World Weaving (1)

"Did I just meet a genius while taking a walk outside. Oh my." The new man shook his head as he talked to himself. He was looking at Gareth who was still trying to rise from the floor. 

The look on Mira's face was bleak. She had finally managed to stop her eyes from closing, and keep herself from falling asleep from the exhaustion. But the sight before her now, maybe not seeing it would have been much better.

"Mira, a poet with a voice that grips the soul. Your voice is as melodic as ever. A pity I could not hear it that well with all those barriers in the way."

"Why..." Mira shook her head. "Why would Chris send his two lieutenants here?"

Mira had known who these people were when she first saw them. They were not the nicest lot. However, never in her wildest dream did she think there would be another initial completion cultivator here. That was something she had thought to be very unlikely.

"Do you want to know why?" the new man asked. 

Mira did not reply him, her eyes continued gazing at him.

"I am not telling you."

The new man turned to Gareth, he stared at the badly burnt body of the young man who still refused to give up.

"Where did you pick up this freak, Mira?" the new man turned back to Mira. 

"There is no point in doing all this, killing us. We could have been on our way, and you would have continued whatever you guys were doing."

"It could have been so." Tha new man nodded, it seemed like he was impressed by her reasoning.

"Look around us. None of your men are dead. Just a few injuries that can be healed. I can even pay for their healing. How about we just take it that we got off on the wrong foot, and let bygones be bygones." Every word Mira said was slow and deliberate.

The new man nodded with every word Mira spoke. Then he seemed to not be able to contain his excitement, as his two hands came together in a resounding applause.

"Brilliant, Mira, brilliant!" The man stopped his applause and continued. "It is just a pity I can't be sure you won't get curious. I can't be sure if you would be able to keep your mouth shut." The man turned serious with every word he said.

"And since I can't be sure of any of that. Not to mention the fact that as a very, very good subordinate. It is my duty and in my best interest not to cause trouble for my boss. I will have to make sure to use a more effective and permanent solution."

Mira sighed.

"Any last words, Mira. On account of me enjoying and appreciating your wonderful voice. It would be proper of me to give a decent talent like you a well-deserved farewell." His eyes were trained on Mira throughout.

He was not going to underestimate her. She was already in a situation where death was the only thing staring her in the face. Any sudden move from her, and he would simply blast her apart.

"I . . ." Her mouth opened, and she spat out something.

The new man did not even have the chance to move before his body turned to ash.

Mira simply gave up sitting after that as she fell on her back. Her eyes stared at the heavens that were visible through the charred trees with a dazed look. 

"What a waste. What a waste." She was murmuring under her breath. She couldn't even be bothered to gather the energy to throw a tantrum.

Gareth froze even as he was ready to stand. What just happened.

Well, it didn't matter at the moment. He had to seize the opportunity to finish his previous opponent. The man was even more stunned than he was. He had to get to him before woke up and became a tough nut to crack.

He threw himself at the man, and continued where they had previously stopped. It was the moment to bash his brain out.

After the long minutes that felt like an eternity. The man's skull finally caved in.

Gareth could only sigh at this.

The four Mira was fighting before, were still on the ground. Their groans had become even softer. Mira's final attack had put them just a step short of death's door. Or she wouldn't have the liberty of just lying down there and staring into space.

He dragged himself up. The four were easily taken care of. He finally stopped by Mira. 

He was staring at her, but she was staring off into the far heavens, as if they held secrets only she could understand. 

"Pull me up."

"Uh?" 

"I said pull me up. Stop dilly-dallying!" 

"Ok." 

Gareth took one of her arms, and pulled her up. 

"Can't you be gentle."

She stared at him, and then stopped.

He wondered what she was looking at. He wasn't a good sight right now, with all his skin burnt off. It couldn't be that she was pitying him right? 

Then he noticed where her eyes were fixed at.

His hands reflexively shot down to cover that spot. What the... He had forgotten the fact that he was currently naked.

Mira only grinned. 

"Go heal yourself and recover your energy."

Gareth moved to another side. He took out some healing pills that were in his spatial ring. The ring had somehow survived the ordeal, it was definitely made out of tougher materials than Gareth's skin. 

Mira threw two pills at him.

"Take these. With those burns on your body, those pills of yours would take too long."

Gareth stared at the pills. Their quality was obvious. 

"Staring at them wouldn't heal you. Consider this as the both of us sharing danger and fortune together. I wouldn't have survived if I were alone."

Gareth swallowed the pills. She was not lying. With the pills he had with him, it would take a long time for him to recover from his injuries. At least a month, and he wouldn't be at peak condition all through. 

He felt their effects immediately. His body was healing at a rapid pace, and he felt a rich stream of world energy coursing through his body. 

"What happened to that man?" Gareth asked, as he cultivated. This would quicken the process of the pills. 

Mira was also cultivating after taking her own pills.

"It was a one-time artifact. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have used it."

Gareth raised a brow at that. Why wouldn't she use it. 

"It was a waste to have it used on one Awakening Realm cultivator at the initial completion. That thing could have left a Spirit Strengthening Realm cultivator in a very bad state, if not kill them outright. 

"Something like that exists."

Mira glared at him. 

"Why can't it exist?" 

"I did not mean it that way. I am just surprised something could allow any Awakening Realm cultivator to possibly kill a Spirit Strengthening Realm cultivator."

"Well that is one of the many wonders of world weaving. You should have heard of world weaving, right?" 

Gareth's lips twitched at that. Who had never heard of world weaving? Was she looking down on him?

"I was just kidding. It was created by a world weaver. I snagged this thing from an inheritance site I once visited. Anyone can use it as long as they have awakened. What a great waste," she couldn't help but mutter the last sentence. 

"World weaving can be that powerful?" 

"Don't think too much. To create something like this. You at least have to be at the perfect completion of the Awakening Realm. Or the Secondary Completion if you have good materials."

"Oh."

"What do you mean oh. Do you think bridging the gap in realm is something so simple and easy."

"I didn't mean that." 

"Fine. Forget it."

It was finally quiet.

"Let's go," Mira said after more than an hour had passed. 

She had recovered her energy. Same with Gareth whose skin had already grown back. 

"We are leaving?" 

"Of course not."

"What is it then."

"We are finding out why two initial completion cultivators far from there home are in these mountains."

Mira walked forward. Gareth followed behind her.

Mira had looted their enemies during the time Gareth was still recovering. 

"Don't you think we should leave now. What if there is another cultivator we can't handle?"

"There won't be. If there is, running away won't work." 

Gareth didn't argue with her. 

They passed through an invisible barrier. The other side of the barrier was totally different from what one saw on the outside.