Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 60: Cultivator

I spun for what felt like an eternity in the whitewash. There was neither up nor down, and I fought against the disorientation, my limbs extending in an attempt to find purchase. The ocean water was freezing, but I barely felt it—I had to get out, had to get a breath, and with each passing second, the anxiety at my loss of control increased. I lashed out with my legs and swept my hands through the water.

Finally, I made contact. When my fingers finally brushed solid sand, I spun and kicked off with every ounce of strength I could muster. With my body shaped like a torpedo, I sailed from the salty prison.

***

Theo and Barry followed Borks from the portal, returning to the sands of Tropica.

The shore looked like a meteor had struck it. Where Fischer had been, a gigantic crater remained, the sand that had previously filled it having surged up to create a two-meter-tall ridge. A third of it occupied where the ocean had previously been, and even as they strode up the ridge, seawater was pouring into the hole.

“Wh... where is Fischer?” Barry asked.

Borks stared down at the churning water, his tail high and ears alert.

Theo’s gaze went distant. He had heard accounts of cultivators’ awakenings from Ellis, and he was going over them in his mind’s eye, comparing the tales to the scene before him. Such knowledge had been scoured from most history books, of course. But not those in the royal library. They had spoken of ascension in vague terms, mentioning shows of strength and transformations. Their little group of fishermen had spent many a night debating just what that truly meant. Looking at the beach before him, though, Theo saw the truth of it.

The force needed to create such a blast was astronomical, and if he’d not seen it for himself, he would have thought it an exaggeration. Theo was a cultivator now, too, and he’d done all manner of tests under Ellis’s instruction, as had everyone else that was a part of the church. Even if they had all attacked at once, they couldn’t have done a third of what Fischer had just done by accident.

He’d been told of Fischer accidentally destroying a tree, and the time that he kicked Brigadier Borks clean over the sand between his house and Tropica, but neither of those acts held a candle to the damage done to the coastline. If he had to bet, Theo would say that Fischer clearly surpassed some sort of threshold.

It filled Theo with an even higher level of respect for Fischer than he’d already held. If it were anyone else, he may have been terrified of them. For Fischer, though... all he felt was excitement and awe. With his thoughts straying to the future and all the possibilities it held, Fischer exploded from the water. His eyes were wide, mouth gasping like a fish as he careened for the far wall of the crater. He slammed face-first into the raised sand, throwing what had to be a tonne of the grainy matter flying.

When the sand cleared, all that was visible of Fischer were his hands and lower torso. As Fischer’s limbs twitched, Theo just stared. Both his face and sense of awe dropped.

***

Forcing my arms wide and planting my hands on the sand, I extracted myself from the tomb I found myself in.

I arched my back and faced my head toward the heavens, gasping in a breath of air so sweet I could have cried. I collapsed to the ground, settling into the small divot I’d made in my hasty exit from the churning water. As my gaze drifted to the crater I’d just flown from, both eyebrows rose of their own accord. The ocean was rushing into what looked like a thirty-meter wide pool, its sandy sides already collapsing into the rushing water.

I caught sight of movement on the other bank. Barry and Theo stood completely still as they stared at me, in complete contrast to the full-bodied wag Borks was doing. I felt a pulse of chi, and the next second, he was standing beside me. A storm of licks descended, and I petted him all over, laughing at the way his golden fur tickled me.

“Hey there, buddy.”

Theo and Barry leaped, landing on either side of me.

“Are you okay, Fischer?” the former asked.

I rubbed my face, getting as much sand from me as possible.

“Yeah, mate—I think I’m good. Are you guys? Whatever that was, it had a bit of a punch to it.”

“... a bit of a punch?” Theo repeated, his voice incredulous. “If not for Borks’s timely intervention, we’d have been shot into Tropica.”

He went on to tell me of the speed with which my blast had sent them flying, and of Borks’s opening of his soul space—pocket dimension? Whatever that ability was. The entire time he spoke, I was listening, but I was also feeling the world around us. Everything was more... tangible. It was impossible to describe properly, but it was as if I could feel the very strands of essence that wove around us, simply existing. When I focused on any of my friends before me, I could feel the chi—the power—that they held within them.

Where before I’d had an inkling if someone was a cultivator because of the resonance coming from them, when I felt any of them now, I knew. I was patting Borks’s head, wanting to show my thanks for him potentially saving lives, when I focused on the core in his abdomen. I blinked, and when our eyes locked, I could tell he was aware of the conscious presence I was exerting. He licked my chin, and I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead to his.

“You guys wanna see something neat?”

“Something neat?” Barry asked.

Theo narrowed his eyes in thought.

“Should I get Ellis first? He might headbutt me if I don’t let him record it.”

“No time, I’m afraid.”

Both their foreheads furrowed in confusion, but I just smiled in response. Borks backed away as I sat up straight, crossing my legs. I set my hands to the sand beside me, and I peered down at the swirling water and collapsing walls beneath me, fixing the image into my mind before closing my eyes. I reached out with my will; the world answered.

Power coursed from my core, and I guided it, expertly weaving strands where they were needed. My abdomen hummed as it hit the resonance the world demanded, and white light burst from me in a rush. The ground beneath me shifted. The landscape changed. A contented smile spread over my features as I opened my eyes again a second later. In my previous transformations, each element had been a surprise, and I was pretty sure I’d been unconscious for half of them. This time, I knew what would await me.

The walls of the pool had been raised and solidified, as had the floor. The water within, which had been churning chaotically, was mostly still. I had carved a channel out toward the ocean. The bay flowed in with small waves. The floor of the pool sloped down gradually from the west, starting shallow enough for a toddler to splash and becoming deep that I wouldn’t be able to stand with my head above water.

I looked up at my friends.

“What do you think?”

Theo and Brad were stunned, while Borks just smiled and wagged his tail at me, striding toward me to lick my cheek.

Theo sighed.

“Yeah, I’m definitely gonna get head-butted for not getting Ellis to witness this.”

I shook with laughter, picturing the archivist doing exactly that.

“Sorry about that, mate. If I wanted to create this, I had to do it then. Any longer, and the strands would have dissipated.”

Theo held up his hands.

“Say no more, please.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“You don’t want to know?”

“Of course I want to know! If you tell me anything more without Ellis here, though, the headbutt will be upgraded to a body slam.” He gazed out at the tide pool I’d made, shaking his head before returning his attention to me. “Will you wait here? I can get him right now.”

I stood up, dusting the now dry sand from my body.

“I’m afraid I’ve gotta go somewhere—I’ll come find Ellis later, if that’s all right?”

Theo gave me a flat stare, then sighed.

“A body slam it is, then. At least I know it’s coming.” He waved his hands for me to get going. “Go on, then. Go see Maria.”

I made an exaggerated pout.

“What makes you think I’m going to see Maria?”

Barry made the same gesture for me to hurry.

“We can stall Ellis for a while. Run along before you start doubting yourself again and cause another explosion.”

I reached down to pat Borks.

“Would you mind staying with these two for a while, mate? They might need your protection from a certain archivist once he realizes they’re protecting me.”

Likely knowing my true intentions, he barked and nudged me away with his snout.

Sparing them one last grateful look, I took off, sprinting across the sand.

***

George was deep in meditation when the earth shook. His house quaked. Chandeliers chimed above, and a glass shattered as it fell free of the table.

“G-George!” Geraldine gasped, reaching a hand out to grip his arm.

He opened his eyes in a panic that had nothing to do with the sudden chaos of the outside world. His core, where he had been focusing his meditations on just as his family’s tome instructed, had resonated with the blast. It had seemed to pulse right through him, making his entire abdomen vibrate and hum. It spread from that spot within, growing less intense as it traveled down his arms and legs. His head tingled, and he ran a hand through his sparse hair.

“Did... did you feel that?”

“Of course I felt that!” she said, her voice shrill. “The entire room shook!”

“Not the room...” he said, getting to his feet. “I’m going to go check outside. I’ll be back.”

“I’m coming with you.” As they rushed from the room, she lay a hand on his shoulder. “What did you feel, George?”

The tone of her voice told him she understood the significance of what he’d experienced, so he explained as best he could while they hurried down the stairs. When they got outside, he paused for a moment as they took in their surroundings. No one else was outside, but from most buildings, faces could be seen peering from windows.

“Stay inside, everyone!” he yelled, heading off toward the south.

As they traveled, he told Geraldine the rest of the story. She asked just the right questions, digging for George to explain the intricacies of it in a way she could understand. Gods, he loved that woman and her brain. When they reached the south side of Tropica, everyone was outside. Those that had been working fields were returning to their homes to check on their loved ones.

At seeing George, many approached and asked questions he didn’t have the answers to. No one knew what had happened. Those that were outside at the time of the blast said that it sounded like it came from everywhere. Air had rushed from the south, but when George and Geraldine jogged to the edge of Tropica, they saw nothing of note toward the distant mountains past Fischer’s land.

If the earthquake had happened even weeks ago, George and Geraldine would likely have scrambled around the village, working themselves into a tizzy. With the calm that came from practicing his family’s techniques, however, they both knew it to be a pointless endeavor. As they slowly returned to their home, they walked in silence; both were consumed by their own thoughts. When they reached the upstairs room they’d been using for their meditations, George pointed at Geraldine’s stomach, taking comfort in the curve of her body despite the urgency he felt to return to meditation.

“It’s just as the book says—focus right here.”

She nodded, her eyes fervent, then she pulled George into a swift kiss. “I love you, dear.”

He smiled at her, then kissed her again before pulling away. “I love you more.”

They both closed their eyes and settled into the cross-legged stance. When he focused on the core within, it seemed close, easier to grasp, and his awareness swept into it faster than ever before.

***

With the wind and sun at my back, I ran for Maria.

I extended my awareness toward her home, and I felt both her and Sharon there. I picked up the pace, purpose guiding my steps. When I appeared from between the rows of cane that were now tall enough to block out my vision, I came up short.

“Please,” Sharon said, laying a reassuring hand on Roger’s arm. “Just stay here. I’ll be back soo -”

Roger’s face contorted in rage.

“Enough is enough, Sharon! When are you going to tell me what in Pistis’s good name is going on?”

“You have to trust me, my love...”

She tried to lift her hand to his chest, but he twisted away, not letting it land. Just beyond them, standing on their deck and gazing at me with wide eyes, stood the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Even a supermodel from back on Earth didn’t hold a candle when compared to her perfectly imperfect freckles, her sun-tanned hair, and her stunning eyes, despite how panicked they looked in the moment. My feet strode forward of their own account, and I stepped past Sharon and Roger, not even registering their existence.

“Fischer...” Maria said, darting glances behind me. “Do you know what happened? What that blast was? I—”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into me. With her on the slightly raised porch, we were at the same height. She was hesitant for a moment, but then she leaned in to meet me. Our lips pressed together, and time froze. My heart thundered, and I felt the fluttering of hers as we pulled each other in. We lost ourselves in the pure moment. Still holding her body to mine, I leaned back to stare into her eyes. I no longer hesitated.

“I love you, Maria.”

Her eyes searched mine, darting from one to the other rapidly.

“You mean it.”

It was a statement. I nodded anyway.

“I do. And I’m sorry it took me so long to say it.”

“I...” she bit her lip and glanced down, averting her eyes. “I love you too, Ficher.”

A firm hand grasped my shirt and pulled. It tore open at the shoulder, the sleeve almost entirely disconnecting. I turned to see Roger, his rage clouded by confusion.

He looked at the torn sleeve still in his hand, then up at me, his eyebrows narrowing. At a speed I wouldn’t think possible for a regular human, he poked my bicep. I saw a flicker of understanding in the lines of his face, and then the muscles of his shoulder tensed.

Without another word, his fist flew. If he had swung at me upon my arrival in Tropica, it would have collided and hurt like shit. With my body as it was now, though...

I slid aside at the last instant, letting his fist travel through open air. It was for his sake, not for mine—as fast as his fist was traveling, the bones of his hand would have shattered on me.

“You...” he looked at me, then Maria, who had stepped back when he swung. “Get away from him!”

Roger raised his fists and stepped forward, rolling his shoulders. There was zero hesitation on his face, despite his realization.

“Cultivator,” he spat, coming closer.