29 || Sect Master's Visit

"Not only are you blessed by the Light and the Dark, you also have the dream sight. It's no wonder you've grown so rapidly! Your fate must be very fortuitous or very tortuous." The woman replies, ignoring the question almost absentmindedly as she pulls her hand back.

"But I only have an affinity for light energy?" This is all too much for Tara to process so she focuses on what she understands. The woman frowns slightly at this claim.

"Oh come now! What was one of the first things I taught you?"

Before Tara can answer, she bolts awake. Her forehead is covered and sweat unaware of what time it is. Her mind is hazy with only pieces of the dream being recalled. What does linger, however, is the final words she had with the mysterious figure.

It was then she realized that both Oorun and Wolyung were on alert! The two Aural Beasts had a stronger sense when it came to range than Tara did. Tara doesn't know why or when but the two could now warn her of threats long before she noticed them. And now three powerful auras were heading in their direction and quickly at that!

When Tara summons her weapons, Viyen realizes something is coming and unsheathes a sword given to her by Xiwen as she awakes. Both girls go on their guard as they can now feel the oppressive combined auras. In an instant a man and two women appear!

Tara's eyes suddenly surge with tears at the sight of Di and Beiling rushing to hug them, with Viyen gasping at the sight of the man. "Big brother?!" She cries as she is scooped up and spun by the tall man.

He is the Crown Prince of Riversword, Dailen. He stands two feet taller than Di and Beiling, his aura powerful as her teacher's but gentler. Dressed in dark royal blues and silver robes, a large warhammer is strapped onto his broad back. Dailen's face is heavily bearded with a sharp nose and thick handsome eyebrows that give way to kind eyes.

"Oh, raindrop, you're okay!" His voice booms as he spins Viyen around in circles.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you on a journey?" She laughs, a little confused by his appearance.

"And miss the first royal ascension ball in centuries? Nonsense! I arrived shortly before you disappeared." Though he is still grinning, his aura roils the area around him to drop to a chill. He is clearly very angry by her attempted kidnapping.

"Why is the Crown Prince here?" Tara asks Di and Beiling. Her teacher stands a step away, leaving Tara's mother to fuss.

"Your messages arrived at the same time. Her Grace Leiana shared hers with the royal family while I was already discussing it with your family." Beiling reveals as she glances around the chamber. Firstly, she notices the inscriptions layered around the arena they were in. Having found some earlier with something odd about them, she sees them up close and she senses Tara had something to do with the oddity. Secondly, surprise crosses her face as the youngest princess enters her eyes.

"What's this? Your restraints are gone!" Dailen voices her thoughts, inspecting Viyen. Though obviously the levels were weaker, Viyen's energy could be felt by all. Both her brother and Beiling knew of her circumstances so for her to become an aurator is a miracle!

"How in the world?" Beiling looks at her pupil, who merely smiles in response. Dailen can't help but lift Viyen in the air with glee. Today is truly a happy day for him as he places her on the ground. They waste no time in leaving the cavern, a five day journey ahead of them.

By the fourth night, Dailen can't help himself and challenges his sister to a spar. He represses his strength to that of a Blood Directing aurator, a step above Viyen. Tara can't help but smirk inwardly as she cheers on her friend, who hasn't made a move yet but is closely watching her brother.

"Teacher, can I ask you a question?" Tara asks aloud as she sits between Di and Beiling.

"Of course, Tara." Beiling watches as several moves have already been shared. She is surprised that Viyen already has her brother moving within her rhythm. Tara hesitates and this doesn't go unnoticed.

"Can a person have an affinity for more than one element?"

"There have been cases of such a thing. The Glacial Heart Sect, for instance, combines Water and Wind techniques to create powerful and unique ice techniques. Why do you ask?"

'And what was your real question?' Beiling answers, a question of her own sent telepathically. The hint of a smile actually forms on her face as she watches Dailen struggle just a little.

"Is it possible to figure that out before I'm at Vein Plating?" Tara wonders as she mulls over if she should ask. When Beiling gives her a questioning look Tara decides that it couldn't hurt to ask. 'The Navel Enshrouding stage is stronger than the Eye Illumination stage, right?'

Beiling is startled by this. This child that was her first pupil would likely always be the most mysterious, she decides. New students, especially one from a new noble family like Tara's, shouldn't be privy to that information. How had Tara learned about them?

"There is a way to do so, yes, but I will have to contact the sect to do so. For now, I'll answer any other questions later. It seems you've been caught by the prince's hunger for battle." We will speak of this later, she is saying, as Tara looks at Dailen. He is beckoning her over for a match, Viyen having gotten tired from extending so much energy. Tara rose, led Viyen to sit down, and then took her place across from him.

"Tara Hufang, the youngest person to enter the Dark Saber class in the history of the Eightsword Academy! Said to have the physical strength to at least match low tier Billowing Muscles? This I have to see for myself!" Dailen laughs, his muscles bulging as he raises his physical power to match with a Billowing Muscle low tier. He rockets towards her but Tara doesn't raise her aura to defend herself.

Instead she crosses her arms to block his punch head on, and for the first time, shows off what if means to have a variant Crystallization! His punch is strong, much stronger than what she is expecting. However, the blow is absorbed and when she pushes back, he's shot backwards a few steps with unbalancing force. Dailen easily adjusts himself but before he can react, Tara's in the air next to him with a swinging kick. He catches it and throws her away from him which she flips into a landing. He comes at her again and their fists collide, crackling like thunder.

"You are good!" Dailen praises, straightening up and shaking his hand out from going numb. Two moves and he was in such a way. He is glad Tara was there to have guarded his sister.

The group arrived at Riversword the next morning. Beiling gives her goodbyes outside of the gates to head back to the academy. Viyen and Tara are escorted by the guards towards the castle with Di and Dailen in tow.

Despite the air of nobility of the royal family, the king and queen didn't hesitate to run to Viyen's side as the group entered the throne room.

Their shock is palpable when they realize Viyen was now an aurator suddenly! Once they are in control of their emotions, for her heroic acts, they bestowed Tara a squireship and made Viyen's personal bodyguard should she ever travel to another kingdom or far away location. Tara's then asked to write a report of the experience if at least for the history books.

With her mother returning home to share the good news, Tara and Dailen left the castle to return to the Eightsword Academy. Her cousins and Leiana greet them, Leiana surprised to find her brother, but Yaoyang is missing.

It turned out that the Long family was under investigation after the messages Tara had sent, even to Yaoyang much to Leiana's displeasure. There was nothing that could be done, however, as kidnapping a royal family member was a very serious matter.

The next morning, Tara is summoned to Beiling's training space. Within was her teacher, a clean shaven and tidied up prince Dailen, and an older gentleman she had never seen before. The man sat in the middle of the room and was clearly important.

"Hello, Hufang Tara. I am Nie Yao, the sect master of the Eightsword Sect." He smiles at her, his voice kind but firm. Tara had thought it would be years before she even caught a glimpse of the sect master!

"My disciples have told me much of your talents. For young Bei to take on a student, I surely thought such a thing would never happen for at least another hundred years."

He guffaws as Beiling blushes slightly. Dailen laughs at the headmaster's expense to which she slaps him but he shrugs it off.

"This student greets the master!" She bows deeply before him. He was Beiling's teacher and the crown prince's master! She could only show him even more respect as such. He nods in appreciation.

"Your growth, especially as someone so young, has caught my attention. I do not wish to figure out your secrets or your family, merely have a better understanding of who you are and what you can do. That aside, you have questions you wish to ask young Bei that I hope I can answer."

A clear and see-through glass cube seems to materialize in his hand before it floats over towards her.

"This cube is made of a higher grade elemental crystal. Once it determines what element is strongest, it will form a shape connected to the person. For those with two equal strong connections, usually, the two elements will have the same shape. It is not uncommon for Water and Wind to be paired or Fire with Stone."

Tara doesn't even reach out to touch it before the cube begins to shine with a brilliant white light. Tara watches in surprise as the light shifts into the form of a white tigress with phlox stripes. It blinks at her slowly before vanishing.

Even more strange is the shadow that appears from the absence of light inside the glass. A pitch black maned lioness with an eerie cobalt gaze forms as it glares deeply at Tara before both scattering.

Nie Yao's brow creases, stroking his pointed chin. This child truly is strange for such a thing to occur.

Tara trembles in place as the words of the woman seem to ring in the front of her mind: 'What was one of the first things I ever taught you?'

"They're two sides of the same coin," She says aloud, locking eyes with the sect master. He smiles at her insight. Truly she is advanced beyond her years and could see why ancestor Craions is wary of her. Children of her kind were either gifts or disasters of their time.

"It has been some time since someone had such a strong affinity for one of the more ethereal elements, let alone both at once. As for them taking on different shapes even I do not know what that means. It does raise an interesting possibility that I was not sure I would witness in my lifetime."

The sect master rises without a sound, his two disciples rising with him. "Young Bei, Little Dai can you make sure no one goes near the elemental chambers for some time? There is something I wish for this young one to see."

They nod before leaving to go inform the available classes of this decision. He in turn begins to lead Tara to the elemental chambers slowly.