“Come on,” Kudzu said, moving down to a lower path, Danzen recognizing it as one they had taken to the shrine when they had departed from Dalan’s hermitage.

  Rather than go from rock to rock like the white fox, Danzen threw himself into the air, landing hard on the pathway below, the ground seemingly shaking around him.

  “Better be careful,” Kudzu told him as he slowly stood.

  Danzen offered her a rare, foolish grin. “Sorry about that. Getting a bit ahead of myself.”

  “It happens to the best of us. Come on, let’s see what the clay has to say about your subranking.”

  Once again, Kudzu raced ahead.

  .Chapter Three.

  As they had before, the vines that covered the entrance to the fox shrine began to open, curling and twisting away as Abbot Monpo, the seven-tailed fox, and his two fox companions appeared. They walked slowly toward them, Kudzu bowing her head as they approached.

  “You have returned,” said the Abbot, a faint smile taking shape on his face.

  “I am ready,” Danzen told him.

  “I see. We will first need to figure out your subranking before we test which tier you are at. Come with me. Would you care to join us, Kudzu? We also have food available, if you are hungry.”

  “I will join you.”

  “Good.” Abbot Monpo turned, his two companions doing the same.

  The fox monks raced ahead, taking the path through the bramble that led to the right, where Danzen had glimpsed the remnant the last time he had visited the shrine. The vines surrounding the pathway were thick enough to prevent too much light from coming through, both Kudzu’s and the Abbot’s coats sparkling just a bit as they continued forward.

  The space opened up, Danzen once again seeing the rock sculptures he’d encountered last time, half-man, half-fox, the pieces likely carved before the fall of Sunyata.

  It was breathtaking.

  They came to the remnant, but rather than observe it as they had last time, Abbot Monpo guided them to a side room with clay tablets stacked on one end, shattered stone all around. There was a pedestal on the opposite end of the room, with a rock about the size of a loaf of bread resting on its surface. The two foxes that had been with the Abbot earlier were now seated with their backs to one of the walls, watching them.

  “The first part of this test is relatively simple,” Abbot Monpo explained. “You will pick up one of the clay slabs and hold it with both hands. It will turn a color and crumble after it has done so. If it glows green, your subranking will be Stone. If it glows white, Crystal; blue, Diamond; yellow, Golden; and if it glows purple, your subranking will be Soul. After we have determined your subranking, we will move onto the next task involving the stone.”

  “Any clay slab?” Danzen asked as he approached one of the stacks.

  “Yes, any clay slab will do. Before you select one, please know that by doing this, you are affirming your intention to bend your echo, which will lead to a life of cultivation now that you have officiated your choice. There is no turning back now. As odd as that may sound, you are selecting a path that you may waver from, yet you will never completely abandon. You are accepting that Sunyata has fallen, and that you have decided to devote your life in understanding its mysteries and the power that can be derived from it.”

  Danzen nodded.

  “Good. Then select a clay slab and we shall begin.”

  The former assassin took one of the clay slabs on the top of the stack.

  There was nothing remarkable about it, nothing that would have led him to believe it was magical in some way. He didn’t feel a tug at the center of his body, as he did when he’d taken Nomin’s weapon, nor did he feel anything like he’d felt when he held the sugawara helmet.

  “Hold it with both hands,” Abbot Monpo told him. The white fox took a step back, Kudzu doing the same, both of them focusing intently on the clay slab as Danzen placed both hands on it.

  The clay slab began to glow.

  It turned green and then white, where it stayed a moment before switching to blue, then back to white, the slab eventually starting to turn blue again, then yellow. Danzen felt the clay slab vibrate in his hands. Still glowing a vibrant yellow that bordered on gold, the tablet crumbled, its pieces gray again before they hit the ground.

  “Remarkable,” Abbot Monpo said. “I’ve yet to see someone start at a Golden subranking. We will need to see what the stone says.” The seven-tailed fox turned to the pedestal at the front of the room, which had characters Danzen didn’t recognize carved into it.

  “That was really good,” Kudzu said to Danzen as he followed the Abbot.

  “The tier system works as follows: if you are able to float the stone, you will be at the Mancer tier; if you are able to shatter the stone, you will be at the Wielder tier; if you are able to repair the stone once you have shattered it, you will be at the Reaver tier; and if you are able to dissolve the stone after you have repaired it, you will be at the Divinator tier. If you are able to do nothing, you will be an Adept. I suppose I should have started with that.”

  Danzen stepped up to the pedestal.

  “Do not think about it too deeply,” the Abbot instructed him. “Simply focus on floating the stone.”

  Danzen stared at the stone for a moment, noticing its rigid surface as well as a few markings carved into its side. He had never tried to levitate something before, but he knew with remnants, anything was possible, evident in what Soko was able to do.

  With this in mind, he slowly lifted his hand.

  “Use your mind to call upon the power of Sunyata,” the Abbot said. “Gestures have no effect aside from placating the ill-advised. What you are exhibiting here is your base power, how deeply you have bent your echo. This is not magic, nor is it something you’d use in a combat situation. Think of it as extending your own cultivated echo toward the stone and lifting it. Now, try again.”

  Danzen lowered his hand and focused on the rock. In that moment he remembered the multiple reasons as to why he was doing this, from honoring Nomin’s memory to growing stronger for whatever lay ahead, to protect those he loved.

  The rock began to tremble.

  Danzen ignored Kudzu’s gasp as he focused even harder, an empty feeling coming over him as if his spirit was being lifted from his body. He recalled his mother’s face; Soko and Norwin Dawa attacking the villagers; Jelmay in the form of Danzen’s full-demon brother; the countless deaths he’d witnessed; the red sky of Diyu.

  The strain became too much.

  Danzen’s shoulders lowered and he bowed his head, his brain boiling in his skull, face red, skin heating up to the point that he felt as if his clothing would ignite.

  “That’s enough,” Abbot Monpo said firmly. “You are a Golden Adept. You will need to move to a Soul Adept before you are able to float the stone.”

  “I… I can do it.”

  “No, you cannot,” the Abbot said, turning back to the room with the large remnant in it. “There’s more we need to discuss. We will prepare the remnant room; I believe it would be good for you to see Kudzu in action. She shares the same subranking as you, but she has progressed to the Mancer tier. She is a Golden Mancer.”

  ****

  The two foxes that had joined Abbot Monpo quickly left the space, leaving Danzen, Kudzu, and the Abbot near the pedestal, the large stone still resting on it. Danzen took a step back, allowing Kudzu to come forward, the white fox bowing her head as she took her position.

  Kudzu closed her eyes, and for a moment it appeared as if nothing would happen.

  But then the stone began to twitch.

  It slowly rose from the platform, where it hovered for a moment before Kudzu finally set it back down. She let out a deep breath, clearly strained in what she’d just done.

  “Remember, this power is not for defense,” the Abbot said, “nor is it some kind of parlor trick. The stone has been kept in the room with the remnant for a number of years to be able to do what it does. It has absorbed some of its power.”

  “But a person could theoretically float themselves, right?” Danzen asked, thinking of Shedrup, who was a Stone Divinator, at least according to Elder Sonders.

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “Because I have encountered a villager who is able to float himself. From what I’ve been told, he has spent a considerable amount of time bending his echo. I believe he is a Stone Divinator.”

  “You are referring to the man known as Shedrup?” asked the Abbot.

  “Yes. I had a run-in with him in the mountains outside of Chutham, before he sobered up.”

  “So he has sobered then. Good. He was well on his way to become the most powerful echo bender in the Valley had it not been for the loss of his wife and son. He was quite friendly with the abbot who used to run your monastery. As to your question: yes, it is possible to do a number of things once a person has reached the Divinator tier, but most never make it that far.” Abbot Monpo returned his focus to Kudzu. “You’ve done well to float the stone. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about that earlier. Next time you visit, we will test your subranking, unless it is something you’d like to do now.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m here for…” Kudzu looked to the former assassin. “For Danzen, today.”

  “That is very generous of you,” said the Abbot as he led them out of the room.

  They came into the space with the large remnant, Danzen once again taken aback by how brightly it glowed. It dimmed some as Abbot Monpo instructed him to take a cushion before him, Kudzu sitting next to the former assassin. “You have now officially activated your echo, and bending it is what will allow you to float the rock. Before we begin, do you have any questions on the terminology, or where our echoes come from?”

  “No,” Danzen said, aware that what was referred to as an echo was actually residue of Sunyata, that had been passed down from generation to generation since the fall of heaven. Bending it, or cultivating it, was merely a way to call upon an innate power that every creature possessed.

  “You are a swordsman, are you not?”

  Danzen nodded.

  “Then you are familiar with various stances that you must utilize when engaging certain types of opponents. Bending your echo is no different. You will first start with a series of intuitive stretches while imagining the echo charging within you. It may seem foolish at first, but once you feel it, you’ll know that you have tapped into this unique source of power.”

  “Will I be able to control my demons?” Danzen asked.

  “You mean your inner demons?”

  “Not exactly,” Danzen said as he reminded the Abbot of what the hellspawns conjured by any injury which drew blood.

  “I see. You are wondering if bending your echo, and getting control over it, will in some way allow you to exert dominance over the demons that are unleashed once you are cut, correct?”

  “Yes,” Danzen said, his voice wavering for just a moment.

  “I believe so, yes,” the Abbot said after a long pause, “but it isn’t something I would think possible until you reached the Reaver tier, or possibly even higher. In the way that Shedrup is able to control reality around him enough that he can float freely, you should theoretically be able to control your demons. Who knows, perhaps you’d be able to exert enough control over them to actually command them to do your bidding…” The Abbot shook his head. “I am, perhaps, getting ahead of myself. What bending your echo will do to your unique ability remains to be seen, but in my professional opinion, I believe it would benefit you. One moment, please.”

  Abbot Monpo stepped over to a set of robes that were folded near the door. He took the robes with his mouth into the other room, and returned a minute or so later now in human form, his long white hair in several ponytails. He looked exuberant, his skin clear, his gray eyes sharp as ever as he instructed Danzen to place his pillow to the side.

  “You should also remove your boots and your weapons. I will show you the basics; you will want to discover what works best for you from there. Of course, one of the better ways to bend your echo is to visit shrines across the land and spend time with the remnants there. While some are open to this, others are not, and will require money or other things before they grant you access to their remnant. But we can discuss that method later.”

  Danzen recalled the reason Nomin was at his mother’s nunnery to begin with, to interact with the remnant there.

  “The most important thing in bending your echo is that you must be loose. Everyone has their own technique, but you will get much better results if you are loose. Shake out your arms.”

  After a short pause, Danzen did as he was instructed.

  “Still too rigid. You are very rigid, which likely comes with the territory and your former role. You can’t be rigid to bend your echo. You must be loose.”

  Danzen tried again to loosen up. He took a deep breath and slouched some, letting a wave of exhaustion he didn’t know he was experiencing roll over him.

  “Yes, like that. You’re a quick learner. Some people never make it past that part. I’m kidding; most people know how to relax. You must first be relaxed, and from there…” Abbot Monpo began swaying left and right. At first it looked as if he were dancing, but then Danzen noticed a subtle change in the air around him, as if it had electrified. “You see?” the Abbot asked, a light behind his eyes now. “Do you see now?”

  “So I just keep twisting?”

  Abbot Monpo and Kudzu laughed. “This is just what works for me. You will find what works for you. Some bend it by pretending to push an imaginary force. Eventually, this force becomes not-so-imaginary any longer. I’ll show you a few more things, and then you can practice it on your own.”

  “And this is the only way to increase my subranking?”

  “This and visiting shrines or going to extreme measures, like physically consuming a remnant, which I would advise against. Your echo naturally increases its power over time, which is why you were ranked at the Golden level. One thing you should know is your deeds, whether good or bad, have nothing to do with your ability to bend your echo. Some get caught up in this thinking pattern and they are wrong. Your echo has no conception of the deeds you’ve done to bend it. It only wants to be bent.”

  .Chapter Four.

  It was late into the afternoon when Danzen Ravja and Kudzu left the shrine, the vines unfurling before them and curling back into place behind them as they came to the rope bridge.

  “A storm is coming,” said Kudzu, her gray eyes scanning the onyx clouds above. “Quickly, I should add.”

  As if she was a sorceress, the sky opened up, the rain coming down so hard and fast that Danzen thought the bridge may collapse. He reached the other side completely drenched, Kudzu racing ahead, his focus shifting from what he had just learned about bending his echo to following the white fox back to his monastery.

  Danzen knew to trust her keen sense of direction, that no matter how bad the rainstorm became, Kudzu would shepherd him toward shelter. Even now, Danzen no longer able to see more than a few feet in front of him, water dripping from his hood, his dark-purple robes completely saturated, Kudzu was still visible. She was a beacon for him to follow.

  Thunder rolled above, lightning cackling, the former assassin recalling the sugawara, and how this was the ideal environment for them to appear. But that wouldn’t happen this time; he had put an end to their randomized attack, Danzen once again doing what he did best.

  Piety had nothing to do with bending one’s echo, his past deeds having no effect on his future progression. For this, he was incredibly lucky; had bending his echo been in any way tied to his transgressions and livelihood for so long, Danzen would be without hope.

  But as it stood, there was a chance for progress.

  And even if he was a Golden Adept for now, he would practice the routine that Abbot Monpo had shown him. He would progress, and once he did, perhaps he would finally get control over something that had plagued him for most of his life.

  His demons.

  Danzen remembered their second appearance in his youth. Before the age of seven, any nicks, scrapes, or cuts didn’t produce adverse effects. But that changed, and after their first appearance, he tried to be more careful, which turned out to be difficult for a seven-year-old.

  He had been racing up the steps to the Brotherhood along with his peers when Danzen slipped, his chin cracking against one of the stone steps.

  Portals opened up all around him, many of the students, including Soko, shrieking as hellspawns began to crawl out, gnashing their teeth, their sharpened bones tearing from their skin and forming razored ridges along their bodies.

  His teacher at the time, a man known as Thane, grunted as he launched into action. Thane hadn’t lasted as an instructor at the Diyu Brotherhood for long. Born outside of Odval, the towering man had grown up in the mountains, and had embraced a legend that was either true or entirely exaggerated that he had been raised by a pack of wolves.

  Danzen saw that day just how predatory Thane could be as the teacher lunged himself at them, dropping to all fours as he tore into Danzen’s hellspawns. Thane, who wore iron gauntlets with two retractable blades over his knuckles, handled all of the demons in the time it took for Danzen to get to his feet, his fear replaced by embarrassment once the other students turned to him, all of them gawking at him.

  “Leave…” Danzen swallowed the words and bowed his head, something else coming to him in that moment on the steps, a rumbling in his throat that he’d never felt before. “Leave me alone.”

  And with those words, his peers’ expressions all went blank, their eyes glazing over as Thane approached him.

  “What did you do?” his teacher asked, astonished.

  “My blood… my demons.”

  “No, not that,” said Thane, whose robes were now drenched in blackened ichor, the twin blades on each of his gauntlets slowly retracting. “What did you do to them? Your classmates?”

  “I told them to leave me alone.”

 

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