The Flight of the Arrow
1912 Words
Jack walked out of the Logistics Branch, eyes glinting with excitement.
If it had been his old self, today’s events would’ve crushed him. He’d have been humiliated, outmatched, and quietly swallowed the insult.
But not anymore.
Not with the Vault of Eternal Insight by his side.
"Maybe transcending into this world was a blessing in disguise. This... this is the life I was meant for."
Jack clenched his fists, exhaling deeply.
In his previous life, he’d been a servant. Well-treated, but still a servant. His days were bound to a noble estate, confined to narrow routines. Then came the rift. He had crossed into it chasing purpose, adventure... and maybe a bit of madness.
Now, in this world where spirit and power intertwined, with the Vault whispering truth in his mind, his path stretched out before him wide, wild, and waiting.
He belonged here. As he strolled past the martial field, a crowd caught his attention. Jack paused.
At the center stood Emmett Rowan, calm and composed, facing a rapidly growing group of spectators. Apparently, someone had picked a fight, and Emmett wasn’t even trying to talk his way out of it.
"Good. At least you’ve got guts," a voice rang out. It was Kael, flashing a wide grin. His trap had worked perfectly.
Kael had expected Emmett to argue. Instead, Emmett had calmly agreed, giving Kael an easy out; if Emmett lost, he could save face with a simple apology. But this wasn’t about winning honorably. Kael wanted a show.
"Liora, how about you be the judge?" Kael asked with a charming smile.
Jack’s gaze shifted to her, Liora Vez. Young, poised, graceful. A rising star among students, she stood out for both beauty and cultivation. She nodded at Kael’s request, but her expression remained cool. She clearly didn’t think Emmett had a chance.
The crowd swelled to over thirty spectators. Excitement rippled through them.
"Kael’s definitely going all out today," someone whispered.
Kael summoned a few students, who quickly set up four targets in a line, spaced ten meters apart.
"Since we’ve got an audience, I’ll perform my signature move, Falcon Spread Arrows," Kael announced with a flourish.
Even Liora arched an intrigued brow.
Kael stepped into position. Drawing four arrows at once, he nocked them on the string and pulled the bow into a perfect arc.
Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh! Shoosh!
All four arrows flew like hawks, arcing through the air, then curving mid-flight to slam dead-center into the targets.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Jack watched in silence. He activated the Vault of Eternal Insight and muttered under his breath:
"Not bad. Fifteen flaws... but decent form."
Meanwhile, Emmett stood off to the side, calm. He’d recorded every motion through his Third Eye, committing each subtle movement to memory.
When the applause died down, Kael turned to him.
"Your turn, rookie."
Mockery dripped from his voice.
Emmett stepped forward, unhurried.
"Let me think a moment..."
He picked up a bow and studied the field. Inside him, the Meteor Cascade Arrow technique pulsed gently. He knew he couldn’t beat Kael in style alone, not with the crowd completely on his side. He needed something else. Something unexpected.
He looked up at the sky.
"Okay. I’m starting now."
He drew a single arrow... and shot it straight upward.
Confused murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Jack's eyes narrowed. He checked the Vault again.
Name: Emmett Rowan
Origin: Etherchi cultivator from Aetheris, town of Green Hollow
Cultivation: 3rd Rank of the Martial Path (Peak)
Path: Deities Lineage, Third Eye Bloodline
Practices: Molten Steel Gauntlet, Lightfoot Drift, Draconic Burst Fist, Forceflow Breathing, Meteor Cascade Arrows
Traits: Fiercely loyal. Calm under pressure. Capable of extreme feats in high-stress conditions. Power radiates from the Third Eye.
Assessment: Unorthodox techniques. Combat potential, very high.
Jack’s expression tightened.
Aetherian? From the other side of the Rift?
Even among Nyxhaven’s chaos, the place where polar realms and celestial forces collided, encounters with Aetherians were rare. That Emmett stood here now, completely composed, meant something much deeper was at play.
Peh!
A black shape dropped from the sky.
An eagle.
"Not bad. Shot a bird," someone scoffed.
Kael sneered. His arrows were still better.
Then
Peng! Peng!
Two more arrows. Two more birds.
The crowd stirred.
Even Kael’s grin faltered.
"Okay, hands feel good now," Emmett muttered.
He raised his bow again. This time, his Third Eye glowed faint green.
Tah!
Another arrow. Another Fireveil Swiftlet fell, and this time, it wasn’t alone.
"Two birds? With one arrow?" someone gasped.
Kael’s jaw clenched. That was his signature move.
"Just an appetizer," Emmett said with a small smile.
The crowd buzzed.
Emmett then fired an arrow at a distant target, fifty meters out. It struck the outer rim.
Laughter erupted.
But Jack remained still. He stared at the arrow.
It was trembling.
"Go check it," Emmett said confidently.
A student jogged over, then froze.
Hanging from the arrowhead... was a tiny corpse.
Silence.
Complete, stunned silence.
"He hit... a Thornflutter Krii? From a hundred steps away?"
"Impossible, they are the size of flies. You can’t even see a Thornflutter Krii from that distance!"
Kael's face turned pale.
It was over.
"Winner of the archery contest: Emmett," Liora announced, her previously indifferent gaze now filled with curiosity.
Emmett turned and walked calmly toward Jack.
The crowd parted without a word.
He bowed slightly. "Teacher."
Shock rippled through the spectators.
That archery genius had chosen Jack as his mentor?
The world had gone upside down.
Jack nodded and walked with him, speaking softly. "Your Third Eye bloodline... your foundation is unusual. Not just strong, refined. How many strange things have you experienced since our rift encounter?"
Emmett c****d his head. "I’d like to think not as many as you since surviving Nyxhaven... which is not something I’d thought i’d say after watching you die."
Jack was quiet for a moment.
"I guess dying in Nyxhaven would beat many things. You survived but seem equally changed as i am. I think after we were expelled, our paths entwined in a way that we may not be able to change."
They crossed the training field as Jack gestured for Emmett to retrieve the Fireveil Swiftlets he’d shot.
"Keep them. I’ll use them in a recipe later. Ever tried cauldren roasted Fireveil Swiftlet on a bed of Celestial Mothleaf with a side of Foxfire rice?"
"Can’t say I have," Emmett said dryly, gathering the birds.
As they walked, Jack handed him a token.
"Drop blood on it."
Emmett did.
The token shimmered, then dimmed. The bond was made.
He was now Jack’s official student.
Just as Jack was explaining what it meant to be a student at the academy, a piercing wail echoed across the courtyard like a maddened beast, its raw grief shaking the hearts of all who heard it.
He turned toward the noise and saw a large girl, more round than tall, dramatically staggering toward the manmade lake at the edge of the academy grounds.
Behind her, no one moved to stop her.
The girl didn’t actually make it far. Mid-sob, she paused, grabbed the wrist of a confused student standing nearby, and pressed his hand to her shoulder, making it look like he was restraining her.
Then, she resumed her howling.
“Don’t stop me! Let me die! I don’t want to live anymore...”
“...”
Silence.
“That’s... incredibly shameless,” Jack muttered, shaking his head, while Emmette, fought to keep a straight face.
This girl clearly had no intention of dying. She just wanted to put on a show, desperate theatrics meant to draw pity, or maybe attention. It was a performance more suited for street drama than a prestigious academy.
Realizing she wasn’t actually in danger, Jack turned away and gestured for Emmette to follow. But they hadn’t taken more than a few steps before the wailing grew louder and the ground shook.
The girl barreled toward him like a boulder down a hill, then threw her arms around his leg in a full-body tackle.
“Teacher! I’m begging you, please accept me as your disciple! They all mock me because of my size and reject me!”
Tears poured down her cheeks. Her nose ran freely. Her voice cracked with heart-wrenching sorrow.
Jack blinked, expression frozen.
“Let go.”
Was she serious?
She hadn’t even introduced herself and was already clinging to his leg like a lost child, begging to become his student. In all his years, his previous life included he had never seen anything quite like this.
“Teacher! I’ll only let go if you accept me!” she cried, her face a messy waterfall of snot and tears.
Her voice was so full of desperation that even some of the bystanders shifted uncomfortably, unsure if they should intervene or simply run away.
“I’ve already gone to ten teachers today,” she continued, “and none of them would take me. Please! You’re my last hope!”
Jack sighed inwardly.
He knew exactly why the other instructors had turned her away.
A student's performance directly impacted a teacher’s standing at the academy. A student like this, plump, slow, and likely lacking agility, would be seen as dead weight. No instructor concerned with reputation would risk it.
“If you want me to accept you,” Jack said flatly, “you’ll need to show me what you can do. Hugging my leg like a toddler isn’t going to help your case.”
Thanks to the Vault of Eternal Insight, Jack didn’t lack student options. If this girl turned out to be utterly mediocre, he’d have no reason to waste time on her.
“Teacher! I really am capable!” she insisted, finally loosening her grip and looking up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
“Then prove it. Talk is cheap,” Jack said. When she hesitated, still clinging lightly, he gave her a gentle kick to free himself.
The image of her latched onto his leg made him shudder. Embarrassing didn’t even begin to cover it.
To his surprise, the girl didn’t take offense. In fact, she jumped to her feet with renewed enthusiasm and scanned the training grounds.
“Fine! Watch what I can do!”
She dashed toward a nearby pile of training materials and hefted several thick concrete blocks.
With a loud grunt, she raised one overhead and then smashed it against her own skull.
Crack!
The concrete shattered.
Then, another, this one, she broke with her elbow. The next, with her knee. Each time, the block exploded into fragments.
Jack arched an eyebrow.
Despite her appearance, this girl had clearly trained in Diamond Body–style hardening arts, also known as Body Forging Techniques. It was a brutal path: enduring beatings, blunt force, and repeated trauma to forge the body into an unyielding weapon.
As she performed, the Vault of Eternal Insight activated.
In Jack’s mind, a book opened, pages flipping as golden script etched itself onto the mental parchment:
Name: Tessa Graves
Origin: Wandering cultivator from Hollowbridge
Cultivation: Warrior 1-, Breath Initiate Realm (Intermediate)
Path: Meteorite Body / Wurtzite Lineage
Assessment: Physique-focused. High pain tolerance. Strong foundational endurance. Moderate internal flow efficiency. Lacks speed and agility, but compensates with raw resilience and strength.
Notable Traits: Fiercely loyal. Craves acceptance. Deep psychological trauma from repeated academic rejection. Capable of extreme feats when emotionally driven.
Jack’s eyes narrowed.
- Writer
