Another Chance

A new world meant a fresh start, and a fresh start is exactly what Kongming craved. In their last mission, her sister had outshone her on every front. She would tell herself that Guo Jia had it easy, but more than anyone else, Kongming knew that wasn’t true: her sister worked hard to appear flawless. And that, too, was unbearable. This time, Kongming would be the one to be the hero. She would prove to everyone that she was more than just her sister’s shadow.

Kongming took a deep breath, the crisp mountain air filled her lungs and it swirled in her head as though clearing her mind altogether. A piercing cry tore through the echoing silence and she lifted her head towards the noise, just in time to see a sparrowhawk glide through the fog. The corners of her mouth curled up a bit—a good omen for her first steps into this new world. She had only been on two other missions from The Grand Archive, but that was enough for her to know that she was not far from where she needed to go. Through her observations, she noticed that while where you spawned in when arriving to a new world was seemingly random, there were a couple rules to it. One, usually it was close to a leyline or some sort of beacon of strength. Two, it was within walking distance to some sort of civilization, be it a small town or a cult’s lair, the former if you were lucky. She didn’t want to think about being stuck in the latter. The last rule was that you often were not spawned near any other champions. Another glance around confirmed it; no signs of Guo Jia.

After some climbing, she paused at a vantage point. To Kongming’s surprise, as she approached a clearing, she saw the back of someone sitting at a wooden bench overlooking the pass. She instinctively ran a mental scan of his appearance, noting anything that might reveal him as an enemy. His long silk robe was pristine despite lightly brushing the dirt path, and it gleamed with an oily sheen. Though not outwardly ornate, even an outsider such as herself could see that the quality was unmistakable. His hair, just as long, black, and silky as his robes, seemed to blend seamlessly with it. No signs of visible or concealed weapons, and reading his aura, his magical prowess was notably high. But it didn’t seem out of the ordinary, on the contrary, it felt eerily familiar. In this particular observation, Kongming took great pride. Reading the magical ability of others was a skill not even her sister possessed. However, it still wasn’t enough information to glean if he was friend or foe. It was her first day in this world and she hadn’t even attuned to a leyline yet—if he was a foe, she stood no chance of winning in this state. She would have to tread carefully. She drew a breath to call out to him, but before she could utter a word, he spoke first.

“A hero from another world,” his voice was low and smooth, not low enough to rumble but clear and resonant.

She froze. How could he know that she was not from this world? Through her trials, this was the first time that someone recognized her as an outsider immediately. This man was no mere passerby; she’d have to be cautious.

“The winds,” he slowly rose from the bench, his head turning slightly towards her, his eyes obscured by his hair but his smile visible, “they informed me of your arrival. I have been waiting.”

“You are…?” she asked, keeping her tone steady, hoping to make the stranger doubt himself. Kongming’s mind lingered on his words—how could he have known of her arrival? He wasn’t a part of the group that was sent here from the Grand Archive. Besides her sister, there was another girl who looked around Guo Jia’s age and a young man who looked around her own age.

“They have been waiting for a savior hailing from beyond Sanguo,” he looked at her, his expression soft but somehow still stern. “You are strong. I have been waiting for a hero and I can see you are the one that prophecy foretold.”

She tried not to show her surprise. If there had been a prophecy in this world, surely it would point to Guo Jia; it always had.

“Are you sure you have not mistaken me for another?” She asked, making sure to still sound confident. “Surely there are stronger.”

“Stronger, yes, I am certain there are. However, as soon as I felt your presence, I knew it was you. They seek one with ambition like yours.”

His words struck a chord. Guo Jia was stronger than her, but she didn’t have Kongming’s drive. Maybe she really was the one of prophecy this time! She buzzed with excitement before hastily tampering her emotions so as not to seem overly eager.

“The god that I serve has been unjustly imprisoned,” he continued. “The world will fall to ruin if the Warden of Souls is not freed. My blame does not lie with the citizens, for they are blind to the truth. The false teachings are leading all astray. When the world falls, none shall know why.”

She looked at him and saw genuine sorrow in his eyes. His story aligned with why she had been sent there; those in a collapsing world rarely knew their fate.

“What should I do?” she asked. This could be her chance to make a difference.

“You must infiltrate the Zhidian Sect. There, they teach students of the Shenju: the four auspicious beasts and the false gods who have betrayed the Warden of Souls for their own gain.” He looked towards the path that continued up the mountain. “I am certain they will select a false prophet from your world, but you mustn't be misled.”

He paused, his gaze fixed up on the road for several seconds before looking back at Kongming, “I wish we had more time, but you must make haste. Meet me here tomorrow. I will tell you more of the true nature of this world.”

She nodded. Kongming wasn’t naive; she’d follow his advice, but she would judge this Zhidian Peak for herself before making a decision.

“Be discreet. All on this mountain worship the Shenju. If you are not careful, you will be branded a traitor,” with this he stepped towards her for the first time. He reached out, stopping just short of touching her arm. “Be careful, chosen one. And may the Warden of Souls guide your path.”

With that, he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. But before she could be impressed, a gruff voice called out from up the path, “Who’s there? State your name and purpose!”

Her heart raced both with fear and excitement. If the mystery man was right, this world not only knew of outsiders—they expected one. This was her chance.

“I am Kongming. I hail from another world to save Sanguo.”

Waywards

It had been a week since Kongming had been admitted to the Zhidian Sect. To her dismay, Guo Jia was also there, and her sister had already given her a harsh lecture about revealing their identities. Kongming, however, made sure to keep her continued meetings with the mysterious man, Zuo Ci, a secret from both the sect and her sister. It was clear that the sect favored Guo Jia as their future prophet. She knew Guo Jia’s intention wasn’t to make her feel inferior—but that only made her feel worse. Guo Jia was perfect, both inside and out, while Kongming felt flawed in every way. Despite her sister’s kindness, Kongming couldn’t help but resent everything Guo Jia embodied, and that resentment spiraled into self-loathing. She knew it was jealousy, rooted from her own shortcomings.

The masters of the sect, led by Master Sima Hui, were training the two sisters, hoping one of them would be the bearer of fate and summon the Shenju to defeat an upcoming evil. But Kongming knew better. To summon the Shenju would awaken forces of ruin. The exact location of the Shenju were unknown but she learned that they were slumbering beneath the leylines of this world. She had been working tirelessly to stay on top of her lessons while balancing her meetings with Zuo Ci and trying to regain her abilities that she lost while world hopping.

Everything Zuo Ci had warned her of was coming true. Kongming had no more reason to doubt him. They had quickly formed a bond, one of a disciple and teacher, as Zuo Ci taught her about Sanguo but also how to read the wind. After all, what kind of god of the people would create something such as the Imperial Seal? Forcing not just dictatorship on an entire world, but then forcing the ruler to give up their own life force? It sounded like the wrong side to her. Not only that, but the Warden of Souls believed in her. Not even Kongming believed in her own abilities. For once, she was feeling confident.

Today, Zuo Ci would teach her how to access his sanctum. It was a faraway place reachable only through a new kind of magic. The way he described it was akin to riding a leyline, almost like a boat riding a river current. Through her travels with The Grand Archive, she had never encountered magic such as this and the sect hadn’t taught them much either.

When she arrived, Zuo Ci was sitting on his usual bench, holding something in his hand. Though the fog obscured everything beyond the pass, he always seemed to gaze far ahead at something only he could see.

“Master, I’m here,” her tone was flat, though her heart was racing. Riding leylines seemed incredible. Though she was excited to get ahead, a part of her wished she could share this experience with her sister. Guo Jia had always loved boat rides.

“I have a gift for you,” his voice, as always, was sweet but tinged with sadness. Zuo Ci rose and slowly turned to face her, a large feather fan in his hand.

She gently took it from him. It was stunning—the feathers were large, full, and soft. “It’s infused with magic,” she said reverently, in a near whisper.

He smiled. “The Warden of Souls’ power flows within it. It was made for you and for you alone, chosen one,” he bowed slightly.

Kongming’s face flushed. Each time her master bowed to her, she lit up with pleasant discomfort.

“However, it seems today’s plans must wait another day,” he said, his smile turning wistful. “What do you–“

“Mei-mei?”

Kongming felt her entire body tense up. There was only one person who would refer to her as such. She turned around to see Guo Jia rushing down the path. Ever the picture of elegance, her long white pigtails floated behind her like baihua petals and her blue and white ruqun remained pristine as always.

“I was warned of an evil presence on the peak. Stand away from my sister!” Guo Jia took a fighting stance.

Kongming stepped forward, drawing her fan to shield Zuo Ci. She’d hoped to keep this secret a while longer.

“It is you who should stand down, Jie-jie,” she retorted.

Guo Jia’s perfect face faltered. “What are you doing? This man is clearly dangerous. Mei-mei, you are too quick to trust and too lax in your studies. If you would just listen to Master Sima Hui’s teachings-“

“Shut up!” Kongming roared, louder than she had ever dared yell at her sister. With her words, she felt something snap inside her. For too long she had remained one step behind Guo Jia. She finally had something of her own, and Guo Jia wanted to take it from her? Not this time. This time, it was Kongming who was chosen. “I’ve had enough of your lectures and your coddling. I get it, you’re perfect and the sect has clearly already chosen you. Why should I listen to their false teachings when they don’t have any intentions of actually teaching me anything of significance? You wouldn’t understand because you’ve never had a single struggle in your entire life! You don’t know what it’s like to be compared to you.”

“Mei-mei, I don’t know what that man’s told you but none of that is true. Come here, let’s go back to the sect together.” Guo Jia’s face twisted, clearly concerned for her sister.

“You think I’m not capable of making my own decisions? I have learned the truth and know far more than the sect will ever teach you. While you bring Sanguo to ruin, I will save it.”

Zuo Ci bent towards Kongming’s ear and whispered, “Just say the word and I will take you.”

“I despise you, Guo Jia.” Kongming turned to look at her master and nodded. There were tears in her eyes. In response, he smiled his sad smile, wrapped his arms around her, and they disappeared into smoke, leaving only Guo Jia and the mountain behind.

When Guo Jia had first approached, Kongming had wondered why Zuo Ci hadn’t disappeared at the first sign of trouble, as he often did. At the time, she’d dismissed it as simply because he had already been detected. But as she was whisked away in a cloud of smoke, she realized it was to protect her.