Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

After all the Adepts had tried the timing trial, they returned to the village. To Ruwen’s surprise, everyone joined him and Sift on the beach, and no one left to work on the breathing or force trials. Even Echo, for the first time, joined them for instruction.

The Adepts stood in a single line down the beach, each going through the Steps. Sift noticed Echo at the far end and immediately took the opposite side to teach. Ruwen moved down his side, picking the most glaring issue from the thousands he observed in each Adept.

Echo’s heart rate increased with every Adept Ruwen instructed, until, when he finally stood in front of her, it raced so quickly he wondered how her body withstood the frantic beating.

Emotions fought for control of Echo and Ruwen remembered how passionate the Plague Siren Simandreial had been about killing him. Despite the circumstances, he’d maimed Echo’s mother and Echo’s hatred of him warred with her fierce desire to improve her Steps.

“Peace, Sister,” Ruwen whispered.

Echo turned to go.

“I can help you.”

Echo turned back to Ruwen and hissed. “That’s the problem! I shouldn’t want your help. My mother would skin me.”

Ruwen guessed there was a fifty-fifty chance Echo was being literal about her mom skinning her.

“Those things are for another place,” Ruwen said. “Here we are two Adepts, bound by the Clan to help each other.”

To Ruwen’s surprise he realized he meant that. They were enemies in the real world, but here, the Bamboo Clan, and its oaths, took priority.

“Allow your Brother to offer a suggestion,” Ruwen said.

Echo’s heart rate slowed slightly. She let out a long breath and nodded.

Ruwen moved into the Viper Step Twirling Hourglass. “Your strikes are too eager, which doesn’t give your hips time to rotate completely, costing you speed and power.”

Ruwen turned sideways to Echo so she could see his hips. He extended his arm. “This is where your hips stop in seventy percent of your attacks.”

Echo studied Ruwen’s stance. In reality, Echo’s Steps were free from glaring issues, but she had many small issues that compounded each other to hold her back. Her eagerness to punch and strike things was the most prevalent. Even so, it would take an expert to see the small differences he pointed out.

Ruwen faced Echo again and tapped his chest. “Try it, you’ll feel the difference. Do it your way first.”

Echo immediately lashed out, striking Ruwen’s chest. The sound of her Topaz fist striking his Diamond chest sounded like a thousand-pound book striking a library floor. Everyone stopped and stared, but Ruwen ignored them.

“Now, this time, start your hip rotation before you chamber your strike,” Ruwen said.

Echo practiced the movement a few times slowly, getting a feel for the timing of the change. Then with a sudden surge, she struck Ruwen again, this time taking his advice.

The strike sounded the same, but this time, Ruwen felt the full power of the attack. He winced and rubbed his chest. “Did you feel the difference?”

Echo grinned.

“Good,” Ruwen said. “Focus on the strikes that depend on your right hip, those are the worst. Then left hip strikes, and finally your kicks, which need the least modification.”

Echo bowed to Ruwen, and he returned it, before striding back to the center to start down the line again.

They spent the entire afternoon and early evening on the beach. None of the Adepts left to eat, wanting to maximize their training, and Sift grumbled about it every time they met at the center.

Echo, similar to Sift, absorbed and assimilated Ruwen’s instruction like only a true master could. She quickly fixed her issues, and with every rotation he made past her, the problems he explained became smaller.

The Founders observed all of them for over an hour. They remained invisible with some type of soul magic, but Ruwen detected them anyway. No matter the hiding method, it became difficult to hide vibrations and pressure waves when near him. Only the gods he’d met could do it.

Ruwen felt pride and accomplishment for what he’d accomplished here, especially with the other Adepts. All of them had significantly increased their mastery of the Steps. Most of their Sisens back home were just other Masters of varying skill level. As the Adepts progressed at their schools it became harder and harder for them to see their own issues, while the number of people who could see their problems decreased.

An hour before sunset the Quartermaster arrived along with the bamboo forest, and the Adepts stopped training for the day. Everyone headed to look through the relics, but Ruwen turned toward the ocean and strode into the water until it reached his knees.

Sift joined Ruwen.

“It’s beautiful,” Sift said.

The sun had dropped below the height of the bamboo, but its light raced through the shoots, softened by the late hour, and glistened off the water. The colors had turned orangish which the bamboo reflected, creating an almost mystical scene.

“Yeah, I love sunsets,” Ruwen said.

Sift kept his eyes on the hidden horizon. “No, I meant your Steps this morning. Did it feel different?”

Ruwen glanced at Sift but Sift kept his focus forward.

Ruwen studied the sunlight again, and whispered a single word, his throat suddenly tight. “Yeah.”

“I saw it. We all did. What changed?”

Ruwen shrugged. “The terror of falling for sure. That fear amplified not wanting to screw up in front of everyone, and it overwhelmed me. So I used the third meditation to calm down. But now that I understand the balanced perfection of the Steps, even the third mediation couldn’t remove that joy.”

Sift cleared his throat. “Listen, I stopped being your Sisen in anything but name long ago.”

Ruwen started to interrupt but Sift held up a hand. “Let me get this out.”

Ruwen closed his mouth and nodded.

Sift sighed. “Whatever you and Rami did in the Spirit Realm, it catapulted you past me, and you never slowed down. I’ve carried this horrible combination of jealousy and pride ever since. Guilt too, as you poured every ounce of your knowledge into me, while I offered nothing in return. I’ve never experienced such unselfishness.” Sift paused and Ruwen remained silent, unsure if Sift had finished.

Sift cleared his throat again. “Anyway, I just wanted to know if you felt what happened today, because it was the first time I’ve seen you perform the Steps.”

Ruwen turned toward Sift, but Sift kept his gaze forward, the soft sunlight glinting off his golden eyes.

Sift had seen Ruwen do the steps thousands and thousands of times. What did he mean, this was the first time?

Sift stood up straight as if gathering himself and turned to face Ruwen. “I wanted to tell you, as your Sisen, that the joy you found today has always been there, buried under a mountain of thinking.” Sift clenched his jaw, trying to control his emotions. “That, and it was truly beautiful. I am honored to have witnessed it.”

Ruwen’s chest tightened, and his throat clamped shut. He couldn’t speak, so he took a step back and bowed deeply to Sift, holding it for three seconds.

Ruwen stood and Sift returned the bow. They both faced the setting sun, crashing waves the only sound.

After a minute Sift spoke, his voice soft, as if talking to himself. “And to think, you’re my worst Sijun.”

Ruwen laughed, and Sift did as well, their emotions quickly turning the laughter hysterical.

The bamboo forest disappeared as the Quartermaster left the beach. Ruwen and Sift had collapsed to their knees, the water half covering their chests. They cried and gasped for air, unable to stop laughing.

Ruwen, through tear filled eyes, tried to focus on the Adepts standing on the beach. Their faces held concern, but when he tried to tell them everything was okay, Sift’s laughter sent Ruwen spiraling into another fit of hysteria and he gave up.