Duality of Shadows

It was a hot late summer day within the sacred city, and tranquility reigned supreme. Days flowed in serene calmness, where each inhabitant devoted themselves to what they loved most without restrictions. Whether in pursuit of spiritual enlightenment, studying the arts, or other passions, there was no pressure or demands. Freedom was the foundation upon which they built their lives.

Within this paradise, the citizens, newcomers from Montide and the Divinestone clan, woke up each dawn as if immersed in a dream. Yet, everyone was aware that this paradise was ephemeral, that the guide who protected them would not be there forever. He currently was like a god among mortals, and they were being temporarily blessed.

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But the words of the sacred being, spoken at some moment Bruno wouldn’t remember at all, echoed like a mantra: all paths lead to the top. Every Dao, no matter how small, could lead them to a full and eternal life.

It was something random that Bruno said; he remembered the countless fantasy games from Earth he played, or perhaps he read it in some book. There were classes or Daos that used music, wine, tea, or the most random things possible to fight. It was just something fanciful, but in all living beings there was an impulse to create new things. Why not let the people of his city seek to create something new? Thus, they could have a purpose to live for, and it wouldn’t cost anything.

Everyone lived quietly but completely driven by an invisible will to protect that life and peace. The city’s inhabitants tirelessly sought to explore the limits of their capabilities.

Even if they didn’t achieve all their goals, they didn’t hesitate to record every idea and every piece of knowledge for future generations. The focus was on tomorrow, in the hope that those who would live after them would transcend even further. It was as if they were planting seeds for a distant future. And thanks to Bruno’s completely random idea, in a few thousand years, hundreds of rare and unique Daos would be born in that city and spread throughout the cosmos.

On that ordinary day in the city, all the inhabitants ceased their activities and turned their gaze to the center. A disturbance in the laws of nature made them witness the new magical growth, that gigantic tree before their eyes. It grew incessantly, becoming increasingly imposing and dense, challenging the limits of what was believed possible.

Within hours, the tree had reached a magnitude that could be seen across the surrounding region, which was once a vast desert. Its growth continued, rapidly approaching the maximum limit of the formation’s top. Just a bit more and it could be seen by everyone outside.

Its canopy seemed to encompass the entire central city, emanating an infinite ancestral power that made everyone contemplate their own paths and internal laws. Finally, the growth ceased.

At the foot of the splendid Nine Stars Tree, the whale felt all these changes with great enthusiasm. By his side, Almin seemed to be in ecstasy, he jumped to gather the central leaves. There were a few hundred of them, the ones that could make the high-level pills.

Now, his assistant Doara was able to produce the Nine Heavens Pills with him. The two would work tirelessly to create an abundant supply of them, both brimming with excitement.

Using all the countless beasts they had hunted in the last six months, they planned to ascend rapidly now that they had recruited allies to assist in the hunt. That day, Loeus returned to the family with the whale’s message. And in the first rays of sunlight the next day, Ruri and Corin returned once again.

Inside the castle, Ruri stormed in and the whale allowed her to do whatever she wanted. She enthusiastically jumped on them, but after a few intense minutes, she was interrupted by a feeling. Turning quickly, she was faced with a small purple feline staring at her strangely. Their gazes met, and a mixture of embarrassment and surprise appeared on Ruri’s face.

"Cough Cough... she finally woke up," said the whale, coughing softly.

Ruri waved, took a deep breath, and approached Liumi cheerfully. Alm and Bruno watched the two of them chat lightly for a few minutes; Ruri was genuinely happy to see her again. Until Liumi quickly bid farewell, feeling something and wanting to leave the two alone.

"Did you make it?" Alm asked Ruri emotionlessly. The response came with a radiant smile from her.

Both nodded contentedly. Nearly a year had passed since the four had gone to the Empyreans’ families. Now, Ruri was the first to achieve, through her own merit, the status of central disciple of the Moonlight family.

All four possessed talent and abilities that would make them immediately accepted when they arrived at the families. However, the families were not only seeking power and talent; they were not willing to grant everything they had to someone they didn’t trust, let alone to someone who wasn’t truly born into them. Therefore, everyone needed to earn the trust of the top echelon of the families on their own.

Ruri approached them and spoke softly, "I just happened to be lucky enough to be the first. Corin was about to be officially named a few days ago, but the High Elves love to prolong discussions when they disagree on something, so it took longer than expected."

As she spoke, she slowly extended her fingers and touched the whale’s forehead. Quickly, a large amount of information flowed to them. As the official central disciple of the family, Ruri had received all the knowledge about an Empyrean that they possessed.

Ruri, having already awakened the queen’s rune, gained and absorbed all the knowledge completely. The same would apply to Corin, as he had already been a temporary hero of the queen; that’s why the two were quick. However, Loeus and Vuard would have a longer path ahead. The families had methods to awaken this in them, but the cost was high; the two needed to demonstrate they were worth the investment.

The whale nodded satisfactorily and quickly skimmed through the introduction of the information. In this queen’s universe, heroes were created differently from others. First, their runes were awakened, either by her or by other methods, making the cultivator an Empyrean.

There were various classifications of Empyreans, but they all converged to become a hero. The four families could only generate more basic Empyreans, so they took care of their talented members and, after reaching a certain level, sent them to superior sects so they could elevate their status.

In their previous universe and the others they visited, there was only one hero who led everything and everyone. But in this central universe of the queen, there were hundreds of heroes, and with each generation, dozens more were born. As for the old ones... something happened, and they simply disappeared.

Alm and Bruno pondered over this peculiarity; it probably had something to do with the immortal realms. It would become clearer in the future.

There was a vast amount of knowledge that Ruri had given them, but it was still only the first level of an Empyrean, and they would have to seek more in the future.

"Great, now we’ll be able to create our own version of the Empyreans. And in the future, a hero. Let’s..." Bruno wanted to read everything immediately, but he held back his words when he felt Ruri’s gaze. She had put in a lot of effort and deserved equivalent attention.

"Good job," the whale said softly.

Ruri took a deep breath, composing herself, and continued. "Lady Kaiyka asked me to deliver a message."

"Your master?" The whale became serious quickly.

"I only have one master, and she knows that well, but she accepted," Ruri retorted with a pout before continuing. "In a month, there will be a family competition among the young generations of disciples. The four main families participate, and usually, the twelve servant families send twelve representatives. Now, master is who’s substituting, so she asked to invite you."

"Hmm... it’s timely. Tell her I accept, make it clear that I’ll personally participate, and spread this information to everyone in the family," Alm said with a dark look. Soon, Ruri realized his plans and smirked mischievously.

Alm exchanged glances with her and felt an equal connection between them. She understood well what he was thinking and genuinely enjoyed being with him. A good feeling flowed between them as they smiled together. Soon, Ruri got very close physically.

"I want a new lesson from master. This time, I won’t be caught off guard and I’ll learn properly," she said softly, looking seductively.

And so, the day passed... and Ruri left the room staggering and almost dazed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and reluctantly left. Meanwhile, in the room, the whale sat on the bed, a bit stunned. Ruri was slowly climbing this, she seemed to know how to make them surrender, and they could only offer more and more.

The two wondered where this would end, and soon thought of reversing this in another way. However, they quickly put that consideration aside and focused on studying the knowledge they had received from her.