Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Alright, I bring more arts

For those who look closely, you can see me make a subtle case for my preferred ear talisman option

(I feel that the small black gem set in silver, appropriately harkening to the hidden moon, plays off our hair in an excellent and tastefully understated way)

Also, version without the mist:

I also tried out grinning moon earrings, but I didn't like them as much:

A spiderweb of fractures spread out from the central crack. A sickening unlight radiated out from them, and to Ling Qi's alarm, she felt a disquieting sensation, as if she were dispersing herself to hide, but involuntarily. Ling Qi seized control back of her own qi just as her fingertips began to dematerialize and drift away. The effort brought a sharp pain. It felt like a hundred needles had been jammed into her fingers at once.

She was back on her feet by then though, and the others were clambering up as well, many fixing wide eyes on the sky.

Ling Qi couldn't pull her eyes away from the stone.

There was another sharp crack, and then a soft like soft stone crumbling and a whole section of the stone caved inward, as if it were hollow. She saw fragments scatter and it became clear that the 'stone' was only a few centimeters thick. The unlight blazed from within.

$^%^(&&^&%^$ept back, and seven rays of light hewed the sky again. The mountain of gold blazed with all the colors of the dawn and set itself in their path, one hundred hands raised in warding.

Unlight pulsed, and the starstone exploded outward. Ling Qi drew upon darkness and lake qi and summoned the rippling starless shroud even as the Mist descended. She hissed in pain as the shroud tried to absorb the fragments only to violently reject them. Yet, the defensive technique held.

The bleeding clouds fled carried on the wind's of a typhoon, a thousand wounds wept rain upon the land, drowning it in pain. The Inferno howled in rage and ten thousand devils rent into a hundred thousand pieces dogged it's heels, broken bodies and severed limbs hurling themselves after in a frenzy. The beat of the drums broke the earth in their fury.

Ling Qi heard someone shouting something, but the sound of the world was washed out as the dust cleared, and revealed a radiant figure standing in the ruin of the stone. It was small. Bright as a star, too bright to look at directly without pain spiking in her skull, it was nonetheless small. A bead of starlight no bigger than a small child. Ling Qi felt her stomach drop as the thing's attention fell upon her. Sixiang's qi flared inside of her, and for just a moment the eye searing light seemed to dim, the burning on her skin grew less. She met curious red eyes.

It looked superficially like a young boy. With dusky skin like her own and long white hair that trailed down to where his feet should have been. But at the bottom of his ribs, flesh transformed into prismatic light, she saw the shadow of a half formed spine within, but nothing more.

The spirits head cocked to the side as it observed her. Curiosity faded, replaced by cold.

Enemy.

An arm rose and flesh tore apart. Spikes of seven colored crystal formed a blade. The air shattered, and the wind died, leaving only the void beyond the sky.

Ling Qi drew on her depleted reserves, and leapt back, even as she struggled to keep herself from scattering, knowing somehow that if she did, she wouldn't reform. Light, clean and colorless crashed down.


A mountain crumbled. Gold burned black, painted caverns were shorn of color. The light of dawn fled, and there was only night. There was a hole in the sky. Bright blue replaced by starry black.

Cai Renxiang stood in front of her, expression strained. Hungry crimson light bled into her aira and Liming rippled, even as the gown's hem grew frayed, thread unspooling to reveal the girl's boots.

Ruan Shen was at her side, strumming a tune that eased the strain on her spirit, made her feel less like she was dissolving in her own skin. A half dozen defensive techniques, earth and fire, wind and mountain, all washed over her, a conflicting multitude of light.

And before them, the spirit paused, bladed arm mid swing, staring at Cai Renxiang in confusion.

Horns of war called from the north, and in the valley ahead, Ling Qi saw the flash of banners.

The false dawn reversed, unlight bled away behind the southern peaks. A curtain of stars descended from the hole in the sky left in its wake.

The spirit blinked, and it gazed to the south, where the ineffable pressure was receding. Its mouth opened but no sound escaped. Yet Ling Qi felt the plaintive cry that echoed through the realm of spirit. It shot into the sky, trailing a rainbow.

Ling Qi's knee hit the dirt as the suffocating presence receded. After the battle, the run and now this, her qi was depleted, and she was exhausted. From the valley in the north she saw the leading edge of a sect force emerge. Three cyan cultivators soared above, and green, yellow and reds marched below.

Their part was done.





Ling Qi held in a groan as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Was this what qi exhaustion felt like? Her head was pounding, her senses felt fuzzy, and her whole body felt like a wrung out rag. Yet still, they could not rest. Ling Qi stood at attention beside Cai Renxiang among the gathered disciples from the mission. The group was not as large as it had been.

The perimeter group had been savaged. When the… event in the south had transpired, they had found themselves the primary target of the shamans commanding the storm, and worse, suffered from being caught in the eddies of the event. Three disciples had died outright, their bodies rendered to dust. The rest were suffering from some terrible toxin, and while the Sect was keeping them alive, they were not waking up. Liao Zhu was among them.

She had seen him in the infirmary and the memory still felt bizarre. Liao Zhu was not meant for stillness and silence she felt. Though he looked unharmed, Ling Qi had been able to feel the sickness in his spirit, that awful dissolving sensation that had brushed her when she had met that spirit.

Elder Yongrui was said to be in similar condition, though the facilities for his treatment were far beyond the Sect's common medicine hall.

Before the gathered disciples stood two of the Sect's Elders. One she had never seen before. Elder Zhuge Ke was a square jawed man with salt and pepper hair, his face was deeply lined with age. He was not quite as tall or muscled as Elder Zhou, but imposing all the same. Garbed in heavy bronze armor, which was currently quite battered, he scowled deeply. He was, Ling Qi had learned the Sect armies commander, and Guan Zhi's father, having been married to Elder Zhou's younger sister.

He had been divesting himself of duties, preparing for retirement, when news of the other Elder's death had come.

The other, she had only seen once before and never learned their name. Elder Nai Zhu was the one who had presided over her musical challenge months ago. Swathed in heavy robes and not showing an inch of skin, the paneled and articulate metal mask and headdress which covered her head and face displayed a frightful expression.

"You are, all of you to be commended for your performance on this mission," Zhuge Ke said stiffly. "Matters escalated to a degree which could not have been predicted, but this cannot be blamed on you, the rank and file of the Sect."

"This is no longer merely a Sect matter," Nai Zhu's artificial voice was bland and without tone, and Ling Qi could not read a single thing of the woman's feelings in her body language. Indeed, she was only aware that the Elder was a woman because of the… manifestation she had witnessed. "Messages are already in route to the capital."

"Indeed," Zhuge Ke said, with a hint of irritation. Whitewater currents and the roar of war machines rumbled in his voice. "As of now, the Sect is entering a defensive stance, we will be fortifying our outposts and villages. You will all be of great assistance in this. Sect Head Yuan was not able to safely pursue the entity which woulded Brother Yongrui, but it will not survive an assault on the Sect."

"However, certain matters must also be addressed," Elder Zhu said. "The fortifications beneath the earth were completed, but at cost. Many were slain, and Senior Brother Jiao received a significant wound. He will be recovering for some time."

Ling Qi's eyes widened, the idea that Elder Jiao, a seventh realm cultivator had been seriously wounded was more than a little alarming. The whispers that broke out around her showed that she wasn't alone in that thought.

"The Sect has suffered setbacks," Elder Ke said, his sharp voice cutting off the sound. "This is true. However, we remain strong. This is not the first time, nor the last that the mountain scum will inflict hurts upon us, but remember always that we are the Empire, and they, merely barbarians. They will be punished for this."

"They will suffer," Elder Zhu agreed, a faint whirr behind her voice, a panel in her mask shifted, and for just a second, Ling Qi felt hate wash out, old and deep. "As Zhou's killer will."

"Hmph, take comfort in that much disciples. None may recover easily from Sister Nai's fires," that seemed to cheer the older man a little. "Now, disciples, rest and prepare yourself for what is to come."

The Elders turned away, and the disciples began to disperse, slumping off to take their rest. Beside her, Cai Renxiang remained still, bandages wrapped her throat. When she spoke, her voice still had an ugly rasp, though the healers assured her it was a temporary matter. "Unfortunately, our trials are not done," Cai Renxiang said quietly. The faint hum of the girl's social screening art whispered in Ling Qi's ears.

"What do you mean?" Ling Qi asked warily. She dearly wished to leave, Zhengui and Hanyi should have been cleared by the sect physicians by now and she very much wanted to be with them.

"I have been given the tools with which to contact Mother, if necessary. I cannot say that this situation does not qualify," she said. "As my retainer and a direct witness, you will need to give your account."

Ling Qi paused. She knew that Cai Renxiang had a certain very expensive communications array for official business. One that outright projected the users presence across the province. "...I see," well she was going to have to get used to public speaking really quick, wasn't she?

Humor was a good balm for nerves.

However, that did bring up another matter. The shard of icy iron stored away in her ring. No one had mentioned it, nor asked her about it, other 'dealing' with the White Sky barbarian. Ling Qi's gaze turned to Elder Nai, who was conferring with a core disciple still in the far corner of the room.

She was a little hesitant to bring it up to the Sect.

[] Catch the Elder's attention, and speak of the strange encounter.
[] Remain silent, wait until your debrief with the Duchess to discuss the matter