On the Brink

Inside a simple, underground stone room there was a large pool that occupied almost two-thirds of the room’s space. The stone walls were a muted gray.  It was forty feet wide and ten feet deep. The sides of the pool was made of simple white jade with carvings of dragons and phoenixes on it.

The liquid in the jade pool was deep red and was still without any ripples. Steam steadily rose from the deep red liquid that covered the room, filtering out into the hidden vents in the stone room.

A woman with long, dark purple hair and emerald green eyes walked into the room. Her pure white robes flowed as she gracefully walked. Her demeanor was mysterious and ethereal. Any person who would gaze at her unblemished features would be entranced in less than a heartbeat.

She stood in front of the jade pool with a calm face. She raised her arms and performed a series of incantation gestures with her hands. A golden incantation circle consisting of various symbols and intricate shapes appeared in mid-air in front of her hands. She pushed her palms forward and the golden incantation circle floated towards the surface of the deep red pool and slowly submerged into the liquid.

The white-robed woman performed another series of incantations. Another golden incantation circle appeared. This time, the golden incantation circle was larger than the previous one and encompassed the whole jade pool. She pushed her hands forward again, and the golden incantation circle hovered just above the surface of the deep red liquid. The woman lowered her arms and calmly stood in front of the jade pool.

After a beat, the calm deep red liquid in the pool began to boil. Bubbles rose and popped on the surface and the steam in the room thickened as the temperature in the pool increased. But the steam gathered on top of the pool and formed into the shape of a large tree with roots that mirrored the width and reach of its branches. After a few breaths, a man who was in a cross-legged sitting position rose from within the boiling deep red liquid.

The man had blond hair that had grown to his shoulders. His eyes were closed in meditation and his hands lay palm up on top of his knees. His breathing was steady despite the look of deep concentration on his face and the boiling deep red liquid surrounding him. Steam was even rising from the man’s own body. The traces of the deep red liquid from the pool on his body was dripping downward until no trace of the liquid was left on him.

As the blond man’s body completely rose from the boiling jade pool, it was revealed that he was naked but the woman had no visible reaction to the nudity of the man in front of her. The woman gestured with her right hand. The blond man’s seated form floated towards her and slowly stopped on the stone floor in between the woman’s feet and the jade pool’s carved walls.

The white-robed woman used her Divine Sense to scan the man’s status. She had a satisfied expression after ascertaining that the blond man had made progress in his training. She pointed the index and middle fingers of her right hand to the center of the man’s forehead and channeled a bit of her own qi to help strengthen his core. She had performed this process several times in the man’s training to aid and secure his foundation so it only took a short time for her to send her qi to his qi pathways and center. As she did this, the deep red liquid in the jade pool went back to its original calm state. The tree-shaped steam faded and the golden incantation circle also disappeared.

When the woman was finished, she withdrew her hand. After a few beats, the man’s long lashes fluttered, and then the man slowly opened his eyes. His summer blue eyes slowly came to focus and he looked up to the white-robed woman standing in front of him with a happy and grateful smile.

“Well done,” the white-robed woman said with a smile. Her emerald green eyes twinkled like the stars in the jewel-green sky.

The blond man’s smile widened at the approval in the woman’s eyes. He took a deep breath before slowly rising on his feet without any hint of embarrassment from his nakedness.

The woman waved her hand and a black robe covered the blond man’s body. The blond man spoke his thanks before the woman turned around and left the room. Silently, the man neatly wore the robes to cover his nakedness as he followed behind the woman.

They emerged into a gray stone hallway. At the end of the hallway was a stone staircase leading to the ground level. After they ascended the staircase, the man and the woman were met by a woman with brown hair that curled elegantly as it framed her face. She had sharp, brown eyes, bright, red lips, and a no-nonsense demeanor. She wore a dark blue pants suit and black high-heeled pumps and was holding a tablet in one hand.

The brunette gave a respectful bow to the white-robed woman when she and the blond man appeared from the top of the staircase and into a large hall. The inner hall had a high ceiling and various symbols and scenery were painted on the walls and ceiling of the hall. Around the hall were various doors and pathways that connected to other parts of the estate. One large pair of double doors led to the outer hall while another one led to the inner courtyard that eventually led to the Queen’s chambers.

“Good evening, Your Majesty,” the brunette greeted with a respectful smile.

“Good evening, Peggy,” the white-robed woman greeted back with a smile.

“My congratulations to you, Steve,” Peggy, the brunette, said to the blond man.

Steve smiled at Peggy. “Thank you,” he said.

The brunette turned to the Queen and said, “Ma’am, you summoned for me.” She spoke not in question but merely a statement of facts. A messenger had arrived at her office a few minutes ago and she hurriedly waited for the Queen in the inner hall.

“Yes, Peggy. Join us for dinner. The food has already been prepared in the dining hall. We’ll discuss matters after we’ve had our meal. I feel like it has been a while since we’ve sat down to just chat and not talk about serious matters,” the Queen said. Her voice was melodic and gave the other two listeners a pleasant feeling as they continued to listen to her soothing and charming voice.

Steve and Peggy expressed their agreement and followed the Queen towards her chambers. They had to cross an open hallway from the inner hall to the Queen’s rooms before they reached the Queen’s dining hall.

The Queen’s chambers was a complete and large estate on it’s own. But surrounding it were the smaller estates and offices dedicated to other cultivators. On one part of the estate, there were training grounds and cultivation areas. On other parts were the mess hall, armory, treasury and many other facilities for the Queen’s Legion. There were also rooms from guest houses as big as mortal mansions to servants quarters with single rooms.

Once the Queen was seated at the head of a simple, rectangular jade table, Steve and Peggy sat on the chairs to her right and left. Delicious food was already served on the table in front of them. The formalities were dropped once the Queen offered them the food and they began to eat.

The three chatted happily while they shared the food. The Queen commended Steve and Peggy for their dedication to training and rapid advancement. The two had smiles on their faces and could not help but blush at the Queen’s praises.

“Steve, I heard that you have found a mate. Shall I be meeting this person soon?” the Queen asked after turning to Steve.

Steve nearly choked on his food and hurriedly drank some wine to help him swallow. He already expected that the subject of his new relationship would be broached after he had mentioned Bucky in passing to Peggy. Nothing gets past the Queen. And even though Steve wanted to tell the Queen, he did not have a chance to tell her himself because he was made to go into closed-door training right after he returned from the competition. The Queen had sensed that he was about to make a breakthrough so other matters were set aside for his cultivation. Steve did not feel betrayed that Peggy told the Queen without him knowing. He was even a bit relieved that he did not have to initiate the conversation himself. He felt like a kid who was telling his mother that he was dating someone for the first time. At least this gave him an opportunity to open up about his new relationship.

He took a quick glance at Peggy who was quietly observing the situation with a small quirk to the corners of her lips. Then, he smiled at the Queen.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I would very much like for you to meet him. And ah… You actually know him.” Steve had a sheepish expression for just a second, but nothing escaped the Queen’s notice. She looked at him with a knowing smile. She just patiently waited for him to spill his guts with her serene and enchanting face. Steve took a deep breath before speaking again. “It’s Bucky Barnes. The mortal actor.”

Steve’s voice remained steady as he spoke. He did not feel ashamed that he had a relationship with a non-cultivator. But his only concern was whether or not the Queen will approve of the relationship. He was, first and foremost, loyal to the Queen. He owed his life and current status to her. Without her, he was nothing. But he also could not abandon Bucky.

The blond’s thoughts went to the brunet actor. He sighed in his heart. It had been a while since he last saw the man. He had no opportunity to meet Bucky again after the competition due to his closed-door training. It was no secret to Steve and to the rest of the Legion that the Queen was giving special attention to his training so the pressure of her expectations made him work his hardest. He did not want to incur the ire of the Legion for getting privilege but squandering it due to a lover. It was not against the Legion’s rules, but it was against the morals of every cultivator of the Queen. Steve did not have it in him to be ungrateful for the things that he had received.

“Ah… Bucky Barnes. The shield bearer.” The Queen drank her wine.

Nobody spoke for a while. Steve glanced at Peggy and saw the support in her eyes.

“Are you bonded to this man?” the Queen asked.

Steve nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. It was a rudimentary blood bond.” The Queen was quiet and just stared at Steve with her captivating green eyes. He could not help but squirm in his seat like a schoolboy sitting in front of the school principal. “He knows that I am a cultivator. I told him a few things about us but not in detail. At least not yet. And I… I plan to take him with me.”

He gulped down his growing nervousness. If the Queen approved, he and Bucky could have a formal and more binding ceremony. But that would only come after Bucky’s induction into training. If the Queen disapproved, well… He would have to find ways to convince her.

The Queen pursed her pink lips, her expression was unreadable for a few beats. She nodded to herself after coming to terms with something and said, “If you are to take this mortal with you, you will be responsible for him. All of his actions will reflect upon you. All of his achievements and his failures will be your own. Are you willing?”

Steve nodded his head enthusiastically as the happiness and relief bloomed in his chest. “Yes, Ma’am,” he said with enthusiasm. Even Peggy smiled brightly at Steve in silent congratulations.

The queen smiled back and then turned to Peggy. “Peggy…”

It was as if Peggy was only waiting for her cue from the Queen. She opened her red lips to speak. “Barnes has already been vetted, Ma’am.” Steve gave her a thankful smile, which she pretended not to notice as her focus was to the Queen.

He released a breath that he did not know he was holding after hearing Peggy’s words. If Peggy had already vetted Bucky, that meant that he had the latent talent to cultivate like the rest of the Queen’s Legion.

“Well done, Peggy. You are as reliable as always.” Peggy preened at the Queen’s praise. She was the type of person who was not easily impressed but any praise from the Queen could make even the hardiest of cultivators blush or be delighted.

The Queen turned to Steve. She laid her delicate and smooth hand on his arm that was nearest to her. The expression on her face had now become serious. It always amazed Steve how easily the Queen could turn her emotions on and off on her face. Sometimes, she was lively and expressive, but there were also times when she was unreadable and closed off.

“Steve, I truly like his movies. It would be a shame for him to stop making those. But…” The Queen sighed, and Steve could not help the sinking feeling in his stomach despite his earlier relief. “I can only allow him until the last film in his current contracts. Once those films are done, you need to focus on his and your training. Do what you must. We are now in the warring period of this cycle. And this is your first war. It is best for everyone to be as strong as they possibly can. Although we will not participate in the conquest, it still won’t stop others from attempting to secretly target us.”

Steve took a deep breath, trying to keep the sadness of telling Bucky to stop acting from showing on his face. He nodded at the Queen, knowing that such things had to be done. The Queen was correct. They were on the brink of war. Some rulers and some aspiring rulers are rallying for war. It will be a twenty-year period of bloodshed before the next cycle begins anew. He needed to keep Bucky safe, and the best way he knew how was to make sure that both of them were strong enough to deter enemies or to be able to defend themselves in a fight.

“It will be done, my Queen,” he said with determination in his heart.

The Queen patted his arm in approval before they moved on to other topics.

After the dinner, Steve excused himself from the Queen’s chambers to rest. Only the Queen and Peggy had remained inside the dining hall. There was a period of silence while the two women quietly enjoyed their after meal tea. When their drinks were finished, Peggy took her tablet that had been set aside and searched for the files that she needed.

“Speak to me,” the Queen said in her gentle voice.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Peggy opened a particular file on the tablet and glanced at her attached notes, already knowing what matter the Queen wanted to hear. It was the very purpose that she had been summoned to the Queen’s chambers. “We have gathered evidence of an alliance of rulers and strong cultivators geared towards conquest. On the surface, their aim is to have a united front for acquiring more domain and defending their own territories. But it has been discovered that their true motive is to create a faction of cultivators that will contend for the Great Ruler’s position--”

A loud cracking sound interrupted Peggy’s words. She glanced up from her tablet and saw that the jade table underneath the Queen’s right hand had been pulverized and the surrounding area of the table had spider webs of cracks. Just one action nearly caused the entire jade table to collapse.

An unbelievable amount of pressure covered the room. Peggy felt her whole body being pushed down to the ground. Her chest was constricting as if her lungs and heart were being crushed. The rest of her internal organs seemed to be shrinking due to the unbelievable force that assailed her. She found that she could not breathe because the pressure had suppressed even the molecules all around her.

The Queen’s face was expressionless as she performed a one-handed incantation. The cracks on the jade table knitted back together and even the pulverized area smoothened as if the last few seconds did not happen at all.

Peggy could not help but gasp for air when the pressure suddenly disappeared. She gritted her teeth, making sure that she regained her composure in front of the Queen.

The Queen may have caused the pressure and destruction earlier, but it was not her place to question her ruler or feel slighted at how badly it affected her. She was even awed at the brief display of power, because the Queen rarely lost her composure and released such pressure in public.

The Queen was known as one of the oldest and strongest beings on the planet. That was why no one had ever dared to fight her for North America’s domain since she took possession of it. No one truly knew how powerful she was. It was believed that she was as old as the Great Ruler who ruled the Earth and was also as powerful. It was rumored that she could even rival the Great Ruler but had chosen to give up the position of ruling the planet to the Great Ruler instead.

“Do continue,” the Queen said in a steady voice.

After catching her breath and regaining her equilibrium, Peggy spoke again, but, this time, she did not look at her tablet. She wanted to observe the Queen’s face better. Although the Queen still had an expressionless face, she still wanted to find any minute change in expression or to study the way her eyes looked at every turn. The Queen had always been Peggy’s most favorite subject to investigate. She was so mysterious that Peggy had made it her personal mission to truly know the person whom she had dedicated her life to.

“The faction aims for the Great Ruler’s position because they want to rule not just the Underworld but also the mortal world. No one has seen the Great Ruler for many years now due to his closed-door cultivation. Only his most trusted people know where he is. There are rumors that he is very old or has failed to advance in cultivation that is why he remains hidden from the world. Rumors about the Great Ruler abound and the faction is also using that as a reason to convince the other cultivators. Those who think that cultivators are superior to mortals and must rule the commoners are joining the faction. There are also reports of mortals joining the faction’s side to secure their positions among mortals if the faction succeeds. They have been secretly planning for many years but are now finally taking action. Ma’am, the reports have indicated that you are one of the primary targets because you support the Great Ruler.”

It was already a certainty that the Queen would be targeted if the faction wanted to usurp the Great Ruler’s position. Aside from the known fact that the Queen supports the Great Ruler, there is also the rumor that the Queen and the Great Ruler were lovers. There was no concrete evidence to substantiate such a rumor. Nobody had ever dared to ask the Great Ruler or the Queen to confirm or deny the rumor. But given the amount of leeway the Great Ruler had given the Queen in the past and the rumored interactions of the two powerful rulers, many cultivators believe the rumor to be true  

“There is no valid cause for them to invade North America because we won the competition. But any move we make against them will be taken as a challenge and their side plans to retaliate aggressively.”

The Queen leaned back on her chair, her long and delicate fingers tapped on the armrest of the chair. Her eyes were staring intently at her fingers that were slowly tapping on the armrest. Peggy stared at the Queen's unreadable face as the seconds went by. She did not dare to speak again in case she disturbed the Queen’s thoughts. She firmly clasped the tablet to her chest.

“Sometimes words are not enough. A show of unquestionable strength is the only answer. Brother always said when strength reaches a certain height, all wits are laughable,” the Queen spoke in a low voice as she continued to tap her fingers, muttering to herself. But Peggy still managed to hear her due to her level of cultivation.

The Queen abruptly closed her hand into a fist, a brief flash of killing intent made Peggy choke due to the overwhelming pressure that was very much stronger than the earlier pressure. She nearly passed out, already seeing black spots in her vision. But it was gone the instant that the Queen opened her hand.

Peggy silently thanked the Queen for withdrawing her killing intent. The Queen’s killing intent was so oppressive that mere mortals could die after just half a second of exposure to it. Cultivators could faint on the spot or become discombobulated in both body and spirit. Peggy had yet to meet anyone who could escape the oppression of the Queen’s killing intent. With just her intent alone, Peggy was sure that the Queen would have no trouble taking care of the miscreants attempting to usurp the highest position on Earth.

The Queen emerged from her thoughts and directed her sharp gaze at Peggy. “Dear Peggy, do you believe that a show of force is necessary?”

The brunette nodded her head without hesitation. She looked like a chicken frantically pecking down on the ground for chicken feed. Even though the Queen’s words were phrased as a question, there was no doubt in Peggy’s heart that the Queen was only using her as a sounding board. She did not even dare to speak.

The Queen showed her a radiant smile. Her emerald green eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky. The sight made Peggy involuntarily freeze, and then sigh due to her beauty and charm. The brunette was also enchanted by the sheer viciousness that glinted for a brief moment in the Queen’s emerald eyes like a shooting star in the night sky. There one moment but gone the next.

The Queen looked very much like a child who was just given permission to destroy their playground enemy’s sandcastle without consequences. But of course, Peggy was not naïve enough to think that the Queen acting would bear no consequences. There will be consequences. A being such as the Queen cannot even lift a single finger without causing the world’s surface to ripple.

“Alert the Commandos. They are to go on stand-by and be ready to move on my command.” The Queen took the pot of tea that was still warm and ideal for drinking. She poured herself another cup. “Tea?” she asked Peggy and gestured with the pot.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Peggy answered and held out her tea cup closer to the Queen. She watched as the Queen poured her a cup of tea. She did not get any whiplash anymore whenever the Queen changed from one topic to another. It was one of her quirks that just added to her charm and even endeared many to her.

They quietly drank their tea and moved on to lighter topics after that.

Peggy was very thankful of such moments. When she was first chosen as a competitor, she had been on the verge of death due to a sneak attack from her enemies. She had been working in the intelligence community after the end of the Second World War when the Queen found her. She had won her own competition and worked hard until she reached her current position in the Queen’s Legion. The Queen was the center of her existence just like the rest of the cultivators that served in the Legion.

“Poor Steve. I may have doomed him and his lover for giving him my favor. Whatever should we do?” the Queen muttered to herself just as she was about to sip her tea. This time, Peggy did not manage to hear her. The brunette did not even notice because the Queen’s pink lips were covered by her raised tea cup.