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

Future Days: A Wild Hunt

Shadows stretched like spears through the darkening woods, each one connecting to another creating a vast web. A forest of shadows mimicking a forest of wood. There was something there, Ling Fang thought, something on the edge of his understanding. He twisted the idea in his mind, running his thoughts alongside it. Searching for that blooming flower that would push him to the next level. What would this insight feel like? Would it be the scent of fresh blood staining the trunks of trees? Would it be the feeling of watchful eyes in the dark? Would it be…?

An explosion rocked his grove, shattering Ling Fang's contemplations.

"There you are Shen Wu! I am not unreasonable, this can be solved peacefully!"

Awareness, once a pinprick focused on his thoughts, exploded outward, following shadows and roots. At the edge of his grove, Ling Fang saw them. A posse of five girls, sweating and covered with crumbling pieces of earth, glared murder at a sixth girl who clutched an injured arm. Ling Fang could see slick blood covering the sixth girl's arm, yet she remained standing and defiant. A body manipulation or pain suppression art of some kind, perhaps? Interesting.

"Reasonable? What reasonable person would destroy my house, ruin my camp, and then chase me off the mountain?" The sixth girl, Shen Wu likely, said.

"This will all be over if you just go to the market square and publicly denounce Lang Xinyi. Maybe claim he stole something from you. I don't care. Just go and denounce him." The leader of the other five girls said.

Ling Fang sighed and hosted himself up with his spear. Bones, gnawed to the point of splinters, fell to the ground, scattering about the grove like some ancient diviner's bowl writ large as he pulled his shadow close. This wasn't going to end soon, better go and make sure nothing damaged his grove. Regrowing any destroyed trees and realigning them would be an annoyance he didn't want to deal with.

"Lie about Lang Xinyi? Why would I do that, Hou Zhengkang?" Shen Wu said. "I am not going to abandon him just for your stupid vendetta."

Shadows stretched and blurred around Ling Fang as he walked, his form stuttering through or around trees without rhyme or reason.

"It's politics." The now named Hou said as she buffed her nails. "I need to show that there are consequences for stealing from and embarrassing me. Otherwise, who would respect me?"

Fey creatures boiled out of the shadows around Ling Fang, each made of eyes and teeth, spun together from shadow and want and hunger. Ling Fang pushed them back down along with his annoyance. Really, Hou needed to work on her voice, that shrill tone sounded like a child on the verge of a tantrum. Nothing good came from having a voice like that.

"He earned his spot in the Elder's class!" Shen Wu said. "He stole nothing!"

Hou Zhengkang's face hardened. "He stole my spot like the rat he is. That deserves punishment."

Behind the first line of trees in the grove Ling Fang stopped and tapped his spear against the ground. He could feel the qi in the air, in the ground, in the girls. A fight was going to break out now. If he waited to stop it though, what secrets would he learn? Now he just needed to wait for the best moment to intervene.

"I've been told," Shen Wu said as she brought her remaining good arm up, "that it is unbecoming of a lady to lash out in anger. Are there no ladies in the Peaks?"

Hou paused. "It seems you need to be educated as well." She said, voice dark and slick with the promise of blood.

Everything happened at once. Heavy blades of air roared out from Hou as her posse leapt into action trying to surround Shen Wu. Shen Wu's foot struck the ground and a wall of mud rose to shield her as she used the force to leap backwards. Ling Fang stepped in between both and shattered the attack and defense with spears of roots that erupted from the ground. Spears that then twisted in the air, bending and writhing, before pointing at everyone involved. The four girls who had leaped into action stumbled to a stop, moments before ramming themselves into the spears.

"What exactly is going on?" Ling Fang said, voice airy and light and strong, just as he had run through his head before entering the fray. A strong voice was needed now, to cow his guests into accepting his invitation.

"This is just a simple dispute." Hou said. "No need for you to intervene, Senior Brother."

"Yet, intervene I have." Ling Fang said, unflinching as he bought time. Everything was almost ready.

"Apologies for disturbing you, Senior Brother." Shen Wu said, giving a deep bow. "I have been fleeing my pursuers and didn't realize where I was."

"Senior Brother," Hou said, interrupting Shen Wu. "Truly this matter does not need your involvement."

"These are my woods." Ling Fang said, gesturing backwards to the darkening forest. "As a host I could hardly not intervene when conflict encroaches on them."

"Senior Brother, we are not yet in your woods." Hou said.

And the trap was set.

"Of course you are." Ling Fang said and then he pointed down. "Whatever the shadow touches is mine." Shadows from the forest had stretched from the dimming sky and everyone was now within those shadows.

Hou lifted one foot up, as if trying to figure out a place she could stand and not be in the shadows. There was nowhere left untouched. "You may not know, Honored Senior Brother," she said as she placed her foot back down, "but I am Hou Zhangkang."

"...And?" Ling Fang said. If she wanted something she would have to offer something else. Those were the rules in the deep forests where shadows ruled.

Her face squirmed like she had bit something sour. "I would consider it a favor, if you were to stand aside."

It was tempting, Ling Fang thought. Such a connection would be useful in the coming years. Yet when he looked at Shen Wu through the roots and shadows he saw a desperate girl, a girl filled with want, a hungry girl. Why? Why was she so driven? He sensed nothing like that from Hou, nothing drove the other girl but the boulder of expectations. He could pry secrets from her, but they would be about the Hou, not the girl. The choice was easy.

"It is very rude for a guest to request special treatment from the host." Ling Fang said. "I will have to ask you to leave."

"So you will stand against me, even knowing my name." Hou said, fingers whitening as she clenched them.

"It is as they say," Ling Fang said, "The peaks are high, but the forest is deep. Leave." The voice that issued the command came from the shadows, and the teeth that lurked there.

She left. Her posse trailing behind her like whipped curs.

That went well, Ling Fang thought as he turned towards the remaining girl. The poor girl was shivering in the growing darkness. Perhaps with the fight now over she was feeling just how close her qi was to exhaustion. Perhaps she was just ill suited to dark nights near forests, not everyone was as comfortable as him with such places after all. Whatever the cause, he would try his best to help his guest.

"Would you like some tea?" Ling Fang said, gesturing to his right. There was now a gazebo there, born from root and shadow. Hanging from the middle of the gazebo was a flickering lantern, one that felt like an instant from dying out, but it never seemed too. Crafting such a thing and sneaking the lamp through his shadows had been difficult, but the look on his guests face was worth the effort.

"Ah… Ah… I'll be g… I'm honored by your hospitality, Senior Brother."

"Enough of that Senior Brother business." Ling Fang said, waving his hand as he walked to the gazebo. "I am an outer sect student, just like you. A year older perhaps, but that is all."

Shen Wu looked flummoxed at the admittance. "I see." She said as she sat down. "I didn't even realize that someone of your strength was in the outer sect. The competition for the inner sect must be stringent indeed for someone like you to be out here."

"Ah.." Ling Fang raked his hand through his hair. "I didn't actually participate in last year's tournament."

"Truly?" Shen Wu said, some of the tension in her shoulders visibly vanishing as Ling Fang arranged a tea set.

"Yes." Ling Fang said as he started to pour out the tea. "If you want to avoid my mistake, then don't start your green breakthrough a week before the tournament. You may end up missing the opening day."

"Breaking through to green takes a week?" Shen Wu said, leaning forward.

"Everyone is different. Everyone takes a different amount of time for their breakthrough." Ling Fang said after he enjoyed a sip of his tea. Smooth bitter flavors reminded him of home and drinking tea with his mother. Judging from Shen Wu's grimace as she sat her tea down she didn't enjoy the tea as much. That was a pity. Shadows crept up the edge of the cup like thin roots and switched out the tea. Perhaps she will enjoy a sweeter blend.

"Now." Ling Fang said. "Let's talk about you."

"Me?" Shen Wu said. "What do you mean?"

"There is a want inside you, a hunger. Something driving you to stand up to five other girls, even though wounded." Ling Fang said. "What is it?" He allowed his qi to flow, to give the sincerity of his request, of the exchange, of his voice, more weight.

Shen Wu sat in the silence, face only lit by the flickering lamp. "I want to be great." She said, breaking the peace that had settled. "I want to be one who changes the world."

"Oh?" Ling Fang said.

"It's possible. I know it is." Shen Wu said. "The Duchess was a single person when she seized control. The previous sect head, Yuan He, marshaled together enough might to destroy Ogedai. Ling Qi created and holds the Iron Road in the depths of the Wall. Tsu, Yao, and Zhi each shifted history by themselves. A single spark can make a wildfire, and I want to be that spark."

"I see. What do you want to change?" Ling Fang said.

Shen Wu slumped in her seat, a lost look crossing her face. "I don't know." She said. "All I know is that I want to change the world, but I don't know what I want to change." Her hand brushed against her eyes. "It sounds silly doesn't it."

"It may sound obvious, but we are here at the sect to learn." Ling Fang said. "Ignorance is the natural state of humans and understanding is a lifelong quest. Keep that passion you have, and someday you will learn what you want to change. Everyone does."

The lantern flickered while Ling Fang watched Shen Wu process what he had said. What secrets about herself would she learn, he wondered, here in the darkness of the forest. He was tempted to push a little bit more, but that would be quite rude to his guest.

"Thank you." Shen Wu said eventually. "I didn't expect to hear encouragement here, but I think I really needed it."

"Often the strangest things are found in the deep forests." Ling Fang said.

"I guess so."

Glancing at the starry sky above him, Ling Fang smiled. Time this wrapped up. "Well, it is getting late, and I suppose your friends will be concerned if you linger much longer." He said.

Staring up at the moonless sky Shen Wu started. "Ah. It is late." She said.

"Please enjoy the rest of the night, and do get that arm looked at." Ling Fang said. With that he tapped his spear against the floor. Shadows pulled and twisted, roots writhed and danced, and between blinks the gazebo disappeared as Ling Fang pulled everything back to the tree line of his grove. Only the flickering lantern, resting on the grass, was left. He watched as Shen Wu blinked around in confusion.

"I didn't even get his name." Shen Wu said, her voice carrying to Ling Fang.

Smiles of teeth without flesh bloomed in the dark around Ling Fang and he joined his smile to their number as he watched Shen Wu wander away. He may have lost the flower he was chasing today, but he had guided a confused rabbit and gleaned secrets from her. That more than made up for the time. Perhaps they would see each other at the New Year tournament. For now though, it was time for a change in what techniques he was cultivating. The black moon rode high tonight, perfect for a hunt.

Into the dark forest, led by Ling Fang, the whirlwind of shadows, roots, teeth, and eyes that made up the Wild Hunt rode, searching for prey and secrets. All that was left to mark the evening's conversations was an old iron lantern that flickered in the dark. Then, even that was gone, sinking into growing shadows.

A.N.
Omake for the Omake throne @yrsillar
I really enjoyed writing this piece, so please enjoy!