Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Viridian Mist

CHAPTER

1

Viridian Mist

I

The Viridian Mist Sect was based inside the Brywyrn Mountains, sprawled throughout the Adyon Valley. Its outer court was called the Pale Mist Court, and it sat near the entrance of the valley; deeper inside the valley, near the base of Mount Adyon, the tallest of the Brywyrns, was the inner court, the Obscuring Mist Court; and on the peak of Mount Adyon was the Vibrant Mist Court, the core court.

This wasn’t something outsiders would be able to tell, however, as the Adyon Valley was almost completely submerged in viridian mist. A massive crest array encompassed the territory of the sect, sealing the viridian mist produced by practitioners of the Viridian Mist Art inside the valley. As a result, from above, the valley appeared to be a sea of viridian mist, with Mount Adyon looking like a massive pillar of mist piercing through the clouds. Only users of the Viridian Mist Art and outsiders who had taken a Viridian Guest Pill would be able to see through the blanket of viridian mist covering the sect. Lack of visibility wouldn’t be the biggest of an outsider’s problems, however, as viridian mist was also toxic, and depending on the concentration, deadly. The only ones immune to it were the same as the ones that could see through the mist.

It was because he had taken such that pill that he could clearly see the Viridian Mist Sect from above, flying on the green-colored massive sword Elder Evyn had conjured. It was also why the viridian mist around him had no effect on him, harmlessly brushing against his body, entering and leaving his lungs without affecting him.

Looking down from the edge of the sword, he observed the Pale Mist Court as they overflew it on their way to one of the mountains on the side of the valley. Elder Evyn stood beside him with her eyes closed, her hands behind her back as she basked in the caress of the wind, strong enough to be felt, but not strong enough to ruffle their hair. They were only getting wind in the first place because she allowed it to. He didn’t mind it; she wasn’t the only one fond of the feeling of cool wind against skin.

The moment they had stepped into the territory of the sect—into this mist-wreathed mountain valley—the viridian mist in the air had wrapped itself around her body, as if welcoming her, and hadn’t left her since. Had he not taken a Viridian Guest Pill, he reckoned it’d have looked like Elder Evyn was wearing a thick green cloak over her robes.

“We’re nearly there,” Elder Evyn said, opening her eyes and turning to look at him. Her eyes were a piercing, almost unnatural green, and green pigmentation could be seen around them, the same color as the viridian mist that blanketed the sect. Elder Evyn’s face was oval, with soft features, and given her petite stature, she would have been the definition of Myrthyran beauty had her hair been longer instead of shoulder-length, and blond instead of auburn. “Are you ready?”

He gave her his most confident smile. “Perfectly so.”

Elder Evyn nodded her head, then closed her eyes again. Seeing as their conversation was over, he returned his attention to their destination. While the sect courts were within the valley, all of the divisions and some of the halls of the Viridian Mist Sect were based in the mountains circumscribing the valley, and it was one such mountain they were headed to—the one where the Mistling Hall was. The concentration of viridian mist near these mountains wasn’t nearly as high as it was within the valley, and even had he not taken a Viridian Guest Pill, he’d have been able to see the Mistling Hall in the distance—a large, single-story building complex that took up most of the mountain peak.

Like most of the buildings of the Viridian Mist Sect, the Mistling Hall was built primarily out of white stone, and its design was blocky and angular. Although not an ascetic sect, the Viridian Mist Sect wasn’t known for opulence, and its buildings reflected that.

Under Elder Evyn’s control, the massive flying sword they were standing on lowered itself right in front of the Mistling Hall. Without needing to be told, he descended from the sword, Elder Evyn right behind him. Then, turning around, she waved her hand over the massive sword, and it dissipated into viridian mist, which quickly diffused throughout the air. The next moment, Elder Evyn’s eyes lost their piercing green color, turning blue, and the green pigmentation around her eyes faded away.

Standing in front of the entrance of the Mistling Hall was a man wearing the same clothes as Elder Evyn: black robes with the Viridian Dyad, a stylized wisp of viridian mist curling into two mirrored spirals, on the left breast. The color of his robes combined with the Viridian Dyad, gave away the man’s status as an inner elder of the sect.

Behind the man stood two women in plain, unadorned gray robes. The doors of the Mistling Hall were open, and he could see a long white corridor behind them.

“Elder Evyn,” the black-robed man said, stepping forward and giving Elder Evyn a short but respectful nod.

Elder Evyn nodded back at the man, though hers was dismissive instead of respectful. Then, without another word, she started floating, lifted into the air by an unseen force and leisurely flew out of the mountain peak, disappearing into the distance. The man kept his eyes on Elder Evyn’s form, watching her as she flew away, and only after she was gone did he look away.

“Initiate Ryen Rhodry?” the inner elder asked, finally addressing him.

“Yes, sir.”

Ryen reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a small medallion. “I was told to give you this.” The medallion had been given to him by the suzerain legate stationed in the Cerulean Lake Sect, who had scouted him back after seeing Ryen’s performance on the entrance examinations.

The elder took the medallion and held it in his hands for a moment. “Everything appears to be in order,” he said, giving Ryen an evaluating look. He turned to the women behind him. “Myra, your token.” One of the women—a short, thin, middle-aged woman with graying brown hair bound neatly behind her head in a bun—stepped forward and handed the man a medallion similar to Ryen’s.

The elder pressed both medallions together for a few moments, making them pulse with a dim green light, before handing Ryen’s medallion back to him back and the woman’s to her. Looking at Ryen, the elder motioned towards the woman. “This is Myra Trys. She’ll be your assigned servant during your stay in the Mistling Hall as an initiate. If you have any questions or requests, ask her. Your two tokens are connected, so if you ever need her for anything, you can simply channel ethereal essence into your token, and she’ll be alerted.”

Ryen looked at his medallion, then at Myra, before pocketing it with a nod.

His job done, the elder moved to the side, no longer paying Ryen any attention, and Myra stepped forward. Giving Ryen a small bow, she said, “Please follow me, Master Rhodry.”

She then turned around and walked into the building. Ryen followed. As they stepped into the Mistling Hall, Ryen took notice of the lack of viridian mist inside, even though the doors had been open.

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Without a word, Myra led him the way through the corridor, Ryen remaining few steps behind her. The walls were mostly bare white stone, lacking any ornaments, with only a few doors built out of pale wood here and there to break the monotony. On the ceiling, every couple of feet, there’d be a small lightcrystal lightly glowing with a warm light.

Before long, the glow of lightcrystals was replaced by natural sunlight as they came to a stop before a large courtyard, where Ryen could see multiple rows of boys and girls, all of them wearing robes of different colors and styles. His fellow initiates, considering where they were standing and their age. To the sides, on the corridors overlooking the courtyard, were dozens of men and women wearing gray robes like Myra’s. Servants.

Unlike the initiates, who were all in their teens, most of the servants appeared to be in their early twenties, though Ryen could also see a couple of middle-aged ones like Myra. There were also five or so servants young enough that they wouldn’t have looked out of place had they been standing together with the initiates. Ryen froze when his eyes fell on one such servant—a Cadlyran girl that appeared to be around his age, with large green eyes and blond hair, though of a shade much darker than his sandy blond.

The girl didn’t appear to have noticed him; instead, she was staring intently at the group of initiates in the courtyard—at one initiate in particular, in fact. Following her gaze, Ryen found an initiate standing in the middle row, near the end. As the initiate had his back to him, Ryen could only see his black hair and his hands, which were paler than Ryen’s. Once again, Ryen stilled. This feeling…

What in the—

“Master Rhodry?” Myra asked.

Blinking, Ryen realized he had been standing there with a dazed look on his face for a while now. Adopting an embarrassed look, he shook his head, “I … I didn’t think there’d be so many people,” he said.

Myra narrowed her eyes, giving him a long, assessing look. “I see.” Motioning towards the courtyard, she continued, “Hall Leader Tynwen will be here shortly. Initiates are to wait for him in the courtyard.”

Ryen smiled at her, then stepped into the neatly trimmed grass and made his way over to the last row. The courtyard, like the inside of the building, was devoid of mist. Many of his fellow initiates stole glances at him as he approached. The ages of the initiates ranged from thirteen, which was when humans reached ethereal maturity, after which they could undergo ethereal awakening, to seventeen.

After taking his place at the end of the last row, Ryen began covertly studying the initiates around him. A while later, hearing footsteps coming from behind him, he glanced back and saw a girl being led into the courtyard by the other servant he had seen back at the entrance.

Ryen wasn’t the only one looking at her. Like when he appeared, her arrival also drew stares, but people’s eyes remained on her far longer, and Ryen could see why. She was most certainly eye-catching: petite and fair-skinned, with slightly curly chestnut-brown hair that kissed her shoulders and bright amber eyes. She blushed, clearly aware of the stares she was receiving, and kept her head lowered, her steps slightly hurried.

After coming to a stop next to Ryen, she looked up and offered him a bashful smile, her cheeks still slightly rosy. Ryen smirked at her, and her blush deepened. She nodded at him, so quickly and suddenly it was almost a jerk, then looked away.

Moments later, a man stepped onto the yard from the opposite end. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and wore black robes, except unlike Elder Evyn and the inner elder at the entrance, on his robes there wasn’t a Viridian Dyad, but a Viridian Triad, which had a third mist spiral on top of the two mirrored spirals.

The man was tall—as tall as Cadlyran men came—and conspicuously handsome, with a chiseled face and a muscular build. Ryen glanced at the girl next to him and saw her eyes slightly narrow before she blushed deeply and looked away from the man. She wasn’t the only one blushing; other initiates, and even some of the servants, had had similar reactions.

Slightly smiling in amusement, Ryen returned his attention to the man, who had come to a stop in front of the first row, towering over most of the initiates. He stood upright, his hand behind his back, as he regarded the crowd before him impassively.

“My name is Emlyn Tynwen,” the man said in Myrthyran, “and I am the hall leader of the Mistling Hall. You may address me as  either Elder Tynwen or Hall Leader Tynwen.” His voice was deep and steady, though lacking in emotion, much like his expression. Myrthyrans weren’t a particularly expressive people to begin with, and cultivators as a whole tended to be rather detached towards those they weren’t close with, Myrthyran cultivators even more so.

“As initiates, you aren’t considered true members of the Viridian Mist Sect, but probationary disciples. You do not belong to any of the three courts, nor are you bonded to the Viridian Mist Art. You aren’t even pathwalkers yet. You’ve been brought here to the Mistling Hall to determine whether you’re worthy of being inducted as court disciples. Your stay here in the Mistling Hall will also prepare you for your life as court disciples, should you be inducted.”

Ryen glanced at a few of his fellow initiates, and he saw some of them frowning. Not because of what Elder Tynwen was saying—the legate of the Viridian Mist Sect who had scouted had likely already explained everything they needed to know about the Mistling Hall to them—but because of how Elder Tynwen was saying it. Elder Tynwen’s dull, monotone voice was in stark contrast with his youthful, handsome looks, and it was a far cry from the welcoming, motivational speech they had likely been expecting. More than anything, the hall leader gave the impression he’d much rather be somewhere else.

“Although some of you are magicalborn, many of you are mundaneborn, and as such, lack knowledge of the magical world. During your time in the Mistling Hall, you won’t be only cultivating. You’ll be learning about the magical world and the sect. As for the length of your stay here, it varies. In order to be inducted, you must first qualify for, and then pass, the induction exam. You’ll have two opportunities to take the induction exam: the first one in exactly three months, the second one four months after that, seven months from now.

“To take the induction exam, there’s only one requirement: comprehending the first chapter of the Viridian Mist Art. If you fail to do so before the second induction exam—or if you do so but fail to pass the induction exam—you’ll be sent back to the organization you were scouted from with your memories of the sect and the Viridian Mist Art erased, though depending on your performance you may be given the choice to remain in the Mistling Hall as a servant, in which case you’d be allowed to keep cultivating in your spare time, with the possibility of joining the Pale Mist Court as an outer elder in the future.”

Ryen glanced at the servants and saw some of them clenching their hands. He had also noticed that the servant girl that had caught his eye when he arrived was looking at him, though she looked down the moment she realized she had been caught staring. Ryen didn’t let his gaze linger on her, returning his attention to Elder Tynwen.

“Every morning, one of the elders stationed here shall give a lecture, and over the first three months, you will be taught everything you need to know to pass the induction exam, in which your knowledge of cultivation, the magical world, and the sect will be assessed. You are only required to attend the first lecture, however, so if you believe you can learn better on your own, you’re free to study using the ethertears in the library. If you have any questions about cultivation, the magical world, or the sect, you’re also free to come to one of us elders for help. Simply ask the servants, and they shall bring you to an available elder.”

Elder Tynwen then raised his hands, and the servants that had been standing in the corridors walked into the courtyard, the only exception being the younger servants, who stayed put. “Your assigned servant will now lead you to your room and provide you with further instructions.”

Without another word, Elder Tynwen turned around and left the same way he had come from. Ryen watched him go until he was out of sight, before shifting his attention to Myra, who was now standing beside him.

Motioning for him to follow her, Myra began to lead the way, the other servants in the courtyard doing the same, and together the initiates were led out of the courtyard and into the corridors, walking in silence.