Sa Wayong took a step forward, and then another, down the steps leading to the center stage. She took each carefully, the hesitation in her steps betraying a fear that had taken up residence in her chest.
Their eyes never left him as they took in every movement, each formation of the clouds surrounding him as he formed his clones, the movements of the duplicates as they fought, attacked. Dispelled back into the mist. Sa Wayong watched every movement, analyzed every trick, no longer just watching Saikichi, but examining him.
Each held meaning, each could reveal his nature, and every miscalculation would cost her her life. Her eyes narrowed at the next clone that appeared, then another, and another. Sa Wayong took another step forward, her fear still present, but for the first time since stepping onto this stage, it was no longer her dominant emotion. There is a reason for this, she realized, and it had nothing to do with survival, but rather with her need to understand. Understanding meant control, and control could very possibly mean the end of Saikichi.
While Sa Wayong continued to analyze, she grew more and more uneasy.
Cloud clones, right? This was everyone's assumption for what his Seijinism could manifest as. But was it really? Was that really all he could do?
There was an inexplicable sense of doubt crawling up her spine.
Is manifesting cloud clones all the power that he has? Then if so, how was it possible for him to create so many different variations of himself that all fought with differing techniques independently of each other. Did Saikichi have multiple Seijinisms or was there something else that she had yet to discern about his power?
No. She had to find out the truth.
If she could discover it, it could become her greatest weapon against him.
Meanwhile, Chu Runar continued his hunt for the real Saikichi. Every time he felt he had found him, another would appear, making it more difficult for him to single out the one that he truly needed to attack. His attacks had managed to restrain and damage a few of them, but nothing had managed to get him any closer to his objective.
Finally, Chu Runar jumped back, putting some distance between himself and the others.
He landed several feet back, taking in the surroundings as he tried to catch his breath.
At this point, he was wasting his Seidan because it was pointless to continue attacking randomly if he wanted to actually do any real damage. If he was going to reach Saikichi, he would need to find a way to discern between them first. And with Sa now entering the fray, maybe she could help him with that.
Sun Yunso and Mischa continued walking down the halls of Heishi, awkward silence once again filling the space between them.
Why was it this way?
Did it have to do with both of them not caring to talk to the other, or was there another reason? Either way, neither of them wanted to talk and so, neither of them talked.
As far as they were concerned, at least for the time being, they were working together long enough to continue on their mission.
As they walked down the hallway, they passed one door after another, opening and entering in hopes of finding something useful. A storage room, an empty office and a room filled with discarded furniture, none of which they were looking for. They closed the doors and moved on, nothing having drawn their interest and growing no closer to achieving their goal, Sun Yunso glanced down the corridor ahead.
'Just how big is this place?'
It was beginning to seem that they weren't even going in the right direction and so, as they continued forward, Yunso suddenly caught something ahead. His eyes were immediately drawn to the source of this noise, and without hesitation he shot forward and out of the hallway he had come from.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Mischa called, surprised at Yunso's sudden movement.
Sun Yunso said nothing, his actions said everything as he continued forward, running towards this strange noise. Mischa clicked her tongue before following him as quickly as she could, after all, she did not want her new temporary partner to be gone already when they were still looking for the assignment she was given in Heishi.
Meanwhile, still elsewhere in Heishi, Lokei continued his battle against the older cloud clone. Both of them clashed together, Lokei moving quickly, shifting from one stance to the other quickly and using his speed to keep up with the older figure's attack speed. The older clone moved with the composure and experience of someone with decades upon decades of martial arts experience.
Neither of them was able to get a clear advantage; this far at least, the fight had been completely and evenly matched.
Lokei was forcing himself to keep up with how experienced his opponent was, while the older clone was reading his movements, anticipating his every move.
Eventually they both stopped to take a breather for a moment; the older clone flashed a grin, clearly amazed by Lokei's talent.
"Wow, what a genuine surprise. After so much battle you still have something in you that I have never known. Even as a clone of myself I must say, I'm impressed."
"Shut that crappy mouth of yours. There's literally no meaning in those words and as you said, you're just a measly clone and that's all. You're nothing against the real deal, so don't try to act like a father when you're not even real."
The older clone was shaken for a second but then let out a small laugh that steadily grew; then he stopped himself as his gaze went straight to Lokei, it was almost as if he was staring into his soul.
"Well I guess you're right. I'm just a measly clone of your deadbeat dad. Wait, does that make me and the other clones deadbeats as well?" He said as he let out a little chuckle. "Whatever, there's no need for you to find out because…."
He vanished before completing his sentence. Lokei was in shock, yes, but he was still prepared for what was to come. Defeating this clone… no, defeating this deadbeat of his would boost him in many ways that even he couldn't understand.
The two fighters clashed again, sending a loud crack through the room. With his back to the wall, Lokei quickly slid backwards, his shoes skidding against the floor. He quickly pushed himself up and raised up his staff, barely blocking the older clone's attack.
They had fought each other evenly before but at some point, the balance had tipped in the other's favour. It had started to get harder to properly counter the older clone's attacks as he started to move in a way that forced Lokei to step back every time.
It all seemed so effortless for the other as if he had studied every movement Lokei used and countered it.
This wasn't good at all.
Lokei grumbled as he pushed the other's staff away, his arms shaking from the force of the impact.
'What should I do? Run away or keep fighting?'
The thought of running away made his blood boil. Sure, it wasn't a bad decision to admit that he couldn't beat an opponent but something about fighting this older clone was different. He looked up at the older clone's face, the way his mouth moved as he spoke reminded him so much of his father, Saikichi.
If anything, running away would be like admitting defeat against Saikichi himself.
That was something Lokei just couldn't do.
As he mulled over his options, hurried footsteps sounded from behind him. Lokei barely had the time to turn around before a blur of a figure passed him. It was so fast that it sent shivers down his spine that being Sun Yunso and without a second thought, Sun Yunso raced towards the older clone.
"Moliu...Silent Current."
The older clone lifted his staff to block but that was all Yunso needed. With a flick of his wrist, his blade slid right past the older clone's defences, cutting through the air with a single motion. It was a blur of black as Sun Yunso dashed forward. The older clone's eyes widened in shock as his body began to break apart, floating away into the air before he could make another move.
Lokei kept his staff raised as Yunso slowed to a stop several feet away. The swordsman lowered his blade, the black Seidan already disappearing from the edge.
Lokei kept his eyes on the empty space where the older clone had stood, his heart pounding in his chest.
It was over and he had not been the one to end the fight.
Lokei turned his head to look at Sun Yunso, still reeling from the turn of events. He was expecting someone else to jump in and finish the fight since it would have taken a lot of time to beat the older clone.
Instead, it was Sun Yunso who had done it. The swordsman landed a few feet in front of him and took a deep breath. He turned to look at him.
Lokei's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He thought about their last fight at the Guo Family Estate but at the time, he had assumed that Yunso had fought him with all his strength and even if Sun Yunso had held back during his battle with the older clone, he was faster than anyone Lokei had ever seen.
Wait, does that mean that Sun Yunso might have been holding back against him as well?
It made Lokei even more apprehensive about their previous fight, if Sun Yunso managed to disperse the older clone with that much ease then he might be even more dangerous than expected.
Sun Yunso started walking towards the direction of Lokei while he had his sword lowered at his side.
"Are you okay?"
Lokei, who was still trying to see what had happened to the swordsman that was surprisingly fast, nodded at Yunso but continued watching him but before Lokei was able to say something, hurried footsteps were heard coming from the other end of the corridor. Mischa Chikae soon came into view, panting lightly as her green eyes landed on both Yunso and Lokei before her gaze rested on the older clone whose remains had disappeared.
Sun Yunso shot a look towards the woman.
"You took your time."
Mischa frowned at the swordsman's reply. "You could have waited."
"I did."
"That doesn't mean you had to complain."
Lokei looked between the two as he was feeling more confused by the second.
"Wait. Who's she?"
"Mischa Chikae. She's here to look for Huo Shuzoh."
Lokei blinked his eyes at the name.
"Huo Shuzoh?"
It was only now that the realization was beginning to dawn on him that someone would have a reason to come to the Heishi auction searching for Huo Shuzoh. The thought that she might have been with the Armada suddenly made sense to him.
His gaze landed on Mischa for a while, taking in her form before returning his gaze towards Sun Yunso.
She saw his look but said nothing.
Lokei's frown deepened at the thought that it truly meant she was with the Armada. Perhaps she was even the main reason he was stuck here without killing any of them. If that was really the case then that would mean that her coming to this place could have been for a far greater importance than what Sun Yunso was thinking.
Sun Yunso looked towards the direction of Lokei.
"Sorry about taking your kill. I sensed some danger nearby so I thought..."
"It's fine," replied Lokei.
His eyes narrowed as he stared at the place where the older clone had disappeared. It would have been impossible for Lokei to even know for sure that he actually did kill that thing as it had simply disappeared like the others. Even if Sun Yunso had indeed killed it, it had been far too sudden.
Lokei let out a sigh as he tightened his grip around his staff. In fact, he felt angry with himself. He was barely able to kill a clone of his own father.
'Maybe I still wasn't strong enough.'
"We should get to the main hall," said Yunso suddenly, shaking off the previous thoughts. "Chu Runar and Sa Wayong are likely already there. I don't know how long they could last against Anzo but we should try to help them."
Mischa crossed her arms over her chest.
"In case you forgot, I'm not here to save anyone."
"I know that," said Sun Yunso calmly. "And like I mentioned earlier, you're here for a reason aren't you. I'm going to help you find whatever it is you wanted. Or am I wrong?"
Mischa looked at Sun Yunso for a while but said nothing in reply. It was enough for the swordsman to take it as his answer as he turned towards the main hall. Lokei gathered his staff and took a step forward alongside Sun Yunso as Mischa also followed suit, keeping herself a distance away from him.
The three of them walked towards the main hall where the actual event and the rest of their enemies as they made their way towards the center of the stage.
As they continued their walk towards the main hall, several guards appeared at the end of the corridor. None of them were given a chance to call for backup as Sun Yunso and Lokei went ahead and quickly took out the first few before Mischa joined in and helped them as well.
The corridor was completely clear of enemies when Sun Yunso stopped near a display. A sword was placed inside a glass case. He slowed his pace as he stared at the weapon. It looked simple enough for his tastes but there was something about it that attracted his attention.
"Lokei, do you know anything about it?"
Lokei shot a look towards the display and then frowned at Yunso.
"No. And in case you've forgotten, I didn't know my family even had an auction house."
Sun Yunso chuckled lightly before he gave a small smile.
"My bad."
He turned his attention back to the weapon as he took it out of the stand with gentle hands. How light and familiar the thing was as he held the hilt of the sword in his palm reminded him of another weapon that he currently possessed.
Curiosity got the better of him as Sun Yunso decided to look at its blade closer. The hilt was white in color which in itself was a big difference from the black one he always used. He looked at the blade to see if there were any notable features upon it but it seemed fairly normal.
He continued staring at the weapon when he suddenly stopped. He had a strange feeling in his gut and his breathing became somewhat shallow as he instinctively tightened his grip around the hilt. Lokei, who was still standing a bit away from the display, noticed this and tapped Sun Yunso's shoulder to get his attention.
Sun Yunso immediately jumped at the touch, as if he was startled out of something. He gave a slow blink before looking up at Lokei.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing.”
If Lokei was to believe the other man, that would have been the most honest answer he had ever heard in his life. Mischa observed the odd display from Yunso's reaction as she briefly looked at the weapon in his hands. Sun Yunso put the sword back into its sheath and slid it down at his side and without giving an explanation, he continued walking down the corridor with Lokei and Mischa watching after him curiously.
Zi Zan and Anyu Feng approach the storehouse door. Anyu Feng reached for the handle and attempted to open the door, but to no success.
Zi Zan watched him for a moment, until he finally let out a chuckle.
"Come on, man. You thought it would open so easily?"
Anyu turns around and chuckles to himself.
"At least I tried."
"Sure. Whatever you say."
The two shift their attention to the door, one which had strange markings etched onto it, as well as multiple symbols around the edges. The mechanism was clear, it just was not the usual kind.
Anyu steps up and inspects it closely.
"Hmm..."
He stops and tilts his head, before stepping back.
"I think I've got it”
"You think?" Zi Zan raises an eyebrow.
"I'm not entirely sure."
"That's reassuring."
Anyu ignores him and proceeds to raise each of his hands as he makes several hand seals, each of them strange and unfamiliar. Though familiar in a sense: Zi Zan had once seen it used, just not the other way around. The latter looked at the former with a puzzled expression for a while, until realization hit him and a grin appeared on his face.
"It's been a while since I've seen those hand seals."
Anyu went on making the sequence until he finally finished, his hand placed flat on top of the door, and for a brief moment nothing happened. The two stared at each other, waiting for something to happen, then a soft click was heard, followed by multiple similar sounds. Light flashed from the seal briefly, before the heavy door began to open.
Anyu lowered his hand and grinned.
"Nice, huh? No wonder I'm the smartest."
"Yeah, no. You always say that to yourself, but you always do the stupidest shit known to man."
Anyu turned to face him, still smiling.
"And yet, here you are, reaping the benefits of my intellectualism."
"Don't push it."
Their laughing begins to fade as they look toward the storehouse. Zi Zan and Anyu Feng enter the storehouse.
Rows on shelves filled the large hall of the storehouse, each of them displaying exquisite artifacts that had been well-crafted and preserved. Some of them were even housed inside glass-cases, as well as displays with intricate arrangements where said artifacts were placed. Each of these items emitted a trace of Seidan.
The two looked around the displays.
The Dance of Ruin, the Melodic Instrument of Ambition, the Craven Glaive of Curiosity, the Rope of Slaughter, and the Moon of Decay.
All were valuable pieces of work and definitely worth a mention at this kind of auction, but neither of the two was interested in any of these finds. They continued on until Anyu stopped suddenly and looked over at one of the displays.
"Hey Zan..."
Zi Zan followed his gaze, and looked in the direction he was looking. Resting upon one of the displays lay an artifact that they sought. The Aberrant Katana of Peace: a twin-headed short katana, which was very well-known among the two as former members of The Sapphire Wolves.
It was quiet for a moment as neither of the two spoke, remembering the weapon, as well as a person that once wielded it. The memory alone piqued interest from both men.
It had belonged to Su Qing, one of the best fighters they had ever known, who had wielded the strange weapon with grace and skill. That weapon had been a part of the long history that they shared with Su Qing.
A grin appeared on Anyu's face while Zi Zan's usual composed expression softened as he approached the display.
"So it really was here," he murmured.
"Looks like we found what we needed," remarked Zi Zan.
The two hadn't had anything to jest about since entering the storehouse. For the first time since then, neither had anything sarcastic or dismissive to say as they stood before the weapon, staring over at a piece of the past that they thought they would never revisit.
Zi Zan carefully reached out and retrieved the Aberrant Katana of Peace from the display, standing before it in his hand.
He waited for a second, expecting some kind of response or alert, but none came. Both men released a sigh of relief.
"As expected," stated Anyu.
Zi Zan nodded and turned around, the Aberrant Katana of Peace still in hand, in order to leave. Just then Anyu Feng's gaze fell upon something else nearby. His eyes widened.
"Zi Zan. Come here."
Confused, Zi Zan turns to look in the direction that Anyu was gesturing.
The moment he saw the item, he froze. His eyes were wide and his expression unreadable. His mind was filled with memories of what had taken place in the past, a moment that he had desperately hoped and wished to forget. He had thought that the events had been buried and entombed from his mind.
At the same time, Anyu immediately noticed the change in his demeanor.
"Hey. Zi Zan."
He approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him some reassurance.
"Take a deep breath. Don't let those dark memories drag you back in the depths of depression and despair again."
Zi Zan takes a sharp breath and exhales, repeating this until he forces his attention to something else besides those memories. The tight expression on his face loosened as his breathing slowed down. An expression of confusion crossed Anyu's face as he looked back at the object.
"Who would've thought that we would've found this here?"
Zi Zan remained silent for a while before responding.
"This can only mean one thing, can't it?"
Anyu nodded.
"Saikichi Yoshe…"
"was somehow involved in the Black Dawn," finished Zi Zan.
They exchanged grave looks.
If the object really did belong to the Black Dawn, then the involvement must have been greater than they first thought.
There was only one question that still remained.
"Where was he during that time and what role did he play?" Asked Anyu Feng.
Zi Zan tightened his grip on the Aberrant Katana of Peace.
"I don't know, but we need to find out."
Anyu Feng carefully picks up the strange item from the display. It resembled that of an old diary, an old worn cover and faded markings that had taken centuries upon centuries to acquire. He approaches Zi Zan and the two exchange looks. They had found what they came for. But the item had brought up questions that neither had satisfactory answers for.
For now, it was best not to associate anything with them. They decided to leave Anyu out of this for the moment; he would need answers, but fighting with him tonight was not something they wanted to do. Moreover, there was a strong possibility that Anyu would be dead by then, leaving them with no opportunity to ask him any questions.
"Let's get out of here. We have what we came for," said Zi Zan.
Anyu Feng nodded.
They leave the storehouse with the Aberrant Katana of Peace and the old diary. These pieces of memories would have to be discovered in the future.
The auction house was becoming too risky with the incident that Anyu had set off and the chaos that was occurring at the main hall. There would be no point in lingering there anymore. They would wait for Yunso and the others outside, prepared to enter if anything happened.
For now, they had everything they came for and needed to leave before it was too late for them.
Sun Yunso led the way down the corridor, his heart still hammering in his ears. Lokei and Mischa followed close behind, watching Sun's back with wary eyes. They had to reach Sa Wayong and Chu Runar as soon as possible. The two of them had remained at the central hall to stall the auction and keep Saikichi busy, but Sun had no idea how well they were doing.
Several questions were burning in Lokei's mind.
Why did Sun Yunso suddenly grab a sword from the display? And why did he freeze when he took hold of it?
Mischa was thinking the same thing. She could see the look on Sun's face, and the way his breath came in short, shallow gasps told her that something was wrong. But Sun had said nothing about it, and neither Lokei nor Mischa asked him.
Sun Yunso's face was completely unreadable as he pressed on, the strange new sword at his hip. He was clearly not interested in talking about it, and it was obvious to both Lokei and Mischa that it would do no good to pester him.
Right now, there were more important things to worry about.
The central hall was drawing close, and whoever was in charge of the auction there would need all the help they could get. Lokei took one last look at the weapon before following Sun down the corridor.
'What exactly did you see in that sword, Sun Yunso?'
He kept the thought to himself and continued running after the swordsman.
The three of them continued running down the corridor. Lokei and Mischa were still puzzled by Sun Yunso's actions, but there was little time to ask questions. They both knew he'd been unnerved by the sight of the white-hilted sword, but neither one seemed to have an answer as to what could have caused such a reaction.
What neither of them knew was that it had less to do with the weapon itself and more to do with the events that had transpired when Sun Yunso's hand had first touched the hilt.
Sun Yunso's eyes were wide as he ran, his breathing coming in short, panicked bursts. It wasn't the running that was upsetting him - it was the shock of what he'd just seen. He could feel the terror clawing at his throat, drowning him in a wave of despair. He was powerless to stop it, and more powerfully still, powerless to understand it.
The memory of it all was fresh in his mind, and he was still reeling from it. He wanted to say something, to explain to Lokei and Mischa exactly what had happened, but the words wouldn't come. He was still grappling with the sensation, trying to push it away as best he could.
Lokei glanced at Sun as they ran.
"Sun Yunso?"
There was no response.
Mischa shot him a worried look. Whatever had caused his unease was clearly a surprise to him as well, but whatever it was, it hardly seemed like a good time to ask about it.
Sun Yunso kept running.
They were almost to the central hall, and he was determined to see this through to the end, whatever it was.
Deep down, Sun Yunso was not feeling well and it was understandable but neither Lokei nor Mischa could see what was wrong with him.
As he dashed down the hallway, his mind wandered back to the scene where his hand had met the blade, he saw it all happen. Something horrible, something he had never imagined, something so heartbreaking that if he were to try to describe what he saw to anyone else, there is no way that they would have understood. He had felt it too, the sorrow and grief, the agony and pain. It was as if he had just lived through a lifetime of misery.
How could something as simple as a sword have such a dark history? No... How could something as simple as a life be so full of pain? How could a life come to such an end and become a sword like this?
The thought brought a sudden wave of grief as he remembered the sight that had greeted his eyes, the sight that had nearly sent him to his knees in shock. He had fought through Seijinists, and had faced dangers that would have been enough to kill a lesser person ten times over, yet none of that had prepared him for this.
He wanted to know more about what he had seen, but at the same time, he wished that he hadn't seen any of it.
A single tear slid down Sun Yunso's pale cheek and stained the floor before he shook the thought away. He thought of his own life, and how he saw himself as nothing but a tragedy, a walking and breathing misery. He had lost the most important person in his life, and nothing had been more painful than that.
Well it was quite obvious that his pain was nothing compared to the agony that this poor soul had lived through. Sun Yunso's hands trembled as he looked down at the white-hilted weapon at his side, his grip tightening around the grip of the sword as he took a shuddering breath.
"I promise... I'll do anything I can to avenge you..." he whispered, the words barely audible to the other two. "So you can finally rest in peace... and never have to suffer again."
The sword said nothing, but Sun Yunso kept his promise nonetheless.