For five days, Silva immersed himself in the manuscripts and scrolls Fal had provided, searching for any information that could enlighten him. Fortunately, his efforts bore fruit within the very first day of study and confirmed one of Silva's leading theories.
As Fal had explained, Spiritual Herbs possessed unique properties not only because they could absorb Qi but also because of their innate affinity. That word alone explained why Silva had such a hard time understanding the transformations occurring within his own body.
'Only when the spirit and vessel become one, is a gateway is formed, revealing Heaven's Will.'
Affinity was Qi given shape and color, transforming heaven's essence into a physical substance manifested by one's unique understanding of natural laws. Those with the Fire Affinity, for instance, could conjure and manipulate flames after attuning the Qi within their dantian, like light passing through stained glass.
But discovering one's affinity was a feat many cultivators never accomplished, making it the major bottleneck on the road to ascension. To possess an affinity, one needed a certain level of understanding regarding natural laws, the binding truths that controlled how physical matter behaved and interacted with the world around it, rules that were enforced by heaven's will.
Every single flame, every drop of water, and speck of dirt was a manifestation of natural law and contained some of the truths required to obtain an affinity. However, the extreme distance from the heavens significantly diminished their purity, making it nearly impossible to gain any insight.
To have any reasonable chance of learning a natural law, one needed to find a purer source, closer to the heavens. Spiritual herbs were among these sources, attuning Qi with their innate affinity and becoming a physical embodiment of natural laws over the course of several thousand years.
This made even the youngest and most common spiritual herbs worth their weight in jade, gaining them the moniker of natural treasures.
'That's what's happening to my body, it's becoming a natural treasure, that's why I couldn't understand my healing ability, it's a manifestation of natural law.' Silva concluded with an eager glimmer in his eye, 'But once I break through to the next realm, I should be able to gain some insight.'
As that thought crossed Silva's mind, a new possibility arose, and the more he considered it, the more Silva realized why Fal had given him a warning, 'If my body is a true natural treasure, then the purity of laws it contains will only grow with time, providing me a potentially limitless source of insight that is perfectly attuned to my affinity.'
Once harvested, most natural treasures had a limited lifespan, as the natural laws they had cultivated during their life cycle degraded, reducing their efficacy. The only options were either to prolong the treasure's lifespan by storing it in a specialized container or to have an alchemist turn it into a pill or tincture to preserve its efficacy as a one-time-use consumable.
But Silva didn't have to worry about either scenario; if his body could undergo infinite baptisms, he would always have a source of insight as he ascended through his path of growth.
---
"War huh?" Fal muttered, as if discussing the weather, "Well, I was beginning to get a bit restless anyway."
"Must you always act so cavalier?" A wizened voice admonished, thick with derision,
Fal glanced over to his right and grinned, "Elder Dantu, it's good to see you in such good health."
Dantu's cloudy eyes glared back at Fal, and his thin papery lips were pressed into a displeased line, "Impudent as well."
"Enough," Another voice rang out before Fal could respond and antagonize Dantu further, "Today is not the day to bicker among ourselves like children."
The speaker was Elder Jolto, who sat at the head of the pavilion directly opposite the entrance.
Despite being the second eldest, Jolto's appearance still possessed some sign of vigor and vitality, with a heavyset frame thick with muscles. As always, Fal had to fight the same itch when he met Jolto's gaze; after all, he was the only one in the clan besides Buhara himself that stood a chance at beating him.
"Elder Jolto is right, the Imperial Family has made its stance clear, cease all internal strife and prepare to present a united front." Ryula, the last Elder of the Khana clan, agreed, her hands folded within the sleeves of her robes, hidden from sight.
"Those were the Imperial Family's words?" Fal asked, a frown creasing his lips, "They sound…hesitant. Just who exactly are we waging war against?"
Every pair of eyes turned to stare at Fal, though he didn't shrink in the slightest.
"You assume wrong. War has been waged against the Imperial Empire," Dantu clarified, making Fal's brows lift, "Truly, what faction is foolish enough to wage war against the Imperial Family?"
"It's worse than war," Ryula interjected, "My sources say that Kentu of the Bloodclans has stepped down as Warmaster, leaving the chiefdom vacant and awaiting a successor."
There was silence for a long moment before Fal broke it, voicing the singular collective thought of the other elders, "Shit."
---
It was near sunset on Silva's fifth day of study when Fal finally returned and found his nephew seated in the manor's tea room, sat at a table laden with unfurled scrolls and opened manuscripts.
As Fal appeared with another flare of heat, Silva's eyes lifted from the scroll he was currently reading, "It's been more than a few days. Should I be concerned?"
"Yes, because I'm seriously considering whether or not I should renege on our deal," Fal answered, and Silva could tell that something had gone seriously awry, "Why, what happened?"
"The Empire is preparing for war, the kind of which hasn't been seen for several thousand years," Fal announced in a grave tone.
Silva frowned, "War? I thought that the Empire was in an era of peace, who are we going to war against?"
Fal shook his head, "War is being waged against us, and its not against any one faction. It would be more accurate to say that a beast horde is being unleashed upon the earth."
"How is that more accurate?" Silva muttered his frown deepening as he tried to understand what his uncle was hinting at.
Fal took a moment before launching into explanation, "The faction responsible for this chaos is called the Bloodclans, they're a nomadic group of sellswords with no allegiance beyond their current employer. They believe that conflict is a natural law of the heavens and vital to any path of ascension, a belief that is reflected in their culture and lifestyle. For instance most of their recruits consist of children taken from the very villages and provinces that the Clans were sent to pillage."
"But if they're mercenaries, why start a war without being paid?" Silva questioned.
"Like I said this is not a true war," Fal stressed, "There will be no rhyme or order, no centralized chain of command, and they will never surrender. The only time the Bloodclans go to war is to determine who among their ranks deserves the title of Warmaster, the leader of the Chiefdom who negotiates major contracts and maintains order."
"Wouldn't the title default to the Warmaster's heir?"
Fal grinned though there was nothing joyful or humorous about the expression, "Within the clans there are no heirs, the only thing that determines your social standing is your strength meaning the Warmaster is the one universally recognized as the strongest fighter defending their position by defeating any challenger who arises. If they lose then the winner becomes the new Warmaster. But this time is different, the previous Warmaster wasn't defeated in combat, they stepped down voluntarily leaving the seat of power vacant with no clear answer as to who deserves the title."
"So they'll somehow use this war as a proxy to determine the next Warmaster," Silva inferred and Fal nodded, "After a period of infighting, the Clans will divide themselves into several factions each lead by a Warfiend. These factions will form roaming warbands, pillaging indiscriminately in order to gather more recruits, resources and reputation. Most don't stand on their own for long and end up falling under the banner of another Warfiend. Eventually only a few Warbands will remain, and they are the ones who will participate in a final round of infighting to determine the victor."
Silva listened to Fal's words, but at the end of his explanation one burning question remained,"Even if this kind of situation is rare, why would the Empire tolerate their existence?"
Fal held out one hand with his palm facing up,"At any given point the Empire rules over twenty million subjects give or take a few hundred thousand. However, out of the entire population less than 1 percent are cultivators and of that 1% a vast majority will never ascend past the first realm."
Fal then held out his other hand, "The Bloodclans boasts at least fifty thousand Fiends, every one of them is a cultivator, and almost all of them will reach the Realm of Spirit Manifestation. The reason why the Empire or any other faction tolerates them is that they have no other choice, declaring all out war is far too costly. Even the weakest cultivator can easily take on ten mortal men, a disparity that grows exponentially with each breakthrough."
Fal let his hands drop as he folded them behind his back, "The Bloodclans are also a useful tool when they're organized underneath a Warmaster, with a degree of professionalism that makes them the favorite choice for many merchants, lords and even the Empire itself. Every Imperial War has seen the Bloodclans employed to some degree."
"Then what are the Empire's next steps? Will they begin deploying imperial troops to the border?" Silva asked as he stood up from his desk.
"No, the Empire will make no move until the Warbands have formed and make their presence known," Fal shook his head as a hard light appeared in his eyes, "In fact I wouldn't doubt that they will do everything in their power to suppress news of the brewing conflict."
Silva's brow furrowed, "Why would they do such a thing? Shouldn't we ready ourselves for war?"
"Yes, but not in the way you're thinking," Fal corrected with a slight grimace, "Right now we are in an era of peace, commerce and trade is flowing freely and the fields are ripe with grain. The moment news of war spreads, all of that comes to an end, merchants stop traveling the roads, and fields are left fallow as farmers flee their villages for city walls. At most we have five years until the Warbands begin their rampage, the Empire will use that time to accrue as many resources as possible so we may endure the coming era."
"Era?" Silva repeated in slight disbelief, "Just how long will it take for the Bloodclans to establish a new order?"
Fal paused for a moment before answering, "Records say that the last time the Clans formed Warbands, the Empire was plunged into an Era of Chaos and Strife for over two centuries."
Silva was left speechless as he suddenly grasped the severity of the brewing conflict, "Do you understand what that means Silva?"
Looking his uncle in the eyes Silva nodded, "Yes, millions are going to die-"
"No!" Fal shouted as his hand sliced through the air and his eyes gained a feverish glow, "From this point on you can no longer afford to think of anyone besides yourself! What this means is that if you still insist on leaving this manor, then you will be conscripted, for the next two hundred years your life will be war, you will live in a space between life and death, fighting for the next day with every single breath. Is that a fate you want to experience?"
Fal words slammed into Silva like a physical attack, but his mind was even more refined than his body and withstood the blow with flinching, "While the circumstances may have changed, my path has not. Once I break through I will step beyond the boundaries of this prison even if certain death awaits me."
Silva stared into Fal's gaze waiting for his uncle to challenge him, but instead Fal simply grinned, "Good, that mindset will serve you well. But you're still far from where you need to be, this war has muddied the waters and you can be certain the Bloodclan is not the only enemy you will face in the coming years. I will prepare you the best I can, but your progress rests on your shoulders. Are you ready for what is to come?"
Silva only nodded as he squared his shoulders.
"Very well, then let us begin." Fal's reply was the only warning Silva received before his uncle pounced and a bloodthirsty aura exploded from his body.