“Mom? Mom—?” I looked through the screen-door and saw my mother in our backyard, working on our (her) garden. Like any mom on social media, she''d acquired a new obsession after watching a few videos online. Unlike most moms, she had the competency to actually make a decent one from scratch.


    I''d forgotten how strong Mom was. She wore a sleeveless top, speckled with dirt and fertilizer, and exposed her sweaty arms to the hot summer. Every time she swung her shovel into the soft soil, defined muscles bulged through her forearms and exposed a quilt of scars, stitched together by a sadistic hand. On the underside of her right wrist, I noticed a faded magic tattoo depicting a trio of interlocked dragon scales.


    “Alex?” her voice broke me from my staring. I didn’t know how long I was stupidly gawking at her scars. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”


    “Oh, erm…” Because of my awkwardness, I forgot why I came here. Thankfully, my memory luckily jogged itself back to life. “My history teacher wants me to do something for my big essay coming up.”


    “Has he?” Mom buried her shovel in the dirt. She grabbed a nearby towel and dried herself off.


    I gulped, knowing the topic ahead wasn’t an easy one to break. “It’s about the Jianghu. I think I off-handedly mentioned that you, uhm, that you were born there—“


    “I can’t tell you anything about the Jianghu. I wasn’t raised there,” Mom said, sitting down on the edge of one of the planters. “What’s your essay about?”


    I figured that would be my answer, but I indulged her, “It’s about differences ‘tween Mainland China and the Jianghu, and we have to argue our case about which is ‘better.’”


    Mom wrapped the towel around her hands to busy herself. “‘Better’? Pah, ‘better’ my ass. I think I remember your history teacher this year. He’s from the Mainland, right? What does he believe?”


    “I mean, we spent several classes talking about the Jianghu, like Wei Wudong’s (伍卫东) Rebellion. He also went on a lot of rants about culture, technology, tradition…” I shrugged my shoulders to imply the rest.


    Mom snorted and tugged the towel tautly. “So he’s like most ‘scholars,’ seeing the Jianghu as antiquated and barbaric. He’s not completely incorrect, but he falls for the greatest trap: failing to see that his own history books are written in the blood of their adversaries.”


    Much like Dad, I didn’t know much about Mom’s childhood. All I could do was guess where her cynicism and opinions came from. I said, “I’m not sure ‘bout anything I read, honestly.”


    “Good, you shouldn’t trust everything so easily, Alex. Just as the Mainland spit on their brothers and sisters and call them ‘savages,’ the savages do the very same thing to them. Neither are better. They’re both terrible, different only by borders. If I had to choose, I’d rather whack the man who forced me to pick.”


    Her opinion wasn’t common amongst the “civilized” West. Most we knew of the Jianghu were through news articles, movies, and social media. If you interviewed people on the street, half would fondly spin a fantasy about nature, martial arts, and honor. The other half? They’d spout stereotypes and declare all of them geddons, wishing the Union and the Mainland would come together and remove them from the map.


    Rarely would anyone look at the Mainland, because why would they? The Jianghu was a complete outsider in today’s world. Every inch was ruled by government or military, yet there was a huge swath of land dominated by rivaling factions, bounded by the law of fists and power. Yet, cutting through the weeds…


    “They’re both power-hungry fools,” Mom said after listening to my silence. She dropped her towel and stood. “In the Jianghu, you’re dominated by endless schemes and plots. And in the city? Ha, same thing! Yet they hide themselves behind laws and civility. Pathetic. Those who pen the laws are often the worst criminals, and those who tout decency can be the most degenerate.”


    Her evidence was written by her scars, that much I knew. But like my conversation with Dad, I wasn’t quite sure what to say or do. Back then, I was young and relatively innocent. A sweet kid, having no clue about the dark secrets our world had.


    Mom saw that in me, my ignorance, and remorse washed away her past grievances. She walked up and brushed my messy hair and smiled sweetly, then rested her calloused and dirty hand on my cheek. “I didn’t mean to rant, but I want you to remember my words. The world isn’t as bright as you think. There are horrible people living amongst us no matter where you go.” (I glanced at her scars.) “You can be the most moral man in the world, and that makes you more of a target.”


    “I get it…” I lied.


    She knew I was lying, and her smile grew more somber. “That’s why we’re going through the effort of honing your talents. In a few years, the world has to be ready for you, my beautiful boy. You’ll be so strong and kind just like your father.”


    My cheeks went pink. “Alright, alright—”


    “No, no, let me finish.” She patted my cheek and smeared more dirt to make fun of me. “You have to be both, okay? Strong and kind. Power without heart is a tyrant, and heart without power is a lamb. You’ll have both. That’s why your father calls you ‘conqueror’ all the time, because you’ll conquer land and yourself. It’ll protect you, like armor, from whatever the world has.”


    After all these years, I finally understood what she was saying. The Hangzhou Disaster happened because a few lazy bureaucrats fucked everything up, and Oasis Guild ended up being a cesspool of deviants of all dimensions. But not even you, Mom, could understand just how deep of a mess we were in. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.


    I can’t be a good man like Dad, and I can’t be as strong as you. As strong as you want me to be. Leo was right. We have enemies that I don’t even know yet, far more powerful than our small brains can fathom.


    But…


    But at least I wasn’t Jin Tianyou.


    ***


    “...I’m home.”


    Waiting in the living room for me was, as expected, my family plus a certain brunette who I didn’t expect to be here. They dropped everything and crowded me like a bunch of paparazzi. It was good to see their faces again, even Leo’s.


    Uncle Ali started the conversation, “We heard what happened from Rector. Even I find it hard to believe, but…?”


    I whistled, the memories still fresh inside my head. Every last second. “Yeah. Yeah… The Alternate was Zhu Xinyue. In her case, she lived a future where she did kill her son. Then, in twisted irony, Jin Tianyou choked his own mother to death.”


    “Holy shit…” Thea had a hand over her mouth. “Holy shit…”


    Something patted my arm and I flinched, batting Leo’s hand away without meaning to. Despite my nerves getting the better of me, she smiled reassuringly. “Let’s sit down and catch up, okay? The doorway is a bad place to have a conversation.”


    “Yeah, definitely, yeah…”


    We crowded the living room just like last night but without the microwave dinners and smiles and fun stories. Not even I could crack a joke, but hey, veterans in the industry did say you would see new things everyday as a Slayer. Matricide was apparently included. Only in the Jianghu would you see something like that.


    As I pulled my shoes off and got myself comfortable—not relaxed—I turned to Leo who made the poor decision to sit beside me. “I thought you’d be searching for Silverhonor.”


    She shook her head. “I got back a couple hours ago at Archknell’s insistence. We’re still searching for her, but he needs time to think about, well…”


    Thea finished her sentence, “About making it public?”


    “His next moves,” Leo corrected. “We haven’t confirmed the culprit yet, but we’re slowly believing it’s an Alt. That’s all I’ll say because everything else is theory and speculation. Your turn, Alex. Update us about your end.”


    “Right, God…” I rubbed my eyes and let my back sink into the couch. “I mean, Jin Tianyou isn’t tattling to the internationals but that’s the least of our worries now. I took my team to Rector and Morgan. They talked with Chunhua and Kotone, told them to staple their lips, keep in contact, the whole spiel. The girls will do fine, it’s just…”


    Leo said for the group, “Amamizu Rei.”


    “Amamizu fucking Rei.” I had to kidnap the kid to the Wings, because what else could we do with him? We couldn’t let him go due to his ability to sense Alternates and his abnormal background.


    Uncle Ali butted in, “From what little I heard about this Rei character, do you think there’s anything suspicious about him?”


    I laughed out loud, only for my laughter to spread mild soreness throughout my chest. “Suspicious in what way? No, he’s too…sincere, but he raises a dozen questions. Someone like him shouldn’t exist, period. No identification, no family or friends, has a special ability.” (“At least we have ID,” Thea commented.) “Exactly! That’s why I left him with Rector and Morgan, where they’ll hopefully figure him out.”


    “Sounds like Rector might have to contact the Fushimis…” Leo muttered. “They’re our go-to in Japan.”


    “If the Foxmaidens have anything on Rei, I’ll be glad to hear.” I chuckled and lowered my head, staring at my lap and the rug.


    God, I hope Rei does alright. It was a big change coming from the mountains in Japan and finding yourself in the Office of the Guild Masters. He was only eighteen, Althea’s age (she wasn’t a good metric for comparison). Compared to the larger world, the kid unknowingly stepped in a pile of shit. Fortunately, it was our pile of shit. We would take care of him—Angels Guild would take care of him, like they had with me.


    Thea cleared her throat several times, bringing me back to reality. “So. Can we finally talk about the elephant in the room? It’s been sorta botherin’ us for the whole day.”


    Uncle brought a hand to his collar and rubbed the lining to soothe himself. “Jin Tianyou sought your company because he was inexplicably attracted to you.”


    I choked on air. “I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but yeah. He has a sixth sense for powerful people, and upon seeing me, it was like… Okay, don’t misunderstand but it was like love at first sight. Except for ‘love,’ it’s unexplainable power.”


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    “Except your power’s pretty explainable,” Leo commented off to the side.


    “To get a definite answer from you,” Uncle began, “Jin Tianyou did not isolate you for any political reasons? Just out of his own morbid curiosity?”


    So there were no misunderstandings, I nodded several times and said it outright, “He did not. I confirmed it myself. It was completely and only him. His father wasn’t involved to my knowledge, but Jin Junjie will most likely know our names once he returns from the Jianghu.”


    Uncle licked his lips, then pressed them together into a thin line. “He’ll most likely see us as pesky foot-soldiers for Angels Guild, but I can’t predict his behavior nowadays. It’s best to remain cautious and limit our confrontations with him and his son.”


    “Not plannin’ to ever meet him,” Thea said.


    “Obviously, I’m not going near that mother-killer,” then me.


    Throughout our exchange, Leo was sitting there mildly confused. She was looking between the whole family like we were a bunch of freaks, which we were, but gears spun inside her peanut-sized brain. Of all the urban princes and princesses in the world, there was no one more consequential than the heiress of the Demonic Cult''s Ryu Family.


    I remember what Althea had said before we had officially joined Angels: if we wanted their full protection, we had to share our secrets. This was our biggest and most precarious one, the reason behind all of our strange actions. Thus, we wanted Leo in the discussion; if our words weren’t meant for her sensitive ears, we would’ve kicked her out of the room already.


    After spending some time thinking, Leo finally asked the big question, “Are… Are you guys actually related to the Jianghu?”


    Uncle Ali, who’d been ready for it, said without missing a beat, “Their mother, Xingyu, was born there.”


    “Oh."


    Leo blinked.


    "Oh my fucking God!" Leo sprung to her feet and began madly ranting in Korean. Her living room transformed into a glorified track field; within a few seconds, she''d completed enough laps to qualify for the Olympics. Despite not understanding a lick of Korean and watching her burn holes into her floor, this was a pretty tame reaction. Least it wasn''t a heart attack. I know one person who would genuinely have a heart attack hearing this news. Well, make that two with Rector.


    Anyway, I should calm the princess down.


    When Leo was in-range, I grabbed her wrist and tugged. "Leo."


    My calm yet tired silver eyes grounded her back to reality.


    “Right.” She sniffled and wiggled her hand free. “Right, we have to treat this conversation as seriously and calmly as possible, right… Just…” She sat down next to me again. “This is bad.”


    “Tell me about it.”


    “Tell me about it.”


    Me and Thea said exactly the same thing. Siblings.


    Uncle Ali folded his hands together and sat on the edge of his seat. His foot repeatedly thumped on the rug. “Now you know. To say we''re in a dangerous position is putting things lightly. My kids both have SSS-Rank [Skills] and have blood relations to the Jianghu. The only other xias that have SSS-Ranks are—”


    “Shui Yuan and Longwang. For [Crimson Moon], that’s only an SS-Rank.” Leo grabbed a nearby pillow and hugged it for comfort. “I—okay, lemme think for a second. I… Have you traced down their mother’s sect?”


    Uncle grimly shook his head. “I tried, believe me. I used every connection I had, but I found nothing. I traced their mother’s footsteps, combed through every piece of record I could find, but there was nothing. Nothing, however, might prove something else. An Eradication Edict.”


    Hearing those two words brought goosebumps all over my arms. Even Althea, who’d been collected throughout the discussion, was biting her lip.


    Leo squeezed the pillow hard enough that the stuffing might pop from the seams. “That’s… That’s not out of the realm of possibility, but… Shit, I don’t know how to process this! If you can’t confirm your own origins—hell, even if you had—your existence can cause a literal war in the Jianghu if not globally.”


    Uncle said, “That’s why I stopped searching as soon as I realized the consequences. If anyone is tipped off, then it’ll lead to armageddon.”


    “And that’s why we’re a pretty paranoid family,” I commented, trying to lighten the mood. “How does it feel to know our secrets, princess?”


    “It feels pretty damn terrible, you dick!” Good answer. “You call me a ‘princess,’ but you and your sister probably belong to a secret sect—!”


    Uncle raised his voice, “Let’s refocus on the conversation. Leo, we told you this first because—well, the situation with the Alternates is more pressing—but mainly because of your aunt. She has resources that I don’t. She can potentially find answers that we desperately need. That we all need.”


    Leo laid the pillow flat across her lap and rested her arms on top. “She could. She definitely could, but are you sure about this? It means you’re allying with the Demonic Cult and the Ryu Family after this. There’s no going back, but if you accept, I’ll ring her up tonight and you can have a long conversation with her. You’ll have to explain everything from their mom’s background to their SSS-Rank [Skills], though."


    The three of us did what we do best: look at each other and share funny faces. We’d already discussed this, and we were okay with it. We had to be. Angels Guild needed to know, and carrying the logic forward, it meant the Demonic Cult and Cheonma had to know too. In exchange, we had promise. We had peace of mind: for our own safety and for the world''s.


    As always, Thea and I let our uncle have the final word: “Do it, Leo. I’ll talk to her myself and let the kids rest.”


    Leo exhaled like she could finally breathe again. “Alright, just… Let’s get the facts figured out first before we jump in.”


    Thea raised a hand, her left leg hopping out of nervousness. “S-So uhm, what about Rector and Seraph?”


    Leo said, “We are not telling them until after the investigation’s over. They don’t need another heart attack. And before you ask, this revelation won’t change anything. Trust me, I think we’re all carrying world-destroying secrets, so what’s one more to the pile?”


    I smiled and laughed; for some reason, I didn’t feel nervous. Maybe it was delirium, maybe I suffered enough chaos that even death seemed funny to me. But I liked the feeling inside my chest. I needed more of that. “Just what fucking guild did you rope us into?”


    “One filled with freaks, sir.”


    ***


    The apartment was cold and silent when they walked inside. The cool air striking Chunhua’s skin couldn’t sober her mind from tonight''s events. Her foot hit a fallen jacket, Kotone’s, and she gently brushed it aside. Their home was how they left it: messy and confused. They didn’t have time to clean before Blackviper picked them up, and hindsight said it would’ve been better if they had ignored her altogether.


    “...We’re home,” Kotone was the first to break the silence. She leaned against a wall and took off her shoes, struggling as her fingers failed to find a grip, but managed to pop her feet free. “So uh… What do we do now?”


    What a wonderful question. What could they do? What could she do? Martials Guild was a failure. Even if Chunhua was stalwart in her desire to join that forsaken guild, Jin Tianyou would get her killed. Slaughtering your own kin, your own mother, was a line that ninety-nine-percent of cultivators wouldn’t cross. So yes, what could she do now? Her best hope at returning to the Jianghu was, unfortunately, the Jins. They were apart of the orthodoxy unlike Empress and the Demonic Cult, though you could hardly call this “orthodox”—


    Something poked her and she jumped.


    “Woah!” Kotone hopped back, defensive. “Sorry, I-I didn’t mean to. What, uh, what were you thinking?”


    Chunhua swallowed as her throat was dry, but saliva couldn’t quench the thirst she had. “Nothing. I wasn’t thinking about anything.”


    “I mean, you can tell me—”


    “It’s fine, Kotone. Leave it be.” You would be disgusted if I shared my real thoughts. You would see me in the same light as Jin Tianyou.


    “C’mon, it’s alright—”


    “Kotone,” Chunhua said again. “I’d… I’d rather not have this conversation right now.”


    They were harsh words, yes, but necessary. It was necessary, even if it meant seeing how crestfallen her best friend looked and how the hurt swelled inside her tired, dim eyes.


    “I…” Kotone audibly gulped. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I was super stressed, and yeah, I’m sorry.”


    “There’s no need to apologize. I’m…” I’m hardly any better than that man, aren’t I? “It wasn’t my greatest day.” I can never escape the Jianghu. “But we can talk later. Let’s sleep, okay?”


    “Yeah. I need twelve hours, hehe.” Kotone’s laugh was hollow, but she tried. She always tried to be the light of the group despite herself. She patted Chunhua''s shoulder and began shambling toward the hallway, already dreaming about her soft bed. “G’night.”


    “Good night,” and Chunhua’s voice was barely above a whisper. She held the spot where Kotone had touched her, like it was a rash, and shuddered. I don’t deserve your touch, not today. I’m much too filthy.


    ***


    “I suppose that ends a good day.” Jin Tianyou sipped fine tea from his favorite tea-set, whole leaves imported from bum-fucked who-knows-where in backwoods China. “This was Mother’s favorite tea too. Very sweet.”


    It takes a special kind of wacko to drink his mom’s favorite tea after choking her to death, but this was a cultivator. Blackviper thought she saw it all but no, you saw new things everyday as a sword. Apparently, matricide was included.


    All she could do was hum and nod along.


    Jin Tianyou looked out the window and admired the vast complex of his quaint little manor. “What do you think about him? Conqueror?”


    Blackviper shrugged. I feel bad for the guy. “I can see why you’re attracted to him. He’s more dangerous than he looks, which is already sayin’ a lot. Also pretty thorough too.”


    “Is that it?” Jin Tianyou flashed a glance in her direction before taking another sip of tea.


    He walks around with Counterforce weapon systems, so he''s trained in countersystemic action. Precedence says he''s our worst nightmare. “What else can I say ‘bout him? He has potential, he’s not a fuckin’ retard—”


    “Do you think he can rival Mythos-level Slayers in the near future?” Jin Tianyou asked like that was a normal thing to say. “And I mean near. Ten years at most.”


    What the hell was she supposed to say to that? Again, she shrugged. “I’m an assassin, not a scouter. My job’s breaking down my marks as they are, not what they will be.”


    Jin Tianyou held a small smile and set his tea down. “Then amuse me. If you were to fight Conqueror as he is today, what would be the odds?”


    More questions… When would he learn that she was a mindless grunt and not some genius tactician? Blackviper sighed and scratched her cheek, working through the information she’d gathered in the past day. “Seventy-thirty, me.”


    “That’s high praise.”


    “Like you said, Conqueror’s not normal. There’s something going on inside his eyes, but I don’t care enough to find out. What about you? You happy? You’re done with all the questions?”


    Jin Tianyou shook his head and reached into his robes. He pulled out a thin slip of paper and put it on the table. “I have a request this time. This is a list of names within the guild. Tell them that a breakthrough occurred in my manor, so I’ll be occupied with ‘business’ here.”


    Blackviper raised a curious eyebrow as she took the slip. The names were all rather influential swords within the guild. Was he going behind Rector’s back—? No, Jin Tianyou wasn’t that dumb or petty. He was turning a crisis into yet another opportunity: to see which of the names here would leak the information.


    “Alright.” She pulled up her [PMs]. “After this, I’m off-the-clock and taking a sick day tomorrow.”


    In other words, she didn’t want to be around the office when his plan inevitably brought chaos.


    [Complete: Part 3 - For Mother]


    [Next: Part 4 - For Remembrance]