The Molten Sea maintained an independent position, but even though the Empire of Elements had ultimately provided great wealth to those factions that remained, they were still hesitant to have anything to do with them. Thus it was that traffic to and from the Empire of Elements, such as it was, tended to happen via the watery seas on either side.

  For Aldara’s travel to the tournament, such a journey happened specifically on the southern end. With the Windswept Sea recently cowed, it was unlikely to experience more trouble in the near future. Of course, any assault on Aldara herself was destined to fail, but because they had invited her the continental alliance would at least partially bear any responsibility if something went wrong.

  John himself took a ship to meet her halfway. Partially because if they got into a fight they wouldn’t destroy any important infrastructure.

  The most bothersome part of that was that he knew it would be his fault if they did. Aldara hadn’t shown any signs of further aggression after their single battle and the revelations therein.

  John wondered if this world would ever invent therapists. Even if it did, he probably wouldn’t be able to trust one with his position. So instead, he’d have to manage by large stretches of meditation. Cultivation helped… a little bit at a time. He felt an astounding peace from it.

  That was what he carried with him as he laid eyes on her again. Maintaining that sense of peace was easier than he had thought it would be, in large part because of how well matched her own energy was. He almost wanted… something he refused to consider.

  “The allies of the continent welcome you once again, Empress Aldara,” he said, bowing just enough to be polite without any indication of submission. It didn’t matter how either of them felt about such formalities, the people watching would be more comfortable if everything was as expected.

  “Thank you. I am pleased to have my first visit of any significant duration.”

  Previously, she had flown in by herself- all the way to Lunson. It was a fearless gesture that had helped promote the post-war peace, with the death of a particular traitorous subordinate. She was ruthless, and John wondered if he was really any different. Or if Matayal would have been.

  His memories of Matayal were distorted by love, but if he was honest… she wasn’t the kindest of individuals. To friends and loved ones? Of course. It was also foolish to show kindness to enemies, but she had generally regarded enemies coldly instead of with heated anger. Aldara seemed to have been a bit overly passionate about her revenge against the Molten Sea. However, her actions were also logical from a certain perspective so John couldn’t say anything for certain.

  With anyone else, John would have gladly discussed cultivation on their journey. That was something that everyone of status had in common, after all. He and Aldara were uniquely placed in that regard… which was tempting enough for him to engage in a few, much smaller discussions than he could have reasonably managed.

  “The six elements…” John began slowly. “They’re not so different as people have generally made them out to be.”

  Aldara nodded. “And yet at the same time, it could easily be said that a deep understanding reveals more of their uniqueness.”

  It was clear they knew some of the same things. It was difficult to put certain cultivation insights into words. Though perhaps that simply meant they weren’t yet complete in their understanding. John certainly believed he had more to grow.

  John continued his thoughts by connecting to a broader idea. “We have achieved great success by uniting different elemental regions. Focusing on merely one area could only go so far before reaching an upper limit.”

  “Yet everywhere is still comprised of people, who are much the same anywhere,” Aldara said. “Though I hear you’ve had better luck wrangling your long term neighbors.”

  John wondered quite what she meant by that. Perhaps she was referring to how she had undergone a purge of her own people, factions working against her to among other things keep them from properly communicating. John wondered if she was aware of the assassination attempts against him that had come from the Mozdar clan. They weren’t exactly secret. It seemed like the sort of thing that would make its way to her, just like he had absorbed all the information he could about the purge she had engaged in. If anything, she had made it sound like less of a big deal than it actually was. If she hadn’t reached the Exalted Soul Phase, he doubted she would have had the political capital to manage that even as the Empress. With that power, it helped shift those willing to back her significantly.

  John was glad that people could easily move between the ships. That way, Aldara could choose to go off on her own so that they wouldn't have to awkwardly stand in proximity of each other for days at a time.

  When they arrived off the coast of the Gloom Desolation, Aldara appeared quite interested. “According to my recollections… this region was purely dominated by darkness element, was it not?”

  “Yes,” John confirmed. “But its natural state contained the earth element you can sense now. And the small portion of light, which was what they used all of the earth element to contain.”

  “Ah. An ill advised attempt to purify their dominant element,” Aldara nodded. “It is for the best that it was undone. I don’t know how it lasted for so long.”

  “I imagine some sects saw significant progress afterwards, so it was deemed a success. But most likely, they found it difficult to advance beyond certain phases. And the soil itself degraded, thus the name it came to bear.”

  “I look forward to viewing Astrein again. It is a truly unique geographic location,” Aldara said. “And during my previous visit I did not stay long.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She’d come and gone like a storm, throwing John’s emotions into chaos.

  -----

  When they reached land, they could have traveled via carriage, but some cultivators took pride in traveling with their own power. But aside from all of that, with the company they had it was simply faster to move without the aid of beasts. John had seen efforts to breed stronger and faster horses and other suitable animals, but unless they could reach at least the equivalent of the Soul Expansion Phase in a consistent manner, it would be useless for the highest ranking cultivators. They might even have to surpass that in the current state of things. Consolidated Soul Phase humans might be willing to give up a little bit of speed to relax, but Ascending Soul Phase cultivators could shave days off of their trip and wouldn’t fatigue as much.

  Then there were John and Astrid, the two exceptions. If it was just them, they would have probably flown at great speed. Certain others could do the same, but the Exalted Soul Phase made any differences in power more extreme.

  Each region they passed through Aldara had at least a few comments on. “I had little interaction with the Glass Hills previously.”

  She hadn’t passed through on the way to Astrein. Those were Matayal’s memories.

  “The Green Sands used to be wildly unpleasant,” she commented. “It was both a matter of weakness and inappropriate elements.”

  John had to agree there. “I was always so sweaty. Even with an enchanted carriage.”

  Then they came to the Stone Conglomerate. The route had been purposefully chosen based on the triplet’s preferences. It would have been simply to instead pass through the Sunfields and entirely avoid the Green Sands or even cut through the small border Astrein shared with them.

  Aldara was quiet. John suspected she had things to say, but she was cognizant of John’s reactions. He could only control himself so much… and it hurt any time she tugged at his memories. Perhaps it was the same for her, as her eyes lingered on the mountains.

  -----

  One of their stops, if only for a short time, was the Tenebach clan. Melanthina of course welcomed Aldara appropriately. The latter showed great interest in Nik and Ereli.

  “Spiritual energy infusions during pregnancy are not common,” Aldara commented. “However, the Empire of Elements has performed some research that implies that it might appear more commonly in certain genetic lines. Given the nature of your birth and that of your daughter, that argument may have been strengthened.”

  Melanthina appeared to be interested in the topic, and John was as well. He hadn’t really thought about it, because what they had learned when Matayal was pregnant was minimal. They’d just tried to proceed with caution, and Ereli had been… exceptionally surprising. “Tirto and Verusha produced a child with no born affinity.”

  “That is to be expected,” Aldara said. “There is no guarantee of inborn affinity. Even the most prominent lines were less than ten percent. Furthermore, a pairing of fire and water is not that unusual. Any two core elements have a certain simple compatibility. However, it can grow more complex than that.”

  John wanted to know how much she had learned. “What is the most unique case you have seen?”

  “Previously? Those born with two core elements, one of which neither of their parents practiced,” Aldara commented. “And we did confirm parentage. It was a matter of some strife within that particular clan. Now, I must say the most unique case is that delightful woman over there,” she gestured toward Ereli. “Light and darkness don’t easily join.”

  Nik sighed. “And don’t we know it. We were quite concerned that Ereli wasn’t going to survive her early cultivation. And more certain she wouldn’t have survived without cultivating.”

  Something prodded John. No, someone. He was no longer used to feeling that particular spiritual energy on a regular basis, but he felt strangely more compatible than he had in a long time. A voice growled in his ears. “Bring her to meet me.”

  It seemed that Melanthina heard the same thing. “Our guardian beast desires to see you in person.”

  John might have hesitated, but she certainly didn’t.

  Aldara always had a pleasant smile. John wasn’t aware of her true feelings. However, he did get the feeling she was somewhat happy to hear that. “Of course, I would gladly do so. Ciaritzal, yes?”

  “Indeed. And he is more conveniently located than he was previously.”

  Melanthina led them down to the sub levels, infused with darkness. Nik stayed behind. He was quite capable of dealing with darkness infused surroundings, but that didn’t mean it was pleasant- especially in the particularly high density Ciaritzal maintained around himself.

  John thought he would be better able to pick out Ciaritzal, with a full cycle of elements. However, it appeared that the guardian beast had also grown more powerful and still maintained an air of indistinctness in his form. In the time that he had been fully restored to health, he had long since surpassed the Ascending Soul Phase, just like Cuah’arn. His growth was slower than a talented cultivator, but as a spirit beast his lifespan may well be eternal. Furthermore, he possessed more power at a comparable rank. If he was at the peak of the Ascending Soul Phase, few would have been able to match him.

  “Greetings, great guardian,” Aldara spread out her hands. “I must wonder if I appear familiar in your eyes.”

  “That is one reason I brought you here,” Ciaritzal confessed. “And because this fellow seldom visits me,” he gestured to John.

  John wondered if he was actually bothered by that. “You can make your way along the roads yourself, I would think. You would be welcome at the Six Element Crossroads should you wish to visit.”

  Ciaritzal shook his head, or at least the region of animalian darkness that was deeper than the native darkness. “I am not such an inspiring figure as Cuah’arn. Those who see her in the skies are inspired. Most would think me an omen of death.”

  Both were likely equally capable of killing. But darkness still had its stigmas.

  Ciaritzal studied Aldara carefully, sniffing her and stepping around her. “Our compatibility is different,” he finally declared. “But I cannot say if that is a matter of elements or because you possess a different self.”

  Aldara’s eyes looked between Ciaritzal, Melanthina, and John. “I am Matayal. Even if not with every memory.”

  John did believe that. It just made things harder. But perhaps Melanthina would find a greater connection with what remained of her mother. She and the others had even less time with her than he did, given the few years before their birth.