Chapter 72 - Purpose

Blue sat on the floor and stared out the door as Wu Jin left. A smile came across his face. "I wonder if Eve is back from Thalorin? I could really go for a steak from my dad as well." His head rested in his palm. "Mary is going to lose her shit. It's been a year, and she has no clue where I am. Yeah, going home is gonna be interesting to say the least." Blue stood and walked outside. He looked up as the sun began to set, and the three moons of Murim became visible. "I leave one home for another, a year later I have to do it again." He exhaled deeply. "This is some bullshit." As he looked to the sky, praying his words reached the golden gods he spoke. "Can't you just let me take my friends with me?" Almost on cue his system pinged.

[Find the third pendant piece]

"...Fuck, you are relentless." Blue shook his head. As he looked down he saw Jinhu and Ilho by the fire. Jinhu had a wide grin on his face, waving like a mad man. Blue smiled and walked over and sat between them. The three boys sat in silence, each knowing this would be their last moments together for the foreseeable future. So-Yeon interrupted that silence. She sat on the ground in front of Blue. "I'm glad to see you are back to normal, you gave me quite a scare."

Blue smiled faintly. "Not quite normal anymore, but I'm sorry about everything. Your men, my stunt to grab the pendant. All of it." Blue hung his head. So-Yeon's hand met his chin and raised his head back up. "Do not be sad, brother. Death is inevitable in Murim even without the monsters. My men died honorably. You have a purpose, though you may not understand it yet. Continue to move forward, do not look back on what could have been, or what you could've done differently." So-Yeon stood. "Just make sure to take one step at a time. And please, make sure you come back." She turned.

Blue stood and grabbed her arm. "Wait, you're leaving?"

So-Yeon didn't turn. "I am, I have things to look into now. I have families I must inform of this tragedy. I have the Alliance I must look into deeper while still maintaining my allegiance as the Crimson Veil Corps Commander. You have your purpose brother. I have mine. Be safe on earth, we will all be waiting for the day you return. Just don't take fifteen years this time yeah?"

Blue smiled and nodded. "I'll come back as soon as I can. I love you So-Yeon."

So-Yeon sniffled and brought her arm to her nose. Her head turned toward the ground. She uttered a single word. "Brother." So-Yeon walked away, bowing to Wu Jin and the four legends. Everyone watched her walk away into the night.

"Fuck, that was heavy." Ilho said.

"Yup, too heavy for me. I'll have to reconsider asking her out." Jinhu chuckled.

Blue turned and smiled as a tear ran down his cheek. "You two are assholes you know?"

"Yeah, but what can ya do without us?" Ilho slapped the log.

Blue sat. "Well, there's something I have to do without you two."

"Yeah." Jinhu and Ilho said simultaneously as they hung their heads.

Blue put an arm around each of them. "But you've got Mu Jang and Sa Gwan. And your new masters. You guys will be fine."

"It's not us we are worried about Blue." Ilho turned his head. "What if whatever is looking for you here is also looking for you there?"

Blue sighed. "Just focus on becoming stronger while I'm gone. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, earth is full of people with systems. And my friend Eve. Well, she crazy strong too, alot stronger than you. So I'll be fine." Blue stood. "Just make sure your mouth doesnt write a check your ass can't cash."

Ilho and Jinhu tilted their heads. "Another Earthism huh?" Ilho asked.

"It is, you can have that one for free." Blue chuckled.

"Wait, what the hell is a check?" Jinhu stood and lunged at Blue and gave him a hug. Ilho stood and joined in. Blue seperated himself and nodded.

"Float like bee and sting like a bee on earth Blue." Jinhu smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "I still think it makes more sense to float like a bee. Butterflies are weak and fragile."

Blue laughed as Ilho shook his head. "You know if you're on earth too long, you may come back and be a lot weaker than us. So, don't get to comfortable there." Ilho grabbed Blue's hand and shook it. "We'll miss you brother."

Blue nodded and turned and walked off. He walked to Sa Gwan and Mu Jang and bowed and said his goodbyes. Then he approached Wu Jin, who stood by Shenwu and Kang. "I'm ready." Blue said quietly as he turned back one last time and waved at Ilho and Jinhu. "Can we go before I change my mind?"

Wu Jin smiled. "Sure, it's quite the walk back to the compound. If you get tired or feel weak, let one of us know."

Blue nodded. The four men waved to those who were staying behind, and started the journey back to the golden gate compound.

Two days into the journey, Shenwu spoke. "It has been two days. Two days of silence between a grandson and grandfather."

Wu Jin nudged Blue. Blue looked at Wu Jin. "What? He's the old one, why do I have to soeak first?"

"Old? Who are you calling old?" Kang looked back at Blue as they walked.

"Well, I mean you're a grandpa, so yeah. I'm calling you old." Blue stared at Kang with empty eyes.

"We will rest here for the night." Shenwu spoke. "Nice cover with the trees. Wu Jin, come and help me find game to put over a fire." Wu Jin nodded and vanished with Shenwu into the tree-line.

Blue sighed as he searched the ground for sticks and anything that could be used for the fire. "Assholes. Three nights in a row they leave me here with him."

"What are you mumbling about? Gather the wood quickly. Your mother would've had handfuls of wood by now." Kang said as he laid large pieces of wood against each other to form the fire.

Blue spun quickly and hurled two large pieces of wood at Kang. Kang forced his qi into his finger, the qi extended out like a sword and cut the wood into pieces, as they landed at his feet he clicked his tongue. "Tch, too weak my boy."

"Don't speak on what my mother would or wouldn't do. What the fuck do you know about her anyway?"

Kang exhaled deeply. "Come, sit." Kang patted the ground next to the fire. As Blue approached and sat, Kang unsheathed his sword, struck a rock against it sending sparks flying under the stacked wood. The fire lit. Blue stared at Kang for a moment. "Where were you? You possess all this strength, yet you weren't there for her... or us."

"I didn't know. I didn't know she got married, I was unaware of her comings and goings. I have many enemies, most Sects and clans would do anything to slice me apart to gain my secrets." He paused and bent down and grabbed a stick and started poking the fire. "I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm not looking for reconciliation. It's too far gone for that. I just want the chance to be there now... for my grandchildren."

Blue's hand reached his head as he squeezed his temples. "Fuuuuck. I can't exactly tell you no. This whole situation is crazy. I die, I reincarnated, I came back to Murim, everything that's happened since. Now, I find out my mother's dad is... the legend my grandfather used to tell me about." Blue looked at Kang. "Do you think he knew?"

"Of course he did. Why he never told me though. Well, I suppose we will never have an answer to that." Kang looked at Blue. "That answer doesn't matter. What matters is we were brought together, by fate, Buddha, your golden gods. It matters not. I just want to do my best to fill a role I never knew I had." He paused and lowered his gaze. "Your sister told me I should tell you directly. So, I'm sorry I couldnt save you. When the monsters came, I rushed to your house. I promised your grandfather I'd protect his grandchildren. When I got there... you were dead."

"Wait, what? Promise? What promise?"

"Yoryeon made us promise to protect you all when he passed. We helped your other siblings find their way to where they were. We protected them from the shadows." Kang stood and threw more wood into the fire.

"We? You mean my grandfather made you four promise to watch over us. Your four? By himself? And you agreed?" Blue folded his arms.

"Ha! You underestimate your grandfather kid." Shenwu appeared with a boar over his shoulders. "Your grandfather was much stronger than any of us. It is how we all became close."

"Wuxing Ye, he had a job to kill Yoryeon. Your grandfather caught him. Shan Tie suffered your grandfather's wrath when he first took charge of the mountain bandits." Kang smiled.

"I've been friends with your grandfather since we were mere disciples." Shenwu laid the boar down and began skinning it. "And Kang there, well he was simply too hard headed to give up. He challenged Yoryeon every chance he could and lost."

Kang nodded and bent down to help Shenwu. "Yoryeon gathered all four us shortly before he passed. He said he had five grandchildren that had no parents, no affiliation with the clan, no support from the family. He gave us each a treasure from his vault and asked us to watch over you all." Kang looked up at Blue. "So that's what we've done. Wuxing Ye assigned his son and his squad to Seori. I told Gyeom that Kwan would be a fit for Namgung. A place to harness his anger."

Shenwu spoke up. "I helped Ryul find his way to Wudang. He was timid, and the taoist teachings could help him."

"So you led Haejin to the the Heavenly Demon?" Blue gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

"Yes and no." Kang paused. He stook and cut the boar in half. He shoved both parts on a stick and drove them into the ground, resting just about the flames. "I knew the Heavenly Demon, so did your grandfather. When Yong Ma lost his eldest son... he spiraled. He came along with me one night as I watched over Haejin. He saw something in him, I'm still unsure what it was." Kang sat down next to Blue. "I made him swear to not hurt him and to never force Haejin to forget his roots, or I would take his head. Yong Ma agreed and honestly, Haejin took to the Heavenly Demon like I've never seen anyone do."

Blue leaned back and sighed. "Well, Haejin is now the Heavenly Demon's successor."

Kang stopped, wide eyed he looked at Blue. Shenwu laughed loudly.

"I want to ask you to continue to keep my grandfather's promise. Not as your grandson, but as my siblings' big brother." Blue stood and bowed. "While I'm gone, and until I can gather the strength to defend them alone... please help them. And help Wu Jin and my Silent Edge family."

Kang stood and patted Blue on the head. "You don't have to ask grandson. We are on your side."

"We will become active participants in this war now. And I hear there's a monk at Silent Edge." Shenwu chuckled.

In that moment, Wu Jin sprinted out of the tree line gasping for air. "Seriously, you are a monster Shenwu. I'm done hunting with you." Wu Jin walked toward the fire as he looked at Blue and Kang. "Well, seems you two are on good terms. Thank Buddha, your awkwardness with each other was getting annoying. I was going to pull out the rod if this persisted."

The four men sat around the fire eating the boar for the rest of the night. As the moons rose in the sky, they all shut their eyes to sleep. Blue stared at the moons as he laid on his back, his arms folded behind his head. "What else did you have planned grandfather? Sly old bastard." Blue closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.