Even though the boat was firmly nestled in the ground, I felt a strange sensation of being high above the Earth. I stood at the bow, on a piece of wood flooring, just wide enough to spread my feet a pace or two past the breadth of my shoulders.

"See the two red circles painted in the center?" Lai said tying a rope around my waist, then securing the other end to a peg nailed into the rim of the boat. "Put one foot in each circle. That’s where you’ll take your starting position. Now give me your tamma."

He took the tamma from my hand and mounted it on a wooden pedestal that curved upwards along the front of the boat, which securely held the glass ball well in front of me at eye-level.

Etsu was watching several paces away, a look of fear and apprehension that unsurprisingly mirrored my own.

"Lai, aren't we moving a little too fast? I don't think beginner students are even allowed to fly yet." I said hesitantly.

"Nonesense." He patted my shoulder before stepping away. "There’s no such thing as a beginner student. If you aren‘t ready to fly, then there‘s no point in you being here is there?"

Kassashimei seemed reluctant as Mai helped her into the boat. "I know I’m supposed to be this boy’s shyo mah," she grumbled. "But shouldn't Mai be paired with him first? I’m sure she’s more experienced than I am."

Mai was quick to reply. "I am bound to my brother to serve him and only him, just as he is bound to serve only me. For this to work, Terr must train with an unbound partner."

Kassashimei gave a cynical sounding groan as she settled into the center of the boat an arm’s length behind me.

"Now I don't know how skilled you are at Kaikua-," Lai said

"I already told you, I'm the best in my class." I interjected.

"That may be so, but just remember. There’s a difference between doing your forms on solid ground and doing it while the floor is pitching and rolling. The key is balance. There are no handrails or anything for you to grab on; just that piece of rope should you lose your balance or fall off. All I want you to do, is make the boat float a few paces off the ground."

"How do I do that?"

"You don't. I do that," Kassashimei blurted. "Just tell me to make a bubble around the boat."

"How big of a bubble?"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the one that‘s supposed to see things that I can‘t. Now start moving your hands around before I get bored."

She crossed her arms and gave an agitated glare. She then waved me on like an angry mother would to a confused child. I found it hard to convince myself that her reason for being here was to help me.

I took my starting stance and focused on unlocking my other sight. A minutes passed, but the ether refused to reveal itself. A bright needle appeared on the tamma pointing out the flow of the main current, but not a wisp of blue light or any form of watery glow was to be found.

"Well?" Kassashimei thumped her foot impatiently against the floor of the boat.

"Just give me a moment. I need to concentrate."

She breathed a furious sigh.

A few more minutes past and still nothing. I must have looked silly, frozen like a statue as I remained in my ready position, vigilant, but only watching empty air.

"That's it. I'm getting tired," Kassashimei's incessant foot tapping grew much louder. "Etsu, I have a feeling this is going to take all night and we really should get some sleep."

Just as I was on the verge of admitting that I had all I could take of her, I declared myself triumphantly.

"I've got it!"

The Ocean of Ki, the ether, peered into existence as a weak, feathered glow before my barely-trained eyes. I knew that it was just a tiny portion of what I needed see, but I took it as a small victory. At the very least, I’d managed to calm some of Kassashimei’s constant bickering. At first, I thought it was a transparent, tangled mass, but then I started to recognize patterns I’d seen during training. Familiar currents moved, dipped and flowed sideways. I acted quickly, moving my arms outward and pressing the flat of palms to either side, hoping that Kassashimei understood my gestures.

"Don‘t move your hands too fast," she said. “Or you‘ll lose me."

Almost immediately, I saw the smoke-like ether tumble away as the edges of a bubble-like sphere grew to encompass the boat. I watched carefully where the currents made dents in the surface and motioned exactly where my shyo mah needed to push back. True to what I’d been told I was the eyes of a painter guiding a brush to each delicate stroke. As enthralled as I was, the majesty of the moment was all too short-lived.

"Well? Why aren't we floating yet, " Kassashimei inquired.

"No more talking," Mai seemed to have lost her tolerance of her just as I had. "Stay focused and pay attention to his hand motions."

"I am. I‘m doing exactly what he wants, but we‘re still not in the air. I‘m sure he‘s doing it wrong."

I could no longer take her insults or her belligerence. In a series of anger-driven motions I pushed at the sides of the bubble. I suppose my movements became too fast for her, because she began moving the ether in the wrong direction, until the bubble became misshapen and ill-sized. Suddenly, it grew so large, so quickly, it lost its elegance and uniformity. It was no longer recognizable as a sphere. Instead, it was now an ugly blot created by the brush of a careless artist.

The boat responded in kind and lifted like a startled crane into the air, except instead of going forward, it flew sideways. I did what I could to make it steady, but my balance was lost and Kassashimei wasn’t paying attention to my motions. Instead, her eyes were shut, and she was screaming for help. The boat pitched to the side, throwing me off. Only, as I dangled at the end of the rope, did I realize how high we truly were. Looking down, I noticed the tree tops rolling beneath me and the earth stretched far below. With no one to fly the boat, we were now at the mercy of the currents.

It was an experience. One that should have filled me with fear. But there was something else. As the wind bound past my face and the embrace of the night sky seemed all that much closer, I felt a strange sensation, one of content and longing, as if all that I had ever wanted in life had been finally satisfied. However, even that feeling was all too fleeting as the sickly sound of a heavy thump and the splinter of wood brought our brief flight to an end.

I was lying on the bank of the river when I came to. The icy water and mud had soaked into my clothes. I rubbed my bleary face, crying out as I felt something blunt strike my shoulder. Next to the broken, overturned boat, Kassashimei was standing with an enraged look on her face. Her hair was a matted mess and her clothes were patched with dirt. She was flinging pebbles at me.

"You idiot!" she barked. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. I could have been killed."

"Ow! Stop that." I slowly lifted myself from the ground, shielding myself from her rampant pelting. "We‘re alive aren‘t we? You don't seem hurt and as far as I can tell, I‘m not hurt either, so you can stop overreacting."

"Overreacting? Look at me. I'm dirty, I'm covered in muck, and I've got scrapes all over. Most importantly, you made me lose my charm pebbles. They've probably washed down the river by now." She stormed off away from the bank, finding a dry spot to settle down. "Because of you, we’re all cursed with bad luck."

"That's enough.” I made my way towards her, nursing the scrapes on my arm. "All you've done is complain. I'm getting tired of it. If you don’t like being here, why don’t you leave? At least then, I can stop hearing you whine about your stupid charm stones."

She slapped me hard across the cheek as she burned into me, a fierce look that tested my will. At first, I could only think about how selfish she was. After all, the crash was partially her fault. But after a brief moment, her expression seemed to soften into something that looked more like desperation than anger. It was as if she wanted to place her blame on something other than me, but because I was there she had chosen me to be her victim instead. I felt a tinge of guilt tug away at my pride.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled weakly.

"You're sorry?" She bit back. "For a moment, I thought you were a man. You stood up for yourself. All I did was slap you and now you're acting like a baby again."

She got up and stormed away to spot in the woods where I could just barely see her, hunching down behind one of the larger trees.

About a half hour later, Lai, Mai and Etsu emerged from the forest.

The two older students gave a quick perusal of the wreckage, their expressions blank. They must have been either surprised or upset, or maybe both. I could only imagine their feelings, witnessing their precious boat smashed against the bank.

"Are the both of you alright?" Etsu said as she approached looking me over carefully. She placed her hand on my cheek and turned my head, inspecting me for injuries.

Kassashimei had already irritated me, and the fact that Etsu was treating me like some sort of helpless cub only served to annoy me further.

"Yes, the both of us are fine," I said in a huffed tone, pushing Etsu‘s hand away. "If you're looking for Kass, she's over there acting like a whipped mule."

"That's a mean thing to say." She frowned.

"Mean? She's the one who's been acting rude. She's selfish, she's annoying- "

"You should be grateful," Etsu interrupted. "She’s not the one who’s under review. Instead of complaining you should be thanking her for her help."

She sighed, then made her way towards the girl, simmering in the trees.

It was difficult to make sense of why I was here, mentored by mysterious students and given a shyo mah that was hardly willing to cooperate. I should have been just as frustrated as I was confused. But strangely, I felt as though none of that mattered. I had flown, and in my fleeting moments nestled against the night sky, I found myself fulfilled, as if I had found a new home high above the Earth. I wanted more. I wanted to go up again, to selfishly experience that feeling once more

It was customary to separate the shyo mu and the shyo mah immediately following any accident or misfortune. Lai said it was to allow time for us to pray away any curses that may have fallen between us and to meditate and regain our focus. I suppose it was also his way of ending our lessons for the night.

The Boar woke us early the next morning. He stomped down the hall in a great hurry, sliding open all of our doors and calling for us to get dressed. I told him that I had to leave soon, to serve tea to Master Lu.

"He’s not your teacher," he said in his usual growl.

We followed him outside where we found the air and sky soaked with rain. To any person living in the lowlands or in the city, rain fell with little fanfare and was as predictable and uninteresting as the brown eyes on a commoner‘s face. But for the people that resided in the temple, the experience was as enthralling as it was peculiar.

In those days, the rain fell differently in the mountains. Instead of falling together, each droplet followed its own path. Some moved quickly, some moved slowly, while others seemed to hardly fall at all, as if they were suspended in time. We were told that as we came closer to the heavens, the ether made the rain and some of the clouds move as if they had somehow lost their purpose, wandering aimlessly and skittering about in odd directions like ink blown across a piece of paper. To most people, they were left only with their imaginations to answer such curiosities. But to children like us, we were shown its secrets, a reason why as to why such things happened.

We were lead across a covered walk way to the edge of a great cliff where a vast length of sky could be seen, without the trees or patches of rock to block our view. We stood in a sleepy daze, some of us, our eyes barely open. The Boar inspected every one of our faces and made sure we were awake by giving a harsh tap to our temples with the blunt end of his pipe.

I remember reading an article a few decades later that was published by a famous foreigner named Corbin Aspen. He was passionate about studying the lives of the chienkuu ko. In it, he said that one of our greatest weaknesses was rain. He claimed this was so, because the shyo mu found it most difficult during this time, to see the Great Ether. The person he interviewed either led him astray on purpose in order to keep the veil of mystery over our secret lives, or he was just as clueless about us as his interviewer.

In truth, it was easiest to see the Great Ether when it rained. Waves and swirls and dancing currents, invisible to normal people shined and shimmered the most when water fell from the sky. It was for this very reason that we all stood outside and gazed, with great meditation, out from the cliffs of the temple in order to discipline our second sight. From that point on, regardless of the time of day, when it rained, the Boar would have us visit that cliff in order to further train our timid eyes .

That morning, it became much clearer to me how, not just droplets of water, but other objects of the sky followed the path of the ether. Blue, swirling images appeared, just like that stormy night in Rune, except their presence was much brighter, much more alive. Where the ether flowed thick, like honey, the rain drops sunk lazily to the earth and where the currents were found spinning and flaying, the rain swayed to and fro like feathers excited by an angry breeze. I barely had to force my sight to see it all.

Across all our faces were strewn looks of surprise and bewilderment. Even Kidou managed to let go of his normally serious demeanor.

"Everyone keep your eyes forward," our teacher commanded. "Look to the sky and nowhere else."

Han prodded at my attention by quietly hissing in my direction. As I looked at him with cautious eyes, he smiled broadly and pointed over the railing. I took his suggestion and we slowly gazed over the side being careful as to not draw the Boar‘s watchful eyes.

My body froze immediately, realizing that we were standing at the very edge of a great abyss. Rocky outcrops, boulders, not even tree tops could be seen piercing the unending darkness that drifted far below our feet.

"How high up do you think we are?" I whispered.

"I don't know." Han shrugged his shoulders. “But there’s probably a demon down there, waiting for the next poor soul to fall into his grasp."

I knew he was joking, but the very image a demon walking the depths had given me a shiver, and I quickly stepped back from the railing. Suddenly, a harsh hand grasp my shoulders and shoved me back to the edge. Afraid that I might fall over, I screamed and quickly collapsed onto the metal railing, wrapping both my arms around it as tightly as I could.

"Terr, what are you doing?" the Boar gruffed.

He pried me away from the edge and planted me firmly back in line with the rest of the students. I knew it had been Masa, because across his face was smeared a triumphant smirk. I yelped as the Boar twisted my ear. His beady green eyes narrowed and the horrid, smoky stench of his breath caused my nose to curl. For a moment, I thought he was about to discipline me, but instead, he pressed down on my shoulders and told me to sit. He then instructed everyone else to do the same.

"This is a time of meditation. This is also a time of opportunity. A rain such as this does not occur often. Do not squander chances like these. Use it to exercise your sight, because the faster you improve, the less likely you are to fail."

While he spoke, I noticed that his attention seemed particularly centered upon me. Even after he had finished speaking, he paced away with his gaze locked in my direction. I pretended that I didn’t notice and followed him along the edges of my sight.

We sat underneath the covered walk way and meditated upon the rain until the pale sun sat beneath the low, ink-colored clouds. The Boar waited until the rain had slowed to a drizzle, and then, and only then, did he become satisfied enough to dismiss us.

As I got up and proceeded to leave with the rest of the students, a piercing voice called out to me.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

It was Paya, trotting towards me like a tiger about to strike its prey. The Boar stepped in her path, forcing an exchange of words with her. After a few moments, he seemed to agree with whatever she was demanding and allowed her to take me away.

I learned, that even though she did not look it, she was a terribly fast walker, and I had difficulty keeping up with her.

"You're late Terr," she said harshly. "You are very late; and on an extremely important day at that. Master Lu has had to keep everyone waiting on account of you. When you serve him his tea, be sure to present your sincerest apologies."

"Why do I have to apologize? Why can't he have someone else make his tea?"

"You are going to apologize, because if you don't, he will issue a much harsher punishment to you, one which you may never be relieved of for the rest of your days here."

"It's just tea. I can’t see how serving tea is more important than my training."

She stopped to give a firm twist of my wrist. "That's enough. No more talking until we‘ve reached the temple. Do you understand?"

She shook my arm for good measure and, feeling the sting of her grip, I reluctantly nodded.

We came to a large, wooden boat that sat docked in the center of the River Temple’s courtyard. The odd way it was shaped, made it almost indistinguishable from the other buildings. It had an exotic, flattened hull and it gleamed of smooth, black lacquer. There was a square shaped structure in the aft section that had a smooth, curved roof, which made it look like a small house. In the center, was an enormous gazebo, decorated with various flags and banners. I was surprised by the vessel's size as it almost could be mistaken for a small ship. But the biggest surprise of all, was the sight of Ai, standing regally at the top of the boarding ramp.

"Miss Paya and the tea servant have arrived," an official looking man announced at the bottom of the ramp.

Both Paya and I gave bowed.

"Miss Ai, I deeply apologize for keeping your father waiting," Paya said. "I’ve found the tea boy. Please, inform your father that we are now prepared to leave."

In a careful, but graceful manner, she shuffled down the ramp, her gleaming, gold threaded-silk robe rippling behind her. "If you would, please inform Master Lu in my stead. I shall escort the boy myself."

Paya looked at Ai with a mixture of protest and hesitation, but knew better than to contradict the daughter of Master Lu. She gave a low, silent nod, then went on ahead of us.

"Terr, please follow me." Ai’s listless, yet alluring eyes glanced in my direction before she proceeded ahead of me.

I followed her as closely as it was considered polite, making our way off the ramp and onto the aft deck. We walked the length of the boat and proceeded below deck, passing a number of small compartments.

"Ai, " I said quietly. "Please forgive my rudeness, but I thought you were blind."

"I am," she said without looking back.

"Then how is it that you can walk about without anyone helping you?"

She stopped suddenly. When I saw the serious expression on her face, I immediately felt guilty. I wondered if my question had offended her somehow.

"Being blind doesn‘t mean that I am without sight. I can certainly see you and the world around me, but not in the way that most people see it. I see things in such a way that you do not understand yet."

"What do you mean?"

She did not answer. Instead, she stepped on, leaving the mystery of her words lingering in my mind.

The room we came to was eerily dark, lit sparsely by a single dim lantern tucked away in a corner. A wide, expansive bed sat at one end of the room, while a short, finely crafted tatami table stood at the other. Towards the center, was a chest of wood and bronze, which she urgently approached.

"Terr, please close the door," Ai said in a hushed voice.

After she was sure that I had shut the door, she opened the chest and pulled out a small, leather bag.

"I fear for my father Terr, " she said forlorn. “Ever since his return from Rune, he's been acting strange, like he’s gone mad."

"I can‘t say I‘ve known him for very long, but if you would excuse me for saying, he‘s been a very difficult person to serve tea to."

"Listen to me. Listen to me very carefully. My father does not want you here. He never did. He did not go to Rune for you or for your friends. He went there for someone else. He went there to save his daughter, my sister. You have to understand; she was living in your village when she became very ill, but he was forbidden to go to her. The only way he could go to your village, was to convince the Temple Council that there were gifted children there, children like you. But by the time he arrived, my sister was too far gone. Even the best doctors in the capital couldn’t keep her from fading away. She died shortly after you arrived."

The day we came to the temple flashed in my mind. I remembered running into the ship for my sister’s painting and seeing the sick, wheezing girl lying helpless in Master Lu's quarters. I had mistaken her for Ai. The two seemed almost alike.

My heart sank, realizing that my coming to the temple was only because of chance and circumstance. How arrogant I was to think that I was important enough to come here, when all along, Han, Kidou and I, had only been brought to the temple on a desperate man’s whims. I never considered how selfish I was being at that moment. Master Lu had lost a daughter and I was only thinking about myself. I didn’t even give my condolences. Instead, curiosity overwhelmed me and I asked Ai a question.

"Why was he forbidden to go to Rune?"

"I thought you knew," she said in a surprised tone.

"Knew about what? Tell me."

She sighed, cupping the mysterious leather bag in her hands and holding it close to her chest. "Things change Terr. Maybe you don't know, but there are some places in Rui Nan that are forbidden. Rune is one of them. Just know that you are very fortunate to be here right now."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Give me your tamma," She said abruptly.

I did as she asked. In return, she handed me her leather bag, then turned around and proceeded to tuck away my tamma into her chest.

"This way father will never know that I gave mine away," she said.

I opened the bag and inside was another tamma.

"This is yours?"

"Yes. But now it's yours. This will help you pass Master Lu's Test. It's my own personal tamma. It will reveal to you everything that your second sight cannot, and in time, it will help strengthen it. You see Terr, my father was the one who issued the test. He wants you to fail. He wants you removed from this temple. He blames you for the death of my sister."

"How can that be? I didn't do anything."

"Misfortune does not need a reason. He loved his daughter very much and the fact that he could only save her if he came for you, had angered him terribly. He wants revenge. And since he cannot simply lash out at the Temple Council, he's chosen to throw his anger out upon you. But don't worry. As long as you have my tamma, he will not be able to expel you."

My body grew numb with apprehension. Serving tea to him these past weeks, his looks of resentment, all became much clearer to me. Having confessed so much, her face seemed much dimmer.

"Thank you," I said with as much sincerity as I could muster. "I'm sorry for your sister."

"I loved her too Terr, but how can she find peace if my father makes others suffer for her sake."

Another question burned in my mind as we left the room, one which I imagined she would not answer, but I felt the need to ask anyway.

"Ai, why is it that you have a tamma? I thought that only boys carried these."

Her only reply, was a gentle look over her shoulder, followed by a mysterious smile.

Master Lu and his guests were seated around a long, finely polished tatami table underneath the gazebo that covered the length of the boat’s mid-deck. Among his guests, I recognized Master Hotaka, Paya and the soldier whom I saw barge into Master Lu's room that first morning I began serving tea, General Fung. The others looked very official with their gleaming robes and ornamented military tunics.

As soon as they noticed our arrival, Ai greeted them with a courteous bow, then allowed Paya to guide her to a seat next to her father.

"You're late," Master Lu seemed reluctant to acknowledge my presence. "All this waiting has made the tea cold. Go back and boil another pot."

"Don't be too harsh on the child now," Master Hotaka said "After all, he is one of our students and deserves a certain amount of respect."

Though I sensed a measure of annoyance from Master Lu, he bit his tongue, knowing better than to speak ill the head priest’s opinions and potentially blemish his own reputation.

"But he is under punishment is he not?" General Fung said, taking a slurp from his sake cup. "I say, be harsh to the boy. He will become a better man for it.” He raised his cup in my direction. “You, bring me more sake and boil more tea as Master Lu has commanded, and be quick about it."

"General, perhaps it would be best to get one of the servants to do that," Master Hotaka suggested. "I would like to have this young student watch the morning proceedings with us."

"It hasn't begun yet has it?” The general prodded at the head priest’s request. Unlike Master Lu, it was obvious that the general had little care for the opinions of anyone at the table not wearing a uniform. He gave a slight pause, as if to challenge anyone at the table to answer. “Good then. Then there is still time for this boy to earn his keep; with all the money Rui Nan has invested in his training he could at least serve us a bit of tea and sake."

Paya stood up. "I will show him to the kitchen."

As I was led across the deck, I watched as the crew scurried about shouting commands to one another as they prepared the boat to depart. The chienkuu ko assigned to pilot the boat scuffled by, lowering their heads as they passed the officials under the gazebo. Moments later, the deep rhythm of ceremonial drums resonated through the air.

"What's happening?" I asked innocently.

"Something important," Paya replied. "Now no more talking. Hurry up."

In the kitchen, Paya pointed out the ingredients that had already been prepared for the guests. As for Master Lu, she told me create my own mixture for him, just as I had done every morning before. How strange it was that he had chosen not to drink the same tea as everyone else. Certainly, the pre-made tea would taste much better than the strange concoction Master Lu demanded of me. A few moments after she left to attend to the guests, the floor beneath me began to lurch forward, an unmistakable sign that the boat the was taking to the air.

Alone in the empty room, left only with my thoughts, I began to feel the haunting echoes of Ai's words. She had told me that I was never meant to become a student, that neither me, Han or Kidou were meant to come to the temple and Master Lu would prove it by allowing me to fail in the test next week. If that were to happen, I imagined that it would not be long before Han and Kidou would also follow my fate. Neither of them deserved to experience the tinge of hopelessness I felt at that moment. Whether or not it was the right thing to do, I decided to keep it a secret from them. After all, Master Lu's judgment was that of only one man.

I felt for Ai's tamma and took it out of its leather pouch, then held it next a porthole. At first, I was hesitant to look at it, then found myself drawn by the strange, eerie way it made the sunlight glimmer off the walls of the room. It was this odd glow that made me wary of its power, and yet, at the same time, emboldened my confidence. The secretive way it had been given to me left me feeling all the more guilty for having it. But I relished in the thought that it had belonged to Ai, making it a precious gift worth cherishing. After a time, I managed to convince myself that I was spending too long looking at it before I reluctantly put it away and set about my duties.

General Fung's daring words cut through the air as I approached with the tray of refreshments. He was flaying his arms about and slapping the table with his palms, making a bit of a ruckus. Everyone else eyed him cautiously as if he were a wolf bound to a leash, about to break his bindings at any moment.

"I’d always wondered about the value of these temples," the general said. "Surely Hotaka, you're a reasonable enough man to understand that these children would be better suited to flying the imperial ships of war, rather than being used as toys for the Emperor, or even the merchant fleets for that matter."

"You are a bold man General Fung," Master Hotaka replied calmly. "To question the divine will of the Emperor. Surely, you yourself are a reasonable enough man to understand that they are better suited to aiding the prosperity of our great nation by flying commerce and trade ships. Besides, isn’t your military devising new flying machines? I believe they’re called air planes; tiny vessels of the air which do not require the aid of the chienkuu ko."

General Fung gave a stout laugh. "Those tiny, fragile things? Armed airships are still where the power lies. In the coming months, I plan to petition the Emperor to have you present me more of your students, so that they may help expand our glorious air navy."

"We do not need a larger military," one of the temple masters said in such a loud, passionate voice, that the tray shook in my hands as I set it down on the table.

"You are blind." The General took a slurp from his sake cup. "Our economy is weak and coinless. Everyone views our nation as weak and gullible. It is because of this that almost no one wishes to trade with us. And the few that do, take advantage of our position, leaving us still starving and begging. It is time for us to show them that we are the Tigers of the East, that we have a divine right to prosperity, even if we must take it by force."

It was obvious the general carried the conversation. But amidst the muted reactions of disgust from the temple masters, one in particular, Master Lu, seemed to regard him with a certain amount of admiration.

"You propose then, to make claim upon a portion of the mainland?" Another man said boldly from across the table.

"I believe, it is our destiny to take the entire mainland. We possess the best technology and the best military. The world pretends to not notice these things, but if they continue to impose these embargoes then we may have to show them the sheer power of our resolve."

Master Hotaka remained a patient, thoughtful man. He watched the argument unfold, seemingly biding his time. The man from across the table took notice of this as well.

"What say you Master Hotaka? What do you think about all this?"

He glanced in the man's direction, then calmly turned his eyes skyward. "I think it is a beautiful day today, perfect for sky sailing. The rain has subsided and a most refreshing breeze has taken its place. Don't you think so Mr. Kozu."

The man across the table gave a confused nod.

"The country is on the brink of a new era, and the only opinion you have pertains to the weather?" the general gruffed.

Master Hotaka's words must have been highly respected, for it was enough to bring a silent calm among the guests. Even General Fung, not receiving any reply from his blatant taunting reluctantly succumbed to the strange absence of debate and turned his attention to his sake. Everyone, who had been glaring at each other and were once so intent on sharing their opinions, now moved their gazes to the clouds and the distant horizon. I too was tempted to approach the railings and gaze upon the earth below.

However, the serenity of the moment was interrupted when Master Lu suddenly coughed and sputtered from his tea. Paya reached up to clean the dribble from around his mouth with a silk cloth, but he waved away her hand.

"What is this?" he muttered to me hoarsely. "What sort of mixture have you made this time?"

He tossed the cup and let it spill all over the deck.

"There was not much to choose from Master Lu," I replied startled. "I could only find tio root and some sort of yellow leaf ground into a powder."

"Master Lu," Master Hotaka said pleasantly. "Since when have you started drinking tea? I thought you detested it."

Unlike General Fung, Master Lu served under Master Hotaka, and therefore had to be careful with the words he presented. This time, he decided not to reply at all. He darted a suspicious glance in my direction, then stood up and gave a respectful bow to Hotaka before turning and swiftly leaving the table with Paya shuffling close behind.

"Terr is it?" Hotaka said also standing. "Please, come with me."

Anxiety, excitement, nervousness, surprise, uncertainty. So many emotions had I felt in the days since coming to the temple, and yet as I walked the deck with Master Hotaka, I felt as if every one of them had been balled up and crammed into my stomach. As he walked, his footsteps hardly made a sound. His posture was impressively tall, straight and regal for a man of his age, and yet, his face held an expression so humble, it was as if he was unaware of how daunting and inspiring he truly looked.

"Terr of the Stream from the Village of Rune ," he regarded me softly. "I consider it important to remember the names of all the new students and where they come from. Yours seemed to be the most unique of them all. A strangely named child from a strangely named village. You must stand out quite a bit."

I was too nervous to consider when it was proper for me to speak, so I restrained myself from replying.

As if he were able to read my thoughts, he said, "go on, feel free to speak your mind."

"My sister says the name implies good luck. So to live in a village named Rune, that is in a prefect also named Rune, on the island of Rune, can only mean that for people who live there, they will receive good fortune three times over."

I was careful not to look up at him too quickly or for too long, so as not to disrespect him, but in the slow gazes my eyes afforded me, I saw a man who seemed to be pleased with my reply.

"Well then, I think perhaps your sister is right. You have been very fortunate to come this far. Though what we do here is not fully understood by those outside, you are the envy of every citizen in Rui Nan. You may think that Master Lu is trying to make you think differently, but just remember that he is simply providing you with another means to add to your good fortune."

"I don't understand what you mean. How can being his tea boy bring about good fortune?"

"It is not about the tea young student. He has his own reasons for that. What I mean, is the test he has challenged you with. It’s no secret that he barely acknowledges you as a student. Maybe his true ambition is to make sure you remain permanently as his tea servant."

We stopped at the front of the boat, overlooking the bow. There was a wonderful view of a distant coast, with branching rivers that seemed to claw at its edge, and as our small vessel approached, the majestic pagodas of the Ocean Temple loomed into view. But I was hardly taking notice of any of this. Ai had already made it known to me, of Master Lu's intentions, but to hear it confirmed by Master Hotaka's own words, caused the reality of it all to fall upon me like icy rain just before the snow.

He probably noticed a small bit of hopelessness hanging coldly in my eyes, because he looked at me with a curious, but warm look on his face.

"I don’t care much for formal reviews. They don’t serve much use, and it’s unfair to the students. But when Master Lu came to me to approve your test, I thought that perhaps this time, for this one student, I should provide him with a grand opportunity. No matter what happens, know that you are not being tested because you are a failure. The truth is something completely different."

"Then why? Why am I being made to do this?"

"Master Lu is not the only one who has a plan for you."

We landed upon the courtyard of the great Ocean Temple, where the most senior of the students resided. Just as the name implied, it sat at the very bottom of the mountain, upon a steep cliff that overlooked a restless ocean. Like the distant rumble of a herd of animals, the roar of the waves could be heard all around. Unlike the other temples which had buildings that stood tall and magnificent, the ones that resided here looked short and squat, as if clinging to the earth so as not to be swept away by the wind. A few of the structures seemed so close to the ground, they curved with the flow of the hills and zigzagged in awkward directions mimicking the rocky coast it was built upon.

We disembarked and made our way into an even larger courtyard, one which was filled with people lined in neat rows. At first, I thought they must have been students since they were dressed in temple garments and stood together in pairs as boy and girl, shyo mu and shyo ma, but they were much too old. Upon closer examination I began to doubt whether they were truly chienkuu ko at all, because among their faces, I had not found a single pair of eyes marked with exotic colors. No greens, no yellows, no purples; only brown eyes, like those of the common person.

"Pay attention now, " Master Hotaka whispered to me as we proceeded to the stage at the far end. "This is a very special ceremony, the Ceremony of Jade's End."

Ceremonial drums sounded, the temple bell rang and the masses bowed to Master Hotaka's endearing presence. The crashing waves bellowed from beyond the walls, as if the ocean itself were honoring his arrival.

"For all of you, this is the end of a chapter," He announced. "Your journey across the sky is complete. There is no longer anything more for you to explore, to master, to overcome. Just as it was to those who soared the skies before you, age and destiny has taken away your gifts. The sky will no longer bend to your will and the airships which you have come to know, will not longer heed your commands.

"But do not think for one moment, that this is the end of all things for you. Let the next generation concern themselves with the air and the sky. Know that this next chapter of your life is one of peace and reflection. The Emperor thanks you all for your service and he wishes great prosperity and long life to you. Take heart as we return you, your family names and send you on your way to live freely in the golden nation of Rui Nan."

Over the next hour, temple masters, teachers, officials and other important looking people stood up to present their speeches. Some were little more than short, dramatic good-byes. Others were long, drawn out reminders of what it means to be a citizen of the empire.

Afterwards, the temple bell sounded again and the drums pounded to life as each row stepped forward to receive a small finely-carved green-colored box. The monks reverently read off each family name and carefully handed each box to its owner.

"Master Hotaka," I asked hesitantly. "What are they doing?"

"They are containers of Jade," Master Hotaka said, leaning towards me ever so slightly, " which is where the ceremony gets its name. Within each box, is the Imperial Chrysanthemum seal, a symbol of their past life as chienkuu ko, and an official letter, granting them back their family names, so that they may again live as normal citizens."

"But how can that be? Being a chienkuu ko, isn't that a life-long task? How can they simply leave all of this behind?"

"They aren’t leaving young student. We are letting them go. Everything has an end, including the gifts all of us possess. The shyo mu, with their second sight, and the shyo ma, with their ability to change the sky currents; most will lose these gifts when they grow into adulthood. When they lose the color in their eyes and the will to bend the air we honor them with this ceremony and let them continue with their lives as they please. Such is the eventual fate of those who graduate this temple."

"Then, if you would please excuse me for saying so, why are your eyes still green and why do the other masters still have their gifts?"

The wrinkles on Master Hotaka's face arched upwards, as if he was expecting that very question.

"Though what I tell you is true," he answered, "no truth is absolute. A very small number of us never really lose our abilities; and as such we continue to remain in the service of the Emperor until the day these abilities leave us, or old age overcomes us."

That night, I lay in my room, thinking about the ceremony, about the time that would eventually come, when our gifts would begin to fail us and our services would no longer be needed. It was true that we were revered as the children of the sky, and yet, as we are all destined to grow into adulthood, so too would we lose our special place in the eyes of the Emperor.

Masa was snoring loudly in the corner. He too must have known about this all too well. I wondered if he was glad that the life of a sky child was so short, that he would not have to endure for long, the lifestyle he so detested.

I barely had a chance to shut my eyes before I was awaken by a sharp pull of my arm. In the darkness, my dreary eyes could only make out a shadowy figure, hunched over my face. Wide awake now, I sat up for a closer look, but the figure grabbed my collar and yanked me towards the door.

"C'mon, if I have to get up early, so should you," the figure said with little regard for the people sleeping in the neighboring rooms.

The voice as all-too familiar to me and I cried out in protest. "Stop. Let go of me Kass."

"No," she said defiantly. "If I let go, you'll just go back to sleep."

I finally managed to pull her hand off my collar and quickly got to my feet, being careful not to make too much noise. The piled mass in the corner that was Masa, hardly stirred.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed. "And where's Etsu?"

"She's outside of course. We were waiting for you to meet us for training, but I knew you‘d be lazy and sleep in."

She grabbed my arm and ushered me again towards the door.

"Wait," I said suddenly ", let me get my tamma first."

"Hurry up.”

I barely had a chance to get my coat and tamma before she shoved me down the hallway. Outside Etsu was pacing about impatiently with a lantern. Kassashimei rasped me on the head several times with a strange looking stick that had a bushel of feathers bound to one end. I spat and hissed as the feathers smothered my face.

"Get that away from me. What are you doing?" I said in an annoyed tone.

"Stop complaining. In case you don't know. Today is the day of the tortoise. I'm giving you the blessing of the river spirit. Once a week, you must receive their blessing, or they will not protect you against demons and monsters."

I turned to Etsu in bewilderment, hoping she could make sense of Kassashimei’s strange behavior, but she only shrugged. As we made our way through the forest, Kassashimei rasped the air with her strange, feather stick, trailing a good distance behind us, as if she were sweeping away imaginary smoke, lingering off our backs.

"She's a superstitious girl isn't she?" I whispered to Etsu.

"More than you know," Etsu replied. "And she still hasn’t forgiven you for losing her charm stones."

Lai and Mai were waiting for us in a clearing with a new sky boat. They wasted no time as we approached.

"Both of you," said Lai in a hurried tone. "Get in the boat."

Mai helped Kassashimei sit in the back and like one of the impatient temple teachers, she meticulously inspected and fixed her posture while Lai made me sure that I was standing properly on the bow. The focus of our lessons that night were on form and technique. Lai taught me how to balance and articulate my motions without falling off. Kassashimei was made to watch the movements of my hands and body, while explaining to Mai what I meant if I swept my arm this way, or outstretched my fingers in a certain direction. Though every shyo mu had forms that were mostly the same, each shyo mah had to train themselves to learn the subtle differences and meanings behind their movements. This required Kassashimei to sit absolutely still and maintain a trance-like focus on my body, all the while ignoring her surroundings. Even though she constantly complained and annoyed Mai by impatiently waving her feather-stick around, she reluctantly did what she was told.

On more than one occasion, I lost my balance and fell off the bow. Kassashimei was quick to take advantage of such mistakes and took it upon herself to utter a few insults.

"Why bother teaching a turtle to balance like a crane.

Keep falling Terr. Eventually you'll hurt yourself, then I can find a new shyo mu.

If I have to bend a wave around his arm when he sweeps it, does that mean I bend a wave around the entire boat when his whole body sweeps overboard?"

These, and many other remarks she seemed so keen on blurting tested every ounce of my patience.

I told her to keep quiet, but for all I knew, she probably took my protests as a challenge, since she cemented her insults by laughing or giggling whenever I made the slightest error or when she thought one of my forms looked awkward or silly.

When I asked Lai if we were going to try flying again that night, he hastily said no. Judging by what happened last time, I suppose he thought it more prudent to slow down the lessons and take things much more cautiously. To me, however, it was painfully slow, and even though I knew he was looking out for my safety, my mind continued to tease at the thought of returning to the sky.

After a time, he began to notice my boredom. I was confident that my Kaikua was perfect. Even though I was just a beginner student, I did every form that I knew with a grace and steadiness that impressed even my teachers. In that short amount of time, I had even learned to keep my balance. I even dared to try a few advanced techniques I’d seen some of the senior students do , but Lai was not impressed. He demanded I take his teachings seriously or he’d end the lesson.

Finally, and with obvious hesitation, he decided that my training should move on. When he took my tamma to mount it on the wooden pedestal in front of me, he paused, regarding the item in his hand as if it had suddenly changed shape.

"Terr, what is this? What’ve you done to your tamma?" he said in a worried tone.

I took the ball from his hand and realized a detail I had not noticed before. What was once a featureless, glass surface was now carved with intricate circular shapes, like vines wrapped around the base of a tree. The meticulous, curving lines stretched across the entire face, interlocking and weaving to form mysterious and complex patterns. The carvings caught the moonlight in such a way that it gave off a faint, ethereal glow. As I turned it away from the moon to look at it more closely in the lantern light, the patterns almost completely disappeared. Only when my eyesight was turned at a certain angle and underneath the proper lighting conditions did the patterns reveal themselves again.

"What you did might not have been a wise thing to do, " Lai said. "In the eyes of the temple masters, to deface such a sacred object is the same as giving great insult to yourself."

"I didn't do this," I replied.

"Didn't do what?" Etsu came up to see for herself. She stared at it with wide eyes.

Kassashimei gasped, hovering curiously over my shoulder.

"I had no idea you were such a good artist," Kassashimei teased.

"Everyone back away, " Lai said, taking the tamma from my posession. "Kassashimei sit back down. We need to continue. He will be judged by his teachers, not by me, or anyone else here."

Etsu stepped away, regarding me with what seemed to be, admiration.

Kassashimei did what she was told and sat back down with her usual smug smeared across her face.

"Now, concentrate on just floating the boat, " Lai said, mounting the ball on the pedestal. "No more surprises like last time."

I nodded and looked over my shoulder at my partner who waved me on impatiently. Attempting to ignore my growing anxiety, I gazed out beyond the bow and concentrated. Sadly, just like before, minutes passed and the ether refused to reveal itself.

I squinted, widened my gaze, turned my head in every direction possible, but still, my purple eyes would not grant me their gifts.

"Don‘t feel ashamed if its too hard for you," Lai said. "We'll just practice some more forms and techniques."

I shook my head and waved him off as he approached. "I want to do this. I want to learn how to control it."

"Terr, close your eyes." Etsu called out from the edge of the clearing. "Close your eyes for a moment."

At first, I felt the need to disregard her, but all too quickly, I was compelled to ask, “why?”

"Just do it," she blurted.

I did just as she instructed, waiting patiently with my eyes shut.

"Now, when you open them, make sure the first thing you see is your tamma. Don’t look at anything else, otherwise it will not work."

"What won't work?"

"What do you think?"

"Etsu, don't tease him with false hopes," Kassashimei chided. "Pond fish have more control over the sky than him."

I ignored her, leaning forward, until I was sure the tamma was directly in front of me. Then, slowly, like a nervous animal cub, peering at the world for the first time, I opened my eyes.

A fierce, white glow, like a thousand fireworks, radiated outwards from the glass ball. The air, the sky, the ground; the light encompassed everything until I found myself going blind. I cried out, hastily feeling for the side of the boat as I lost my balance and fell backwards.

I could hear the worried murmurs of everyone around me, but refused to acknowledge them as I stood myself back up. When my eyesight returned, the white wall of light had died away, and the blue and green shimmering ether was once again revealed to me.

"I see it," I exclaimed. "I see everything."

The tamma was alive with countless arrows and needles of different sizes and lengths, pointing the directions of even the slightest of currents.

The distance of my sight felt almost limitless. Even the restless, ethereal waves churning far against the starlit horizon was visible.

"Are you alright?" Mai climbed onboard and placed a concerned hand onto my shoulder from behind.

When I turned to face her, I was so surprised at what I saw, I immediately shut my eyes and covered them with my palms. Cautiously, I looked at her again, but my vision of her had not changed. She was a shadow, a hazy specter with only a dark silhouette for a body. As I gazed at the others, I saw that they too, had been turned into formless blotches. Every one of them was the same, except for Kassashimei, whose body was not shrouded in shadow, but instead, was covered in a shimmering, bluish-green light.

"What's happening?" I said in desperation. "I can't see any of you. You're all ghosts!"

Frightened, I lost my balance again, but this time, I fell off the boat completely.

It felt like several hours had past, but in reality, I was unconscious for only a moment. I was afraid to open my eyes. Still, when one of them suggested that we should stop for the day I told them that I was fine. Mai helped me to my feet, but I quickly lost the will to stand and slumped back to the ground.

"Terr, what happened?" Mai asked. "What did you see?"

My eyes were still shut, afraid to be greeted with the same image that had so startled me. “Please tell me that you're all real, that your not really spirits."

"What are you blabbering about?" Kassashimei said. "Stop being a coward and open your eyes."

"Kass, stop picking on him," Etsu protested.

I took a slow, shallow breath, allowing my eyes to open slowly. Thankfully, everything was just as it was before. The lights, glows and eerie spectres that I had seen previously, were once again the familiar faces of my companions. My visions of the ether had subsided, leaving behind the faded shimmers of the stars against a dark, blue-gray sky. I sighed with great relief and fell backwards, laying flat against the earth, my eyes wide with a mix of confusion and gladness.

Etsu kneeled down beside me and held the lantern over my face. I suspected her to be surprised or worried, but instead, she offered me a humble, mysterious gaze, much like a teacher witnessing a student grasping a lesson's meaning for the first time. As I looked into her alluring gaze, I found myself growing suspicious of her.

She calmly patted my forehead like a mother to a child then stood up to face the others.

"We’re finished for today," she said in a serious tone. "We will try again tomorrow."

As we trekked back to the temple, Etsu remained close at my side, eyeing the pouch tied at my waist, which held my tamma.

"Keep a close eye on that and make sure you never lose it," she said.

"You know something, don't you Etsu?" I asked.

"Of course she does," Kassashimei said, shoving her way between us and waving her strange feather stick about. "She knows everything. Why do you think she's our class leader?"

She continued to strode ahead, stamping her feet and humming an odd, unfamiliar tune.

Etsu shook her head at her then turned her attention back to me.

"Your tamma, those markings, it means you're special." Her voice was hushed, as if she were worried the trees were eavesdropping.

"Special? I‘m not sure if I should be happy or worried." I stuck my hand into my pouch, cupping the sphere in my palm. "It was given to me by Master Lu's daughter, but I still don't know why."

"You’re not the only student to receive one of those Terr. My shyo mu got one too. But I'm not sure of its meaning yet. All I know, is that it heightens your second sight, makes it more sensitive, attuned. It has a way of training your abilities much faster than others."

"You have a shyo mu already?" I blurted. "But how? We aren't even supposed to be paired until we graduate to the River Temple."

"You're already paired," she said matter-of-factly, pointing to the stick-wielding girl ahead of us.

"But that's different. There's a test I have to prepare for."

"We’re all preparing for something Terr. You think you’re the only person in this predicament? There are many students with secret lives, training themselves for things that you may never see or take notice of. As for me, I am to be tested as well, same as you. At least that’s what they say. But I don’t think it’s a test. They just call it that so we’re not suspicious. I have a feeling that we’re being prepared for something, like we’ve been chosen for something very important. You and I, and everyone else with that tamma are intertwined somehow."

"If that’s true, then I’m not sure I’m ready for what they want me to do. I don‘t think I could handle worrying about a future I know nothing about."

"When I was chosen to be class leader, I felt so overwhelmed. My master came up to me and said that I should only be thinking about today. And then, for every day that comes afterwards, keep my mind just on that day. You should do that too Terr. Don't worry about why you’re doing this or that, just do it, and later, everything will start to make sense.

And what Lai said about the markings on your tamma, don't worry about it. Students carve pictures or symbols on them sometimes, usually for luck, sometimes just so they can tell theirs apart. Most of the time, the teachers don't pay much attention to what a student's tamma looks like. Lai is just one of the few serious people that actually cares about these things."

"Etsu," I said interrupting her again. "Are you scared about all of this, about everything that's happening?"

I think she was surprised by the question, because for a moment, she was eerily silent. It was then, that Kassashimei's laughter pierced the icy air. Etsu jumped so suddenly at the sound, that the lantern shook in her hands, causing the shadows around her to dance and squirm.

"Did I just hear a boy admit that he's scared?" Kassashimei announced.

"I didn’t say I was scared," I spat, annoyed by the strange girl. "I just asked if Etsu was scared is all."

"Well I'm scared." Kassashimei changed her steps to a playful trot, looking over her shoulder as she spoke. "I‘m scared of you screwing up and getting us hurt. And I’m sure you’re going to send us crashing again. "

"And how exactly do you know that?" I said defensively. “So I made a mistake. I‘ll learn from it, just like everyone else."

"You are not like anyone else," she replied. "You barely got here and already, you think you can move the sky."

She came up to me with a sly look on her face and rasped my nose teasingly with her feather stick. "You keep forgetting that you're no better than the other beginner students."

"That's enough Kass," Etsu said calmly. "I doubt that any one of us are much better than the other students of our class, but someone thinks we should be. You, me, Terr, and who knows how many others, we aren't being treated like normal students. Maybe we are being tested, or it might be that we really have been chosen to do something important. Whatever that is, you should remember that you are in this, the same as the rest of us."

"Hmph." Was her only reply. She rasped my nose again with the stick and pulled it away before I had a chance to reach for it and take from her. She turned away and continued to proceed ahead of us, all the while humming her strange tunes.

"You may not like her Terr," Etsu said. "But she’s your partner now. Watch over her. Keep her safe. "