Fates Parallel Chapter 129 - Embodiment (Patreon)

Jia and Eui were still riding the high of their first kiss as they made their way to the meeting with Master Ienaga. Her first kiss! Jia was beside herself with excitement. Okay, so maybe technically there was the time that Ienaga had resuscitated her, or the time that she had done the same for Eui, but those didn’t count. Jia now felt completely vindicated in her assertion that those hadn’t counted. Her first kiss—her actual first kiss—had been completely different. It wasn’t just about the act, but the emotion behind it that made it a real kiss. Of course, it hadn’t been Eui’s first kiss, for all that she had felt the same way that Jia did, but she waved that thought away.

Yan Yue turned out to be right—they were late, and the sun had already begun to set by the time Jia reached the western gate with Eui. Ienaga Yumi was waiting for them in her usual red armor, sword at her hip, and brown hair tied up in a long ponytail. Jia had never seen her wearing anything else, come to think of it. Hayakawa was there as well, and seeing them at the same time, it was almost comical the way that her stance, expression, and even the way she tied her red hair were all the same as Ienaga. Despite technically being political rivals, it was clear that Hayakawa Kaede idolized Ienaga as much as most of the other students from Yamato did, if not more.

Though the somewhat surly martial arts instructor was usually quite strict about tardiness, she made no comment about Jia and Eui being late. Instead, she gestured for them to follow and let the three girls to a field just outside of the campus. Once they arrived, she began speaking without pretense.

“You all performed well during the tournament. Before I get to the reason I called you out, I have a few criticisms. Think of it as an impromptu extra lesson—and I promise it will be relevant to what I need to tell you.”

The girls stirred slightly at that, but they’d been taking lessons with Ienaga for a year by now, and they quickly snapped to attention as they listened to Ienaga’s lecture.

“Lee, Hayakawa, your progress with the ultimate techniques of your styles is exemplary, but you’ve both run into a common pitfall among talented martial artists—you’ve allowed your power to outstrip your technical mastery.”

Jia’s eyes widened in surprise, and she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Hayakawa’s expression of consternation. She knew that her own mastery was a bit lacking, but Hayakawa? She was a paragon of perfect performance. Ienaga noticed their confusion and explained.

“In Lee’s case it is understandable, given her background—though it must still be corrected—but for you, Hayakawa, it’s your pursuit of perfection that has sabotaged you. You should never have been able to use the Weightless Fist at such an early stage, and you developed some bad habits to accommodate that ability which now hold you back.”

Hayakawa grimaced slightly, but nodded.

“It is as you say, Master. Despite my breakthrough, I have struggled to improve my mastery over the ultimate technique of my clan.”

Ienaga shook her head.

“It’s normal for one’s progress to slow dramatically in the third stage, even without other disciplines splitting your attention. Your problem runs deeper than that, you have deeply ingrained habits which need to be unlearned. Allow me to demonstrate.”

As she finished speaking, Ienaga disappeared completely. Jia blinked in surprise, but immediately whirled around to confirm the impossible feeling within her domain—Ienaga was right behind them.

“Mujuuryoku. The Weightless Fist. It’s a very complicated technique, and the fact that you were able to use it at all at such a low level is remarkable. However, you don’t use it properly—a waste of it’s full potential and yours.”

All three girls gaped in shock. Hayakawa’s mouth worked as if trying and failing to find the words.

“How—?”

There had been no clap of displaced air, no disturbance of air from the sudden movement, no indication whatsoever that Ienaga had moved at all. It was as though she had teleported—but even Dae’s spell had made a sort of popping sound when he had cast it.

“There is a reason these techniques are typically reserved for the ki embodiment stage. Understand that it’s not because I am a xiantian stage cultivator that I was able to perform the technique instantly. Lee and Hayakawa, both of you have made the same mistake—you use your ki as if you are still in the second stage. Why did you transform part of your body into ki if not to use it?”

As if to demonstrate, Ienaga’s body instantly shifted into a storm of blue-violet lightning, and she returned to her original position with a series of perfect lightning steps that each left the ground scorched in her wake. How did she do that? What kind of affinity would let her transition so smoothly from gravity to lightning like that?

“Out of the three of you, An is the closest to using her third stage techniques correctly.”

Eui snorted.

“I don’t use mine at all.”

“Precisely. That was the right decision, especially for you, An. Only one master has completed the fifth arm and survived. Unlike the other two, you cannot afford flaws in your technique—an imperfect execution of the Fifth Arm of Asura will be your death, as it was for many of your predecessors.”

Eui swallowed nervously and nodded, her expression becoming solemn again.

“You should be able to wield the full power of your techniques freely, and tap into it at a moment’s notice. Ki embodiment is more than just a way to wield a greater amount of power—which brings me to the actual purpose of this meeting. I...may owe you girls an apology.”

Ienaga Yumi chewed on her lip for a moment before taking a deep breath—it was an uncharacteristically vulnerable expression.

“The common theory of a xiantian ascension through cultivation of the body being impossible is...not really wrong. Or rather, it’s based on a pitfall that I haven’t found the solution for after over a century of effort.”

The girls glanced at each other uneasily, but it was Jia who ventured to ask the obvious question.

“Um, how did you do it, then?”

Ienaga sighed, shaking her head.

“It’s a long story, and very personal, but I suppose I owe it to you to explain as much as I can. First, let me explain the reason why ascension is impossible. Ki embodiment requires us to convert a portion of our body into ki—pure energy. The conversion is never perfect, and some of the body’s function is lost in the process. Some masters do better than others, but nobody has ever managed a perfect conversion.

“In theory, one would eventually convert their entire body into ki—an immortal body. Unfortunately, it’s not so simple in practice. Eventually you run out of parts that can be safely converted. A wall, where further cultivation is no longer possible without losing critical function in the body and causing death. Nobody—not even me—has ever found an answer to that problem.”

She frowned, turning to gaze up at the sun, now starting to dip under the horizon.

“What my uncle found was an alternative. He felt that the essence of his craft—his path—was that of creation. He sought to find a method to create an immortal body, or a way to preserve one’s life beyond the human limits of ki conversion. What he ended up creating was...me—what I am now. A homunculus.

“I was already at the peak of the third stage, around the same age as you are now—almost a century ago. Murayoshi needed someone with my talent to test the ritual, but when he found out that it was me who volunteered, he nearly refused to go through with it. It was my father who convinced him. The ritual required the intact core of a fiend, and a willing spirit to bridge the gap between body and soul. The ritual was not swift. It took years, during which I had to cultivate through constant pain as my body was changed. I should have died a thousand times over, but the ritual sustained my soul through it all.”

Ienaga turned to face the girls again, her face a mask of anger and regret.

“When I finally broke through, the first thing I saw was my own corpse. My new, immortal body formed around the core, at the cost of my humanity. Worse, the spirit attempted to take possession of my former body, and the tribulation that came for my breakthrough annihilated it, body and soul, without so much as touching me. Everything about it felt wrong. Murayoshi swore that he would never conduct the ritual again, and that he would take the secret of it to his grave. When my father demanded that he continue his work, Murayoshi renounced the Ienaga name and fled the province.”

That was a lot to take in, and the atmosphere was solemn as the girls processed what Master Ienaga had told them. Hayakawa frowned as she broke the silence.

“Does Murayoshi’s presence here indicate a change of heart? If not, is it possible to conduct the ritual without his expertise? Surely your experience with the ritual would go a long way towards reverse-engineering it.”

Jia stared at Hayakawa incredulously. That was her takeaway? Ienaga smiled sadly and shook her head.

“No. If anything, he’s here to make sure that doesn’t happen. I agree with him—I won’t go into detail, but that ritual was monstrous. He’s right to be ashamed of it, and I regret ever taking part in it, regardless of the power I gained.”

Hayakawa scowled, crossing her arms and tossing her hair as she glared at Ienaga.

“That’s easy for you to say—you’re already the most powerful martial artist in the world. You’ll have to forgive me for being sceptical of your motives when you say you plan to hoard that power for yourself!”

“That’s not my intention at all. I’ve spent the last century trying to find a better way.”

“To no avail, you said. Did you really call us here just to say that we’d never reach your level?”

Jia watched the argument unfold anxiously, but Eui raised a hand as she interrupted.

“Hey, I know you guys are getting all heated up but uh...did you say that the problem with the normal method is that nobody had ever perfectly recreated their body with ki?”

Jia looked up, her eyes widening as she realized what Eui was saying. Ienaga frowned and nodded.

“That’s right—something is always lost in the process of ki embodiment. Many masters have died trying to push past the human limits.”

Jia and Eui exchanged glances, then as one, turned back to Ienaga and Hayakawa. Yoshika recalled her breakthrough and nodded, focusing her domain inwards to confirm her recollection. She spoke in Jia’s voice—Hayakawa still didn’t know about Yoshika, and she didn’t care to change that.

“We did. I mean—only partially, but it was the last thing we did before the tribulation hit us. I couldn’t even begin to describe how we did it, but it was like...a sudden understanding.”

Ienaga stood dumbfounded, but her eyes sharpened quickly.

“How do you know it’s a perfect replication? If you’ve lost the flash of insight that allowed you to break through, then how does your cultivation advance?”

Yoshika recognized the look on Ienaga’s face—it was the same one that she saw so often on Magus Hwang and Do Hye, the look of a scholar who had just found a new piece of data to study.

“We can examine ourselves through our domain. The flash of insight only lasted long enough for us to transform a tiny portion of our bodies into ki, but that same insight is where our confidence comes from. The part that we transformed is like...a blueprint. As we cultivate, more of our body will slowly transform, following and building on that pattern.”

Ienaga held her chin and murmured to herself.

“How—a domain? Would it be possible to...”

Hayakawa’s frown had only deepened as they spoke, and she turned to address Yoshika.

“I don’t see how that helps anyone else. If what you say is true, then it’s already too late for those of us who’ve broken through ‘incorrectly’.”

Yoshika frowned thoughtfully, then shook Jia’s head.

“Maybe not. With better developed souls and mana senses, it might be possible to...reform the basis of your ki embodiment?”

Hayakawa’s brows furrowed as she cocked her head.

“That...could work, I suppose—again, assuming what you say is true. I don’t see what the other disciplines have to do with it, though.”

Yoshika ran her hands through her hair, groaning in frustration.

“It’s hard to explain—they’re all connected. Your mind is your soul. Your soul is your body. Cultivating one and not the others is like—like only training a single arm, instead of your whole body. I think that a perfect ki embodiment requires an understanding of that connection.”

Ienaga looked thoughtful, but Hayakawa put her hands on her hips, looking even more frustrated.

“You think that you know better than thousands of years of martial tradition based on some hunch you got during your breakthrough? Because you survived an early tribulation? I acknowledge your talents, Lee Jia, but you’ve grown arrogant because of them!”

Yoshika grimaced—was that what Hayakawa thought of her? She was responding angrily with Eui’s voice before she realized it.

“We’re just trying to help! We know what we experienced, and we don’t need your approval to validate it! If you’re too busy looking down on us commoners to accept it, then it’s your loss! I get it—we’re not good enough to be your friend, and now that you ‘won’ your match against Jia, we’re entirely beneath you.”

Hayakawa snarled her response.

“How dare you!? I never once—”

“ENOUGH!”

Ienaga’s shout silenced the three arguing girls. She leveled each of them with a glare of abject disappointment.

“I will work with Magus Hwang to confirm Lee and An’s findings. There’s...some merit to the ideas. The purpose of this academy is to combine the disciplines, not steal secrets. I was already going to suggest that training in the other disciplines first may lead us to finding a better way for body cultivators to ascend, and this has only reinforced that.”

She sighed heavily.

“I only meant to explain why my path was not to be followed, and reassure you that we would find another way. I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you, but some things go against more than just the will of the heavens. You’re dismissed for now. And girls—?”

Ienaga’s face softened into another sad smile.

“Please don’t fight. It pains me to see my most beloved disciples so at odds with each other.”

All three girls blushed as they bowed respectfully to their martial arts master.

“Yes, Master Ienaga.”

Ienaga left at a pace that the girls couldn’t follow, leaving them to return to the campus on their own in awkward silence. Since they were both headed back to the girls’ dorms, Yoshika couldn’t even make an excuse to make her way back home separately from Hayakawa. To her surprise, it was Hayakawa who broke the tense silence.

“I didn’t win.”

Yoshika blinked, nonplussed.

“What?”

“I didn’t win our duel. It was a draw—no, it was your win. I was only given the victory because it was politically expedient to do so. I don’t think that you are beneath me.”

Yoshika felt her irritation mounting. It reminded her of Yan Yue’s early non-apologetic attempts to make amends while preserving her wounded pride by refusing to admit fault.

“Really!? You refused our friendship, tried to recruit us as servants, then you accused us of lying about our cultivation and called us arrogant! You pay lip service to being equals, but you have never backed it up with action!”

Hayakawa froze mid-stride, glaring at Eui.

“That’s not—I didn’t—it’s more complicated than that!”

Yoshika crossed Eui’s arms and looked askance at Hayakawa.

“Is it? Really? Why don’t you explain it for us then? Why is it so impossible for us to be equals that refuse to even entertain the idea of being friends? Or is it just a facade, like Yue says?”

Hayakawa pursed her lips, and Yoshika immediately regretted invoking Yue’s name.

“We are equals here, in the academy. I’ve explained this before! I can’t make friends here, because as soon as I leave, I will have the weight of an entire nation on my shoulders.”

“So what!? Is it written somewhere that the shogun or whatever has to be lonely? Are you not allowed to have friends?”

“Not friends that are—”

Hayakawa cut herself off, averting her eyes as Yoshika narrowed her own angrily, switching to Jia’s voice.

“Say it, Hayakawa. ‘Not friends that are’ what?”

She clenched her fists, and the shadows across her face made it difficult to read her expression.

“A ruler does not have the luxury of choosing her friends—not when the fate of the nation is in her hands. When my every action could be the difference between prosperity and ruin, I can’t afford to have my feelings swayed by...”

“By commoners? Foreigners? Enemies? In the end it’s all the same. I don’t know which is more demeaning—the idea that we’re beneath you, or the fact that you think so poorly of yourself that something like ‘having friends’ would discredit you as a leader.”

“Jia, that’s not—”

Yoshika shook her head, cutting off Hayakawa’s protest.

“Stop! I don’t want to hear it anymore. You’ve made yourself clear already. Just leave us alone.”

Yoshika stormed off ahead, and Hayakawa mercifully let her create some distance before following after. To return the favor, Yoshika withdrew her domain and pretended not to notice Hayakawa wiping her eyes with a sleeve.