Chapter One (Patreon)

Far from the shores of a long-forgotten lake, a spirit struggled against adamantine chains. Her misshapen existence screamed in agony as the chains tightened, cutting into what remained of her presence.

“None of that,” the Man said. His robes, ordinarily yellow, had been exchanged for a set of jade. His hat had been replaced with a mianguan. His jewelry was only made from ivory, pearls, and jade. “Your suffering will be over. Your last and greatest act is about to come.”

The spirit flinched at that. She had been here so long. She had thwarted his previous attempts, her very nature going against his designs. She knew this time would be different. The sigils he drew upon were unnatural in shape. Their edges were rigid, sharp enough to cut the heavens. Power grew as he wrote, characters and talismans forming a circle around her.

She strained against the chains as the end grew near. Once more the adamantine links cut into her spirit. But she did not stop. Not even as her spirit began to bleed, causing agony beyond the ken of mortal flesh. She pushed further, until her outermost tendrils could reach the glowing sigils. The characters were foreign, yet instinctively she knew what they meant, as if meaning was indelibly linked to their form, a form of communication that went beyond mere lettering.

She reached out, touching the sigil for DIVINITY. It began to spark.

“What are you—STOP!” the Man yelled.

She did not. She pressed forward. She dragged what little remained of her power and forced it into the symbol. It glowed red, then orange, then gold. Light exploded from the sigil.

“Zhao Di.” The voice boomed from the golden light, rolling like thunder across the lakes. “He who would unseat the heavens.”

The Man froze.

“You have failed,” the voice declared. “The penalty is death. You will not be reborn. Your soul will be torn into a thousand thousand pieces, each of which shall be buried in lands beyond the stars. Your name shall be forgotten by your closest of kin. Your knowledge shall wither like grapes upon the vine. You will have no legacy. This is the Decree of Heaven.”

The light glowed once more. It shined like fire, a beam of multicolored energy sweeping into the Man. Enveloped by the light, he screamed.

“Hua Jing.”

The Spirit turned. Still bleeding, she used a tendril to gesture at herself.

“That is your name,” the voice agreed. “You have succeeded. Zhao Di is dead. The Heavens remain in balance. You shall be rewarded. Your spirit is too damaged to remain in this realm. You shall go to another with our blessing, where you shall recover and grow. May your next life be more pleasant than your last.”

The spirit hesitated. That was all the time the voice needed. In an instant she was gone, the chains and lake vanishing alongside the light.

She felt strange. Heavy, as if a weight had been put upon her. But that could not be. She (Hua Jing, she reminded herself) was a spirit. Spirits did not have . . .

“Hua Jing!” a matronly voice called. Instinctively Hua Jing opened her eyes.

Her eyes? Hua Jing stared at the ceiling. She looked to the side of her, past the covers and towards a table. Then a wall. She could see.

“Hua Jing, get down here!”

Gulping at the tone, Hua Jing hurried to obey. She got out of bed, only to find herself in clothes unfit for public. She opened a chest, rifling through the clothes. They were mostly trousers and blouses, with a few dressed. They were all small, but so was her new body.

“JING!” She quickly got dressed, and sprinted out the door and down the stairs. She came to a sudden halt, only a few steps away from a grey-haired woman.

“Hua Jing!” the woman decried. “How many times have I told you to be punctual! You’ll never be a Shinobi if you can’t be on time!”

“I’m sorry Honored Matron,” Hua Jing immediately responded. “I will be better, I promise.”

“Hmph,” the woman scoffed. “Well, it’s better you’re late today than tomorrow. The Academy starts tomorrow, and I know how eager you are for that.”

Hua Jing nodded along. “I look forward to it greatly,” she said.

“Hmph. I don’t know what they’re thinking, starting the lessons so young. The war must be truly desperate for Lord Hokage to have lowered the age limit.”

Hua Jing purposefully did not grimace. She did not have memories from her life before the chains, yet she knew of war. She knew of its purpose, and its true meaning. War was not the swift maneuver of troops and marching through cities in orderly lines. War was death in the muck and mud alongside your closest friends. It was watching children starve so their fathers could kill another man. Hua Jing did not wish for war. She had suffered so much, so recently.

“Honored Matron, do you think the teachings will have changed?”

“Just call me Kojima-san,” the woman said. “From what I have heard, the curriculum remains much the same. Basic academics, survival, and the jutsus.”

“The jutsus?” Jing asked. She knew what the word meant, yet the techniques was rather vague.

“The Ninja Arts!” Kojima-san exclaimed. “Have you forgotten already girl?”

“I apologize for my poor memory Kojima-san,” Jing bowed. “Please instruct me, that I may commit them to memory.”

The woman sighed heavily. “Fine. But no longer. I will not hold your hand once you start the academy.”

“Yes, Kojima-san.”

“The academy focuses on the three basic jutsus of Ninja life. Tiajutsu, unarmed combat. Genjutsu, chakra illusions. And Ninjutsu, using chakra to directly affect the world.”

“Thank you Kojima-san,” Jing bowed. Chakra was qi–at least it had been in her previous life. There was a chance this world worked differently. Jing would have to find out. “May I be excused, Kojima-san?”

“Yes, yes, go outside you little brat.”

Jing bowed again. She stepped outside, only for a wall of text to emerge in her mind’s eye.

Welcome to the Elemental Nations

As thanks for saving our sibling-pantheon, we have granted you the

CELESTIAL GRIMOIRE

a compendium of divine blessings granted by this and other worlds.

Success in life unlocks a choice between two blessings

There are five tiers of blessings, from Negligible to Exceptional.

There are six categories of blessings, which you will figure out in the future.

To start your life, will have granted you THREE medium blessings, one each in Mental, Physical, and Spiritual

Would you like to roll your blessings now?

Hua Jing stared. She was blessed. Blessed by the gods, not only of this world and the last, but of many others. She could have cried with relief. She was not being sent to war alone. “Yes.”

Medium Mental Blessing

Child of Artemis

You are a child blessed by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Your proficiency and talent with all ranged weapons are greatly increased. In addition, your tracking and wayfinding abilities are enhanced to a supernatural level, allowing you to easily track prey across a country and not get lost in even the deepest of woods.

Prodigious Pupil

You are THE Pupil. You learn things much faster and far more easily when taught personally by someone who has a higher skill level than you in the subject in question. In addition, it is easier to earn the favour of your teachers.

Medium Physical Blessing

Superconductor

Your body is a funnel and connection for lightning. All Lightning-based abilities are more potent, cost less energy to use, and are easier to master. In addition, you can ground lightning and electricity, absorbing a portion of their energy as you do so.

In Time of Need

A Hero arises. Once every 120 hours you can restore your stamina and energy to full. Hours afterwards you will be extremely exhausted.

Medium Spiritual Blessing

Fortune’s Lover

You are absurdly lucky, to the point where even if you did not have any other abilities this alone could be considered an ability. If it's a chance, it's in your favour. Fate is curved in your direction, but not all luck is good.

Storm Call

Allows you to freely call thunder and lightning from the skies to strike down on the ground with little energy consumption. You can even charge it to smite the world with concentrated lightning.

Note: This ability does not use Hand Seals

In a split-second Hua Jing made her choices. Superconductor and Storm Call simply worked too well together to pass up, and Prodigious Pupil would let her make the most of not just her new abilities, but her time in school as well.

Hua Jing smirked and rolled her shoulders. It was time to see just what her new abilities could do.