Gleam [Karma Cultivator Isekai] - Chapter 114: Busy

Chance didn’t want to risk moving, and it wasn’t because of the Brackern sect cultivators searching for them. It had been a few hours since he’d last heard them moving through the streets in the distance.

Bella’s body was pressed up against his, and he could feel every breath she took. She’d fallen asleep at some point, but Chance hadn’t quite been able to do the same. He’d settled for meditating instead, but he found that his focus was split enough that he wasn’t getting all that much accomplished.

In the end, Chance just sat there, and he didn’t mind it one bit. The hours ticked on as his mind drifted. There was so much piling up on their plates. The Shikari were still after them, Lin had a concerning obsession with him, Vex was almost certainly still after Bella, Chance had no idea how Yeo was doing, and now there was an entire sect hunting them as well.

Chance’s Essence swirled in his chest in response to his worries. Deep within his mind, the vision of the massive gold being pulled Chance’s attention. Chance resisted for a moment out of surprise, but then let his body relax and sank down within himself.

The world bled away, and Chance found himself sitting cross legged on a soft red mat that was far too large for his body. All around him, similar mats covered the floor, but not a single one of them was occupied.

It was the scene where he’d had his vision. The beautiful walls of the incomprehensibly massive auditorium stretched out in every direction around him, barely visible in the distance. The murals seemed to shift, becoming harder to view the more Chance tried to study them.

Chance raised his eyes to the sky, expecting to find the enormous gold form staring down at him, but instead found nothing but clouds. Surprised, he lowered his gaze.

Sitting before him on a soft mat was the gold-skinned man, but he was nothing like what he had been before. Instead of a massive, eight armed giant, the man was just a little taller than Chance.

Even though his face was still featureless, Chance could feel the warmth of a smile washing over him. The man only had two arms, and they rested palm up in a position of relaxation in his lap. He radiated peace and relaxation, with just a hint of childish joy.

Chance’s worries crumbled like a sandcastle before a tsunami. They were washed away into the endless sea of the Karmic being before him, forgotten for the time being. Energy started to form in Chance’s hands.

He looked down as a large ball of unruly golden yarn the size of a large beach ball materialized in his lap. Chance glanced up at the being in confusion.

“Hello?” Chance asked, wincing as his words echoed through the silence like a gunshot.

The golden being didn’t seem to mind. He just inclined his head in greeting.

I’m interacting with it? How is this possible? I thought it was just a vision!

“You house great worries,” the man said. He had no mouth with which to speak, but his words echoed out all the same. They were so soft that the hall didn’t seem to notice them, and they passed without echo.

Chance swallowed, then nodded. “A lot is resting on us. People need my help.”

“There are always those in need of help. The universe is in an eternal cycle of good and evil. Yin and Yang must always exist.”

The man’s words sounded eerily similar to Yamish, and Chance immediately started to frown. Before he could even speak, a gentle laugh slipped out from the man before him.

“That does not mean you must perpetrate it. We exist in spite of the universe, not at its whim,” the being said. The air behind him rippled and the hazy images of six arms swam through the air behind the man, forming into a perfect circle before fading away once more. “But in order to challenge the universe, you must understand it.”

“I’m… not sure I follow,” Chance admitted. “You’re saying that I need to fight the universe?”

“You are against the universe, yet the universe is part of you and you are part of it. You cannot fight yourself.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

The being shrugged. Chance burst into laughter. Something about seeing the immensely powerful existence before him give a simple shrug in return to his question was just hilarious.

“It is not my place to tell you what to do. I am simply a small sliver of a greater consciousness that has been gifted to you. Karma is a tangled web. Though you can bring forth its power, the only one whose Karma you truly control is your own.”

Chance’s brow furrowed as he tried to decipher what the being was saying. The words made sense, of course, but there was a difference between understanding the words and actually figuring out how to apply them.

“I don’t think I get it,” Chance admitted. “You mean I need to focus on myself?”

The being pointed at the tangled ball of yarn in Chance’s lap. “Relax. To work with Karma is to weave gently, not to force. If an answer has not come to you yet, then perhaps you are not ready. Calm yourself.”

Chance put a hand on the ball of yarn. It was soft and silky to the touch, with knots covering it within and without. Something drew him to trying to untangle it, but he didn’t even know where to start. He let his fingers run along it, searching for a knot that he could actually work on.

“But what about the people that are relying on me?” Chance asked as he ran his hands along the yarn. “Seeking myself is great, but there are people that are living as slaves. People trying to kill me and my friends. How am I supposed to take time to learn about myself when the stakes are so high?”

“The stakes will always be high,” the being said with a soft laugh. “Do you think your problems will cease once these are over? There will always be more. The universe will not permit anyone to truly be at peace – especially not a Karma cultivator. We must make our own peace.”

Chance’s fingers landed on a knot. He couldn’t say why, but it just felt like the right one to start with. He prodded at it, but the knot was impossibly tight. Part of him was tempted to yank on it, but he knew with absolute certainty that doing that was the exact opposite of what the being was trying to convey.

Drawing in a slow breath and letting it out, Chance let his fingers relax. He brushed them gently across the yarn, searching for where to begin. The closer he looked, the more convoluted the yarn seemed to be.

Chance raised his gaze to the being. And, as soon as his gaze was off the ball, he felt the yarn shift. His finger caught a small loop, and he gently coaxed it loose. The being watched him silently, and he knew it was smiling.

“Sometimes, the solutions come to us when we seek them least,” the being said. “And sometimes, we must fight valiantly to claim our answers. Karma is a vast concept, with so many facets that nothing has ever truly understood it in its entirety.”

“Not even you?” Chance asked as he massaged the ball of yarn, pulling more loops free with soft motions.

The being laughed. “I am further along my path than you, but yes. Not even my full form has comprehended the entirety of Karma. We do not walk the same path, but all beings are connected to some degree. You and I are just more connected than most.”

Chance was tempted to ask why, but somehow the question just felt wrong. He fell silent for several seconds. Something about the ball of yarn just felt relaxing and right.

“I don’t want to fail,” Chance said finally. “I didn’t have anything to fight for before I got to Centurion. There’s so much I stand to lose if I die. It’s not just about me.”

“Then don’t die. You are a cultivator of the supreme Essence of Karma. In the span of a few short months, you have become Rank 3. You stand in opposition to those which seek to corrupt and twist the universe and are mentored by one of the most powerful Karmic cultivators in history. And yet, you are you. Your achievements are not who you are. Your successes and failures are not who you are. You are who you are.”

“Wow,” Chance said, a smile flickering across his lips. “That’s kind of useless.”

Both of them burst into laughter. The yarn continued to unravel at Chance’s hands, and his hands worked deeper into it the further he relaxed.

“You begin to understand,” the being said. “The purpose of life is to live, is it not?”

Chance nodded. “You’re saying to just do what I’ve always done and trust in my Karma.”

“You said that, not me.” The being inclined its head slightly. “There is one more thing that I will pass along to you. Do not let your faith in yourself and your allies waver. Your Essence guides you, which is a great and rare blessing. There will be those that seek to confuse you and ply your path to theirs. They may try to convince you that your actions were wrong, and that only in their image can you be made whole.”

Chance continued to run his hands through the yarn, listening intently to the strange presence. He still had no idea what the man was, and even though just about everything he said was so philosophical that Chance could barely understand how to apply it, Chance could still tell just how powerful the golden man’s words were.

“Do not let them sway you. Follow your Essence. Only you know what it is. There is no proper path. There is only your path.”

A gentle breeze blew through the auditorium. The walls shimmered, starting to fade away.

“Our time has come to an end,” the man said, bowing his head. “We will speak again when the time comes, Chance.”

“When? I have so many questions. Who–”

Chance’s words trailed off and he shook his head. “Never mind. Thank you.”

He returned the man’s bow, closing his eyes and smiling as he let the sense of peace fill his body. The auditorium faded around Chance, and he felt himself return back to the stone room, his head still bowed in respect.

Chance opened his eyes. Bella’s head was in his lap, and his hands were running through her hair as if it was yarn, and there was a soft smile on her lips. Chance froze, realizing that their faces were just a few inches apart.

Bella’s eyes fluttered open. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Bella spoke.

“Why’d you stop?”

Chance couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. He ran his hands through Bella’s hair again, feeling a flicker of Karmic energy from deep within him as the golden man’s laughter receded in his mind.

One way or another, he’d figure out how to deal with the situation – but that could wait.

Right now, he was busy.