Wind (Buryoku Book 4)

by Aaron Oster

  Following Pearl into the room was a beast of a man. Towering over seven and a half feet tall, Pelata was often mistaken as a Beast who’d taken on a human form. The truth, however, was far simpler. He was just that large. The man appeared to be in his late thirties, with short-cropped hair and severe features, just like his daughter.

  Unlike her, though, he radiated all the power and awe a Sovereign should, and the 6th Dan Gray-Belt he had around his waist showed that his title was well-earned. Of course, this was as far as he’d ever go – not that anyone who knew that was still alive. His robes were open at the front, showing massive pectorals and a row of abdominals that would have made an Arctic-Gorilla-Squirrel jealous.

  “Sovereign,” Granite said, dropping to his knees and pressing his forehead to the ground. “I apologize for having the gall to summon you.”

  “Get up, Granite,” the man said, his gravelly voice seeming to make the room shake. “I felt the call, just like everyone else. I’d be a fool not to show up here after that man pulled a stunt like that. And in my lands, of all places.”

  It was clear to anyone who knew the man that he was beyond angry, but if someone of his power were to unleash that anger, there wouldn’t be much of a city left as a result.

  “I know, it was quite shocking to me as well,” Granite said, rising from the ground. “That the Sage of Ruin is still alive and more powerful than ever. I could never have seen that coming.”

  “I could,” Pelata said with a snort, pulling a chair from thin air and taking a seat. “The Sage of Ruin I knew was far too stubborn and destructive to allow something as menial as death stand in his way. I hate to admit as much, but it’s going to take everything I have to drive him off if he decides to attack the city.

  “You all might have sensed his power, but I can tell you that truly comprehending what that man can do does not instill me with great confidence of success. It’s generally known that the clans don’t like one another, but I never thought Ikari would be so reckless as to start a war by sending that monster of a brother after us.”

  “Have you tried contacting the other clans?” Granite asked, beginning to feel fear for the first time that night.

  If his own Sovereign was unsure of his victory, then what chance did the Inu clan as a whole have?

  “Politicians, the lot of them!” hissed Pearl. “They’re refusing aid, waiting on the sidelines to see who will be victorious before making their move.”

  Though he hated to be the bearer of more bad news, Granite knew that if he stalled any longer, the Sovereign would be angry.

  “We have another problem. One that is far larger than the Sovereign currently making his way here.”

  Pelata’s left eye twitched, and the corner of his mouth turned down.

  “Tell me everything,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.

  ***

  “You can’t be serious,” Pearl said, her face pale as a sheet. “A Scion…Here?”

  “I can’t be one-hundred percent sure, but from all reports and the information I’ve gathered from an eye-witness, that seems to be the case,” Granite replied.

  Pelata, who’d sat through his entire explanation without so much as a word, rose to his feet.

  “What I don’t understand is what he said about being the Herald Sovereign’s son and the student of another unknown to anyone. His demands to be set free on that basis are strange.”

  The Sovereign paused for a moment, deep in thought.

  “Have them all brought out into the arena at first light. Make up an excuse to keep suspicion at bay. I want to see this Choi, or Leroy, or whatever his name is, in person. I’ve met one of the Scions, Komura the Winged, and I remember the sensation of his presence well. If what you’re describing is true, then we might not be dealing with a Scion at all.”

  Granite stared at his Sovereign, a man he’d seen split a city in half with but a thought. He was afraid. And if their Sovereign was scared, then he didn’t even want to imagine the kind of monster they currently had locked up in their cells below.

  Still, he had a duty to fulfill. He rose, bowed, and quickly made his way out of the room. For better or for worse, they were going to find out the truth tomorrow, and one way or another, this would all be coming to a head soon.

  29

  Roy’s eyes snapped open as he felt the movement of the cell beneath his back. He sat up straight, blinking sleep from his eyes and looking around the darkened cell. Both Marrie and Xu were still asleep. Their bodies, already used to the movement, allowed them to continue resting while he was forced awake.

  However, judging by how tired he felt, it was still far too early for them to be moving. Normally, on days when there were no fights, their cells would move at around five in the morning. But if he was guessing correctly, it was barely half past three. What was going on? Geon was sleeping, and Roy didn’t feel like waking him up to ask, only for the Core to ridicule him.

  He simply sat up, placed his back to the wall, and waited. His eyes flicked back over to the sleeping form of the only family member he had ever met. Marrie refused to talk to him since his strange episode involving his Belt color changing and the almost-discovery right before.

  He’d been worried over the past few days that something might happen and that his power might be leaving him, but everything had seemed normal. Aside from the fact that he’d somehow managed to drain his Core completely in a matter of a couple of minutes, things hadn’t really changed much.

  Well, except for his ability to take in and cycle Essence, that was. It barely took him any time at all now, which was beyond strange. What had once taken hours upon hours of painstaking effort could now be completed within minutes. He could drain the arena of all its Power Essence and weave it into Qi with almost no trouble, leaving him with far too much free time.

  His Core was also larger now, despite him not actually advancing so much as a single Dan, which just added to his worries. In fact, he was so worried about what was happening that despite his Core currently bursting at the seams with Qi, he refused to allow himself to move to the next Dan, despite feeling the need to do so. It was all just too confusing, and Roy did not like things he couldn’t understand, as was normal within human nature.

  This – as far as he knew – was not normal. Had his Core not had a sudden expansion, or if Marrie and Geon had not witnessed his Belt changing colors, he might have thought he’d imagined the whole thing. But no matter how much he wished it hadn’t happened, Roy could not deny what he’d seen, which hadn’t made the last few days any easier.

  The cell came to a clanging halt, revealing the darkened arena, but despite the noise and movement, both Xu and Marrie remained as they were.

  “Everyone up and out into the arena!” a voice barked as one of the guards passed.

  The cell doors clanged open, and this time, Marrie and Xu woke up.

  They both stared bleary-eyed toward the exit while Roy slowly got to his feet, feeling cramped muscles stretching painfully.

  “What’s going on?” Marrie asked, speaking to him for the first time all week.

  “No idea,” Roy replied. “But I have a feeling we’re about to find out.”

  He waited for her to say something more, but Marrie simply got to her feet, not even bothering to try smoothing her mussed hair, and walked past him. Xu was much slower to rise, and when Roy exited the cell just a minute later, the man was still lying in his bedroll.

  The pre-dawn air was frigid and had his Constitution not become hardier upon reaching Green-Belt, Roy was sure he’d have been shivering. As it was, the air streamed before him as he wandered in, looking around at all the other dark shapes gathered there. The quiet mutters surrounding him told Roy that none of them had any idea what was going on either, so he didn’t bother trying to ask.

  Torches flared around the perimeter of the arena, throwing flickering shadows dancing across the open sands. More torches flared to life, moving in a line toward the cent
ermost box. Roy followed it until his eyes landed on the singular figure standing there. His eyes narrowed as he recognized Topaz, the Supreme who’d dragged him down into the arena cells on his first day here.

  The man hadn’t exactly given him a warm welcome, punching him in the head several times for perceived lies. The man said nothing, waiting in silence with crossed arms, as though waiting for some sort of signal. Roy’s eyes flicked around, having the strange feeling of being watched and wondering if someone else might be here. But he could neither see nor sense anything.

  As the stragglers began making their way from the cells – this time, dragged out by guards – the man standing in the top box shifted, then began to speak.

  ***

  Inu Granite stood behind a veil of Wind, which was spun so artfully that it appeared to be part of the ambient Essence. Next to him stood the Sovereign, his daughter, and Zircon, freshly returned from a meeting with a spy who’d managed to infiltrate the Herald clan.

  “So, what you’re saying is that the Herald Sovereign is looking for someone, and that’s it?” Pelata asked, keeping his gaze trained on the Green-Belt standing near the center of the arena.

  “That was all I was able to get out of him. Forgive me for my failure,” Zircon said, dropping to his knees.

  “There is nothing to forgive,” Pelata said as Topaz began giving his pointless speech, designed to buy time and nothing else. “Getting any intel on Duncan’s clan is a blessing in and of itself. But just knowing he might be looking for someone isn’t exactly the same as having a long-lost son in our possession.”

  Pelata stared at the boy for several moments, examining every physical feature and trying to see through the veil. The boy’s Core was nowhere to be found, and not so much as a hint of anything leaked from within, yet a Belt graced his waist, and that was one thing no one could fake. As Pelata had told the others, he had met a Scion before and well-remembered the feeling of the man’s presence.

  This man, though, had no presence, which spoke of something far beyond even his understanding. Pelata felt his heart skip a beat as the boy turned, seemingly out of nowhere, and stared right at him. His eyes, a light color – typical of those in the Herald clan – seemed to bore into his very soul.

  The gaze lingered for only a moment before he turned back to Topaz, but Pelata knew they’d been spotted. No one short of a Sage could have pierced Granite’s veil, and seeing as neither he nor anyone else here could sense the boy’s Core or see the true color of his Belt, there was only one conclusion that could be drawn.

  This was no Scion. He was something far more dangerous. In all of his years traveling the world, Pelata had heard rumors, whispers of a stage even more powerful than that of a Scion. Of course, he’d thought it ridiculous to even think that such a thing was possible, but now that he was faced with a Martial Artist whose Core he could not even sense, Pelata was forced to accept the truth.

  He was an Eternal, someone who had reached the pinnacle of Black-Belt and transcended even beyond that. A Perfect Black-Belt.

  Pelata didn’t dare voice his thoughts out loud, because if this man was as dangerous as he feared, then he might get in trouble for even thinking the words.

  He had no idea what he should do with this knowledge. An Eternal stood just a few yards away, posing as a Green-Belt and pretending to be the son of a Sovereign and the student of another. The most pressing question right now was why? Why was this man here, and what did he want from them?

  It was clear that he had not wanted to be discovered, as he hadn’t properly introduced himself and was hiding his true power. It was possible that the man was just bored and looking for something to occupy his time. The Scions did that from time to time, going to unsuspecting clans and posing as commoners.

  Perhaps there was some deeper meaning behind this man’s actions. After all, the Itachi Sage of Ruin was back from the dead and on his way here. This had forced him to come, and if Pelata was sensing things correctly, the Sage’s sister wasn’t following far behind.

  Pelata fought down the rising panic and fear he felt building within. These were things he had not felt in centuries, as there was almost no one alive who could pose a challenge to a Sovereign. Yet, here he was, standing before this godlike entity with another two Martial Artists on their way to end him and his clan.

  “What do you want us to do?” Pearl asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Tell Topaz to announce a tournament,” Pelata said, a plan beginning to form in his mind.

  Although he was pretty much certain that this was an Eternal, he needed to do something to draw the man out. From what he’d heard, he’d shown a hint of his power during the last battle, entrapping three others who were more powerful than himself. It was a feat that – while not impossible – was rare enough to add to the mounting evidence. He’d managed to find another way to end the match as an out had been given, but this time, there would be none.

  “And the rules?” Pearl asked.

  “One on one’s in every Belt class until only one is left standing. The winners of each are to face someone a Belt above theirs before the next tier begins.”

  “And when do you want to plan this tournament?” Granite asked.

  “Today,” Pelata replied, turning to exit the arena. “We have powerful enemies only days away, and I’d like to see this finished before they arrive.”

  Granite bowed at the waist before moving to deliver the message personally, while Pearl followed him out of the arena. Now that they were away from prying eyes and ears, his daughter broached the subject that had been foremost in his thoughts.

  “Do you think that he really is an Eternal? Bec—”

  Pelata was too late in slapping his hand over his daughter’s mouth. He cursed silently, his body tensed as he waited for the man to react to his discovery. Pearl stared at him, wide-eyed, as the man she’d never seen so much as flinch, stared back toward the arena, terror written in every line of his body.

  When nothing happened after several seconds, Pelata began to relax. It seemed that the man was distracted, not listening, or simply didn’t care. Whatever the case, they were safe for the time being. If Pelata was right and the Eternal was only here for fun, then perhaps if the man had fun, he might be inclined to help get rid of the Itachi pests for good. Or, at the very least, get them to turn around.

  Whatever the case, Pelata knew that they had little time left before this all came to a head, and right now, the monster in their midst might very well be their last hope for survival.

  ***

  On the far side of Safaia, atop a mountain surrounded by screaming wind and battering snow, sat a man with long white hair and wrinkled features. It was uncommon for one of his kind to appear so old, but the man liked the appearance of age over youth. The passing of years etched lines into one’s very body and soul. To smooth those over was to erase a part of himself, one that he refused to lose.

  He had been sitting here for several months now, enjoying the fresh air and the Essence-rich environment provided by the extreme elements. He’d felt the echoes of several Cavern Beasts a few weeks back, but most had already been put down.

  The man was a bit surprised to feel the Sage of Ruin’s power so far into Inu territory, but it was of no concern to him. It was when the third Sovereign appeared in the Inu’s lands, that it had given him pause. He couldn’t remember the last time one of the Great Clans moved against the other like this, and he wondered if it might be prudent to intervene.

  It was because of his concentration on the Inu clan Sovereign that he heard the word. It was one that he had thought he’d never hear in his lifetime.

  Eternal.

  The man shifted, now fully alert as he listened to the many voices around the clan as they spoke of a tournament. When the man concentrated on the area, he could feel a void. One where a person should be standing, yet was not. He could feel this by the way the Wind Essence flowed, parting around a body that showed nothing yet reveal
ed everything.

  The man rose to his feet, massive emerald wings extending from his shoulders as he did. If someone of such power had made an appearance, then it was only fair for him to go test his strength in person.

  After all, it had been centuries since he’d had a good fight, and this might just alleviate his boredom.

  30

  “A tournament? Today?” Roy asked.

  He was back in his cell – as was everyone else – until the first fights began. As Green-Belts, their battles would be happening first. All of them would be facing off in one on one matches until a winner was declared, and Roy honestly didn’t like the idea of having to fight so many people.

  He liked the idea of having to fight Marrie even less, and although these weren’t going to be deathmatches, killing wasn’t forbidden. Worse still was the prize offered to each bracket's champion, should they defeat the person a rank above them — freedom. It meant that everyone who fought would not be holding back.

  “It’s definitely unexpected, but you won’t hear me complaining!” Xu said excitedly. “A chance at getting out of this hellhole at last! I never thought I’d see the day!”

  “Neither did I,” Marrie muttered, looking to Roy in suspicion as if he were solely responsible.

  Why that would be a bad thing, he had no clue, but there was one thing he knew for certain. Facing Marrie was not something he wanted to do. He’d seen the way the girl fought and was doubtful he could beat her. Additionally, he had no desire to hurt the only family he’d found. But with her current mood, he had a feeling she wouldn’t be taking it easy on him, should they end up facing one another.

  Of course, that wasn’t a guarantee as there were over twenty Green-Belts in captivity at the moment, and despite what it would mean for her, he really hoped she’d be knocked out early. He was still holding out hope that Hermit was coming for him, and after feeling that massive amount of power, he was sure he’d be getting out one way or another.