Page 76 of The Wind Dancer
They burst from my back without pain or blood. They appeared as if they had always been there — transparent, woven from a myriad of air currents. They weren’t actually connected to me, but I could feel them. I could control them and sense every current that made up their ghostly form. I spun through the air, filled with a sense of ultimate happiness.
“The genetic key activation is complete.”
And suddenly everything returned to how it was before. There were no wings, and I could no longer see the essence of the world. But nothing mattered aside from one thing. WHERE WERE MY WINGS?! I tried to shout, but I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out of my mouth.
“Welcome back, descendant. I have blocked your speech capabilities due to our lack of time. A mnemonic package has been implanted in your mind, which will be revealed to you over time, but there is a more important matter at hand.”I sensed pride hiding in its tone.“It is time to grant you a NAME. We have long been forgotten, and you are the first to awaken in a thousand years. Welcome to the waking world, Heavenly Storm Tian Fengbao. By this name, your enemies shall remember you, and through it you shall enact the will of Heaven.”
Tian Fengbao. I felt like my temples were struck.
A flash tore through me, and a vision rose in its wake.
Mountains charred by lightning. Their peaks were split open, as if the Heavens were striking them with divine wrath. The wind roared through the ridges like a beast breaking free of its chains. I was standing on the edge. The very edge of the world, where the land meets the abyss. The black stone underfoot was warm from lightning strikes.
My blade drank up the wind. It was trembling with anticipation, reflecting the blazing sky in the symbol covered steel. I held on to it tightly, as I held on to a part of myself, as I held on to the memory of those who fell before. In it were the call to battle, the call for blood, the call for meaning.
The army of evil was below. As endless as the night. They crawled, flowing in, filling the valley. Their bodies were covered in sores, masks, and chains. Their eyes didn’t light up. Their footsteps didn’t make a sound.
Their banners were cindering ashes, their screams were silent. Even the air refused to vibrate in their presence. These weren’t warriors. They were our punishment for pride. And I would atone for this sin.
I raised my hand, calling the whole world to witness. And after a moment, I gave evil a response.
Thunder tore the horizon. Lightning cut through the darkness. The winds were blowing like the horns of the divine heralds. And I released the Heavenly Storm that gave me my name into the world...
A flash, and another vision took hold.
Darkness. Real, primordial darkness — one without shape or end. There was only darkness and cold. The kind that digs under your ribs, through your bones, into your very soul.
I couldn’t see my body. Maybe it was gone. Maybe I was just a consciousness, floating in an endless void.
And then the whispering began.
At first, I couldn’t be sure if it was really there. But it was getting closer, becoming clearer.
“Sleep, you madman...”
The one whispering knows me, and I know him.
He knew I shouldn’t wake up. That if I were to open my eyes something would break through the cracks in reality.
Maybe he was protecting me. Or maybe protecting this place from me?
“There’s no place for the wind here anymore. The world wouldn’t be able to survive a new war of Heavenly Wrath. Go back to sleep, your time is up.”
And with those words, the cold became alive. It wrapped itself around me like a snake Not letting me return.
I couldn’t breathe. And I couldn’t forget.
Reality came crashing back together and I was looking at the dragon statues again.
“Good. Listen well, and remember my words. If you wish to survive, you must walk the path of Ascension and subdue the power within you. As your first step, choose the mask of an element and follow it. Stay away from relics of the First Age, or your body will be destroyed. Know this: our distorted brothers would gladly turn you into an insanely powerful demon. You must resist this. You must survive. The children of the Wind must soar in the skies once more.”
A crackling sound swept through the Sanctuary and I could hear annoyance in the speaker’s voice:
“The Sanctuary’s defenses are stronger than I expected. I advise you to choose Water or Fire for your mask. The other three lie too far from our path. I will clear the records so the defenses do not recognize you as a descendant of Heaven. I will restore your voice now.”
“What’s going on here?”
“Now is not the time, descendant. Fire or Water? Your life is on the line.”
