Weaves of Ashes

Chapter 93: Chapter 88: First Steps on Foreign Soil

Location: Dark Forest Cave → Telia Meadow → Road to Tardide

Time: 18-19 Voidmarch, 9938 AZI | Day 509/207 → 510/208 | Telia: Day 1

Realm: Lower Realm (Doha) → Dimension 137 (Telia)

The morning started with inventory.

Jayde knelt beside her pack, mentally cataloging supplies while Reiko prowled the cave’s perimeter with barely contained energy. The shadowbeast cub had been vibrating with excitement since yesterday’s announcement about their first off-world mission.

[We’re really going? Really, really going?] His thoughts practically bounced inside her skull.

”Yes, we’re really going.” Jayde couldn’t quite suppress her smile. First interdimensional operation. Standard pre-mission protocol applies.

She pulled items from her spatial ring one by one, checking quantities with the methodical precision of someone who’d run supply checks a thousand times before. Dried meat. Water flasks. Basic medical supplies. Rope. Fire-starting materials. Her upgraded hunting blade, freshly sharpened.

The spatial ring itself gleamed on her finger—an unassuming silver band that housed an impossibly vast storage space. One of the artifact’s standard-issue items for contractors, courtesy of the inter-dimensional network.

Logistics secured. Extraction method confirmed. Emergency protocols... well, there’s a return talisman if things go completely sideways.

(But what if something goes wrong? What if—)

”Overthinking it,” she muttered aloud, shoving the anxiety down. Sixteen months of experience—no, six months biological age, sixteen months lived time—had taught her that doubt was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

Reiko bumped against her leg, his shadowy form solidifying enough for physical contact. [You worry too much. We’re a team. Bonded. Nothing’s going to go wrong.]

The absolute confidence in his mental voice made her chest tighten. (He really believes that.)

He’s young. Juveniles always think they’re invincible.

”Just... stay close to me, okay? This is our first time off-world. Different dimension, different rules, different dangers.”

[I’m always close.] His pupils dilated with affection. [You’re my person. Where else would I be?]

***

Isha materialized when she finished packing, his mental presence coalescing into something almost visible in the cave’s dim light. Not physical—never physical—but substantial enough that she’d learned to sense his arrival before he spoke.

”Ready?” His voice echoed directly into her mind, that familiar blend of sarcasm and genuine concern she’d come to associate with her Nexus guide.

”As ready as I’ll ever be.” Jayde stood, brushing dust from her knees. ”Any last-minute advice?”

”Several things, actually.” Isha’s presence drifted closer. ”First: Telia is a low-magic world. Less than one percent of the population can manipulate Ember Qi. Your Inferno-tempered cultivation makes you extraordinarily dangerous by their standards.”

Target assessment: Overwhelming power differential. Risk of exposure high.

”Which means I need to suppress my aura completely,” Jayde said. ”Green’s been drilling me on that for weeks.”

”Good. Second: Feudal society with warlord-based power structure. Think pre-industrial Doha, but worse. More oppression, less organization, constant warfare between territories.”

(Sounds like the Freehold Estate. Just... everywhere.)

”Noted. What about the mission itself?”

”Straightforward assessment task. Report to Elder Ryunzo in Tardide village, evaluate the local situation, and complete whatever task he requests. Classic first-mission scenario—low risk, good merit earning, familiarizes you with off-world operations.”

”Mission parameters understood.” Jayde pulled the white transfer slip from her pocket—a small rectangle of paper covered in intricate Luminari script. ”Anything else?”

”Yes.” Isha’s tone shifted, becoming more serious. ”Remember that you’re representing the Starforge Nexus on Telia. Your actions reflect on the entire contractor network. No unnecessary violence. No revealing advanced capabilities unless absolutely required. Blend in, complete the mission, return safely.”

Standard operating procedure for foreign operations. Federation training applies.

”Understood. Isha...” She hesitated. ”Thank you. For everything.”

”Don’t get sentimental on me. Just come back in one piece so I can assign you more lucrative missions.” But his mental voice carried warmth beneath the sarcasm. ”Good luck, Jayde. You’ll do fine.”

She held Reiko’s gaze. [Ready?]

[Born ready!]

Jayde broke the transfer slip.

***

Blinding white light erupted around her—not painful, but overwhelming. The cave’s familiar stone walls dissolved into pure luminescence as Mission Control’s mechanical female voice resonated through her entire being.

[Transfer to Telia activated.]

The sensation hit like nothing she’d experienced before. Her skin tingled everywhere at once, an itchy-crawling feeling that made her want to scratch at her arms. But she couldn’t move. Couldn’t see. Couldn’t even feel Reiko’s presence through their bond.

Dimensional transit. Molecular displacement across reality barriers. Perfectly safe. Probably.

(What if I end up scattered across multiple dimensions? What if—)

The world went black.

Vertigo seized her—not falling, but spinning. Or maybe she was stationary and reality was spinning around her? Impossible to tell. Her inner ear screamed contradictory signals as the sensation of wrongness intensified.

Then, as abruptly as it began, everything stopped.

[Transfer to Telia successful. Scanning local area.]

Jayde opened her eyes and gasped.

***

The meadow stretched before her in a riot of color that made her winter-adapted vision ache.

Spring. It was spring here.

She stood on a small grass-covered hill overlooking an expanse of green so vivid it seemed almost unreal after months of Doha’s ash-grey landscape. Dainty yellow and white flowers dotted the thick grass, still wet with morning dew that soaked through her boots. A gentle breeze carried scents she’d almost forgotten—growing things, earth that wasn’t poisoned, air that didn’t taste of sulfur and smoke.

(It’s beautiful. So beautiful.)

Environmental assessment: Non-hostile. Temperature approximately 15 degrees Celsius. Light cloud cover. Visibility excellent.

A narrow river wound through the meadow, its clear water sparkling under weak sunlight. Trees lined the distant banks—actual living trees with green leaves, not the twisted ash-covered things that populated the Dark Forest.

[Jayde! Jayde, look!] Reiko materialized beside her, his shadowy form nearly invisible in the bright daylight. [There’s so much life here! I can feel it everywhere!]

Mission Control continued its mechanical recitation: [Threat assessment: Zero. Closest human inhabitants: 5 kilometers due north. Prepare for mission briefing.]

Mission briefing. The words triggered something deep in her Federation memories—dozens of operations, hundreds of briefings, that familiar pre-mission tension before stepping into unknown territory.

(Except this time I’m alone. No squad. No backup. Just me and Reiko.)

”Alright, Mission Control,” Jayde said quietly. ”Give me the brief.”

***

The information flooded her mind directly—not words exactly, but pure knowledge that arranged itself into coherent understanding.

Telia. Feudal world. Technology roughly equivalent to pre-industrial Earth, maybe fifteenth century. No manufacturing base to speak of. Agriculture-dominant economy built on incredibly fertile soil.

Strategic assessment: Resource-rich but politically fractured. Classic failed-state scenario.

The political structure made her want to spit. Warlords ruled territories through brutal force, extracting crushing taxes to fund endless territorial wars. Villages were largely abandoned by the central authority, left to fend for themselves against bandits and demonic beasts while their young men were conscripted into warlord armies.

(Just like the Freehold Clan. Taking everything, giving nothing back, treating people like resources to be exploited.)

Magic existed but was rare. Less than one percent of the population could cultivate Ember Qi, and those who could were immediately claimed by warlords as weapons. No schools. No training infrastructure. Just raw power being hoarded by those already in power.

Systemic oppression. Resource extraction economy. Authoritarian control through military force. Textbook pre-Federation civilization patterns.

But the land itself was rich. Spiritually dense. The kind of world that should be thriving, where cultivation should be accessible to anyone willing to work for it.

Instead, it was trapped in an endless cycle of warfare and exploitation.

”Elder Ryunzo,” Mission Control continued. ”Your mission contact resides in Tardide village, 5 kilometers north of current position. Travel time: Approximately one hour on foot.”

On foot. Because of course there were no vehicles, no transportation arrays, no—

[No spatial ring technology detected on Telia,] Mission Control added. [Dimensional storage devices do not exist in this society. Recommend extreme discretion when accessing personal inventory.]

Jayde froze. ”Wait. No spatial rings?”

[Correct. The local population has not developed dimensional storage technology. Revealing such capabilities would cause significant cultural disruption and potential mission compromise.]

Operational security concern identified. Must maintain technology advantage concealment.

”Understood.” Jayde glanced at the silver ring on her finger. ”So everything stays hidden. I can’t just pull supplies from storage in front of people.”

[Affirmative. Maintain period-appropriate equipment visibility at all times.]

(Great. So I have to pretend to be poor and under-equipped in a world where everyone actually is poor and under-equipped.)

”Anything else I need to know?”

[Mission parameters transmitted. Proceed to Tardide village. Report to Elder Ryunzo. Complete assigned task. Return for mission assessment and merit allocation.]

The mechanical voice faded, leaving her alone with Reiko in the spring meadow.

***

The walk toward Tardide should have been pleasant.

The countryside was beautiful in a way Doha never managed—rolling hills covered in young grain, scattered farmhouses with actual gardens, paths worn smooth by generations of foot traffic. The kind of pastoral landscape that belonged in paintings or poetry.

But Jayde couldn’t shake the wrongness underneath.

Observation: Infrastructure degradation. Minimal maintenance. No coordinated agricultural planning visible.

The farms she passed were too small, worked by too few people. Mostly women, children, and elderly men struggling with labor meant for larger crews. Fields that should be thriving showed signs of neglect—weeds creeping in, irrigation ditches poorly maintained, sections left fallow not by choice but by necessity.

(Where are all the men? Where are the people who should be working these farms?)

She knew the answer. Mission Control had told her. Conscripted into warlord armies. Fighting endless territorial wars over resources that never seemed to improve anyone’s lives except those already in power.

Federation analysis: Systemic failure. Resource misallocation. Human capital waste.

A farmhouse stood near the road, its walls cracked and roof patched with mismatched materials. An elderly woman worked in the garden, her movements slow and pained. She looked up as Jayde passed, and their eyes met for just a moment.

The exhaustion in that gaze hit like a physical blow.

(She’s tired. So tired. And she can’t stop working because if she stops, they starve.)

”Excuse me,” Jayde called out on impulse. ”Is Tardide much further?”

The woman straightened slowly. ”Four kilometers, miss. Stay on this road, can’t miss it.” Her voice was hoarse, worn thin by years of shouting over wind and distance. ”You one of them cultivators?”

Cover identity required. Quick assessment—traveling merchants are common in feudal societies.

”Just a traveler,” Jayde said carefully. ”Looking for work.”

”Hah.” The laugh was bitter. ”Ain’t much work here. Not unless you’re willing to join Lord Hakken’s forces.” She spat to the side. ”Bastard took my two grandsons last month. Said it was their ’honor’ to serve. Honor.” Another bitter sound. ”That’s what they call it when they steal your family.”

Jayde’s hands clenched. Target identified: Lord Hakken. Warlord. Conscription enforcer. Pattern matches dozens of pre-Federation despots.

(She lost her grandsons. Probably lost her sons before that. And there’s nothing she can do about it because the system is designed to keep her powerless.)

”I’m sorry,” Jayde said quietly, and meant it.

”Sorry, don’t bring ’em back.” The woman turned away. ”Best be careful on the road, miss. More refugees every day, fleeing conscription. Dangerous folks, desperate folks. Watch yourself.”

***

Jayde found them an hour later, hiding in a small copse of trees just off the main road.

A family. Mother, father, three children—the oldest maybe ten, the youngest barely walking. They’d heard her approach and tried to go silent, but Reiko had sensed their fear through his Voidshadow affinity.

[People hiding,] he’d warned. [Scared. Really scared.]

She could have walked past. Should have walked past, probably. The mission was straightforward—get to Tardide, report to Elder Ryunzo, complete the task, leave. Getting involved with local problems wasn’t part of the job description.

But the Federation officer in her wouldn’t let it go.

Civilians in distress. Potential humanitarian crisis. Assessment required.

Jayde stopped at the edge of the trees. ”I’m not here to hurt anyone,” she called out. ”Just passing through.”

Silence.

”I’m a traveler. Alone except for my companion. I have food if you need it.”

More silence. Then, cautiously, a man’s voice: ”You’re lying. Nobody shares food with refugees.”

”I’m not from around here,” Jayde said. ”Different place, different rules.”

The man emerged slowly from the trees, positioning himself between Jayde and his hidden family. Thin. Exhausted. One arm wrapped in makeshift bandages that were already showing signs of infection. But his eyes were sharp, assessing her for threats.

Defensive posture. Protecting family. Prepared to fight despite obvious disadvantage.

”Who are you running from?” Jayde asked quietly.

”Lord Hakken’s conscription squads.” The man’s voice was flat, defeated. ”They came to our village three days ago. Took every man between fifteen and forty. I... escaped. With my family. But they’ll hunt us. And when they find us...”

He didn’t need to finish. The implication was clear.

(This is what feudal systems do. They grind people down until there’s nothing left but fear and desperation.)

Pattern recognition: Pre-Federation Earth. Industrial Revolution exploitation. Colonial oppression. Same mechanisms, different era, same human suffering.

Jayde’s hands moved before she could think about it, reaching into her spatial ring—carefully, making sure the family couldn’t see the dimensional distortion—and pulling out wrapped packages of dried meat, travel bread, and a water flask.

But she couldn’t just hand them over. That would reveal too much.

Operational security. Must maintain cover. Cannot expose advanced technology.

”I have some supplies,” she said, setting the packages on the ground and backing away. ”In my pack. Take them.”

The man stared at the food like it might be poisoned. ”Why?”

”Because I can afford to spare it, and you need it more than I do.”

(Because I remember what it’s like to be powerless. To be at the mercy of people who don’t care if you live or die.)

Because the Federation was founded on the principle that those with power have a responsibility to protect those without it.

The woman emerged from the trees, one child clinging to her legs, another in her arms. ”You’re really just... giving us food? No price?”

”No price.” Jayde met her eyes. ”How far are you going?”

”East. There’s supposed to be villages beyond Lord Hakken’s reach, where the conscription squads don’t go. We just... we need to get there before—”

”Before your husband’s wound gets infected and he can’t walk anymore?” Jayde gestured at the man’s arm. ”Before you run out of food and the children start crying too loud at night? Before Hakken’s hunters catch up?”

The woman’s face crumpled. ”We’re trying. We’re trying so hard.”

Mission parameters do not include civilian rescue operations. This is not your problem. Complete primary objective. Extract. File report.

But the Federation officer in her—the one who’d spent sixty years fighting exactly this kind of oppression in another life—refused to be silent.

(These people need help. And I have the power to help them. Isn’t that what power is supposed to be for?)

”Keep moving east,” Jayde said quietly. ”Travel at night if you can manage it with the children. Stay off main roads. If you see cultivators, hide—most of them work for warlords.”

”How do you know all this?” The man’s eyes narrowed. ”You said you’re not from here.”

”I’m not. But I’ve seen this pattern before. In other places.” In other lives. ”Just... survive. Get your family somewhere safe. That’s all that matters.”

She turned to leave before they could ask more questions. Before she could do something really stupid like offering to escort them personally or taking direct action against Lord Hakken’s forces.

Mission first. Personal feelings second. That’s how military operations work.

(But it doesn’t feel right. Walking away doesn’t feel right.)

[They’re going to die, aren’t they?] Reiko’s mental voice was small, uncertain. [If his infection gets worse, or if the hunters find them, or if—]

”Maybe. Probably.” Jayde’s throat was tight. ”We can’t save everyone, Reiko. We can’t fix broken systems by ourselves.”

[Then what’s the point of having power? What’s the point of being strong if we can’t help people?]

(Good question. Wish I had a good answer.)

The point is survival. The point is completing missions. The point is accumulating enough strength that eventually, maybe, you can change things on a larger scale.

But none of those answers felt adequate as they continued toward Tardide, leaving the refugee family behind with their small gift of food and even smaller hope.

***

The sun was past its zenith when Tardide finally came into view—a cluster of wooden buildings surrounded by rough-hewn walls that wouldn’t stop a determined Sparkforged cultivator, much less anything stronger.

Jayde stood at the crest of a hill, looking down at what was supposed to be her mission objective, and felt something settle in her chest. Something cold and analytical and very, very Federation.

Assessment: Systemic oppression requiring systemic solutions. Individual charity is insufficient. Requires organized resistance or external intervention.

(Or someone powerful enough to make the warlords stop. Someone like... me?)

No. Not yet. She wasn’t strong enough, didn’t understand this world’s politics, and couldn’t risk exposure. But someday...

Strategic planning: Long-term objective identified. Destabilize the warlord power structure. Establish alternative governance. Protect the civilian population.

”Come on,” she said to Reiko. ”Let’s go meet Elder Ryunzo and see what this mission is really about.”

[Jayde?] The shadowbeast’s mental voice was cautious. [You’re angry. I can feel it through the bond.]

”Yeah.” She started walking toward the village. ”I’m angry. Because I just saw what unchecked power does to people who can’t fight back. And because I remember—”

She stopped. Closed her eyes. Took a breath.

(I remember being powerless. I remember what it’s like when the strong decide you don’t matter.)

”I’m angry,” she repeated quietly. ”But anger is useful. Anger can be fuel. As long as we don’t let it control us.”

Mission parameters: Report to Elder Ryunzo. Complete the assigned task. But pay attention. Gather intelligence. Understand the system. Because you can’t break something you don’t understand.

And someday—not today, not tomorrow, but someday—she was going to come back here.

And things were going to change.