The League's Story

Zii chatted with Jinn for another couple of seconds before sending some scouts out to veiw the temple more thoroughly.

"Make sure that they move in groups of 3 to cover more ground. Send half the units." Zii commanded.

She started looking around again, before noticing Yun Yun stirring in the small room with bench. It sort of resembled a chapel, but far more ornately designed.

"I think the princess is awake, welcome back to the land of the living darling." Zii teased at Yun.

"Gather your bearings and recoup your strength. We have much to discuss." Jinn said to Yun.

They both began to move into the room Yun Yun was waking in. They sat down at a small table. Zii put up her legs, while Jinn sat proper.

"Are you ok? I managed to grab you after you were knocked down." Jinn said.

Yun Yuns eyes slowly opened, barely any focus, she could still hear the voices sure. She blinked a few times, staring at a ceiling before trying to remember where she was, the last she she remembered was standing near a shelf of books holding a book, so how did ?

"Where am I ?" She murmured softly before looking to where Zii and Jinn sat. She slowly sat up.

At Jinns question, she nodded. "I think so, it felt like someone was trying to seal my cultivation again." she did not want to go through that experience a second time. when Yun Shan sealed her cultivation it felt like electrical power ripping apart her skin, pins and needles she did not want to feel ever again. "What happened ?"

She had no idea the TVA just tried to grab her, only to have something else save her in relation to Jinn and Zii. she turned to Jin, "Thank you" He had saved her life it seemed.

Now, where were they ?

The League explored to temple. Finding books upon books and scrolls upon scrolls. Embedded shelves into the walls, and robed figured walked around watching and dusting occasionally. There were a scant few who read some things, and then murmured the words to themselves.

Each group would find this place to be larger than expected. A couple of chambers separating quarters of rest, study and what would seem to be training areas too. There was no sense of danger. In fact, an overwhelming fluctuation of calm emanated from the people and the vast, and quit large halls and chambers themselves.

They reported back telepathically to Jinn, relaying the details of the temple. Observing that there was some unfamiliar language, and they would need to use their universal interpreters to hear and translate. They just needed a few more mins.

"I'm being relayed the details of the temple, and I can tell you this. It seems we are in a temple of knowledge and rest. People seem to meditate over information in peace. So this could be a good place to rest a while." Jinn spoke.

Zii looked at Jinn and raised an eyebrow.

"You don't normally speak this much."

"In these circumstances, you need to rest. I'll step up in your stead." Jinn pointed to Zii's hands. It was trembling ever so slightly from all the recent activities, indicating a need for some rest.

Zii looked down and saw what Jinn saw.

"Honestly? This place creeps me out some. My body is reacting to whatever energy is permeating this place. It feels unsettling, too calm. Also, I can't explain that last bit....in the shadows...a voice." Zii started to look more uncomfortable.

"The scouts are deciphering the language here. It seems to be called a force temple."

"We are at the very least safe, right ?" Yun Yun then asked, she saw too how Zii was, visibly shook up about something

A voice ? "Did you recognise it ?" For all Yun Yun knew the voice Zii heard was possibly just Jinns, or Xiao Yans, or something. Yun Yun averted her eyes from Jinn for a moment. briefly looking at him amid shadows made her briefly think she was seeing Xiao Yan again, but that just wasnt possible. He never used shadows like that

Seeing that both Jinn and Zii were also worried about herself, she sighed and struggled to relax, steady her breathing. "I think I am Ok" she said, she then remebmered something.

"Děng {Wait}" She was suddenly briefly frantic as she looked on both sides of where she sat, then on the floor.

Where was the book ?

"Heralding...it has to be him." Jinn said.

Zii nodded.

"I think so too. Yun, Heralding is the one who probably has the book. He would have been the one who transported everyone and everything important in the library to safety. Including the book." Zii explained.

She saw the way that Yun Yun was more concerned about the book than if she was actually safe. She realized then, that the shock of being away from her home and people was likely overwhelming.

Zii initially didn't care, she was focused on her mission and then became focused on survival. It wasn't until they were in this place that felt ever more calming the more they sat, that she started having the leeway to consider Yun's full emotional situation.

"I think it'll be easy enough to aquire from Heralding. I'll try contacting him through the normal channels later." Jinn reassured.

Jinn, dressed in all black work attire for a stealth mission, produced an apple from a pouch under his cloak. He also produced a comfortable large black robe with a hood. It seemed to blend better with what the observers in the temple were wearing. He gave both the apple and the robe to Yun Yun.

"The cloak is for safety and comfort. It has enchantments that'll soothe you. The apple is sustenance. It doesn't wither and always gives a full meal worth of nutrients." Jinn got up and handed it slowly and gently to her.

Who ? was written all over Yun Yuns face, and instead of asking the word aloud she instead breathed a sigh of relief and let herself relax, leaning back against the low couch and letting out the breath she had been holding. However the name sounded strange, yet also familiar. Sure there were Heralds in the many households in the Jie Ma Empire, they normally oversaw day to day duties and even announced visitors arrivals. So a person named Heralding had to be something similar right ? She hoped so. She simply nodded in thanks to Jinn at his words.

There was something about that book.

When Jinn stepped over to her from where he had sat, an apple, and a cloak in hand, telling her what was what. She thanked him. Somehow once more reminded of Xiao Yan. Oh this was strange. This man wasnt Xiao Yan in any manner, didnt look like him, looked like a man who worked in the shadows like Soul Hall or worse. Yun Yun put the robe on over her current outfit. she felt a bit more comfortable in it. "Thank you" she said, setting the apple for the moment aside. After all, she and Zii had eaten at that eatery.

She then looked around, there were a few shelves of books, scrolls, and what looked like pieces of metal, in this case, holobooks and otherwise. The force temple had both high technology, and also low technology, written word was one thing, but digital was easier to access and use.

Within the Force Temple there were dozens of residents, The Obsorvers had no life signature, and came and went as if ghosts, simply observing, tending to books, and keeping the Force Temple in proper rights, they paid no heed to the League Members who explored the vast force temple, and if aid was requested, an Observor also made for a good librarian.

Jinn nodded. Observing the uneaten apple for a moment. He wandered if he should just snatch it back and save it in the shadows once more for when needed. But he decided against it, it's her decision what she does or does not do. Jinn would always accept and prioritize that.

Jinn looked at Yun Yun curiously. He felt some sort of connection to her. He wasn't really sure what. But he knew that she was observing him too. Something about himself made her emotionally squirm, and he could see it.

Jinn worried that maybe his kindness may have been unwarranted. He always hid and helped from the shadows. But unlike Yun Yun's clearly shinning inner light, he was the opposite...so alot of his kindness might seem cold and dark. This made Jinn sad to think about. Which in turn made him surprised to feel sadness at all.

"Erm." Jinn cleared his throat gruffly. Blushing underneath his hood and mask that shadowed his face, revealing very little in the current lighting. His caramel skin tones wouldn't reveal much, but the protection of all his clothing and calm body language shouldn't reveal anything.

"I'll step out to try and make contact with Heralding." Jinn dissapeared like a silent blade of grass floating away. No sound, no notice, just blending so quickly into the shadows that it felt like a mirage.

Zii watched Jinn go, and looked at Yun Yun's curious face.

"Heralding is a grand master of the ancient arts of magic. He was the one that moved the books. We'll get the one you were looking at, as it seems important to your story." Zii proclaimed.

She got up, and started heading for the door of the room. Looking over the holo-tech along the way.

"Let's have a look around. Ask some questions to the robots."

Cordelia found herself tumbling through the seemingly infinite void, surrounded by cracks within cracks as forms warped around her—places both familiar and unfamiliar. Finally, she was spat out into a massive structure, her feet touching gracefully upon the hard floor, as her claws tapped lightly against its surface. It didn't feel like the Gray Void, leading her to surmise that she was still on the "other side," as they call it. Her journey through the great divide had, at the very least, bought her body more time on this side, but she was nowhere near her target anymore. She didn't even sense OttO nearby. Once again, much like the time she was found by her king, she found herself feeling... utterly lost.

At Ziis suggestion, Yun Yun nodded, exploring where they had ended up might be a good plan indeed. She felt oddly much safer where they had somehow ended up which meant that she could relax easier. She was on edge even before she met Zii, always moving, never in the same place longer then two days. Always trying to stay one step ahead of those soldiers

But now thanks to Zii and Jinn, whereever they now were she felt much much safer. Leaving the condo, apparently living quarters provided for those studying there or wishing to have some measure of peaceful livingspace for a desired amount of time allowed them to return later if they so wished.

As Jinn left to contact Heralding, and Zii explained who the man was, it briefly made Yun Yun wonder if he was similar to Yun Shan. She found herself wishing she never trusted the vile man, Soul Hall worked with him, it was what got him to the level of a Dou Zhong so quickly.

It was how he was able to seal her cultivation until Xiao Yan killed him. She found herself smiling at the memory, he was getting revenge for the loss of his family, and in a way he ultimately freed her of the cultivation seal. Looking back on it, she didnt know why she didnt want Xiao Yan to kill Yun Shan, but now, she found herself glad he had done so.

As she and Zii walked along the many hallways, the floor to ceiling rows of bookshelves, danced with odd light. There were books, holographic drives, and trays of knowledge crystals on every shelf. The occasional rtobed being however made her nervous, she couldnt sense their life force nor see their aura, if they had one, they were niether good nor evil, just simply working to keep the place clean and tidy and aid those who wished for it.

They were dressed in simply brown robes similar to what Yun Yun was used to seeing for many scholars back within the Jie Ma Empire. "This place feels.... oddly safe ? As if we need not worry of looking over our shoulders" Yun Yun mused after the third Observer they had seen among the many shelves they also found a nice eating space too

Cordelia also felt a saense of raw safety, there was no threat of the Grey Void there, only peace, knbowledge and learning. A place she could rest and relax.

Cordelia felt disoriented. OttO was nowhere in the vicinity, and this place felt... detached from threats. Strangely, she could even hear her own thoughts without them becoming a noisy crescendo inside her head. It was a peculiar sensation, unfamiliar yet oddly pleasant. It was like she could just rest here, that she didn't have to worry about anything, at least, not for a while. It was like, for the first time in a long while, she could relax.

"Did I ever feel like this before?" she asked herself as she paced the premises. "Perhaps, on stage I felt— wait, stage..?"

There was a fleeting something, a phantom of a memory bubbling up from out of nowhere. Her steps transitioned into the dance of a bygone era, and in her mind, the distant sound of violins echoed. She tried to focus on those elusive echoes of what may or may not exist anymore. Then, the chorus—a cascade of beautiful sounds that must have been enchanting. In that ephemeral moment, everyone was there to see her, but all she cared about was the realization that there, in that moment, she was everything she had ever wanted to be.

In this moment, Cordelia closed her eyes, her robes and hair flowed in the air as she twirled delicately in her dance, and she could almost feel the wind. She was so caught in the moment that she was completely unaware that she had moved up close to one of the Observers. Cracking her eyes open, she was startled, and in betrayal of her previous grace, fell backward onto the ground, the sound of her robes making a bit of a clatter.

"Sorry I—," she uttered before looking at the person in front of her. It was strange, almost familiar, a presence that didn't feel quite... there? And this person, seemed to be dressed akin to a, well, what were they called? Was this a place of reverence, perhaps? "I mean no intrusion, but, where am I?"

Jinn, having contacted Heralding successfully, expected the message to take some time to reach him. One of his favorite things to do for calming his heart, was to practice his techniques in solitude as he pondered. Currently, he sat cross-legged on the high ceilings in a space thats deeper into the temple.

Jinn took deep breathes in and out as he blended into the shadows, allow them to morph and wrap around him. The air vibrated as he fell deeper into his practice, he could feel something gravitating and swirling...it felt alive. This, energy or...force...was whispering to him. He could feel his connection to his comrades sharpen. He could feel new surges of energy and knowledge flood into him. His mind spiltting into multiple branches of processing, his body becoming more capable.

Jinn could remember his first crush, a feeling of heartache in distance from that person. He could feel the longing.

'I miss that...' Jinn could hear himself yearning in his thoughts as the transformation unfolded.

In that moment, an image of Yun Yun inserted itself gently into that yearning, nesting herself into his very heart. At this point...whether he wanted to or not, he accepted that Yun Yun was creating those same feelings. But...why?

'Is it because of her grace? Beauty? No...something more...deeper.'

It felt almost like an instinct, like a calling from his very blood. It was so very mysterious. Jinn was a ghost to the very world at that moment. He could feel everything light up in his vision when he opened his eyes at the realization. He could feel the enigmatic energy around him focus to a point in his chest, and funnel to his eyes. He could see through the very walls, reading the heat and life force of every thing in a 5 meter radius.

"What?" Jinn made a face in exclamation.

He had never seen this sight before, nor felt this disconnect from the world either. But somehow felt even more in tune.

Jinn seemed to have reached an enlightenment, without even realizing it. Breaking through to new heights. Jinn didn't miss the stumbling familiar figure that bumped into one of the Observers. The being looked lost.

Jinn heard the thing ask a question to the Observer. The Observer seemed keen to answer, but before it did, Jinn interrupted. Before he could think to use the movement technique, he was already silently removing himself from the shadow of the back of the Observer. Stepping out, into sight, with a black mist surrounding him.

"This is a place of refuge and knowledge. Are you here for either or niether?" Jinn said with flashing eyes of purple. He didn't mean to look so intimidating, but his new achievement seems to be having some aftereffects on his appearance.

Just as he was answering Cordelia, a purple falcon appeared through a crack in space space/time and circled around the pair before landing on Jinn's shoulder. It was 3 times the size of a normal falcon, likely adding to the unintentionally intimidating atmosphere.

Zii continued to walk, keeping an eye on Yun Yun, smirking at her continued grace in all the confusion. She was very impressive to Zii. In this moment, even attractive. But Zii was never going to be interested in someone who seemed to have their eyes on anyone else but her in any given moment. If someone wasn't trying to have a fling, or a moment, then there would be no future.

Zii paused in her tracks with a feeling of dumbfoundedness.

'When did I become so relaxed that I could even think about such things?' She thought.

This was a bizarre place. It elicited such relaxation. Zii looked at some of the glowing shelves. Deciding to pick up what looked like a wrist guard of sorts. She fiddled with it, before it opened up and started to project an image of a robbed figured with a nice beard and darker skin.

"The technical aspects of the force is not one that can be comprehended through simple meditation. One must actively utilize the movements of their body to feel it and harness it. Pushing and pulling is one thing, but to gain...."

The hologram got cut off at the press of a button. Zii looked at a few books surrounded the holotech. She went down a row until finding a book that read: "Introduction into the nature of The Force"

She picked it and sat down at a table. Lost in her own world for a moment. She began to dissect the book as she pondered over this...force.

Cordelia sat there quietly for a moment, her attention turning to look up at Jinn. A haunting blue shine emanated from her eyes as she observed the man before her. He had reached... something, that much was certain. There was a momentary pause as she wordlessly tilted her head. She had long accepted that there were always things beyond simple explanation, her state itself almost indescribable. It was said that in the loss of something, something else compensates in turn.

She nearly jumped when the strange purple bird crashed through spacetime, but the disruption was strangely more fleeting than expected. Taking a moment to glance between Jinn and the bird, she chuckled quietly to herself—a self-derisive humor about a gathering of birds. Perhaps, to her, the color purple had become something of an omen. In an instant, there was a fleeting flow of something, the robes of the figure fluttering against something unseen. The ethereal ribbons from before seemed to lift her off the ground, setting her back on her feet with delicate grace.

"In the tangled strands of uncertainty, we find ourselves ensnared, yet we strive to unravel their mysteries, aspiring to transform from captives into weavers of our own fates," she said somewhat melodically, before she took a breath and sighed. Though she was nervous, she let out a light chuckle—not mocking or cruel, but not genuine either, something more forlorn. "I like it here, it makes the ghosts inside me sing, and they are... lovely. So, refuge, a brief respite against the indifference."

A brief pause lingered as she scanned her surroundings, and a faint trace of embarrassment could almost be discerned beneath her concealed visage. She lowered her head and looked off to the side.

"Ah, perhaps knowledge on how not to make a fool of myself would be nice too," she muttered, again with that melancholy chuckle.

As she wandered through the many rows of books, holographic recordings and other items, Yun Yun briefly let her mind wander. Why did the man named Jinn sound so much like Xiao Yan ? He didnt look like him in any manner, but he sounded, and acted like him on several levels. She found a chair and sat down in it, trying to think and clear her mind

Maybe some meditation could help ?

It did, Yun Yun then sat on the coushin set upon the floor surrounded by old books and scrolls, along with five holocrons that floated in the air seemingly of their own accord. Yun Yun simply began to meditate, cultivation was a good way to calm ones nerves. But as she did so she felt something, it felt weird really.

It was both there and not there. She could feel another source of energy as she cultivated in that space. Was it what was keeping those five holocrons floating freely in the air ? there was no form of technology keeping them aloft. they floated about a meter off the ground.

Her eyes snapped open just asthe bird landed upon Jinns arm. Very briefly her eyes glowed a bright pink with energy before the pink faded to her typical wind ability energies. Yun Yun looked at her hands, white energy seemed to burn on her skin, but it was only her cultivation reacting to something. Was she about to break through ?

The Observor merely smiled softly in Cordelias direction. "It is alright child, you need not fear or worry of others seeking you harm" She said. if she had a name it was long since forgotten or rarely spoken. If the Observor felt or knew that Jinn was within her shadow she showed no sign of resentiment or anger, meditation, studies, all of it was possible in that temple after all. Turning to Cordelia the Observor asked her. "Have you need of food or rest ?" A door slid open nearby, within the room beyond was a comfortable bed and refresher should Coredlia need either. "Perhaps a place to be by yourself until you require aid ?"

Regardless of if Coredelia accepted the Observors offer of a private space to wonder about the ghosts singing to her or not the Observor simply stood and awaited if either Coredelia or Jinn required aid, however to Jinn she said simply "The bird is housebroken is it not ?" even if it wasnt, the Observors could clean up after it without worry

Jinn looked at the thing that is Cordelia, and didn't pick up any animosity. She was lost in her own wondering and musings. This place seemed to have more to offer than expected. Jinn thought that this place of unknown power was mysterious, but now he was downright baffled that this discomforting being was also distracted by this place.

Jin shook his head, turning his attention to the Observor.

"It doesn't have such needs, as its made of the immaterial." Jinn petted the falcon. It cooed, nestling into Jinn's touch, before doing a happy caw. It melted into Jinn's hands, becoming a surge of information and something...more.

Jinn noticed that Heralding seemed to have left a bit of power in the bird, giving Jinn access to a pocket dimension by way of the shadows. Heralding...always the shocker and anticipatory sage. Jinn turned his attention back to the thing.

"I don't know what you are, but you are unsettling by nature. I dislike it a great deal. How do I address you?" Jinn bluntly stated, still looking hauntingly cloaked in shadows. He was beginning to wonder how to turn that off, but he truly didn't know.

Zii pondered the teachings of the book. It spoke on the idea of detachment and meditation, the becoming one with the essence of the force from a foundation of absence and acceptance.

"Hmmm...I guess it's similar to the requirements for magical enlightment towards the elements. Heralding and Jinn would learn this more easily than me." Zii pondered to herself.

She continued to listen to the holotech.

"-enlightement, one must allow the fluidity of its nature to flow through you by active means of movement. Combat prowess is not limited to Saber skills or attunement, but rather the intrinsic understanding that one must flow with any combatant. From the danger brings closness to life and to the very intention of others. This includes oneself, for you must-"

She paused again. Thinking on the lines in the text that read: 'To bring understanding, to bridge the feeling of the intangible, you must be guided through some trials that move your body, mind and spirit. Sparking a connection to your inner self, your belief, and your trust. To peer into the very nature of consciousness and unconscious, into the soul and spirit of the world. You must escape your preconceptions.'

"Yes, this is pretty similar...the gist is to trust in the unseen, the unknown. To grab hold of the essence of the power in the universe by way of faith."

Zii started to sit cross legged. Thinking on how she was pulled here. How she was guided. She tried to remember the feeling, the vocalization of what she now realizes to be some sort of calling from the force itself.

Zii could feel herself fall deeper away from herself.

Cordelia shuddered beneath Jinn's words, not out of fear, but of something deeper. This marked the third instance she had faced such disdain. Despite it, she composed herself, swallowing both her anger and pride. Swallow your anger, swallow your pride, or be swallowed by them.

"Ah... you don't mince words, do you? You've begun to scratch the surface, sensing what we, in our forgotten existence, have come to accept," she spoke after a moment of collecting herself. "They call me Cordelia, though uncertain if that was ever truly my name. I am Nix, one displaced from the reality you perceive. We are the forgotten ones," With a subtle step closer, her voice transformed into a whisper. "Be not so cruel, for no one is beyond the grasp of our shared fate. Seek the fire within to warm your soul, especially when standing at the precipice. Your companion teeters the edge."

With those words, she gracefully stepped back and bowed, redirecting her attention to the Observer.

"I... ah... don't recall the concept of food on this side, but I am not overly particular. However, I will need solitude to consume it, so as not to be a further disturbance," she conveyed with another polite bow.

Jinn looked the Nix, Cordelia in the eyes. Thinking on what she said. That his friend was going to fall soon. Is she talking about Zii or Yun Yun?

"I don't know anything less than efficient. But I do not intend to be cruel, simply direct. Whom are you speaking of when you speak ominous words of doom?"

As Jinn asked this, a pulse of energy newly familiar to him, lightly reaches his skin and then settles into his spirit. He turns in the direction of the hallway where a gather of more shelves, books and holotech reside. A study hall of sorts that the trio stood outside of. He could feel himself connected, through shadow and energy beyond, to Zii.

But not just her...Yun Yun seemed to be also having a moment. They both were giving off waves that were undulating from their very soul. But somehow, they were distinguished from one another.

Yun Yun felt like she was reaching into a higher realm, her pulses were growing stronger and distinctly...elemental. meanwhile Zii's felt like they were growing quite, and paced out. Like she was fading away.

Jinn didn't know how to feel...but his shadows responded to his feelings. Slowing warping and shifting away, slipping into Zii's and connecting them. He could feel his squad of teammate join in, supporting Zii, by sending her energy.

Jinn held his vision on Yun Yun, feeling a sense of longing and strong desire to support her, before breaking eyeline to look back at Cordelia.

"If we offer truce, will you support us in figuring some things out?"

Yun Yun remained seated ont he low coushin in a meditative pose, internal and external energies washed through and over her as she struggled to meditate. Cultivation in such a place felt amazing! However she was not excpecting such strength as she cultivated where she sat.

Energy swirled and danced around her and within her as her core solidified and expanded. She was at the edge of Peak Dou Zun, the full nine stars, she was ready to break through to Ban Sheng. The problem however was, could she do so safely ? Raw energy danced on her finger tips and sent tingles up her arms, she briefly shivered as if caught in a draft.

She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, there. That was what she needed, what she wanted. She focused inwards and flexed her fingers, making a complex string of movement before seemingly locking in place a rune of some kind. Raw power bottled within her and then expelled itself rather violently, a rush of energies burst from where she sat as she remained seated, eyes closed.

Energy washed over Yun Yun, this time it was soothing and bright in color and feel. It was not a Heaven Flame like Xiao Yan had collected, but the wash of relaxing soothing energies meant she had made it, she had broken through from Nine star Peak Dou Zun, into One star Ban Sheng.

Her eyes slowly opened, they seemed a slightly brighter blue in color

The Observor simply smiled towards Jinn as he referred to her. Unsure of what to call her. Or if she even had a name. Most of the Observors still possessed their names. She was one of them. "You may refer to me as Librarian Yulin" She said with a gentle bow of the head to Jinn.

Turning to Cordelia, Librarian Yulin Held a hand towards the opened door behind Cordelia, It was a private space where she could eat without being a disturbance or facter of any kind of fear, offering her the utmost in terms of privacy. "Food shall br providoed, whatever suits your fancy" Librarian Yulin said to her.

Cordelia turned toward the private space, prepared to step through the doorway. She stops short, however, and gives a short chuckle, one distinct from the others—lighter in nature. She glanced back and performed something akin to a curtsy, albeit without arms. The ambiance wasn't lost on her as a surge of something flowed through the structure, her robes swaying against the unseen forces.

"Firstly, I speak of the woman whom the outsiders sought to capture, ah... the one who exists here yet should not?" she articulated, her gaze drifting down to the ground. "And secondly, a truce, sir? You speak as if we are at odds, yet I harbor nothing. I can be hurt without having vengeful thoughts, and I can fight without malice. No, it was simply that my presence was causing discomfort, and I'd personally rather not be that. I, put simply, understand. And... lastly? I'll offer what I can give regardless. So, of course."