Murim Recurve

'One…two…three…four…five…six…seven!' Re'Kha mentally counted, pulling another cloth strip. Followed by a rumbling sound, the entrance to the granary closed, trapping the Kalhas within it. She had timed herself right, acting the moment rain started to fall.

Due to the rain, the Kalhas went into hiding in a hurry, retreating to their shelters, squeezing through the limited space. In such a time, another entrance opened, leading into more space for them to take shelter.

The Kalhas instinctively moved through the gap, soon finding the space within was no safe zone, suffused with Water Qi. Before they could escape, the door slammed shut, blocking their escape route. Moreover, the gate was a large slab of rock, something the almost weightless Kalhas without much strength couldn't ever hope to move.

The Kalhas sensed the Water Qi in the air, feeling uncomfortable. The Water Qi alone wasn't enough to kill them, after all, it was Water Qi without any will in it, unable to actively cause any damage. But, the moment its concentration increased further, it would exhibit its own natural phenomenon, imitating nature and becoming a force to reckon with. By then, they would have no hope of survival.

They panicked, scattering about in the air in every direction, trying to find a safe place to take refuge within. Re'Kha limited the range of her Water Qi perception to the water she hid within. After all, the water was a substance that could damage them thanks to the Water Qi in it, the water possessed a will of its own, or more like a force of nature as it moved due to the disturbance Re'Kha caused within.

'Three…two…one!' Re'Kha pulled another cloth strip slowly, ensuring the distance she pulled conformed with what she had planned and experimented once. The lid of the Aeki near the entrance opened, its insides bereft of any Water Qi.

The Kalhas immediately sensed it, rushing to enter it. Moreover, settled at the bottom of it were five vials, containing a powder that was very beneficial to them. But, each vial was only wide enough to fit one Kalha.

The Kalhas fought each other for the five spots, pushing each other as they created bizarre sounds. If Re'Kha heard them, then she would start to become delirious.

'One…two…three…four!' Re'Kha left her hold on the cloth strip. Thanks to the weight attached to it, the Aeki's lid closed automatically, trapping some Kalhas within. The Kalhas floating near the Aeki were stunned, unable to comprehend what had happened.

They swirled about, creating a cacophony of noises. Re'Kha felt her mind slipping out of her control, immediately reducing the range of her perception, sensing the cloth banner absorb the Fear Qi generating in her. The Water Qi also acted as a film that protected her to a fair extent. If not for that, the sound would have been overwhelming to bear, for it was generated by a small cluster of Kalhas.

Within the Aeki near the entrance, almost 40 Kalhas were floating, with five of them occupying the entrances to the vials. They were the most powerful of the bunch, possessing greater Fear Qi in them and the ability to control it.

The respective Kalhas inserted their optic nerves inside first, feeling around the interior of the vial. It was coated with the powder that was beneficial to their growth, able to nurture them into stronger existences.

The transparent crystal left behind from an Elemental Qi Essence, after it emitted all its Elemental Qi had its uses. It was made into the walls and flooring of each Clan's cultivation room, for it prevented the Elemental Qi within from seeping out or affecting the floor and walls of the room. This raised the effectiveness of the comprehension session, a benefit every Harmoniser desired.

Some Clans reared beasts, using these transparent crystals to feed them, nurturing them into stronger existence while also saving all the costs of feeding them. The first Kalha slowly entered through the entrance, soon settling itself within the vial.

The moment it did so, the cap closed upon it, startling the Kalha for a moment. But, after noting that nothing unusual happened, it didn't worry further. After all, it was able to push out the cap when needed. Re'Kha sensed the disturbance through the threads she had connected to the caps, beginning to count.

'Seventeen…eighteen…nineteen…twenty…twenty-one!' Re'Kha pulled another cloth strip. It was the strip covering the bottom part of the Aeki's sides. The moment Re'Kha pulled it, it came off easily, laying the holes she had made into it bare.

The Water Qi slowly seeped in through the holes, startling the Kalhas within. To avoid the Water Qi, they had entered the interior of the Aeki in a rush. But now, the same was happening again. Even though this Water Qi didn't actively harm them and only caused them to feel uncomfortable for the moment, it would eventually start weakening them.

Soon, it would become a poison that would eat away at their bodies, for they were beings attuned to Fear Qi. Any other element was poison to them. In normal cases, the Fear Qi in them would resist against the Water Qi, preventing it from coming near. But over time, the resistance offered would steadily crumble as the ambient Elemental Qi—Water Qi—would continue to grow, soon breaking the balance and destroying them from within.

The Kalha within the vial sensed the appearance of the Water Qi, pulling the cap closer. It then noticed the Water Qi seep in through the gaps between the vial and its cap, prompting the Kalha to act to protect itself.

The optic nerves of the Kalha flailed about, soon noticing a gum-like substance coated on the underside of the cap. The gum was sticky, but not to the extent it seemed permanent. The Kalha also noticed a ring in the cap, shaped into a spiral. It fumbled about until turning the cap, noticing that the gap between the vial and its cap became wider.

It reflexively turned in reverse, sensing the gap become narrow. It continued as such, soon completely tightening it. The moment it finished the rotation, it noticed an oddity, for the tip of the vial's walls and the underside of the cap had touched, getting stuck to one another. After that, no matter what it did, the cap never budged.

It finally struck the Kalha, that it had been trapped.