~POV of Luna Reginae~
"Are you sure?" The question loomed in the air, directed at me by the old man standing just a few feet away. His presence felt...strange. I was sure, but with an uncertain air, that it unsettled him; innately scary. Referring to him around these parts is just the Old Geezer living in Kondansa, both dismissive and slightly fearful name.
As much as Old Guy was the name on everybody's lips, Mali mortui was the name whispered with some measure of reverence- or perhaps fear. Definitely, I've heard lots about him, bits of gossip that danced in the wind and promised he was a very mysterious person. Possibly the most reliable rumor was that he rarely, if ever, left his big, silent house to mix with other human beings in the village, preferring solitude to their company. His sporadic sightings would only serve to allude the myth surrounding him among locals.
Mali, however, had a number of servants who performed most of the daily work around his estate. Had also heard that those working in his service were exceptionally well-trained, moving and behaving so perfectly that at times it didn't seem quite human at all. It was as if they were devoid of common human imperfections, doing their tasks with perfection.
Although the servants moved with unusual grace, they functioned less like people and more like automatons, their robot-like obedience to orders rendered it frankly unsettling. The villagers had little to pass in terms of raw facts on them or on that man whom they served. Not having reliable intel caused many theories to hatch in the minds of the people in Kondansa-all with a suggestion laced closely about something fundamentally wrong or unnatural about the peculiar individual and his household.
Finally, I manage to get my voice and say, "Y-Yes," as though it cannot bear the hesitant shadow of my words. I'm not really sure about the path ahead, but saying yes is feeling right at that moment. What really mattered was that he was very impressed with what my brief demonstration of skills gave him; really impressed with himself to make the offer to take me on as his personal disciple. Obviously, availing myself of such a rare and valued opportunity to be his student would be the most promising thing for an able person like ? , an able one whose abilities were clearly exceptional.
Currently, my level of strength by measurement of Qi will be near about thirty thousand. This is strong enough, particularly for a seventeen-year-old girl, in whom such cultivation level has generally not been achieved so early. Additionally, I think I have mastered that particular competence in fire manipulation; I feel I control flames with an internal affinity. It would be the utmost foolishness to refuse this incredible opportunity; it would be trading something immense for something not too great.
***
The past two days had been vivid and colourful, each moment filled with silk threads of pure discovery. I had gone around the wide grounds with my senses drinking in the unfamiliar sights and sounds. Each path I walked upon and every scenery that opened itself before me made this experience surely unimaginable. And I still had that wonderful feeling close to me right from the day of my arrival.
But then a great event awaited: a training day scheduled for tomorrow. You may wonder what makes this training out of the ordinary,
With that - random people found from place to place - makes up for the electric thrill! This special training will see us headed to an altogether new site! Whatever the particular secrets whispered among the other students have only added fuel to the fire we feel together.
I've also heard another student has arrived. My curiosity grows as I look forward to meeting him. The prevailing story seems to say we shall be on opposite sides of a wide age gap. Hence, I have actively been contemplating means of addressing him. It might be that "mister" will feel right and be quite respectful in light of his age.
But, at that moment, reality was demanding my full attention. Back to work, I should go. An official request was sent to me from the Guild of Kondansa. A somewhat long journey lay ahead, as I was to the home of Mali Mortui. This house lay right at the very periphery, or shall we say, at the fringes, of Kondansa.
I had been intrigued by the choice of a rather secluded location, and so I had previously asked him, "Why is your house established here, on the outskirts?" His answer, said almost with an air of certitude, was that he was a "special person," and this particular place possessed innate attributes favourable to focused training. He spoke as if he were having a relationship with the land that I could not yet comprehend.
No further ado needed; I spread my wings, and the leathery membranes engaged into the simply pressurized air almost as of themselves. I could reach Mali mortui's house in a matter of minutes. As with any close higher demon, flying was the fastest and easiest means to travel and, I suppose, something I'd suggest most in our circumstance.
The wind rushed by me, fresh with the scent of unfamiliar flowers and the moist, earthy smell of the nearer world of Kondansa. Below me, the landscape had blurred into a haphazard array of green and brown, illustrating the very exuberance of life thriving in this land.