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Chapter 10:

Please see Chapter 1 for the Summary, Author's Notes, additional details, etc.


They stood in triumph for all of fifteen seconds, when suddenly they all started stumbling and lost their footing.

“What’s going on?” Avi said frantically.

“I don’t know!” Jason said.

Had they completed that last task incorrectly? Did they do something wrong? Weren’t they done? Shouldn’t they be unearthing the chest by now? Avi held tightly to Jason and Maya so they wouldn’t separate, and when she opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) the world around them was completely different.

“What … the hell?”

They stood in the middle of a park, normal-colored green grass, normal trees, the sun bright in the air. They looked like they might have been in any number of the normal parks in Beijing, if it weren’t for the emptiness. Beijing was bustling with people – this looked like an eerie mirror.

“I’m guessing we’re moving on to the next stage of our quest,” Maya said slowly. “It was nine challenges and not five after all.”

“Why’d the appearance change?” Avi wondered. “It’s like we’re in a totally different world.”

“I’m guessing Old Yang lost more and more power as he got further along,” Jason said slowly. “And at some point, he gave up on putting so much effort into modifying the Fold. This is probably not what the Fold’s natural appearance is, but it’s closer, and so required less Talent expenditure.”

“Is the world going to change again, do you think?” Avi asked nervously. All the earthquakes were upsetting her nerves.

“We’ve passed five challenges so far, right? And we assumed either five or nine challenges total, so if there are nine challenges … the natural assumption would be that the entire quest is split into a first portion of five tasks, a second portion of three, and a last portion with one final task,” Maya hypothesized.

“That sounds about right,” Jason agreed. “It would be more narratively fitting, and thus mean less Talent expenditure, if he split up the tasks that way.”

“So the final task, that final portion, will probably be under the original appearance of the Fold,” Avi hazarded.

“I mean, presuming Old Yang hadn’t lost all his power and died halfway through the seventh task or something,” Jason cautioned. “But yes, if he retained enough Talent to make it to the end, it would have been more powerful to let the final task take place in the Fold’s natural environment.”

“Well, we have that to look forward to,” Avi said grimly.

“Let’s get going then,” Maya said without preamble. “What does the map say?”

“Well, I had interpreted the map under the assumption of five challenges and not nine,” Avi cautioned, “so I don’t know what the next task that awaits us is. But I know the last landmark we are to set off for is some sort of pavilion.”

“Like that one?” Jason asked, pointing to the one in the distance.

“There are several pavilions in the park,” Maya pointed out. “What makes you choose that one?”

“If you look carefully,” Jason said, “You can kind of see it glowing blue. Do you see it?”

Maya and Avi looked carefully, then exchanged looks. “No,” Avi said honestly. “I don’t see anything.”

“Hmmm …” Jason said, frowning.

“Maybe it’s because you have Yang blood,” Maya suggested, “and so you are meant to be the one to see it. It wouldn’t surprise me if Old Yang set up some safeguards so only his descendants could continue.”

“That would make sense,” Jason agreed.

As they set off toward the pavilion, Avi started thinking out loud. “So if my ring from the fire challenge is a secret light saber, I wonder if the other objects also have similar magical powers?”

“If we have four more challenges ahead of us?” Maya said. “That would make sense. The objects we acquire during the first half of our quest will aid us in the latter half.”

“What I want to know,” Jason said, “is why the ring works when Avi uses it. Doesn’t she have unTalent that theoretically nullifies all Talent?”

“Good point,” Maya said. “Can I see the ring?”

Avi handed it over, and Maya turned it over in her hands a few times, examining it as they walked.

“Very interesting,” she said. “It’s a shoddily-designed ring, and that’s probably the very reason Avi can use it.”

“Why?” Avi asked, curious.

“The enchantment is entirely in the stone of the ring. The metal of the ring needs to be heated up by human flesh for the enchantment to be triggered, but all the actual Talent is in the stone. Now, this is very ineffective because breathing on it wrong could mis-align the enchantment, and it doesn’t make for a very strong spell. I can see why Old Yang did it, though – it requires the least amount of Talent to do this. That does mean that Avi can use it as long as she doesn’t touch the stone of the ring, just the metal portion.” Maya shook her head. “Old Yang was running out of Talent, I don’t know how he managed to set up four more tasks and then leave this place.”

“We’ll find out, I suppose,” Avi sighed, for they had finally reached the pavilion.

There was nothing in the pavilion at first glance, nor at second. Even when Jason tentatively set a foot instead, braced for attack, nothing happened. The three looked at each other in confusion, and then walked to the center of the pavilion. Still nothing happened.

“Are you sure-” Maya started to ask, but then they were interrupted by demonic laughter that seemed to come from all around the pavilion.

Then, walls seemed to slam down from all sides of the pavilion, so that they were encased in darkness, could not see each other, and could also brace themselves against the ringing laughter.

“Shit!” Jason’s voice cursed out, and moments later Avi could feel why as something seemed to flutter at her in the darkness. She tried to dodge away from where it sounded like it was coming, but could still feel something scratch her blood as it passed.

“Fuck!” she cried out, as she put her right hand to her left arm and touched it. It was sticky – probably bleeding.

“Goddamnit,” she heard Maya cry out, accompanied by grunt, so Maya had probably gotten a hit in.

Avi heard something else come at her, and she lashed out, but this time it was Jason who grunted.

“Sorry!” she said. “I thought you were the monster!”

“God, we can’t see a thing!” Jason said. “I can’t tell what’s you and what’s the enemy.”

“We need light,” Avi agreed, then had a thought. “Jason, do you still have the crystal from the wood challenge?”

“I don’t know how easily I can find it given how fucking dark it is,” Jason hissed, “but give me a minute.”

Avi barely dodged the creature at least two more times, earning herself a swipe on her thigh and a punch at her ribs, when suddenly she saw some light coming, and then she could see Jason’s face as he held the crystal. He threw it in the air, where it flew to the ceiling of the pavilion and flared light.

And with the light, Avi could see the creature that attacked. It looked like a caricature of a human, with horns coming out from its head, and wickedly sharp teeth.

“妖怪!” Avi identified, shrinking back.

“This is no simulacrum,” Maya said grimly. “Old Yang must have captured one and set it here as a challenge. Clever, in that if he’d already caught it a long time ago, he wouldn’t have expended any extra challenge to set it free here.”

“Quite accurate,” the creature hissed in Mandarin. “Interesting choice of language, though. You’re not who I expected. Nevertheless, I have been here for far too long without food, and I am hungry. Most specifically, I am hungry for the blood of Yang. I want vengeance for my imprisonment!”

“There is nobody from Yang Family here,” Avi tried. “You can set us free?”

“You speak the truth, yet I smell the Yang Blood,” the creature sniffed. “And truly, it doesn’t matter what Family you hail from – your flesh will taste sweet either way. They say hunger is the best seasoning, after all.”

And then it moved forward to attack again.

They could see it this time, however, and easily dodged. Maya struck at it with her sword, and Jason with his Talent, and Avi with her ring. The sword and the ring were only pale imitation of true power, however, and the creature was a fierce, starvation-honed monster from the real world who withstood their flimsy tools with ease. And Jason’s Talent was still weak enough that he could not destroy her.

Maya, Jason, and Avi quickly found themselves hanging on for life.

“What about the other tools,” Avi panted. “The ones we haven’t used yet? Do you think they will be of any help?”

“Only one way to find out,” Maya said grimly. And then, while Avi and Jason covered her back with a flurry of attacks, she reached into her bag and pulled out the orb.

Then, while she held the orb in one hand and the sword in the other, trying to attack the creature with the sword, and experimented to see if shining the orb at it harmed the creature at all (it didn’t), Jason reached into his bag and took out the statue.

Frustrated by the lack of effect, Maya heaved the orb at the creature. The 妖怪 dodged, just barely, and the orb shattered against the floor. As it did so, however, it spilled a blue light into the room.

“Do you see the exit?” Jason asked, rather incredulously.

“What exit?” Avi and Maya asked.

“The light points toward and exit from the pavilion!”

“Only those with Yang blood can see that exit once the orb shatters,” the 妖怪 spat with glittering eyes. “I see that I shall especially enjoy you.”

So saying, the creature raced toward Jason to attack him. He raised his arm to block, but he was always a bit slow on defense, and even Avi could tell that he wouldn’t be able to cast a spell in time. Just as the creature was about to strike him in half, however, the statue he had forgotten about, that he had dropped to the floor, suddenly turned red, and the creature seemed to bounce off an invisible shield.

“Well, at least we know what use the statue has now,” Jason said, as he followed up with a spell that raked the creature’s face, leaving it bleeding.

“Even with your puny tools,” the creature hissed, “you are not fast enough, not strong enough, not clever enough to hold me off and escape. I have more stamina. You will tire, and then you will be mine.”

“I think not,” Maya said grimly, and then suddenly she snatched the statue from Jason and clutched it in her hand.

“Hey!” Jason was outraged, but Maya ignored him.

Instead, Maya raced forward toward the creature, using the statue to fend off the poison it tried to spit at her face. She pinned the creature to the wall with the sword and called out behind her, “Jason! Take Avi to the exit and run!”

“But you-”

“I can’t hold her off for long! You have to take Avi and go on to the next challenge! You’re the only one who can see the exit!”

“But-” Avi said plaintively, but Jason grabbed her arm and yanked. She couldn’t see the exit she led him to, so she closed her eyes as he yanked her through what seemed like a solid wall, and they ended up on the outside.

“I can see where the path goes,” Jason said, and he tugged her along a footpath, heading toward the dark forest that Avi wasn’t too crazy about going toward.

Jason and Avi didn’t look behind as they ran on – Maya wouldn’t want her sacrifice to be wasted because they’d lingered too long. They ran through the dark forest, at times so dark Avi couldn’t see the roots she kept on tripping over. But Jason seemed sure of his path, so she presumed his Yang blood allowed him to see what she could not.

Suddenly he came to a stop. “This is where the light ends.”

“This is where the Seventh Challenge is,” Avi concluded, and then looked around. The path they had come down had somehow been swallowed by hedges in the time it took them to travel it. There was no way for them to go back, or left, or right. And yet to go forward, there was a very large, very imposing door barring their way.

“I don’t suppose you picked up a key along the way anywhere,” Jason sighed.

“Maybe it’s another Yang Family Blood thing,” Avi said optimistically. “Try opening it. Maybe it’ll open as long as you’re doing the pushing.”

Jason doubtfully tried, and failed. The door didn’t open.

Avi, meanwhile, was looking at the designs on the door. She traced the carvings with her fingers, since it was a little difficult to see them clearly in the dim light of the forest. When she came to the top of the design, she gasped in realization. “These aren’t just designs! It’s the figure of a person!”

“A person?” Jason asked. “Do you think it has any significance.”

But Avi’s fingers were already prying at the figures. She wasn’t surprised when they came off.

“So what? Now that you’ve taken it off, the door will open?” Jason tried to push at the door again, and then cried out. “Ow!”

“What happened?” Avi asked, concerned.

“It zapped me!”

“Be careful,” Avi cautioned. “I don’t think removing it is key. I’m betting the figures, there’s two of them, are 门神, door gods. And they’re back-to-back, which is a no-no. The figures are supposed to be facing each other.” So saying, she switched the spots that the two carvings held, and pushed it back on the door until it stuck.

“Now, try again.”

“But what if I get z-”

“Try again,” Avi repeated.

Sighing, Jason did as instructed. To his astonishment, the door swung open before his hand even touched the door.

“Told you,” Avi beamed, and they stepped through.

Stepping through the door was like stepping into a new world – their surroundings were as realistic as before, but instead of being in the middle of the forest, they now stood in front of a large chasm.

“So this is the Eighth Challenge?” Avi said. “A ditch?” She looked at the chasm, which was like a deeper yet narrower version of the Grand Canyon, lacking any of the beauty and retaining all of the formidability.

“I’ve read about this before,” Jason said with something approaching awe. “It’s an Abyss.”

“I’d gathered that,” Avi said dryly. “A giant ditch.”

“No, an Abyss,” Jason corrected. “It’s a bottomless pit.”

“Really? No bottom?” Avi said, surprised.

“Drop a penny in and see? Er, I guess that’d be a 1-jiao piece.”

Avi obliged, and watched as the coin winked out of existence without a single telling clink. “So? Did you cover how to get across in your readings?”

“It’s pretty simple, actually,” Jason said. “Uh, you need to close your eyes and walk across. As long as you are sure of foot and your heart does not waver.”

“Close your eyes and walk across? And you don’t fall in,” Avi said dubiously.

“As long as you don’t open your eyes or turn back, you’re good. If you should, uh, open your eyes or waver in heart or turn back, then you … presumably fall for all eternity.”

“Wonderful,” Avi said dryly. “So we just close our eyes and go across?”

“I think we should go one at a time,” Jason corrected.

“Why?” The sooner they finished the challenge the better. They couldn’t tell when Maya might falter, and the creature might come after them.

“So one person can guide the other person across?” Jason posited.

“You said we just walk, right?” Why would they need a guide?

“Yeah, but how would we know when to open our eyes?” Jason pointed out reasonably. “I’d rather not risk the chance that I think I’m on the other side, only to plummet to my death.”

He had a point. It wouldn’t do to let impatience lead them to their deaths. “Hey, if we’re just falling and we there’s no ground to hit, we might not die, right?” Avi said optimistically.

“Don’t they say that it’s the fall that kills you, not the bottom?”

“Okay fine,” Avi said. “We’ll take turns. I’ll go first?”

“What if it’s not safe?” Jason said, concerned. “Maybe I should go first and-”

Avi rolled her eyes. Jason was sweet and all but both he and Maya seemed to think she needed extra protection. “How about not. My Talent, my risk to take. I’ll go first.”

And then before he could argue, she closed her eyes and stepped out.

The first few steps were touch-and-go. She figured “sure of foot” meant “fast” but “heart does not waver” was difficult when you were pretty sure there was nothing in front of you but empty space. It helped that she started walking before she hit the actual Abyss – she was walking for a good ten steps before she realized she must have left behind solid ground at least eight steps ago. The eleventh step was a bit wobbly, and the ground seemed horribly soft, but she very firmly thought of solid things (mountains, dirt, earth, concrete, finally settling on the sound of heels clicking down a hallway) until her steps no longer sunk into soft nothing, but even clicked a little like she was actually wearing heels down an actual hallway.

She didn’t falter again until she heard Jason’s distant voice going, “No, what are you doing? Turn left!”

“What’s going on?” she asked, almost pausing before the foot in back seemed to sink into nothing and she quickly stepped forward instead.

“You veered somehow in your path. Turn left.”

She obeyed him promptly, and soon his instructions came frequently.

“Turn right. Right more. Now left!”

At first she grew frustrated with his instructions. Maybe if he weren’t correcting her so much, and waited for her to finish correcting her path before giving her new instructions then he wouldn’t have to give her so many more! It wasn’t until his quiet, serious voice was saying, “Turn right. Now right a little more. Now right a little more,” that she registered something was wrong.

“You just had me turn all the way around,” she said evenly. “I thought you said I would fall if I did that.”

“I didn’t want to tell you in case it affected your … uh, heart-wavering or anything like that, but are you sure you’re walking in a straight line?”

“As straight as I can!”

“Well, then I don’t know how to say this, but I think the spatial directions in the middle of the Abyss are distorted or something,” he said slowly. “You keep on veering around, until you’re walking back toward me. I don’t want to risk the chance that turning back in the right direction might be construed as ‘turning back’ so I’m trying to have you veer in a slight arc until you’re in the right direction.”

“Oh,” Avi said in a small voice, as she tried very hard to concentrate on thinking of solid things and not the distressing information she’d just receive. “Carry on, then.”

“I also think that the distance is distorted,” he continued, “because you’ve been walking for a long time at decent strides but haven’t gotten as far as I’d think. Probably space is just distorted.”

“That’s just great,” Avi scowled.

“At least it’s just space and not time,” Jason said with false cheer

“Not yet,” Avi said pessimistically.

Despite her pessimism, however, it turned out that as soon as Jason got the hang of directing her without killing her, it didn’t take that much longer, or that much more work, to get her to the other side. “Now you can open your eyes” turned out to be the best words she’d heard all day.

She turned around, and waved at the distant figure of Jason, smiling. “See? Wasn’t that bad!”

“Let’s see if I’m as brave as you, then,” Jason said. “Are you ready?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Avi said. “Of course! You can start whenever you’re ready!”

She watched as Jason closed his eyes and walked forward, and her heart leapt when he took his first step over the Abyss. She felt sure he was going to fall, it looked so precarious, but he seemed to be making his slow and easy way across, and slowly, she stopped digging her nails into her palm.

He seemed to be making good progress, such that she wondered if she weren’t just really bad with directions, when all of a sudden, he veered sharply left.

“Turn left,” she said, “I mean, turn right.”

He did as she said, and she began paying closer attention, as his path started becoming more circuitous. Sometimes, he would slowly veer off to one side while she wasn’t paying attention, until she had to redirect him. Other times, between one blink and the next, he’d be walking in the complete opposite direction, and she’d have to slowly and strategically veer him back in the right direction.

It was harder work than she’d expected, because he’d travel forward a few feet, then end up going backwards or to the side a couple of feet before she could get him turned in the right direction again. Slowly, he too made it to the other side, as well.

Just as Avi was about to let out a sigh of relief, for he’d reached the other side, the world exploded in white. Avi felt herself flung back, and covered her face. When her vision cleared and she could see again, she couldn’t see Jason anywhere.

“Jason?” she called out, panicked. Had he fallen? What had she done wrong?

“I’m over here,” a voice said from far away, and Avi looked up to see Jason on the other side of the Abyss, back where he had started. “Are we falling?”

“No,” Avi choked out a nervous laugh. “I think you’d be able to tell.”

“Not with my eyes closed – wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to feel the falling if there’s no bottom to fall to. Uh, I don’t think that made as much sense as it did inside my head.”

“You can open your eyes, I think,” Avi sighed. “It didn’t work.”

She assumed Jason did so, because she could see him move his head around before letting out a string of curse words.

“What went wrong?” she asked finally.

“My best guess is that there’s some sort of limit placed on the Abyss. You have to wait five minutes before another can cross.”

“More likely,” Avi said slowly, calling the map to mind, “it’s an ‘Only one may cross’ type deal. That’s probably the bit we weren’t able to decipher.”

Jason leaned back and laughed weakly. “If only we’d figured that out sooner.” He shook himself, and stood up. “I guess that means you’re on your own from here on out.”

“Guess so,” Avi agreed.

“Good luck,” he said, “and remember to be careful. You’ve only got the one challenge left, so make it count.”

“I will. I’ll be back soon,” she promised. “I’ll be waiting for you to guide me.”

“And I’ll be waiting.”

And so she turned around and left him behind as well as she set off to face the final challenge.

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