A painting unmade,

  A criminal tragedy,

  But who is to blame?

  - My First Haiku (Adrian Mel Ruder, TE 503)

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  At a desk in an otherwise unoccupied room, the Diurnal Dreamer sits in his rainbow mask and robes. Wearing a serious expression, he sorts his paperwork into a few different piles. The rank of Head-Ambassador comes with considerable responsibilities after all.

  This one goes in Jin's pile. This seems like an accounting thing, our accountant Lee has seemed a little overworked since he became a father though. Let's also put it in Jin's pile, he won't mind. The Dreamer hums a little tune as he continues his duties.

  ...

  Another one for May, and that's it. All of my paperwork is done! Phew, that was a lot of work. Good thing I'm such a terrific delegator. People should appreciate my business side of talents more. Especially Jin, he always looks like he just smelled shit whenever he looks at me... You know what May, Jin's doing that last one. Don't even worry about it.

  Having finished his paperwork without even lifting his pen, the Dreamer walked towards his next meeting.

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  Gerard and Henry started their day by listening to Sam's explanation about his new shadow network. He now had eyes and ears all across the lesser-known parts of Iroh. The kinds of parts where rumors tend to frow quite freely. This gave us more information on the tense relationship between the Flowing Brush and Fire Lily sects, and how we could use it to our advantage.

  Afterwards, Gerard and I hurried towards our appointment with the ambassador of the Flowing Brush sect, meaning to put our new knowledge to good use.

  We entered the sense-defying structure right on time. The receptionist, already expecting us, immediately ushered us into the ambassador’s chambers..

  “Thank you for your time, sir ambassador,” I said politely, offering a slight bow as a gesture of respect. The room was elegantly furnished with many paintings and art pieces, a reflection of their sect’s identity, but my focus remained on the person seated across from us. I noticed they weren't wearing a mask this time, but I was sure they was the same person who walked out of the waterfall before.

  Their face was quite pale, jade-like, I suppose they would say here, and also androgynous. Objectively speaking, they were rather attractive.

  "Well if it isn't the gentlemen from the failed teleportation! How lovely to meet you once more," the Dreamer said with a mix of joy and surprise as they walked over from their desk to a couple of beautiful couches in the center of the room, positioned around the most curious coffee table.

  It was a finely constructed wooden table with touches of gold and intricate engravings. It wouldn't have been out of place in a medieval king's personal office. Looking closer, the engravings depicted neither spiritual beasts or cultivators, but the humble image of a farmer harvesting his crops.

  He gestured for us to take a seat across from him.

  As the ambassador sat down, he summoned a tea-set out of his storage ring unto the table. "I see you've taken an interest in my work, I take your looks of curiosity as a compliment." He stated happily.

  "It is indeed a beautiful piece of art, transforming it from a functional piece of furniture, to the piece de résistance of the room, pulling all eyes present towards it." I bullshitted my way through that sentence, hoping he wouldn't notice, in my best attempt to sound like an art lover.

  They nodded slowly, seemingly chewing my words, they murmered after me, "Piece de résistance...," and nodded again, satisfied. "Your words are lovely, and your compliment truly appreciated," they spoke with a subtle smile.

  "You're welcome, however I'm afraid that the reason for our visit isn't quite as lovely." I said, cutting through to introductions to get to the meat and potatoes of our visit.

  The Dreamer took a small moment to adjust. "Not lovely, you say?" Then frowned as they straightened up and continued. "Please, do elaborate."

  "A member of my clan has caught rumors that two of your sect's disciples were kidnapped recently. That sounds truly awful, we wondered if there was any way we could help."

  "I'm aware, and regrettably I am powerless to help our dear disciples. You see, we are on the brink of war. The Fire Lily and Flowing Brush sects have had many skirmishes as of late. The elders are unwilling to push the established boundaries and begin an all-out war over 2 disciples with average talent. At least, until we can be sure of an overwhelming victory."

  "So the Flowing Brush sect has already made its decision then? To abandon their own when things get hard?" My voice unintentionally getting louder near the end.

  "I suppose we have," the Dreamer said somberly.

  "I'm sorry to have wasted your time then," Gerard and I immediately stood up, ready to leave.

  I can't leave 2 kidnapped children to their fates, what kind of heartless sect did they join?

  The Ambassador remained silent as we exited the meeting room. All we heard was a heavy sigh as we began our short journey home.

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  After pacing around for a while after we got back, I'd come up with a plan. So now here we were.

  "Let's go over the plan one more time. Serket, Sam and Finn will stay here on standby. Gerard and I will stealthily infiltrate the encampment by approaching them from their blind spot over here," I said, pointing on the map, "As soon as we reach this checkpoint, Finn throws up a dense cloud of mist. Sam keeps an eye out for any enemies near us, neutralizing them silently in the process. Serket prepares to heal any casualties, as we don't want anyone, friend or foe, to die on this mission."

  I quickly glanced around, only the 5 of us were present. Everyone focusing on me as I went over the plan.

  "As soon as we have the kidnapped disciples, we leave the same way we entered and we meet up here. The entire operation should last under 5 minutes. If something went wrong and we need backup, I'll throw you a signal. Any questions?"

  No one speaks up. "Good. Then we leave in 2 minutes."

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  "You ready, Gerard?" He nods in response. "Then let's do this."

  Using 12 Steps of the Zodiac: Skittering Rat, I move through the grass completely unnoticed by the enemy encampment. Gerard is right behind me, underneath a blanket of darkness rendering him practically invisible under the dark of night.

  As we neared our target, Finn summoned a smokescreen to obscure our movements inside the camp.

  It's a fairly large encampment with about 30 tents, some of them bigger on the inside thanks to spatial formations. Luckily, we wouldn't have to check them one by one. I could already sense 2 Qi-signatures with unnatural disturbances. It seemed they'd put the disciples to sleep with some kind of spell or potion.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Outside were two guards, I distracted them by making some small firecracker-like explosions in the mist. As soon as they left their post, we entered and secured the disciples. Them being asleep makes it easier for us actually. Gerard and I throw the two female disciples over our shoulders and push aside the door-flaps to leave the tent.

  "Well, well, well." A middle-aged man casually walked up to us, presumably a big shot of the Fire Lily sect, with our smokescreen nowhere to be found. Huh? I thought, my confusion likely visible.

  "The Flowing Brush sect? Here in our encampment, trespassing on our property? We found three unconscious guards in this little fog of yours. How do you plan to explain this unnecessary act of violence against our sect?"

  "Unnecessary?" I ask. "You have kidnapped two innocent disciples, yet you act like I'm the criminal."

  "Innocent? They were also trespassing on our property, it is only fair that we detain any potential spies until they prove their innocence. I suggest you both get down on your knees with your hands behind your heads. Or I won't be able to guarantee your safety." The elder assumed a fighting stance, ready to unleash a technique within a moments notice.

  Gerard and I turn to look towards each other. I feel a slight rumble in the earth, but it shouldn't be our doing. The enemy doesn't seem to have noticed yet, so I give Gerard a slight nod as I fall to my knees and put down the disciple. Gerard follows suit.

  New Qi signatures? Wild ones at that. What's going on here? The guards didn't notice my new confusion, probably thinking i was merely still confused about how we were caught.

  Two men approached to arrest us, but before they could, the rumbling intensified and every guard in the camp started looking around. The rumbling was getting stronger, as if the earth was about to split. The elder nervously shouted his orders, trying to take control of the situation.

  We heard a wild roar, and several creatures appear from the treeline. All of them looked incredibly powerful - and incredibly angry.

  "Beast tide!" A panicked guard shouted.

  The guards all turned their backs towards us, the oncoming stampede was clearly the more important issue to them. Gerard and I used the opportunity to pick up the disciples and make our escape.

  These creatures are far too powerful compared to the others we saw in the forest. Every single one of them could be the apex predator of this forest. And they don't feel right. They don't actually feel ... alive.

  I spotted a dark horse with bulging muscles and black wings, some kind of metal-skinned tiger, several creatures clad in lightning, and they just kept on coming. Among them was also a large pack of smaller spiritual beasts. I spot about 20 wolves running among the stampede, all of them seemingly carved out of stone.

  We should get going before they've subdued the stampede.

  With the two disciples secured over our shoulders, we headed towards our agreed-upon meeting point.

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  As we arrived in the clearing with our allies, we laid down the unconscious disciples for Ket to examine.

  "They're simply asleep, there's no need to worry," she announced, straightening up. “Should I wake them now?”

  "Sure, let's ask them directly what happened." I replied.

  We gave the girls some time to wake up and gather their bearings. Once they seemed coherent, we reassured them they were safe and among allies. I opened my mouth to begin questioning them, but before I could speak, a new figure emerged from the treeline.

  "I'd also like to know what happened here," they stated in a serious tone as they approached, dressed in a broad hooded black mantle. The only somewhat visible part of their outfit underneath was a mask, glowing red-hot, like a piece of metal ready to be forged.

  The two girls immediately clung to each other, already aware - and afraid of the consequences that were about to follow. They seemed to have figured out the identity of our new guest in front of them.

  "W-We went into the forest, to- to-" Her cheeks turned bright red, almost as if glowing. "We just wanted to spend some time together!" She blurted out.

  We all looked a little stunned at this point.

  ...

  We went through all that, so they could have a booty call?

  “I swear we never stepped foot on their territory!” the other girl added quickly. “They ambushed us, and the next thing we knew, we woke up here.”

  Our new companion took their mask off, revealing a pale, androgynous, face. What was most surprising was their expression - most deadpan thing I'd ever witnessed.

  “Are you telling me,” they began, their voice flat, “that I just used up forty spirit cores… so you two could have some ladyfun?”

  The 2 disciples instantly dropped to their knees in a seiza position, their heads touching the ground. I think they were even trying to bury their heads.

  "We are so sorry, please punish us!" they cried in unison, their faces as white as sheets.

  The person, revealed to be Akiha, sighed and replaced their mask, its colors shifting back to their usual vibrant rainbow palette. “At least you’re safe. However, you’ll be working off this debt to me personally.”

  "But- but that'll take years!" One of the girls protested.

  “Yes, years you may not have had if we hadn’t come to your rescue,” Akiha replied coolly. He released his massive mantle, revealing his regular outfit underneath. “I’ll let you know whenever I have need of you, which will happen more often as you grow more powerful, and thus more useful to me.”

  "Before I leave," the Dreamer casually turned towards Sam and Serket, "Aren't you two from that drake hunter squad? Recently brought in an Earth Drake?"

  "Yes, we are." Sam responded matter-of-factly.

  The Dreamer smirked, "Interesting, we'll talk about this later," He winked towards me, walked into a nearby puddle of water and dropped down into it, disappearing completely.

  "Will you girls be fine from here on out?" I asked just to make sure.

  "Yeah, we can stay the night in the embassy before returning to the sect. Where we will be punished for sure... Aaaah I don't wanna go back now," she said with an exaggerated sigh.

  "Come on," the other girl said. "It can't possibly be that bad, we were kidnapped. It was hardly even our fault."

  That seemed to have calmed down the other girl just a little bit.

  "Good luck then, maybe we'll meet again some other time." I told them as we prepared to make our own exit.

  "Wait! What are your names?" One of the girls hastily asked.

  I created a little light so we could actually see each other. We introduce ourselves one by one, after which the girls also introduced themselves.

  "I am Lin." The first girl stated. She had short red hair, and a cute button nose. She seemed to be a little shy, not the type of girl to run out into the night.

  "And I am Xiu!" The second girl exclaimed with her fingers in a V-shape, having recovered her spunk with Akiha gone. She had platinum-white hair with brown roots, leading me to believe it's not her natural color. She also had a bit of a rebellious twinkle in her eyes. I bet this little nightly escapade was her idea.

  "Well Lin, Xiu, best of luck to you both. If you survive whatever punishment you receive, we'd love to see you again in the future!"

  And with that, we took our leave.

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  Back in the Flowing Brush embassy in Iroh, I was once more sitting on a couch across from the Diurnal Dreamer, or Akiha as they insisted.

  "I owe you a great debt of gratitude, you took an incredible risk along with your companions to go against the Fire Lily sect like that. You mentioned needing my sect to vouch for you, and we shall do just that."

  "Thank you, Akiha. Before you do, I must tell you something. The risk was not as incredible as you might believe. Please do not feel betrayed, but we've lied to you about our true strength. It was purely to protect ourselves and nothing else." I told them, carefully considering my words.

  "Our Nascent Soul realms are artificial disguises, I am actually in the Celestial Realm." I briefly unleash just a hint of my Qi towards them, so they knew I was telling the truth. "And Gerard in the Dao Crystal realm."

  The Dreamer's eyes went wide, but they didn't make any movements.

  "You don't seem too surprised, I honestly thought you might faint or something." I tell them, slightly surprised myself.

  "Oh trust me, I am surprised. But I believe I am a good judge of character, and you don't strike me as the type to strike me down for insolence, for not getting down on my knees and singing your praises." Their eyes briefly flickering between me and Gerard.

  "That's good to hear," I told them with a smile. "One more thing though, do you know how one would go about establishing a sect?"

  They remained still for a moment. Through their mask I could see their unblinking eyes looking right at me, wide open again.

  Then they finally spoke, "You are quite the characters aren't you? I feel like you'll inspire many of my artworks to come." He stood up from sofa. "I'll get you in touch with the governor of Iroh. You'll need his approval, and bring your drake hunter friends, he's a big fan. You may also want to bring a gift, as he will be quite opposed to the idea of a new sect opening up near his city."

  "How come he doesn't like the idea of a new sect?" I asked bewildered.

  "You haven't spoken to many mortals, have you? None of them like immortals. They think of us as stuck-up, arrogant, walking natural disasters." They spoke with a sigh. "I've been making some attempts to mend the rift, alas to no avail."

  "Are most of the immortals really that bad?" I asked, voicing my curiosity.

  "You have no idea." Was the simple response.

  Before leaving, I still wanted to make sure of something. "And your sect won't get in trouble right? Because the Fire Lily elder assumed we were part of the Flowing Brush sect, and we.. we never really corrected them on that."

  Akiha sighed before answering, "War was already at our doorstep, whether we like it or not. The Fire Lily sect knows that we are still recovering from a failed dive into a secret realm. This would be a perfect time for them to strike. However, I believe the solution has fallen into my lap." He pauses, for dramatic effect no doubt.

  "..." I wait for him to continue. "Well?"

  "You!"

  "Me?"

  "You! Do you have any idea what it means, for you to be a Celestial? You're among the most powerful people on the continent. If you were to initiate a meeting between the Fire Lily sect, the Flowing Brush sect, and Iroh, we could find a peaceful solution together. Surely they don't want a rogue Celestial to join their enemy's side."

  After an drawn-out moment of silence, I agree to his proposal. Agreeing to something immediately is never good for business after all. If peace is possible, it's worth trying at least.

  We thank each other and shake hands.

  Gerard and I leave in a good mood, carrying a small bottle with the Flowing Brush sect's logo on it. A little token of gratitude, Akiha said.

  Akiha told me it was one of their finest wines. I think I'll save it for a joyous occasion. Perhaps when all of our teens were old enough to drink. Too bad they age so slowly, they're old enough in human years. I think... When is a phoenix old enough to drink alcohol?