Chapitre 25: The Agreement
Nicolas Zhen snatched the broom from the closet and began sweeping from the gates, muttering irritably.
Who the heck was that guy, really? Was he really invited to the sect?
Nicolas chewed on his bottom lip as he swept down the path, swinging the broom back and forth, still thinking.
But seeing that he came last night, shouldn't Teacher Li have given him the disciple's uniform if he was to join the sect? ...or could it be that he is not? Then what the hell is he doing here?
He scrunched up his face as he began sweeping the halls, already annoyed. The sect was huge, and there was no way he could finish in the next three hours.
"Oh, good morning kids!" an old voice said cheerfully.
Nicolas retreated into the shadows when he heard the voice.
Such a smooth voice...and to use the word 'kids' so casually. It must be a master.
He peeked out from the corner to see who it was.
Across the courtyard from the opposite of the hall he was sweeping stood Teacher Li and another elder, though he didn't know who it was. He tightened his grip around the stick of the broom as he saw the guy from earlier...and indeed, he wasn't wearing the Infernal Spirit Sect's disciple uniform.
It really seems they don't have the intention of joining the sect.
That's good, Nicolas thought, the corners of his mouth turning up in a crude smile. The sect didn't need any more losers...they needed real men to help stand up to the next attack.
Nicolas continued to watch them.
The guy he was staring at, he stood tall but he seemed polite to the two masters and his expression was calm.
He sniffed. "Hmph, still trying to act arrogance but trying to kiss up to the two greater masters at the same time," he muttered. "Shameless!"
Teacher Li pushed open the doors to the hall and entered, ushering them inside.
Nicolas watched in jealously as he stepped in, then-
"Eh?"
He straightened up as he saw the girl moving in next to the guy. Who was she? Did she come with him? She wasn't wearing the disciple's uniform either...
But she was beautiful...stunning...
If only he could somehow talk to her and convince her to join the sect-
He flinched and turned to press his back against the wall, a thin sweat breaking out across his forehead.
"She saw me?" he wondered. "But I hid so well!"
He snuck another look back, and the girl turned to close the door after her after the four of them entered the hall. Just before the two doors shut all the way, she glanced up one more time and locked eyes with Nicolas; her stare was cold.
Nicolas felt a chill ran down his spine as the doors shut with a click. Scary...but still marvelous...
He began sweeping again, no longer bored with his punishment.
That girl...how can he convince her to stay?
_______________
Inside was like a library. Shelves lined the walls on both sides, scrolls and books stacked in between.
Only, it was much cleaner than the one in the Bai residence, and it was more well tended to.
Eryn snapped her attention back to Elder Sima and Teacher Li as she sat down across from them on a gold-rimmed table next to Elias.
Tea was already set on the tabletop with a cup for each of them.
Eryn reached to drag her cup of tea closer and held it with both her hands, letting the warmth seep into her arms.
She wasted no time. "You said you needed my brother's help," she said. "What is it?"
Elder Sima ran his hand through his beard, amused. "Hmm, the sister is straight forward," he hummed. "Good, good, let us explain from the beginning- oh, before I forget. My apologies, what is your name?"
Eryn gave a polite smile. "My name is Eryn," she answered.
"Eryn," he repeated. "Nice, nice."
"Alright, back on topic," he said. He leaned forward in his seat, his expression turning serious.
"Let me ask you," he began. "How much do you really know about us martial sects?"
Elias replied. "According to what our friend, Wayne, told us, we know there are the main rankings, which ranks the top six sects. At the top, the Mystic Sky Sect leads all, then at the second-rank, there are two sects, and three at the third rank. Each sect is lead by a grandmaster and has many disciples and elders...these sects help train you to become stronger and stronger until you become masters."
Teacher Li pursed his lips and crossed his arms. "The information you have is pretty simple, nothing more, nothing less," he said. "What else do you know?"
Elias shook his head. "My apologies, but my sister and I don't really have much experience in the world, we don't know a lot. We just know that only the powerful can do as they wish, and everything else is beneath their feet..."
The two masters straightened up at the words, then shared a look.
They released a sigh.
"I'm afraid you're quite right," Teacher Li agreed almost sadly. "That is, in fact, the problem we've been facing for the past couple of decades."
Eryn frowned. "Why? But you are powerful, what is stopping you?"
Elder Sima shook his head. "Though we are powerful, our enemy seems to be stronger. The first time they attacked, it was without warning, it took everyone else by surprise. Ever since, they've been doing so, they are so unpredictable and tactful, we can only do our best to hold out. We haven't been able to find the opening to retaliate with success."
"So many disciples and teachers have died, many lost hope and left, we are very few now, as you've noticed yesterday. Many elders and grandmasters below are looking for surrender, but only the only thing stopping them is us. How can we just let the enemy take control of us?" Elder Sima exclaimed, slamming his palm on the table, startling the twins.
"I believe that if we hold out just a bit longer to gather our forces, then we can fight back!"
Elder Sima paused, realizing his outburst and cleared his throat, calming down a little. "So here we are, here you are, we hope you can aid our forces. Originally, I wanted Wayne Xia to come along, but we cannot force people to do so. So many lives have already been lost, we don't want to send people to their death..."
Eryn held the cup up to her lips. "May I ask how many other individuals you have had joined the cause?" she asked.
Teacher Li rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You two have yet ought to agree, so besides the two of you, we have successfully recruited about a hundred individuals to join our sect solely to help on this matter in the past years. I didn't count the ones who joined to learn spirit arts as normal disciples, they are not as powerful just yet."
Eryn pressed her lips into a thin line, still confused. "If you are in such a dire situation and are in need of help, why can't you just open this up to the public, let people know about this? They can help! Many people have powerful spirits that can be used for battle, and if not spirits, they may have brilliant strategies!" she pointed out, remembering the battles she watched at the trials.
Teacher Li shook his head. "If this goes out to the public, what will they think? That their great, holy sects that have kept great reputation for millenniums are useless when faced with outside enemies? That we can't protect our country? We have to deal with this situation ourselves, and we can only call on the military when it is absolutely crucial.
"You think we and the people in the society you know are very involved, but you are wrong. We sects live a very different life than normal civilians, and normal people know only a limited amount of information on us. While they have the Imperial family to look up to, we have divine masters and gods that lead our path. That's how it is."
The twins were silent, processing the information quietly in their own heads. So that's how it is...the sects can only defend themselves...
"Who's the enemy?" Elias suddenly questioned. "You've told us about your problem, but who's the one causing it?"
Elder Sima took a sip of his tea. "It is the Alliance of the five main sect families in the neighboring country, the region of the Mirror Mountains. As you said, the powerful can do whatever they want. They want to spread their influence, so they want to take on other countries' sects to gain control."
Elias nodded, looking down at the leaves in his team "I see..." he mumbled.
Silence fell upon them.
After sharing so much, the twins finally understand what they need. They need more power to their forces, they need help to fight back.
To know that the enemy was strong enough to bring the great sects of this nation to such a state, it should be enough to scare others.
But instead, when the two masters looked closely, what they saw in the sibling pair wasn't fear or uncertainty, but excitement. It was as if they were itching for action, desperate to move.
It was exactly what they needed to see.
Teacher Li felt encouraged and flashed Elder Sima a hopeful look.
The elder nodded in response, sharing the same thoughts.
He cleared his throat.
"So, Elias...Eryn...the final decision is up to you," he said. "Will you join our ranks?"
The twins shared a look.
Will they?
Heavens, this is what they wanted. They want to fight, to unleash their power and test it out on the world. There was nothing they could possibly lose.
From this point on, they can only gain.
Elias smiled. "Whether or not we join your ranks, there is no question," he answered. "That answer will always be yes."
The two masters grinned. "Excellent!" they exclaimed.
"But," Elias interrupted, "if you want to take us on to be disciples, I am not sure of that yet."
Eryn nodded in agreement. "If we join a specific sect in the future, we still have to choose to see which one fits our needs, right? Besides, Elder Sima, Teacher Li, you are of different sects but you came to find us together. How can we possibly choose?"
Elder Sima smiled. "Well, that is no problem! As you wish! From now on, you will be part of our sects, but not yet as disciples! That can be arranged."
He stood up from his seat, and the rest followed suit.
"Now that you've agreed, you don't mind us testing you out, do you?" he said.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone