54 The Post-Party Blues

That night, after the party ended and Yun finally sat down, exhausted, in her own space, Zhu Cai sat down across from her and gave her a serious look.

"What's wrong, Yun'er? Why so glum?"

With a heavy sigh, Yun looked back and started speaking.

"This was supposed to be a very special day in my family. My father always spoke of how the first decade celebration was very important in our family and our mother, before she died, always talked about what the family would do during this day. She always said that it was especially important in our family because our potential would really be opened up afterwards if we were to have a special celebration."

Another heavy sigh.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but even if to just honor her I wanted to have a celebration with my family. Being in the sect has made that especially difficult, but it's also provided me so much that I wanted and needed to avenge her. She was lost to us when the southern fortress fell to the Fire Eaters so long ago. . ."

Zhu Cai was surprised by this, she hadn't known yet that Yun was one of the survivors of that tragedy that was known across the entire Cradle. Very few knew anyone survived, and those few who did only knew that the soldier who did had recently returned and received an honorary military post. The details of that event were still hidden, even from the major sects, for the time being by the grand Council of the Cradle.

"Cai'er, I wish I could leave right now, if only to be with my father and my brother. I'm so tired at this moment of this life of solitude and loneliness. . ."

"Yun'er, don't be alone. Your father is a hero, your brother is a strong warrior studying crafting skills in the best place he could be, and you are the pride and joy of our Hunting Hall. The strongest of this generation, and as the Elders tell it the leader of our Sect forces in the next centennial invasion. Be proud! Be strong! Surpass everyone and be the best!"

Yun sighed again, "I don't want to be the best, Cai'er, I want the power to avenge my mother's unjust death. Father doesn't even speak her name, saying he doesn't want to burden us with her memory, he thinks he can keep us from desiring to avenge her against such a powerful foe. In this coming conflict I intend to take initiative and assault the Fire Eaters who attacked my family. Whether I have help or not."

Zhu Cai was shocked by this, the Fire-Eaters all had enormous nests built into the super-volcano Foska Vakaal at the southern edge of the Cradle. The volcano was so large and active that each year added inches to the width of the peninsula as the lava flows reached the sea, creating a near-wasteland that no Lynhär had ever dared try and cross by foot. The forests beyond the volcano hosted a single fortress as a way-point between the main Cradle population and the population on the archipelago that reached to the super-continent to the west. This was the first stopping point on the island-hopping journey to the Mysterious Continent. Few ever returned from such a journey, but those who did told of strange, enormous lands with massive mountains and great beasts ruling over huge forests and plains. Very few Lynhär settlements existed on that continent, and most of them were on the eastern coastal area, an expansion of the Cradle's people in an attempt to gain more territory outside the influence of the major Volvaka Hives.

This would be a suicide mission for someone as young as Yun, even the Elders wouldn't dare make such a task for themselves!

"Yun you must not do this. You'll die! You're much too young to face a hive of true Fire-Eaters! I know you fought them in the array tower, but you must remember you only made it so far. The level above contain even more secrets and powers that they have, they are very fierce! No Fire-Eater Hive has ever been directly assaulted, every attempt has failed!"

"Then what would you have me do, Cai'er? Turn down this opportunity? Once every hundred years those lizards think they can attack us with superiority. If I don't take advantage of this chance to attack their hive while they're away then when will there be another chance? If luck is with me I'll even be able to reach the Queen and end the hive that killed my mother!"

"No, Yun'er." Zhu Cai shook her head sadly, "You don't understand. The forces that leave the hives to attack are not the great warriors, they're the weak. They attack with their weakest forces first every hundred years to weed out the strong and reduce their massive populations. In the process they acquire a great deal of resources, and also stabilize their numbers. The greatest warriors with the highest cultivation never leave the nest during these events. This is why no one has ever directly assaulted a nest. It's suicidal!"

Yun's eyes turned as large as saucers. This was knowledge she knew nothing about.

"Where. . . Where did you learn this?"

"This is knowledge you have access to now, but you've never spent time on anything but your personal strength. Most fighter disciples never bother to learn this, they never take time to read things that aren't about cultivation. But crafting disciples tend to learn things like this, as it is connected to some special resources."

Yun was quiet yet again, her eyes glazed over for a few minutes and a tear rolled down from the corner of her eye, splashing off her shoulder as she stared at the ceiling.

Suddenly, a firm light came into her eyes, "There is a chance, and I'm going to seize it. Let Master know if he comes looking that I've gone back to my seclusion."

Yun stood up at that moment, checked her storage of food, and walked out the door and directly into the cultivation chamber.