The Awakening of the Awakener

Token

Lu Ping sighed, he stared at the object in his hand contemplating what exactly he should do next with the information that he had recently managed to acquire, fingering the edges of the token absently, staring at it mindless. It was a pale forest green. Just as he remembered. He had mostly been holed up in the Wind section of the Gang, but that did not mean that he knew nothing about the other sections. Each section had their own token, or sorts. Varying shades and colors. This was from the mountain section. The sea Section had a pale blue token, wind section held a pale grey one, and as for fire, well, the fire sections was graced with light orange. He did not like much any section of the gang, but he knew how they worked, knew their design. Knew everyone from the top to the bottom. All of the important people at the very least. Everyone else mattered little, mere henchmen who took their orders and delighted in following them perfectly. Though, not as though they had much choice in the matter. Even if they did not like following the orders which they were given they were required to succeed in every mission which they were given, or else. Nobody really liked the aftermath of a failed mission. It either contained torture beyond the darkest thoughts which those petty people could possibly imagine, or death.  

He wished that he could say he would be willing to just...leave the Wind Takers and let them suffer themselves the fate which would undoubtedly be given to them. Yet, now that he had released his magic and his abilities, he would be hard pressed to believe that they would not find out somehow. Even if there was anyone within the vicinity, they could have seen, or heard, or who knows. Should that happen, it would not take much to ask around, and find out where he was staying. Even if he played with the fact that he did not care much for the Wind Takers...the truth was he cared very much for everyone in this institution even if they were mindless and, more often than not, bullied him quite extensively. Well, they thought they bullied him quite extensively, at the very least. He had...somewhat managed to grow fond of them. How, he did not know, he had tried his best to really distance himself from everyone should something like this happen. No matter what he told Su Tang, he knew that leaving the Wind Takers to their fate would feel like he was back stabbing everything that this institute had done for him. Though he doubted that they understood exactly what that was, he himself did. He could not allow himself to...blindly hurt them like that.

Because he knew. He knew that if it came to the ears of the Mountain and Sea gang that he had been taken in the by Wind Takers institute, even if they assured them that he was martial less, that he had no abilities, the Mountain and Sea gang would not care. It was the principle after all. He had seen their ruthless actions a thousand times over and he knew that it would not matter if they did not know that he was the Awakener, the fact remained that he was, and their ignorance to the matter did not warrant mercy. Before he had believed that it would not matter. He was careful, he was wary, he made sure that he did not use any of his abilities, and it did not matter where he was. If he did he was very careful to only use the Ability of Strength, and it was always whilst covered head to toe, and he never spoke. Seeing the token, it had done something to his otherwise very careful and wary actions. 

He had really allowed himself to go too much. The memories had flooded through him, and he had found himself doing what he had always warned himself against doing. He needed to be more careful. Now, however, he could not just leave the Wind Takers. If he did he would essentially be leading them to their deaths. 

Lu Ping closed his eyes, hands curling against the token tightly. Tears filled his eyes as he realized that anything that would happen to the Wind Takers because of this oversight. He had though that he had a handle over himself, he had managed to get through all this time not using his abilities much, but now? He realized just how lost he really was. Just one reminder of the Mountain and Sea gang had left him bubbling with anger and it had caused him to loose logical sense and he had allowed himself to really be taken over with emotions which he had not allowed for so long. 

It was dangerous. He would need to keep from staying in town. It would be absolutely horrible should he even try to go out of the Wind Takers. Yet, he could not just deny the Senior Brother either. He knew that they would insist on their going through the town on their daily backpacking as they usually did and none his displeasure and acting up would do anything about that. 

One thing, however, he knew for certain. He would not allow Su Tang to realize what had happened. He could not allow her to worry over him because of this. She already was worried just over some mere bullying from the Wind Takers, and if she realized that he had come across a token from the Mountain and Sea ang it would only make her worry more and more and she really did not deserve that. He always felt guilty that she stuck by him so loyalty. She deserved her own life, and while she continuously told him that she was doing this because she wanted to, and she wanted to go with him wherever he went, he still would feel guilty. 

After all, he was technically ripping her of a life. Something which made him feel guilty and would always make him feel horrible. Though, try as he may, she refused any attempts of trying to let her live a little. She deserved it from the horrors which the Mountain and Sea Gang had put her through, and yet she remained loyal to the end and it was something that, while he appreciated, he felt guilty for as well. 

He took a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the token, not realizing where it dug into his skin, cutting through it, blood slowly flowing down, staining the green. Not realizing the eyes of the Senior Disciple who was watching him carefully through the cracks of the house, trying to calm himself.

He would fix all of this. At whatever cost.