The Greatest Fight [progression cultivation isekai]

X1.6 - THE BALL

A Friend with a Gift

A loud explosion rocked the boy out of his deep sleep. He sat up with a jolt, as glass vibrated on the windows. Rosso was standing outside of the balcony, looking down with an intense stare.

"Things are heating up," he said.

The streets below were filled with people chanting, holding signs, and throwing things. Sirens glared past, as riot police vehicles chased the protesters, launching smoke bombs out of armored windows. Grabbing whatever he could from the kitchen, Rosso came back out banging a ladle on a pan, cheering on the riot. Roa instead opted for throwing a chair down, which exploded into pieces as it met the windshield of one of the cars.

"Today's the day. I hope this damn plan works," said the Sunflower, gazing out into the distance, as a tall column of smoke rose like a growing mountain.

Someone then banged with force on their bedroom door. The two exchanged a worried look, rushing inside on their tiptoes. Rosso put his index finger on his mouth, as they listened for movement. The door slammed wide open, and the Jumpers, expecting the worst, dropped into a guarded posture, ready to fight.

"Finally! It would have been easier to find the Dreamer than finding you two."

"Theya? What are you doing here?" both of them said together, relaxing their bodies.

The owner of the bathhouse stood in a wide stance, dawning a white bathrobe, a lit cigarette in her mouth, and a baseball bat covered with rusty nails. She walked into the room and leaned on the small table that was in the middle. Missing one of its legs, the piece of furniture tilted, forcing her to gasp and sigh as she tried to regain her balance.

"Word got to me, through some of the people I pay to be my eyes and ears, about your spectacular performance at the prison. Honestly, I'm surprised that you're not only still alive—but managed to save the old man too. Now you got the whole city excited, so—" she explained when Rosso interrupted her.

"Let me stop you there. We have already been betrayed by someone from your bathhouse," he said with a fiery look in his eyes, as he pointed at the wounded teacher sleeping on his bed. "We don't want to fall for this again. Why the hell are you here?"

"I'm here because," she paused, as her eyes were fixed to the floor, "because if this boy really is the Sunflower, and the next revolution has already begun, then this is where I need to be." She took a deep puff from her cigarette, then said, "I've spent my life watching those in charge do as they please—while being surrounded by self-serving idiots who never cared about anything—but themselves."

"How do we know that we can trust you?" asked Roa.

"The locals will be of huge help to you. They are many—but you will need some Free Folk on your side too, to do what they cannot."

The woman manifested the Compass from her thumb. The flame of energy grew brighter and wilder as she pointed it in the boy's direction.

"It has been guiding me to you, ever since you left," her eye dug deep into the boy's.

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"Help them find my granddaughter, Theya. I know you're one of the few good ones left. Please..." interrupted Vesper, his eyes shut as he rested on the bed.

The woman sat down, taking another deep puff and filling the room with smoke. The white light above dangled, as the explosions in the city rocked it back and forth.

"Those rich cats at the party—they're oligarchs. They got enough money to hire anyone, which means that the ball is going to be protected by legions of law enforcement. If you haven't figured this out yet, the police, the army—whoever has the monopoly on violence in a society—they're not really there to protect the people. They protect the system. If you two are going to crash that party, you're going to have to sneak in, past this protection, and you're going to have to do it very, very quietly," Madame Waters explained.

"How do you know what we are going to do?" asked Rosso, his head jerking back as she laughed.

"Like I said, I got my eyes and ears out there for such things. Your main problem isn't local law enforcement—it's the Shadows that will be manning the place. You won't see them, but I assure you that they will most certainly be there—and quite a few of them too," Theya continued.

"Get to the point. The ball is tonight, and we got a ton of things to do," said Rosso, his leg jerking up and down as he sat at the table with her.

"The point is—that since the Black Fortia disaster centuries ago, no one in Free Society has ever tried to fight back in any considerable way—no one has ever tried in my lifetime at least; which means the Shadows have gotten complacent. They got used to the quiet. They think all this rioting is just some—unhappy locals venting their frustrations."

"That's why we must strike them hard tonight. Let them know the quiet ends now—with us," Roa slammed his palm on the table, causing it wobble.

"Yes, however," she took another puff, and pointed the cigarette their way, "you two are going to waltz in there with your auras blasting. It will take the Shadows a few seconds to find you, swarm you, and then tear you to absolute shreds. I will train you on how to suppress your auras, so that you will have a chance to go undetected. Vesper probably knows this Gift, but he's out of commission for a bit. Let's just hope he'll be ready for the ball. We need all the help we can get."

The two decided to give it a try, reluctantly delaying their numerous other tasks. They sat with her on the floor to mediate, focusing on their breaths, attempting to slow them down, as the city was being torn apart. Every explosion, scream, and siren brought them back to the chaos unfolding outside, as the anxiety of preparing for the evening's operation built up with every passing minute.

"I can't do it," Rosso shook his head.

"This Gift is called Whisper. You must quiet your heart and mind until they are empty, or it will not manifest," she explained deliberately with her eyes shut.

An hour passed, then two. Leaders from the city's various factions barged in several times with shaky voices, concerning updates, and wild requests. Theya calmly sent them back out, attempting to quell their insecurities with little luck.

"You need to stop worrying about tonight, and need to start letting go of everything, and you need to do it right now," said the woman in a calm yet stern tone to the Jumpers.

"Why the hell did you wait this long to tell us about this?" Roa complained, peeping from one eye.

"I can't sit still here all day. They need us out there," his friend added.

After several heated arguments, the boy took a deep breath.

"My mind is doing somersaults—but we have to trust in the process of life. It's going to go as it will tonight. We are only going to make it worst if we don't relax right now," Roa said, taking a deep breath. "We can only be in control if we can think clearly."

The afternoon came, and Theya finally smiled.

"There you go. See? Things become easier when you stop forcing life to be something that it's not. Acceptance is key. Go with the flow sometimes. Now, remember that it will be a bit of a juggling act when you use your aura to manifest other Gifts, while also trying to suppress it at the same time—but, I believe you will be alright. I'll be there with you tonight—if you will allow me to tag along, of course."

"She's got my vote..." said Vesper, opening his eyes for a moment.

The two nodded, as Theya blew out another puff from her mouth.

"Then tonight—we'll give those rich cats a night to remember," she said, with a grin stamped on her face.