Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 215: Survive

This wasn't right.

Every other time I'd traveled to the Two Suns world, I'd found myself back at the beginning of the loop, dodging an arrow aimed at my head. It was the same nightmare on repeat, just with me making different choices each time.

But now? I was exactly where I'd left off, in the Red Sun Academy during what appeared to be a full-scale invasion by the Lightweavers.

"Azure," I called mentally, "what's happening? Why didn't the loop reset?"

“It seems the conditions of your departure may have altered the loop's mechanics. Unlike previous iterations where you died, this time you chose to leave voluntarily. Perhaps that created a... checkpoint of sorts?"

I ducked as a distant explosion sent tremors through the chamber, dislodging chunks of crystal from what remained of the ceiling.

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"So, because I didn't die last time, I get to pick up where I left off?" I frowned, moving toward a partially collapsed doorway. "Any theories on whether this is permanent, or if I'll reset at the village if I die now?"

"Impossible to say without testing," Azure replied. "Though I wouldn't recommend conducting that particular experiment unless absolutely necessary."

A dry laugh escaped me. "No arguments there."

I quickly checked my body, Tomas's body, technically. The runes inscribed on my skin were intact, and I could feel the gentle pulse of the energy flowing through them. At least I still had my Skybound abilities.

"Master," Azure spoke up, “your current position is rather... precarious. The academy is under attack by Lightweavers, and you're wearing the robes of a Red Sun initiate."

He had a point. I glanced down at the crimson robes I was wearing. They marked me clearly as a member of the Order of the Last Light, a target for any Lightweaver who happened to spot me.

"I need to figure out what's happening," I said, moving towards the chamber's entrance. "Last time, I died trying to escape with Kiran. I know where that leads, straight to that Rank 2 Lightweaver and his purification ritual."

"A scenario best avoided," Azure agreed.

I peered out into the corridor. The hallway was in chaos, with initiates rushing in all directions. Some were heading toward what I knew was that deadly evacuation chamber, while others were moving toward the upper levels, perhaps hoping to join the defense or find another escape route.

For a moment, I considered using my blue sun energy to pose as a Lightweaver. The thought vanished as quickly as it had formed.

"A remarkably bad idea," Azure commented. "Even if we ignore the rather obvious fact that you're dressed as a Skybound and have their runes inscribed on your skin, the academy is literally the stronghold of the Order of the Last Light. Any display of blue sun energy would attract immediate and lethal attention from the Skybound."

"And if by some miracle I survived that," I added, "the Lightweavers would just capture me after the battle when they realise that they don’t recognise me."

"Exactly, and with their expertise in matters of the soul, that would make that a particularly unpleasant experience."

I suppressed a shudder. The thought of being captured by soul experts was a nightmare scenario I didn't want to contemplate.

"Right. So, our only option is to survive and see how this plays out. Will the academy repel the attack, or will the Lightweavers win?"

Knowing the outcome could prove useful in a future loop.

"With both suns hidden beneath the Genesis Seed," Azure observed, "you won't be detected by either faction's energy sensing. But that doesn't make you invisible. Tread carefully."

With a nod, I made a quick decision, moving deeper into the academy rather than towards the evacuation points. Better to find somewhere to hole up and wait this out. At my current Skybound rank, I'd be less than useless against the higher-ranked practitioners currently tearing the academy apart.

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The hallways were a maze of destruction. Some passages were blocked entirely by collapsed sections, forcing me to find alternate routes. Occasionally I'd pass the bodies of fallen Skybound initiates or academy staff, collateral damage in a war they likely barely understood.

I turned a corner and nearly collided with a group of five initiates heading in the opposite direction. They stumbled back, startled, then relaxed slightly upon seeing my red robes.

"You!" The tallest of them, a muscular boy with burn scars covering the left side of his face, pointed at me. "Why aren't you at the evacuation point? Senior Sister Min ordered all Rank 1 disciples to gather there for protection."

I schooled my expression into one of confused urgency. "I was separated from my group when part of the eastern wing collapsed. Is that still the plan? I heard rumors that the evacuation chambers had been compromised."

The five exchanged nervous glances.

"What rumors?" asked a girl, bringing her hand towards a jade hairpin that looked suspiciously like a defensive artefact. "Who told you that?"

"I overheard two seniors discussing it," I lied. "Something about Lightweavers already infiltrating the lower levels. They were sending messengers to redirect everyone to the armory instead."

The scarred boy frowned. "That doesn't make sense. The armory's defenses aren't designed to shelter initiates."

"I'm just repeating what I heard," I said with a helpless shrug. "I was trying to find someone who could confirm before I headed in either direction."

Their suspicions visibly eased. I wasn't challenging their intended path, just seeking information like any confused initiate might during a crisis.

"We should stick with the original plan," the scarred boy decided. "Senior Sister Min wouldn't have sent us there if it wasn't safe."

I nodded, as if accepting his wisdom. "You're probably right. I'll follow you, then."

"Come on," he gestured, turning to continue down the corridor.

As they moved ahead, I silently activated the Shroud Rune to conceal my red sun energy signature before activating Blink Step, disappearing from their sight as I shot down a side passage. By the time they realized I was gone, I was already three corridors away, moving in the opposite direction.

"A wise choice," Azure commented. "Though I'm concerned that you've just sent them to their deaths in that chamber."

I grimaced, feeling a twinge of guilt. "They were already heading there. I couldn't have convinced them otherwise without raising suspicions. Besides, who's to say the massacre plays out the same way this time? A slight change in the timeline could cause a butterfly effect."

"Reasonable, but not comforting," Azure replied.

I moved stealthily through the academy's damaged hallways, avoiding the main thoroughfares where groups of Skybound might be organizing. After about twenty minutes of careful navigation, I reached a section of the academy that seemed less damaged, perhaps because it was further from the central structures that would be primary targets.

The relative quiet was broken by a sudden crash from a chamber to my right. Drawing on my red sun energy, that was still carefully masked by the Shroud Rune, I cautiously made my way to the partially open door.

Inside, a lone figure in white and gold vestments was methodically smashing display cases containing what appeared to be artifacts and scrolls. His back was to me, but the blue glow emanating from his hands marked him unmistakably as a Lightweaver.

I began to back away slowly. No need to engage if I could avoid it.

Of course, the universe had other plans.

My foot caught on a piece of fallen debris, sending it skittering across the stone floor with a sound that seemed impossibly loud in the quiet chamber.

The Lightweaver whirled around, his eyes widening when he spotted me in my crimson robes. Without hesitation, he drew a slender sword and lunged forward.

"Heretic!" he snarled, his blade moving in a blindingly fast arc toward my neck.

I barely had time to register my surprise, this was the first time I'd seen a Lightweaver use an actual weapon rather than pure energy constructs, before instinct took over. I ducked and rolled to the side, the sword passing through the space where my head had been a moment before.

"So much for avoiding conflict," I muttered.

The Lightweaver was young, probably close to my age, with a face that would have seemed gentle if not contorted in righteous fury.

"Yggy wants to help," Azure relayed from my inner world. "It's... quite excited to be back in its home realm."

I sensed Yggy's eagerness, the vine-like creation had limited opportunities to materialize in the cultivation world, but here in the Two Suns world, it could draw upon the ambient energy more freely.

"Tell it to get ready," I replied mentally. "I'll create an opening."

The Lightweaver pressed his attack, sword flashing with increasing speed. "The Beloved's light shall purify your corruption," he said, sounding like he was reciting from some religious text.

I didn't bother responding. Instead, I activated Blink Step, vanishing from his sight and reappearing behind him. Before he could turn, I launched a Phantom Strike aimed at his exposed back.

But the Lightweaver was better trained than I'd given him credit for. A barrier of blue light materialized just as my strike connected. Though my attack shattered the barrier, it gave him enough time to create distance between us.

He raised his sword horizontally before his face, his lips moving in what looked like a prayer. To my surprise, he began drawing a complex rune in the air with the tip of his blade, leaving trails of blue energy hanging suspended.

"Well, that’s new," I muttered.

"Weapon-based rune scribing," Azure analyzed quickly. "Similar theoretical basis to Skybound cultivation, but using a weapon as the conduit. Highly efficient for combat applications."

The rune completed with a flourish of the Lightweaver's blade and pulsed once before launching a barrage of light spears towards me.

As I activated Blink Step, the thought that flashed through my mind was that unless I wanted to test out my checkpoint theory, I needed to end this quickly before the battle drew more attention.