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It had only been two months since they’d let themselves fall into the portal buried inside the Corrupted roots, but Quinn knew they had changed, and the sickening feeling in the pit of their stomach said it wasn’t for the better. The veins of their right arm now constantly pulsed with corruption-red magic under the pale skin, running under the protective padding of their underarmour and chestplate to trace up the side of their neck and disappear just below their jaw. They could look at their reflection in lakes and window glass and see the dark red glint of their right eye, which persisted even when they exchanged the spear for their daggers or the shaman’s relik.
(Even more concerning, Quinn’s magic had changed for those weapons too. The replica clones they conjured as an assassin had multiplied and some looked more like skeletal shadows than a mirror image of the living, breathing Quinn. Their relik sapped at their health, dragging it out of Quinn and turning it into damage for their enemies, and they hadn’t dared to pick up their bow from the depths of their bank. They feared they were straying further and further from the Light.)
The Canyon of the Lost was disorientating at the best of times and Quinn’s sense of direction had always left much to be desired, so they hadn’t realised where they were until they saw cherry blossom trees in the distance and the glint of a sweeping rooftop. They hadn’t thought much of Sensei Miyagi’s dojo since their last visit, other than to tuck the Master’s Gi they had earned safely away in their bank. But well, since they were already here, it surely couldn’t hurt to pay another visit, right?
They weren’t sure whether to be comforted or alarmed that the Sensei didn’t recognise them upon sight, but they had changed quite a bit since their young-ish assassin days. Still, they bowed politely to the Sensei and when he offered his challenge to sharpen their skills, they accepted. They were not ready for what he said next, which was something he hadn’t said before.
“When you are ready to begin, purify yourself in the waters of the spring behind the dojo, and I will guide you to your first challenge.”
The human’s head whipped up, eyes wide and heart skipping several beats in their chest. Perhaps the Sensei had recognised them after all, or perhaps he perceived something deeper inside them as he simply inclined his head and slowly walked away, his arms tucked into his sleeves. Quinn was left standing in place with mouth open like a blobfish, taking quite some moments to shake themselves out of it and slowly walk through the dojo.
The other students took no notice of the human warrior in their midst as Quinn crossed out the back doorway (the dojo’s rice paper doors were always open) to the small wooden walkway poised at the edge of the spring. The water was edged with ferns and water lilies were scattered across its surface as a collection of some sort of small fish darted and weaved between its stalks. It felt like its own little world and yet it also felt like a simple water spring, but Quinn knew that looks could be deceiving.
Purify yourself in the waters.
Surely Sensei Miyagi had meant spiritually or mentally, to brace for the challenge with a clear mind, and Quinn’s mind had been clouded for many months. But water was simply water, and Quinn couldn’t hope for a miracle but still they held their breath as they set down their spear and reached into the water with their right hand. Their veins – pulsing a soft red as a mockery for their betrayal of the Light – laughed at them beneath the surface of the water, taunting them for their ridiculous hope… and then faded to nothing, simply winking out with the barest of tingles.
Quinn couldn’t believe it. They took back their hand, running their other fingers over the back of the palm because surely it was a trick of the light, but the veins were normal; uncorrupted.
Purify yourself.
Now Quinn didn’t hesitate. They retreated back into the dojo, stripping off their diamond armour and hanging it carefully on the racks before returning to the spring. They dipped their feet in first, sitting on the edge of the walkway and letting their twisted bone spear rest behind them as they inched themself further into the water and then at last let themself be submerged.
When they emerged from the pool, dripping water from head to toe, their eyes were both back to their deep grey and their right arm had returned to its normal state, with no corrupted red veins tracing their body. They could still feel the Corruption magic thrumming through their heart, but now they alone controlled their body and their mind, and that was all they needed.
They completed Sensei’s challenges as they were; simply Quinn, a human from Wynn. The tests of speed, ferocity, intellect, and then finally, peace.
Unsurprisingly, it was the test of peace that was the hardest of all.
Quinn’s hand drifted across the scrolls carefully bound and stored along the walls of the small library, taking out a few and reading snippets of them before slipping it back into its place. They hadn’t found any secrets for quite some time, and the joy of hunting out secrets had dimmed dramatically under the pressure of being Hunted and then grappling with their conscience and their corrupted magic. But this place was not the time as they carefully went through the steps to make steaming tea, pouring it into a bowl before taking it to the small meadow outside.
There weren’t many more animals than last time; three pigs, four cows, and a single solitary sheep grazing on its own in the corner. It was this creature that Quinn walked up to, kneeling down before it and offering the bowl. There was a glint of intelligence in the sheep’s eye as it looked up, meeting Quinn’s gaze with beady black eyes, but it did not move to take the bowl even when Quinn offered it again.
Something was wrong, Quinn realised as they sat cross-legged, looking down at the bowl with a frown. They didn’t like tea, but still they raised the bowl to their lips and took a sip, then took another, and then a third as the sheep gazed upon them critically. Only when they lowered the bowl a third time did the creature seem satisfied and crossed the small gap to lap from the bowl itself. There had barely been any tea left, but they had each had their fair share and, content, the sheep shuffled and lay down beside the warrior with its fluffy head resting on their thigh, eyes shut in sleep. It was the first time in a long time that a creature had willingly sat itself beside Quinn, much less fall asleep. Even Quinn’s two horses were startled by them sometimes.
(They missed their pets. Spots and Lint had been away from them ever since they became Corrupted, and Quinn hadn’t yet collected them from Casey’s home. Their magic was now a danger to all living things and Quinn would never forgive themselves if they hurt the two innocent creatures. Still, if Quinn ever had a chance to take a break, maybe during another festival, they’d spend quality time with their pets again, as an apology.)
It was quite some time later when Quinn emerged from the meadow, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Turns out that the sheep was far softer and more comforting than Quinn had imagined (and turns out they were more stressed and exhausted than they’d realised). Sensei Miyagi was waiting for them when they returned, and the wise man smiled that secretive smile that all good teachers had.
“I see it now,” he said. “The troubled heart you came here with is troubled no longer. I recognise your mastery of the Sitheach room.” He chuckled, a good hearty chuckle. “It’s just like a human to do what cannot be done. Yet despite your mastery, this is merely a single step on your journey.”
Of course, he then jokingly asked if Quinn wished to take his place as Sensei and he was not surprised when the warrior quickly declined, eyes wide and hands waving at the prospect. He sent them on their way, now with a new Master’s Gi that was even stronger than the first, and Quinn wore it proudly as they left the dojo, once again settled in their own skin with a heart that was once again strengthened.
And just in time. Now, they were ready to return to the Molten Heights.