Cold winds roared across the mountain's steep edges. Tufts of snow layered on Vera as he climbed up.
The qi in the air thinned as Vera climbed higher.
The once clear peak turned elusive.
A mist hid the peak. A mist that never changed.
"Why?..." Dark circles formed under Vera's eyelids, his cheeks sunken in.
"I was able to see the peak when I started! So why can't I see it anymore?" His attempts at a scream turned to feeble murmurs.
The peak that stood within a day's climb stretched over to a week.
Stores of qi thinned.
Stores of food depleted.
But the mountain's challenge approached with unchanging force.
Vera's near-iron skin was marred with blood. Crooked rocky holds eroded his calloused skin. The cold winds froze the seeping blood before it could dip down to his arms.
"When will the next platform arrive?" His low tone was drained of feeling.
The refuge he debated on taking now turned to a necessity. The light at the end of the tunnel was no longer the peak. Rather, it was a plain ledge upon which he could rest.
Cracks that served as holds were weathered away by the roaring wind. Fingers pressed into smooth cliff walls, the indents they left turning to new holds.
Paths made of intuition were now found from memory.
Thoughts of descent felt as hopeless as the peak. The ground was as elusive as the peak.
The grainy edge of the mountain wall repeated over and over. Climbing turned to standing still.
The terrain turned to an empty white room. Nothing to see, nothing to feel.
The fierce winds sanded down man and mountain alike.
Vera stopped questioning the peak. He only hoped it would reveal itself in time.
By the time Vera's mind asserted itself, he stood silent on a new platform. A dim light filled his hollow eyes again.
"I've reached another platform, huh..." Vera spoke, his eyes latched onto the mist that obscured the peak.
This ledge held nothing to look at, the same as every other ledge. Just a thin strip of land.
A low breath left his body. The tight wrap across his back was undone, and his halberd was laid down.
Sword Dog paced around him slowly. Its golden lustre weakened.
"Are you tired as well, boy?..." Vera asked as he petted Sword Dog softly.
Dim whimpers escaped Sword Dog as it laid its weary head on Vera's lap.
Is your qi finally running out? ...
Vera's head slumped down, his eyes hanging low.
Vera chewed on a thin piece of jerky. Enough to taste it, not enough to eat it.
Soon his weary eyes clamped shut. Snow turned to a blanket; the heat of his body was held in place.
The howling of the wind calmed.
The snow disappeared.
The bright morning sun shone in his eyes. The wall he rested against disappeared; behind him the sun lay on a bed of clouds.
Excitement shot through Vera.
"Boy! We made it!" He shouted hurriedly.
To his dismay, Sword Dog didn't react. The snow that encased him held only him.
Sword Dog's body left an imprint on the ground, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Buddy?!" Vera called repeatedly.
"Where are you?!"
His words echoed through the desolate peak. His eyes turned heavy.
"Was... I too late?" His voice ran weak.
Silence followed.
His head hung low, the beauty of the peak obscured.
A paw pressed into his thigh.
Wake up... Wake up...
A tired voice resounded in his head.
The sight of the peak turned dark. Vera's eyes opened again; a thin layer of snow crumbled on his eyelids.
A dim, dark day engulfed in snow and wind. Sword Dog's head rested against him.
"The same dream again..."
His hand caressed Sword Dog. Its colour dimmed another shade.
Dusting the snow off his back, Vera stood up.
After retrieving his halberd, Vera got on one knee.
"Get on, boy."
Sword Dog's eyes fluttered weakly as he climbed onto Vera's back.
As Vera tightened the wrap against his back, he noticed the warmth Sword Dog gave off had dimmed.
His teeth gritted, he looked at the snow-covered platform.
It's only qi...
***
The climb was as always. Fingers pressed into the mountain's sanded edges. The painting stood unchanged.
The clouds never ceased. The peak never grew closer. The scenery never changed, as though Vera was climbing into a picture.
But what bored deepest into Vera was the thinning heat against his back.
At each ledge, Sword Dog's golden trail grew dimmer.
Its weakened whimpers erased by the wind.
One more day... One more day wouldn't hurt.
Yet, that one day turned to another month.
And as Vera sat against a new ledge, that month turned into two.
Good things don't last forever.
Vera knew it would end in two months, and he accepted this. Yet as his 'qi' reached its end, all Vera felt was dismay.
Having burnt through almost all the qi, Sword Dog lay still.
Its golden shine turned to a grey wisp.
It's only qi! It's only qi!
The thought resounded through Vera. His hands rested on Sword Dog's body.
The last of his qi fiercely circulated through Sword Dog's body.
No matter how much qi Vera fed him, his golden hue didn't return.
The thoughts he chose to forget flooded his mind.
In truth he realised it a long time ago. At some point, there was a part of the qi in Sword Dog he couldn't recognise.
Memories of what he lacked came to mind.
"The sixth sense..."
Creases formed across his eyes. His clear eyes were tinged red.
As the heat against his palms dulled, Vera spoke.
"I lied. You weren't just my qi."
"I didn't keep you along to train..."
"I felt alone... And you made that go away."
A whirlwind of emotions struck him. All of which Sword Dog had given him.
"To me you are a friend and a companion." Tears streaked down Vera's cheeks.
His qi flickered silently.
"Sword Dog, you are warmth..."
The suffocating snow weakened.
Golden streams of qi started to interlace with white; the gold of Vera's qi turned to white gold.
Sword Dog's dimming body regained its lustre.
His dim whimpers bloomed with life.
Those whimpers opened Vera's eyes. Sword Dog's shine turned to that of the sun.
"Buddy?"
"Woof."
"Buddy!" Vera screamed, his dry, weakened tone long gone.
The mountain's raging winds were long gone. The dim light of the mountain bled into a radiant dusk.
The sun lay on a bed of clouds. This was the peak. It always was the peak.
An unsuspecting goat stood beside Vera. Its hooves were buried into the snow, layers built over time.
It simply stood... waiting.
The once listless expression in its eyes held an immense depth. As though it saw through all things.
In its unsuspecting visage, it held great authority. The authority fitting of a guardian.
Under the radiance of dusk, Dao was revealed. Hidden until realised.
Vera had reached the second rank.