Bab 17: Chapter 16. The Comet
No sooner had the people of Virdis calmed down after an explosion of unknown energy came out of nowhere and suddenly dissipated, than it was followed by something not to be expected for another twelve years.
Like a bright star approaching Epimetheus, a comet flew towards Epimetheus, the chief herald of the beginning of the Great Battle of the Ancients.
In all parts of the world, those who saw the comet rushed to hide in some shelter. Many secretly feared becoming the next owner of the "cursed" mark, as it was called in different nations.
No one knew who would get it, but what was known was that its wearers possessed the rudiments of unseen powers and had reached the age of majority.
Some, when they realised they had the mark, tried to find like-minded people to challenge each other to a fight and admit defeat. When the mark went to parents and adult children at the same time, the parents tried to persuade their children not to fight and admit defeat, so as not to get involved in a dangerous game with a very doubtful outcome.
The days of the missile flight were always the most unsettled in the world, and the fact that this time it came out of the blue threw many cities and countries into turmoil. As a result, governments around the world had to put pressure on the heads of the leading clans to stabilise the situation.
***
"Well, why do I have to do all this work while the Master is having fun and the other two are away? Couldn't she have waited a month or two for those male devils to come back? They'll be carrying me around in their arms afterwards,"
The petite girl, who looked to be in her twenties, with cute reddish-brown ears and a long striped tail, raged to herself as she walked through the painted corridors of the local closed brothel.
She was very proud to be a member of the Red Panda clan, who were not known for their martial arts prowess, but had their own trump cards and were naturally adept at understanding the intricacies of any bureaucratic system. Had she not been stolen from her home as a child and taken to the slave market, she would have risen to unprecedented heights.
Unfortunately, she was unlucky, and it was only thanks to her master that she was freed from the endless black market routine in which she grew up as a secretary. You could say it was simply the best of all options in those places, but the working conditions and frequent beatings for the slightest misstep would have driven anyone to the point of being a misfit.
When she was released, she decided to make her own way, but the road home was already closed to her.
Her parents were dead, and her surviving older brother and sister refused to accept a foreigner into their reclusive clan.
In the end, she asked to serve the man who had saved her and so many others from the nets of the slave market.
But that's just it... She didn't like having to go to this elite brothel, where Master often liked to drink surrounded by the brightest local flowers.
The girl approached the beautifully painted doors behind which the next round of inappropriate behaviour would surely take place.
All right, she would look at the stunning carpet, decorated with unimaginable patterns, as usual.
Unconsciously clutching the two scrolls - one containing her report, the other bearing the personal seal of the Emperor's Advisor - she knocked lightly on the door.
Instead of an answer, a green maple leaf flew out from under the door, signalling that she could enter. If a red maple leaf had come out, it might have meant 'Get out of here, and fast, unless you want to be obliterated later by my gaze.'
Once inside, she saw Master, who had finally removed his mask, surrounded by four flowers, three women and a man, playing a board game and drinking wine.
Judging by the glances they were exchanging and their equally distant positions from Master, it had not yet been decided with whom he would spend the night.
As soon as she entered, the sweet chirping of the flowers was immediately interrupted.
She bowed low to her Master and politely handed him two scrolls, waiting for him to read them and give his orders.
The first was opened of course, with the seal of the Advisor. Its contents could only be guessed, but the Master's razor-sharp gaze spoke volumes. The scroll burst into black flame and melted without a trace.
With a small sigh, the girl asked quietly:
"Lord Akihiro, should we prepare ourselves for unfortunate consequences?"
"Unfavourable consequences, you say?"
The man laughed coldly and the girl jumped. The unwilling witnesses to the scene shifted in their seats.
Though Akihiro was not yet thirty, the circumstances of his life had forged a steel of awesome quality in this man, inspiring awe in anyone who knew him even a little.
But at the same time, his often reckless actions made even the calmest and most even-tempered person cringe. No one knew what this master might do next.
Suddenly he stopped laughing, looked carefully at the girl's bent face, then glanced at her neck, exhaled and said:
"Xiao Hong, it looks like you got the lucky ticket. I was really worried, you're a very capable girl. I'm not that lucky."
Having said that, he defiantly threw off the robe that covered most of his neck.
Lifting her head, the girl saw a large scarlet star-shaped mark on his skin, which was quite pale by local standards.
"Master..."
"You don't have to say anything, news from the others will come soon. I think we'll have to wait until we know the extent of the spread within our ranks before we decide. It looks like we've got a lot of exciting things ahead of us. Especially since the Councilman wants to send me away from the capital, probably because of that errand I was on... Oh, never mind. I'm just in the mood for a good evening and a relaxing night."
He smiled enigmatically at the people around the table, who immediately smiled brightly in return.
After bowing to the Master, Xiao Hong left in a hurry, as she didn't want to be a part of the lewd tenderness she sometimes had to witness.
At the door, she was called to by Akihiro-san:
"Xiao Hong, would you like to try your luck in the race for fabulous riches and the secrets of the universe?"
"Only if, despite the outcome of the battle, one of the Ancients assigns me to do all the paperwork for the rest of my days."
And quickly closed the door.
'The Great Battle of the Ancients? Hah, these days only fools fall for those fairy tales about meeting the Ancients and the reward, bandits who only pretend to be participant, and lazy people with great strength who have nothing better to do than chop someone into meat. Honest people wouldn't go on an adventure like that,'- She thought as she walked back to the central residence of their community, which was neither a clan nor a school, but it held people together like family ties.
Only those who had lived under oppression realised that blood kinship was often less important than spiritual kinship.
And at the centre of it all was the Master, who not only saved them from a lifetime of bondage, but often helped them to forge a new life.
Despite his difficult temperament, anyone in their organisation would have followed him to the ends of the earth, even to the depths of hell.
***
Darkness.
Total darkness without a trace of light.
In such dense darkness, boundaries blur and you begin to lose yourself.
The passage of time disappears. Does it matter if it's been five seconds or five thousand years? Even the boundary of silence is not as silent as this place.
He could not remember exactly how he had come to be here, only fragments of memories that flickered like butterflies before blind eyes. It seemed an eternity had passed since that moment.
Like a black lightning bolt, his mind was trapped in a cocoon of his own making. But he heard the call clearly. As the voice of the maiden calling to him burst into his ears in that extreme moment.
Suddenly the world was filled with colours and Vasilek jumped up and fell from the bed, tangled up in the blanket.
Stripped to the waist, he was unable to get up from the floor for a few moments.
His arms were wrapped in bandages and he couldn't hear very well.
When he did manage to get up, his body was in such agony that he immediately collapsed on the bed. At that moment he heard a short "meow" and froze.
"Stipa?"
The young man could hardly believe his eyes. He had long since accepted that he would never see that pesky cat again, but its sudden appearance made him wipe his eyes to see if it was a hallucination.
That, and the lack of information about his condition and whereabouts, allowed his mind to push back the thoughts of his grief a little. At that moment, several people entered his room.
"How wonderful, he's finally awake!"
Said the first woman to enter.
"How are you feeling?"
Cornflower looked at her, noticing her neatly styled, all-white hair, even for those who looked younger than he, and her long sapphire robes with little bells on the hoods that jingled as she walked.
"You'd better not make any sudden movements, it could hurt you. From the looks of you, you don't know where you are. Welcome to the Temple of the Mother Protector. We are local nuns. In the hour of prayer, you were sent to our doorstep, all wounded. Here, drink this potion, it should improve your condition."
She handed him a bowl of the potion.
"The sisters will help you bandage yourself, then you can go to the refectory, you must be very hungry."
" I am very grateful to you, Sister... Could you please tell me how long I have been unconscious?"
"Oh, about five days, perhaps?"
She looked questioningly at her companions, who nodded in agreement.
"Five whole days? God, what's happening to this damn body?" thought Cornflower.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the young man allowed himself to be bandaged, and after waiting for everyone to leave, he huddled in the corner of the bed against the wall and finally gave vent to his emotions.
"Twinkle, my darling Twinkle."
The tears ran down his cheeks in hot streaks, but he didn't try to stop them.
The bitterness hung heavy on his heart, choking him.
There was no more of his favourite girl, nor of her mentor, whom Cornflower also revered as his mentor.
He did not know what had happened to his teacher. Oh, and in those five days it was as if the polarity of the vibrations in the world had reversed, he could feel it.
Desecrated energy oozed out of every crack, leaving a sour taste on his tongue.
Stipa jumped onto the bed and rubbed against him.
"I'm going to kill them,"
Cornflower said suddenly, his eyes as sharp as a rose thorn.
"I will find them all and kill them."
He remembered what Teacher Zhiva had said earlier about the restrictions on killing, but he didn't care now, he would get the traitors from the underworld. There was a hole in his heart, and once he had his sword, he would have only one goal.
After soothing his body and soul with cold oaths, he absentmindedly stroked the black steppe cat.
"Where have you been all this time? How did you get here? I missed you, you know."
There was only a satisfied growl in reply.
He got out of bed and walked over to the mirror in the corner of the room to examine himself. The sight was rather pathetic, considering the extent of his shabby appearance. But then his gaze fell on his neck, where a four-pointed star was scarlet red, which could only mean one thing.
"This is it. Am I the Chosen One?"
At this stage of his life, he was used to everything extraordinary that happened around him, and if it had not been for recent events, he would have been happy about the mark.
"Circumstances of fate? Come on, Stipe, we need to eat and be on our way."
Hastily dressed in a robe the nuns had prepared for him, the young man and the cat set off in search of a place to eat.
The Temple of the Mother Protector consisted of several white marble structures framed by ornate spires, flying buttresses and covered passages.
Tall, slender columns supported the light, cruciform vaults of the buildings, creating a sense of weightlessness. Frequent windows, combined with the white colour of the walls, made the rooms bright, almost dazzling.
The many sculptures in the corridors, depicting exquisite women with a variety of facial features and characteristics of different races, emphasised the spirit of unity and togetherness.
Cornflower paused for a moment in front of the statue of a standing woman with her wings outstretched, then quickened his pace towards the refectory, the way the nuns who had bandaged him had described it.
When he had found the right place, he helped himself to a generous portion of the stew and, not caring that he had attracted many of the nuns who were also eating there, he gave Stipe bits of meat from the stew.
Of course, he asked at the entrance if he could come in with the animal, which he was allowed to do.
Having eaten quickly, he sought out the head nun and, after thanking her again, was told that he had come to them without any possessions or clothing, except for a small pearl in his hand, which the nun had kept with her until he woke up.
Flushed at the thought of once again appeared inappropriate in front of someone, Cornflower quickly pulled himself together, asked for the pearl back and announced his intention to leave this monastery.
Realising that it would be impossible to persuade the young man to stay until he was fully recovered, she gave him the pearl and tried to give him some money for bread for the journey, but he flatly refused, promising to repay his debt to them one day, and left the temple in a hurry, accompanied by his companion in the form of a black steppe cat.
With each step forward, his stride became firmer and his gaze more determined.
He already knew what awaited him outside the gates of the temple, but the cold calmness that filled his mind allowed not a drop of uncertainty or fear to enter.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone