Future Days: The Formation Pavilion
Great Uncle Ling Shui was everyone's great uncle. An ancient man who rarely appeared for formal events, content to craft formations in his workshop. There was one event that he always appeared for though. The week of workshops, or as the upcoming children of the clan knew, the Tests of Talents.
Everyone in the Ling clan was encouraged to seek their own way to express themselves to the world. Most took up music and followed in the Founder's footsteps. Some painted, or sculpted. Others saw the sounds of physical training as the most beautiful of all. Just as cultivation was a thousand upon a thousand paths up the mountain, so too were the ways to express yourself to the world.
The Tests of Talents therefore was the method that the clan decided on to expose as many different ways of expression to the most children as fast as possible. For a full week experts in the clan hosted concerts, classes, demonstrations, or any other myriad activities and allowed the children to explore what the clan had to offer. Being able to freely mix with experts gave the children an idea of where their talents lay, and what they would like to do in the future. It was during this event that almost every child met Great Uncle Ling Shui as he, and his aides, guided them through the first barest inklings of formation crafting.
Once that week was over the children that expressed interest in the art were inducted into the Formation Pavilion where their study would begin in earnest. Children like Ling Xieren.
Standing in front of the Formation Pavilion now was a very different experience Ling Xieren realized. Last week there had been colorful ribbons separating work squares where one could try their hand at formation crafting. Gone were those ribbons. Gone were the cheerful attendants helping each child. All that was left was the pavilion itself, and without all the distractions its imposing shape was made all the more clear. Seven stories high in a pagoda style with lanterns hanging from the eves. Each lantern was a different color: red, blue, green, yellow, and more. Mist drifted from the lanterns, mingling together and creating a shifting fog of iridescent light that hid the structure from view. Only the lanterns and the eves could be seen through the fog.
There were half a dozen other children standing with Ling Xieren and along with him were waiting for Great Uncle Ling Shui. He floated in a lotus position in front of the double doors of his pavilion with his gnarled walking staff held across his lap. Ling Xieren and the other children had been waiting for an hour already, but they knew that was going to happen. Ling Shui wanted as many children to choose his profession, and so waited the longest amount of time to make sure any late comers had a chance to arrive. Finally when the sun started its descent Ling Shui opened his eyes, black as a moonless night, and settled down to the ground.
"Seven this year." He said as he hauled himself upright with his staff. "A good year, a good year. Alright children, follow me so we can start your training in earnest." With that the Great Uncle turned around, opened the doors, and beckoned everyone inside.
"Few people outside of the Formation Pavilion know this," Ling Shui said as the group walked through a dim hallway, "but Ling Qi, our founder, used formations."
Excited murmuring erupted from the other children, and Ling Xieren saw the Great Uncle smile at the commotion.
"Not very much, we all know her main focus was music, but enough to start our clan's specialization when it comes to the sublime art."
"What is our clan's specialization?" Ling Xieren said.
"An excellent question," Ling Shui said, "and one you will see." With those words he opened a pair of doors and the children gasped.
This was no room Ling Xieren realized as he stared with an open mouth. This was something else entirely. Ringing the room was a single balcony, with only a railing seperating the group from the vast open air chamber. In the center was a pillar of light descending into an inky black void and ascending into hazy mist. Orbiting the pillar were seven disks, and as Ling Xieren leaned over the railings he could see down into one of the disks.
It looked just as he imagined the Golden Fields to look like. Vast dunes of golden sand speckled with black spots rose and fell. Spires glinted in the distance and the air had a hazy twisting effect to it. This disc was an entire world, different yet alluring. A stark difference to the cold mountains that rose above the clan's estate. Twisting his head Ling Xieren tried to look into the other discs. Were they the same desert, or something else?
"Boundaries and thresholds are our clan's specialization." Ling Shui said as other children crowded the railing to look down into the desert.
Ling Xieren frowned as he thought back to the formations they practiced with during the Tests of Talents. "Like the alarm formations we practiced last week?"
"Exactly." Ling Shui said as he nodded. "The worlds you see before you and alarm formations you've practiced have the same starting blocks, though one is much more complicated." He finished with a chuckle.
"Will we work on the discs?" Another child said, speaking over the excited chattering.
"Some time will be devoted to working inside the bound worlds." Ling Shui. He tapped his staff on the floor and with a lurch the entire balcony started descending. "However, that time will be limited. It has been proven that children should not spend too much time inside the liminal realm."
"Those worlds are dreams?" Ling Xieren said as he stared upward at the receding disc.
"An astute observation. They are indeed dreams." Ling Shui said as he started ushering them into a different room. "Now that you've been given a view of the heights of the Ling clan's it's time for you to start practicing."
The room that they entered was cozy. Seven desks were arranged in a semi circle that looked out of a second story window. Books filled a wall on one side, and the other was a large fireplace that crackled and popped, filling the room with pleasant heat. Each desk had brushes and an ink stone.
"Your first task as a member of the formation pavilion is to practice your calligraphy." Ling Shui said.
Even Ling Xieren groaned at that.
With a bright laugh Ling Shui continued. "I know, I know. I had the same reaction when I started, but calligraphy is of vital importance to improving your skills as a formation maker. You will need total confidence that the character you are writing is correct when you progress to more difficult tasks. For now this is where we will part ways. Ling Jian," at this he gestured to a figure that stepped through the bookcase, "will continue your education. I wish you the best as you all walk your own paths."
With that, Great Uncle Ling Shui walked out of the room.
***
Ling Shui
***
Hallways and rooms whipped past him as Ling Shui walked through the pavilion. Each step carried him deeper into the vast structure. There wasn't really any purpose to this walk, anywhere in the pavilion he wanted to be was but two steps away. It had been that way since he was raised to its head. Yet the habit of pacing to order his thoughts from childhood had stayed with him through years and realms.
"How were the children this year?" A voice said.
Ling Shui didn't even blink as he was joined in his walk. Being able to keep up with his walks was the rumor of why Zexian had been chosen as a personal apprentice, and there was some truth to that.
"Well enough." Ling Shui said. "Seven this year is a good number, a safe number. Several showed promising initiative."
"Good, good." Ling Zexian said and Ling Shui didn't bother to hold back his sigh as he stopped his walk.
"You'll be the head of the formation pavilion, sooner rather than later." He said. "You are my equal in cultivation and where my path stopped I sense the beginning of a star for you. You should show more interest in the future pillars of our pavilion."
Ling Zexian bowed low. "As long as you live, I will remain your faithful disciple."
"As I said," Ling Shui said, "sooner rather than later."
"Please. Master…" Ling Zexian said, actual pain in his voice and Ling Shui held up a hand.
"I'm sorry, let us not discuss such dark topics now."
There was a beat of silence as master and apprentice stared at each other. Then Ling Zexian broke the moment. He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I have a message from the clan head." He said.
"Oh? What does that old tiger want?"
"First he told me that if you keep calling him an old tiger in public he will slash the pavilion's budget. The younger generations are already scared to approach him and don't need you to be filling their heads with campfire stories."
"Can they be campfire stories if they are true?"
"Something for the sages to debate I suppose." Ling Zexian said. "The meat of the message was about the liminal dig over in the Meng's land."
It took a moment for Ling Shui to remember the details of that one. "What about it, everything should be wrapped up now, correct?"
"There are claims that our explorers discovered a dream palace."
"A dream palace? Who's the moron still building those antiquated suicide sites?" Ling Shui said.
"A Weilu dream palace." Ling Zexian corrected.
"That's a rather bold claim." Ling Shui said as his staff began to glow, twisting threads of color pouring out of the now very much alive wood.
"It is, and that is why the head would like us to go work with the Meng, either to disprove such a notion, or…"
"I see. Alright, better safe than sorry. I'll pack the tools needed, you go and ready the sealed white vault, hopefully the Meng are bringing their own heavy hitters. If it is a Weilu dream palace we will need everything we've got to clear it out of whatever has kept it around this long."
A.N
Omake
@yrsillar
This idea came about after Ling Qi's formation specialization was revealed and after I was reading some other Xianxia. I realized that Forge has a disturbing lack of secret worlds. Only two! And both from Jiao. With Ling Qi's formation specialization I reasoned her clan my be uniquely suited to dealing with such a tragedy and so this omake was born. I hope you enjoyed!
