ERA OF DESTINY-Chapter 151: THE BIRTH OF BONES AGAINST THE WEEDS– II

The night inside the fortress was calm.

Within the open grounds, the tribes stood beneath the sky, watching the stars. For years, none of them had seen such a sight. Night had belonged to vigilance and survival. Every darkness carried the possibility of death. Today, for the first time, guards were lowered.

They looked upward like people who had forgotten what freedom felt like.

Kiaria observed them.

He concealed himself through the Shadow Ghost technique and moved silently across the grounds until he reached Geng and Mimi among the Miru tribe. Only then did he withdraw the Ghost Body.

The Miru tribe reacted immediately.

"Greetings, Lord."

They knelt without delay.

"Meeting Lord Master."

Geng and Mimi bowed together.

"Rise," Kiaria commanded.

They stood.

"Mimi. Geng. Arrange a massive dinner platform. Tonight, you celebrate your freedom. Celebrate it with all tribes and with the Association. We will join. Prepare it."

There was no further explanation.

He vanished.

–

Geng and Mimi moved at once.

With the cooperation of the Miru tribe, they gathered the population toward the marketplace. The market area was dismantled. Using its materials, they constructed a large platform hall capable of holding every tribe within the fortress.

The work progressed quickly. Tribes and Association members participated together, though still separated in groups.

When construction finished, the hall stood ready.

Six divisions were arranged inside for the six tribes. A balcony was set above for Association members. At the front stood two highest thrones. Beneath them, six elevated seats were prepared.

Mimi later entered the pseudo palace and knelt on one leg.

"Greeting Lord Master. Everything is ready."

Kiaria rose. His companions followed.

They entered the newly formed hall under Mimi’s lead and walked through the central path toward the thrones.

The tribes were already assembled in their respective divisions. The Association occupied the balcony above.

Kiaria and Diala stood before the peak thrones. Their companions aligned below them. Geng stood beside Kiaria. Mimi stood beside Diala.

Once all were positioned, the entire gathering knelt.

"Hail the Lord God."

"Rise."

They stood again.

Kiaria sat first. Diala and the others followed. Only after he waved his hand did the rest take their seats.

With another wave, rifts opened across the hall. Tables appeared. Dishes filled them in abundance. Wine manifested beside every seat.

Excitement stirred among the tribes.

Kiaria tapped the armrest of his throne.

The sound cut across the hall and silenced them.

"From today onward, Geng and Mimi will be the leaders of all tribes within this fortress. They will also lead the Association."

The words fell without force, yet their meaning was heavy.

On the balcony, several core Association members tightened their expressions. Dissatisfaction was visible. Kiaria noticed it.

He ignored it.

"Tonight’s celebration is not only for your freedom," Kiaria continued evenly. "It is also for the title they have earned."

Silence held for several breaths.

Then the feast began.

Yet even after food appeared, no one moved until Kiaria lifted his cup and took the first drink. Only then did the hall begin eating.

Music followed. Performances began. Voices rose.

Kiaria did not watch the entertainment.

He watched the divisions.

Each tribe remained within its own boundary. Food was shared internally. Cups were raised only among familiar faces. No one crossed into another section. Even laughter remained contained. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He observed long enough to confirm it was not coincidence.

Then he struck the armrest.

The sound echoed sharply.

All movement stopped.

"I arranged this dinner together for a reason," Kiaria said calmly. "I wished to see how much coexistence exists among you."

His gaze moved across the separated sections.

"You suffered the same oppression. You faced life and death without distinction. Yet even now, you sit divided."

No one raised their head.

"If you do not learn to support one another, if you do not build attachment beyond tribe, then nothing has changed. Internal conflict will destroy what you have just regained."

Silence thickened.

"If fences remain between you, the past will repeat itself."

No one responded.

Then a small movement broke the stillness.

A little girl from the Meisa tribe stepped forward. She held a piece of meat between her chopsticks and walked across the boundary toward a Cil tribe boy.

The hall watched.

She placed the meat into his bowl.

"This is for you."

For a moment, no one breathed.

Then the boy looked at her and nodded slightly.

The stillness fractured.

An elder from another tribe stood and crossed into a neighboring section. Wine was poured across divisions. Food was exchanged. Conversations extended beyond original boundaries.

Gradually, the separation dissolved.

Kiaria watched without comment.

An hour passed.

The hall no longer resembled divided tribes, but a single gathering.

Without warning, Kiaria grasped Geng and Mimi by the shoulders. Space folded. In an instant, they stood outside the fortress walls beneath the same night sky.

He released them.

"Leadership," Kiaria said calmly, "is not sitting on the highest throne."

They listened without interruption.

"It is removing the divisions others are too accustomed to see."

He looked once toward the fortress behind them.

"Do not allow separation to grow again."

Kiaria completed his words. But–

Geng and Mimi stood motionless, their gazes fixed beyond the fortress walls. The world outside stretched endlessly before them. In their lives, this was the first time they had witnessed the land beyond confinement.

Geng slowly reached for Mimi’s hand.

She did not resist.

Kiaria did not interrupt.

The wind moved gently across the vast land, carrying the soft glow of golden, white, silver, and rose-pink dandelions that spread across the plains like a galaxy resting upon earth. Their luminescence shimmered quietly, neither harsh nor overwhelming, yet impossible to ignore.

Geng and Mimi watched without speaking.

Kiaria noticed the moisture gathering in their eyes.

Tears did not fall from grief.

They fell from release.

Minutes passed in silence.

Kiaria allowed it.

He remained attentive, ensuring the wind did not intensify, ensuring nothing disturbed their footing or vision. His presence, though quiet, maintained balance around them.

At last–

"Ahem."

The sound was not loud.

But it was enough.

Both of them startled slightly and released each other’s hands.

"Forgive us, Master."

They spoke in unison.

"Forgive?" Kiaria asked calmly. "For what deed?"

"For wasting your time," Geng answered.

"That is not a problem," Kiaria replied.

His gaze moved over them briefly.

Then he paused.

"Do you two have something beneath those green robes?"

His tone remained steady, though there was the slightest strain as he asked.

"Ehh? Beneath?"

Mimi turned sharply, her hands instinctively moving to cover herself as she faced Geng, her expression flushing red. Geng stiffened immediately.

Kiaria closed his eyes briefly and exhaled.

"As expected," he said. "The green robe is not meant to be worn as a casual garment."

He looked at them directly.

"Have you ever heard of someone wearing armor without proper clothing underneath?"

Both of them lowered their heads, faces fully flushed.

Kiaria exhaled deep-audible.

The sound was restrained, not irritated–merely resigned.

"No problem."

Kiaria raised his hand. From the obsidial-diamond ring, two sets of black robes emerged and floated before them.

He tapped his foot lightly against the ground.

Instantly, walls of stone rose around Geng and Mimi separately, enclosing them on four sides without a gap.

"Change your clothes," Kiaria said evenly. "After you are finished, I will teach you how to properly wear the green robes."

Silence followed from within the stone enclosures.

Kiaria turned his gaze toward the glowing field once more and waited.

"Alright, I have finished."

Geng’s voice emerged first from within the enclosed stone walls.

The walls surrounding him lowered and returned to the ground.

Moments later, Mimi’s enclosure dissolved as well.

Geng stepped forward holding the green robe loosely in his hand, unfolded, its fabric hanging without order. Mimi emerged with her robe folded neatly against her arms.

Kiaria turned and looked at them.

"Not bad."

The words were directed at their composure after changing.

Then his gaze shifted downward.

He observed how each of them handled the robe.

His eyes stopped on Geng.

Cold without any expression and held no words.

Geng did not understand the meaning of that stare.

Before he could speak, Mimi delivered a low kick to the back of his knee from the side.

"What? Why are you tapping on the dress? It will get dirt," Geng said, not even looking at her, his attention fixed on checking whether his black robe had been soiled.

Mimi lifted her hand and knocked lightly on his head using the PIP joint of her forefinger.

When he turned to glare at her–

"Robe," she murmured.

Geng froze.

Realization struck instantly.

Without another word, he folded the green robe properly, smoothing the edges carefully.

Kiaria spoke then.

"Perfection is not required. But negligence will betray you faster than any enemy."

Neither argued.

"Now," Kiaria continued, "each of you drip one drop of blood onto the robe."

They obeyed.

A single drop from each finger fell onto the green fabric.

The color shifted.

Green turned to red.

The robes trembled, then shattered into countless minute fragments. Yet those fragments did not fall to the ground. Instead, they rose, circled them, and began enveloping their bodies.

The red glow faded.

The blood that had stained the robe returned to their pricked fingers. The wounds closed instantly.

The robe settled fully around them–green once more.

A subtle pressure gathered around their bodies. Their spiritual energy responded immediately, circulating faster, clearer. A wave of refreshment surged through them, increasing their vitality several folds.

Kiaria observed without comment.

"Now," he said, "let us go to the pavilion."

He stepped forward and entered the Dandelion-Feather Land.

Geng followed without hesitation.

Mimi did not move.

She stood at the boundary.

Kiaria did not turn immediately. Yet he was aware.

"Mimi," he said calmly, "I know why you are hesitating. The green robe will protect you."

She lowered her gaze.

I know Master will never let me die, she thought. He will protect me. But the fear of these dandelions... this fear was fed to me since birth. It is woven deeper than reason. She thought.

The wind moved gently across the field.

"Geng," Kiaria said, "you know how to handle it, don’t you?"

"As you wish, Master."

Geng stepped behind Mimi.

"Mimi. Sorry for the offense," he whispered.

Before she could react, he pushed her forward into the field.

Golden dandelions lifted instantly at the disturbance, scattering into the air.

Mimi closed her eyes tightly.

More followed. The wind carried them upward, spreading them into the night.

"Mimi, look," Geng said.

She did not respond.

"Look. Look. Look."

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

The moonless sky, already filled with stars, now shimmered with countless floating golden lights. The luminescence spread across the darkness, blending with the night as though the sky itself had descended.

The sight did not threaten.

It mesmerized.

The wind continued to move gently. The dandelions swirled without harm.

Her breathing steadied.

The fear that had anchored her since childhood loosened, then thinned beneath the glow.

Minutes passed.

Without further hesitation, the three of them walked deeper into the field.

At last, they reached the elevated platform before the pavilion.

Kiaria ascended the stairs and stopped beside the entrance wall of the pavilion.

Geng and Mimi exchanged glances.

There was no visible door.

Only seamless stone.

"Come. Place your palms on the wall," Kiaria ordered.

They climbed the stairs and approached the surface cautiously. Their eyes scanned the beams above, then shifted to their Master’s face.

Kiaria gave a single nod.

Both pressed their palms against the wall.

The pavilion responded.

The green robes released a low resonance, subtle yet undeniable. From the points where their palms touched, a ripple formed and spread outward in a circular wave of luminous green light. The ripple traveled across the entire pavilion, reaching its highest tip before returning downward – yet it did not stop at the wall.

The wave flowed across the platform and into the surrounding beams.

One by one, the beams awakened.

Green light shot upward along each pillar, rising into the night sky like silent pillars of energy.

From above, a condensed shaft of green radiance descended and enveloped the pavilion.

Where their palms rested, luminous imprints appeared. Their robes glowed in response.

The wall parted.

Not abruptly – but as though it had always contained a hidden passage.

At the peak floor within, a Golden Willow Tree stood rooted. Its branches shimmered faintly, casting a warm golden light that filled the pavilion.

They entered.

Kiaria lifted his hand. Three books materialized within his grasp.

He handed them to Geng.

"These three contain the foundational knowledge of alchemy. I had considered activating your meridians myself. But your fates diverge. What you become must be forged by your own effort."

Geng and Mimi bowed.

"We will work hard," Mimi said.

"Follow."

Kiaria led them upward through the inner chambers.

Four chambers were already complete.

Yet they found nothing within – no treasures, no artifacts, no visible inheritance.

"M-Master... why are the rooms empty?" Geng asked.

Kiaria did not turn.

"Control your greed. Nothing comes without a price."

Mimi silently engraved the words into her heart.

At last, they reached the top floor.

The Golden Willow Tree stood there, deeply rooted. Its vines extended downward through the pavilion, connecting every level. There was nothing else within the chamber.

Kiaria stepped forward and placed his palm upon the trunk.

He closed his eyes.

"Children are here," he spoke within his mind.

The Willow Tree responded.

A golden vine descended and gently embraced Kiaria. Then it separated into two additional vines adorned with delicate leaves and moved toward Geng and Mimi.

The leaves brushed across their faces.

Then the vines wrapped around them.

Warmth spread instantly.

It was not overwhelming power.

It was familiarity.

Mimi’s eyelids grew heavy.

She yawned softly.

But Geng stiffened, breath faltered.

Memories surfaced without warning.

The dungeon.

The ashes.

The Roga tribe.

The porridge.

His mother’s final moments.

"Mother..."

The word escaped him before he could restrain it.

His knees buckled.

He knelt.

Green energy flowed from the Willow’s core, traveling through the vine and entering his sea of consciousness.

Mimi had already fallen asleep within the embrace.

Geng’s tears fell silently.

Then darkness overtook him.

Kiaria remained still.

There was no panic.

The Golden Willow did not destroy.

It reconstructed.

With a mother’s warmth, it mended what had fractured long ago.

The green robes surrounding them glowed brighter in response.

Time passed.

The vines slowly withdrew.

Geng and Mimi opened their eyes.

Their hair had turned green.

Their eyes reflected the same shade.

Even the black robes they wore beneath had deepened into a dark green hue.

They were no longer merely survivors.

They bore the mark of cultivation.

The vines retreated fully into the Willow.

Kiaria looked at them.

"Geng. Mimi. The Willow has strengthened your meridians and reshaped your bodies into those fit for cultivation. What remains now concerns this pavilion, your weapons, your duties... and what you owe."

His gaze did not soften.

"I will explain."