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“Hey Max,” Kelsey said after a while. “What were you even saying to that big gorilla thing anyway?”

“Huh?”

“Right before you killed it. You were both talking in Yee or whatever.”

I had to think back a bit to remember exactly what I’d said.

But it probably wouldn’t make much sense to Kelsey if I told her.

How could I explain that I was telling an awakened spirit beast being influenced by an alien space god monster that I was going to hunt down and kill its master?

“Eh? Just shit talking mostly,” I said while weaving through light forest. “But I got a question for you too.”

“Did you study any of that cultivation manual?”

“For about a week, yeah. Until Richards took the sword and then I had to hide it.”

“How much do you remember from it?”

“I think I read up to the middle bit. But I remember all the basic concepts. I did transcribe the whole thing so reading it again was almost like reinforcement.”

“That’s good,” I said. “When we get that manual back from Jim, you’ll need to start applying that knowledge for real. Especially the Foundation Realm stuff.”

“Is that what I am?” she asked. “A Foundation Realm cultivator?”

I chuckled. “You’re getting the lingo already. And to answer your question it’s a bit of a yes and no. Spiritually you’ve awakened something that would put you at that level, but physically your body is still way too weak to handle anything involving the Foundation Realm.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Kelsey said sardonically while knocking on her cast.

“Don’t worry. In time you’ll learn things to make healing much faster. And that salve I put on you should heal your leg in less than a week too.”

“Less than a week? You serious? That’d be killer.”

“It’ll probably freak out your mom again so just be prepared to do some damage control when you eventually rip that cast off.”

She laughed.

“Once you’re well enough, it’ll be a lot of physical training for you,” I said. “Your body has a long way to go to catch up to your spirit.”

“I’m ready for it,” Kelsey said. “I can’t wait to be able to swing a huge sword like you one day.”

I smiled, thankful for the extra lemonade. I wondered just how long it might take for Kelsey to advance. I’d had the benefit, or perhaps the curse, of Foundation school training since the age of nine. She was starting pretty late compared to that at 15. Perhaps I would need to haul some Qi-infused food back from the city for her once Yu Li got skilled enough to make it.

But aside from her physical progress, there was a lot that Kelsey still needed in terms of knowledge. Considering what I had just gleaned from the sword, it would be a little while yet before I could forge Kelsey an orb of her own. Which meant I needed to fill her in on the basics in the meantime and there was no time like the present, I supposed.

“Hey Kelsey,” I said, pushing my way through a particularly thick patch of undergrowth. “There are some other very important things I need to tell you. Things that can only be shared between the two of us. Understand?”

“Sure,” she said, leaning her head forward eagerly. “I understand.”

“You remember the name of the path I said you were on?”

“Berserker right? Is that what we are? Berserkers?”

I smiled when she said the word ‘we’.

“That’s what they call us yes, but the true name of our path is called the Path of the Frenzied Flame.”

Her Flame flared in response.

“Ah yeah!” she said. “I remember you saying that too.”

“There is a fire burning inside your soul now, Kelsey, a [Frenzied Flame] that can convert your feelings of fear, pain and rage into physical strength. I’m not sure if you’re able to feel or even sense it yet, but it’s there.”

“I don’t know,” Kelsey said. “I definitely feel a little different, but… not like magic different.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll come in time. The energy we produce from our Flame is called Frenzy. You can think of it the same as Qi.”

“Like from the manual?”

“Exactly,” I said. “And almost everything in there is applicable also. Which is why we need to get it back. It’s crucial for you to master its concepts. You’ll need that knowledge to progress along your own path of the Frenzied Flame.”

“So what is this path exactly?” she asked. “And how do I progress?”

I wished I just had an orb to toss to her like Threja did me. I honestly didn’t know if I could do the Flame justice with my explanation, but I had to give it a try.

“So, here’s the deal,” I said, stopping for a moment to look back for Jim and his men. They were still floundering a good distance behind us, a single flashlight beam waving back and forth in the darkness. “In the world of cultivators our path is special, forbidden even. Some would even say it’s rooted in demonic cultivation.”

Her Flame flickered. “Demonic? Like the same demons we fight?”

“Not exactly,” I said and then knelt down to write something on the ground. “We’re like… good guy demons…sorta. They actually hate us. More than regular humans even. I still don’t understand it all myself but the main thing you need to understand is this…”

I wrote the Yee word for Berserker in the dirt and then pointed to each character in turn.

“In Yee, the word Berserker is made of two characters. Demon and Struggler. We are the demon that struggles. Our pain, sorrow, and humanity is what keeps our demon side in check. This balance is the root of our Dao, our path. The source of our power.” I then quoted Threja. “As an elder practitioner, the best advice I can give you is this: trust and follow the path of Frenzied Flame, but ensure the Struggler wrestles always with the Demon. Without struggle there can be no true growth, only descension into madness.”

“Whoa,” Kelsey said, peering over my shoulder at the characters. “That’s sounds pretty heavy. Is that what happened to you when you were fighting those demons last night? Too much Demon? Not enough Struggler?”

I smiled, delighted at how quickly and readily Kelsey was grasping the concepts.

“Not exactly,” I said. “But close. That was me nearly losing control to the demon from the influence of the Bloodmoon, not from losing control myself. The Bloodmoon has that effect.”

“Are you serious? It can make you go Berserk?”

“Essentially. And you too eventually, when you become stronger, I guess. For normal humans, it will turn them into demons as well, but more slowly. At least I think so.”

I felt her Flame strengthen and when I turned to look at her, her face was set in a grimace.

“I hate those things. They’ve killed so many of us. Kept us trapped in here.”

I pointed up at the Bloodmoon. “That’s the true culprit. The King of the Moon.”

“King of the Moon?”

I wondered if I should even be sharing this much, but what the hell. “It’s like an evil spirit. Or god. At least I think that’s what is causing all of this. I don’t know yet for sure. But I’m going to find out.”

My own Flame stirred then, matching the conviction in my soul. I envisioned what that gate Jim had spoken of might look like. A portal to whatever demonic hell the King of the Moon was from. I would need to get strong enough to destroy it one day. And with the shuras I’d just studied, I had plenty of new firepower to acquire to do so.

“This is all very far out,” Kelsey said. “But very cool too.”

I chuckled and stood, getting back underway. “Don’t worry. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I have a whole lot more to reveal to you but you’ll discover much more for yourself and on your own. The Path of the Frenzied Flame is a solitary one.”

“Solitary? Like you’re not supposed to help me or something?”

“Not really,” I said. “I can’t even if I wanted to.” I then quoted Threja again. “A Berserker has no master, we have no sect. Rage, pain, and struggle are our only true teachers. So never consider me your teacher or master. We are brethren now. Fellow followers of the Frenzied Flame.”

I paused then, and couldn’t help but feel a touch of nostalgia from when Threja shared those same words to me.

“After you become skilled with the cultivation manual, I’ll give you another that’s more specific to the path,” I said. “It will be your true guide.”

“Wow okay,” Kelsey said. “Thank you. This is all incredible. I literally can’t wait to get started.”

“Just remember to keep all of this a secret,” I said. “You won’t appreciate it yet, but when you finally associate with other cultivators, you’ll see our powers are both different, and in some ways, superior to theirs.”

“Superior?”

“Yeah. Not gonna lie. We’re kind of OP. That’s why they hate us—the Qi cultivators.”

Kelsey giggled gleefully. “Wait, so we’re like superheroes even compared to superheroes?”

I laughed when she put it like that. “In some ways yeah. But they’ll kill you for it too. So we need to keep it hush hush, like secret identity.”

“Like Batman?”

I grinned. “Yeah, like Batman.”

Kelsey laughed and then did her best Batman impression. “Hey, Max… I’m Batman.”

I laughed again, reminded of how young and playful Kelsey still was at times.

“This is crazy, Max,” she said, becoming serious again. “I really can’t wait to get started. What do I do first?”

“Study,” I said. “But like I said, to do that…we need to get your book back first.”

* * *

We finally arrived at the edge of the sword’s barrier and was greeted with the expected mob of snarling demons over a hundred strong. As soon as they saw me, they began throwing themselves against the invisible ‘force field’, screeching and shrieking.

I sensed Kelsey’s Flame flaring as she watched them.

I set her down and then waited for Jim and his men to appear.

They did so slowly, edging out of the nearby tree line with their rifles shouldered at the ready. Only when they had reached Kelsey and I, some thirty feet or so from the barrier’s edge, did they all slowly begin to relax.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Flores said, removing her combat helmet. “It’s like magic or something.”

“Yes,” Kelsey said. “Magic from a magic sword. Go figure, huh?”

Flores chuckled at her, shaking her head. “Smart ass.”

“Well, this looks like proof to me,” Jim said, stepping next to me. “How long will this last?”

“The barrier?” I shrugged. “Forever, I think. So long as the sword is there at night.”

Jim looked back into the darkness towards the bunker. “Got a hell of a radius too. About a quarter mile, just like you said. Should keep those demons out from below, giving the depth of level 7.”

“That I’m not so sure about,” I said honestly. “I don’t know if this field can penetrate through hard ground. Until we know for sure, I’d suggest keeping the lower levels sealed in case there’s another breach from below.”

“How about we just move it below?” Harris said.

“Same issue,” I said. “It might not penetrate to keep the surface safe then. And trust me, being able to live on the surface is a much better trade-off if you had to choose. In my opinion anyway. Plus, there might even be a way for me to extend its reach.”

“Really?” Jim said, looking up at me. “How so?”

I thought back to how the sword hummed and vibrated more strongly once I’d killed that ape, almost as if it were absorbing the Qi of its soul. There was no way I could explain any of that to Jim in a way he’d understand, though.

“I’ll have to test a few things,” I said. “But it would mean me taking the sword out to the wilderness in the daytime to strengthen it.”

“I see,” Jim said, folding his arms as he stared transfixed at the snarling demons flailing vainly against the barrier. “So long as you bring it back each night to do this. I’ll be all for it.”

I didn’t really need his permission, but it was a small victory in winning his trust either way. “That sounds doable.”

“Right,” Jim said and then he shouted in a sudden authoritative tone. “Sergeant Richards!”

Richards snapped to attention. “Yes, colonel!”

Jim stepped towards him slowly, his hands behind his back. “We seem to have erroneous data concerning the ability of that sword to repel demons. Do we not?”

“Uh… y-yes, sir,” Richards stammered. “I suppose so, sir. I uh… I didn’t know, sir!”

Anger flared within Kelsey. “That’s bullshit! We were living outside for a week!”

Richards glared at Kelsey, licking his lips. “She’s lying.” He then looked to his team. “Ain’t she, guys? Tell him!”

Richards stared helplessly at his four subordinates, but his men all remained silent, glancing away. Jim spun Richards back about to look him dead in the eye. I could sense the fear building inside the sergeant as Jim grilled him with a silent stare.

“Sergeant Richards, do you now claim to have not known that the sword possessed this ability?”

He swallowed visibly, his neck tensing. “Y-yes sir. I- I didn’t know.”

“I find that hard to believe given there were people here telling you the exact opposite.”

“Well, I ah… I guess I just didn’t believe ‘em, I guess.”

“So it wasn’t you didn’t know, you just didn’t believe? Is that right?”

Richards’ pulse was hammering so hard even I could hear it. “Yes sir, I didn’t believe them.”

“I see.”

I sensed anger building within Jim next.

“So if you didn’t believe, why then did you go through the effort of dragging a hunk of ‘useless steel’ nearly five klicks and dump it into a ravine?”

Richards’ mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out.

Jim smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

The colonel stepped back a few paces and then drew his sidearm, aiming it at Richards’ head. “Sergeant Richards, you have proven by your actions that you willfully endangered the lives of U.S. citizens and U.S. army personnel by removing that sword. As per our revised codes of conduct, you are hereby relieved of your duties and sentenced to execution. Terms to be carried out forthwith.”

“No, Jim! No wai–!”

Before Richards could even finish, Jim snapped the trigger and a shot rang out, muzzle fire flashing in the darkness. A cloud of red mist exploded from Richards’ head and his body fell to the ground in a noisy whump.

Slow tension filled the air, fear coming from the rest of Richards’ subordinates.

“Corporal Andrews!” Jim shouted. “Front and center.”

The young soldier was pissing fear as he came to attention before the colonel. I expected Jim to raise his sidearm again, but he holstered it instead.

“Andrews, you are hereby field promoted to Sergeant. Take your squad and see to the disposal of this traitor’s corpse.”

His fear lessened somewhat as he smacked his heels together. “Yes, sir!”

Flores and Harris looked nonplussed by the whole event, as did Kelsey.

It reminded me of the stories Susan had told us of the early days in the bunker and how Jim had to make tough decisions to keep law and order. I supposed that I was just witness to one of them.

Jim approached Kelsey and I, followed by Flores and Harris.

“You delivered on your promise, son,” Jim said, giving me a nod and then walked off in the direction of the bunker. “Come see me in my office to get your book back.”