Destiny in Cinders

"I had my doubts at first, but now I'm certain," Yvelbane said with conviction, "You bear the Seven Ruins Arc, the point where the sun, moon, and five celestial bodies meet. You're the nexus where the aspects of the five phases as well as yin and yang collide, the convergence of the seven ruins. Thus, you're immune to all the world's evils."

The cycle of the sun and the moon served only to consume mortal life. Water and fire were merciless; earth and stone claimed their toll; and the bite of the blade was but the edge of Evenstar's lethal qi. The seven ruins were devourers of lifespan and the source of all calamity. They embodied the Seven Luminaries in their most twisted and inverted forms, the seven celestial omens of ultimate devastation.

The Pyrestar that guards the Scorpion's Heart and the Evenstar that obscures the Mane were two such omens.[1] If all seven stars of ruin converged within one's lifearc, it signified a birth ordained for chaos and a life tethered to every malady and disaster.

The Seven Ruins Arc?

Frozen in shock, An Jing muttered to himself, "I possess... a celestial arc?"

"Yes," Yvelbane said solemnly, "The Seven Ruins Arc is conceived by calamity and born of hardship. It is the answer to calamity, arriving only to reflect that devastation back upon the world. In other words, yours is no miracle or divine arc. It is a celestial arc!"

The Seven Arcs could be split into those of low, middle and high virtue. Those of low virtue included evil arcs of misfortune that were blights upon the bearer, and odd arcs that warped the bearer's very soul.

Arcs of middle virtue included mixed arcs and root arcs. Mixed arcs took all sorts of forms, ranging from being destined to excel at one's vocation such as "Master Chef" or "Smith," or one of unique disposition such as being born a giant among men. Root arcs honed the root of one's being, making one unique like no other, embodying one's true nature to its very quintessence.

Among arcs of high virtue, miracle arcs granted the bearers abilities or fates that transcended natural laws. Bearers of divine arcs, on the other hand, were able to grasp the sublime and command the Grand Dao itself, owing to being the incarnation of divine beings. They were no mere mortals.

Arcs of high virtue were prized, yet every age produced many such bearers who were bound to contend with one another. Even for bearers of divine arcs who were incarnations of the same deity, no two reincarnations were identical. One might carry the mantle of the Great Heavenly Lord of Universal Transformation, Resounding Thunder, and The Nine Heavens while another embodied the Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole.[2]

Distinct from the rest were celestial arcs, rare, one-of-a-kind responses to a world in turmoil, arising from its terrible circumstances. Even if two celestial arcs of the same type emerged in the same era, they would be markedly different in their specific manifestations.

In that moment, Yvelbane was certain beyond all doubt that An Jing possessed a celestial arc. "Weren't you curious why your arc evolved after you saved Huo Qing? It's because you bear the celestial Seven Ruins Arc! By averting Huo Qing's 'inevitable' death, you altered the course of destiny. That, in itself, is an act of subversion!"

"Altering the course of destiny counts as subversion?" A flicker of surprise crossed An Jing's face before his curiosity took hold. "How did you arrive at that conclusion?"

"There's no doubt in my mind. Huo Qing was destined to die."

Yvelbane was unapologetically blunt about Huo Qing, and for the most part, An Jing felt the same.

"It's true. He was supposed to die in that gang fight, just as he was meant to be slaughtered by Gunner's crew... He was destined to be the fall guy." At that, a sudden clarity washed over An Jing. "Oh, I see. Is this what they call a 'death calamity'? So, did I actually overturn destiny just by helping him avert a death calamity?"

"Not necessarily, but you're definitely on the right track." Yvelbane was pleased with An Jing's swift thinking.

"I have observed Huo Qing closely. Though he possesses a keen intellect and appreciative character, he's shackled by the weight of his own self-loathing. He's clever, yet eschews the path of the just. He's bound to a humble arc, forever steered by a dark gravity toward danger. He's a good man, yet true virtue remains forever out of his reach.

"Simply put, he's nothing more than drifting duckweed flowing along a current, or willow down scattered by the breeze. His aspirations remain a distant shore, and the man he yearns to become, a ghost he cannot grasp.

"He was at the end of his journey. With his meager abilities, he stood no chance against Gunner. Even if divine providence granted him a miraculous escape from the wilderness, he possessed neither the strength to defeat Gunner nor the will to outlast the Noontigers' pursuit.

"But you've rewritten his destiny! An Jing, rescuing Huo Qing earned you that rare nourishment technique. This is the invisible thread of cause and effect. By pulling him from the brink of two death calamities, you've carved a new path through his predetermined fate."

Yvelbane was struck by a moment of profound realization. It had never witnessed a celestial arc firsthand, but seeing it now lent clarity to those abstract descriptions.

"I recall a great immortal once saying that the world is a surging tide, and destiny, its flowing current. The clash and confluence of infinite rivers are what forge the intricate tapestry of the mortal realm. But a celestial arc, particularly the Seven Ruins Arc, is a churning, muddy tide. Before its torrential surge, every manifestation of nature, from the heavens and the stars to the mountains and the seas lose their luster!

"The lives you have muddied will inevitably deviate from their original course... Yet this divergence, whether it yields life or death, good or evil, is itself a manifestation of destiny's inexorable will."

Hearing Yvelbane's explanation, An Jing understood the truth of it then. "So this is my arc... Is Huo Qing's brand-new trajectory that was carved from nothingness now a part of my destiny?"

"Perhaps," Yvelbane said with a slow, careful deliberation. "I can't say for certain, but the Seven Ruins Arc is defined by subversion. Throughout history, every bearer of this arc has stood as a defiant insurgent against the nations of their time, sowers of catastrophe who leave ten thousand miles of deathly silence in their wake, where no bird or beast could be heard.

"While they might not necessarily forge a fresh, new path ahead, they will surely plunge their entire age into total upheaval, wresting every destiny from its fixed orbit and hurling the world into uncharted territories. I suspect it would be impossible to divine Huo Qing's future now. Perhaps subversion, deviation, and unpredictability make up the true essence of the Seven Ruins Arc."

"My gut tells me it's not that simple." An Jing drifted into deep thought before a carefree grin broke across his face. "This is easy enough to test. Altering the destiny of many will be difficult, but nudging a few individuals off their tracks is easy. We'll see what the feedback of doing so reveals soon enough."

"An Jing, you must tread carefully." In contrast to An Jing's laid-back air, the sword soul spoke with a grim solemnity. "Whether you possess this arc is still mere conjecture, but a shadow of doubt is all the cult needs. They will not ignore this. Make no mistake. The demonic cult operates under the banner of 'destiny' and reveres anyone who bears the celestial arc as their Divine Son.

"This is why the demonic cult relentlessly gathers disaster children. They meticulously nurture them to awaken their lifearcs in hopes that one might emerge as the Divine Son of the Seven Ruins! In hindsight, it was an absolute stroke of luck that the cult failed to recognize your arc, or they would've unleashed their full force to drag you back and crown you as their Divine Son!"

Why does it sound like I'll be forced back to headquarters to inherit billions if I get caught? An Jing fought back the urge to make a snarky comment. He was well aware that the cult's Divine Son was perhaps less of a successor and more of a human sacrificial offering. He knew better than to trust them.

"Celestial arc... it sounds powerful, surpassing even the reincarnations of immortals or divine beings," he murmured the phrase once more, frowning as he stared at his hands.

"But it doesn't feel real. My ability is basically condensing qi into weapons. Though it has great potential for development, it feels like nothing more than the average miracle arc. Besides..." he scoffed, "I seem to run into trouble everywhere I go. Is this what you call being 'shielded by my arc?'"

"It's not the same," said Yvelbane. "Though my knowledge of lifearcs is limited, it is said that celestial arcs, unlike divine arcs, aren't powerful at the start. The bearer must manifest their destiny and align with heavenly will to grow stronger.

"In the beginning, it may resemble an ordinary miracle arc, if not inferior to even that. Yet, when the full measure of destiny is met and all karmic causes are fulfilled, when heaven, earth, and man are in perfect alignment and the appointed moment arrives, this arc will burgeon to an inconceivable height. Take yourself, for instance. Of the Seven Luminaries, you have awakened but two. In terms of luck..."

Yvelbane motioned for An Jing to observe their surroundings. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"As soon as we entered Skysource and left the secret-laden ancient ruins behind us, the warship crossed our paths. Shortly after, the descent of the warship plunged the upper echelons of Deepnight City into tumult. All of this could be mere coincidence, but I'm not convinced! Our arrival in Skysource, at this exact moment in this precise location, might not have been a random occurrence, but rather a response to your celestial arc!"

At this point, Yvelbane's voice surged with emotion. "So, this is what's meant by 'the answer to calamity.' But I wonder... What does it mean to 'reflect devastation back upon the world?' Perhaps the sheer number of people whose fates you alter will reshape the destiny of the world, and the collapse of the old order will unleash an unprecedented storm of devastation."

1. The Scorpion's Heart refers to Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Because of its red color, it is historically associated with war, fire, and the "killing energy" of the universe. In Chinese astrology, the Mane is the name for the Pleiades, a bright star cluster in the constellation Taurus. ☜

2. In Taoist theology, they are viewed as two aspects of the same deity. The Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole is the "true form," manifesting as the Great Heavenly Lord of Universal Transformation, Resounding Thunder, and The Nine Heavens to enforce justice through the command of thunder. https://dao-world.org/2024/07/29/god-of-thunder/ ☜