Enlightenment through treasure wasn't common, but it was definitely known. The strongest cultivators in the world had each found a similar artifact. Something that gave these individuals an undoubtable edge. In fact, it was from those individuals that the terms Qi, Cultivation, and Awakening entered the global vocabulary.
These powerhouses were the first to spread knowledge of cultivation across the world. Some believe they did it out of goodwill, to help others survive and thrive in this new reality. Others argue it was a malicious move, meant to prevent people from accidentally killing themselves so the elites could maintain tighter control over them and their labor in exploring realms.
Thinking about all she knew about enlightenment, Juliya continued probing David about the experience he had while unconscious. She consciously framed her questions in a vague way as to not trigger that wave of pain again.
Juliya asked carefully, "So what did you see, or was it purely information?",
David paused still reeling a bit from the pain. "It was primarily research papers and textbooks... at least I think that's what they were." He paused to think, "They were formatted so oddly and were definitely in a different language, but I seemed to know what the text meant intuitively."
Juliya smiled, the best kind of enlightenments she had heard of always included visual stimuli rather than just being an information dump.
David got excited as he remembered something, "Oh yea! I learned how to remove someone's cultivation completely, and in doing so heal their meridians!"
Juliya's eyes widened in shock and she asked befuddled, "Does that mean you can fix everyone's meridians? Is that how you fixed your own meridians?"
David smiled somberly and said, "The enlightenment gave me a -"
He doubled over in pain once again. More groans escaped his mouth.
"I'm ok. I'm ok." He managed to stammer through gritted teeth.
Juliya was once again feeling useless as her husband is in immense pain in front of her and she can do nothing about it.
However, this time he was able to get his bearing much faster.
"Gah, that sucks ok I won't talk about that. I have a... goal now that I have reached enlightenment. I want to repair the whole world's meridians, and I am deathly serious about it."
With the realization that he would also be penalized if he talked about Quests given to him from the system, he framed the statement in a way that he gave himself this goal to get around the penalty.
Juliya raised an eyebrow and asked suspiciously, "You barely want to go on fire watch when we are in the Realms, why are you suddenly so gung-ho about fixing the whole world?"
David raised his hands in mock defense. "Restricted knowledge babe." He said smiling, "Once we open a sect I'll be able to tell you everything."
Clearly unsatisfied but accepting the answer Juliya and David began discussing everything he learned about cultivation and Qi in general.
With all the information Juliya received she was starting to become cautiously hopeful. Being able to rid herself of these voices that plague her is something that she had long lost hope about.
Hope for a return to normalcy had long left the public dialogue as the new dialogue amongst her peers has long since shifted to managing the struggle.
In a moment of silent contemplation between the two of them Juliya asked, "I don't get it. How come you making a sect get's rid of the penalty? How would your 'enlightenment' even know that you've met the conditions?"
Upon hearing this question David felt on instinct that if he answered this question in any constructive way he would receive a penalty.
He grimaced and said, "You'll have to trust me. From here on out I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure that I don't have to hold anything back from you."
Juliya smiled when she saw the igniting determination in her husband's eyes. "Of course, I trust you sweetheart."
With that said, Juliya grabbed her backpack from the ground beside her and pulled out her med kit and a water bottle.
"Close your eyes. I need to clean you up."
He obliged without question.
"I really must be disgusting right now." He thought to himself. "Straight from the realm to being covered in blood, I am a mess."
With a mischievous grin, Juliya poured the entire water bottle straight over his head.
He flinched under the sudden deluge of water, "Oh my god that is so cold. Holy shit!"
Juliya giggled as she gently massaged the mess out of his hair.
As the water and effort washed away the blood and ash from his scalp and face, his features slowly emerged for the first time sense this chaos began.
Beneath the grime, his hair remained nearly the same color as the soot that had coated it: an incredibly dark brown, almost black, parted down the middle and falling to either side framing his facial features.
Strong eyebrows and a strong jawline defined his look, giving him a distinctly masculine appearance. His nose was slightly large, but it suited his face, balanced and natural, as if it belonged exactly where it was.
Enjoying this moment of bliss, David let his thoughts wander and he asked the system a question.
"Hey system, you were brought here by someone right? With all the knowledge I gained I assume that treasures that go against the Will of the universe are pretty dangerous.
Did some universal cultivation police force send you to Earth and hope someone competent picked you up?"
In his mind's eye, the system responded.
System Message: "I am unable to provide information regarding my creation or full purpose. I can only state that my sole directive is to correct the defacement made against the Will of the universe.
However, I can confirm: you were always the intended target to receive this system."
That last statement really threw David for a loop.
"I am the intended recipient? What is so special about me?" He got lost in thought thinking about his entire life.
While David quietly spiraled into an existential crisis over his sudden importance in the universe, Juliya was still at work, carefully applying butterfly bandages to the wound on the back of his head.
"You'll need to see Sarah when we get back. You definitely need staples," she said with both clinical and wifely certainty. "Anything I'm doing right now is just to slow the bleeding."
She spoke so matter-of-factly that David didn't even think to argue. He gave a small nod, careful not to interfere with her work.
A shit eating grin appeared on his face. "Is Sarah still trying to get in your pants? She knows she'll have to get through me first right?"
Without hesitation Juliya aggressively pulled the bandage tight, causing David to let out a slight groan of protest.
"What?", he asked with his tone higher pitched, "This is a genuine question!"
Juliya responded with a raised eyebrow, "That was a misunderstanding she had 3 years ago. The fact that you're still hung up on it makes me wonder if you can't get Sarah out of your mind."
David grumbled to himself, "How am I in trouble now? You're the one that got hit on...."
Juliya pretended not to hear him as she finished up the last bandage.
The two of them were quite a sight. David sat shirtless, his chest streaked with dirt, blood, and sweat, while his pants were caked in volcanic ash from their previous trek through the Realm.
Juliya, still covered in ash herself, looked less battered physically, but she had been spared from washing out a head wound. Thus leading to her tightly coiled tresses being matted into a tangled nest atop her head. Strands were clinging to the grime like it was part of her battle gear.
To put it bluntly they looked bad.
With information shared and injuries staunched, the two of them made their way to the collapsed tunnel.
In the hour that David had been unconscious, Juliya had made significant progress clearing a path. With a bit more effort between them, they finally managed to squeeze through the remaining rubble and re-enter the tunnel.
What they saw on the other side sent shivers down their spines.
"Holy... wow, we really got out of here just in time," Juliya muttered, eyes wide.
She was stunned at the devastation in front of them.
The once familiar tunnel now resembled the scorched cave systems of the volcanic realm they had spent the past week in. Embers flickered and flew across floor, while glowing cracks marred the walls. Charred debris lay scattered everywhere, and the air still swam with residual heat. As if the tunnel itself had only just finished burning.
David looked around in shock, mouth agape. "Ok, I think I can use my Qi sense better now that I have the new cultivation technique. Give me a moment."
Juliya nodded, as she watched David sit on the floor cross legged and close his eyes.
Like he had done hundreds of times before he began circulating his Qi, but instead of just channeling the Qi into his mind he began the breathing and circulation technique he had just learned.
The new technique involved consciously sending his Qi through certain meridians in a precise order. Even though he was doing this for the first time, he felt there was no way he could mess this up as if the system had implanted this directly into his muscle memory.
When he sent out his Qi sense, the difference was immediate and jarring. He almost interrupted his cultivation technique when the amount of information hit his mind.
He quickly regained his composure by reeling in his Qi sense and focused on circulating for a few minutes.
After one full revolution he felt different. He felt the Qi saturating every part of his body - not just one muscle group like with Shoulder Slam.
The flow of Qi moved with distinct rhythm and precision. When connecting to the meridians in his legs and feet, it fell heavy and fast, like rushing water down a steep slope. But as it rose toward his upper torso and head, the movement became light and graceful, flowing with the elegance of a feather caught in the wind.
Instead of crippling nerve pain he felt a pleasant warmth spreading around his body. He felt both weightless and extremely grounded. The juxtaposition of these feelings felt intentional. He knew he was supposed to feel grounded to the Earth and connected to Heaven during his cultivation.
He decided in that moment to name the cultivation technique "Heaven and Earth Cultivation Technique".
Once he regained his focus, he extended his Qi sense. At first, it was slow and cautious, stretching just far enough to envelop the tunnel around him. But as he stabilized, the range quickly grew. He passed his previous limit of 300 feet (91.5 meters), and quickly continued to his new maximum of nearly 600 feet (183 meters).
Though he still couldn't see the source of the Qi disturbances, he could now perceive their effects with far more clarity. The peaks and valleys in the ripples of Qi no longer blurred together, instead they formed a distinct pattern.
Where once he could only sense that something had happened, he now understood how much, how intense, and how many. What once felt like a vague ripple now resolved into detail: "Three small disruptions... and one large one."
With this newly found understanding he retracted his Qi sense and turned to Juliya. "There are countless small disturbances all throughout the tunnels, but as of right now there is nothing that is a threat."
Juliya nodded. She also noted that when David was using his Qi sense he seemed much more relaxed than the normal labored expression he had when circulating Qi previously.
With David in the lead the two of them made their way out of the maintenance tunnel.
The train tunnel itself was more of the same: small flames enveloped anything flammable and soot and ash flowed through the air. However, now there was light. Looking down the tunnel they could see, stopped at the station, a train that had it's bright flood lights shining directly down the tunnel at them.
David on instinct fell backwards into the maintenance tunnel pulling Juliya with him, but it was too late.
A gruff voice shouted from where the train was stopped, "You there! Identify yourself and come out with your hands up!"
David cursed to himself and then whispered to Juliya, "Be calm and do as I do."
With that David stepped out of the maintenance tunnel once again with his hands up and Juliya a step behind him.
"We are unarmed! I repeat: we are unarmed! We were hiding in this tunnel from the blast!"
With a flurry of activity and movement, 15 people all suited in a familiar armor came on to the tracks in front of the train. Some were carrying assault rifles while others had swords and blades.
The man who called them out originally was in the lead holding a Jian, a two handed double-edged straight sword that originated from China.
The group of combatants quickly surrounded them. Ready to attack at a moments noticed.
Once his sight adjusted to the bright train light he recognized the anachronistic weapon in the lead man's hand.
David and Juliya froze.
They both made one hand into a fist and cupped their other hand around the first and bowed to 90 degrees and shouted in unison.
"HELLO VICE FAMILY HEAD."
With a trembling voice they continued.
"Outer Settlement Resident David Hatter greets you!"
"Outer Settlement Resident Juliya Hatter greets you!"
The man gestured for his soldiers to lower their weapons. As he stepped closer, his figure came into clearer view. Before, he had been backlit by the glow of the train behind him, barley a silhouette, with only the gleam of his black Jian and the outline of his posture visible.
Now, in the shifting light, his full appearance emerged: regal robes flowed around him with practiced ease, and he carried himself with the calm confidence of someone used to being obeyed.
He looked to be in his mid thirties, with wide set arrogant eyes, a well groomed goatee, and a striking scar traveling down the right side of his face.
"Outer Settlement...", he muttered, seemingly thoughtful.
He took a closer look at David and Juliya, then looked back to his men.
With a wave of his hand he summoned one of the armor clad soldiers forward. The soldier was wearing a jarring mix of Kevlar and chainmail, seemingly ready for both bullet and blade, in sharp contrast with the flowing robes of the Vice Head.
"Check their identification," The Vice Head ordered, his voice cold, "If they don't have it, kill them. If they do, send them to FOB State Station."
With a polite nod the solider approached the husband and wife.
David still in his bow finally looked up. "May my wife reach into her bag?"
The question was asked very carefully, not wanting to provoke a reaction.
The soldier grunted in the affirmative, and began to watch as Juliya slowly pulled her bag around and took out two cards.
The cards looked like an impressive metal black credit card. One that you would've looked at with envy before the awakening. Now, this black metal card represented the lowest rung of the New Life Sect: an Outer Settlement Resident.
The city of Boston had been fractured into distinct districts, each reflecting its place in the new order. Beacon Hill served as the playhouse of the rich and powerful within the New Life Sect. Staying in a state of opulence, security, and tight control.
The further you traveled from the city center, the further you moved from power. Forest Hills, the final stop on the Orange Line, marked the outermost edge of influence. It was there that the NLS relocated the laborers they didn't care to see, but still wanted close enough to exploit.
The soldier looked at the identification and finally spoke, "Report to FOB State Station. Find Inner Resident Amber and be ready for new orders. The NLS is under attack and it's all hands on deck."
David and Juliya both nodded and once again bowed toward the Vice Head. However, he did not see the bow as he was already gone back toward the tunnel.
---
David's mind was racing as he emerged from the station. What surrounded him was far worse than anything he had witnessed three years ago. The devastation here couldn't be described in mortal terms. It felt as if the Qi itself was still at war. Thrashing, writhing, and battling unseen forces in the air.
The physical repercussions were there as well. The skyscrapers that once dominated the surroundings were now in various states of collapse. Fires of unnatural colors licked at their remains: reds and blues danced alongside eerie purples and sickly greens, casting warped shadows against the ruined skyline.
Remembering the consequences of his past recklessness, he carefully extended his Qi sense, letting his senses expand slowly and deliberately.
He was immediately grateful he had done so.
The Qi around him was anything but calm. Even in the immediate area, where he knew there were no physical threats, it churned and boiled, like a pot just moments from spilling over.
He retracted his sense and looked to Juliya.
"I feel like I just got a power up, only to be thrown into a new fight where I'm still under leveled," David groaned. "Seriously, how do I get stronger and still feel weaker than before?"
Juliya laughed dryly, "Hey don't rub it in. I feel like my meridians are about to explode."
Juliya wasn't exaggerating. She knew if she tried to circulate her Qi right now she would immediately fall into a worst state of Qi Deviation and likely die.
"Let's hurry up and get to the State Station. I need to lay down - I didn't get a magical nap in a bubble of pure Qi like someone."
David shrunk, slightly sheepishly, "Yeah ok, lets go."