show me what you got
The raging tides came as expected, and no night of peace entered the shore. Morax took notice and asked his adepti to keep watch of the humans. He approached the calm young maiden by the coast. Each step manifests a pillar beneath the waters.
"Child," he said as he watched her gracefully move each finger. "Are you finished? Are you satisfied?"
She turned around, and her ember eyes glowed frighteningly. Morax felt that she was indeed the child of the vortex. Knowing the contract between the two gods, Yelan shouldn't cause such violent tides. He noticed a ship struggling to traverse the sea and observed the child's reaction.
"of what?" Yelan asked.
Morax closed his eyes and noticed his pillars had also caused the tides to waver. Yelan calmed, remembering the contract between sea and land. As the sun rose, it was time for her to rest. Noticing the wreck she caused on the side of her eyes, Yelan silently passed Morax.
"I'll let you off with a warning since you are still too young. You are prone to let your emotions cloud your judgment." He said, walking back to the shore.
"Then what do you think I should do?" The ocean's anger was at Morax's feet. It could only be described as a suffocating and uncomfortable feeling to possess. The waters hold no place for breathing. It leaves them to find a resolution within themselves. However, it can never be controlled at times. Horrifyingly resembling her father, Morax placed his hand on her head.
"I say to let your emotions speak for themselves without harming others. Though Osial may have taught you about the tides and depths, he should prioritize your mental state first. Taking it out on the water would only harm you as well."
Yelan could only watch as the geo archon faded into the horizon. People gathered to this side and waited for him to return. She glared in his direction and felt the tides rise at her feet, yet she breathed deeply, following his advice. Taking it out on the waters would do her no good. There is a method of using her strength to maintain her mental state. A gladiator battle under the sea. One where various creatures come to partake in an exhibition of skill.
It took her several years to find what weapon she should master after learning everything available to her. Upon her request, she decided to use threads and titanium gloves. As she grew, her skill doubled, and her strength stabilized. She hadn't thought about climbing up to the palace for decades. Yelan had witnessed her opponents come and go, but she hoped someone would visit her, even if it were just for a moment. Just when she believed she had found a way to invite Ningguang to the earthen realm, the contract between the Lunar and Oceanic empires had been tampered with and nullified. Direct communication and negotiation had been revoked.
“My lady…” A familiar voice greeted her presence by the shoreline. “Forgive my rudeness, but I—”
One of Yelan’s bodyguards pointed spears at the lady by the fallen attendant. It was one of the Lunar Empire’s royal maids. Specifically speaking, it was Ningguang's maids. Her forehead pressed on the sand anticipating her fate.
"Beisht… That's enough." Yelan approached the remorseful maid and noticed she looked bruised and scratched. "You're Banxiao, correct?"
“Yes.” Yelan sat in front of Banxiao and noticed a chunk of her hair cut off. She had not seen or heard of Ningguang in ages, so she could not make a sound judgment just yet. Normally people who show their faith in any god of the earthen realm are forgiven and enticed to worship them. Unfortunately, those rules do not apply to servants of gods that were cast aside. Their judgment is harsher as their betrayal of their original gods is equivalent to several stabs in the back. “My lady of tides, please, I beg you to spare my life. I will denounce my faith and be your loyal follower if I have to!”
Beisht held onto her spear and displayed a fraction of her alternate form. Scales run from her cheek to her neck. The eyes and veins in her arms turned dark. “You arrogant follower! I recognize that crest in her clothing anywhere. It’s a being from the Lunar Empire. A damned spy, if anything. They sought refuge in the same realm they condemned?!”
“Beisht.” Yelan looked up and sternly advised her companion to be at ease. “I understand your frustration, but this will lead us nowhere. If anything, it’ll just make me tell Father you’ve been sniffing his fresh laundry.” She grinned, looking away from the flushed Beisht.
“My lady of tides, please… I understand this request may be selfish, but it comes from my heart.” Banxiao held onto the sand by the shore.
Her gentle hands urged Banxiao to look up, “I will help you, but you must tell me what happened after I was exiled from the Lunar Empire.” Yelan’s brows furrowed, and concern filled her expression. “I will help you if, and only if, you tell me what happened to Ningguang.”
An emblem of geo was marked on the sand, followed by a drop of Banxiao’s blood from her palm. The ground by their feet was lit, and the geo archon appeared before them. A contract, a witness, and an agreement were made. The finalized conditions were met following the laws between followers of previous gods and declaring anew. Banxiao is to cut all ties between the Lunar Emperor and the kingdom and serve the Oceanic Empire as Yelan’s companion. She were to tell everything to the lady of tides, including the affairs that occurred before her banishment. Any and all restrictions to information from her previous lord were lifted. However, certain memories were clouded and altered.
“Yelan,” The lord of geo blessed them with his presence. “I trust that you would fulfill whatever is written in this contract. Including your new follower’s fate.”
“With her by my side, she will be protected under the eyes of the water and tides.” Yelan signed the contract that appeared before her. And like dust and grain of sand, Morax disappeared.
“Forgive me, my lady.” Banxiao pleaded.
Yelan wrapped a bandage around her new companion’s hand. “Please, by all means, forgive yourself.” Beisht continued to cut more length from Banxiao’s hair to make her as presentable as possible. “You did everything you could. Again, about Ningguang… How is she?”
Banxiao flinched from the pain in her legs and arms. Through herbal ointments and medicine, she recovered a bit to tell what happened to her previous mistress. Though Banxiao follows orders from the Emperor, she mainly follows Ningguang’s. According to her, the Lunar heir was tasked with acquiring knowledge beyond the worldly laws allowed. The only reason she bypassed the contract was because of her title. The Lunar Emperor could not appraise and observe the fate beyond the world, but his offspring could. Day and night, Ningguang worked hard to please her father until one fateful day…
“She’s like moonlight but as lonely as one,” Banxiao said. “I should’ve done something to help her. I only sunk her deeper into despair. I was supposed to be watching her, and yet…” Biting her lip, she shed a tear. “I failed her.”
“Failed her?” Yelan asked. “What do you mean?”
“Certain creatures of the Abyss order infiltrated the realm, and my lady tried her best to defend the information she was collecting. “An abyss mage targeted me and left Ningguang to defend a lowly being like myself instead of the information she held. Ultimately, they took the book containing everything my lady had worked on. I was punished and imprisoned out of pure mercy.”
Yelan finished the first aid and patted Banxiao’s back. “That’s enough for today. I should’ve let you rest first.”
Beisht arrived with Banxiao’s uniform and change of clothes. “You will be training with me the moment your wounds have healed. To survive this realm, you have to adapt to— my lady?!” Yelan pushed her out and closed the door to let the new follower rest. “What? I’m only doing what is expected of me.”
“You’re so childish sometimes.” Yelan embraced Beisht’s arm. “You know you’re my number one, right?” she grinned.
Her companion sighed and admitted defeat. “I’m just worried. Ever since the connection between the moon and the ocean has been altered, I’m worried that one day, it’ll be so distant that neither of you would ever meet.”
“Sounds a lot like jealousy to me,” Yelan said.
“Fine, I was a bit apprehensive because of my jealousy. I just wanted to protect you. Also, because I did not want to teach her.” Her companion admitted. “Which reminds me, should we include her in the competition roster?”
“Maybe after this season. It’ll be too difficult for her to breathe underwater if she’s not properly trained.” Yelan advised.
The Oceanic exhibition games are one that many take part in to showcase their skills and expertise in martial arts, combat, and elemental prowess. Mortals, immortals, gods, adepti, anyone can participate. Yelan is one of the participants and is a part of the judges. She is known to be among the most talented individuals on the roster. The current season has ended but the wild card event has just begun.
A bag of mora and a form were placed on the table of the organizers. Though it was last minute, she was included due to a competitor leaving too soon. A loud thunder wrecked the roof of the arena and alerted every god and adepti in proximity. She commanded lightning and thunder like it was her whip and hammer. Against her was a serpent guard of the Oceanic Empire, one that rivals an adepti in terms of strength. And yet, with one mighty swing, she parried his strike with ease.
“I thought this was harder than those urban legends say.” She grunted and lifted the body of the stunned opponent to push him off the game border. “Guess I just needed one chance after all.”
The crowd cheered, and the spectators were distraught. One particular aspect of the wild card game is its hidden gambling event. The richest of the rich could bet on any being they desired and obtain the betting money if their participant won. It is a part of the political activities between the heavens, earth, and between. If they all lost, the money would go to the participant. However, the almighty geo archon placed one mora for the participant, turning her win into his.
“And your winner for this season’s wild card event is Beidou, the one-eyed serpent punisher!!” Announced by the MC.
She walked out, bruised and bandaged with more scars than before. “Man…” she drank a bottle of liquor that came with her ‘prize’. “They just gave me back my admission money and one measly mora…” Passing by her was a cold breeze, usually signifying the presence of a nightly god or adepti. White as silk and presence haunting like the silence of the night. “Hey!” Beidou shouted to the masked individual. “The games are over! It’s just an intermission number in there.”
They nodded and continued back into the arena. Beidou had never seen someone so eager to watch the closing remarks of an event.
Not to mention someone who had eyes like rubies.
“Well, back to fishing I go. Man… I really did not want to get scolded by that old fart.” Beidou complained. “Hopefully that blessing of the gods could help me catch some good ones this time.” She clicked her tongue and thought about her fate if she came back empty handed. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to get some crabs tonight.”