Ch 2 - Skydream

*** Raven ***

A brisk chill swept through the dense forest. Hours had passed since Adlet began refining the spirit ring of the crystalline spider. Mirellia and Raven were keeping watch, but the deathly quite night was unnerving. Made all the worse by the fact that they knew they were being watched.

It wasn't obvious at first, just a feeling. But as the moon rose up into the sky, the shadows just felt wrong, and they knew. Yet there was nothing they could do about it. By the time Adlet awoke from his meditative state, both their backs were drenched in sweat, nerves strung taught and they were mentally exhausted.

"Did you get the spirit ability you hoped for?" Raven asked as they lead Adlet quickly through the forest. They decided to leave the area and return to the forest after they've all had a proper rest.

"What's with you two? You didn't even acknowledge this thing. Like, hello, kind of a shocking development right?" Raven turned and noticed the Torso Bone held in his hand. She failed to notice his incredulous stare though.

"Love, that is wonderful. We'll celebrate once we've had a good long nap, promise." They weren't going to talk about being watched while they were being watched. That would be stupid. Adlet seemed to sense something was off and just followed along. However, the feeling never quite went away.

Once they left the forest and set up camp, a person, the observer Raven believed to be following them, appeared. "Hello my fellow spirit masters. I... just completed a long hunt and am now... uh lost. Perhaps we can travel together... to the place we... people like to congregate."

The young boy could not have sounded more suspicious. His short blond hair was mostly hidden by a big white hood with two long dangling ears. The hood was a caricature of a face, a worm's face. He wore a white jacket that stood out in the dark night. But most striking of all were the golden, almost glowing, eyes that stared at them.

Mirellia sounded mechanical as she spoke. "Perhaps we can travel together. What did you say your name was?" This person looked like the human avatar of the million year creature they came to kill. More specifically, would hopefully kill itself for them. A big problem for their plans if he chose to reincarnate as a human. Mirellia had been waiting for years, until the time they felt it would be safest to come to this forest and recieve the million year ring.

"I'm Tian Meng, but you can call me brother Skydream." The boy had a goofy smile and was posing with his fingers in the "V" shape for victory. Raven snuck a glance at Mirellia, her expression was cracking. She was trying to maintain a facade but her eyes just looked depressed.

"We'll camp here for a few hours and decide on our next move afterwards. Your welcome to set up camp next to us Meng." Adlet spoke, grabbing Mirellia's shaking hand. However, she decided that there wasn't a reason to stay any longer.

"Pack up and head to the city, we'll get a better rest at an inn. We're done with our hunt after all." Mirellia turned around and started packing up camp. It seemed a waste to not rest after making camp, but there wasn't any reason to stay. Not if their target has already become human. They weren't about to fight a million year opponent, no matter how much power the creature may have lost becoming human. Also, Mirellia wasn't looking well.

All of them were tired, making them easy targets to kill. It's important to remember the forest is a dangerous place, they shouldn't hang around unless they suddenly stopped caring about living. And of course, they'll rest hundreds of times easier in an actual bed.

"Great, the inn, love that place myself. Can't remember how long it's been since I spent time there. Oh me and the old place go way back." Skydream spoke with such a casual demeanor that Raven almost didn't realize how ridiculous his words were. This idiot had no idea what an inn was, did he?

'What are we going to do now?'

'Nothing. We'll leave and decide later.'

'Are you ok?"

'I don't know.'

Raven used what sign language she knew to speak to Mirellia. They couldn't talk in person because they didn't know if the worm was using its spying ability, and they didn't want to tip it off that they knew what it is. Adlet kept to himself, his linguistic skills were bad, so he never tried learning sign language. They both squeezed Mirellia's arms and rubbed her back periodically during their packing.

Mirellia had been counting on this ring. They all had. The million year ring was a straight shot to Godhood after all. Without it, their future became a lot less certain. They didn't even know if they could kill Skydream, they certainly couldn't in their current state. With everything such a jumbled mess, it was best to rest up and think things over with a clear head tomorrow.

*** Adlet ***

Yesterday was just crazy. Got a spirit ring, a spirit bone, and met the 'human' Skydream. Adlet never got a chance to ask the girls what had them so exhausted by the time he finished absorbing his ring. He could take a guess in hindsight though.

On the way back to town, Raven passed out and Mirellia followed suite shortly after. Skydream and him ended up carrying them both back to town, while he paid for two rooms at the Inn. Despite the sun about to rise, he decided they needed their sleep. He opened the shuttered window and began cultivating with the sun portrait alone.

Once he was done cultivating, he figured he'd give the girls some breakfast in bed. Raven loved that sort of thing, while Mirellia will probably call him barbaric then demand he spoon feed them.

"Hey there, what are you so smiley about? Did you have a great sleep too? Man, this one time, I like slept, for like ever. It was great." Adlet watched Skydream start drooling over the memory of such an amazing nap.

"Let's get some breakfast, my treat. Then you can tell me what your up to now that you've gotten back to town." He knew the worm was unfamiliar with how humans behave from his suspicious way of talking. He was really curious about what Skydream planned to accomplish coming here. Our at the least, to hear what insanity it would say.

They quickly found a table on the main floor of the inn. Adlet ordered for both of them when he realized, again, that the worm had no money and no idea what it was doing.

Adlet never could have imagined meeting someone so bad at blending in, it was honestly funny. "Well being the spirit masters that we are, naturally I'm up to a skool- going to a school. For spirit masters. A local one...." Adlet just stared at him. The blonde boy was gesturing with his hands as he spoke, yet there was no connection between what he was saying and what he was gesturing. This was made all the worse by the fact he couldn't even look Adlet in the eyes.

"You have no idea where you are or where you're going, do you?"

"...ummmm skoo-"

"School."

Adlet was starting to feel bad for the worm so he questioned it directly. Clearly it needed help. He stared down the blonde as sweat drops appeared all over it's face, it was so pitiful. Skydream was like a lost little kitten that needed someone to take it in and give it food and shelter.

"Listen kid, I can help you, but only if you tell me you need help. Clearly you're not from around here, but you don't have to lie to get where you're trying to go. Do you need assistance?"

"Nnn- yes" Skydream hung his head, looking defeated.

"OK let's start with where you're trying to go."

*** Skydream ***

'See how easy that was, all you had to do was ask for help. Not stalk someone back to a school. Not trick anyone into unwittingly helping us, just ask. Gah your so stupid. We wasted weeks in that forest looking for someone the right age to stalk back into town.'

'Go easy on him Bing Bing. We didn't know we could just ask someone either. Looking for help outside one's family is usually asking for death in the north after all.'

'That may be, but this useless worm swore that he knew what to do to reach godhood. We wouldn't have agreed to become his rings if we knew he didn't even know how to get stronger. Right Xue Nu?'

'I may have reconsidered my options, had I known he didn't even know how to cultivate properly.'

Skydream's body was talking to Adlet and agreeing to travel with him to an academy called Shrek, but in his mind, he was dealing with two very irate women. The first was his fated lover, the one he knew he was destined to be with from the first moment he saw her. The second woman, was one he knew he had to save from the first moment he saw her naked.

Skydream reincarnated directly into a six year old child, awakening innate spirit power level 20. He went directly to the deep north to convince Bing Bing that he had a way for them to be together forever. When he got there, he had accidently snuck into, and overheard, a very private conversation. Bing Bing was speaking to the Supreme powerhouse of the north, Snow Empress Xue Nu. They were in Bing Bing's private chambers, a small room for her human form to sleep undisturbed.

They were discussing their upcoming tribulations. They knew, instinctively knew, they were going to die. Skydream was going to reveal having overheard everything and having a solution to let them live forever, if not for what happened next.

Xue Nu wrapped her delicate white gloved hand around Bing Bing's waist, pulling her close. Xue's large chest pressed her white and violet yukata up against Bing's supple green-lined white blouse. Bing's scorpion tail wrapped around Xue's bubble butt subconsciously, displaying her beautiful five segmented emerald tail that narrowed into a mirror like white luster tip. Xue's long unrestrained snow white hair served to highlight Bing's emerald green pigtails as their lips met.

At that moment, it became Skydream's mission in life to have them- save them both. If only he didn't subconsciously fall on his knees and gleefully say "Yesss" at the moment they finished undressing each other. Who knows what heavenly wisdom he would have gained witnessing such a divine dance.

'Owowowow'

Skydream forgot that since they now live in his mindscape, the two blushing beauties beating him up could see exactly what he was thinking. Both what he was remembering and how he was imagining things could have gone.

*** Adlet ***

Adlet was very confused. He went over everything Skydream needed to know about getting into Shrek, then the boy started blushing furiously while wincing in pain. People were starting to stare.

"Hey, hey Skydream, you ok?" He asked, shaking the idiot a bit.

"Huh wha- uhh, yes. Yep never better. I'm gonna go to my room and pack now. Call me when we set off for Shrek." The blond boy had trouble getting up and leaving the dining area. The hard on he was sporting was visible to all the patrons, and extremely disconcerting to Adlet. The only person Skydream had been looking at, let alone talking too, this entire time.

With clear concern, and trace amounts of fear, Adlet got his three breakfast meals and brought them up to the bedroom. When he got in, the girls were already beginning to stir. He could tell because at some point Mirellia stole all the blankets. He walked up to each of them gently shaking their shoulders until they awoke. Then he gave them each a good morning kiss.

"Your morning breadth tastes delicious."

"Gah, no one told you to kiss me." Mirellia hit Adlet's shoulder, unamused at being teased right after waking up. They ate breakfast in bed while Adlet told them about his morning with Skydream.

"You know, maybe we should have you seduce the worm. That'd be one way of achieving godhood. Plus, you still owe Rave a favor." Mirellia started laughing at Adlet's facial expression. They knew Raven wouldn't ask something so immoral, but the thought of if she did was quite frightening.

Once they finished eating, they packed up, called Skydream, and started running to Shrek.

*** Mirellia ***

Their group ran across rolling hills and countless farms. The roads were well traveled and regularly maintained. The sight of people moving faster than galloping horses was frequent in these parts, so their actions didn't elicit any surprise or extra scrutiny from the non-cultivators.

The closer they got to Shrek, the more cultivators they saw. They past some, while most outpaced them. When at last they arrived at Shrek, there was a long queue. They lead the ignorant worm to the back of the line before he could run ahead of those waiting patiently, and start a fight he cannot win.

"Each of you needs to fill out this application form and have your ten gold spirit coins ready to pay when you get up to the first examiner."

A young girl, only a couple years older than themselves, wearing an ugly green outfit spoke to them once they got in line. She was carrying pens and a large stack of forms, she handed one of each to each of them. The forms were basically only about their cultivation and education history. It took all of five minutes for Mirellia to realize her answers were being copied by the fool next to her. This wasn't even a test.

"Skydream, what are you doing?"

"I'm uhh writing on this paper."

"Why are you writing down the same things I am?"

"Your answers look really convincing."

Skydream answered Mirellia's questions with a thumbs up and a wink. Everyone in the surrounding area, including the Shrek student who handed them the papers, just stared at him. She then walked back over to Skydream and clarified her earlier words.

"Each of you needs to fill out this application with your own personal history and education written down. Not someone else's."

The irked senior then walked away. For the next half hour, a they progressed closer to the first examiner, the trio helped Skydream not lie on his forms. If they didn't know he was a spirit beast reborn into a human, they likely couldn't have helped him through this as easily as they had.

"Next."

Mirellia walked up to the aged senior first and curtsied. She presented her hand for his inspection. He used a well known technique to confirm her bone age. Next she showed her spirit rings: yellow, purple, purple. The onlookers gasped, reaching the spirit ancestor stage so young marks her as a monster amongst monsters. Having a ring configuration beyond the ideal configuration was equally stunning.

"Well done well done haha. Don't worry about the other tests, you can go straight inside, this is your room number. Welcome to Shrek Lady Melromarc. Here's your key to the female dorm, room 23."

The stern looking old man was nothing but smiles after seeing her spirit rings and her application stated her level at 36. Incredibly high for someone who's main spirit was a food spirit. She stood to the side and watched Raven go up next.

Raven presented her hand to the old man. She used a clear nail polish, as opposed to Mirellia's violet. Next, she presented her rings, yellow and purple. He confirmed her level at 28, having broken through a small realm after their battle in the forest. She was given the other key to Mirellia's dorm room.

Adlet went up next. The old man checked his hands, then his wrists, then his feet, then his ankles. He couldn't get a read on Adlet's age at all.

"Do you have your spirit active right now?"

"Yes"

"Then deactivate it." The old man said with a stern face. Adlet chuckled, self depreciatingly, and followed the command.

Mirellia and Raven moved to his sides. Adlet dropped like a Puppet that had its strings cut. They caught him well before he fell onto the ground. Mirellia saw the shocked expression on the examiner and answered the unasked question.

"Adlet is crippled. He is unable to function in any meaningful way unless his martial spirit is activated. Raven and I grew up with him and awakened our spirits at the same time. In case you still cannot read his bone age."

The examiner had an embarrassed look as he yet again failed to read an age from Adlet. He noted Mirellia's statement, testifying to Adlet's age. Once Adlet was woken back up, he brought out his rings: purple and purple. Despite only being at level 24, his superior ring configuration earned him a sizable crowd.

"I'm sorry, but you can't enter our academy with your condition. A powerful cultivator must refine both their body and mind. Your crippled body will forever limit your martial spirit's development. Since you have no future as a cultivator, there is no reason for you to take one of the limited seats we offer every year. No refunds."

Raven's hands gripped her swords handles. Adlet's eyes twitched and hardened as he started grinding his teeth. Naturally, she stepped in before either could do something stupid.

"Very well then. Raven, Adlet, we're leaving. I'm sure we can get accepted into any other academy."

"Wha- wait a moment miss. There's no reason for you to leave as well. Listen well children. The road of a cultivator is a long, ofttimes, lonely road. Sooner or later you'll leave your childhood friends behind. Many might never even see their families again. Someone of your talent will live far longer than those of lesser talents. So it's only natural that you learn to separate from his kind now, before you hurt yourself. You will ultimately live in very different worlds."

"So what your saying is..." Mirellia was raising her voice, and paused to build up suspense, "you want me to abandon my husband because he doesn't meet YOUR arbitrary standards. Despite meeting the school's standards."

The elder didn't know how to respond to that without looking like an idiot. He also didn't want to turn away such a talented youth, so he stumbled out an incoherent response then gave Adlet a dorm key. She didn't realize the key he gave would put them in different classes though. The elder seemed to decide that the best way to save face was to just continue on, as if this was no big deal. Besides, this school has ways to weed out the unworthy.

The trio watched Skydream, go up last. He was the right age, thankfully. Mirellia honestly couldn't tell if he was lying and just saying he was 11 because the rest of them had said that. When he showed his martial spirit, all three of them smacked their foreheads. Dammit Skydream.

An Ice Silk Worm of crystalline pearly white and gold appeared behind Skydream, along with three rings: yellow, purple, purple. The same odd combination as Mirellia. To outsiders, all four of them were a group, so this odd combination fit right in. To the trio, this combination only made Skydream more suspicious, if they didn't already know all about him.

"Level 38! Truly a monster. One day you'll certainly represent our academy. You can skip the other tests as well. Wait a moment, you checked off both boxes for gender." The Elder looked at Skydream with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I'm both."

The crowd of onlookers who had just been praising and envying Skydream stopped. They stopped moving. They stopped talking. Some even stopped breathing. Mirellia swore she could hear a cricket far in the distance.

Personally, she hasn't even considered Skydream's gender. Do worm's even have genders? It's not like there was a wiki she could quickly consult.

"Which aahh, which parts were you born with?"

"Huh? um... all of them?"

"...."

Despite the older man whispering to Skydream, everyone could hear them clearly. Mirellia took out her fan to hide her snickering face. The concept of a non-binary gendered person was breaking this elder, and it was delightful to watch.

"I mean, were you born with a p*nis or a v*gina?"

"Both."

Maybe she and Skydream could become friends after all, despite the fact she had been considering how to kill him for his ring just this morning.