16 || Temple of the Water Goddess

Did Moon Fang connect with her soul space because the Soul Bead was condensed spiritual energy? Tara recalls her spiritual energy wrapping around the weapon when she first held it.

Tara tries to call Sun Claw into her hand but nothing happens. More confused than ever, she pulls the saw bladed dagger from the ring. Tara waits for her spiritual energy to bind to Sun Claw, for the bracelet to react, to hear the roar of a Spark Lion's soul. Instead she's met with her energies passively flowing through her body, the faint glow of her bracelets, and silence that's almost deafening.

Tara meditates for an hour with Sun Claw in her lap. When nothing occurs, she goes and spars with both Niven and Neijin with it. Sun Claw's attacks are more powerful and swifter than her normal solar dagger which made the Hufang and Twin Sphere Combat Arts even stronger. Still, the earlier experience doesn't repeat no matter how much she clashes with them.

Shuyren summons the five young champions before her. Each of them wore a robe with the Hufang family symbol, a tiger head with two hook swords decussating through it. Similarly, they all now carry a weapon and armor built with the new forging technique that had been quietly spread throughout the Weapon Making Branch, with only Tara having been outfitted with her own creations. Shuyren believes that if they mastered it before learning the Twin Sphere technique then any item in the future would be only slightly inferior to Tara's weapons.

"Today you finally depart for Tabanos and take your place among many aurators. What you will experience I know not. The only advice I can give you is to stay to your convictions and walk your own path. This old lady can only ask you to keep the Twin Sphere Combat Arts a secret during the test and only rely on your family's strength, unless absolutely necessary. Of course, movement techniques should be okay to use because there are plenty among the various families and wanderers." Shuyren implores them.

The group bows in respect, promising to not display the skills they had honed in the last month. Shuyren grins, proud of all of them, and surprises them each with a hug goodbye. They all leave one by one with only Tara staying behind with Shuyren and Di.

"You've grown so much in this past year, I truly can't believe it," Di comments as she wipes a tear from her eyes. She pulls out the book and hands it to Tara, "I think you're more than strong enough to protect this."

"Continue recording what you learn and make the most of every experience. We will see what we can gain from the Twin Sphere technique on our own time and when you return home you can maybe guide us further." Shuyren vows, giving Tara a tight hug. Shuyren had never expected to ever send such a young girl out like this but Tara's ability was not to be constrained.

The group of five leaves under the cover of night, silently and without a word to their friends and family. Neijin takes the role as leader due to being the eldest. Nobody has any qualms about Tara being his second in command when he chooses her. The journey to the capitol is a week long for the aurators, more than enough time for them to get there and settle in before the examination starts.

The trip is comfortable, with the Gatse trio having been a part of hunting parties before and Neijin having two expeditions under his belt. When Tara isn't spending time with chores, she is studying Sun Claw as much as she can. The weapon's Bead seems to be inert despite Tara sensing the aural energy within it. Flummoxed, she can only use Sun Claw to help channel solar energy and make hunting easier.

As the week passes, Tara feels ever closer to Blood Directing as she finally meets the peak of Skin Igniting. Having the others to train with as they moved helps refine her martial skills with only Neijin able to last several rounds.

There's only a single morning before they reach Tabanos when a number of singular bandits attack their camp. They have at least twenty people and are clearly skilled in taking down young aurators who came for the examination. Half of them were mystics while the other half were warriors. Much of the gear looked too fancy or high quality for them.

Niven is about to rise and strike them down out of anger, but Tara stops her. Instead she and Neijin approach them. The bandits all snicker, recognizing a Skin Igniting and Blood Directing aurator when they saw one.

"You know, my baba said we shouldn't use our techniques at the exam," Tara says as she pulls out Sun Claw and her regular lunar dagger. Her energies begin moving at a rapid pace.

"Or in cases absolutely necessary, right?" Neijin cracks his knuckles, as they suddenly blaze purple with Ember Gather and his aura.

The bandits all suddenly pale in fear. The two kids' Body Altering stage didn't change but they could clearly feel their energies spiking to impossible levels for their rank! Tara and Neijin make quick work of the bandits, knocking them unconscious and taking all of their loot. Tara is pouting as they relocate for the rest of the evening. Sun Claw still hasn't reacted at all.

As they enter the capitol's eastern gate the next morning they are soon among a sea of aurators. Neijin brings out a family crest that harbors Shuyren's aura, surprising the guards that she has reached Marrow Sparking, but otherwise lets them enter without any trouble.

Niven quickly leads them to the nearest armory after discussing what to do with the medicine. Keeping the pills and potions, the Hufang children trade the gear for gold. With Niven's urging they give the money to those who were clearly less fortunate. Many recognize the Hufang family symbol and are wary, until Tara's cute face and honest eyes urge them to take the money.

They quickly follow the moving crowd of aurators to a giant cyan stone temple. The Eightsword Martial Academy had split the many aurators among the temples of the Four Gods. The Hufangs were visit the temple of Ithembe, the Water Goddess.

While it seems crowded among those from proud families and wanderers, there is plenty of space within. Standing at the front of a giant fountain and facing them is a woman. Her hair is hidden underneath a headdress and her mouth protected by a sky blue veil. Her robes indicate she is a healer but her eyes say she had seen true combat at some point.

Everyone could sense that this woman was merely a singular, but what catches them all off guard is how strong her spiritual energy was. The woman smiles behind her veil as a gentle but invisible wave pulses out. A hush falls across the expansive crowd of more than a thousand.

"Good morning. I am High Priest Hadwisa, leader of this branch of Ithembe's church. All of you have gathered here from various distances to meet on this day. I am grateful to encounter each of you here. If you would follow me I can take you to the first test."

The crowd follows behind but those immediately trailing Hadwisa realize they can't get within 20 yards behind her.

Hadwisa leads them to an open air temple or at least that's what it looks like. Instead of a clear blue sky from outside they saw what looked like rain clouds on the ceiling. This was an optical illusion created against the glass above. Hadwisa stops them right before a stepped platform. At the top was a giant clear crystal floating a foot off the ground. Hadwisa gestures to what looks like a leader board.

"Upon striking the crystal, the strength of your aural energies will be recorded. Each energy will have a numerical value and will be added into a final score! Breaking one hundred hundred points means you can move onto the next test with the maximum amount previously being three hundred. Now line up in a neat and orderly fashion."

A few of the members from prominent families grumble at being ordered around by the strange singular but follow the given instructions. One of the loudest against was Shepi Char, a high tier Blood Directing.

Char is looking forward to easily making it into the Eightsword Academy. His great grandfather has warned him to avoid a young Hufang girl named Tara but he refuses to fear anyone. He finds her quickly among the crowd wearing a white robe with Hufang symbol on her small back.

Her family's Matriarch must be losing her marbles in her old age to send a child. Char clicks his teeth as the line moves up, this much closer to showing his supremacy among this riffraff.

The first two hundred people out of the thousand present certainly had the physical strength to pass with their punches but were lacking when it came to their psychic or spiritual energies. Most of these people were wanderers or those that had just broken into Skin Igniting . This continues until about another three hundred people fail.

Char was the fifth hundred contestants to approach. His light brown aura was heavy as he struck the crystal with all of his power.

His final score easily clears three hundred. His beams with pride as his name became the first on the board. Hadwisa merely nods in his direction, her eyes more focused on a scroll in front of her. Char looks back into the crowd and locks eyes with Tara before sneering.

He's brought deeper within the temple by a young woman, another priest. He would only find out that his record would be broken twice over much later.

Many of the higher status family members' match Char's strength. Two of the nobles of the Faris family that had kept a distance from the crowd shocked everyone, breaking into five hundred. Those that had taken this test before knew the limit was three hundred total for a high tier Novice Blood Directing. Many who had failed linger behind to see just how vast the difference was, so seeing such a thing shocked them to their cores.

They didn't believe anyone could surpass the two noble contenders, even when it was finally the Hufang's turn. Niven, Bria, and Sahi easily made four hundred each but that was lackluster than the noble families. Finally came Neijin. Many knew him after hearing about Hufang family tournament. Many disbelieved what was said that he had lost to a junior no older than eleven.

Hadwisa finally looks up as Neijin stands before the crystal. Not even the nobles' display had caused her to look up from her scroll. Many people notice this and pay extra attention to him as he stretches his body before centering himself.

Spreading his feet apart and pulling fist back, he twists his body with weight. His solar infused aural energy pools into his fist as he strikes true. Everyone jumps as a piercing crack can be heard from the crystal. Hadwisa's brow raises in confusion.

"Six hundred total. Three hundred for physical strength, two hundred for spiritual strength, and one hundred for mental strength," This is the first time Hadwisa has read someone's results aloud. This causes eruptions of gossip to break out among the crowd, some getting ready to go spread the news.

However, Hadwisa's strange technique calms the onlookers down. Such details were only revealed to the public after the exams were concluded and they were reminded of the consequences that would befall them if otherwise occurred.

Neijin frowns slightly, as if not proud of his result. He turns around as a young male priest approaches him and looks at the smallest participant, a tiny brown girl with a long single large braid that cascades down her back.

"Please don't upstage me too much, little cub?" He asks as he's directed away.