Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Ruwen sat in the sand on the opposite side of the Adepts from Sift and used a combination of the third meditation and the Gem control over his body to stop laughing. The belt ceremony was a solemn affair, which made stopping even harder. He pulled his senses in as close as he could and tried to ignore the pressure waves off Sift’s body as he also tried to contain himself.

The sun disappeared behind the horizon and Ruwen opened his eyes. The three Founders sat in front of the Adepts, their eyes closed in meditation. As if feeling his gaze, Thorn opened her eyes and locked gazes with him.

Thorn had spent a lifetime controlling her body, and reading her emotions proved almost impossible. Her Disposition Aura remained green and if Ruwen sensed anything from the look, it was sadness. Why would Thorn be sad? Or was she sad for him? She looked away as the Founders all stood.

Madda frowned at Sift, probably because of the laughing, and Padda evened up the red belts hanging over his arm.

One by one the Adepts approached the Founders, and after a brief exchange, received their red belt. Ruwen had regained control of his emotions by the time his turn arrived, but he avoided looking at Sift, anyway.

Thorn and Mist remained quiet after returning Ruwen’s bow.

“What have you learned, Adept?” Dusk asked.

Ruwen thought about the breakthrough he’d had floating three hundred feet in the air. “Humility.”

“How so?” Dusk asked.

Ruwen pushed the admission out. “When I arrived, I believed I’d already learned all the Steps offered. That changed when sparring with the Coral Vipers. Then,” he paused, swallowing hard in a suddenly dry throat. “Then I experienced what I can only describe as…joy.”

“We witnessed it, Brother,” Thorn said quietly.

Since Ruwen hadn’t sensed their observation, they must have done it from a significant distance.

“A rare thing to see here,” Mist added. “Recognizing the balance between function and art usually happens early in training or not at all. Thank you for the gift of your revelation.”

Ruwen had never considered such a balance, and hope erupted in his chest. “Is that the seventh trial?”

Dusk shook her head sadly. “No. Beauty is not something you can teach or test. It is a personal experience.”

Ruwen nodded, disappointed that the challenge of the seventh trial remained. The fact that such a balance existed and that he’d been blind to it shook his confidence.

“What does the sixth trial teach?” Dusk asked.

Sift’s terrible pastry example came to mind and for a moment, Ruwen worried he’d start laughing again. The moment passed and the seriousness of the situation returned. “This trial demonstrates the importance of foundational knowledge, and how some elements can’t be learned out of sequence. It highlights the importance of time.”

Thorn remained silent, but Ruwen could guess her thoughts, and he turned to her. “I understand how my actions violate this lesson. The maturity gained during the time a student builds their foundation is the bedrock for a balanced Step Master. That is wise, and I accept it.”

Ruwen took a deep breath and sighed. “If I had come here as an isolated student, I would have kept with tradition, and stayed silent. For better or worse, I’ve seen dangers none of us can face in our current states. Not sharing knowledge creates a missed opportunity that may save a life. For that purpose alone, I violated the trial of time’s wisdom.”

Ruwen bowed to the three Founders, and they returned it. Dusk nodded at Padda, and he handed her the final red belt.

Dusk presented Ruwen his new belt and, after bowing again, he returned to stand next to Sift.

The Founders, instead of dismissing them, remained standing before the class.

“This class has had many firsts,” Dusk said. “The most important that you all survived. Not only survived, but advanced through the trials at an incomprehensible speed. So many potential Masters is fortunate for the Bamboo Viper Clan, as our enemies vastly outnumber us. Congratulations on this massive success.”

Dusk studied the thirty-three red belt Adepts. “A final, seventh step, remains on your path to the black belt of Master. You may attempt this trial at any time, beginning immediately. Any Adepts present who wish to test for Master, follow me.”

Ruwen’s heart rate increased, and it thudded in his chest. The seventh trial already? Part of him had hoped he would have more time to prepare, to try and figure out what it related to. But as the Founders moved down the beach, and the rest of the Adepts followed, he realized his time had run out.

The seventh trial, whatever it contained, would soon reveal itself.

They traveled for over an hour down the beach, which narrowed as the bamboo forest pushed toward the ocean. Ruwen walked behind Sift and the other Adepts, with only Madda and Padda remaining behind him. The crashing surf created the glowing water he’d seen on his first night and lit their path.

Scattered rocks appeared and soon they turned into a small wall, which quickly climbed into a cliff. The Founders didn’t slow when the beach disappeared, and they all strode next to the rock face as the ocean swirled around their knees.

Three minutes later, the Founders disappeared from sight, and a moment later Echo did as well. It took Ruwen another second to figure out they’d disappeared into a cave. When Ruwen’s turn came he followed Sift into a narrow passage. The glowing water sloshed around in the small space, throwing shadows erratically across the walls.

Ruwen still kept his shadow stored in his Bamboo Viper Clan mark, but the others’ shadows made him think of the Prime Shadow Warden he’d met and Ruwen wondered if the being could see them from the shadows they created.

The tunnel ended in a cave fifty feet across. Most of the floor remained out of the water as the ground sloped upward. The Adepts each held a glowing water filled glass. Ruwen watched a member of Rung Four retrieve a glass from near the water, fill it with sea water, and shake it. It immediately glowed, and they joined the other Adepts farther in the cave. Sift and Ruwen quickly created their own glass lights and followed.

The Addas, seeing everyone safely delivered, turned and left.

Mist spoke first. “In a moment, you will begin your final trial. Success earns you a black belt and the title of Master.”

“Unlike the previous trials,” Thorn said, “failure here is catastrophic, and likely fatal.”

Dusk looked around at the Adepts. “When you hear your name, continue down the tunnel. You will find us waiting, and we will instruct you further.”

The Founders turned and strode into a large crack in the cave wall, disappearing from sight. Ruwen turned to Sift, who raised his eyebrows, but didn’t speak. Something about the cave, oddly glowing water, and flickering shadows, discouraged speaking.

Echo stiffened, looked around, and then moved toward the path the Founders had taken. Ruwen frowned. He hadn’t heard anything, and his Diamond senses would have certainly detected Echo’s name being called.

A few minutes later, another member of Rung One jerked in surprise before quickly entering the tunnel. Again, Ruwen hadn’t heard anything, which must mean the summons occurred mentally.

Ruwen sat, and the rest of the Adepts followed his lead. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. The time for figuring out the seventh trial had passed. Either he had the answers, or he didn’t.

Time passed, with only occasional glass shakes for light interrupting Ruwen’s thoughts.

Sift stood and Ruwen opened his eyes, and then stood as well. Only the two of them remained.

Sift tapped his temple. “It’s time.”

Ruwen nodded.

“Are you going to puke?” Sift asked. “You look terrible.”

Ruwen swallowed. “I hope not.”

“Listen to me, Sijun. Everything you need is already here,” Sift touched Ruwen’s head. “And here,” Sift moved his hand to Ruwen’s chest, over his heart.

Ruwen nodded.

“It is enough,” Sift whispered.

Ruwen nodded again, too worried to speak.

Sift grinned. “See you on the other side.”

Sift’s relaxed, no cares smile infected Ruwen, and he returned it, despite his misery.

Sift disappeared into the tunnel and Ruwen stood alone.

The delay between Adepts being summoned usually ranged from three to five minutes, so Ruwen jerked in shock, when, a minute after Sift’s disappearance, he heard a voice, the sound like ice across his neck, but also one he recognized from the swamp.

“Ruwen Starfield,” the Prime Shadow Warden whispered, “you are summoned.”