Gleam - Chapter 158 (Patreon)

Chance was surprised to find that he couldn’t remember a single detail about Wren’s master other than the fact that the man had been strikingly plain. He couldn’t recall the man’s face or hair color. He couldn’t even remember if he was tall or short, fat or thin.

The harder he tried to recall what the man looked like, the less he could actually see. It was as if thinking about him stripped the very thoughts from his mind, until the only thing that remained was the mere concept of plain.

They were halfway down the path leading up to the massive mansion when the door swung open. A man stepped out from within it – and even though Chance didn’t recognize his appearance in the slightest, he knew who it was instantly.

“Wren,” the man said, a smile passing over his plain face. “You returned earlier than I expected, and with friends.”

“Master,” Wren said, coming to a stop along with the others and inclining his head in respect. “A lot has happened. We were hoping you might be able to help us.”

“We are always able to help each other, but the extent of that help remains to be seen. You have the stench of a great sickness on you.” Wren’s master looked from him to the others. His eyes landed on Chance and he tilted his head slightly to the side. “Among other things.”

“We think there’s a huge threat to Gleam,” Wren said. He glanced over his shoulder at the street behind them. They were far from in a private area. “Can they…”

“Of course. Please, follow me. The weary are always welcome in my home.” The plain cultivator turned and headed back into the house, leaving the door open behind him. They all followed him in.

In stark contrast to the extravagant outside of the mansion, the hallway the door led into was surprisingly plain. That wasn’t to say it was of poor quality. The rug was a dull white, but even through Chance’s shoes, it felt like stepping on clouds.

It was surprisingly colorless, and vaguely resembled walking down a white void lined with plain doors. The only decoration came in the form of vases placed upon the occasional uncarved marble pillar.

Each vase only had a single flower within it – but each flower was flawless. They were full petaled and as full of life as if they were upon the bush that they had grown upon. There wasn’t a single wrinkled petal or crooked stem.

“I feel like I’m walking through a painting,” Bella whispered.

“Was their other house not like this?” Chance asked in the same tone.

“It was similar, but nothing to this level. This is…”

“Surreal,” Yeo finished. “Wren, can I touch the flowers?”

“I suggest against it.”

“That means don’t do it,” Bella put in.

“I know that,” Yeo grumbled. “I’m not an idiot, Bella.”

“Debatable.”

They turned down a corner in the hall, stepping through an open doorway to emerge into a living room. Several large, plush couches sat in a square surrounding a small table with another vase bearing a single flower within it.

Wren’s master had already lowered himself into the couch at the far end. He gestured for them to take a seat, and all of them hurried to oblige. A wave of relief washed over Chance the instant his back touched the soft pillows.

They sank in beneath him, supporting his weight just enough to keep him from vanishing within their depths. Of everything that he had slept in since arriving at Gleam, the couch was somehow one of the most comfortable things he could recall.

Bella sat down beside him and leaned against his chest as the couch slid them even closer together. Yeo took one look at the two of them and then sat down on the couch to their left.

“I like you guys, but not enough to snuggle,” Yeo informed them.

“No offense taken,” Bella said through a content yawn.

Wren laughed and sat down on the couch across from Yeo. He crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back as if he didn’t have a care in the world. For people that weren’t Karma cultivators, Wren and his Master were strikingly relaxed.

“Thank you for having us,” Chance said. “I hope we don’t dirty your couches. We’ve just been…”

“Purging filth from the city. I can smell the sickness fading from you – but do not concern yourself with objects. What purpose are they if not to provide comfort? They can be cleaned.” A gentle smile passed over the man’s face. “And there is no item in this universe that I would value over satisfaction. But before we continue any further, I do not believe we have ever properly been introduced.”

Chance’s cheeks reddened and he tried to straighten up, but the couch – and Bella’s comforting weight against him – made it almost impossible to do anything other than wiggle.

“I’m Chance,” he said lamely. “This is Bella, and Yeo is sitting to my left.”

“You may call me Zeugma. And I believe you are already well acquaintance with my student, Wren.”

“He’s been a huge help,” Bella said. “I can honestly say that I think we’d probably all be dead without him.”

“The will of the universe can be difficult to read. Fate does not always weave itself as one would predict,” Zeugma said with a small smile. “But I am pleased to hear that Wren has been of aid. Now – tell me why you are cloaked in the stench of death.”

“There were Essence Eaters in the city,” Wren said, his expression growing serious. He leaned forward in the couch, which was a feat in of itself. “A lot of them. By the time I met up with everyone, they had already killed a number of the cursed things.”

“Essence Eaters within Gleam?” Zeguma’s calm expression shifted into a frown. “That is an ill omen. Monsters that powerful should not have been able to take residence within Gleam in great numbers. I could see one slipping through the cracks, but multiple is no mere coincidence.”

“It wasn’t just the Essence Eaters. There was… something else,” Wren said. A shudder ran down his back. “I don’t know what it was, but it was huge. Hundreds of feet long, with a black centipede body and the head of–”

“A young child,” Zeguma’s eyes sharpened as he finished Wren’s sentence. He rose to his feet. “A Lifereaver. Where is it? How did you escape?”

“We didn’t escape. Chance killed it,” Wren said.

Zeguma’s eyes flicked to Chance. There was a shimmer of shock within them, but peace replaced it after no more than an instant.

“Your Karma is powerful… but not that powerful,” Zeguma said. He tilted his head to the side and sat back in his couch, interlacing his fingers and setting his hands in his lap. “How did you kill a Lifereaver?”

“I think I accidentally pissed the universe off and it tried to kill me,” Chance replied. “But, luckily for me, there was a giant monster in between me and the universe.”

Zeguma nearly rose from his seat again before he caught himself and lowered back into the pillows. His eyes traced over Chance, a faint furrow of disbelief in his brow. It was replaced with a disbelieving laugh.

“You called Tribulation Lightning? How did you offend the universe to such a degree?”

“I asked it for help, then told it that I didn’t like its idea. Just… not in a very polite way,” Chance said sheepishly.

“And then you used the Lifereaver as a sponge to absorb the strike?” Zeguma shook his head and ran a hand through his thinning hair. “It is a miracle you still live. Do you know of what you fought?”

“The Lifereaver? No,” Chance said. “I’m assuming it was just a really powerful Essence Eater or something.”

“It is not. An Essence Eater consumes people’s flesh and stores their souls within itself, trapping them and drawing on their power. They are horrid monsters.” Zeguma’s features darkened as he spoke. “But Lifereavers are far worse. They do not just trap the souls within them. They consume the souls themselves, removing them from the natural order forever. These souls are not freed, even upon death. Lifereavers grow larger with the number of souls they have consumed and are driven by an endless hunger to continue to eat.”

Chance’s stomach clenched. “You mean the thing we killed–”

“Was a young Lifereaver, I suspect,” Zeguma said. “Wren said it was only a few hundred feet long. They can grow to be the size of small cities if left unchecked. Every time a Lifereaver has appeared, the Shikari will send some of their strongest warriors to eliminate it before it can grow. If one was within Gleam’s walls… something is deeply wrong. Lifereavers are immensely difficult to kill. You do not have any idea how lucky you were to have killed it with Tribulation Lightning. Then again, you are a Karma cultivator. Perhaps you do know. Mayhap that Tribulation Lightning was never meant for you.”

“The universe was definitely trying to get rid of it,” Chance said. “I’m not sure if that had anything to do with the reason it tried to squish me, though. I felt the universe’s anger. It wanted me gone. Can you tell me anything else about the Tribulation Lightning?”

Zeguma’s features creased and he let out a slow sigh. “It is something that is concealed from younger cultivators to prevent you from going astray on your path, but I suspect it may be too late for that now. Tribulation Lightning occurs when a cultivator grows powerful enough to begin intentionally deviating from the path they follow and truly forging their own way in the world.”

“Isn’t that the whole point of cultivation?” Yeo asked. “Forging your own path?”

“You would think so, but the truth of the matter is that the universe is a vast, vast place,” Zeguma said with an understanding smile. “Nothing that most of us do is truly unique. We follow a path that has been walked by another before – or, at least we do for a very long time. Eventually, that is no longer the case. The universe does not like change. And, when something truly new occurs within it, it lashes out.”

“But I didn’t do anything new,” Chance said.

“There is another, less common reason the universe would call Tribulation Lightning down on something. When someone stands in complete and utter opposition to it – as it sounds like you have.”

“Is Chance in danger?” Bella asked nervously. “Is it going to happen again?”

“Immediate danger? I suspect not, but it is impossible to know anything for certain,” Zeguma said after a moment of thought. “The universe is even more bound by its rules than we are. It will not be able to strike at him until he draws its ire again – or when he attempts to transcend a great boundary.”

“What does that mean?” Yeo asked. “And how can we make sure that doesn’t happen?”

“I cannot say.” Zeguma’s lips pursed. “I have already said more than I would have liked. Had you not all seen what happened, I would speak nothing of it at all. Let it suffice to say that it is incredibly unlikely Chance will be able to draw down more Tribulation Lightning any time soon. Be wary, though. When you grow powerful enough to summon it once more, it will be even greater the second time around.”

Can’t say I’m surprised about that. Guess I’ll have to find another big ass monster to hide behind.

“What of the Lifereaver, then?” Chance asked. “Do you know anything about how it could have gotten into the city? We think it’s possible the Shikari may be… compromised.”

“A deeply concerning possibility, but one we cannot dismiss,” Zeguma said. He didn’t look surprised so much as weary. “Tell me what you have discovered.”