“I've had a lot of time to get to know this world, but I still haven't seen much of it,” Micro said, looking into the horizon where the starry sky met the endless woods. Kolt and the two pixies were nearly asleep at the table, but Arbur and Kira looked at Micro with surprise.
“Has this unworthy world yet to make a favourable impression upon you, Master Micro?” Kel asked wistfully.
“There are many things about this world I'd like to share with my driver one day. I guess I share some of his interest in things after all,” Micro replied. “I think I might like a lot of things about it.”
“I am pleased to hear it,” Kel said with a warm smile. “For it is the only home that I have ever known.”
“But there are things I would change…” Micro frowned.
“My grandfather said that to change yourself was to change the world, for better or worse…” Kel said, closing his eyes. “But I wouldn't have changed anything about him.”
“What do you mean, Master Micro?” Kira asked. “What do you want to change?”
“I thought you were more the type to deal with things how they are,” Blue muttered, lying down on the table by an empty bowl. She rolled over slightly without opening her eyes. “Changing the world is so tedious…”
“If I may ask, what wisdom would your own master offer on the matter?” Kel said, turning to Micro with an earnest look.
“He always did what he could to make the world a better place, even though he didn't have the power to do much,” Micro replied, his words causing Arbur to lean forward in his chair. “He fixed things. He fixes things everywhere he goes. He can't help it.”
“So many people, weak or strong, only spread destruction in pursuit of their goals,” Arbur said. “Your master was virtuous behind measure.”
“It is refreshing to learn of such an unusual path to enlightenment,” Kel said with a wide smile. “To be reminded that the world is yet so full of unknown powers.”
“I'm still surprised that there are entire other worlds,” Micro added. “I don’t think that’s common knowledge where I’m from. We made a big deal about just visiting the moon…”
“And so, may I take your words to mean that, in pursuit of power for yourself, you seek to improve this world in some way?” Kel asked.
“It's another new feeling I've learned recently,” Micro explained. “I never wanted to change anything before. I never really wanted anything at all. My only purpose was do operate as I was designed to, whenever or wherever I was driven, regardless of the circumstances.”
“Your discipline is unparalleled by any I know,” Kel said in awe.
“What do you want to change, Master Micro?” Kira asked.
“I'd like to change just about everything,” Micro said. “Well, I’d like to give it a try, while I’m still human.”
“Where will you begin, master?!” Kel asked excitedly. “How will you challenge the nature of this world next?”
“To challenge the world itself…” Arbur whispered. “The difference of scale in our ambitions…”
“Do you think people would mind if a few more roads get made?” Micro asked. “I heard there were more people living west of here…”
“The borders of the Beryl Kingdom encircle many populations,” Kel replied. “The capital of the mundane, where their kings and queens have lived for ages, is to the west. There are countless sects and villages wherever you go. I must admit, I have not seen much of this land, and a great many cultures await beyond its borders. That said, I doubt anyone would dare hinder the project you wish to undertake, given the status you have earned.”
“I don't need permits or anything like that?” Micro asked. “I knew things were different here, but…”
“On the contrary, it is the duty of cultivators to carve their own path!” Kel said enthusiastically. “That you should choose to do so in an literal sense is no different in principal or practice, though the act itself would likely be unprecedented. Though I have yet to fully understand the benefit of such an undertaking, I am sure that it must be an essential step on your path to enlightenment.”
“I think that's what I want to do,” Micro said while scanning the horizon, but Kel's face suddenly lost its enthusiastic smile.
“There are some who may trouble you, in truth,” Kel said with a worried look over Micro's shoulder.
“Who—” Micro began to turn his head, not having sensed any visitors, but five small glowing figures suddenly appeared on the table in front of him before he could look behind him.
“Fairies!” Blue shouted as she stumbled to her feet in a drowsy stupor, but she was unable to move once she did. She rolled her eyes as an oppressive aura weighed down on all at the table. “Crap…”
“I—I don't understand, honourable harbingers of… fate…” Kel struggled to voice his protest as the aura pressed him into his chair. “Was your business with the elders of this sect not concluded…?”
“Our business is none of yours, feeble creature,” one of the fairies scoffed. Though the night was dark, the table was lit by the intense pearlescent glow of the fairies' skin, but their fair complexions were juxtaposed by their expressions of disgust.
“Hello,” Micro managed to say, but he was paralyzed by their aura.
“He certainly stinks of chaos, but I doubt he is what we are looking for,” one fairy mumbled while eyeing Micro. “Another wrinkle in the fabric of this world’s tapestry…”
“I thought he might be defiant of fate, but it's more like he exists outside of it,” another fairy muttered with a sour tone. “Very odd, but the company he keeps is odder still.”
“Indeed,” another stated, and the fairies turned their attention to Blue, who raised an eyebrow in return.
“Nothing odd happening over here,” Blue said casually. “Just eating dinner, relaxing, plotting your demise…”
“This incoherent fool dares to dwell in this land after all she has done,” one fairy spat. “Disgusting and wicked creature.”
“I will happily prevent her from poisoning the air with her cursed words ever again,” another fairy declared, grinning widely and raising its hands above its head. Lights flashed and ethereal chains appeared around Blue. She winced as the chains made their way from her feet to her neck. “Oh, so very happily…!”
Micro looked in shock, but still couldn't move. The pressure of the attack cause the confused Arbur, Kolt, and Kira to faint in their chairs. Trill remained hidden in Kolt's pocket, but Micro couldn’t be sure he was still unharmed.
“She is affiliated—” Kel coughed. “Blue is a guest—”
“Silence, pathetic creature!” The fairy interrupted Kel.
“She is one of us!” Kel protested. “She is…”
“What nonsense—” The fairy spat back in annoyance, but it froze after a moment. The other four fairies also looked around in shock after noticing something.
“This is a joke!” one fairy shouted, but their expressions were grim.
“She is a cultivator…” a fairy said in disbelief. “She even knows the same art as that little boy over there… but…”
“The treaty stands…!” Kel forced the words from his mouth, blood dripping from his nose as he struggled to keep his head lifted. “And I know about that treaty!”
“There was nothing in the treaty about recruiting pixies into cultivator sects…” the fairy who was strangling Blue with a chain whispered as she released her grip. The chains melted away and Blue gasped for air. “This is not fated. This is not…”
“The terms are clear, as are the penalties for their violation…” one of the fairies whispered back. “Let us return for now.”
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“What the—” Micro stuttered as the five fairies vanished from the table, as if they had never been there.
“What just happened…?” Kel gasped, relieved of the pressure which the fairies had been exerting. “I didn’t expect my words to have any affect!”
“Fairies are big babies,” Blue remarked, relaxing on the table. She sat up and leaned her back against an empty mug. “They were out of their jurisdiction, and they don't touch anything that isn't fated.”
“Fated?” Kel asked.
“Is everything not fated in some way or another?” Arbur asked.
“Fate is just what we call it when we can see how everything going on is connected, or something like that,” Blue explained. “It's what the pixies fought us for on that hill—”
“The 'Hill of Fate'…” Kel said with wide eyes. “You witnessed such a legendary battle?”
“She's the one who lost that stupid battle,” Trill tweeted from Kolt's pocket, not daring to say it while facing Blue's harsh glare. But his words only made her sigh.
“Can't win them all,” Blue mumbled. “But who'd have guessed so much could go on outside of fate. I can't remember why the pixies were so obsessed with that hill anyways. It was fun for a while, but it attracted more attention than we wanted…”
“So, the fairies who took control of that territory gained insight into fate, but master Micro's own destiny is still unknowable to them?” Kel asked.
“Yep.” Blue nodded. “Pixies just used the power to stir up fun here and there when things were slow, but the fairies and those cultivator brats they brought along with them had no interest in fun whatsoever. It pisses me off just how fun they aren't.”
“In legends recalled by elders of my former sect, pixies were responsible for an age of chaos without beginning or end…” Arbur said with a nostalgic look. “My master enjoyed telling the tale of that era's end.”
“Good times…” Blue closed her eyes and smiled with a similar look of nostalgia. “Fairies take the fun out of everything.”
“My grandfather revered fairies, but I have always found it distasteful for such powerful beings to meddle in the affairs of those so much weaker than themselves,” Kel said with a bitter expression. “They stand against the values of any cultivator.”
“You certainly are weak,” Blue agreed, already half sleeping.
“As far as I have come by the grace of my masters, I do still have a long path ahead of me,” Kel replied humbly. Then, he looked at Kolt and Kira curiously. “By the way, Master Micro, your disciples are very interesting.”
“They're good company,” Micro smiled.
“Young Arbur must have been the pride of his sect before his path crossed your own, but these children are truly fascinating…” Kel looked closely with his appraisal skill active. “You said they only started cultivating recently, but they have developed such unique energies. The girl is particularly talented.”
“Their experience and training was unconventional, by any standard, and they have overcome many challenges,” Arbur agreed. “Most of all, they lack the common sense of a cultivator.”
“To think such talent could be drawn out of mundane youth…” Kel mused.
“What kind of kids are you used to?” Micro asked with an eyebrow raised. “Rose seemed like a normal enough child.”
“Rose?” Kira asked with a suspicious glare.
“She helped me cultivate once.” Micro replied. “Remember that time I almost exploded?”
“Cultivators are conventionally those who were raised in or around a sect, master,” Kel explained. “Even among those nurtured by cultivators from birth, many children never develop a talent for cultivation. Affinity to energy is as much a product of one's destiny as it is a benefit of one's environment. Rose is not uncommonly talented as the daughter of a well renowned family.”
“But anybody can learn it, right?” Micro asked. “It's the same energy, no matter who uses it, isn't it?”
“In theory, it is a skill which any mortal being can practice, but talent is another matter,” Kel replied. “Expecting to to find talent among the peasantry beyond a sect’s borders is like gardening on bedrock. Fertile ground is needed to produce a bountiful—”
“Ridiculous!” Kira blurted out, but she covered her mouth in embarrassment immediately. “Forgive me, young master. I—I didn’t mean to—I shouldn’t have—”
“I'm sure your master shares your opinion on the common sense I have presented,” Kel interrupted her, dispelling the tension with a wry smile. “I cannot imagine all the ways my understanding of this world can be changed, but I know for a fact that it is a likely outcome of time spent in your master’s presence. I would welcome your testimony on the matter, Elder Kira of the Truck Sect.”
“Yeah, what's up?” Micro added with a smile. “Kel’s a good listener. Don’t be scared of him.”
“Well… It's not like we're born stupid or anything,” Kira said, trying to speak respectfully. “Young master, Let me ask you a personal question.”
“I will surely answer you with sincerity,” Kel replied with a deep bow.
“Wow…” Kira replied blankly, surprised by his reply. She collected herself with a deep breath and continued with a small voice. “Have you ever tried teaching somebody to cultivate?”
“I have trained with many young members of my sect,” Kel replied. “Although, I have not taken a disciple of my own.”
“What about people who aren't from the sect?” Kira asked. “Have you ever even spoken to somebody who wasn't from some sort of sect?”
“I don't see why I would do such a thing,” Kel replied. He looked confused by her question, but Micro's calm expression made him consider Kira's question earnestly. “I suppose I don’t remember the last time I did so, now that you mention it. Forgive me, but I do not understand…”
“Just like nobody understood the reason for Master Micro to construct a road which would be used mostly by people he's never met,” Kira said, waving her hands in exasperation. However, she calmed herself when she noticed Kel still looking to her for an answer. “Do you still not understand why he does things like that?”
“His path to enlightenment is a mystery to be solved, but it is the right of a cultivator to pursue whatever means they—” Kel replied, but Kira cut him off with a frustrated look.
“How about you just ask him why he made them?” Kira asked.
“What?” Kel blurted out, ashamed of the volume with which he expressed his surprise. “I dare not! To question the path of my master…”
“Ask me anything,” Micro said.
“But your path is—” Kel looked baffled at Micro's statement for a moment. He opened his mouth, but it took several moments of awkward silence for him to decide what he would say next.
“You don’t have to ask me anything if it makes you upset…” Micro replied to Kel with a concerned look. “Don’t force yourself.”
“Forgive my insolence, but I will not forsake the opportunity to ask for your assistance in understanding your path! Would you deign to enlighten your humble servant regarding the construction of those roads.” Kel said anxiously, unable to resist the offer to ask. “Why do you construct roads in such places as those?”
“Roads make it easier to get places,” Micro said frankly.
“But you are already capable to travelling at great speeds,” Kel replied.
“Most people would find that sufficient, and I know you are in a hurry to achieve your own goal of mastering time and space—”
“But most people need roads,” Micro explained. “Most people aren't as fast as cultivators. And if they're ever going to use proper vehicles, roads are just common sense. Never mind how difficult it is to transport goods and services through muddy fields and moving forests…”
“But whether the people of this world can or cannot enjoy the convenience of roads has no impact on your cultivation which I can recognize,” Kel continued. “How does it benefit you?”
“How does it benefit me?” Micro repeated. He looked up at the stars for a moment while he thought about it. “I guess if the world is a better place, I'll enjoy that.”
“The world…” Kel uttered in shock.
“The old man used to say we only get one world, so we should get take care of it,” Micro said, but then he laughed. “I guess he wasn't exactly right about that first part! But would you rather live in a world with roads or a world where everybody is late for everything?”
“Incredible…” Kel gasped, staring unblinkingly at Micro as he replayed the answer in his mind.
“Unfathomable…” Arbur nodded, also moved by Micro's words.
“Oh come on…” Kira rolled her eyes at Kel. “I knew you wouldn't get it.”
“I see now,” Kel replied.
“But do you?” Kira said with an incredulous glare. “Do you really?”
“Master Micro sees the world not simply as his context, but as an extension of himself,” Kel replied in awe.
“Oh for crying out loud…” Kira sighed.
“To perceive the world in its entirety as a mere part of his own being…” Arbur said, echoing Kel’s reverent tone. “I feel I have caught a fleeting glimpse of a stage of enlightenment far beyond what I should be allowed!”
“He perceives no barrier to shaping the world and its fate, as one who exists beyond causality,” Kel continued. “To state the ambitions of an immortal with the confidence and resolve of a god…”
“If you have enough time to spout nonsense all night, just make me another truck…” Blue mumbled between snores. “A faster one…”
“Well, anybody can change the world,” Micro said, sharing a confused expression with Kira. “You do it every day, whether you mean to or not…”
“I believe I have perceived the shadow cast by your true power, Master Micro,” Kel replied, bowing his head until it bumped into the table where they still sat. “I can not repay you for honouring me with such wisdom. I am humbled to receive the teachings of your master. I am unworthy of—”
“Oh, by the way,” Micro interrupted Kel, having given up on clarifying his intentions any further.
“Yes, Master Micro?” Kel asked, looking up with watery eyes.
“There were a bunch of magicians in the woods near Margo's mountain,” Micro said.
“There are what?!” Kel shouted.
“I'd hate for anything to happen to the people living near there,” Micro added. “Lena and Feng are on a journey somewhere, so I'm not sure who to ask about this.”
“It can take some time to call on the empire for help…!” Kel said in panic, rising from his seat. He woke Blue when he bumped into the table, though Kolt remained asleep in his chair.
“I doubt we have much time,” Blue said. “They seemed pretty busy.”
“Wait…” Kel suddenly narrowed his eyes, having come to a realization.
“What's the plan?” Micro asked.
“This must be providence,” Kel replied. “I prayed for a means by which to prove myself for so long, and then this terrible news arrived at my door… Indeed, I know exactly what to do.”
“Call for help?” Micro asked.
“I shall lead an assault at once!” Kel declared.
“Right now?!” Kira shouted.
“This very moment?” Arbur asked.
“No,” Kel replied, and Kira sighed in relief. “Not just yet. There are preparations to be made, and I must ready myself for this fated challenge.”
“So we'll make a plan, and then—” Arbur began to ask.
“We attack at dawn!” Kel concluded, a fierce look in his eyes, though his words only made Arbur and Kira sigh in resignation.
“I guess Master Micro has rubbed off on him…” Kira whispered to Arbur with a look of fatigue.
“It makes me wonder how much I have already been influenced by our master…” Arbur added.
“Lead the way!” Micro agreed, and the conversation was done.
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