Chapter 7: Zero Sum Game

I steadied my breathing. "Stupid me, you've got this! Don't be scared. Remember your training. What did mom always say? 'Meadow, stay calm. Breath. Feel the air filling your lungs. One step after the other. You can do it.'" I grabbed the wrist of my left arm and pulled as hard as I could. I felt the bone move back in place. It fucking hurt but I couldn't cry, not now, had to heal the shoulder first. I poured my spiritual energy into it, cooling the burning sensation.

While my spirit didn't give me any attack power it sure boosted my endurance. My wish would be that I wouldn't feel the pain though. Because even if I could recover my tired and beaten body to an extent I couldn't mend my exhausted mind. Therefore I had to grit my teeth while taking my stance again.

I was too focused on myself to notice the flying reddish-brown maple leaf at first. Leafy? It must have fallen out of my blazer when I got thrown. But how did it fly? Did I hit my head? No, it clearly was there. I wanted to put it back into my pocket but it evaded my grasp. Instead, it flew straight at me. It lightly touched my forehead then changed before my eyes. Its dried-up parts underwent some kind of revitalization. A lush green color invaded the dead parts until it vibrated in exuberance. When it reached its peak of vitality the movement stopped and the color changed again, this time to a dark reminiscing red.

It felt like time stopped. Leafy's changes hypnotized me. Awakening long-lost emotions. Memories of home, of Mom, of Dad, and my life happiest moments reemerged. When its red slowly turned brown I knew what it was showing me. I carefully reached out my hands and caught the dying leaf.

It remained there just for a moment, just long enough to say its goodbyes. "Thank you, Leafy, for reminding me of the circle of life." That is how Life is supposed to be. I understood. I could not die until I bloomed to my fullest potential!

I breathed.

I felt the wind blowing through my veins.

I exhaled.

I felt the wind blowing endlessly through mulberry fields.

No longer was I in the dark Taiji Arcades. I stood among dancing flora, happy to see me. The plants grew as high as they could, bloomed, withered, and died. Their death fueled the next generation of life on the planet. I experienced life, witnessed death, and understood reincarnation.

The fields vanished. In their stead grew a lush meadow. In its midst stuck a red blade. It looked ancient but somehow very familiar. I could taste its energy, feel its prickling on my tongue, smell its wisdom. The scene was like a fairytale my Grandfather passed down.

'The fairy of the green hill once bestowed a young cultivator with the blessing of the vast meadows. He didn't know if he should feel insulted or thankful. Grass was to be trampled. It had no strength. But the fairy demonstrated pointing at the feeding cowlings, demonstrating its supportive nature. She spread her arms in reverence to its vast will to live. And lastly, she picked a single blade, an old wilted red leaf and she swung it. Heaven and Earth split under its weight. The cultivator fell to his knees in reverence. Not for its sheer power but for its restraint and for its sacrifice to sustain beast and man.'

I didn't think my spirit was useless anymore. Never did I reflect its part in the world, nor that I didn't have to tread the path my peers took. I had to forge my own and find my own strength supporting the people I love.

"One leaf, one world. One grass, one heaven." I heard a kindly old voice saying as if reacting to my realization.

The plants around me congregated at my hands, forming into a similar blade. I reached out without hesitation. I would no longer run away from myself. When my finger touched the hilt of vines I was catapulted back to reality. Something changed in me though. I was overflowing with boundless vitality.

My green aura morphed into a vortex of spiritual energy. It blasted the two brothers away. The sparse grass around me became a lush carpet. The newborn plants were dancing in the wind, celebrating life. A single blade of grass was cut loose and was now floating in the wind. It flew all around me as if waving goodbye to his friends. Just a blink of an eye later the grass on the ground had perished and turned to dust. Only the blade of grass remained, which hovered in front of me. It seemed excited. I was perplexed. What just happened?

The goatee brothers were behind arcade machines covering themselves from the unexpected storm. Everyone else seemed to have evacuated even though I saw nobody leaving. The vortex started to decelerate until a breeze remained which fused with the blade of grass.

"Enlightenment! That fucking kid just experienced enlightenment! Big brother strike now or it will be too late!" The cunning brother shouted from behind a rainbow-colored pinball machine.

The elder brother rolled out from his cover. There was no longer easy confidence to be found in him. Only merciless killing intent remained in his eyes. He activated his cyber spirit. His whole body was starting to be covered by layers of thick black iron. Razorlike steel claws were beginning to form around his hands. His head was protected by a full plate helmet with layerings of brown leather and black fur on it. An integration type! C-Rank Ironfur Grizzly. How the fuck can the weakest of the bio spirits compete with that!? He charged me. Shit!

The makeshift sword pulsated green. I still didn't know what exactly happened but the blade of grass grew to the length of a shortsword. I think it wanted me to use it. So be it. What did I have to lose? Ah right, just my life. I grabbed the blade of grass and took a defensive position. My attacker was right in front of me. I had to strike now. I awkwardly slashed. He anticipated my move though and dodged with a step backward. Fuck! I missed! He grinned, but blood was running out from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it off and looked at his hand confused. Wide-open eyes betrayed his surprise. His mouth escaped a quiet: "Ah?" before he tilted leftwards. An inconspicuous horizontal cut colored his armor crimson red. His upper body slid and landed on the floor with a wet thump. His lower body followed soon after. Entrails poured out of both halves. What? The steel wall behind him had a deep slash. Was that me!?

Where is Rose!? Is she okay? Did she leave with the others?

"You fucking bamboo bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" the younger brother screamed while pointing a pistol at me. "I will take you with me to hell! Salamander! Consume her!" The gun fired. I shielded my head with my left arm out of instinct. I didn't want to end up like that rude guy at the train station. If I wouldn't have done that then I'd be dead by now. In place of my head, my left arm was burning. No, that's not precise, a creature made of flame was gnawing at my hand and arm. Its lava-like teeth sunk into my flesh, melting the bone.

I screamed! It felt like boiling oil on the skin and acid in my veins. It didn't stop, instead, it consumed more and more of my arm and grew in size. I panicked and rolled on the floor in desperation. It was a futile attempt. I cried and howled until I bit my tongue out of pain. I wondered if I die because I drown in my own blood or because I am consumed by a ravenous fire. Death would've been a mercy either way but it wouldn't come.

A tranquil gong sounded through the room. Everything stopped. The burning, the drowning, and the pain. Oh, praise the gods or whatever, the pain stopped! I cried rivers of blood.

"I think you will want to thank Buddha for this kindness," said a large but timid-looking teen with hair shortened to the scalp. He turned around. "You said there would be no injuries, not to mention any casualties at all."

I was losing consciousness. My mind couldn't handle this. Not a minute ago I wanted death, now, I felt so relieved. So very relieved and tired. I heard another voice saying. "Don't worry about it!"

"Everything you are involved in is worrying!" Commented a third voice, "one of my subordinates is dead, the other became a potato after fusing his will to his spirit. And now look at her state! She is knocking on death's door!"

"She is alive, so I won?"

"No, you fucking didn't!" A boy not older than twelve was looking at me while frowning. His eyes appeared so clear and yet bear a deep sadness. He nodded, "Let's take her to Muramasa."

Everything went black.