Shui swung her legs on the large seat she had been given. Layers of cushion underneath her. It was a comfortable thing that she had been given to sit on after following the pretty insistent little spirits begging her. They promised treats, sweets, and even a chance to meet a few of the more powerful spirits in the forest. All of which she was interested in.

They floated around her in circles like butterflies. Guiding her until she finally made it to this clearing.

One with nearly a thousand if not more spirits gathered together surrounding a massive table with two dozen sitting at seats. Shui sat at the very top. A throne that reminded her of her Ancestor's miraculous cushions and lounging chairs.

Not as impressive, nor did it make her fall asleep like her Ancestors, but it was good enough. Mostly, she was busy eating fruits she had never seen before. Each one leaking Qi with every bite.

Shui took another massive bite. She ignored the conversation that occurred around her. All the shouting. The fear. The many bad words they said all the time. Each one was different than the other. Yet, they gathered here as a single group. Spirits all. Discussing something about her Ancestor that she had not caught up with yet.

An old looking spirit shifted next to her. Rising from its seat and handing her a black tiara patting her head with a smile. Shui could not see its face, nor what its body looked like. Covered in robes. Face hidden behind a white veil.

It had not spoken the entire time she had been here. Only that it moving caused the entire mass of spirits to turn silent for a moment before it finally rested again.

"Thank you!" Hu Shui said with a massive smile.

The old bag of bones patted her head. Then went back to sitting next to her. It pointed at the mass of spirits at the table and then pointed to its ear.

Shui nodded.

I better listen now. The kind old man wants me to hear something.

"—he's here to destroy us all! We must strike before the world as we know it ends! All the great spirits of the primordial eras must be unsealed!" A foreign looking spirit spoke. Blonde hair, strange glowing eyes. Four arms. Six swords on its hip.

All the spirits at the table looked ridiculously powerful. An ancient white tiger with angelic wings. A turtle the size of a small hill forcing their forms to be smaller to attend the gathering. And other creatures that must have existed for longer than she could imagine. Though she noticed no dragons. Not even little ones.

Shui had hoped to see one for the first time considering the sight before her. The amount of power each one carried. Compare what they looked like to her Ancestors spirit dragons.

Then again, none of them here were as strong as Mr. Mo Mo. None as large either. She doubted they would match the dragons. Shui hadn't seen anything that could match any single one of the six yet. Not even other spirit weapons her Ancestor had given to them. Mr. Mo Mo had been quite clear that the six dragons were on another tier. The strongest among their numbers.

I wonder how many spirits there are in his scary bag?

Hu Shui shivered as she remembered the scary darkness weapons spirit. The nasty dagger had tried to eat her core and kill both her and Jun. Only the dragons stopped it.

"We didn't unseal them when the first calamity arrived! To awaken our ancestors would only bring this world to a different type of destruction and chaos. We cannot afford it. Not with so little Qi in the world after the Great War." Another human spirit spoke up. This one was completely blind and with a wrap around its eyes.

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"The Calamity doesn't care! At least we have a chance to soothe their anger and mediate the differences of the primordial spirits," the four armed spirit shouted. "Not the Calamity! It has no feelings. No attachments. It will kill everything and everyone!"

Shui could have been worried about being attacked. Not all spirits were kind. No, many of them were downright evil. She could see a few that were eyeing her currently. Demonic things. Some with horns, others strange growths. Some that were quite disgusting to her.

But she was being guarded. Seven that were encased within metal and carried massive spears that had swords on the top. None of them moved. Just watching the masses and threatening anything that came to close.

The white tiger growled. Shui could feel its voice rumble in her chest. "You all reek of fear. Especially you, Yahui."

Yahui, the four armed stranger, sat down. Backing down from the tiger and unwilling to anger it any more. "How can I not? None of us could fight the Calamity. Not even all of us combined. Don't you see the Domain covering this entire forest?"

"We will fight and claw for survival. Crying now does not help!"

"Then what do you suggest we do? Sit and wait until that thing decides our lives are over? Or do you plan to attack it like I suggested?"

"Watch your tongue, human," The tiger rose up, voice rumbling like thunder. A paw stepping onto the table to tower over its prey. "Speak to me with such insolence again and you'll find yourself missing limbs. Maybe even dead if I grow bored of your suffering."

A monkey with a staff laughed loudly.

The tiger snapped its head back towards the laughing money seated at the table. Growling. Claws digging into the wooden table underneath its paws. It left deep gouges.

Shui turned to look at the old man next to her. He was shifting again. This time, he raised his hand. Hu Shui could feel a strand of Qi permeate the area. A rich white that changed to a dozen colors lazily passing through everything and everyone.

All the spirits in the clearing turned silent. The aggressive tiger returned to its seat, the monkey no longer laughing its tail off, none of the spirits dared to make a single sound. Much less shift slightly. Their hooting and hollering and jeering no longer present.

"Do," The Old Man took a deep breath. "Not." Again. "Scare." One more time. "My little friend."

The tiger blinked as it silently communicated with other spirits around the table. "You've gathered us here. Brought us close to the Calamity. And now you tell us to not scare a tiny, little human child? She reeks of naivety. It offends me greatly that such a lowly thing would be present here. It offends us all."

"I could tear her limb from limb before she even noticed." The monkey guffawed. Slapping its thigh and shaking its pole, rings clanging together chaotically.

Hu Shui gulped. Scooting closer to the old man and hoping the guards around her were enough to protect her. She didn't want to summon Mr. Mo Mo. Shui was positive her friend would have killed every single spirit here for the thought of harming her. Much less anything else.

The old man shook his head. "This girl—"

Shui turned to look at his expressionless white veil. Trying to figure out what he would say before he would say it. Shui just thought of the game.

"Is our—"

Best friend and coolest friend!

"She is—"

Is pretty and amazing!

"Our—"

The tiger growled. Shui waited with bated breath for the compliment she was supposed to receive. Hoping it was better than what she thought up. Old people knew more words, right? They should be able to think of better things to say than her.

"A shield against the Ancient Predecessor!" It roared, deafening the masses. "The queen that shall protect us from any fallout if the Calamity ever decides to destroy this world! She is his distant progeny! His greatest grandchild!"

Shui gulped again. Feeling a lot of emotions at the same time. Disappointment in the weak compliment in totality. Happy that he called her a queen and the tiara he gave her. Then afraid of what might be their plan for her if they wanted her to lead them. Was she supposed to keep them safe? How? They were all stronger than her after all.

All the spirits' vision locked onto her. Utterly focused. Unwavering gazes that did not blink.

The monkey laughed nervously. "I-I was just kidding, Great Spirit Queen. This dog tongue of mine, I'll rip it off if you so ask!"

Shui giggled, shaking her head—

A commotion broke out on the other side of the table. The four armed human launched itself out of its seat and charged out of the clearing. Running faster than Shui could keep up. Her guards disappeared. The old man next to her vanished as well.

The tiger yawned and the monkey laughed quietly to itself. No one else reacted. Silently sitting in their positions and unwilling to attract any attention to themselves.

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