Fates Parallel Chapter 398 - Destiny (Patreon)

Yoshika gave Zheng Long some space to recover while she finished cleaning up the last of Melati’s rogue drones. The work went quickly, especially after the majority were dealt with and Melati herself began to help the culling efforts. Less than a minute after they’d reduced her numbers below a thousand, a nearby drone turned to Yoshika with a bitter smile.

“That’s the last of us. Just ten Melatis left.”

Jia confirmed it within her domain and nodded.

“Good work—and sorry about your hive.”

“No, Melati is sorry. We should have listened to Lingling. We’re not strong enough for such a big hive yet—not like Yoshi.”

“I don’t know about that. Before ascending I couldn’t really manage more than three bodies without clever tricks and even now we’re struggling with six. You were controlling nearly a thousand at once.”

Melati wobbled her head back and forth, humming.

“Different. Yoshi’s hive is all queens, but Melati is just Melati. And we use tricks too. Easy when half of us do nothing. When we awakened—the old Melati moved her entire hive as one.”

“I’m sure you will again, one day.”

“Thank you, Yoshi. And for helping us, even though we were supposed to get the magic thing before you.”

Jia chuckled.

“I don’t think you knew what you were getting into. Which, come to think of it, is pretty unlike Do Hye. Even the Awakening Dragon sect tried to prepare omnidisciplinary cultivators. He’s always going on about preparation, so you’d think he would have been more selective with his representatives—er, no offense.”

Melati giggled.

“It’s fine! We are much weaker than Yoshi. But Snake man is sneaky—maybe he wanted us to help, and knew that we would follow the strongest.”

Kaede agreed with Melati’s speculation. Do Hye’s plans relied on Yoshika, so it stood to reason that he’d chosen fiends that would specifically get along with her. Melati in particular was a very auspicious choice.

Jia pursed her lips.

“Why are you here anyway? I know Ruiling wants an in with the Dragon Lord—or at least to avoid his wrath, and Sukarto seems to be committed to following her, but what do you get out of it?”

Melati frowned and buzzed her wings.

“Lingling and Karto are nice, but most villagers don’t like Melati. Awakened are usually strong enough for people to fear and respect, even if they don’t like them, but not us. We’re not strong, just tough. Villagers would just kill Melati if they could. They’ve tried.”

“So you just wanted to stay close to the only people who treated you kindly?”

Mel hesitated, casting conspiratorial glances around her.

“We want to help Lingling and Karto, but that’s not the real reason. Don’t tell them, but...we aren’t going back to the village. People don’t like Melati, and we’re not good at being people. After this, we’ll find another island without people—or get eaten by a leviathan while we look.”

“I—Mel, I promise to hold your words in the confidence that they were given, but could we discuss that later? I don’t think you should give up so quickly.”

“Of course! Melati is glad to have a friend that understands us.”

Jia smiled.

“Me too, even if I am a little worried that Do Hye set us up somehow. I’d better go check on Zheng Long, though.”

“Okay! Bye Yoshi!”

Melati flew off, leaving Yoshika alone with her thoughts. In truth, she didn’t need to dismiss her like that—Eunae was already in Zheng Long’s hut, keeping an eye on him.

“How are you feeling?”

He didn’t respond at first, but she waited patiently until his eyes snapped into focus and he jerked as though he’d only just noticed her presence.

“Oh! Miss Seong...I’m fine. Apart from the constant unspeakable pain. I feel like I’m in a dream—like nothing is real, except the pain.”

“Damaged as you are, you’re still a xiantian cultivator now, you experience the world differently. It’s just as well, too, the changes you made to your soul would have killed you as certainly as Xiao Chong’s assault otherwise.”

“Yes...a pity.”

Eunae frowned.

“I understand how you must feel, but I promise you that the pain will fade with time. It did for us.”

He blinked, slowly.

“For...? Oh, I see. I can feel it now. Miss Seong’s not really here. It’s you, as always. Was—was it really like this? What Yue did to you?”

“I...can’t say for certain. The only person who knows exactly what you’re experiencing is you, but yes I think so. When Jia and Eui were forced apart, it felt like a piece had been torn from us, that would never be repaired. We can still remember that pain, as raw as the day it happened, if we think about it.”

Zheng Long stared blankly for a long time, and for a moment Eunae worried that he’d slipped out of lucidity again before he broke the silence.

“I’m sorry.”

More than the words themselves, the emotion behind them staggered her. Two words, spoken quietly, yet more powerful and more sincere than anything she’d ever heard from him. Eunae chose her words carefully.

“You did what you thought you had to.”

“No. Yue is right about me. She...she knows what she did—accepts it. She doesn’t hide from the truth. When we fought on that mountain...Lee Jia called me delusional. I was. I still am. I thought...I thought I was above it all. No matter what happened, I would rise beyond it. No matter who I trampled underfoot, they would deserve it. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

Eunae sighed.

“I appreciate the apology, but I can’t accept it when you’re using it as a means of self-flagellation. Try again when you’ve rekindled that burning spirit of yours, and then we can see about forgiving you.”

He chuckled mirthlessly.

“Where...did the others go?”

“Han Yu dragged Yu Xiang off to help him craft an elixir to speed your recovery, Yue left to discuss strategy with Kaede, and the others are busy dealing with a minor emergency.”

Well, the emergency was dealt with, but that was a minor detail.

“And you?”

“We need to talk about what you learned in that scroll.”

Zheng Long leaned back against the mud brick walls and stared up at the ceiling.

“I see. It’s the least I could do after you saved my life, I suppose, but I don’t think I have the answers you’re looking for.”

“Was there anything in the scroll that might give us a hint about this place? Or a technique that we might use to disrupt it?”

He met her eyes, and for a moment, Yoshika saw a glimmer of Zheng Long’s former confident swagger in his gaze.

“There was power in that bamboo slip, to be sure. ‘The Art of Godslaying’ isn’t just a fanciful title. As I am, the Godslaying Art is beyond my means to comprehend, much less teach or replicate.”

“But...?”

“But the more salient portion of the text lies in its subtitle—‘The True Meaning of Heavenly Defiance.’ While the scroll contained practical techniques, the vast majority of it was dedicated to philosophy. The Bloody Sovereign, it seems, was quite a thoughtful character.”

Eunae frowned. She trusted Zheng Long to know what he was talking about, but she wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

“That tends to be true of most jade slips as well. Especially the ones from Qin.”

Zheng Long chuckled lightly.

“I suppose so, but this was more than that. It was...how can I describe it? Do you know what Sovereign Chou called himself?”

“Jianmo said that he forgot his name and simply let people call him whatever they wanted.”

“Not quite true. He discarded his name intentionally, and refused to give himself another. Others could call him whatever they would, but to him he was simply ‘I.’ He needed no other definition.”

Yoshika still didn’t understand.

“He said that in the scroll?”

“No. Another thing—though they called him ‘Sovereign,’ Chou never held territory or ruled over subjects. He never became a ‘god’ in the sense of other deities, who preside over mortal worlds—not even in his final quest to gain the ultimate power of a demiurge.”

“Why not? And I thought you didn’t know Chou’s life story.”

Zheng Long sighed and shook his head.

“I still don’t. But I understand it. His story wasn’t written in ‘The Art of Godslaying’ but his beliefs were, and they were...comprehensive. I’m sure it must be frustrating to you the way I speak of it, but there’s far too much for me to explain it clearly. I know he had no name, and that he kept no subjects—not because I know it is true, but because it must be true.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Nor do I—not entirely. I may well be meditating on these revelations for as long as I live. However, for the same reasons I know he had no name, I know that this treatise was written at the end of his life, and that it was left here as a warning.”

Eunae cocked her head curiously.

“Warning of what?”

Zheng Long furrowed his brows, his eyes becoming unfocused and distant as he spoke.

“It’s...hard to describe, exactly. Another thing not stated outright, but which I can derive with absolute certainty. The core tenant around which Chou’s ultimate philosophy was formed—indeed, the very basis of my own ascension—is the same revelation which broke him.”

Eunae swallowed nervously. Why would Zheng Long form his domain around such a thing?

“Which is?”

He met her gaze with an intensity that matched and even exceeded his former fire.

“Fate is real. To truly defy the heavens, one must change the course of their own destiny. And, if my interpretation of Chou’s writing is correct, not a single entity has ever done so. I don’t think he believed that any ever would, either.”

“So the warning is just—what, it’s impossible? ‘Just give up’?”

He shrugged.

“In so many words, I suppose. I didn’t find it disheartening. I’ve always believed I was meant for greatness, and I didn’t hesitate to embrace such a powerful law as part of my cultivation. Only to stumble on the very first step on that path.”

“That’s...very like you.”

“How diplomatic of you. The Fox Princess’ influence, I suppose?”

Eunae crossed her arms and frowned.

“I hate that name. I’m not my ancestor just because I happen to share her power. A power which I used to heal you, by the way.”

He bowed his head.

“You’re right. My apologies.”

She reached forward and flicked his head.

“Don’t apologize—do better next time! I’m glad you’re feeling well enough to banter, but you should choose your words more carefully.”

“I will. Was I able to make your efforts to help me worthwhile?”

Eunae sighed.

“I didn’t help you for mercenary reasons. Your knowledge made it a higher priority, but there was never any question that I’d do everything in my power to make sure you recovered.”

“I appreciate it, but that doesn’t answer the question.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t really get us any closer to solving our problems, but at least I think I know what I need to do now.”

He relaxed against the wall and sighed.

“Well, that’s good. What is it, if I may ask?”

Yoshika stood up and dusted herself off, glancing out the window at the looming palace on the horizon.

“We need to talk to Sovereign Chou again. To find out what he really wants.”