Reaper(Cradle #10)(24)

But, of course, that was for Gold students.

He didn’t say it, but Kelsa sighed as she heaved her way to her feet. “I will advance soon, I promise. Lindon offered me a pill already. But I don’t even have my balance as a Jade yet, and I know stability is important.”

It was. Technically. But Jai Long had seen plenty of sacred artists adjust fine to skipping Jade entirely. If Lindon or Eithan Arelius had insisted she stay a Jade, he wouldn’t have argued, but he would characterize their attitude as similar to his own.

While she was right about stability being important, the difference was so minuscule at Jade as to be negligible.

But everyone had to travel their own Path, and it wasn’t as though he’d taken her in as a disciple. So he gave her a nod and went to pick up a ‘heavier’ training spear.

This one wasn’t physically much heavier at all, but it was scripted to be similar to a parasite ring. It became harder to move madra through it, which allowed him to refine his madra, exercise his channels, and practice his weapon Enforcer techniques at once.

Kelsa settled into a chair nearby and watched him as she drank from a bottle of water. She didn’t rest her perception on him directly, which would have distracted him, but she did observe him closely. Determined to take only one step at a time she may have been, but she never passed up an opportunity to learn.

This training didn’t take much concentration, and she knew it, so after a few minutes of watching him she picked up their earlier conversation.

“So you think I should advance to Gold, then?”

“I wouldn’t delay too long.” He swung his spear vertically, leaving a trail of light that hissed like a snake before quickly dissipating. When it did, he swung again.

“I’m…not sure how I feel about taking someone else’s Remnant into my spirit,” she admitted. “Even if there are plenty to choose from.”

Sacred Valley had been littered with Remnants after the Dreadgod’s rampage, many of which were from the Path of the White Fox. They would be little help in advancing to Gold, though, since they could only be Jade at best.

“There are other compatible Paths,” Jai Long said, focusing on his spear. “It’s difficult to integrate their techniques into yours, but it can be done.” She would have an easier time at Lowgold than he had, no matter what she did.

At least her Remnant wouldn’t be trying to eat her from the inside out.

“Your brother didn’t take a Remnant at all,” he pointed out.

“No, but he had Orthos. I suppose there is Elder Whisper…but if he hasn’t chosen a contractor by now, I can’t see why he’d want me.”

From what little Jai Long had heard of Elder Whisper, he doubted anyone should want to contract with him. The fox couldn’t be trusted.

“No point worrying about it,” Jai Long said. This time, he slashed through the ghost of a snake he’d Forged out of his own madra. “If you run into any problems, you can get your brother to solve them.”

Kelsa took another drink of water. “You don’t like him.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

In fact, if Jai Long had to choose whether he felt positively or negatively toward Lindon, he would give Lindon a passing grade. Lindon had gone out of his way to help Jai Long and his sister more than once.

But he had killed Jai Long’s closest friend, even if the circumstances were understandable. And…

In the quiet of his own heart, Jai Long could admit that he was jealous.

Lindon had started out so far behind, and had overtaken Jai Long so quickly. What could Jai Long himself have done with Lindon’s opportunities?

Jai Chen would be safe for life, that would be certain. And he himself could pursue…the sacred arts, he supposed. He wasn’t actually sure what he would do if he attained unrivaled power. His training had always been driven by necessity and the existence of enemies greater than he was.

If he was in Lindon’s position, he couldn’t even imagine what he’d do.

He had been quiet for too long, and had given Kelsa time to read his body language. Not his face, because that was still wrapped in bandages.

“You keep calling him my brother,” she pointed out. “You call me by name.”

“If he was here, I’d use his name.”

“Not his title?”

His strike stopped in the middle. That was an accurate, if painful, point. Even if you set aside Lindon’s status as a Sage, he was still an Overlord. Jai Long should be respectful.

He resumed his training, this time letting soulfire leak into his techniques. A small colorless spark infused one of the snakes that he produced. He couldn’t infuse his techniques with soulfire while they were inside him—his body and spirit still couldn’t handle it—but he could refine techniques with soulfire as he used them.

It was clumsy compared to what a real Underlord could do, like trying to paint while holding the brush with his toes, but at least there wasn’t much any other Truegold could do to him.

He decided to turn the conversation back on Kelsa, at least to regain momentum. “It’s hard for me to reconcile the Lowgold I knew with the Sage and Overlord he is now. It must be even more difficult for you.”

“It’s frightening,” she said simply. “Not just what he can do, but that he only stumbled on the truth by chance. What if he hadn’t made it? What if no one had ever left? We would never have known what the real sacred arts were like, and when the Dreadgod came…”