DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE UNTAMED OR MO DAO ZU SHI THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
A/N: Ok this is meant to break my writers block for my other stories since my brain is too tired to do anything. I am not used to do this sort of story telling so I will try my best to do so… so bare with me.
First and foremost I loved watching the Untamed it was sort of like a Game of Thrones except it is Chinese. I even loved the story telling of how two men eventually fell in love with each other without jeopardizing the show to censorship. So it was a good thing they found many ways to tell the story without getting into trouble. I am now currently reading the book while getting over my writers block on my other stories. Covid-19 really did a number on our world. It made people open their eyes to the corruption of our world governments. It also made people come together to protest against racism and colonialism. It was sort of a wake up call to the world today. Many people without work or those that do work essential jobs like myself are worked to the point of total exhaustion. Right now I am writing this while my body wants to rest, but it can't. Times are hard when you can't talk to family members in person because they could catch the virus. This is the sort of thing that gets people writing and for me I found the Untamed while filtering through my feed on Youtube.
Just watching it I fell in love with the story and what the two main characters went through. So I reached out to a few of my friends in the LGBT community here and asked it they saw it and recommended it. They have yet to be able to watch it since they are like me overworked and no rest. I hope for their sake that this story meets their standards. And I hope to update my other works like Alan's Dinosaurs, The Warriors of Winterfell and Mass Effect the Immortal Series part One: Flight of the Normandy soon. For the last one I am just waiting on my Beta who is just as busy as me. He is trying his best to beta my chapters as I am doing my best to update writing them. So if this chapter comes out a bit rough I apologize for it right now. So if you are interested in this story please don't be afraid to leave a review but no FLAMES, BASHINGS, OR LORE MONGERS PLEASE thank you.
So before I get into the story itself I am just warning you now this is an alternate universe as with all fanfictions are. So do be mindful of that. Thank you….
Summary: Thousands of years ago beings known as the Western Spirits roamed the Cultivation world. Feeding on the Yin energy or resentment energy they somehow convert it to Yang or life energy. That is until they were hunted down to near extinction by Xue Chonghai and his school. Now centuries later Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji must protect the last Western Spirit from those who wish to kill it, but whom is protecting whom?
THE LAST WESTERN SPIRIT
AMERICA 2020
"The pandemic has seen another death as a woman in her twenties has succumbed to the virus…."
"Covid 19 has left millions out of work…"
"People are not heeding to the face mask and social distancing guidelines and now another life was taken by the virus…"
"Covid-19 has made its escape from China and is now reeking havoc world wide!"
"The World Health Organization has announced that we are now in a pandemic. So they offer guidelines to help with dealing with the virus,"
"America has one of the highest cases and deaths per capital in the world!"
"Over 198,000 people are dead because of Covid-19 and the numbers keep growing,"
Heavy monitors kept beeping to the point where the sound was deafening. The chatter of passing nurses and doctors as they constantly checked the overcrowded emergency room was all that could be heard. During this noise a single bed was pointed out against the others. On it was a single occupant. This person was struggling to breathe as the monitors and the ventilator that she was using continued to supply her with much needed oxygen. She was listening to the constant crying of the people trying to save her.
She was alone and afraid. Unable to move she wanted to see her family again after so long here in this hospital. How long has it been? She did not know for the days seemed to crawl as she struggled to breath. She could not even find the strength to lift up her hand since she was so weak. It was like someone was sitting on her holding her down. All she could feel is that she is drowning. She tries to move to see if she can find a picture or her phone to see her family once again. But the phone she had is gone taken by one of the nurses to be charged. She wanted to see them again, to hear their voices above all the sounds of the nurses and the doctors and the dying.
It was heartbreaking to see whenever she has the strength to wake which is growing less and less for her. It seems that every time she wakes it will be the last time she sees them again. The only thing she sees more and more is a kindly old man who sits by her bed with no mask or any sort of equipment on him. In fact he looks more like something out of one of the old kung-fu movies that her grandma likes to watch.
The girl on the bed could only see the old man. For the nurses walk right through him as if he were a ghost.
Perhaps he is one? She didn't know as he sat by her bed. He held her hand when the nurses weren't looking. He even sang a song that she didn't know to her which sounded sweet like a love song of sorts. But the way he would play it or sing it reminded her of a cross between Pokemon and Frozen. She didn't know as they seemed to blur together. She could only remember his smile as he sat there quietly. She smiled back at him before she closed her eyes at one of the nurses and fell into darkness.
MEANWHILE
A nurse was passing by when she went to check up on one of their patients. The woman was in her late twenties. She was found on the streets after supposedly being kicked from her home by her landlord for not paying the rent. She was the latest person to be infected with the new virus. As she sat there checking her vitals she suddenly heard an intake of breath before the alarms started to go off and the girl stopped breathing. She had a smile on her face when she did so. The nurse knew that no matter what they did she was gone. And so with reluctance she turned the machines off after informing the doctors of the woman's death.
It was a sad day as another one had lost their life. Even at one so young.
The funeral arrangements were set up for the girl by her family. Since having large gatherings is forbidden by the government they opted to give her farewell gifts and do their tributes on social media and online. All the while the girl's body was sent to be cremated so that the disease does not spread to others. As they did so the girls ashes were then buried in the cemetery alongside her grandparents. Her mother, father and siblings all had spaced themselves apart to wish her farewell even if its from their own vehicles. Only her father, mother and the priest were allowed to say some final words next to the urn as it was placed into the earth.
As the priest laid down the funeral rites the final wording was said as it rained. The heavens was giving their tears as well wishing her a good rest. As the last of the cars drove away a lone figure was watching from the nearby street of the cemetery. An old Chinese man was watching the whole thing out of sight of anyone observing. His hair was long and tied back with a thick hair tie. His beard was long but neat and ghostly white. He had no umbrella in his hand and stood there along the edge watching the funeral grounds grow silent. He then walked through the small gate along the wall into the cemetery towards the new grave. As the rain poured he looked down at the ground his clothes which are soaked through from the rain did nothing to hide his smile.
"At last I finally found you! Your spirit will help heal our world and end the turmoil that evil has sought," he said in mandarin. As he said so the ground began to glow as he reach down and pulled something up. It was a glowing orb of light.
"Your spirit will become a Western dragon. A creature both wise and ferocious. With this new power you can cleanse the world of the pollution that was sought in the war before. Now my Western Spirit be as you are destined to be and become the creature you are meant to become," he said before vanishing from the cemetery.
CULTIVATION WORLD CHINA THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO
The China as one would know it does not exist here. Instead it was a time of myth and legend. Of ancient beasts so out of the ordinary that people would have fainted to see the sight of such creatures.
Now however it was not a time for visitations. Instead it was a time of great strife and war. Where rival clans had fought a ferocious battle against a single school of immense evil. The Xue school of cultivation has been a prominent school for generations. Harvesting the essence of life to fuel their own spiritual cognition. However things had changed when the head of the school Xue Chonghai had discovered the power of the Yin metal. A metal of unknown origins that had appeared suddenly and with great care had crafted it into a weapon of destruction.
Thousands had died from the evil that the Yin metal and its master had created. It created creatures and beings that had plagued the land in death. Trees, animals and people were changed as the darkness swept across China with such force that storms were created from such dark energy. From this turbulence of death other schools had risen up to challenge the Xue School of Cultivation and its tradition of demonic cultivation. As the remaining schools fought back against the darkness the eerie presence or absence of one magical species became the means of this war.
As the battle raged between good and evil, life vs death our story begins when the final battles were being fought at the Xue School itself.
The thousands of cultivators who had joined in the war had fought bravely and died by the sight of such monsters. The dead just kept on rising forcing more and more of them to fall back and die. But a group of nearly a hundred cultivators from various schools had joined together to fight off the worst to reach the gates of the school. When the doors opened one man stepped into the room. His blood sang with vengeance as he made his way into the dark room where the master of all this evil was hidden. Standing there and waving his hands around Xue Chonghai released his dark energy on his enemies. They all fell back as wave after wave of dark resentful energy swept across them. The Yin Iron floated nearby providing him with energy.
The man who first came in was the first to rise from the ground after the shockwave hit. Rising upwards he used his spiritual powers to push back against the dark spirits that tried to kill him. He then leaped for the door once more and with that leap looked for the creator of such chaos. When he spotted him he flew in his sword ready. Xue Chonghai however was waiting for him and fought him. With his sword out he began to fight back against the darkness that this man was. As they fought the man knew that he was losing but he never gave up. Instead he called upon the last reserves of energy to parry a blow that was meant to slice him in two. That left his opponent wide open and with a final push thrust his sword out.
Xue Chonghai laughed as he was pierced through the heart by a man that no one thought would stand out among the crowd. Dressed in red robes soaked through with the blood of his enemies he stepped over him. His shadow covering him and all he saw of Xue Chonghai was the glowing blood red eyes that pierced the darkness that was created by the man's shadow. As the laughter faded the Xue Chonghai gave him one final warning, "Your people will become just like me one of these days. The Yin Iron has shown me such," he said and that was when the last light faded as his black blood pooled around him.
The man looked at Xue Chonghai in disgust. He looked up from the corpse to see for himself what the building he stepped in truly looked like. But all he saw was darkness and the taint of evil. The building he stepped in was made from stone as dark as the night sky. The Xue School of Demonic Cultivation was a school that was built to summon spirits and harness the forbidden dark arts. The sign on the door says it all as he looked up at it. He snorted in disgust once again and spat bloody saliva on the ground as an insult.
Just as he was about to turn around the wind started to blow out of the building. It carried the scent of death through the front door. The man held his arm in front of his face hoping to block the scent.
As he entered the building he could already see what evil this man that he had just killed has done. Shouts could be heard as several other men also descended into the building. Their clothes of different colors from different places. All of them here to help him stop this evil from manifesting itself even further. The man's body laid down near a pillar but his smile remained prevalent.
"The bastard still laughs at us even when he is dead," said one man as he entered. He was a man in his late twenties with his hair held high and tied in a knot. He walked in with an air of arrogance as he approached the man.
"Mao? Is he dead?" he asked the man in front.
The first man Mao turned to him his eyes hard, "Yes, Xue Chonghai is dead killed by my blade," he said and the man sighed with relief.
"That is good, so we can celebrate the death of Xue Chonghai and hope the Western Spirits can return to clean up the garbage that he has left for us," said the man.
Mao however did not respond to his wording. Instead his focus was on the vast amounts of blood on the ground. It was more then Xue Chonghai has ever bleed and the smell was like that of rotten meat. As he looked up from the body of the fallen master he saw for himself the river flowing out from behind some doors. As he approached the doors the smell grew worse as he opened them.
The room was dark but the smell was putrid. When he lit a fire talisman to give light to the room he tossed it into one of the torches on the wall. Instantly all the torches lit and what he saw horrified him till his death bed.
Bodies
Hundreds of massive bodies lay where he stood. All of them of the same creature that they had been looking for. Right before him were the remains of hundreds of serpentine creatures all of them with massive wings and huge bodies. Talons the size of his body and fins like those of a fish on their backs from the spines that came from the corpses that did not get chopped up.
Some of the bodies looked freshly killed with their blood dripping out the door. One man walked in after him and after seeing the corpses rushed out to deal with his heaving stomach. Another man stood as shocked as he did when he entered along with a third and a fourth.
"Shit!" he said out loud. Mao agreed with him as he walked into the vast underground chamber. Since the building is built along the mountain face it would be fair to see it here in this mountain. So much death was here and at the same time he could see the many work tables of the bodies here and what they were doing to it.
"This would explain how our weapons were useless against theirs," said the man.
"Jiang Chi, this...this is wrong," Mao said to him. The man known as Jiang Chi nodded in agreement as he stared at the bodies piled high. Some of them were missing bones and others were missing organs. Skins were hung along the walls and what looked like scales hung to dry near a fire were also used. Teeth were seen making a necklace as well as a sword that looked halfway through the forging process stood cold on the empty anvil. The man who was supposed to hit the metal into shape was dead after the man Jiang Chi killed him.
Mao looked around and saw them towards the back. Human-like bodies in various stages were hung out to dry like animals in a slaughter house. Their cavities opened for the world to see and some still had their intestines hanging. It was death at its greatest. Bottles of organs hung the walls. Vats filled with blood, now rotting lay boiling on the fire pits. So much death, so much pain. He could feel the energy coming from this room as the dark clouds that came from the corpses choked the air.
As if sensing his distress a song was being played on a flute. That flute was filling the room with soothing tones, but the blackness was stronger then the song and so it nearly choked them. As it choked the air they were forced the leave the room. As they left the darkness consumed the lights snuffing them out and began to blanket the grounds they were on. The group ran from the area as fast as they could to avoid being trampled on by the hordes of creatures that began to emerge from the darkness.
"Quickly swords!" shouted Mao and brought out his own sword. Quickly leaping onto the blade he and the others quickly raced away from the flowing madness of corpses coming at them.
It was around three hours of flying later that they had to make a stop to rest. When they landed the ground was dead and dry. There was no signs of life at all. Nothing but desolate land remained before them as if the world itself is dead. When that happened they managed to gain some strength back after landing.
"That was close!" said one man. He was dressed as a monk but the instruments he carried with him spoke of a musician. Others quickly agreed such resentful energy from that room with the corpses was enough to poison the ground for centuries.
"Were those Western Spirits?" asked another man a bit hesitantly. His robes were stained in blood like the rest of them from fighting. But his hand did not carry a sword. Instead it carried a blade with him used more for slaughtering animals then for fighting. He was a common man who picked up a weapon to fight. As he looked at them in awe the others all nodded to him acknowledging him. Mao nodded to him slowly but sadly.
"They slaughtered them, like pigs they slaughtered them," he whispered remembering the bodies he had seen in the room behind the main training area. The images were too much to bare and tears were from his eyes. A gloved hand landed on his shoulder he turned towards the man who comforted him. It was the butcher from before. "We all lost something in this war my friend," he said.
Looking down at the scorched land before him Mao sighed as he looked at them all. "We did this," he stated.
"We let that which was cherished above all else die because of our actions," said the monk.
"The spirits cleansed this land of the resentful energy created by us and all living things. We cultivators help to cleanse the land too by keeping that resentful energy in check within ourselves," Jiang Chi said. Mao nodded in reply as he remembered what happened with Xue Chonghai. The Yin Iron is in his pouch and with that he took it out letting it float in his hand and looking at each and every person in front of him.
"It was because of this that our world was plunged into darkness. The Yin Iron is made from the blood and bones of the Western Spirits. The treasure of the Jade Emperor himself to keep our world cleansed of the energy that would bring death. Death and life should not be played with like this," he said holding up the Yin Iron as it rotated around him.
"We should destroy it," said the butcher.
"I tried it has too much power for it to be destroyed. It would take centuries before the metal itself is to be destroyed. Without a Western Spirit to weaken it all we can do is split it and hide it in places where there is spiritual energy left. Perhaps that way the energy from this evil thing can be broken up enough for our land to heal," the Monk said to them.
Jiang Chi nodded his agreement with the monk. "We need to make sure that this thing is scattered throughout the world and that no one can touch it again," he said. Just as he said it all five of them looked to others around them and they agreed also to spend the last of their energy to split the Yin Iron into pieces to never be used again. With that they concentrated their power to break the dark magical item into pieces. Five pieces splintered and cracked before scattering across the world. Never to be seen again.
"What about the Slaughter Xuanwu?" asked the Butcher remembering the creature that gave him that horrible scar on the side of his face. His face was square and very masculine as well as his tall stature. However that stature no longer stood straight as the wounds on his body from the creature were starting to take its toll on him.
"The creature disappeared after his master's demise meaning it no longer is controlled by him. So therefore no longer a threat," said Mao as he looked at the man. He nodded showing how fatigued he is. With that he sat down on a nearby rock looking over the scorched landscape in sadness.
"This world deserves so much more then what we did to it." said the monk and the others agreed with him before he turned towards them with a sad smile on his face.
"I am Lan An by the way I forgot to introduce myself," he said to him. The others nodded before introducing themselves, "I am Nie Song of Qinghe village pleasure to meet you," he said holding out his knife which turns out to be extended into a form of saber. Lan An saluted to him before the others addressed themselves.
"Wen Mao of Qishan I was the chief of my village before having come here. I hope my wife and children are safe," he said to them. The man whom was introduced as Jiang Chi smiled, "I am Jiang Chi a ranger from Yunmeng. Wen Mao and I met when I saved his life a few years ago," he said bowing to them and Mao laughed at his friend's antics.
"Now, now Jiang don't look so formal it is not befitting you. If you hadn't shown up then that damn tiger would have killed me," he said.
"Don't worry it ran off when I placed that talisman up to ward it off. Now who else are we dealing with?" Jiang said smiling and others slowly introduced themselves to them some they don't remember and others...well they are not as prominent, but for Mao and his new friends it will soon change. As soon as he thought that the light of the sun had started to shown through the clouds as it started its descent into the sky. The golden rays touched their broken faces with its gentle rays before turning red with the color of blood.
As if telling them what is to happen the clouds that surrounded it took on the shapes of winged serpents.
"I take it as a sign of the departure of the Western Spirits," said Lan An as they started to make fires around the area they were in. It was hard with them worrying about something so important as the destruction of their world. The cultivation world is in ruins and they are afraid of what might happen if anything else were to go with it.
As they saw the last light of the setting sun and the dark clouds that ruled over the lands since the war began. Mao had then placed several people into groups to patrol the camp grounds. It was during these patrols that the creatures attacked again. As they were attacking the men were prepared though with various spiritual traps and incantations to help with protecting the camps. But so far things are looking to turn for the worst.
"Without the Western Spirits to cleanse the land of this much resentful energy the fierce corpses are just going to get worse," said Lan An as his fingers grew bloody from playing his guqin against such enemies. Jiang Chi and the others agreed as they fought against them again. Not only was it the raging ghosts they had to deal with but fae and other creatures the energy is creating. It was as if all dark life was coming at them and every cultivator left alive has no energy to fight them.
The waves were getting worse and worse with everyone at each other's back. Lan An was tired as he stopped playing. His finger could no longer strum another note on his guqin and the others seemed to fall close to them as if waiting for death. As they backed away back to back with others of different schools the heavens opened up slightly to show the moon through the dark clouds, but only briefly. It was just enough for Jiang Chi to spot something in the shadows.
"There! A cave!" he said out loud to them and they all ran for the entrance to the cave. As they ran they could see a very large creature coming at them with teeth and claws. It was the Slaughter Xuanwu with its bloody fangs ready to consume them. It roared its defiance at them as well as other fae wishing to feast on their flesh. As they rushed through the hole which was only wide enough to fit a few dozen people at a time. Some stayed behind to fight off the monsters. They put wards and spells at them to hold them back. It was not working and they too fell to the beasts that consumed them.
As the darkness consumed them inside the cave someone lit a torch with a fire talisman lighting the way. They followed deeper into the cave with the creatures following them. Eventually they stopped as they approached the very heart of the cave. The monsters remained in a circle not daring to go deeper into the cave.
The remaining cultivators were confused by the sight of the monsters suddenly stopping. But then again in their confusion they failed to notice the air being cleared of the taint of the resentful energy that had polluted the land. In fact many of the creatures began to back off away from the cave and away from them. As the group held out many forms of weapons at them it was then that a cold breeze filled their robes. A feeling they had not felt for a long time as the scorching hot lands burned their lungs.
The air was cool and crisp like those found in the mountains before the war. Cultivators would often meditate in such conditions to clear their minds of resentful thoughts and to focus their energy to become better. As they turned around they noticed immediately that this was no ordinary cave. In fact the cave itself is filled with columns not found in China.
"Where are we?" one person asked. The statues are of things they had not seen before as they depicted animals and creatures that are not of this land. The workings are older then anything they had seen before but the statues are so lifelike that they had never seen craftsmanship that can define the life of such creatures. The statures that guard the entrance look so real that one were to think that two gigantic tigers truly were guarding the entrance to this building. They also looked at the ground and notice that the characters are similar to Mandarin but they were mixed with symbols they had not seen before.
"What is this place?" said Jiang Chi as he and the others stared at the statues expecting them to come alive.
They didn't
"Wow, this artwork is exquisite," said Lan An as he examined the statue and put his hand to it. The cold stone surface shown with the faint lights of the torches as they walked further up the stone steps. Each step for all of them seemed to echo across the cave as the feel of it was a lot different then what they were used to. In fact the steps themselves were made from the mountain that they found themselves on.
As their footsteps echoed across the cave. The sound also carried with it another sound that they longed to hear after so long.
The sound of water.
Suddenly the cave became filled with the sounds of flapping wings as bats flew from the temple and danced around them before flying back into the large corridor that led into the temple. There were no doors, but the sound seemed to come from there. As the remaining cultivators walked further into the cave led by Mao who held the torch. They felt as if they were entering another world from the moment they entered the cave.
Alongside the temple walls they saw many figures and statues showing the same reptilian creature. This one they recognized from seeing them all over China.
"Western Spirits!" Jiang Chi said out loud.
The statues around them were of creatures they had seen outside on occasion growing up. They followed the sound further in and saw many more statues and inscriptions in the same writing. The sounds of water dripping kept them going as thirst kicked in. When they gotten a bit ways in they were touched by something. It was cold and wet with a distinct smell.
At first they thought it was blood since they are used to seeing blood. But as Mao looked at his hand he noticed the liquid was clear. When more dripped down on him he finally looked up to see for the first time that what they walked into was not blood but water.
"Is...is that a vine," said a man that stood to the right of Mao. He wore a light colored robe with his hair up in fine gold strings. He seemed to be a man of wealth, but the blood stains on his torn robes and his face made it hard to distinguish. Others looked at in wonder at the sight of it.
"Do you hear that?" asked another and as Mao listened in they could all hear it. It was faint and so they walked further till they saw a faint glow in the distance. As they walked further and further towards the glow they saw that the vines and the plants that grew from it also became more numerous. The sounds of water also filled their ears as they came closer and closer to the end of the dark tunnel.
When they gotten there all they could do is stare in awe. The sounds of a rushing waterfall in the distance filled their ears as they emerged into a cave filled with bright light. Large crystals filled the canopy of the cave, but the sounds of birds and other animals alerted them to the fact that there is life here. Birds chirped and animals roamed around in troves. In fact where they were they could hear something moving in the trees to the left of them. From there hidden in the bamboo was a large Panda enjoying its feast of bamboo. Shocked the large group of cultivators walked further and further into the area. The valley was large in of itself with so much life that it was bursting through the cracks and seems.
"There is no signs of the war or resentful energy here friends," said Lan An as he looked around him. His hands were bandaged with bloody rags and his face supported his now scared face. Nodding Mao led them inside the valley that was filled with light from the crystals above.
As they walked into the valley to their surprise the roof of the cave was so high that birds were allowed to freely fly over them without restraint. It was a miracle to behold and something that if they had the chance to would gladly see again.
"Let's see what this valley has to offer," said Jiang Chi as he leaped from the cliffside. Others followed him down gently leaping from cliff to cliff till they landed on the ground. When they did they made their way towards the bottom of the hidden valley. They found to their surprise that the round was firm and the land was lush. The sounds of the wind also alerted them to how full of life this cave chamber is.
Birds and animals roamed the tree covered land as far as the eye can see. Monkeys moved through the canopy their calls echoing across the forest. The feeling of being cleansed came to them as if their cores could feel the spiritual energy here. As they walked through the forest they could see the various statues of the Western Spirits littering the valley floor.
"What is this place? Is it some sort of temple?" asked Nie Song. His demeanor was curious as they approached an area where more light seemed to filter from above. It was as if the sun were shining on them, but the trees had backed off to reveal a hidden pathway. On either side were more of the strange pillars and more strange writings on either side.
"Is this written in the language of the spirits?" asked Mao to Lan An.
"I don't know, I've heard stories of how the Western Spirits speak the languages of the West. But I have never seen it written on the walls before," he said looking at them and placing his hand on the pillars. They were smooth like the statues outside, but they had rippled reflections from the water that seems to be trickling through the forest. Some of the men thought they should go hunting for some meat but Lan An and Mao put a stop to it.
"We don't know this place and if we do anything to disturb it then we don't know what we would do," said Mao as they continued onward towards the center of the valley where they saw a strange stone structure surrounded by a river and a waterfall behind it. There were more stone structures of the Western Spirits here, but in the center there was a stone shrine of some sort.
At the center was a very large statue of a Western Spirit a creature that resembles a holy dragon with its long serpentine body and glistening scales. However the head was different for the holy dragons had large heads that resemble that of a horse or a camel this creature looks more like a snake or a lizard. The antlers that should have been on its head are two straight back horns with two more smaller ones on the side. They looked more like ears then horns. There were fin-like sail that went from the back of its head down the length of its neck in three rows. Instead of claws like an eagle would have this creature had two massive wings instead of forelegs. The sides of its neck contained slits that they knew were gills for breathing underwater.
The tail was tapered with a fin that looked like that of a fish but its position was wrong it was horizontal like that of a whale. The talons on its legs were massive like those of an eagle. But the biggest things were its teeth and eyes. The eyes looked so real with their glowing intensity even in stone. They were slit like a cats and held a deep sense of calm about them. The fangs of this creature were as large as an arm. If it were angered it would kill them instantly.
"Is this a Western Spirit?" asked Nie Song as he looked at the statue in front of him.
"It is indeed a Western Spirit, but I have never seen one in real life before," said Lan An. He approached the statue and felt small compared to it. It was enormous in size but he felt confident as he felt along its base from its talons to the tail. The creature continued to stare at them as if judging them for the sins they had done. The waterfall behind them was tranquil in its passages through the rocks surrounding the valley.
"This must have been built long ago to worship the spirits for cleansing the land," said Jiang Chi.
"Indeed this land is indeed clean of any resentful energy and we can get water and food here," said Mao looking around.
"We can gather our strength and heal our wounds before we head out again," said Lan An.
"HEY YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THIS!" shouted the man from before who wore the fine clothing. The others quickly ran to him as he pointed to a pile of bones set in the ground just beyond the statue. It was in a little alcove where the waterfall was hitting. There the bones of many spirits littering the ground. But the bones did not have any traces of slaughter. Instead they looked like they were here for a while with their white appearance instead of black.
"The resentful energy must have left them long ago," said Lan An looking at them closely. Jiang Chi also looked at them and felt along their seems. Each bone was positioned in a certain formation as if it was guarding something.
"Something happened here look at these," he said pointing to another set of bones this one form a humanoid figure. They could tell it was another spirit by the way the bones reacted to them. It did not look human due to the fingers looking more like talons then hands. Others appeared the same thing but there were all different forms. Some took on more aquatic forms in the water.
The scene was a repeat of the room behind the Xue School of cultivation. But instead of the death and resentful energy that is being emitted by the various corpses this scene seemed serene somehow. It looked as if they were protecting something. The bodies seemed from the looks of it to form a ring of sorts.
"Hey over here! You can see it better from here!" shouted someone. They all looked at the person standing on top a broken pillar and he looked at the area below him.
"What do you see?" asked Jiang Chi.
"I see a formation of sorts. These bodies looked like they were here for a while so there is no resentful energy here. But from the formations that I can see it seems as if they died protecting something. But there is too much mist to see clearly from here," he said.
Lan An and the others then followed the pattern to see if they could find something. It was only when his foot made a loud CRUNCH! That he suddenly realized what he just stepped on. Looking down he spotted it just barely coming out of the ground. Reaching down he picked up a large bowl-like object and examined it thoroughly. To his shock and surprise he walked over to a skull and leaped onto it. As he looked he could see it clearly.
"ITS A NEST!" he shouted and the others turned to him in shock.
"A nest?" said Mao when Lan An came back down again.
"I stepped on an egg shell. This place is a nest! Look!" he said pointing to the other bones that lay scattered around them.
"This place was built to protect the Western Spirits when they came here to nest. It is a wonder that no one discovered this place," he said out loud.
"You're right!" said Jiang Chi looking around and found another egg shell. This one was also empty and in pieces. But unlike the one Lan An found it contained a deformed body.
It looked like the corpses in the hidden room. But unlike the others it didn't have a chance to fully form any of its features so it remained motionless in death. Its bones were all that is left as it laid there. Spirit grass grew in all areas of the nests. And as they walked around the valley more they could clearly see more and more nests were found.
"Holy shit!" said Jiang Chi.
They decided to make camp in this area. It was the most open and they didn't want to burn anything. The men hunted a few rabbits and some deer after Mao and Lan An agreed to meat before settling down. They ate in silence expecting some monster to come out at them at any moment in time. Lan An slept by the fire while Mao kept watch with Jiang Chi. Nie Song slept on the other side his turn had just ended and he was exhausted.
"This place shouldn't exist," said Mao looking around him.
"The resentful energy that destroyed the world can't reach here. I think the Western Spirits chose this place because it is guarded by powerful spiritual energy," said Jiang Chi and Mao could only silently nod as he agreed. It was something he thought he would never get rid of as he saw it. The Western Spirits are revealing their secrets to them even if they don't deserve to know.
"So tell me what do you know of these creatures?" Mao asked Jiang Chi and the man leaned against a tree taking in the fresh air before replying.
"My master once told me stories of them. Draconic shapeshifters who feed on the resentful energy around us. He said that the Jade Emperor had guided them here from a world far away from ours. He said that the world looked like this before the spirits came and when they did come the Jade Emperor was able to summon life from the now cleansed land. But that is just one story." Jiang Chi said to him.
"Well you said shapeshifters as if they can change their forms?" Mao asked him and Jiang Chi took a bite from a piece of fruit that he had found nearby.
"Yeah, one of the stories told of an epic battle between a creature in a lake that I believe to be an Aqua Demon. The demon had plagued our waters for years feeding off of anyone trying to harvest the lotus pods that float around in our lakes. Then one day a man who was fishing nearby heard a cry in the forest. When he went to investigate he found a fox that was caught up in a trap. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It had blue eyes like those of the sky with white fur and a black tipped tail. It seemed to be glowing for a bit but the glow ended when he saw the blood coming from its wound. He then felt sorry for it and took it home. The fox was too weak to attack him so he cared for it while it healed. In the mean time the fox watched him with an intelligence that no one has seen before. He was intrigued as it showed when it escaped night after night. Then when he was walking in his garden he spotted the fox as it transformed into the moonlight. It transformed into a man." Jiang Chi said to Mao.
Mao kept watching the fire in front to make sure it did not go out urging Jiang Chi to continue.
"The man looked at him strangely. His hair was not like that of a normal man's. It was short and spiky and his eyes were glowing blue with the eyes of a cat. When the fisherman inquired about his identity the man turned to him and spoke in a language that no one has heard before. Then he leaped into the lake and was gone." Jiang Chi finished looking at him.
"What happened afterwards?" Mao said.
"From what I heard the strange person never returned. Instead they heard a fierce battle taking place on the opposite side of the lake. When people went to investigate they found that the Aqua Demon was gone and that the energy that the demon was using to feed on people is also gone. The only thing to show what had happened was the large footprints on the lake side and the smashed trees on the side of the lake. Then in the evening they heard a haunting cry from the skies above them. They said a large shadow flew over the village and the sound that it made seems like it was thanking the fisherman for helping." Jiang Chi finished.
"Wow, so these creatures can change their forms. From the looks of the statures I believe them," said Mao as he yawned.
"I should turn in and wake up Nie Song it is his turn to watch," Mao said to him and Jiang felt the same when he woke up Lan An. As they exchanged roles he could not help but think about this strange place.
THE NEXT MORNING
The next morning brought in many refreshed cultivators from the survivors of the massacre of Xue School. As they looked around the now lit valley they could not help but notice that the water seemed to be flowing towards the very center of the valley. As they followed it further they noticed that the skeletons grew more numerous even though they are hidden among the trees and bushes of the forest. The sounds of rain filled the air as mists covered the valley. The birds still sung their songs as if they are up above once again. They could hear many species as well as see monkeys everywhere as they traveled. The occasional tiger or panda would appear and the deer here were very numerous. Some of the men feasted on pheasant and deer and many just feasted on fish that swam in the rivers.
But one thing got them going was the mystery of this place of peace. The bones that it was built upon and the reasoning for it. They knew it was a nest as they walked further and further in. But what they saw when they gotten to the center was another spirit statue. This time they just called it a dragon for it indeed resembled a western dragon in appearance. Behind it was another waterfall. This one was smaller then the one they discovered the nests in. It was cascading down a creek when they found another cave entrance. It was large enough for them to enter and when they did only two or three people could fit at a time.
When they entered the cave they were stunned at the crystals that shown all around. But what laid at the center of this room was something that they would not forget. Mao took the lead followed by Jiang and then Lan An and Nie Song. The last to enter was the man from earlier that they met who was covered in wealth. This man turned out to be a man named Jin Li a man from Lanling. He was a wealthy merchant's son and from the looks of his robes not afraid to play soldier either.
But now they were down in this cave seeing for themselves what was down here. Exploration brought them further and further in until they saw another lit chamber. When they gotten inside they saw for the first time another another bunch of skeletons. These were a pair that had hidden their nest here. But they did not take their dragon forms. No this pair was humanoid since their skeletons said otherwise. But at the center was a group of eggs that had long since been smashed and destroyed. Time did not spare them as the babies had not been born. What was left of the vegetation that made up the nest was nothing more then dead branches and plants. The eggs were half buried inside them.
Lan An was the first to approach the eggs. When he came closer he saw the eggs as they were. They were broken and smashed with the babies either gone or dead. Sadly he took a look at one of the shells that was sticking out of the rubble and went to retrieve it. As he went to retrieve it to lift it up he suddenly noticed that it had some weight to it.
"What in the world?" he said out loud.
"What is it?" asked Jiang Chi as he came closer.
"I don't know, but you better take a look at this," he said and began to dig up the egg. What he saw astonished him as he pulled out a fully formed egg in perfect condition. It was about the length of his arm and perfectly smooth like a pearl. It was clearly an egg.
"Oh my!" said Jin Li as he looked at such a treasure.
"It must be dead? How can an egg survive this long without its parents to incubate it?" asked Nie Song.
"I don't know but I think we were brought here for the purpose of finding this egg," said Lan An as he held it up for them to see. The egg shown with a dull luster which was only shadowed by the fact it was still somewhat covered in dirt. As he held the egg he began to feel something draining from him as if he was being cleaned. It lasted for a minute or two, but he could feel himself feeling cleansed without playing any songs.
"Oh my!" he said and passed the egg off to Mao who also went through the same thing. He was then passed to others who felt the same cleansing motion. When they felt like they had been taking a bath they stared at the egg as if it was alive.
"Could it be?" Mao asked Lan An.
"I can see if there was more light," he said looking at them.
"Here let me," said Jiang Chi as he lit a fire talisman and when he brought it close he could see the heart beating. Astonished they saw for the first time that the egg was alive. It was as if hope was returning to them finally.
"A Western Spirit is among us still alive," he whispered.
"We need to protect it until it hatches but we must let the others know. So that way they can't lose hope." said Nie Song and the other four agreed with him. So they made their way out of the cave towards the camp. Since there is a whole group of them there of nearly a hundred cultivators that survived the attack and when they saw the group emerge they were worried.
"We have an announcement to make," Mao said and held up the egg for them to see. It was an instant later that they felt themselves being cleansed of the dark energy that circulated them making them sick. Now they felt refreshed and clean.
"This egg is the last of its kind. I think that you all had explored all of this valley is that correct?" they all nodded and even some told them of the writings on the walls.
"This egg represents the hope of our world. If it dies then we die. Balance must be restored by a Western Spirit. No cultivator alive can be able to fight off all the dark energy that plagues our world. So we must make it so with this," he gestured to the egg.
"When we looked at it the egg was no where near hatching. So we will hide it away someplace safe until the time comes when it does hatch. When it does our world will see a Western Spirit again. A dragon of the West! The heavens smiled upon us again this day. For now we celebrate the rebirth of a species we thought would be extinct," he said and they all cheered and yelled in agreement.
As they sat near the fires and celebrated the egg remained as it was near the camp of the five companions. It remained there near the fire and they watched the life that is growing within it. Hope has been rekindled in a world plagued by darkness and evil.
"What shall we do when it hatches. According to the old stories the spirits speak another language some say many languages depending on the spirit," said Lan An as he stared at it.
"I don't know," said Mao and Jiang Chi agreed.
"I have been thinking about making songs for it like how a mother would do to their baby in the womb. If it can understand it then maybe we might have a way to communicate with it," said Lan An as he took out his guqin and started to string a few notes.
"Before you start playing brother we should do this before anything else," said Jin Li as he slit his wrist and held up the bleeding appendage to them.
"Let's make a pact in blood here and now that we shall forever protect this egg and the being within. Not one of us shall betray that vow for if one does then our world will fall. For we need the Western Spirit to cleanse it of resentful energy. We cultivators have for centuries since the dawn of time fought evil where it stood. To put the dead to rest and find balance within ourselves and our world. But there is one creature alive here with us the last of its kind to truly be a guardian. A child of the holy dragon and a spirit brought to us through the essence of time by the gods themselves. May this day forth mark the start of a brotherhood that will last for the centuries to come," said Jin Li and each one repeated the phrase cutting their writsts and putting it onto the wrist of the other man while holding his hand forming a star like formation. As if listening they felt a pulse come from the egg itself. Then as if a whisper was said in their ears a vow was made in their minds.
Today our watch has begun, for the lands we vowed to protect will become our home. We hall work in darkness to protect the light of all. Our swords will become our shields and our lives will become theirs. Our blood will be shed to keep our world safe. May none of us waver, may none of stray for our vow is our oath that the Western Spirit be our witness as we protect the weak, the sick, the young and the old. We are the guardians of men and beast. By the name of the heavens above we will remember until our dying breath! They thought as one.
As if they had actually said it they looked at each other as if they understood the words being said. Then the blood dripped around the egg forming a formation. A light appeared around it forming a seal as if solidifying their bond. When it was done the egg remained as it was.
"Did we just see that?" Jiang Chi said to them.
"A blood pact," said a voice and they turned to see an old man walking up to them. His staff clanking on the ground as he gave them a smile before sitting down near them.
"I could not help but overhear your conversation and your vow. I am impressed that you five would go this far to protect this one simple egg." he said smiling. His beard was well defined and long. His balding head and tattered, bloodstained robes showed the signs of an old warrior still fighting. He was a man of skills. That much they could tell.
"Now tell me since you placed yourselves at its mercy what will you do when it hatches? Are you going to watch over it from the different corners of the world or will one of you be it's keeper?" he asked them.
The five of them looked at each other and then at the old man, "Who are you exactly?" asked Mao.
"My name means nothing to you so I won't tell it. But I will tell you that what you all vowed to protect will be bound forever in your future bloodlines. If nothing else the dragon will remember," he said pointing to the egg.
"I doubt it will remember," said Nie Song.
"Oh don't doubt it won't remember trust me dragons have long memories," said the old man as he sat down.
"You say it as if you know a thing or two about them," said Jiang Chi.
"Yes, I do," replied the old man and the patted the ground for them to sit down. When they sat the old man smiled as he explained.
"The Western Spirits are dragons, but they are dragons born from the world known as the West. A world different from ours where cultivation does not exist. These creatures are the souls of those who had passed from that world and were chosen to come here." he said smiling sadly.
"Wait? How do you know this?" said Lan An curiously.
The man turned and pointed to the writings on the walls, "I spent years studying the ancient writings on the walls. It took time to learn how to translate the language of the spirits but I did. My village used to be nearby so it was easy for me to come here. That is before it was destroyed in the war." he said glaring at them and all five put their heads down.
"I had come here for decades to study such things and had hidden here when the attack happened. The spiritual energy given by the spirits who passed here was enough to shield this place," he said.
"What happened here?" asked Lan An again with his curiosity.
"Xue Chonghai happened. He came here a few years back looking at the ancient temple that has been here. By then the dragons would come here to lay their eggs and welcome new souls into our world. It was believed that the souls that were chosen to come here had special traits. That was why they were chosen to become the dragon children, the Western Spirits," the old man replied as he stared into the fire.
"So your village protected this place?" Mao asked him and the old man nodded, "We guarded this temple and its treasures for as far back as it was here. Travelers came here and created these statues some of them claiming that they could understand the creatures to some degree. But for most, it was impossible. The creatures speak many tongues and you have to listen to them in order to understand what they are saying."
"So they speak the languages from the Western Himalayas?" said Jin Li as he looked to the egg.
"No, the languages they speak are far different. Similar but different in that they have the same context as those languages but the wordings and the writings are completely different. These markings here I recognize from travelers from the western lands because they use the same alphabet. But the wordings and the markings are different," he stated when the men looked up at the writings on the wall.
"So, they speak and write a similar language as those spoken by the Western folks hence the name?" asked Jiang Chi with curiosity in his voice.
Again the old man nodded, "They speak the language that they had spoken when they died in the other world. We just have to learn how to listen to them to get them right," he said to them.
"How do you know this again old man?" asked Lan An.
"It was passed down to me by my elders who learned it from theirs. Like I said our village has been here for as long as the temple has been here. So it would be fair to state that it was passed knowledge," the old man replied.
Nodding at their answer the five men looked at each other. Before turning back to him, "It still does not change our minds old man. The egg still has to be protected. These creatures need to be protected." Mao said to him.
The old man nodded in recognition, but at the same time his beard hid a small smile behind it.
"That was long ago however. Now they are nearly gone since I had not finished my story," he stated.
"We saw the bodies at the Xue school just a few leagues from here," said Jiang Chi sadly.
The old man sighed as a single tear came down his cheek. "Xue Chonghai came here years after his first visit and with his men burned my village while I was here in the temple. I was protecting an expectant mother when his men came and slaughtered them. All the people you see here are dragons in their human forms. You can tell who they are obviously as they slaughtered them for parts to fuel their weapons. They even smashed all the eggs carelessly preventing more from coming. All so they can harvest their bones to create the Yin Iron. The Yin Iron is made from the bones of these creatures and mixed in with iron from the earth. He created it to capture resentful energy and use it to control the vicious beasts and dead corpses that roam our land. In doing so he killed the chance for our world to exist. The spirits thankfully though ahead and hid the last egg. I managed to find it, but I knew I was too old to guard it. As keeper it was my duty to ensure that the eggs are kept safe. But I failed in my task," the old man said as he leaned on his walking stick his tears evident in his eyes.
Nie Song placed a comforting arm around him. Trying to comfort him to the best of his abilities. The former butcher was saddened by this tale as the old man struggled to gather himself.
"So you had protected them this whole time waiting for us to come along?" Nie said to him and the man nodded, "I waited for years till someone could finally come and bring me peace." the old man said to them.
"We promise to take good care of the last egg, but tell us old man how come this place was not effected by the dark energy that had permeated the other side," said Mao as he carefully watched the creature in the egg. It was only a tiny thing but the light from the fire illuminated it. Only the size of his finger he could tell that it would eventually grow to be quite large.
"The Western Spirits had been coming here to lay their eggs for centuries. The spiritual energy here is immense and besides the egg fed on the energy that they gave off. That is why this place was protected." said the old man.
"So they fed off the energy of their dead?" asked Jin Li.
"Yes, and no. When in the egg they absorb vast amounts of energy needed to grow. As they grow they convert it to the life giving Yang energy as a waste byproduct. Unlike us who have a core to burn off the energy Western Spirits feed off of it. The conversion from Yin to Yang is what keeps them alive. The egg was hidden deep enough in the nest here that the men who attacked them never saw it. So for years it lived here feeding off the death and decay of its elders. But the spiritual energy here cleansed this land of the dark energy." the old man replied sadly.
"These creatures could defend themselves and yet they were just cattle to be slaughtered by Xue Chonghai's men." said Mao in disgust as he spat on the ground cursing their names to eternity.
"Yes, and yet here you are after his death, cleaning up his mess," said the old man smiling with mirth.
"You can say that again," grumbled Jiang Chi as he took out a water skin to drink from. He looked at them all before staring at the old man again. There was something strange about him.
"So, the spiritual energy connected to this place as well as the egg kept it from being overwhelmed by dark energy?" he said and the old man nodded impressed by the man's guess.
"Then this place has a strong spiritual connection then," he stated and again the old man nodded.
"The only thing now is to swear the others to do the same as we did. But we will keep our oath to ourselves. The Western Spirit must survive if our world is to be at peace again," he said and they all nodded.
"Where will we take the egg? And who will take it?" said Mao and the five of then looked at each other.
They stayed the next three days recovering in the cave. The old man who never revealed his name then showed them how to say the proper prayers to the egg and even taught them songs to pass on to the egg. It was from his village and being polite men they were they accepted his teachings. When they memorized the songs and chants to go with the egg they could have sworn that the egg was a divine being.
When it was time to leave they decided that Lan An would be the one to take the egg. Since he was a traveling monk and musician. The best candidate to soothe the egg in times of need. It was here that the five friends along with the nearly hundred cultivators with them started to make their way across the world. It was a way of departure as they left the last sanctuary of the Western Spirits.
All of them were blessed by the egg and so they vowed to keep the egg as a treasure to behold. Each one of them would travel the world to ensure that the egg remained safe. They were to establish new sects to uphold the vows they took. As for the old man he vanished as soon as they learned all they could. When they went to depart they found him gone. As they made their way around in the world all five would visit each other once a year to discuss what has been happening to the world on their end. The egg began to absorb the energy that had poisoned the land for so long.
As it did the dragon inside began to grow in size slowly but surely. It took nearly seventy years for it to grow but by then Lan An's grandchild Lan Yi had discovered the Yin Iron piece to try and understand its secrets. But she made a grave mistake when she lost control and nearly destroyed the world again with just a piece. She failed to heed the warnings of her best friend in time and had broken all the rules of her newly founded sect that her grandfather had built years before after the war. In haste to fix her mistake she had hidden herself in the cave with the egg. She hoped the egg can help her in the last throws of her life. She used the last of her energy to seal the cave up so that no one can enter. And with her spirit still haunting the cave she watched as the egg absorbed the resentful energy of the Yin Iron while feeding the world with its life giving essence.
SOMEWHERE UNKNOWN
It is warm where she is right now. She feels safe and warm and fed. She could feel herself grow stronger and larger by the energy being fed to her. It was as if she was being born again.
But you are being born again said a voice.
Who are you? She asked her mind in confusion with the darkness.
I am a friend the voice said. She was confused for she don't know anyone in this warm darkness. The voice came closer and she could hear a presence nearby, but she could not see it.
Where are you? She asked. She could feel herself moving around but the space she was in was tight. It was also suffocating as she was being held down by something and squeezed into a bottle.
When you are ready you will not find me. For I have long since gone from this world. The voice replied. It made her sad to know that he is gone since his voice is the only one who seems to keep her company.
What will I do? She asked him.
For now rest and recover your strength for you have used a lot of energy to grow. And when you are born you need to use it to escape and grow some more the voice replied.
Great thanks whoever you are she replied scarcastically. As she thought that she felt herself feeling hungry again and tired. The exertion from talking with the voice had made her tired again. As she closed her eyes she could only think about the last time she was like this….it seemed so long ago.
TBC
A/n: Ok this won't make much sense right now since it is only the prologue to the story but I promise you when I get the chance to write more chapters you will know a bit more. As you can guess I added elements from Skyrim and Game of Thrones for this fic since the thought was stuck in my head for a while. The beginning as you can tell the person who will be inserted into this story is from our world. I am still working out the details so don't kill me for that. Anyhow hope you like it and please constructive criticism only when you review no FLAMES, LORE MONGERS, OR BASHINGS PLEASE! This is fanfiction which means anything goes. Thank you.
