Cultivation is Creation

"How many?" I asked silently, keeping my expression neutral as I pretended to rest.

"At least six figures moving through the forest parallel to the road," Azure replied. "They're maintaining distance but matching our pace precisely. Their movement patterns suggest coordination, not random travelers."

I risked a glance through the back opening of the wagon.

The forest had grown denser as we traveled, the trees looming closer to the road's edge, providing perfect cover for anyone wishing to remain unseen, which explained why I didn’t notice anyone.

"Can you sense any energy signatures?"

"None detectable. Either they're ordinary humans, or they're concealing their presence."

The wagon hit a rut in the road, jostling me against a crate of textiles. The impact knocked the wind from me briefly as I collided with the rough wooden edge. I steadied myself, running a hand over the tightly woven fabric visible through the slats.

They appeared to be exactly what Lady Laelyn had claimed, bolts of cloth in various colors and textures, likely bound for market in Hyelin City.

As I carefully adjusted the covering, I noticed Beric breaking formation, turning his horse and doubling back toward the wagon. His expression remained impassive, but his eyes constantly scanned our surroundings. He pulled alongside the wagon, matching its pace as he leaned slightly to peer inside.

"Boy," he called gruffly. "Come here."

I hesitated only briefly before making my way forward through the crates. No point in feigning ignorance or refusing his command, either would only heighten suspicion. Better to appear cooperative and gather information.

When I reached the edge of the wagon, Beric reached into his saddlebag and, to my surprise, withdrew my rusty sword. He extended it toward me, hilt first.

"Take it," he commanded. "And stay inside this wagon no matter what happens. Understand?"

I accepted the sword, noting how Beric's gaze lingered on the notched edge with a barely concealed wince. The blade was practically worthless against anything beyond a common bandit, but I supposed he thought it better than leaving me completely defenseless.

"What's going on?" I asked, allowing a tremor to enter my voice. "Is there trouble?"

Beric's eyes flicked briefly to the forest before returning to me. "Don't worry about it. It'll be taken care of."

With that less-than-reassuring statement, he turned and swung back onto his horse, signaling something to the other guards that I couldn't quite make out. The formation around the wagon subtly shifted, the guards moving closer, hands resting on weapons.

Leaning back against the crates, I closed my eyes, giving the impression of a frightened youth too scared to watch what was coming. In reality, I extended my spiritual senses outward, monitoring the area around the caravan with as much subtlety as I could manage. Yet, I still couldn’t detect anything.

"How far to the next settlement?" I asked Azure.

"Crossroads Inn lies approximately seven miles ahead," he replied. "At current speed, we would arrive before sunset, assuming uninterrupted travel."

I suppressed a grimace. Seven miles of open road with hostiles closing in. Not ideal.

Running now would be foolish, it would only mark me as a target for whatever force pursued us. Better to wait, observe, and see if Lady Laelyn's guards could handle the situation. If they prevailed, I could continue with relatively safe transport.

If not... well, chaos often provided the best cover for escape.

“Master. Their movement pattern suggests they intend to intercept rather than merely follow."

It was about to get real messy.

Pursuers changing from surveillance to interception meant they'd either achieved whatever reconnaissance they needed or had decided that the opportunity to strike outweighed the benefits of continued observation.

The wagon's pace increased, horses urged to a faster trot by commands from the driver.

The sudden acceleration sent crates sliding, forcing me to brace myself against the wooden floor. Through my half-closed eyes, I caught glimpses of the guards drawing weapons, swords mostly, though one had nocked an arrow to a short bow.

The tension in the air was palpable, a physical pressure that seemed to build with each passing moment. Lady Laelyn had disappeared from view, presumably taking shelter in the enclosed forward section of the wagon where higher-value goods would typically be stored.

Then it happened, so quickly that I might have missed it if I hadn't been specifically watching through spiritual senses rather than physical eyes.

A lance of pure light, brilliant and coldly blue, streaked through the air toward the caravan.

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It moved faster than any normal arrow, leaving a phosphorescent trail that seared itself into my vision.

For a heartbeat, I thought it would strike the wagon directly, at which point I was fully prepared to abandon my passive posture and dive for cover.

But the spear of light never reached us.

Instead, it struck what appeared to be an invisible barrier surrounding the caravan, its energy dispersing in a shower of sparks that briefly illuminated a dome-like structure enclosing our entire group.

"A defensive formation," Azure observed. "Passive rather than active."

I frowned at the implications of what we'd just witnessed.

The light spear, while impressive to the untrained eye, was nowhere near the caliber of a true cultivator's attack. I'd seen Early Rank 1 Skybound throw more powerful attacks during basic training exercises. Yet the energy was unmistakable.

"Lightweavers," I murmured inwardly. "Or at least, someone utilizing similar methods."

It seemed I had escaped the Skybound only to find myself caught in a conflict between Lightweaver factions. The cruel irony wasn't lost on me. Of all the caravans I could have joined, I'd managed to select one targeted by practitioners of the very power system I was seeking to learn.

The light spear's weakness was somewhat reassuring, though.

Its power couldn't even be compared to a Rank 1 attack from a true Lightweaver. These were likely disciples or perhaps even mere associates, dangerous to ordinary people, certainly, but hardly a serious threat to someone with even modest cultivation abilities.

Unless, of course, there were many of them. Quantity had a quality all its own.

As that thought passed my mind, more light gathered in the distance, not a single spear this time but dozens of smaller projectiles. Light darts, each individually weak but potentially devastating in a volley.

The wagon lurched as the driver urged the horses to greater speed. Beric shouted commands, and the guards redeployed, two moving to protective positions at the rear while the others maintained their perimeter around Lady Laelyn.

The volley launched, a deadly swarm of blue-white lights that converged on our position. The barrier flickered as it repelled the assault, but I noticed it dim slightly with each impact. Not invulnerable then, but impressively resilient.

From the trees at the roadside emerged our pursuers, six figures in black robes with face coverings that revealed only their eyes. They moved with the fluid coordination of trained fighters, spreading out to surround us.

Despite their attempts at anonymity, their techniques betrayed them. The way they gathered ambient light, compressing it into weapons and shields, these were unmistakably Lightweaver affiliates, though not full disciples based on the relatively low power of their attacks.

Beric and the guards didn't hesitate.

Weapons drawn, they moved to intercept the attackers.

What happened next surprised me.

Beric raised his hand, and light, actual light, gathered around his fingers. He thrust his palm forward, and the light extended into a brilliant sword that he wielded with remarkable skill.

The golden blade clashed with an attacker's light shield, creating a cascade of sparks where the energies met. Beric moved with the precision of a trained soldier, each step calculated, each strike aimed at vital points. His opponent stumbled backward, clearly surprised by the ferocity of the offense.

The other guards were similarly skilled, though they fought with conventional weapons. One woman wielded dual short swords with blinding speed, deflecting light darts while closing distance with her opponent. Another guard, a broad-shouldered man with a heavy maul, slammed his weapon into the ground, creating a shockwave that disrupted an attacker's footing.

It was a chaotic dance of light and shadow, conventional weapons against mystical energy. Trees splintered when missed attacks struck their trunks. The earth churned beneath stomping feet and impact blasts. One black-robed attacker went down with a guard's arrow in his shoulder, only to be dragged to safety by his comrade.

The caravan continued moving through all this, the driver expertly navigating the road while the conflict raged around us. The barrier flickered continuously now, its power clearly strained by the sustained assault.

"Tomas!"

I turned to find Lady Laelyn standing at the entrance to the front compartment within the wagon.

"Come here, quickly," she urged, extending a hand toward me. "It's safer."

I hesitated only briefly before scrambling toward her, maintaining my facade of scared villager.

The front chamber of the wagon was surprising in its luxury.

What had appeared from the outside to be a simple merchant's cart revealed itself as a well-appointed noble's traveling compartment, complete with padded seating, a small writing desk, and several hidden compartments built into the wooden panels.

Lady Laelyn secured the door behind me.

Outside, the sounds of combat intensified as Beric and his guards engaged the attackers.

"Stay away from the windows," she instructed, moving to a central position in the chamber. From here, she placed her hands on what appeared to be carved symbols inlaid in the wood, a control mechanism for the barrier, I realized.

"What's going on?" I asked her, allowing genuine confusion to enter my voice. "Who are these people? Why are they attacking us?"

She glanced at me, her expression troubled. Her hands remained on the barrier control symbols, but I could see the strain it was putting on her to maintain the protection.

"You have a right to know," she said after a moment's hesitation. "You're caught in our troubles through no fault of your own." She took a deep breath. "We aren't merchants…"

I widened my eyes in feigned shock, though inwardly I thought they hadn't done a particularly convincing job of their cover to begin with. The refined speech patterns and military-precise guard formations had been obvious tells.

"Then... who are you?" I asked, letting confusion color my voice.

"I am from a noble family," she explained, settling onto one of the cushioned benches and gesturing for me to do the same. "House Vareyn."

The name meant nothing to me, but I nodded as if recognizing it. "But... nobles don't have abilities like..." I gestured vaguely toward the outside, where golden light flashed as Beric continued to battle. "Like that."

Lady Laelyn opened her mouth to respond, but a sudden change in the ambient energy interrupted her.

The barrier around the caravan flickered once, twice, and then dissipated completely, its power exhausted or actively dispelled.

Through the small window in the compartment, I saw a concentrated beam of blue-white light racing directly toward us. It moved with far greater intensity than the previous attacks.

My eyes narrowed.

It looked like I would need to reveal some of my abilities or risk death. I began calculating how much spiritual essence I would need to convert to deflect such an attack without exposing too much.

Before I could act, Lady Laelyn moved with surprising speed.

She stepped forward, placing herself between me and the window. Her right hand extended, palm facing outward toward the approaching beam.

What happened next defied my expectations.

The deadly light struck her extended palm, and simply vanished, as though absorbed directly into her skin.

There was no impact, no backlash, just a quiet sizzle as the energy disappeared.

Lady Laelyn turned to face me, a gentle smile spreading across her face. The hand that had absorbed the attack glowed softly for a moment before returning to normal.

"Don't be scared," she said softly. "You're safe with me."

I stared at her, genuine surprise replacing my acted fear. The casual ease with which she'd neutralized that attack spoke of capabilities far beyond what I'd initially assessed.

"What... what are you?"