It was unfortunate for the continental alliance, but the Triptych was composed of cowards. There were positives, of course. The fact that they only appeared occasionally meant the total amount of devastation they could achieve was reduced. Unfortunately, they never stayed still long enough for a properly sized force to attempt to counter them.

  John wasn’t trying for too much. Just two or three Ascending Soul Phase cultivators to counter their Exalted Soul Phase cultivators, plus himself for a third. It wasn’t a setup where they were guaranteed to win, and in fact John expected that they would likely lose. But even so, it seemed impossible to pin them down with a decent fighting force.

  Some might have called what the trio had ‘caution’, but cowardice was the right choice. They only fought those weaker than themselves, with no intention to fight against those who might match them. John wouldn’t hesitate to fight a similar number of Ascending Soul Phase cultivators… though maybe his own side’s members were better.

  They hit the Viridia Wildlands. The port they chose wasn’t as significant as Urdcliffe had been, but it was still a valuable connection to the western islands. The infrastructure was destroyed, but the standing orders were to not engage. Specifically, upon detecting their approach continental forces were supposed to disperse as rapidly as possible, in every direction.

  It worked quite well- the cowards were too afraid to split up even if they would be against people far weaker than themselves. Of course, they might have been wary of ambushes- there were some plans, but mobilizing people to exactly the right locations was difficult.

  The second attack was after a month, the third another month and a half. This time, the Shining Coast was the target- another port, but not a fortified sect like the Lunar Island. Following previous habits, they would cause as much damage as possible before leaving after a few days. Not immediately. Unfortunately, they never gave quite enough time to launch a counterattack. It was possible they knew how fast the continent could respond. John hoped it was just a good guess… but if it was spies, there were forces acting to root them out.

  The events were personally frustrating to John because he felt like he was chasing after the wind. Except he could actually catch the wind, or pretty much anything else.

  The continent did fare better against the occasional other forces the Sovereign Primacy sent. When they tried to occupy anywhere longterm, they were swarmed by cultivators. Perhaps the war could be won through attrition, taking out their strongest cultivators until the Sovereign Primacy had nothing left but their Triptych.

  The possibility of a counterattack was also tempting. If they couldn’t catch them, perhaps they could force them to show themselves. The Sovereign Primacy had so far avoided any consequences to their own lands… but if they wanted to destroy cities, John could do that too. With the aid of Ursel and Lucanus, he could sink islands into the sea or create eruptions that would rupture them apart.

  Their first counterattack needed to be a success, both to put pressure on the Sovereign Primacy and to improve the morale of the continent. Plans were being laid, islands scouted and targets chosen carefully. It frustrated John, but it was just how things were.

  At least he occasionally spotted their ships and was able to fight directly. Such battles didn’t greatly increase his insights, but every time he got a glimpse of the Triptych- even from a vast distance away- he felt himself take small steps. If only he could measure how much they were growing. They wouldn’t have become stagnant immediately upon reaching the Exalted Soul Phase. He wanted to fight one. Sacrificing himself to kill one was unreasonable until he had a better measure of their power.

  Waiting was the worst. Especially waiting for a response from Aldara about possible aid. Whatever promises she made, they would then have to wait for the actual results. What was the point of being so strong if all he could do was wait?

  -----

  Meditating was difficult away from home. It was doubly so because John didn’t have inner peace. Unfortunately, meditation was one of the ways to get it… so he had to make do.

  Maybe if he was the sort of jerk to shove people out of their own courtyards or shoo people away from their own sect, he could have found better spots. Sometimes, he found somewhere good off in the wilderness. Streams and rivers were always good, but John could manage with a nice tree or a flow of lava. In some ways, extreme elements were calming- even if they were trying to kill him.

  John was reminded of training with Kusuma on random ‘islands’ in the middle of terrible storms. It wasn’t all that different from diving into a geyser and letting it carry him to the surface. It was a terrible idea for anyone who wasn’t a powerful cultivator- pressure, heat, the potential to be turned to jelly against the rocks… it was all there. But it was in its own way beautiful, and seeing it up close made everything better.

  John didn’t know where would be attacked next, so the Boiling Springs was a decent compromise on the northwestern end of the continent. He should receive word if the Triptych were taking a scenic route around the territory. They had people watching in various ways. From the shores, ships on the sea, a few friends under the sea, as well as birds and balloons in the air.

  Cuah’arn was a pretty good scout when she redirected her light upward. It made her nearly invisible- as long as there weren’t any clouds directly overhead. Light had as much capacity for stealth as darkness if used correctly. Just like the first thing John experienced of darkness was the revelatory power imbued into his eyes. The two elements weren’t the same, were mutually destructive, and yet not all that different. Then again, John barely found true differences between any element.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Elements were real, certainly. He wasn’t doubting that. However, when he saw them as facets for how one viewed the supernatural nature of a world he thought he gained more valuable insights. Not that it would be easy to do before he was a full cycle cultivator, though the core cycle had certainly been revelatory.

  -----

  News came of the next attack… but not by the Triptych. Instead, there had been an assault from the southern seas. It hadn’t been long since the sects of the Windswept Sea attacked, and John had nearly annihilated the three responsible. Even if the continent had been drawn into a war, it was still unreasonable for them to make a move. Yet they did.

  Except this time, it was under the banner of the Sovereign Primacy. None of the possibilities for how that came to occur were particularly comforting. Either the Sovereign Primacy had been able to communicate with them sufficiently by sailing all the way around the continent or… they went even further. The other way.

  Not around the side with the Empire of Elements or through the seas of the western islands. Both were technically a possibility, but there was actually another way they could have gone. Another way around the planet.

  Between John’s own continent, the Molten Sea, and the Empire of Elements they spanned more than halfway around the globe. Easily two thirds with the expanse of the western islands. However, there were a few old maps of the greater shape of the planet, as well as some modern maps they had captured. They were made for war- which is to say the details of the Sovereign Primacy’s territory had been vague and intentionally not to scale. Yet it very clearly stretched far to the north, while also sprawling out to either side.

  Much of it was scattered islands leading to more dense archipelagos, sprawling far and wide to the northwest of both continents. But some curved further and around. They could have continued even further and come upon the Windswept Sea from the far side.

  Currently, there was little proof- though once they captured some cultivators from the Windswept Sea they should be able to learn something. Some of what they needed to know would be known to everyone, if the speculations were true.

  Regardless of how, though, the attack was a problem. John was glad they hadn’t completely pulled their forces from the southern border. In fact, the Sky Islands had been carefully watching the area and managed to give warning before the vessels arrived. Ultimately they were able to fend off the attack… but it meant they had to spread their forces even thinner.

  It wasn’t sustainable long term. If things stretched nearly as long as the war in the Molten Sea… the continental alliance might tear itself apart.

  They needed the aid of the Empire of Elements… and if they didn’t get what they needed it would likely be John’s fault. Though there had been some moments of connection with Aldara, John had actually still kept some distance. He was the one who chose to minimize the promises they made to each other. Then again, it was impossible to say what would have actually happened until there was a response. The Empire of Elements could have given all the assurances in the world but it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t act.

  -----

  The worst part about waiting was that if they wanted to anticipate the arrival of the Triptych then John needed to be at a point where he could reach the most targets possible. The same was true for his closest allies, but their distance was less. That meant he wasn’t with them. Carrying even one person with him as he flew would significantly slow him down- or tire him out. Only someone as close as Matayal or Astrid, with whom he could have combined his own energy, would be an exception.

  John wasn’t entirely alone, though. He had two friendly spirit beasts around. First there was Cuah’arn- when she wasn’t out scouting, anyway. She sat with him on one of the Blustering Peaks, those closest to the shores. It wasn’t necessarily the most optimal location, but he didn’t want to remain in a single, clear position for too long. He roamed around the coasts, occasionally moving against incoming ships when he felt the urge. If he always fought them, they could be prepared or even avoid him. Likewise, they could serve as a distraction. If his actions were semi-random… it would be more difficult for them.

  The other visitor was Ciaritzal. Unlike Cuah’arn, the darkness spirit beast didn’t plan to fight against the Sovereign Primacy. At least not their Exalted Soul Phase cultivators. Instead, he would serve as a messenger, swiftly striding across the continent.

  “What a shame, what a shame,” Ciaritzal said. “You could have been a perfect partner for me. Then you had to go and ruin it with all that sparkly light!”

  John grinned. “So I did.”

  Of course, he had ruined their perfect compatibility at his second totem. Earth wasn’t that bad, but his third totem being air was a clear step away from perfect compatibility with Ciaritzal. Even so, they had actually been excellent partners up until John actually began cultivating light. Though their compatibility also fell due to long term separation. Now, Ciartizal could probably still ride along and empower John, but he wouldn’t be a huge factor- especially for an Exalted Soul Phase cultivator.

  “I wonder…” Cuah’arn commented. “If you didn’t have such pesky darkness inside of you, would we have been compatible?”

  John shrugged. “I would have never joined your sect to begin with. And I couldn’t have retrieved his claw.”

  The two spirit beasts were more than content with their current light. Ciaritzal had once been set against Cuah’arn by the Society of Midnight, and though the two bickered whenever they were near each other John thought they were actually the closest friends they could be for two individuals that were literally toxic for each other. Likewise, his bond with them was as strong as it could be for the circumstances. He had given up his position in the Tenebach clan and he was never part of the Golden Tomb Guardians to begin with.

  “Are you going after that one?” Cuah’arn tilted her head.

  John took out an actual die to decide. Because more randomness was a good way to keep his foes on their toes. This time, he didn’t even cheat. “Yeah. I’ll bring that one down.” The ship didn’t even have any Ascending Soul Phase cultivators, so nobody really needed him to do it. But it was good for the continental citizens to see him active… and for the Sovereign Primacy to have ships that would never return.