8

Zhenlin looked over the square as allowed the energy to collect on his skin it was a feeling to have the energy rest on his skin and build up the charge running along his skin as he got ready to start the meditation. It was the years in dawn he had spent reaching for it under his collar, it had made his pull to the storm stronger he could always feel it running over his skin remind him what he was and the calling that came with that life it was the faith that he had forged himself in from his infancy. He father had taught him to listen for the storm to hear it over the water, over the tree, over the mountain tops to listen and understand what he was trying to teach him. So he sucked in the air as he felt it run along his body it always started form his hair as it ran down him frame he felt it in his bones, the shock as it sparked from his toes to the earth. But yet he didn’t stop breathing for it was how it started, folding his legs under him as he dropped to the cold stone under him. He pushed his fingertips together as he complete the circuit and called it down, he reached for the sky as his souled called to the grace of a divine presence the skywarden coming to answer that call and wash him in the force of the storm turned into a single bolt.

 He didn’t move as he started to change his body growing as the energy filled his muscles his horns pushing through his hair as he gritting his teeth. It was not in pain but the effort to stay as still as possible while the change was happening the lightning arcing from the horns like lightning rods. He keep the position completing the circuit as his tail pushed from his back that muscle coming to rest on the cold stone for a second before it started to move wrapping around his blade, stabbing it into the ground in front of him. It pushed the weapon into the dirt before wrapping around his waist, yet in his Yawen did not move from the position that he was holding sucking to the air as his muscles started to burn from the effort. The breathing push stress on the muscles in order to pull more power from them when it was needed, but it was a part of his meditation shenlong had looked for those that were persevere through pain and hardship. He would endure all the pain that came to him in his want to get stronger so he keep his position as he felt the scales start to grow over his flesh. There always came in the same place along his arms, the blood started to leak from his eyes a result of forcing his iris to change to seem more that just what was in front of him.

He sucked down one more mouth full of fair as he left it run through his body the oxygen that he was pushing into his muscles to burn harder and faster than before. The breaths were long as he felt it run along the path, it found his core in center of his being and turning into the blue energy that he found into his core. His eyes open slowly as he found himself back in the storm that was never to end to the energy that worked on the world. To the image of a spirit that had hand in the creation of everything that he held and he was, it was an image that he had created when he had walked through his mind…… no this was not just his mind it was the core of what he was of who he was. As he sat still his conscious walking in the core the lightning did not sit still for it was not in his nature to do so. It was the will of energy to move to act to be in the present, but it was then that he broke the circuit his hands reaching out and grabbing his blade. His fingers wrapping the blade as he felt the cold metal on his skin the lightning arcing to the metal before bouncing back to his skin it craved a path in the air. That seemed to grow slower but the it growing slower, more constant as the election found the path that worked for him. The path becoming tinged with a blue-gray the color of the sky when it was filled with stoms. He had made a close loop circuit, the energy being allowed to move to grow and so it did it pushed what he was looking at. He was to see what was to be created what was to be made.

Zhenlin got to his feet as he looked at the dragon and got to his feet and started to walk through the storm as he rained and thunder down around him. In this place his footstep bounce around the air around him it was shook the space like thunder as his eyes saw the lightning in the seconds of second that he moved until he was under the Great Spirit. He looked at the scales that ran along the boy of the image that had been created in his space and he sat down mirroring the position that his body was in. He did not move as he felt the air get heavy around him, he did not move as he say the energy thicken the lightning getting strong, striking close to his body, he did not move as he felt himself start to sink into the cloud. It was a feeling to understand one’s self that changed things a peace that radiated from the core and spreading out to the fingers until one was complete. He watched his vision started to get lower as he still didn’t move his body still breathing as his muscles burned in the exercise. The blood was getting thicker as it ran from the corner of his eyes against his skin rwby like war paint as it trailed down his chin. Yet he still sunk into his was wrapped in cloud cover the lightning had took from him as he fell in the dark. For when he stood he could not feel, he was rob of his sense of touch he opened his eye but saw nothing but the darkness, it had taken from him his sense of sight. It took the things that he had used the most as a swordsman.

 Pushing his foot forward in the dark until he came to something that caused him to fall into his face, his nose smashing against something in the but he felt no pain. Yet his body reacted holding tighter to the blade as he weapon cut into his skin in response. So he started to climb, without the ability to see to understand how long the journey was to be  but he understood that he was to move forward so that was what he did foot over foot, step over step. The energy, the lightning trailing behind him as he used more energy to move forward, as a stepped he lost his ability to hear what was happen around him for the first time in his life he could not hear the storm. But yet he kept walking, he kept moving turning his walk into a crawl trusting the feel that he was moving when he had no idea if he was doing so or not. He was called to never stop no matter how hard the path became when the first of those that when to the skywarden made the journey they did not know how far it was going to be so he crawled as he mind was kept busy thinking.

The first understood what was required they understood they were bring the worship to land that was heavy in tradition, one that was going to require respect but there were not to forget who made them what they were. The path they had walked up to his point, there were three things that every one of them understood when they were with The skywarden. From least to great there were the understand of what it meant to Loyal, it was followed by the truth of Duty and followed by Perseverance the one that was what they were judge.  His fingers found each step as he pulled himself up the stair, the path getting steeper as he went on he had fallen down the step a few time before this but he was still walking even as his palms where pushed into the blade. His blood was feely running down the metal as the pulled himself back up right and continued the climb. He muscles burned with a white pain from what he was doing yet he could not feel it for where he was but he body felt the pain. But there was only the climb everything else was something that came after the journey.
He could not fill the silence but his mind could so he did as he made his way up the path. The first was the understand of loyalty. It was to swear to something that will never be untrue if you are loyal you will never waver, you will never bend nor break. It is to promise everything that you are and you will be to a person. To on fear death, pain or suffering to never betray what you have sworn your loyalty to. The first swore of them came to the understand of loyalty when they looked at those that walked the path to the Divine spirit with them. It is to immolate this feel when you look at those that walk on the side of you. You will never betray them or their line your bond his not broken in there death, it something that exist in the eye of those that was of their blood. To the ties not of the family but of the blood, for the blood of the convent was thicker than the water of the womb. His finger had started to leak energy as he moved, blue print marking those steps that he had passed but his mind kept working.

It was the truth of what Duty was it was not just staying a few words it is a course of action that you will never abandon. When the first left with emperor to join him in his army they severed until the end for nothing could them from doing what was required of them. Death was nothing to be feared for if they died in service then they kept their duty so it was a joy.  It did not matter when, it did not matter how but if the call was sent then one left to act for it was what they had sworn to do. Duty is one and invariable; it requires no impossibilities, nor can it ever be disregarded with impunity. He had started to cough as he held the position his body was in pain, true pain as he kept the loop closed his palms were cut to the bone as his arms spasmed for a bit until it was bought back down under control. But he was getting higher the clouds pressed against his body the movement was getting harder his arm took longer to lift and came back down on the stairs harder.

Perseverance the one that was what they were judge it was how the skywarden looked at those that were to bear his blessing when he was had first given them. They had to endure the pilgrimage to finish the journey not matter the hardships that were felt through the path. It was this action that allowed them to make to the Divine spirit this will to push the body to its limits and take it even further to be recognized. Works are performed not by strength but by perseverance to keep moving forward though the darkness. His body was in pain but he was keeping himself in place by shear for of will alone a will that had kept him alive in a city that had found everything about his faith a farce. A place that had found what he was a mistake to be correct from the earth a will to complete the path of faith. To perseverance in time of hardship until you have reached where to you were meant to be, his body was bleeding energy in that darkness. It dragged behind him in the darkness it energized to storm so it raged stronger it called to the energy and the energy called to it. He pulled himself back up to the top of the stairs, to where he had begun the trail in that darkness as his eyes shot open as he could see again, he could feel and he could hear the storm rage around him.

He looked at the dragon that he had created in the heart of his being and started to pull himself up into the pulsing blue figure the energy of his body in the image of one of the Divine dragons. He sat in the center of his being as he looked out over what he was the storm that raged inside him, the one that just a reflection of the ones that shook and danced above his head. He held up his hands and looked at the blue energy that leaked for him. His sunk itself down into storm and raged until it reached up and join with the dragon again. He was at a point of understand what he was and where he needed to be to do any less would be an insult to everything that had happened to him at this point. He had come to understand where the skywarden had fit into the place with the others, they were all a part of the same will of creation. They had acted to create the land and the people in it they gave rules to the world and give force of life to turn away from fallen path, they gave the time the understand of life and its value. He reached out into the storm and pulled out that he had come to realize in hands he looked at the words that had been born of an energy of understanding.

He finally released the breath and felt the pain that ran through his body, as he let go of his blade. Spots arm in the front of his eyes as he gritted his teeth to stop himself from screaming out in pain, it was like all the energy in his form had left him. In its place was nothing but soreness and exhaustion. Bring his finger to his eyes as he wiped away the blood that was running down his face before he turned at looked at his hands. He had pressed them too hard against the metal that they were freely bleeding at his point. Grabbing a set of wraps and pressing them into the wounds to stop the blood before he wrapped up the wounds tight to ensure the blood would clot.

He fell on his back as he looked up at the sky he was tired but he was happy he was happy for he had come to understand something that he been running from him for years. He had come to understand where shenlong’s place was in the Drakanite faith. So he looked up at the sky and understood what his father had meant they he took him to listen to the storm all those years ago. It was not the understand he had in his youth, what he was doing with listening to the force of a Divine spirit work his will on the world that he had help shape. It was the will of a spirit reaching out down the lineage of those that he blessed when they walked the path to the sky fortress. He was telling them to remember what he and his siblings did for he word for them to carry on what was once remembered it was him reminding them that he still existed. That his family still existed and they always would even in the darkest of time they would watch him form on high, with the eyes that saw what needed to be created in the world.

To remember and believe to walk a path that was hard to find, he reached out and pulled his blade form the ground as he looked at the blood that stuck to his surface. Ripping off part of his shirt as he cleaned the blade and rest it back at his side as he turned his eyes back to the world around him. They seemed older the seemed to know something that had come to be important to him and with that understand he was more relaxed with his place in the world. Things that once weighted heavily on his mind no longer did, he did not forget his time in Dawn nor the collar that he always carried around with him. But there were no longer reminders that were simple things that he carried with him until he had found a place to put them down.  He watched the sky as he had finally learned to listen properly, he had found what it meant to just know of a faith put to have a true understand and belief in it.
“I am Yawen-An Zhenlin once retainer of the House of Zhenge, Once the child of Thunder and lightning, once the Lost of Thunder but now I am something else. I am the rain the lighting transformed.”