“-and over here are the thirteen stanzas penned by sect leader Unending Flux before her historical duel with the leader of the erstwhile Wrathful Everglades sect during the eighteenth year of the reign of the Queen of Jade and Sky. As you can see, all of them are carved into this piece of heartwood from the sycorae tree, the symbolism-” the sect elder accompanying them described, Kite and Dragonfly having to work extra hard with keeping their auras under control so as to not give away the boredom which was gnawing away at their spirits.

  Still, the elder did have at least half of his audience captured in rapt attention down in the outer areas of the sect’s vaults; beautifully crafted underground hallways decorated with interior wooden beams and paneling in a way so that it was only the glow stones replacing windows that gave away its subterranean nature.

  First off, Inner Disciple Chime seemed to stay true to herself as she seemed engrossed in the tellings, and had been so ever since their little tour entered the public vaults. And the second rapt listener was the floating collections of odd symbols named Sage, the astral gatherer having found a deep appreciation for the apparent tradition of the sect’s leaders to pen different kinds of poems and similar works of flourishing writing.

  “Fascinating.

  Momentous

  Skilled”

  That and similar praise was regularly being emoted by the familiar, and the elder - apparently knowing an appreciating audience - had started to address it a lot more than Kite himself.

  Half an hour - and one most passionate reading of the elder’s favourite piece - later, the scenery around the group shifted and Kite found himself waking from his half-trance of nodding and occasionally humming along as scrolls and books shifted into large, elaborate paintings of all kinds.

  “Oh, that’s just beautiful,” Dragonfly said, looking at a particularly impressive portrait titled “Raising of the Celestial Stairs”.

  Stepping up beside her, Kite had to admit that she was right. The painting somehow managed to convey a whole scenario, magic definitely involved as one could see the colorful mountain that was the very center of Heavenward gradually seeming to shift and rise from the landscape in cascades of spectacular color and proportions.

  “Ah, yes. One of our most prized displays,” Chime noted, sounding pleased as she stepped up behind them, the draconian taller than either of the others in the group. “It is said that the painter found a stroke of true inspiration as he witnessed the Queen of Jade and Sky create the heavenly stairway. He actually ground down a small fortune of mirage quintessence into his paints as he worked, and along with skill and enchanted brush they made the foundation for this almost living painting,” she explained with the elder nodding along, the older man apparently pleased by her enthusiasm.

  This led to Chime half taking over the tour as they continued throughout the gallery, and even Sage - usually only enthused by the stark lines of calligraphy - seemed properly impressed. Paintings, banners and other artistic works of all kinds were inspected and appreciated, and Kite had just started to wonder if even his silver-ranked memory could manage to store all of the wonders when they drew near the obvious exit; a long corridor with grand portraits of lone individuals.

  “And to complete the tour of our sect’s long heritage we have the preserved likenesses of our sect leaders throughout the history,” Chime said proudly, starting a brief summary of each one as they slowly made their way towards the exit.

  While they could vary wildly in style, each portrait did indeed portray different powerful individuals with the themes of their essences always worked into the imagery; from a swordswoman only gleaned in the reflection of her shining blade to an elven man seated on a throne of crystal. One particular painting near the end caught Kite’s eyes, and he stopped to regard the painting of a runic woman surrounded by layers and layers of floating symbols, with the painter somehow having properly incorporated enough depth into the work that it felt like Kite could plunge into its depths.

  “While they have all been most impressive, I must admit this one to be my favorite so far,” he noted, and it was only when he didn’t get a response after a second or two that he glanced to Dragonfly.

  “Uh huh…” she said, eyes locked on something behind Kite, with Chime and the elder apparently having followed Dragonfly’s gaze.

  “What?” Kite asked, only then managing to properly draw his attention out from the painting of the runic and, through his expanded vision, give the painting behind him a proper look.

  It depicted a man with dark hair and strong features - his perfection announcing his gold rank easily enough - that was seated in a position of meditation over what seemed to be a spherical patch of darkness that somehow took the concept even further. And while his posture was dignified but relaxed, there was a kind of cold intensity to his blue eyes that the artist had made all the more pronounced as they contrasted greatly with the rest of the work. A plaque beneath read ‘Ardent Horizon Seeker’, and the years of when he held the position of sect leader only had a starting date, with the place for the end left blank.

  “Well, that one is most impressive too,” Kite said diplomatically, even though he still found the one of the runic to be far more captivating.

  “Kite, look at it. Really look,” Dragonfly urged.

  Kite did, and while details previously unnoticed did reveal themselves beneath further scrutiny, there wasn’t really anything unexpected to be found.

  “As I said, most impressive,” Kite reiterated. “Is there anything I’m missing?”

  “Bah, wait. I have- almost-,” Dragonfly said as she started to rummage around in one of her dimensional bags. “Ah, here,” she said, producing a mirror with one hand while the other gently pushed Kite a few steps backwards. “Look up here, straight forward. And-” she finished, holding up the mirror in front of him. “See?”

  Kite normally didn’t spend much time looking at himself in the mirror, feeling that he had a pretty decent grasp of what he looked like and that the way he did his hair generally didn’t need the reflective assistance. But apparently he didn’t have as clear an image of himself as he thought, because it was only when he effectively - with the help of the mirror - got to look at himself side by side with the portrait behind him, that he too saw the stark resemblance.

  It wasn’t perfect, of course. The depicted man’s hair was a shade darker and his eyes lacked the golden tone that was mixed into Kite’s blue. But the jaw, mouth, nose and all those myriad other small details making up one's features? The resemblance was undeniable. Dragonfly had seen it, and from the odd look that both Inner Disciple Chime and the elder were giving him, they had too, with the point driven home further by Dragonfly repositioning him.

  “Well… Isn’t that something,” was all Kite could manage, his mind feeling both abuzz with thoughts and completely empty at the same time. “With all the people of this world, one should eventually come across someone rather similar. Thank you, Dragonfly, for pointing it out,” he said, his cheer a bit forced as his mind started asking questions, an itch felt in an old, faded scar within his sense of self.

  He gestured towards the door, giving Dragonfly a short but meaningful look as he said. “Shall we complete the tour, honored Elder? Inner Disciple?”

  The draconian and the human exchanged an unmistakable look before the elder eventually nodded. “Of course, of course. If you’d please follow me-” he said, leading them onward. But even as they exited, Kite couldn’t help but keep his attention on the portrait of Ardent Horizon Seeker; the blue eyes seemed locked on him until the very last moment.

  With the bustle of Heavenward’s streets around them, Dragonfly and Kite barely rounded the first street corner which took them out of sight from the sect when Dragonfly’s hand quickly reached out and tapped the pin that was their loaned privacy screen, courtesy of the Tengu clan.

  “Kite, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made a big deal of it in front of the others,” she began, words tumbling out in a hurry. “I was just so startled and wanted you to notice too and-”

  “Peace, Dragonfly. It is quite alright,” Kite said, stopping to clasp her wildly gesturing hands and keeping his grip on one of them as he continued leading her down the streets.

  “I mean, maybe it's nothing? A coincidence, just like you said? But you just looked so much like him-”

  “Which in turn might not be a coincidence at all,” Kite finished, a bit wearily. “Believe me, Dragonfly, when I say that it felt like my mind started exploring every possibility - from the likely to the wildly absurd - the moment I saw what the rest of you did. While I rarely think about it these days, the younger me often did wonder. About my biological parents. Do they live? Do I have other relatives? Who knows of my existence? And those thoughts were definitely dusted off and brought back into the light just now. Have I just seen the likeness of someone that I’m related to? An uncle? Father? Brother? Cousin five times removed? Or even great great great great grandfather? As a gold-ranker, the generations could be most confusing.”

  “Then… what will you do about it? Do you want to find out? Meet him, if possible?” Dragonfly asked. “We may both be orphans, but at least I knew my family for a time.”

  “Honestly, I already know my family too,” Kite said, a fond smile creeping into his voice. “Do not misunderstand me, Dragonfly. This revelation has me most curious and definitely causes old ponderings to stir. But I’ve long since felt secure in my place and who my people are. Still, would I want to know more? Definitely. And given what Little Crow told us this morning, I believe that we even have an excellent opportunity to maybe glean something more from it.”

  “And you’re really fine with how things went? Me not being very discreet and all?” Dragonfly asked, clearly not having dropped her worries.

  “I am,” Kite reassured her, squeezing her hand. “And thank you for not just letting it pass. If nothing else, it is a bit of an intriguing mystery. But come, let us speed up our return. Because I am indeed most curious,” he said as panes of force started appearing beneath their feet to carry them upwards like a stairway, the pair having had plenty of practice in sharing the limited space of Kite’s flavor of air walking. Heavenward had its fair share of people able to fly or similarly bypass the streets, but not enough for the need of specific lanes or rules regarding such modes of travel.

  As such, the pair could make a beeline straight for the Tengu’s compound and bring a lot more of their silver-ranked speed to bear. Their hasty retreat wasn’t entirely unnoticed, however, and Kite had to make a calming gesture towards a previously unseen celestine woman with onyx hair and eyes that send a questioning nudge of aura his way, making sure to indicate that their speed did not spring from any threat.

  Still, it would seem that words traveled quickly among the Tengu’s clan, because Little Crow was waiting for them at the gates of the clan compound when they arrived.

  “Kite, Dragonfly? Is something the matter? The two of you usually tend to enjoy the more scenic routes while going about, and the sudden deviation from the trend made some of our watchers a bit concerned,” the assassin asked after the gates had closed behind them. Still, his posture and aura were both kept calm, even though Kite thought that he could glimpse the point of a long needle within one of the celestine’s sleeves.

  “Nothing threatening or urgent, I assure you,” Kite said placatingly. “But it is rather fortunate that it is you who greet us at the door. Because we would very much like to take you up on the offer you made this morning.”

  “Oh? You wish to know some gossip all of a sudden? Now I’m suddenly most curious as well as to what transpired at the sect,” Little Crow replied, smile widening. “But just to be sure; you left in good order? No bad blood or the like?”

  “No, things were most amicable. And we did learn a lot, even though neither of us will be joining anytime soon. But I do still feel rather good that they would have had me, had I desired to accept,” Dragonfly explained, puffing up with a bit of pride.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “Still, there are certain matters of which we are unsure as to what they will make of things. It shouldn’t mean trouble though. At least I hope not,” Kite explained. “But that is where you come in. We should invite my aunties as well, because this is something which you’ll all want to hear.”

  “Do not fret, Inner Disciple. The sect leader, while a busy man, is always most courteous,” Grand Elder Halcyon said, the gold-ranker apparently having sensed Chime’s nervousness. “But he is also a man with great depth, showing little to the world. As such, I urge you to not take his often neutral tone as disinterest or dismissal. It is just his way.”

  “Thank you, Grand Elder. I shall keep that in mind,” Chime noted, happy that she at least managed to keep any stammer from her voice as they approached a set of doors which Chime had never laid her eyes upon during all of her years at the sect; those leading to the sect leader’s personal study.

  She tried to mimic the calm of the other elder at her side, the older man walking leisurely and relaxed. It had been at his urging that they take the matter of the Pathbreaker to a grand elder for guidance in the matter, which had in turn left Chime on a direct course for a meeting with Ardent Horizon Seeker to retell what they had witnessed.

  Once they drew close to the doors, Grand Elder Halcyon flared her aura to announce them, and the returning signal was the first time Chime had felt her own sect leader’s aura since silver rank. There was a depth to it; an emptiness that somehow seemed devoid of substance yet hinting at untold things contained within at the same time. But it was also most somber and almost a bit flat, but the power she could barely glean during the short instance was unmistakable. Still, the grand elder entered without delay, and Chime soon found herself walking across a floor of polished black tiles into a decently sized room that seemed to serve both as study and meditation chamber. While bookshelves covered the walls, everything was neat, clean and almost austere; the tomes and scrolls the only hints at worldly positions except for the equally sleek furniture of pale wood.

  Ardent Horizon Seeker sat floating in the air over a deeper patch of darkness in the floor, his stance one of meditation yet his eyes were open. Chime had to keep from doing a double take as the man literally had the same pose - if a bit different clothes - to his portrait in the vaults beneath. And having just met the Pathbreaker, Chime’s assurance of the resemblance she had seen was reaffirmed.

  “Sect leader Horizon,” the grand elder greeted, showing a clear hint of familiarity with the man.

  “Grand Elder Halcyon,” the sect leader replied with an acknowledging nod, his tone as somber as his aura, voice soft. He made no indication of intending to rise from his current position, which left his visitors standing before him. “And these are the elder and inner disciple who had witnessed something which you found worthy of my attention? Greetings, the both of you. While I am sure that we have seen each other from afar at times, a meeting in person still deserves acknowledgement.”

  It had been some time since Chime felt a lump in her throat; a psychosomatic remnant from a time where her body was less magical. But she was proud to manage a proper bow along the elder.

  “Honored Sect Leader,” she intoned, before falling silent and waiting to be addressed.

  “As I said, the grand elder said you had something which to share with me,” Sect Leader Horizon prompted, Chime getting the sense of a kind smile even though his lips hadn’t moved. “Please, go ahead.”

  Seeing that the elder beside her looked at her expectantly, clearly giving her the honor of reporting their observations, Chime gathered herself and straightened slightly.

  “At once, Sect Leader. We recently had a visitor at our sect; a prospective member. He is an outcast who - along with a companion - were invited to spend time with us to see how much we could offer them and properly show the heritage of our sect. He is called the Pathbreaker-” Chime began, starting her telling while silently praying to all the gods that she wasn’t making a mistake.

  “- and there it was; a distinct likeness in more than just the small details,” Kite said, finishing his telling. “Dragonfly was the first who noticed, but from their looks I believe that it wasn’t missed by the inner disciple or elder either. Hence I wanted to consult your family’s knowledge, Little Crow. Is this mere happenstance? Or is there a potential connection? I at least feel that I want to make an attempt to slake this particular curiosity, if possible.”

  The gazes of all present; Kite, Dragonfly, auntie Crow, auntie Dove and - a bit belatedly as she had no idea what was going on - Raven, turned to the smiling assassin, who was giving Kite a scrutinizing look. The silence was soon broken, however, as a small series of shakes started rocking the shoulders of the assassin, quickly rising in intensity until it erupted in a full body laughter. The fit went on for at least half a minute before Little Crow once more found his self-control, righting himself in his seat.

  “I- I do apologize for that particular indiscretion,” the assassin excused himself, wiping an imaginary tear from the corner of his eye. “And I do believe that our knowledge might give a hint of context. Nothing certain, of course, but certain things are lining up almost ridiculously well. It’s like something out of a story. Oh Fortune, this is a most serendipitous moment. I will make sure to bring you a proper offering in the future for letting me experience this.”

  “Gods beyond, Little Crow! Get on to actually telling us!” Dragonfly called, the first to voice her impatience, Raven nodding severely in agreement even though the toddler still had no clue as to what they were talking about where she sat playing with the floating, shiny marbles; a collection which had only seemed to grow during their stay in the capital.

  “Of course, Dragonfly, of course! Just trying to work up some suspense,” Little Crow apologized before straightening in his seat, his voice changing to his best impression of a somber storyteller.

  “Since none of you have lived in the capital recently - as in the last twenty-five years - it isn’t odd that you haven’t heard much of the most tragic story. As many of these tales go, it is a tale of love and obligations coming into conflict, as two elders from different sects found a bond which they thought would carry them to the heavens. One was named Tranquil Divide, and she was an elder of the Crystal Pinnacle sect. And the other was the man now called Ardent Horizon Seeker, even though he went under a different name back then, not yet having reached gold rank nor claimed his current lofty position of sect leader,” the assassin began his telling, and Kite got the distinct feeling that the man would have no doubt put on quite the accompanying show had he possessed the power of an illusionist.

  “And at first it was considered nothing more than slightly scandalous. Such things happened all the time, after all, and the sects were not enemies back then, just the ordinary rivals one would expect. But once you’re part of a greater hierarchy, things may also move outside of your control. The peaceful, moderated strife didn’t last. The erstwhile leader of the Crystal Pinnacle sect was an ambitious one, and she had her eyes set on bringing down the Silent Horizon sect and taking its place as first among equals. And the past leader of the Silent Horizon wasn’t one to back down either.”

  At this point, sadness crept into Little Crow’s voice, the faux-gravitas from before bleeding away a bit to reveal some actual emotion.

  “The conflict quickly escalated. Such things happen all the time as well, of course. The people of the capital are quite used to it. But this one… Just kept on going. I will spare you the brutal details, but the eventual cruelties inflicted by both sides were enough for a proper inter-sect war to break out. And caught up in this were our two lovers. Both Tranquil Divide and Ardent Horizon Seeker were great assets to their sects; rising stars that would surely go far. Most of the people of the capital were - and still are - unaware of their love caught up in the strife of the time. But those with power were most aware, and eventually they were both commanded to end their entanglement, as their loyalties needed to be with their sects and their sects only.”

  “Which I will assume that neither wanted? Even though things rarely seem to be so simple as an individual's wants and needs in these things,” Kite noted, receiving a nod of confirmation.

  “Indeed. Both of our lovers were deeply devoted to their cause, as well as their personal honor. But their bond was also strong. For a while there, it looked like they might just choose to up and vanish together, abandoning everything for each other. But such is a choice more easy to make in a story, not in a life where honor, face, other bonds and even one’s very place in this world is suddenly at risk. Still, it tore at them, and through them, their sects. Because their hesitance affected not only them, but their friends and confidants. And ostensibly, known to most who only did some light digging into the matter, both eventually chose duty in the end. The conflict escalated, and eventually ended with the Crystal Pinnacle sect being defeated so soundly that the King stepped in and disbanded them, the current Thunderous Soul sect taking their place within the capital. The remaining members fled the country, else they would never find peace again. Tranquil Divide was among them, and as far as we know, she has never returned. Ardent Horizon Seeker would eventually rise to become sect leader, steering the organization more and more away from the politics and onto their current spiritual path. It is often speculated that being forcefully separated from his lover was the deciding factor that made him choose that path, finding the ambition to take command where he had before been content to follow.”

  At that, Little Crow fell silent, taking a long drink from a nearby cup. He wasn’t fooling anyone, however, unable to hide the slight, smug smile in anticipation of someone biting the proverbial hook. And Dragonfly, true to her nature, was the quickest.

  “Ostensibly?” she noted, an eyebrow quirked. This soon escalated to a pillow launched across the room with great force as Little Crow let the silence drag on yet again. “Ostensibly?! Little Crow, gods help me, if you don’t continue this instant-”

  “Oh, so you did note that little hint. I am most pleased,” the assassin said with a smile after smoothly catching the pillow, laying it to rest behind his back as he lounged back all relaxed while trying to ignore the fact that the force of the throw had pushed his recliner a good meter back across the floor. “What I have told you so far are details that you could easily have gathered by yourselves. But this next part? That is a tale within a tale that a lot fewer know.”

  “Then could you please elaborate?” auntie Crow asked politely, choosing the more diplomatic approach as a tendril of animated hair reached out to refill the assassin’s cup.

  “Of course, dear cousin. Of course. For those in the know at the time, this whole little lovers’ tragedy was a bit more complex. To say that Tranquil Divide and Ardent Horizon Seeker were influential within their sects might be an understatement. They were both very well liked, with plentiful allies, admirers and students of their own; silver-rankers with gold just within reach. Should either one of them - or worse, both - choose to actually step away from the conflict, it would have been more than just a single silver lost for either side, as well as a power vacuum neither side could afford at the time. And as the pair proved a bit more… stubborn than their sect elder’s would have liked, the opposing sides actually - and utterly temporarily - joined forces.

  There is some solid information from the time indicating that a meeting took place, and that both representatives of the adventure society and the churches were present to mediate. The meeting did indeed end with the pair choosing loyalty and duty, but not before several concessions were made. They were, for one, never to fight each other - allowed to walk away should their paths cross in the conflict. But the one thing they got that is of most relevance to us is that they demanded a legacy; a symbol of their love remaining in the world. One that had the potential to last and thrive. The sects would never accept anything overt or public of course, and thus a bargain was made. We know little of the exact details, but for that both the churches and adventure society were involved in its execution. The church of Fertility most of all,” Little Crow said, his gaze most meaningful.

  “Thus, with their mysterious concession granted, things did otherwise progress according to the official stories. But I do believe that you can see why I found the details adding up. Especially when you take the paths of the most tragically separated parties into account.”

  “Which are?” Kite prompted, now feeling almost as impatient as Dragonfly, the implications of the story turning his thoughts into a most confusing jumble.

  “Well, while Tranquil Divide hasn’t been seen within these lands for over two decades, her path is well-documented. She was surprisingly martially oriented for an elf, and her path was centered around the use of barriers and shields, using them for every purpose. Be it personal armor, shielding her allies or cutting her foes apart with the edges of her shields, Tranquil Divide was apparently attack and defense in one devastating union.

  And as to Ardent Horizon Seeker? His path has ever been one of absolute annihilation, with the void essence featuring most prominently in his more public displays as he would sunder even his foe’s ability to detect him. Both were also considered martial prodigies, using great foundation fighting prowess to supplement their paths. It was apparently something as intense as a duel that once lit the spark between them, at least if one is inclined to believe the romantics.

  Given what you’ve told me of your most vague heritage, Kite; of a certain lockbox and the included essences and letter? Coincidences are most prevalent in this world, but sometimes there are just one too many.”

  Two cubes; one of deepest void and the other of interlocked, shimmering barriers flashed before Kite’s eyes, along with a letter most vague that was essentially an apology for selfish acts and a declaration of karma being severed.

  “It…” he began, taking a moment to center himself. “It does indeed seem likely. Most likely, even. Thank you, Little Crow. For telling us.”

  “Yes, thank you,” auntie Crow chimed in. “We were only assured that no trouble was on the heels of the little baby boy we once accepted. And while it hasn’t been of too much import as our little Kite grew up, all of us have of course wondered.”

  “Still, to think that is how Kite came to be? Rarely have I been so glad and so sad at the same time,” Dove noted, wiping at her eyes. “Without them being torn apart, our little Kite wouldn’t have come to us. Still, it just drives home how cruel these politics can be. And how easily your desires can be trampled and forgotten in their conflicts. But most importantly, how are you, Kite? How do you feel? Do you want some time to process things?” she finished, turning to Kite full of her usual concern and worries, as she had always been during all the years he had spent with them. Be it a slight scrape or inner turmoil, auntie Dove had always been there when Kite needed unbridled empathy, complemented by auntie Crow’s caring reasoning and processing.

  “This… this will indeed be a lot to process,” Kite began, nodding along. “But honestly? I do not find this a matter to process only by oneself. My mind will have plenty of time for that going forward. No, I’d rather do it alongside family. If you all do not mind?”

  “Of course we don’t, our wise little Kite,” auntie Crow assured him gently. “Let us join forces in taking on this spectacular series of events of which we have been told. But I will agree with my dear wife on this; tracing as it may be, I will forever be thanking Fortune for the outcome nonetheless.”

  “Well, just wait until Walker hears of this,” Dove half grumbled. “He was so assured that you weren’t some lost princeling or the like when he delivered you to us. And while technically true, I would say that the truth - assuming that we now know it - was a great deal closer to that than might have been safe and proper.”