That's war."
Dre stepped forward, rage radiating from him.
"Shut up. I'm gonna break your damn jaw."
Liwei raised his arms, daggers in hand. "I'll make sure you don't live to see tomorrow."
"If Killian fails… the Abbot dies," he whispered to himself. "We cannot fail here!"
Li Hong charged first like a reckless bull.
Deandre transformed in an instant, enlarging his fist and punching Li Hong right in the face, sending him flying back.
"Not this time," Dre growled.
Further back Zhi Yu darted in like a blur of speed, his daggers carving toward Liwei's ribs. Liwei easily parried the attack, their weapons clashed with a ringing spark.
Zhi Yu smiled.
"You've improved, teacher."
Liwei's jaw clenched, "you never deserved to call me that."
Zhi Yu vanished behind him, only to get snatched mid-air by Dre's massive hand.
"Gotcha!"
Dre slammed Zhi Yu into the ground, but the traitor twisted free and leapt back, spitting blood.
"Stupid—"
Dre roared, charged right at Zhi Yu who was too focused on Liwei, by the time Zhi Yu turned it was too late.
But not for Li Hong who tackled Dre just before he could punch Zhi Yu. Dre stood up and faced Li Hong, "round two big man." The two ran at each other, locked in a stalemate, "you've gotten better since last time boy." Li Hong punched Dre in his chest, Dre stumbled back and grabbed his chest in pain, "but you're not the only one. Your weak reinforcement magic won't work on me any more." Li Hong said, standing proudly over Dre.
Dre kicked at Li's legs but it was a feint, for Li to back up, while Li was in the motion Dre attempted to punch him. But Li stopped the punch, grabbing Dre by his shirt, lifting him into the air, his Locs covering his face. Li Hong winded up, Dre tried to reinforce his face, but it was for nothing, Li covered his fist with Ether, making the punch even stronger than last time. It sent Dre into a tree, he slid down, his face bloodied.
"Deandre!" Liwei turned around toward Li Hong mid-fight with Zhi Yu, which turned out to be a fatal mistake. Zhi Yu's blade went right into Liwei's side, stopping him in his tracks, "don't you know not to turn your back on an enemy, Zhang." Liwei turned around, trying to hit Zhi Yu with a spinning back fist, but Zhi Yu ducked and thrusted his dagger at Liwei, aiming for his heart, but Liwei deflected it right in time. The pain from the blade in his side hit him as soon as he deflected it, he dropped to his knees.
Zhi Yu laughed as he stood over Liwei, "I guess the great Liwei Zhang, 'Fist of Perseverance', isn't so great after all." Zhi Yu moved Liwei's head, showing him his student Deandre, getting beaten down by Li Hong, each hit ringing out into the air, "barely strong enough to protect yourself, let alone another student. Hell, you can't even protect the Abbot!" Zhi Yu cackled.
Liwei clenched his fist, gritting his teeth. He couldn't hold back his anger anymore, his eyes started to shift colors, turning to a bright red. His muscles started to enlargen, veins pulsing more aggressively, he pulled the blade out with ease, staring up at Zhi Yu, his eyes glowing through his hair. "Out of all my abilities, which do you think is my most dangerous?
"My wind magic?"
"NO."
"My enhanced strength?"
"NO."
His voice dropped, shaking with fury.
"It's my uncontrollable… unpredictable… RAGE!" Liwei stood over Zhi Yu now, towering over him, a red aura started to surround him.
Far off in the distance, even Silas could feel an incredible surge of ether. Liwei grabbed Zhi Yu by the face, fingers digging in as Zhi Yu clawed desperately at his wrist.
"Li–wait–"
CRACK.
The sound was sharp, wet, final. Zhi Yu's body went limp instantly.
He was dead.
Liwei turned toward Li Hong who had stopped his beatdown on Dre, now facing what seemed to him like an enraged monster standing in front of him.
"After everything we gave you… THIS is what you choose?" Liwei asked angrily.
Li Hong spat at his feet.
"It was never a choice. We were always with Mechu, with Weilong."
That was the last thing he ever said.
Liwei appeared in front of Li Hong in an instant, slamming his fist right in the man's face with such force it sent him right into the ground, breaking his jaw. He stomped on his face.
Liwei kept stomping.
Again.
Again.
The sounds stopped meaning anything, flesh, bone, mud blending together beneath his heel.
"LIWEI!"
Dre wrapped both arms around him from behind, straining, his feet digging trenches into the dirt as Liwei dragged him forward anyway.
"He's dead! He's DEAD!"
It took everything Dre had, his reinforced body shook, trying to finally rip Liwei away. Liwei finally calmed down, realizing what he'd done.
Liwei held his side, the adrenaline from his rage had worn off, he struggled to walk, having to hang on to Dre who was barely able to stand himself. "We need to hurry and make our way back to the village and help Killian," Liwei said, barely able to speak through the pain.
"He's stronger than you think Master Zhang, out of us three, there's no doubt in my mind that he's the strongest." Dre declared.
The forest went silent as they walked.
Liwei looked back at the bodies of the traitors, his former students, and his throat tightened. His hands were still shaking. "Why… why didn't I see it sooner?" he whispered.
Dre placed a huge hand on his shoulder.
"Master… we did what we had to."
"Then let's pray Killian can do the same."
Further into the forest, Killian neared the village…
Killian's mind flooded with thoughts as he ran.
Faster.
I have to be faster!
If something happens to the Abbot… if something happens to the village…
His lungs burned, but he pushed harder.
I should've seen this coming. I should've been there. I should've sensed it, how didn't I realize?
Branches whipped at his face as he vaulted from tree to tree. Guilt crawled up his throat like fire. He could feel the presence of danger up ahead, heavy, suffocating, wrong. His stomach twisted.
Don't let me be late… please…
He pushed wind beneath his legs, he moved so fast he almost felt weightless. His heart slammed his chest.
You're a vessel. Act like it! I have to use this power, I can't let him die because I wasn't good enough. Because I wasn't fast enough! I won't fail him. I WON'T.
He broke the treeline and saw the flames of the village.
His heart shattered.
When Killian reached the village,
Hell was waiting.
Children screaming. Women sprinting for shelter. Warrior monks falling in blood-soaked streets. Killian rushed through the chaos, knocking soldiers aside, ripping others off villagers, his movements fueled by raw desperation.
He burst into the Abbot's building.
The doors to the gardens were wide open.