Chapter 4: Informing The Martial Family

‘A hidden oppression ... The Almighty’s!’ Zax concluded. Now that he reconnected the spirit and consciousness, he became conscious to the inconspicuous Godly Retribution bearing on his being. ‘It began to act’. If he had not reached the Mortal Enlightenment state and joined with his spirit he would have remained oblivious. ‘It’s trying to revoke the speck of the sixth bottleneck, cut off my opportunity to comprehend all six bottlenecks!’ The instant he figured, the land, sky and sea of his Inner Panorama reverberated in response to his rage.

The Godly Retribution was invisible and if it was dormant, perhaps he would not have noticed it, but since it exposed its intent, whether fully or not, it gave him the chance to retaliate.

Assisting his spirit get to the sixth bottleneck before it was disposed was impossible, so the only option was to resist the oppression by shielding the speck of dark light with his dark attribute energy and what little of dark element energy he could muster in this conditions.

“Argh!” Zax’s eyes snapped open in a shout and he jumped to a sitting position, in the process frightening Anet back to wakefulness.

“What happened?!” Seeing Zax’s entire body pale as blood gushed out of his seven orifices, Anet alarmingly asked, holding his swaying upper body.

“Noth- cough!” Zax choked on blood. He took a moment to stabilize himself, but he did not improve. Furthermore, the root of his injury was so detrimental; he could not heal like he should have been able to. Worse yet, in comparison to his body, the state of his soul was more terrible.

‘How formidable?! Just making contact with the hint of Godly Retribution is so ruinous! The fact that I’m still alive is evidence to the calamity I passed!’ Zax cautiously examined his sea of consciousness, as he continued to endure the oppression of the Godly Retribution and although it impaired his healing capabilities, only the initial step of making contact carried a disastrous impact.

The protective formation of dark attribute energy was still active, but constantly in a state of construction and deconstruction. ‘It won’t hold forever. If there is more to the Godly Retribution, then I’ll be helpless. Even now, as long as I persist, I won’t be able to divert energy for healing severe wounds in a dire fight, much less treat those I’ll keep sustaining by this resistance’.

As he lamented, Zax kept wheezing blood and despite slowly recovering his complexion and reducing the loss of blood, internally he could still feel that unbearable pain of a God’s might and that was just the beginning of his plight.

‘In the meantime I’ll bear it. Losing the sixth bottleneck means throwing away everything I’ve put up with, before and after learning about Legacy Of One’s Path. I won’t stand for it!’

Having comprehended five bottlenecks of insight, if he will not die prematurely, by the customary operation of Martial cultivation it was a matter of time before the coming of his Evolutionary Ascension. However, Zax was already enticed by the path laid out for him by the expert who claimed to snatch this planet from all other Immortals, in his time, and even reaching the summit of Immortality.

“I’m okay”. He leaned on Anet and straightened, assuring her that he can support himself.

“What happened? Don’t lie to me, Zax, I never saw you winding and oozing blood like this out of nowhere!” She glared, warning him with what she will not stand for.

“It’s the retribution of an oath I made using a name of a God...” Zax opened and narrated the entire ordeal. Since he chose her for his wife he was determined to always answer her resolution to share his burdens.

A long while passed with silence even after he finished talking and the two returned to lie with their gazes on the ceiling of the bedroom.

“If...” Anet’s tone wavered with hesitation. The subject required deeper reflection than she had time to perform and she was worried that whatever advice she will give will deter Zax’s resolve, even if he will not take it to heart. She shook her head. “No. I believe in you!” She kissed him and rested herself on his chest and Zax, too, decided to sleep the reminder of the night.

...

The following day, Kingdom Earth, Grandmaster Kartion’s cave.

“Martial father”, Zax and Anet greeted Kartius in an atypical manner – hands held, calling together and even recognizing the same eminence.

They headed for him at his abode in the Essence Cave, just as they arrived the residential cave of the Krikitory tribe, interrupted his analyzing of the dark attribute.

“You two...” Kartius was confused for a brief moment, but before he could appropriately respond, a voice already called out in joy in all three’s sea of consciousness.

‘Congratulations! Congratulations! My darling Zax! My sweetheart Anet!’ Laivien praised enthusiastically. ‘Come to my valley, I wish to see the both of you!’

They knew that she can watch them with her violet stone, so there was no keeping their announcement on the down low.

In matter of minutes all members of the Martial family present in the two caves gathered in the small valley, except from Zetsa, Raroen and Shulip – the latter two were on their way, informed by the communicators Zax gifted his Martial family some time after the relocation of his relatives and friends to Green Snow village.

“Wait! Am I hearing wrong?! Forget the marriage stuff; they are together for years, who cares about them announcing that they are planning to stay longer!” Mes tactlessly spewed all because he was too shocked by the second part of the duo’s news, the fight with Horn Kikon and Zax’s breakthrough.

“Dumb snake!” Rarahel berated.

“Viper!” Mes corrected.

“Still stupid”. Simel shook his head.

“All of you quiet!” Grandmaster Kartion rebuked. “Be less senseless, Mes! Are you taking for granted the bond between me, your Martial father and Laivien, your Martial mother?”

“Forgive me, Master, Martial mom, little brother Zax, little sister Anet”. Mes put his hands together in apology, though no one really blamed him.

Only clans have ceremonial customs for union between lovers and in Valgarel the only two tribes qualified for the “clan” status are the Red Rose Beaks tribe and Silverhorned tribe and neither shares those rituals of their counterparts in Ercas Mir. Want to demonstrate commitment? Show it in your affection – this is the way of the beasts in New Earth.