...Four years here, about fifty-five on Earth. Kaida blinked, feeling it was way too short, though it was expected for it to take this long to advance in a realm. While it may look shorter here, on Earth, it'd look like a lifetime worth of training. The wind was older than before.
Kaida walked over, reaching the end of the cliff. Her expression calm, her back straight, she jumped down, reaching the bottom and sliding into the Sect's central area. She walked over, reaching for Amaris, who had recently gotten news.
Already noticing this, she tilted her head. "Is there something wrong, Amaris?"
Amaris looked happy, her hands spread in joy. So something wasn't wrong. It was something good. "No! Err, this kind of thing, which is used to make people fall asleep, just got released! It helps not to let people have pain when getting treated with medicine."
"Anesthesia? Makes sense why Amaris is excited then." Kaida simply nodded. Though she was amused by how excited she was over this. "Has it got a name?"
"No! Not yet, I'm allowed to pitch a name, being, well, a Princess and all." Amaris spoke nervously, "Though I don't know if I should pick-"
"Pick Anesthesia," Kaida said after the briefest pause, already turning toward the courtyard. "Better for everyone," Kaida thought for a second, only to finally remember, "Also, tell Akari to pick it and tell it to the Empress."
Kaida's Qi flowed steadily, like blood circulating through her; it had become second nature to her. On the side, Kaida had a blade, still sheathed. It was made by blacksmiths at Akari's request, as she wanted to duel Kaida with a Blade, despite the Strength Difference.
Amaris looked over as Kaida walked off, presumably for the duel the next day. Though before she could say anything, her hair was rubbed by a guy.
"New friend you got there, huh?" He spoke, his voice rougher, as if he were an older man. His hand rested lightly on Amaris's head, with her looking back at him and pushing it off softly.
"You don't need to do that!" Amaris moved her hand and tried fixing as much of the hair as she could. Since it'd been a few years, her hair reached her waist, flowing like water. "How have you been doing recently, Reinhardt?"
He looked over, his face turning playfully annoyed. "Of course, you had to call my name. Couldn't you just say Rein?" He didn't rub her hair again, deciding not to test her patience further.
"Well, I don't want to be informal, that's all," Amaris spoke, her voice louder as she began stretching since she had recently woken up. Looking ahead as the sun rose, the sky was cloudy, so they couldn't see the full sunrise.
"Want to go talk with Shirou and Ren? Or even spar, but I doubt they'd fare well against you." Amaris chuckled softly. Even with Shirou and Ren already at Core Formation from the amount of time that'd passed, they still had to grasp the basics of it.
Leaving Amaris and Rein to their teasing, Kaida threaded through the waking Sect, mind already on the errand Isaac had pressed on her the night before, who tapped his foot, waiting for her. "You ready to search for that plant again?"
"Yes, but what is it for again? I don't think some random plant will help with Cultivation without some downsides." Kaida sighed, exasperated. She was skeptical of this thing working.
"Obviously not alone, the other ingredients are already in the medicinal hall, and plenty of them too. So don't worry about running out. It'll just help accelerate Cultivation. Though you might get nauseous and dizzy."
Kaida blinked, and yet it was expected; she nodded along and took the map that Isaac had given. Going east, towards the tall trees of the rainforest while following him, finally reaching its depths, Kaida used her Qi and sent it across the forest, spreading and scanning the ground as Isaac gave the description.
"Faint Silver in color, it glows usually when it's nighttime to increase its ability to get sunlight, and also when Qi is absorbed into it. Though a Crystalline Stalk."
After a few minutes of searching, using Qi, she discovered its location, deep in the forest, in a treacherous area with venomous and poisonous creatures. One of which was a snake that could cause skin to die from its poison, even when the poison is treated.
Damp air, distant chittering, then slow, deliberate footfalls made Kaida halt. - It was something akin to a tiger, or maybe something else. The wet grip of moss underfoot gave off more noise.
Isaac, on the other hand, grabbed onto the tree, holding it, as Qi surrounded his body, blending it with the tree. However, she noticed the snake was also slithering towards her.
Kaida reacted, launching herself up as it sprang forward. Just barely missing her. Landing right next to the plant, which Isaac had called 'Pale starwort', her hand moved softly, wrapping around its Crystalline stalk to avoid breaking it, and then pulling it off.
"I'm not risking staying on the ground after that." Kaida thought to herself, moving and launching herself back to a tree, then propelling herself forward as she recalled what she had done when she first arrived in this world.
Isaac let go of the tree and fell to the ground, landing while making it quieter. Although they could act before, neither of them could. A voice, one which wasn't familiar. The chittering halted in an instant. And the air turned warm?
"You two kids don't seem like the ones I wanted here. Get out of here before I take you as my own." A feminine voice, one that left a feeling of dread, not the kind from an oppressive opponent, but one of something completely incomprehensible, like a song sung backwards yet sounding right.
Kaida turned to Isaac and spun completely around. "I'm not dealing with that." Kaida thought to herself. Going right where they came from, running at full speed, both Kaida and Isaac reached ten times the speed of sound, blurring through the forest and plains.
After a few minutes, Kaida reached the Sect's peaks, grabbed Isaac's hand, and threw him full force up to the top of the Foundation Peak. They were both at the peak of the Foundation. Their legs scraped across the ground, sending lots of dirt onto the rocks.
"WOAH- Kaida! You didn't have to-" Isaac shouted in surprise from the launch. He reached his hand out since she did it first.
Kaida launched herself upward, landing right at the edge, and balanced herself as she finally spoke. "Apologies. I didn't want to deal with whatever that was." Kaida's expression showed a hint of solemnness, which Isaac himself was content with; he hated the overexaggeration of emotions.
"Also, here." Kaida handed the plant to Isaac, still confused about how it worked, but she let him do what he needed; she'd get one as well, so she'd use it right before her fight with Akari to finally reach Core Formation and stabilize better.
Kaida walked over, taking out a singular Spirit stone and flicking it; it flew, landing right on Wenxu's head as she let him notice. Waving at him, she gave him a blank expression so as not to annoy his girlfriend.
"You're back that quick, Kaida?!" He looked at her, excited as he waved. Though in turn, she simply nodded and spoke. "Indeed, though I'll need to get ready, so I can't talk right now, it's for something important."
"I'll have to tell him later about that voice in the rainforest, but first, it's an Elder." Kaida thought to herself, deadpan, as she ran once more and folded space, from its precision and accuracy, light bent, and the pressure snapped in an instant, allowing her to reach the Sect from the other end of the peak. A length equal to the width of a mountain.
Instead of seeing an Elder, she noticed the Sect Leader, Lucien. Kaida blinked and walked over, a little nervous considering he seemed like a huge step up to talk with. But since he was simply walking by, she found no reason to think he would take offense.
"Is there something you need, Kaida?" He turned, opening his eyes as she noticed the sharp color, a pitch black color with no white. Similar to what cats had. It was effective. Though Kaida stood somewhat tall, more so than Lucien, she didn't underestimate.
"It's about the Rainforest that Isaac and I had gone to. Both of us heard some voice which, well, I can't really describe, but I could tell it was a lot stronger than me and even Akari." Her voice was calm, although she was still shaken by the power of that creature.
"...Perhaps that's the source of the corruption, even I haven't found it out, so it may be elusive... But why would it reveal itself to both of you? I'm not doubting your loyalty. But you understand why I ask, right?" He spoke casually, as if it were a friend discussing something important.
A faint vibration in Lucien's Mana, a hush falling over nearby disciples. "Wait, you can seriously talk to him like that?" A disciple whispered, freezing for half a step, talking to another. With the other one, older, and more experienced, "...Yeah, why wouldn't you be able to?"
"Well, from what I recall, it was a feminine voice, and it said it'd make us one of her own and called both of us, Isaac and me, kids. So it's old to say the least." Kaida spoke as if it were a matter of fact, having recalled everything from the past day perfectly.
"...That creature back there wasn't some beast or a rogue cultivator. Her aura felt more primal. I'm not going there again." Kaida thought to herself, calculating her next move. "Well, I'll give a recommendation where I can, have some cultivators put a barrier around the rainforest so no one can enter for right now."
Lucien looked over and blinked. "Disciples don't usually think of that. Good job, Kaida. But yes, I'll do that, along with a Seal to make sure it doesn't escape. And something to signal if it is broken." He gave a soft smile, though before he could continue speaking, Kaida began.
"Though I'll have to excuse myself, I'll be in for my second Duel with Akari... Even if she's two realms above me." Kaida chuckled, not used to using the terminology of this world. Turning around, she moved to run to her home to sharpen her blade and do something with Cinder.
Lucien sighed. Before Kaida could leave. "Kaida, remember—what is ancient and stirs never stays sleeping."
Kaida slowed, hearing his words, and smiled softly. "...Just like █████—a name the world itself refused to speak—stirring doesn't mean waking." The air quivered where the name should have been, like the thought refused to become real.
Kaida took the words to heart, her face going back to normal as she took a few minutes to reach her home. Going inside, she grabbed a towel. Her house was covered in essential furniture, consisting of merely a couch and a rug, with nothing else.
She'd mostly use Spirit stones for the Simulation to train against the Astral Formation Beast, even when she lost for most of it, and had used up most of her Qi every time she used Singularity's Edge. "I just needed to see how strong they were and how much of a difference it was... I didn't expect it to be that big; with that amount of force, it could destroy a mountain... I'd probably need to use Singularity's Edge hundreds of times to match that force."
"Kai, do you want any help for the upcoming fight or not?" Cinder tilted her head curiously.
"It's fine, I'll just be sharpening this before I go and fight her."
The sound of a bell ringing. Isaac was done with that pill he made. From the constant ringing, the pills were clearly pure, at least from what he called them. Pills with barely any side effects, so Kaida didn't need to worry about it.