Path of the Berserker

Path of the Berserker 6 - Chapter 15

Princess Lunalah strode across the rooftop of the Imperial Palace, surveying what she had decided to call her new temporary domain. The sister planet to Altus, Demus, sported a violet tinted sky that turned the color of plum wine in the moments of sunset. Lunalah had seen five such sunsets now, each time waiting for the moon to rise.Waiting for the voice to return.

Or would it simply snub her again?

Five nights ago now, when she had stopped to answer that voice, she had something reach out to her. It had startled her. So much so that she had run to skiff in fright. Ever since then, however, she had not heard it call again. Part of her feared she were truly going mad. That she had simply imagined the entire thing.

But those words.

No, not even words.

Thoughts.

Feelings.

Like something that had emanated from her own mind.

As if she were speaking to herself.

Yet it was not her.

She was sure of it.

But she had not heard it since.

The cries of unknown beasts and birds seemingly mocked her as she stood vigil for a fifth night in a row, calling out to the moon or whatever it was. Whatever presence she had felt. She was certain it was powerful. Something that would give her potency far beyond that of mere Qi. Beyond only strength and power.

It would give her revenge.

Lunalah floated into the air with a burst of Qi and sat in lotus position atop the parapet wall. A flurry of commotion came from the gaggle of handmaidens she commanded to wait for her at the outer door, no doubt fearing what she was attempting to do.

But she would not cast her life away so frivolously.

Such things were for the weak.

Many perhaps would have given thought to doing such in her predicament. Betrayed. Disgraced. Her property stolen. Her love…rejected. There was little left to live for, some might say.

But oh, what vengeance there was yet to be had.

Her heart sped at the mere thought of it—anger and disappointment combining to form hate. She looked to the moon and cried out with all her heart.

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She waited.

A response did not come.

Lunalah exhaled in frustration and withdrew the small vial she had placed within her robes earlier. An elixir formed from an ancient spirit beast core mixed with a combination of opiates. Some swore by this method of cultivation, to expand one’s mind and spirit to reach the heavens.

It was the only thing she had left to try.

She drank the sweet, milky liquid and closed her eyes to cultivate.

After a few minutes she felt the effects take hold, her body relaxing with pure bliss, becoming lighter as her head listed back and forth threateningly towards sleep. She inhaled deeply, cycling the energy through her meridians.

Hours passed as she focused on strengthening her Dantian, drawing in the life essence of the world and the diffuse Qi within it. It was not a bad world to be fair—the Qi denser than that of Terra, enough for her to cultivate from without the assistance of her Jade urns.

Lunalah looked inwardly and the inner image of her Sacred Soul smiled back at her.

Her inner self.

Radiant in her sheer beauty and power—a giantess ready to crush all who would stand against her. For the first time she actually considered taking that step now. To truly become this ghostly form she could only project. But no, she needed more strength than what she possessed now to succeed. Many of her elder sisters had failed ascending to the next realm. Even what had become of Rhe Su Long was a stark reminder that not all could follow the path towards the celestial heavens.

But she was certain she could do so now.

If only that voice would reach out to her again to aid her.

When nothing again happened, Lunalah rose shakily, nearly falling from the wall.

, she thought and then laughed.

And then she thought further.

Why not just fall?

For all her bravado earlier, the darkness crept back in again. If this voice would not answer her, then what hope did she truly have? To remain an outcast? A guest for King Theos? She looked down into the dark forest far below, a wild menagerie of plants and trees that glowed with a light of their own. They were much higher now than they were on Terra, with no need to protect a mortal city below they were as high as the clouds. As such, the forest was a distant and unexplored thing.

Would they even find her down there if she fell?

Would anyone even care?

The giddiness of the opiates brought a smile to her lips despite the thoughts running through her mind.

Before she knew it, Lunalah was stepping out into the air laughing.

The handmaidens—still stood dutifully at the doorway—screamed, calling out to her as she fell from the wall, but she didn’t care. She’d been cooped up in this palace for far too long. She should be free to fly and soar as she wanted to.

Wind blew back her hair as she fell through the night sky still laughing.

And then, suddenly, like hitting a wall, the voice re-emerged.

~Seek~

The thought echoed powerfully through her mind and she halted her fall with a burst of Qi.

Elation filled her soul. It had finally returned!

Was it the desperation in her heart it had sensed? But no, the explanation was much simpler when she looked back to the glowing imperial city now high above her. It was the aetherite barrier. She had fallen below its influence. And the time she had sensed it before was that short distance where she had walked to the King’s throne, again outside the protection of aetherite. What did that mean then? Was this voice of demonic origin?

Perhaps, but she did not care.

“I am here,” she said. “Guide me.”

“Seek what? Tell me damn it!”

As Lunalah focused on the moon, reaching out to it, a vision appeared in her mind’s eye. The moon turned red and horrid screeches filled her ears. She screamed at the sound, alien and unnerving as her heart filled with fear. She sensed something break inside of her.

A piece of herself lost.

But with that loss came understanding and she screamed again.