Tentative 472 (Patreon)

Tentative cuz I'm considering scrapping this whole chapter and writing it from a different PoV, because a lot of the first half doesn't really matter and the end bits would fit better in a different PoV. Dunno. I'll look at this again with fresh eyes and see if I can salvage, but if not, then we'll be down 1 chapter till i make it up.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ld_RYOUjd_iT8jT7E78kCx3uBOOhFXW83ifTbERsHZ8/edit?usp=sharing

Though the sun still sat below the horizon, Akanai stood at her window and stared off into the distance, hoping to catch a glimpse of sweet Mila and her retinue. The open plains were dotted with tens of thousands of soldiers returning from the front lines, some already camped in front of walls waiting for the gates to open while others marched throughout the night hoping to make it back to their families in time for the new year celebrations, but there was not a single quin to be found. Five days was enough time for wagons to make the journey, but with an entirely mounted retinue, Mila could have made the journey in as little as three days if she pushed her quins like the boy Huushal had, who returned two days past. Was the girl so unwilling to return home? A stubborn little thing, she did so love to dawdle and drag her heels when faced with unpleasant work, a silly little child who avoided doing her chores instead of getting them over with as quickly as possible.

Grated, this wasn’t something as simple as washing clothes or sweeping floors, but the basic concept remained unchanged. Best to get the unpleasantness over and done with so you could move on.

Leaving her snoring husband to sleep, Akanai quietly peeked in on her other sweet daughter and found her fast asleep, cuddling two rabbits so tightly it was a wonder they could still breathe. Song’s mood had improved in recent weeks as she no longer cried herself to sleep every night, though every now and then the poor girl would still accidentally trigger her Oaths and be left gasping for breath. Before the destruction of her token, Akanai had never seen stoic Song rebuked by the Heavens, but since reuniting after Sinuji, the poor girl defied them and broke down into tears multiple times each day. The sight her daughter in such misery filled Akanai with anger, because she hated how she hadn’t known just how much pain Song kept hidden, but at least she appeared to be improving. The errant thoughts and panic attacks had dropped in the last two weeks since she stopped avoiding Rain like the plague, and now she spent most of her days at his side, but a small part of Akanai wondered if it was because her daughter had come to terms with her fate, or if she had simply gotten used to hiding her misery once again.

Either way, Song was too servile towards him for Akanai’s tastes, but there was no helping it. Thanks to her Oaths, they were bound closer than most husbands and wives, and would remain so from now until the day one of them died. Not so terrible a fate in comparison to most since Rain treated her well and would never force her against her will, but even still, Akanai would give anything to free her sweet daughter from the bonds of slavery.

Repressing the urge to run in and cuddle Song in her sleep, Akanai left a note for her husband and slipped out of their quarters. After making her way to the stables, she harnessed Kankin and rode him out, too impatient to sit still and wait any longer. Though the gates were closed and would remain so until first light, stone walls were no barrier to Akanai’s trusted mount as he ran up and over the fortifications before diving off the battlements into the moat. Barely sinking beneath the water’s surface thanks to his Lightened torso and dense, buoyant fur, Kankin glided across in a matter of seconds before setting off into the morning gloom at a breakneck pace, his age doing nothing to diminish his enthusiasm for physical activity. The quin was as much a part of Akanai’s family as her husband and daughters, and as fanciful as it might sound, she wanted to believe he missed Mila and Atir as much as she did.

A sentiment which Mila evidently didn’t share. It was mid-day before Akanai finally found her daughter, plodding along with her retinue alongside the ox drawn wagons of BoShui’s retinue. Also present were the scoundrels and ruffians who made up Rain’s retinue, as well as young Zian and his lot, all of which explained Mila’s tardiness. Seeing her freckled daughter’s sheepish smile, Akanai’s scowl melted away into a grin. “Daughter,” she said, reaching over to smooth Mila’s tangled locks. “Welcome back.”

“Glad to be back Mama.” That was the extent of their reunion, for there were too many watching eyes about. In five days, Mila would turn twenty years old and a become a woman grown, too old to be lifted and twirled about in public. How quickly the time passed, for it seemed like yesterday when she’d been but a little lass with a snaggle-toothed grin and her hair in ribbons, a petulant and precocious child who challenged Akanai on every little decision and disagreement. Now she was a combination of the best of bother her parents, a gifted warrior and talented blacksmith who stood at the forefront of her peers in both fields, and Akanai could not be any prouder.

After greeting Rain’s allies and retinue, she fell in beside Mila and took her hand. “Any battles of note?” She Sent, despite having read all the letters her daughter sent and Colonel Hongji’s reports to boot, which painted a bleak future waiting in store once the Defiled finish their preparations.

Defiled. Making preparations. Ten years ago, Akanai would have found the concept laughable, but now...

Rolling her eyes in response to the simple question, Mila replied, “No Mama.”

“Any progress to report on the Martial Path?” Mila was on the cusp of Aura Condensation and Natal Palace Formation, and though she was frustrated by her lack of success, she would still be considered young if she took another two or three years to achieve it.

“No Mama.”

“...Have you any questions then?” The girl always had questions, insightful ones which Akanai struggled to answer without revealing too much. Little Mila already knew more than she should, which might even be why she was having so much trouble with these next steps. Rain knew next to nothing and accomplished more than any of his peers, albeit in unconventional fashion and at great cost.

Stifling a small sigh, Mila Sent, “No Mama” for the third time in a row.

“Whats wrong, sweet child?”

“Nothing Mama.”

Seeing sweet Atir grooming Kankin while they walked, Akanai envied the father-daughter pair for their simple and uncomplicated relationship. Raising children was far more difficult and demanding than treading the Martial Path, for there were no Insights to guide her along the correct Path. Mila was happy to see her, but in no mood to chat, though why, Akanai could not say. Perhaps the girl resented her for coming out to receive her, since none of her peer’s parents had done the same. It wasn’t entirely fair since most of her peers had strained relationships with their families, but Akanai kept her dissatisfaction to herself. If the girl didn’t want to talk, then she would not press her, so they held hands and rode side by side in silence until they arrived at the citadel gates.

With so many bodies and wagons waiting to enter, Akanai was tempted to abandon the others and bring Mila’s retinue in the same way she’d exited, but doing so would be... impolite. Better to be aboveboard and pull rank on the gate guards, which is what she did despite Mila’s sullen, unspoken protest. While other soldiers might resent her actions, a Lieutenant General was far to important to waste hours sitting in queue to use the only sturdy stone bridge available within a twenty kilometre radius, and she’d be damned if she trusted a horse or cow to navigate a suspended rope bridge without falling off.

Once inside, Akanai stood back and let her daughter dismiss her retinue, which she did with grace. A short speech thanking everyone for their service and a moment of silence to remember those they’d lost before sending everyone on their way. Most would already have homes to return to inside the citadel, and those who didn’t would make arrangements with Sarnai or another Speaker, but with so many soldiers taking time off at the same time, space was a precious commodity here in the fortress. Some of her Sentinels had been assigned four to a room, and though she’d endured worse during her time as a soldier, she wouldn’t wish such suffering on anyone.

Luckily, Rain had plenty of yurts and private land to set them up on, and the cramped conditions inside the citadel drove many a Sentinel to take up his offer to live on his farm, an act which earned him plenty of much-needed goodwill. Though she understood why they’d considered it, she still resented her People for almost exiling him from the village, so it was good to see Rain didn’t share her resentment. Others saw his friendly, but polite and distant demeanour as pride or arrogance, believing he kept to himself because he believed himself better than the rest or because he refused to lower his guard, but they were letting their preconceived notions colour their judgment. The boy remembered nothing of his origins, nothing before the age of twelve even, so he kept himself apart because he was shy and slow to trust. It took him months to warm up to his family, and years to feel comfortable enough to share his innermost secrets, and though he never spoke of it, it hurt him to know he’d almost brought calamity to the People, so much that it tainted his fond memories of the village.

Once, Akanai thought Rain wanted nothing to do with the People, but in truth, he yearned for a place to belong. Though born of the People, he did not see himself as one, nor did he see himself as a citizen of the Empire, a sad, lonely existence which drove him to create a fake brother just so he’d have someone to confide in. Poor child, much like Song, he kept his suffering hidden from the world for fear of burdening others, but now that he’d confided in his family once, perhaps he’d do so again before his problems grew out of hand again.

Perhaps his loneliness was what drove Rain to become a womanizing scoundrel, but at least he treated his betrotheds well. Eagerly awaiting Mila’s return, he sat outside their building with Song, Lin, the twins, and his pets, smiling and waving as the girl raced over to greet him. It warmed Akanai’s heart to see her daughter lit up with joy, even if she was a little envious of Rain and tickled pink at how similar the girl’s reaction was to the twins upon seeing their parents. Then, mere moments later, Akanai’s heart broke as the girl skidded to a halt and reined in her excitement for fear of hurting her crippled betrothed. Well used to the reaction, Rain stood and opened his arms, saying, “Hello beloved. Forgive me for not running over, so you’re going to have to come closer so I can hug you.”

“Idiot.” Uttering her customary greeting, the girl gingerly stepped into the boy’s embrace in full view of everyone around, trembling ever so slightly as if afraid to hurt him. For good reason too, because while Akanai had grown used to his pimpled face and frail form, this was Mila’s first time seeing him in two months. Though his condition had improved in past weeks, it would be a long time before he fully recovered, so to Mila’s fresh eyes, he likely looked no better or perhaps even worse than the last time they met. Akanai still remembered how shocked she’d been when she first saw him after the pup brought him back from Sinuji, a burned, emaciated husk of his former self with agony and suffering etched into his sleeping face.

Akanai almost cursed the pup for a fool right then and there for leaving the boy to needlessly suffer instead of setting him free into the arms of the Mother, but then Rain opened his eyes and smiled. A forced smile, of course, but a smile nonetheless as he quipped, “Hi Grand-Mentor. Be honest: are my eyebrows crooked? Teacher says he grew them back exactly as I had them, but they don’t look right.”

With such firm fortitude and unwavering determination, perhaps Rain might bring about yet another miracle. Though he had yet to say how he planned to mend his shattered Core, one look into his eyes and anyone could see he had yet to give up hope, so Akanai hoped for the best and planned for the worst.

The Legate had already announced he would be visiting all three citadels during the new years celebrations, so Akanai intended to confront him then. If the poncy nobleman refused to give a proper reason as to why he’d ordered Rain to remain in the citadel, then she would bring the boy away to safety even if it meant falling out with the People and the Empire to do so.

“Mother’s tits, how many half-beast women does the Crippled Consort have?”

“Fat lot of good he’ll do them with his broken sword. The tiny thing burned right off in the conflagration, though at least it didn’t take much effort to grow back.”

“Don’t worry, if they’re in need of a good bedroom sparring, I’ve got a greatsword in my trousers and -”

Snarling in fury, Mila charged the offending youngsters and slapped the closest one with an open palm. knocked senseless by her prodigious might, the boorish fop’s teeth went flying through the air as his head bounced on the paved stone ground, and two of his friends soon followed. Had the girl held her temper for another minute and let them talk some more, then perhaps she’d have justifiable cause to trounce the rest of those idiots, but alas, she acted too soon and could only reasonably attack the three who’d opened their mounts.

Though Rain might not care about their disparaging comments, Akanai had long anticipated seeing this very scene unfold before her eyes, and it was still so much better than expected.

Grabbing Mila’s wrist before she laid hands on an ‘innocent’, Akanai flashed a toothy smile at the remaining fops. “That is enough, dear daughter,” she said, speaking slowly as she drank in their shock and disbelief. “The offenders have been punished, but these other children are mere bystanders. They cannot be held responsible for insults given by another’s tongue.” Perhaps this would teach the girl some restraint, for it was mildly unsatisfying to let these others leave unscathed. Each and every one of these pompous dandies had insulted Rain at one point or another, and they deserved far more than a slap across the face.

“The one dressed in red and white alluded to calling myself and Lin beasts.” Delivering the accusation in her customary monotone, Song’s testimony sealed the fate of yet another dandy as Mila backhanded him across the jaw.

With only the whites of his eyes showing, the dandy spun in place and sprayed blood over all his friends before he collapsed into a puddle at Mila’s feet. One hand still caught in Akanai’s grasp, she glared at the remaining dandies and asked, “Anyone else?”

“Yes,” Song replied, but before she could say who, the idiots finally came to their senses and ran away screaming of murder and assault. The soldiers on duty came over to inquire what all the fuss was about, but once Akanai told them why four dandies were lying unconscious in the streets, they merely nodded and dragged the dandies away. None of the fops held rank, so it would be up to their families to report this to an Adjudicator, which would only see them fined for slandering a Captain of the Imperial Defence Forces.

“Oh beloved,” Rain said, wiping the blood off of Mila’s face with a handkerchief. “I appreciate you standing up for my honour, but why let yourself get so worked up over a couple of idiots? If you stop to teach every fool a lesson, then there’ll be no end to the beatings.”

Seeing Mila was still struggling to contain her anger, Akanai smoothed the girl’s hair and replied, “The beatings will end when they learn to show proper respect.” Patting his cheek to show she wasn’t upset, she added, “You should have let your Death Corps handle them weeks ago for insulting you.”

“I disagree.” Though crippled and wounded, Rain had lost none of his nerve as he faced her head on, a feat many of her Sentinels still couldn’t do. “They’re a bunch of idle layabouts with nothing to do during a time of war. What does their opinion matter? Let them wag their tongues all they want; I have better things to do than waste my time on dead weight. Save your anger for people who matter. Besides,” he added with a sniff, "I had plans to deal with them myself."

“Hmph.” Glowering adorably, Mila knuckled Rain’s gaunt cheeks ever so gently. “Two months I’ve been gone, and this is how you greet me? With a lecture?”

“Sorry beloved.” Kissing her hands in a shameless public display of affection, Rain added, “Lunch should be ready soon, so why don’t you head up and say hi to your father before he throws something down and kills me.” Looking up, Akanai saw her husband’s bearded head peeking out from their bedroom window, but only for a second. Knowing him, the big oaf was probably pretending to work because he was too prideful to wait downstairs with Rain where he knew he’d be greeted second, a blow his pride could not sustain. “I’ll wait here.”

Unable to contain her smile, Akanai walked hand in hand with both her daughters, a smile which only brightened as she saw her bear of a husband melt in Mila’s embrace. Dragging Song to join them, they hugged until Mila begged leave to go bathe, claiming she was covered in sweat and dust from her travels. Knowing it was more for Rain than anyone else, Akanai teased her love-struck daughter until her freckled cheeks matched her scarlet hair in colour and intensity before revealing the bathhouse at the pup’s house was ready and waiting.

Oh how wonderful it was to have her family back together again, and she spent the rest of the day catching up with her daughter. They shared a delicious lunch, then went for a stroll in the park, then had dinner at the pup’s house again, and still Akanai was not ready to leave sweet Mila alone, even though she clearly wanted to spend time alone with her beloved. ‘Too bad,’ Akanai thought, squeeze her sweet child tight, for Mila had yet to marry the little scoundrel, so she would have to honour and cherish her parents first.

Thus, though dinner was long done and the hour late, Akanai was still there when BoShui, Dastan, and a few others from Rain’s retinue arrived for a visit. “We have to talk,” Dastan said, eyeing everyone else in the room with suspicion. “In private.”

The telltale signs of Sending shot past and caught Akanai by surprise, but only for a second before she remembered the young Warrior from Sanshu had recently Developed his Domain. BoShui too, making them both top-tier talents amongst their generation, for few achieved such lofty heights before the age of thirty. Still, talent did not mean young Dastan could disrespect Rain’s elders so, and she had half a mind to set him straight before Rain said, “They can hear anything you have to say. I trust my family with everything.” Another Sending shot out and Rain’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? How do you know that?” A pause as Dastan responded through Sending then, “Tch. Me and my big drunk mouth.” Shaking his head, Rain added, “Don’t worry. I already told them about my... err other self. So what about it?”

After confirming they were private, Dastan said, “I think we’ve stumbled across a simple method for Natal Palace Formation and Domain Development. See –”

Cutting him off before he could continue, Akanai barked, “Everyone without a Domain, get out.” Ignoring the girl’s protests, she dragged Mila out herself and sent her away with Song and Lin, telling them not to come back until tomorrow. For good measure, she sent Alsantset and Charok away and even made Rain go to sleep before separating Dastan from the others just so she could hear each of them explain in their own words, because even a minor difference in terminology could turn confusion into comprehension. With only Peak Experts remaining, they sat and listened to Dastan’s explanation, then had him recount his experiences in excruciating detail, and when he was done, they moved on to BoShui, then Sahb, Wang Bao, and lastly, Neera, three more from Rain’s retinue who used his ‘Natal Soul’.... technique, for lack of a better word, to Form their Natal Palaces and Develop their Domains, the latter accomplished by all except BoShui in the last five days, no less.

Despite proof in the form of five successful samples, Akanai still couldn’t believe her ears. It sounded simple, but then again, the Martial Path always did when put in simple terms. Though young Dastan and the others seemed excited by their discovery, it would take several decades before any of them knew if this was truly a viable Path to the Martial Peak. Even if they all failed, this didn’t mean it wasn’t viable, because it was always possible these five were simply unlucky. “Do not spread this method any further than it already has,” she said, knowing the others shared her concerns. “We will speak of this again in the future.”

Though obviously displeased, Dastan and BoShui agreed to hold their tongues before they left, and as Akanai watched all five prominent Experts stride off into the night, she could only shake her head at the sheer madness of it all. Not only was Rain’s mental instability somehow responsible for his achievements, Dastan and BoShui somehow turned the boy’s drunk slip of the tongue into a ‘simple and easy’ method to reach the Peak.

Perhaps BoShui was right and Rain truly was the Chosen Son of the Mother...