Aimless Ascension

Ai heard the clamour of thunder as she woke up from a vision. She breathed heavily as cold sweat soaked her clothes. Darkness clouded her vision, but that was nothing new, being blind and all.

But with the fright she got, she couldn\'t even figure out the general direction of her aura.

Grasping, she reached for the water on the side of her table. The glass fell before she could even clutch it, reminding her that she had unconsciously burned a good amount of her Fortune in that dream.

Ai would have to spend some time in clumsiness or bad luck to get her balance of Fortune back. But that wasn\'t her concern, for now, considering the disaster that was about to hit the little town of Wayshire.

\'Is this the reason I\'m here?\' she wondered.

"Sister Fen," Ai called, bellowing at the top of her lungs. "Sister Fen, please, it\'s an emergency."

The handsome circus crew leader was sleeping in the next section of the tent, yet Ai had to yell out of her mind to get a response.

"What is it, Little Witch?" Fen asked, scurrying into her tent, wide awake from sleep. Fen was still rubbing her eyes, as her sight adjusted to the light.

"Sister Fen, I finally understood why Master told me to come to this town," Ai said.

Fen perked up her brows. "So you finally have a clue on what you have to do to get your breakthrough?"

"I don\'t know about that, but I have to try," Ai said. "If what I interpreted in from the vision was true, then I fear, I fear. . ."

"Stop stuttering, girl," Fen said, clasping her arms. "Tell me straight."

"I think the whole town would be destroyed if I. . . if we don\'t act quickly."

"What did you really see?" Fen asked, her expression changing.

Fen\'s excitement about losing the little witch off her shoulder vanished as a worried expression crept to her face, knowing full well what kind of shit oracle could pull her in.

Fen was completely aware of the blind girl\'s identity. Fen had the bad luck of owing something to Ai\'s master, the Grand Oracle Senaire of the First Temple. As far as she was aware, there could be nothing worse than owing something to an oracle, because they would know how to use you to the fullest.

That was how Fen ended up with the blind girl. At first, Fen thought the grand oracle was merely punishing her disciple for something after she asked her to let Ai join their crew and make her do anything she pleased.

Fen had no familiarity with Ai before that, and wasn\'t even reminded that the girl was blind at first. Thankfully, the girl was nothing like that old crone, which led Fen to have some sympathy for the Little Witch.

But as always, the purpose of these oracles was more complicated than what she could even imagine.

"What did you actually see?" Fen couldn\'t help but ask.

Ai didn\'t answer for a while, considering the right words to describe her vision.

"The one who bears the calamity stands alone against the storm,

lost and devastated, as he plunges the world into chaos.

May he bond, or may he not,

The old god awaits in her prison, abandoning her tears.

Lady of Dreams, Weaver of Horror, will stir the world in her nightmare.

Glory to the Celestial, glory to the Light,

Visage of Light may learn the truth too late.

Old gods\' greed darkens every land, seeks to end light.

Weep for the light, weep for your salvation,

Let tears stream for the Maiden of Sun.

The one who unleashes Calamity, opens the gate to Paradise--

Chosen of the Protector, Rider of the Storm,

Stained by the cardinal sin, too heavy to bear.

Twice he is born, twice he will die.

Once the Storm, all remembrance lost,

Twice the Brightest Star, for all the fates he bears."

A sharp pain assaulted Ai\'s mind as she collapsed to the ground, finishing interpreting her vision. These words came right into her head as she weaved through the pattern of fate.

Fen was quick to help as the blind girl wept in her embrace.

Ai had unconsciously gone deeper into reading the strings of fate and used up all her reserves of Fortune, rendering her no better than a handicapped woman.

"Ai, are you going to be alright?" Fen asked, checking on the blind girl. She barely understood a rat\'s tail about the calamity, old gods or anything, but Fen was too old and experienced to dismiss an oracle\'s word too lightly.

"I\'ll be fine," Ai said, wiping her tears and nose. "Quick, we have to leave."

"Where?"

"To the Wang\'s Inn, and then to the storm."

***

Han Shitian looked at the storm brewing in the mountains with a complicated look in his eyes. His wife stood next to him, unspoken as always, with a worried look on her face. Thankfully, his foolish son wasn\'t here, probably busy with his cousin.

The storm didn\'t seem like it would stop any time soon, as it was only growing in momentum.

"And you\'re still confident about the men you send after him?" Han Shitian asked, turning his head to the foreign man.

The foreign man was a lanky figure, but wasn\'t much of a fighter, as far as the air he radiated. He carried himself with ease and grace, his movements fluid and controlled, and he had a natural charm that drew people to him.. He had a chiselled jawline and piercing blue eyes that seemed to take in everything around him.

He introduced himself as Iskander, the personal interpreter and adviser of the Al\'Caizer of the southern lands.

"Dior knows what he\'s to do," the lanky foreigner, Iskander, said. His voice was smooth and melodic, effortlessly switching between languages with a fluency that was truly impressive.

Iskander seemed to know their dialect and accent better than some of them. Thankfully, his manner was confident, but not arrogant.

"He never fails. Dior will bring back that Scourge. Dead or alive and present to the Al\'Caizer."

Han Shitian narrowed his eyes. Of course, he had seen Dior this man was talking about. Although masked in a red demon face, Han Shitian had felt the alarming threat that man represented when he met for the first time. He was like the creeping death in human skin.

Han Shitian was a mid-gold, and quite proud of that strength, but he could pretty easily guess he wouldn\'t last a couple of blows from Dior, leading him to reconsider if his decision was right or wrong.

He had no clue the waste-picking southerners had grown this much in strength. Thankfully, they were too busy disputing with one another to come after other lands. Although powerful, nobody still managed to unite the entirety of the southern land.

Han Shitian didn\'t know much about their custom, only knew there were multiply numbers of Al\'Caizer in the wasteland, five or six in most times, each one was after the other necks. He merely researched for the name he heard spoken from that thief\'s mouth and tried to see if they could work under a mutual goal.

Turns out they could. The Al\'Caizer and his people hated Gale from the bottom of their hearts. That bastard had killed the Al\'Caizer\'s first-born son, like he was after Han Xiao.

Han Shitian merely provided some bit of information about his presence, and they had deported a heavy force of Gold rankers to deal with it.

"Don\'t you worry, Master Shitian," Iskander said with a smile, as a loud boom thundered after his voice. "Dior will bring back your sword as well as that bastard, alive or his severed head. That is my word to you."

***

Wang Li paced around the lawn, a worried expression on her face. She had been like that since Xiaolin departed with Vale.

Her eyes stuck to the storm brewing in the mountains, praying in her heart that everyone would come out safely.

As she was pacing around, she heard some urging noise in the inn, causing her to frown.

She turned her head and found Sun Ziang shooting out with a couple more ladies, followed by a creepy gothic figure—she wasn\'t aware was living in her inn.

But Wang Li ignored that quickly, hearing something along the lines of the group leaving for the storms in the mountains.

Wang Li\'s heart skipped a beat as she scurried after them.

"What is happening?" Wang Li asked.

Sun Ziang stopped and turned his head to look up at her. Finding him halting, the other two unfamiliar women—one a sturdy-looking woman, while the other seemed to be blind—stopped as well. As for the creepy gothic figure, it stood like the visage of darkness, unconcerned and unbothered.

"It\'s about Gale and the storm brewing in the mountains," Sun Ziang said. "Cousin, you should be aware my primary job of coming in this town was the mountain. There\'s something eerie about that place." he then pointed to the blind girl. "This lady here is an apprentice oracle, and seen visions of. . . Greater devastation if we didn\'t stop it."

"Linlin has gone there with Vale," Wang Li cried, "sensing their Master in danger."

"I\'ll do my best to help them out of the danger," Sun Ziang said fairly and was about to leave.

"Can I come with you?" Wang Li said before thinking. She was about to decline, knowing she would merely be a burden to them, but before she could do so, the blind girl opened her lips.

"Yes, your presence will be helpful."

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It take me about an hour to write the prophecy, you can guess how important that thing is for the story.