Book 4, chapter 5

Zee had long since given up on a spark of incite into space by using the beast splinters as a catalyst. Thankfully, after the mission for Rin, she didn't have to resort to such crude measures.

She needed another alternative. During their trip back, she had a lot of time to contemplate methods to grow stronger.

The ideas ranged from evolving her bloodline, body, sword, or her spark of compression. The mission had been risky, but it had also paid very well.

Fifty ether crystals, plus what she had gathered in the planar space, felt like she was extremely wealthy. Hopefully, she could find several natural treasures that could help her with a breakthrough.

After some asking around, she found just the place where she could find what she needed. The glimmer shrouds trading house was a place where you could find almost anything If you had enough money.

Several days after they returned, Zee enter the trading house, the door clicking shut behind her. An attendant appeared as if summoned, their expression pleasant.

"Greetings, welcome to the glimmer shroud trading house, I'm Gant, how can I help you today," the older human asked.

"I am looking for a natural treasure that can help me make a breakthrough into the concept of space, or compression," Zee said, getting right to the point.

The attendant gave her a once over, his brows furrowed.

"Hmm, E-grade treasures of that variety are rare treasures indeed. Here, take this crystal and channel some energy into it. The treasure's effects, grade as well as prices will appear if you focus on them," Gant said with a friendly smile.

Zee did so, and a short list of items filled her mind.

(Perogna diamond, peak E grade. Only forms after hundreds of years of incredible pressure at the heart of asteroids, and newly formed worlds. Absorbing this diamond's energy can impart a sense of the incredibly pressure unto the cultivator. Price 88EC.

Zee got a sinking feeling after reading the first item on the list.

She had felt so rich, but now she felt like a pauper as her eyes roved over the list, each item getting progressively more expensive.

The last item on the list made her feel sick to her stomach. It was the only treasure that could help her with her spatial affinity, and also the most expensive item on the list.

(Sky opal, peak E grade. Mined from a comet in a dead star system this unique opal contains intense spatial fluctuations. 200 EC.)

Her eyes went back to the other items on the list, each of which would cost the vast majority of her overall wealth. She couldn't even afford the sky opal, even if she sold everything in her spatial storage.

"Is this all you have?"Zee asked turning to the attendant.

"No mam, these are the only E-grade treasures that fit your needs. We have a few D-grade treasures, though judging by your expression, you couldn't afford them," Gant replied, smoothly.

"What about bloodline and spiritual treasures? With a price tag under one hundred Ether crystals," Zee asked, deciding to give those a look. Hopefully, they had more reasonable prices.

Gant did something, and the list of items displayed by the crystal she was holding changed.

Only two items appeared this time, both spiritual in nature. They were seventy and eighty either crystals respectively, a steep price.

"Why are there only two, and why are they so expensive? These are Early E-grade treasures," Zee asked, scrunching up her brows at the high price.

"Spiritual treasures are some of the rarest naturally forming treasures. The only reason we have any at all is because most clans won't waste money to nurture spiritual cultivators," Gant said.

She raised an eyebrow, "And why not," Zee asked.

"Usually for a number of reasons. From what I hear, spiritual cultivators that rank up enough sometimes can take a wrong turn and their path can diverge into soul cultivation.

Most clans are not willing to risk their members becoming a heretic. That could lead to sanction on their clan, maybe even disillusionment," Gant explained.

"I see," Zee said troubled by his words. That sounded a little too feasible for her liking.

Even still, she wanted a spark of incite into the spirit, as it was the next best thing to getting a spark into the spatial affinity.

It should enhance most of her skills and more importantly give her a better chance of dealing with Kur Zul. She wasn't too worried about Gant's warnings about heretical evolutions.

Dern already walked the path of the soul arts, so she was technically already doing something considered heretical.

As long as she didn't commit the act herself and stain her own aura with taboo it should be fine. Hopefully.

"What about bloodline treasures?" Zee asked, focusing back on the attendant.

Gant gave her a helpless shrug.

"Our cheapest one for the E grade is two hundred and fifty Ether crystals," Gant replied, confirming her guess.

"I see. What about items spiritual in nature that can help weapons evolve," Zee asked patting the hilt of her sword.

Her sword already had a burgeoning spirituality, what she needed was a treasure that could give it the final push and help it evolve to E grade.

If Dern could be believed, the sword had been absorbing small pieces of her energy when she channeled her skills.

After over a year, it should be close to evolving, all she needed to do was find the proper food to speed up the process.

Gant smiled, and the crystal she was holding flashed. This time a proper list of items filled her mind. Given the usefulness of spiritual weapons, the demand for treasures to evolve them was high.

Her disappointment fled as she began reading over the items for sale. Some of them were natural treasures, which were by far the most expensive. The others were items made by non-combat class users, arrays that could help with the evolution.

They ranged in quality and grade, with some being in early E grade of middling quality while others were peak E grade, their quality undeniable.

Zee obviously wanted the best items, but she had to settle on one she could afford. Zee paid the thirty-five ether crystals for the treasure and received a small box from Gant.

Her sword came alive with hunger, as weak spiritual energy filled the room, radiating through the dense array covering the box.

Zee stuffed the box in her spatial storage for later, relieved that her sword seemed to want it.

It would have been a pain if she paid that exorbitant price and it wasn't interested. She then bought a spiritual gem. She could only afford it after selling the beast fragment she got after killing that giant bear in the planar space.

It sold for more than expected, which gave her just enough to afford the natural treasure which could give her incites into the spirit.

She really wanted to evolve her spark of compression to an ember for the obvious power-up, but avoiding possession was more important.

She could always come back another time when she had some more cash and get it. Zee left the Glimmer shroud trading house an hour after entering, only now she was dirt poor, again.

Still, she wasn't too upset. She was actually excited, as the two items she bought should be a big power-up. She was still just a small fish in a vast ocean, too weak to survive on her own.

If she was actually intending on going on more missions for Rin, she needed every advantage she could get. Zee returned to the blazing cockerel, giving Jax a wave as she strode up the stairs to her room.

A wave of medicinal energy bombarded her as she opened the door to her room, revealing Bastion's neck deep in a copper tub filled with murky green liquid.

"How did it go?" Bastion asked, the syrupy liquid sloshing as he shifted in the tub.

She locked the door behind her and strode over, pinching her nose to block out the overpowering smell of the medicine bath.

"The prices were a bit steep, I only got two of the items I wanted and now I'm broke," Zee replied with a wistful smile.

Bastion laughed softly. "I thought so. The shops here are borderline highway robbery," he said.

"I am going to absorb one of the treasures, do you mind watching over me?" Zee asked, gesturing towards her bed.

"Sure, I have nothing better to do while letting this medicinal bath cleanse the impurities of those nasty pills we ate in the planar space," Bastion replied, with a grimace.

"Thanks, you are a sweetheart. Not sure how long this will take, so you might need to wait around a while," Zee said plopping down on the edge of her bed.

First things first. She pulled out the spectral branch, and stabbed her sword into it, letting her blade drink it up. She smiled as she felt its delight, the sword ravenously absorbing the spiritual energy within.

With that done she pulled out a second box and opened it, revealing a fist-sized gem, so blue it made the sky look dull in comparison.

A wave of purest spirituality radiated from the opal, its close proximity nearly enough to spark a vision by itself.

Zee picked up the smooth gem, her hands shaking as she pressed it to her forehead. The treasure crumbled, and her mind blanked as she collapsed back onto the bed.

Everything faded away, as her mind was dragged into a vision. Her vision returned with a massive burst, a river cutting through the void spanning from horizon to horizon. The river was beyond immense, and in its wake, vast nebula were born.

She was the river, her spirituality so vast that it spanned the universe.

She was both the beginning and the end, creating and destroying at the same time. Whole galaxies were formed in her depths, while those in her path were consumed, only to be reborn once more.

Spirituality was a part of all, a core fundamental of the world river, encompassing the entirety of creation. She felt so in tune with her surroundings like she could go anywhere, do anything.

Her sense of grandeur gradually faded, and she slowly returned back, a sense of loss clutching at her.

Back in her frail body once more she felt so small, her spirit so weak. Yearning clawed at her heart, a desire to become apart of the world river once more.

The feeling was nearly overwhelming, and she had to forcibly bring her thoughts under control. She gasped, jarring to consciousness, accidentally pushing Bastion, who was lying next to her off the bed.

He grunted and rolled to his feet, giving her the stink eye.

"What was that for?" Bastion asked, having been rudely awakened. Zee quickly sat up, taking several deep breaths to steady her racing heart.

"Sorry, it was a pretty intense vision," Zee said apologetically. She furrowed her brows, her eyes widening as she took him in.

"Where are your clothes?" She asked, flushing. Bastion glanced down at himself and shrugged.

"After the medicinal bath, and then a shower, I didn't feel like getting dressed," he said.

Her mouth dropped open, but words refused to come out as eyes drank him in, from his muscular shoulders to the scars across his legs.

He was like a chiseled statue, the scars only improving the image of a warrior. Bastion cleared his throat, a playful smirk on his lips.

"You know, my eyes are up here," He said with a knowing smirk.

Zee threw her pillow at him, her cheeks flushing a bright crimson to match her hair.

"If you don't like me looking, then you should put on some clothes," Zee said.

"You want me to put something on?" He asked.

"I never said that. I have no problem with your current attire, or umm, lack thereof," Zee said quickly.

Bastion laughed, "Noted. So how did it go?" He asked, placing his hands on his narrow hips.

She raised a hand, having trouble focusing when he was standing like that. " Give me a second, I will check," Zee replied.

With a mental prompt, her status appeared, and it only took a few seconds to find the line of text she was looking for.

"It's called a Spark of the ebb and flow," Zee said, excitedly.

Bastion frowned, "Uh, I don't mean to be a downer but that sounds like a water related incite,"Bastion said.

"No, no, you misunderstand the name. Spirituality is a core fundamental of the cycle of life and death, it is the ebb and flow, both the beginning and the end," Zee said, the air around her lighting up as she let out her aura.

Unlike the spark of compression, Zee didn't fear crushing Bastion as she infused her aura. Her aura crashed around her, a sense of connectedness to all filling her.

She was the ebbs of life, the flowed death, the beginning, and the end. An ethereal ocean filled the room, a pale shadow of the grand river she saw in the vision.

The ethereal ocean crashed against the walls, releasing a calming mist that filled the room. Her eyes locked on Bastion who was neck deep in the waters, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Soo, what do you think?" Zee asked, eying the shadowy waves with some regret. She was a long way from reaching the power of that cosmic river.

Bastion shook himself from his stunned stupor, "It's lovely, though I fail to see how this will be useful in combat," He replied.

The waters churned with hurricane winds, and the room suddenly plunged into darkness, as ebb turned to flow, no longer promised prosperity.

Each violent crash of the waves spoke of death, decay, and the end of life. All it would take was a single thought, and the consuming flames of spirit echo would set the room alight.

Zee didn't want to do that for obvious reasons. Instead of setting the room on fire and killing her boyfriend, she stopped infusing her aura and retracted it.

She could already sense others in the building, waking, sensing the large fluctuation of energy in the inn.

Her eyes flicked towards the door just as Yukna and Greg burst in. Yukna held that large grenade launcher in both hands, while Greg held his horned bow, an arrow knocked.

They both froze, taking in the scene in front of them.

Bastion, in the middle of the room, scrambled for the pillow nearby on the floor, covering his crotch.

"Uh, this is not what it looks like," Bastion said quickly grasping onto his pillow to hide his nakedness.

Greg glanced over at Yukna for help, though she looked just as uncertain as he did.

"Are you two alright? We sensed a surge of energy and came running." Yukna asked hesitantly scanning the empty room.

Zee flushed, looking over at Bastion standing uncomfortably nearby.

"This isn't a good look for you," Greg said, giving Bastion a knowing look, shaking his head in disappointment.

"What? It's not what it looks like," Bastion replied quickly.

Yukna's brows rose as she caught on to the implication.

"I knew you were a criminal, but sneaking out after a night with Zee is a new low even for you," Yukna said.

"It's not like that, I wasn't sneaking out," Bastion replied defensively.

Greg and Yukna didn't look convinced in the slightest. Bastion gave Zee a pleading look. She decided to throw him a lifeline.

"He wasn't trying to sneak out, I was just showing him my newest spark of incite," Zee said flushing.

"I see," Yukna said. Still looking unconvinced, Yukna lowered her weapon.

"We'll since that is settled, I am going back to get some rest. You two have fun, with um, whatever you were doing," Yukna said, turning to leave. Greg quickly followed and the door clicked shut.

They stared at each other for a long few seconds. Zee couldn't contain it any longer and burst out laughing.

"They actually thought you were trying to sneak out of my room, in the nude no less," Zee laughed.

Bastion shook his head a smile splitting his lips, "Ahh, what a pain. I am never going to live this down am I?" He asked

She reached over and grasped his arm pulling him onto the bed with her. Wrapping her arms around his waist she gave him a mischievous grin.

"You know, I don't actually sleep, so good luck on sneaking out again night," she said.

Bastion rolled his eyes, "Har har. Very funny," he said dryly.

"That's what everyone says about me, I am a font of wisdom good looks, and humor," Zee replied.

"Who has said that? Name one person," He asked innocently.

She scowled, poking his rips with a finger. "You better watch yourself mister, or you will be sleeping on the cot again," She threatened.

Bastion chuckled.

"Your threat would have more impact if you weren't cold-blooded," Bastion said grinning ear to ear.

"This is just unfair. I am an E-grade cultivator, you are even a lower rank than me and yet it is I that is cold all the time?" she asked.

"Maybe I just have a gift," Bastion asked.

"Doubtful, but, let's go with that for now," Zee said tiredly.

She yawned, resting her head on his shoulder. The sound of his heart racing filled her ears, a calming sound, that when mixed with his soft breathing was strangely pleasant.

There were certainly worse gifts to have aside from being warm. She found herself drifting off, falling into a meditative state without even trying, his warm embrace a comfort.

It felt so peaceful. She felt as though she could let down her guard, and just relax. She had no delusions that Bastion was perfect.

He was a man who saw most laws as mere suggestions, doing whatever he wanted. He also didn't trust easily and had some odd habits that most might see as bad.

Frankly, he was a shady man, who most might see as an untrustworthy criminal. But Zee felt different.

She trusted him with her life, and that was far more important than some laws made by people she didn't even like:

It's not like he went around robbing or hurting innocent hard-working people. He hadn't come right out and said it, but she knew that was a line he wouldn't cross.

The morning came, and she rose to the clamor of a cart rattling by on the streets outside.

She could hear something clank loudly, the lizard hissing as the cart hit a large pothole. The driver swore, his rains cracking loudly, as he urged the lizard forward.

She tuned out the sounds of the street, her attention drawn to her weapon lying on the floor. She gently extricated herself from Bastion's arms, leaving the warmth of the bed to check on her sword.

It had already fully consumed the spectral branch, leaving nothing behind. The only visible change was the gem in the pommel, which had turned from red to clear glass.

She bent over and grasped the hilt, thrown off by its weight. It was so heavy, though there was visible reason as to why.

She swung it through the air several times getting a feel for its new weight. It felt good in her hands its balance perfect, her E-grade strength more than enough to deal with its new weight.

She would need to test it out, as the new weight might take a while to properly get used to. A heavier sword was nice, but that couldn't be the only improvement could it?

After a couple of minutes of messing around with her sword, she was feeling a bit cheated. What a rip-off. Over thirty Ether crystals to make her sword a bit heavier?

If she wanted a heavier sword she could just buy one for a fraction of that price. This was by far the worst evolution to E grade she had ever heard of.

After some testing, she also discovered that her sword didn't even enhance her spirit echo skill. Maybe Grandpa and her dad got scammed when they bought the sword for her?

Or maybe she just hadn't figured out what it could do yet. After some not-very scientific testing, she flooded the glass-like gem in the pommel with energy.

There was a soft crack and the loud clatter of steel on wood as her sword fell apart. Her mouth dropped open, as she stood there in stunned disbelief.

She couldn't believe her eyes. Her sword just fell apart, falling into about two dozen pieces. All that was still intact was the hilt and cross guard, the clear gem in the hilt humming softly.

That in and of itself was odd enough to draw her attention away from her building panic. Zee had been so startled when her sword broke that she had cut off the energy supply to the gem.

With a furrowed brow, she channeled some energy into the clear gem again. The razor-sharp pieces of metal on the floor in front of her rattled, startling her. She paused.

When nothing happened, she pushed a bit more energy into the gem. The shards of metal rose slowly into the air, hovering a few feet from the floorboards.

She furrowed her brows focusing on one piece of metal, trying to push it. There was a loud thunk, as the piece of razor-sharp metal vanished, embedding itself into the wall across the room.

She laughed, her previous disbelief replaced by excitement. That was awesome! After spending over half a year with Zee, Bastion was used to bizarre things happening.

Still, none of that prepared him for what he saw when he woke to find Zee standing amidst a storm of razor-sharp metal.

The metal whipped through the air around her, moving so fast it made her dyed black hair rustle around her beautiful face.

He watched from the bed, wondering how in the hell she was tracking all of those pieces of metal. His eyes widen, as one of the shards cut a deep gash in the wall, as she must have lost focus on it.

Bastion got a sinking feeling as he took in the room, noticing that the floors, walls, furniture, and roof were cut to ribbons.

"Zee, stop," Bastion shouted.

At the sound of his voice her focus falter. The storm of metal slowed, rapidly rushing back towards the hilt in her left hand, slapping together to reform her sword in moments.

"What? Why are you shouting?" Zee asked, giving him the stink eye.

He gestured around their room. "You are destroying the place," Bastion replied.

She looked around, her cheeks flushing adorably as she realized just how much damage she caused.

"Oops,"

Oops might have been a bit of an understatement, Jax, the owner of the inn was going to be pissed.