Path of the Berserker

My dear sister,

I write to you with a woefully heavy heart. I am unsure how the machinations of official communications will transpire, but I did not want you learning this news from any source other than me.

We have not had the closest of relationships growing up, but as an adult now, I realize that family is everything. That now includes the man you have chosen to marry. The man I at one time viewed as a cursed enemy, but that I now view as a brother and friend.

This makes it all the harder to write this.

Fia, I do not know how else to express this, but as of an hour ago, I have learned that Max died upon the Hell World of Fhae I’ung. The only surviving member was the Senior Commander, a man named Jei Su Long of the Twin River Sect, whom I do not trust.

He and his uncle Tai Su Long, a Governor of the Lu Shuisystem, has been targeting Max for some time. He has returned with a story that Max turned against his own men, killing them all in order for the princess of your world to receive a great reward.

My sister, if you hear these vile things, do not believe them!

I have grown to know your Max and he is a man of honor. I have all reason to believe, but no proof, that the Senior Commander Jei Su Long is both behind this story and Max’s death and indeed that of his entire platoon.

I am so very sorry, sister. I can not imagine your heartache as you read this.

I realize it may be little comfort at the moment, but I will do everything in my power to right this wrong against your betrothed. His loss is terrible enough, but to see his name and yours by extension, besmirched in such a manner is unconscionable.

It demands justice.

Stay strong dear sister.

I am with you in your loss.

Please tell mother and father and especially Yu Li and Su Ling, that Max and I became good friends and that I will seek to restore his honor as a brother.

Yours,

Hein

Princess Lunalah finished reading the letter and let out a mirthless scoff. She was within her newly repaired office along with Ling Wei. The girl had done her job of collecting the official letters from Du Gok Bhong as promised.

Within those official letters, which briefly informed of the Iron Bull’s demise, there was thankfully no mention of the circumstances involving her influence at all—unlike this one.

But thankfully Ling Wei’s acuteness had caught this personal letter as well.

“You did good to bring me this letter Ling Wei,” Lunalah said. “How did you even come about it?”

Ling Wei bowed. “This One made it her duty to track all letters from Du Gok Bhong. This one was a personal transfer, but when I saw the addressee, I had to assume that it might contain relevant information.”

“You were very right,” Lunalah said. “I shall confiscate this letter. Its contents are not to be seen by any other eyes.”

“Understood your majesty.”

Lunalah could only imagine the heartache that little girl would suffer once she’d read this letter. She almost couldn’t wait to inflict that mental harm upon her right now.

“How soon till that girl’s duel?” she asked. “The one, Silver Light.”

“About a week your majesty.”

“I shall deal with this matter officially then,” Lunalah said. “For now, this matter is closed. Please continue to keep an eye out for any communications from Du Gok Bhong, personal or otherwise.”

“I will your majesty. Is there anything else?”

“That is all for now. Dismissed.”

As Ling Wei bowed and left, a new thought entered Lunalah’s mind.

This letter did indeed mention her involvement, but it mentioned quite something else as well. She retrieved her brush and began drafting a letter of her own.

Second Princess Rheutera,

I will advise you to tread carefully with that letter of yours.

I have every reason to believe that the entire thing is a fake. See here, I have attached a letter of my own to share with you. This is an account of what truly transpired on the Hell World, from the Iron Bull’s intended brother-in-law.

I will remind you that both the Twin River Sect and the Silver Leaf Clan hold important value within the royal lower houses. I am certain that, like myself, both the Silver Leaf Clan Elders and our father would hold keen interest to know if this young man’s suspicions are true.

Can you imagine?

A governor, whom you appointed, along with his nephew, involved in a scandalous plot by forging a letter and then murdering my innocent tribute for their own glory and gain? And, instead of investigating, you instead are gullible enough to not only believe this clear deceit, but to use it as a weapon against your very own sister?

Our father would be deeply disappointed indeed.

I may yet write to him with my concerns, but I shall stay my brush to see in which manner you respond. Trust that I will be doing all within my power to investigate this matter in the meantime. Something you should have done, as a supposedly wiser and more experience, older sister.

I await your reply.

Lunalah.

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* * *

Fia readied herself within the center of the gymnasium.

She cycled her Qi, even though she would not use much of it. Her sole use of it came in the form of the now four Jian blades hovering with power behind her. Hanging from the blades of the weapons like flags was fabric with the same blossom pattern as the fans in her hands.

Her mental focus was now split three ways.

Directly facing her was her mother, Rhi Dong.

To her left was Zu Tien and to her right Kel Zhi. Her two tutors in the Hidden Sword Arts, Mistresses Sei Mai and Mei Mai, looked on with eager anticipation, along with Yu Li and little Su Ling. This would be her final test.

Fia had only sparred with her mother and Zu Tien thus far, but inviting Kel Zhi today would be the true test to determine if she was ready to face all three Bird Sisters in the ring. She had worked incredibly hard in the last month to master the enhanced Hidden Sword technique as well as achieving the breakthrough of adding a fourth sword to her repertoire.

But none of it would matter if she couldn’t execute it all in true combat.

The trial was now merely days away and the anxiety in her soul was palpable.

She felt a kick from her stomach, as if the baby too was nervous about the outcome of today’s final test. Fia closed her eyes briefly, imagining the newborn face of her first child.

Hush, little one, she thought. We will get through this together.

Fia refocused and then gave a nod to Mei Mai who plucked a single string on the guzheng.

At the sound of the instrument, Kel Zhi immediately flew into action, releasing a savage battle cry. Fia had anticipated her aggressiveness, being so close to Max in her thinking and style. She had prepositioned the two flags which faced her, ensuring Kel Zhi’s initiating strike would be a miss.

The look on Kel Zhi’s face when her wooden axe hit nothing but air was both hilarious and encouraging.

“What the hell, Fia?” she cursed. “Where’d you go?”

But Fia dare not let up on her concentration. She positioned her other two swords to distract Zu Tien’s series of attacks, while leaving her true eyes to mislead the most skilled opponent facing her.

Her mother.

Rhi Dong didn’t hold back either, utilizing the full range of her Silver Leaf techniques. It was a testament to just how skilled her mother was. Even without the use of Qi, she was formidable with near flawless martial forms.

Fia kept the pace while Mei Mai strummed on the guzheng. She led their attacks to strike exactly where she was not. Doing all three at once, while controlling her blades was a workout for both mind and soul.

But thankfully not her body.

She moved very little during the spar, relying on the slow and graceful dancelike motions of the Hidden Sword art. As the sparring match went on, she found herself falling into a rhythm. At first it was overwhelming, but as she relaxed, she truly did find that she was not defending as it looked to everyone else, but rather conducting.

She spent most of her attention distracting the attacks of her mother, who used a very quick tempo. Next came Zu Tien who used the same style as Rhi Dong, but slower. Kel Zhi, despite her aggressiveness, Fia found took the least attention as she preferred to use slow but powerful attacks.

Fia rotated between all three of them, keeping each of their attacks focused on nothing but the fans in her hands and the flags upon her swords. An inner joy emerged as she truly felt herself in full control.

I’m doing it, she thought. I’ve mastered it!

Mei Mai strummed a final chord on the guzheng and ended the match.

Fia found herself breathing heavily, but not exhausted. But more than that, the exertion seemed to have no effect on the baby at all. She checked her stomach again just to be sure and subtly she could detect even the baby’s heartbeat through the acuteness of her senses.

“Well done, daughter,” Rhi Dong said smiling while giving her a bow. “You never cease to impress me with how much you can accomplish once your mind is put to it.”

“Thank you, mother,” she said and then turned to everyone else. “Thanks to all of you.”

“Thanks nothing,” Kel Zhi said testily. “What the hell was that bullshit, Fia?”

Everyone laughed.

They had purposely not told Kel Zhi how the technique worked to give the test more authenticity. Now that she had passed it however, Fia took the time to fill Kel Zhi in on how it all worked. She had to prove it to her by sparring with her again, but once Kel Zhi saw through the illusion, she seemed more convinced than ever.

“Pretty impressive,” Kel Zhi said. “Max would be hella proud of you.”

“We all are,” Yu Li said and then released little Su Ling to jump into Fia’s arms.

“Auntie good!” Su Ling said clapping. “So good!”

Fia laughed. “Thank you, Su Ling.”

“So what about actually winning?” Kel Zhi said.

Fia looked at her quizzically.

“Well, you can’t get hit, but can you hit back?”

Her stomach dropped like a stone. “I’m hoping so. I’ve only advanced this far as yet. I still have a few days.”

“She will be fine,” Rhi Dong said. “The bird sisters are weak. Fia could best all three of them in her sleep. Now that she has developed an adequate defense to resist all three of them, while at the same time protecting the baby, she need only wait and strike when the opportunity presents itself.”

Fia smiled as her mother’s words filled her with confidence.

She indeed prayed it would be that easy in the ring.

Yu Li suddenly let out a gasp.

“The time!” she said. “Gui Zu would have finished his three Xiangqi matches with Master Dong by now. You all must be away.”

Sei Mai and Mei Mai both bowed. “I believe our work here is now done. We wish you the best Lady Silver Light.”

Fia ran to them and hugged them both. “You have become like precious aunts to me. Thank you so much my, dear masters. I will treasure what you have taught me always.”

The old women chortled and hugged her back in turn.

“Ensure you do not let this technique die,” Sei Mai said. “You have not only mastered it, but improved upon it. That in turn makes you not only a practitioner but an elder of the art. May the rhythm of the guzheng resonate within your soul always, Hidden Sword Mistress.”

Fia couldn’t ignore the burst of pride and accomplishment that came from within her. It was truly a means to an end, and although it was not a true martial form, she could not help but think her creativity and ingenuity had indeed added a small part to the world.

A part that did not exist before.

She then looked down at her stomach and felt the same way.

You will be a big part of this world as well, she thought.

She gave Sei Mai and Mei Mai a final kowtow of deep respect and then waved to them as they and her friends departed. When she spotted Kel Zhi, however, she rushed to stop her. There was something else weighing on her soul besides the impending match.

One that she had been perhaps suppressing.

“Kel Zhi,” she said. “Have you… sensed Max at all?”

The blond-haired girl frowned at her. “I haven’t… but it doesn’t mean anything. Max and I both need to be under the Bloodmoon at the exact same time for it to work, and I have no idea to know when or if he might be doing it.”

“It’s been three weeks since he should have returned,” Fia said. “I’ve received no letters from him. No responses to mine.”

“He’s likely still in transit,” Kel Zhi said. “I’m sure as soon as he gets back to Du Gok Bhong he’ll write or try to reach out to me under the Bloodmoon.”

Fia nodded as Kel Zhi’s words rekindled the hope in her heart. “Please keep trying.”

“I will, Fia,” she said. “I will go again tonight. I promise.”

* * *

As Kelsey left the Dong Family estate and made her way back to the Native Housing District, she couldn’t help but feel some of Fia’s anxiety about Max touch her own soul. Although hers was tempered a bit, she could understand how Fia might be feeling being totally blind.

It was true in the last few weeks that she had not been successful in reaching Max, but it wasn’t something to be unexpected. It was literally like rolling the dice each time. But there was another reason she perhaps had not been successful.

And one that she could perhaps never explain to Fia.

She waited until nightfall, and after spending a bit of time with Lee as usual, stayed behind after he had left to venture into the cursed rays of the Bloodmoon. She steeled herself with Frenzy and her [Soul Shield] technique, but as soon as she entered, she felt it.

The demonic presence of something even more than before.

It was I’Xong’Xiang, the reincarnated demon of Hong Feng.

But it was different this time.

Kelsey could sense it. See it even.

The three-story tall outline of the giant monster was just in the distance.

And staying there.

It was unnerving in the way that a shark might circle its prey.

Kelsey had tried to face it once before and had come up short and while she had progressed since then, so too had it somehow. That made dipping into the spiritual realm all the more dangerous. She wasn’t certain if it would charge to attack her once she did.

That meant her time looking for Max was limited to very small windows indeed.

She relaxed her [Soul Shield] and allowed the Dark Frenzy to invade her Flame ever so slightly, just enough to darken the edges of her vision with the spiritual plane of the moon. Diving into her Blue-hued form of the Struggler, she raced across the spiritual landscape screaming Max’s name.

Almost instantly the Dark presence of I’xol’ukz and I’Xong’Xiang combined, invaded her spiritual space. She sensed hatred and rage. A desire for her destruction. But not only that. A desire to destroy more.

Immediately, Kelsey jumped back into her physical form and reengaged her [Soul Shield] again. The giant demon had once again not moved. What game was it playing? Was it even a game?

“The hell are you waiting for!” Kelsey shouted at it. “I’m right here! Come get me!”

A disturbing laugh drifted across the night breeze.

“Patience fool,” it intoned in its haunting demonic voice. “When all is prepared, thy destruction shalt be ensured.”