Mana 4 Ch 1 (Patreon)

The wind flapped at my robes as I stood on the very peak of the floating mountain. The Ferrymen sect lay out below me, sprawling down the mountainside. Thousands of disciples worked dedicatedly to progress their cultivation.

All of them would kill to stand at the peak of the mountain and absorb the rich, pure mana that flowed out from the top and cascaded down to them.

But even this concentration of mana felt diluted to me now. I’d been cultivating the immortal mana from the portal for over thirty years. Cultivating at the top of the mountain was like trying to get drunk on lake water after pouring a jug of wine into the lake. The immortal mana was just so rich compared to the mana of this world.

Thirty years had brought more peace across the sects.

At least, as peaceful as a world of cultivators could be.

Constant conflict between the sects and the wilderness toughened disciples, tempered them so they could be sharpened to a finer point with their cultivation. Struggles helped mages progress. Like diamonds, they needed pressure to form. I’d learned that through my own experiences.

I’d been part of a generation toughened through the corruption of the Sun and Moon Hall sect. We’d managed to come together, but it had almost been too late. And it had taken a long time to dig out of the chaos that was left when they were finally defeated.

My own cultivation had taken over a year to recover, and Kat’s took almost a decade.

I faced into the wind, letting the air batter my face as I breathed deeply, remembering the long road to recovery. It had been difficult to accept my weakened body as it healed.

But we had recovered and pushed our sect forward, building our own cultivation to the peak of this world. And now, I coached and helped mold the future generation of mages, but there was an empty space in me, wanting to push myself further. To become something stronger.

The kids, eighteen in total, had all matured. I’d said before that we’d go to the immortal world after that. But… something kept holding me back.

Growing bored with looking out over the mountain, I tried to decide what I should do to fill my time.

I could always go visit Jonny again. We could make it three hundred and forty-eight to one hundred and twelve, or maybe he could manage to surprise me again with a new use of his domain. I smiled. Despite his heavy loss, he still swore he’d come back to beat me.

Shifting to head off, I heard a familiar flap of wings behind me.

“Master!” Aurora’s arms came around my waist. “I’m booooored.” She rubbed her face into my back.

I smiled. Aurora had been a big part of my recovery. I could always count on my mana beast to cheer me up and push me further.

“Maybe we should go find a mana beast for my fourth ring?” I offered with a smile, already knowing how she’d react.

She whipped around to look at me face to face her wings flaping just enough to keep her aloft. “No! They are all so young. We looked last year, and there weren’t any that we agreed could share you.” Her arms crossed under her impressive bust, and I drank in one of the most beautiful women in my life.

Aurora dressed herself in green robes with gold details, spun of her own mana. Her great wings flapped behind her, and the light caught in her hair such that it shone like gold. No matter how long we’d been together, she could still awe me.

“I’m just teasing you. I know what we agreed to. We’ll wait for the few third rank beasts we’ve been watching to reach their fourth rank.”

Aurora nodded rapidly. “The others have such weak bloodlines; the good ones all disappeared with the last accession. Maybe we could…” She trailed off, but I knew where she was going. We had the conversation multiple times. I’d been putting off heading into the immortal world.

So many unknowns lay beyond that portal; would I even survive the transition? A part of me was curious, and desired the challenge to ease out of my boredom, but it was also hard to say that my life wasn’t amazing.

“I know. I promised, and it will happen. But it’s hard to leave what I know and love behind.”

“Of course, but we’ll come with you.” Aurora was quick to assure me, but she wasn’t including my entire family in that statement. My three mana beasts would come with me, but the girls were a different story.

Thea spent her days now plucking unfortunate kids out of trouble. If I had thought of those all as my adopted kids by the way Thea managed them, I’d be the father of several thousand at the moment. But through her tutelage, the Tiger Clan had become the dominant clan in the sect by a large margin.

I couldn’t see her leaving them, and there was always another lost child she was collecting.

The girls each had their own lives, ones that they seemed more content to continue living. But I also couldn’t imagine my life without them. They were a part of me and after everything we’d done together, the idea of being without them ripped my heart in two.

Kat and Michelle were the only two who I thought could be happy if they came with me. The others had more that tied them to this world. Leaving them behind was a difficult thought to swallow.

“Master.” Aurora poked my cheek. “You’re having moody thoughts again, aren’t you?”

“No.” I lied.

“Suuure.” Aurora’s wings flapped, and she started to lazily circle me. She really was bored. “Catch me master!” She folded in her wings and started plummeting.

I watched after her, wondering if she was going to break herself out of the fall. At this point in my life, besides my family, I wouldn’t have even watched. I’d grown callused in the past years. Just because you can save someone doesn’t mean you have to.

But this was Aurora and truthfully, I wasn’t even sure if a fall from this height would hurt her. Yet, her wings stayed flat against her back as she fell, waving her arms for me to save her.

Sigh. I went to move, my body feeling stiff.

How long had I been standing there again? Oh well.

I drew upon my mana, and it was like I’d angered the world with that action. Storm clouds kicked up above me, as if the sky was a cornered beast, growling, as if my mere presence was a threat to it.

I didn’t move, but I did shift my location. Well, it was more like I inserted a correction into the world. Using the power of the void I’d learned from Mei, I changed my position to be under where Aurora would land instead of on the top of the mountain. Standing there, I held my arms out in anticipation.

It was only a few seconds before Aurora landed in my arms, the force of her fall negligent to me.

“Ha! I win.” Aurora shouted, and Mei popped into being beside me.

“No fair. We said no endangering ourselves.”

Aurora shrugged. “It wouldn’t have hurt that much. Plus, we got him off the mountain.” She jumped out of my arms, and the two mana beasts danced around me, holding each other's hands. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

“I hadn’t been up there that long.” I protested.

Both of them stopped and gave me disbelieving glares. “You were up there for over a month.” Mei corrected me.

I paused, trying to figure out if it had really been that long. Time seemed to fly by.

“The family is gathering for dinner. Come on.” Aurora took one hand while Mei took the other and they made a bodily effort of hauling me forward. I smiled, giving in and letting them drag me to dinner.

A month was long, even for my usual meditations. I had a feeling I was going to be in some trouble with my other women over that long of a stretch.

Being in the sun for that long, there should be clearer wear on my body, but I already knew what I’d find when I looked in the mirror. My hair would have grown longer, but my face would be the same. Despite all the time that had passed, I still looked like I was in my twenties thanks to being an immortal and Aurora’s life mana.

I stopped putting up resistance, walking with Aurora and Mei through the sect, its halls carved from the mountain. All of the floating mountains were works of art and enchanting that boggled the mind. Scholars of the turtle clan had spent centuries trying to figure out who made them.

My theory, with the understanding that there were other worlds, was that they didn’t come from our world. So much was unknown about the world before dungeons appeared. It was well over a thousand years ago that the dungeons first started appearing and the stories of cities covering the entirety of the land, so packed was the world that they started building up and made glass buildings hundreds of stories tall. What purpose was there even for such a building?

“Sect Master! Greetings.” A wave of disciples noticed me and bowed at their waist, not raising their heads until I passed. It was a sign of respect that I had come to appreciate. As the most powerful mage, I was the leader of the sect, and respected across other sects as well.

Aurora and Mei flanked me as we walked through the sect, earning their own attention, often at the hands of the young male disciples.

“So many unpicked flowers.” Aurora lamented. “I even picked out the best ones for you once.”

My eyes rolled on their own. “We’ve had this conversation. Not to mention they are all so…”

“Young?” Mei tried to fill in, but I shook my head.

“Weak.” I said, trying to find a better description. “It is hard to compare to my women.”

Aurora shot me a knowing look. She’d done her best to set me up over the years to expand our harem, and I had to admit some of the other sect leaders were tempting, but I had my hands full with my current family. Eighteen children had been more than enough chaos in my household.

Aurora was adorable with the younger children. She doted on them and played with them, although they always seemed to find their way to me when their diapers were filled.

We reached our front door, and I ignored the look from Aurora as I walked past and into our home.

It was just down the way from the audience chamber, where the eight most powerful mages and I ran the sect. Although, the nine seats were largely occupied by me and my women, so it was largely a family affair when we all got together.

Inside my home, the courtyard was a large square. In the center was a green garden with a stream winding through it, and a gazebo sitting alongside the stream, where water flowed over some rocks and created a restful space.

Surrounding the garden were stone arches leading to walkways for a number of different rooms. I headed towards where I anticipated they were all either finishing up or waiting.

As I walked up, I was surprised at how quiet it was. Usually you could hear all the kids from further away.

It made sense as I entered and the women were all seated around the table, kids absent. Smiling, I went to join them.

Aurora and Mei fussed, getting me seated at the head of the table, where Aurora took up the seat to my left and Michelle sat to my right.

“Evening, Stud.” Michelle used an old nickname. It was one I hadn’t heard for years.

I grabbed her hand off the table and kissed it. “Love you too.”

She smirked and squeezed my hand. “Well, we have a lovely dinner tonight.” Michelle turned. Her blonde hair was back in a long braid and thumped the side of the table as she pointed down, explaining what they had made. It was quite the spread. Far more lavish than we normally had, which made me start to run through the lists of birthdays and holidays, trying to pinpoint what had created the exception. Unable to come up with anything, I focused on the food.

We dug in, and as expected, the food was absolutely delicious. The roast boar was oily and juicy, the crispy skin having held all the flavor in. And the spread of grilled vegetables had no doubt come from some mage’s garden with how rich the flow of mana was in them.

The meal passed by quickly, with a familiar conversation among us. It wasn’t often that we were all at the table at once. I smiled, realizing how much I missed our big meal nights. Since we led the sect, one or more of us was often pulled away with sect business or chores in the evening.

Dinner wrapped up, and the table grew quiet. Looking around, the looks on my women’s faces confirmed there was something larger driving the big feast.

“Kat. I think it’s time to bring out your gift.” Michelle said pointedly down the table. Kat stood up, her blazingly red hair swooshing around her shoulders as she pulled out a scroll and brought it to me. The dishes before me vanished as the other women made room for the scroll.

“I developed this technique from all the scrolls that we took from Sun and Moon Hall. After all, while their techniques were foul, they were still generations beyond us in terms of learning to manipulate the soul and the soul palace.”

I nodded, confused, as I looked over the technique. From what I could tell, it was just a communication technique, one that created a resonance between souls and could function to communicate across vast distances. “This is amazing, Kat. But what’s the occasion? And why do all of you look so sad?”

The surrounding faces were somber, but there was something more to it. There was also hope and love as they watched me.

It was Michelle that had the strength to speak up. “Last time we asked if you were going to the immortal world, you said you couldn’t part with us. Now, you don’t have to.” Her voice cracked a bit as she tapped the scroll before me.

“Oh.” That was all I could mumble as my mind swirled.

We’d talked about the immortal world a few times. It was the next natural progression in my cultivation, but it wasn’t the right time for all of us. And they and the children meant so much to me.

“I’m fine, Michelle. All of you. I can wait until you’re all ready.” But even as I said it, I could feel the mix of truth and lies. Based on their faces, they could too.

Trying to lighten the mood, I teased them. “Do you want to get rid of me so much?”

The girls shared a look before Michelle continued to be the spokeswoman. “You have been idle and listless, Issac. It’s been a month since we’ve even seen you.” I went to apologize, but she just held up a hand to stop me. “We are worried about you. You’ve held yourself back for a long time now in the name of our family. It’s time for you to test your potential further, and it doesn’t require leaving us. We can use this to stay connected between the worlds.”

I looked back at the scroll with new understanding and new respect. “Kat, I can’t believe you went to all this work. This is amazing.” I held up the scroll and committed it to memory.

Kat’s face split into a grin. “I’d do anything for you.” She looked around the table, receiving nods before she turned back to me. “Tonight we all cultivate this together.”

“So soon?” I froze. It had sounded tempting for sure, but I hadn’t processed all the implications of doing the technique.

Aurora flopped her head onto the table with a groan. “So bored. You literally stood on a mountain for a month lost in thought, Master. Please, just cultivate the technique and take us to the immortal world.”

I looked around the group. Each of the girls, from the Hua Sisters to Celina, were nodding along with Aurora. Apparently, they all felt that I needed this. Based on their faces, their decisions were already made. I had a feeling I’d missed a lot of discussions over the past month.

“I’ll be going with.” Kat declared. “That way, if there is any issue with the technique, I can fix it. Plus, the kids are grown and I’m tired of empty nesting.”

Thea looked away, her eyes watering. “I’m so sorry. I can’t leave.” The heartbreak in her voice broke my own. Getting up, I went over and squeezed her tightly. “I know, Thea. I understand. You’re still needed here.”

Looking over her shoulders, I focused on the pink haired Hua sisters, who had both dressed up for the evening. “The rest of you?”

“We aren’t ready yet. But we’d like to make a request. Once you establish yourself there, let us know. We’ll come with everything we can to help. I’m too old and tired for adventuring.” Nikki explained, with Diana nodding along. They still looked as young as when we first married. But I understood they had become old in heart.

Celina stood up next, and I smiled, happy she’d made the dinner. Since the collapse of Sun and Moon Hall, she’d taken it upon herself to root out anyone potentially practicing corrupt cultivation techniques, and it meant a lot of nights away from home. “My tasks aren’t complete. There are still fragments of poison cultivators that crop up from time to time.”

“Can’t Ryan take up your mantle?” I knew our daughter often joined her on her missions.

But she shook her head. “Not yet.”

I looked around, once again feeling like I was abandoning them if I went to pursue the next stage of cultivation. I’d made a commitment to them, and I intended to keep it. “We have time. I will just wait a bit longer.”

But my statement was met by eye rolls.

“This isn’t forever. Just for now.” Diana spoke up. “And if you don’t keep in touch enough, we’ll have Kat there to smack you upside the head.” She looked over at Kat, who seemed happy to oblige.

Mei bounced over, snuggling up against me. “I want to see the immortal world!”

I looked down at her, then around my beautiful women. Even if I wasn’t sure, the confidence in their faces told me that it was going to happen. They wouldn’t let me put it off.

It seemed I would be destined for the trip to the immortal world.

“Michelle?” I realized she hadn’t indicated her plan.

“I’m going to stay, Husband. We need to make sure that The Ferrymen continue running until there are disciples strong enough to take the lead. But I won’t be far behind you, hopefully.”

She stepped up and kissed me, and I worked through the disappointment at her staying. We’d been together the longest, and going off without her was scary. But there was also an edge of excitement to it I hadn’t felt in a long time.

By that point, the food was forgotten. Knowing we had limited time together, I quickly pulled all of them by the hands towards the bedroom.

It had been a while since all ten of us had tangled together. Often kids or some duty got in the way. And even after thirty years together, I couldn’t get enough of their bodies and enjoying them.

***

“What’s the rush?” I found myself unceremoniously hurried to the portal to the immortal world the next morning. The girls had been rushing and pushing all morning, and I could tell they were trying to keep it moving before they got emotional, but I wanted to make sure they were all really okay and ready before I left.

Celina was the first to step forward, placing her hands on either side of my face and giving me a long kiss. “Take care of yourself. Enjoy the new world and tell me all about it.”

We’d tested out the connection multiple times the night before, and it had been amazing. Kat had really outdone herself.

When Celina stepped back, Thea stepped forward. “I love you.” She searched my eyes. “My big bad husband, you’ve grown a little cold these past years. It may do you some good to not be the strongest thing in the world again.” Giving me a kiss, she stepped back with tears in her eyes. I pulled her in for a second kiss.

Diana came up next, kissing me and backing away with a smile. “Make sure you figure out what’s valuable and what isn’t. When I come, you better be able to help me make a business.”

Nikki rolled her eyes as her sister’s statement, nudging her out of the way to give me a kiss herself. “Just stay safe. But if you can start something, we’ll be there one day to finish it.”

I nodded, feeling a lump in my throat growing. “Of course.”

I’d thought about the immortal world so many times in my meditations and daydreams, but it was all becoming very real. It seemed crazy that I was only moments away from starting on that adventure. I didn’t think I could do it without at least my mana beasts and Kat.

“Don’t worry about us.” Michelle patted my chest, seeing my struggles. “I’ll make sure our family stays whole and healthy while you are forging ahead for the rest of us. I love you Isaac. You need this. I won’t keep watching you wither away.”

All three of my mana beasts smirked before they turned into streams of light and entered my chest. Their three rings pulsed with mana.

“The kids?”

“They know, and they love you.” Kat assured me. She tugged my spatial ring off my finger and handed it to Michelle, it couldn’t go to the immortal world from what we’d been told before.

Looking around at all of them, I knew I couldn’t have asked for stronger partners. Their love for me shone in their eyes, but they were right. I’d failed them more recently as I’d pulled into myself, stagnating in my progression.

Kat stood next to the portal, a big bag slung over her back and a dark red dress that hid her figure. She seemed excited as her eyes met mine. It was the type of adventure we had talked about when we were young and had barely begun cultivation. We’d lost the chance at that when we’d gone to different sects, but it looked like the world was giving us a new opportunity. Giving her a wink, I hugged and kissed each of the women one more time, savoring the moments and committing them to memory.

Turning away, I moved forward to the portal, knowing that I couldn’t hesitate or I may not be able to do it. Dipping my hands in, I stretched it wide enough for Kat and me to enter.

It was time to go to the immortal world.

AN: Do not fret. You'll see the girls again soon. But first, Isaac needs to get into trouble.