The Martial Unity

STEP

They landed atop Mt. Vanfeiger.

It was a mountain at the center of a barren desert in South Kandria, devoid of too much activity and life. The area was as desolate as it was serene.

"Huff…" Rui heaved a sigh as he quickly consumed a light rejuvenation potion, restoring his expended stamina.

He gazed at the Monastery of Mysteries.

"We will secure the area, Your Highness," Master Zentra calmly remarked. "Not that it is required, but nothing can be allowed to disturb your audience with the personage that awaits you."

"…Understood."

"Break a leg, my friend!" Master Iskan slapped him on the shoulder, leaving him a bruise as he walked away.

PAT

Master Vericita smiled warmly as she reassured him with a hand on his head. "Good luck, my child."

She, too, stepped away.

"You don't need luck," Master Ceeran smirked. "If it's you, you are able to make your own, am I wrong?"

Soon enough, he was alone before the giant structure.

His heart felt heavy.

A profound sense of power radiated from within the monastery.

A Realm of power that he had come to recognize.

It was a Realm of power that seemed to bend the world itself.

A power that bent heaven and earth itself.

His Martial drive stirred.

His hunger stirred.

The void in the depths of stirred.

"I want this power…" A single whisper escaped his mouth.

Feeling such power only brought about greater clarity in his heart.

Was he going to sit on a throne and play Emperor while such godly power awaited him?

Determination flashed in his eyes.

"No."

He stepped forth with a determined gait.

He didn't have time to waste.

CLACK

The giant gate of the Monastery of Mysteries opened before he could reach them, closing behind him when he entered.

The monastery was hemispherical.

It was also almost empty.

Devoid of all but one.

A man.

No.

Rui's eyes narrowed.

Not a man.

A Sage.

Rui could feel it.

That strange sensation that accompanied all Martial Sages.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was…

Heavy.

Their presence weighed down on the world around them. It weighed down on space and time itself, almost generating a gravitational field by virtue of the weight of their being, so much so that Riemannian Echo had become utterly incoherent in the man's presence.

He didn't understand.

He didn't understand this power that he deeply yearned for.

The Martial Sage was lying down on the ground, relaxed. His hands supported his head as a cushion while his legs stretched out, intertwined in a rather relaxing sleeping position.

His appearance and attire were…lazy, at best. He wore a simple, fluffy single-piece garb, a fusion between Martial Art attire and sleeping pajamas.

He was too lazy to switch back and forth between them.

Rui recognized him instantly, of course.

The Sloth Sage.

Countless thoughts flashed through Rui's mind as he considered what to do. The meeting was too important to act without carefully considering the ramifications of every single word he uttered!

"It ain't that deep, kid."

A nonchalant remark escaped from the Martial Sage.

Yet his mouth hadn't moved.

"Hup…" He visibly looked tired as he got up. "Huff…at my age, even getting up can be quite exhausting."

His mouth didn't move.

Yet Rui could hear him.

'How?' Rui's eyes widened.

The Sloth Sage peered at him with a lazy gaze.

"It's because the Monastery of Mysteries manifests thought as sound and vision."

His mouth hadn't moved.

"Right now, you're hearing my thoughts," The Martial Sage smiled lazily. "Convenient, isn't it? I love this place because I'm too lazy to move my mouth and exert my vocal cords."

"What?!" Rui's eyes widened with shock as his thoughts manifested into sound, reaching the Martial Sage.

"The effect gets stronger the closer you get to the center." He explained. "Come closer."

Rui stared at him apprehensively.

"Oh, don't be a pussy, boy," The man snorted lazily. "I won't tell anyone about the depraved thoughts and fantasies you have about the women in your life. I'm too lazy to bother."

Rui shook his head, heaving a sigh.

STEP

Suddenly, the world around him changed.

The hemispherical dome of the monastery disappeared.

What appeared in its place was a sight that he had grown extremely familiar with over time.

His Mind Palace.

"Wha-" He literally shook on the spot, bewildered at how his Mind Palace manifested in reality around them!

"…Oh?" The Martial Sage slowly shifted his head, resting in his hands, around as he gazed at the sight that emerged before him with interest. "I had read that you had mastered the Mind Palace technique to an extraordinary degree, but this…"

The Martial Sage's murmur trailed off as he squinted at a particular sight with sharpened eyes.

It was the street that John Falken had lived on back on Earth.

"…Where is that?"

"Nothing!" Rui squelched as he quickly thought about something; the scene changed.

The man turned to Rui with interested eyes.

A certain realization had dawned on him.

"…I see that there's more to you than meets the eye."

"This is unfair!…Your Sagehood," Rui complained, hastily adding the honorific at the end.

The Sloth Sage smiled lazily. "I suppose it is. You have my apologies. Here, I'll let you get a glimpse of my mind."

WHOOSH!

Rui's eyes widened as the world changed.

Suddenly, he was in the sky.

An empty blue sky.

The only thing he could see was a light cloud. It expanded, slowly encompassing him in its warm embrace.

It was soft.

It was serene.

The very sight of it made him feel relaxed.

Its touch made him feel sleepy.

It made for soul satisfaction.

He felt like lying down and sleeping forever.

Why bother with building a faction?

Why bother searching for the Divine Doctor?

Why bother with…Project Water?

His soul shook at that thought.

BADUMP!

His heart began beating faster and faster.

Every cell in his body shook with power.

His eyes lit up with rage as he glared at the floating cloud.

It was the Martial Embodiment of the Sloth Sage.

"How dare you?" Rui's tone grew murderous. "How dare you make me question my Martial Path?!"