Dance between Mortals and Immortals

Chapter 3.3

There was only one person she respected in the outer disciple core and that was the librarian who helped her study since she was young. His name was Tomo and he never had the talent to reach the rank of master, but found his talent good enough to keep track and tend to the ancient tomes and scrolls of the academy.

The man was in his mid-thirties with brown hair and small reading glasses always on his face and half his face was almost always shoved into a tome or scroll whenever she saw him. Rize had an appreciation well up inside her. Rize had much to be thankful towards Tomo.

Tomo was one of the few people who did not judge her immediately on her eye's. While he didn't have the authority to change her situation in the academy he did help with the loneliness. Rize appreciated that about Tomo he didn't ask about what happened. Instead he treated her like anyone else.

Looking up from the current tome he was reading he smiled towards the small girl that was marching towards him. His face wasn't particularly handsome, but wasn't ugly either. It had always surprised her that Tomo had never gone and found himself a wife.

Cultivators were long lived though and it wasn't like he didn't have time. The higher the realm the longer lived the cultivator. Even people who didn't have the ability to gather Ki could advance in power, but the path of the body wasn't an easy path. Though it had its benefits as it could easily take down a unsuspecting cultivator who wasn't as physically strong and underestimated their opponent.

"Why hel---waaawwwh" he let out a gasp as Rize grabbed him by the back of his collar dragging him towards the second floor of the library. Her tiny frame was significantly shorter than Tomo, but she still managed to reach up and drag the middle aged man around.

"Minako Rize! I insist you stop! I'm in the middle of something!" Tomo pleaded to no avail. He knew that once the girl had something on her mind their was little that they could do to change her mind.

Stopping in front of the locked staircase she looked at Tomo with a look of pure seriousness "Tomo...let me into the second floor."

The words fell out of her mouth so quickly it took Tomo about five seconds before he busted out laughing.  Tomo looked at her for a moment before continuing his laughter.

"BAHAHAHA!"

Rize's frown only deepened as she waited for Tomo to be done. After about a minute he regained his composure. Rize had not waivered even once the entire time Tomo had laughed at her request. This was something she had to accomplish if she was to find a deity whom would allow her to gain the strength to silence the people who treated her as a cursed child.

“You know the rules. Not only will I get in trouble, but you may be kicked out. You know because of your...err eyes that many would love to see you out of the academy at any given moment and frankly if I did this and was caught. I would be punished as well." Tomo said his laughter giving away to a more more seriousness.

“Take. Me. In. There. To...Mo.” Rize said being clear to punctuate each word.

Tomo sighed and looked out the near by window the day was fairly clear out and the sun was high up in the sky.

“Rize! Can’t you help me out and not be so pushy. I could give you some names that you could search for.” he hesitated thinking about it more.

“I don’t need any name, I need a list of specific names and this is the only way I can find powerful deities.” Rize said a hint of desperation entering her voice. Tomo was all to familiar with this side of Rize. Normally if Rize was desperate or had been harassed by the other students she would gain a lot of drive to gain the blessing of a deity. Perhaps she desired to gain respect that inner court disciples had. In reality that wouldn't really change much, but Tomo didn't have the heart to break it to her.

Taking a deep breath he looked at her seriously "Rize that is for inner disciples only I can't possibly..." he paused looking at her face a feeling of desperation continued to leak out.

"Tomo... I am serious." he clear blue eyes looked fierce, but a look of deep sadness could be seen if someone looked long enough.

"Eh?" he paused. "Rize. Your Ki is not strong enough to go up there. The dense amount of Ki was made to stop people like outer disciples from going in…" he paused as he looked at Rize who had not flinched at a single word he made.

Ki was something that took many different forms; it was what connected humanity to the heavens, furthermore it is what individual gods would use to differentiate their followers from other gods. The gods communed with the world regularly since the dawn of humanity even allowing the most powerful of humans to join them in the heavens. Often however gods were disinterested in their followers except the most talented and impressive of their disciples.

If one had enough Ki and trained enough would undergo a change in their Ki, being chosen by a god who would affect the nature of their Ki. Most commonly happening between the ages of twelve and fourteen during puberty it was this time which would change a Ki cultivator to become demi-gods on this world should they live long enough. All a cultivator needed to do was pray to one of the countless gods and request their blessing then...wait.

"Minako Rize...you will be the death of me." Tomo shook his head as he put his hand behind his his back. "Follow me."