ã€ŠWithin The Soul: Supremacyã€‹


 Chapter 0: Failed Journey

    There was a massive shadow orbiting the earth, like a giant dragon flying around its prey. It looked almost alive with intermittent flashes of light as if thousands of eyes were blinking. But this was no living thing, only when the sun shone upon it, its beauty was finally revealed, it was a spaceship. The best modern technology had to offer, it was called the "Interstellar 3."

    On one of its windows the silhouette of a young man could be seen watching the planet he called home. He was on one of the many corridors of this ship.

    ¡°No matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of this view.¡±

    The black eyes of the man shone with an almost tangible light of intelligence. His tall frame was leaning forward with his forehead pressing against the window glass. It looked much like a child watching a display of toys. In this state, he gave the feeling of having unlimited energy in his otherwise thin body.

    This man was Matthew Hartman, he was a 22 years old physics graduate. Thanks to his high grades, and a great deal of luck he won a competition. Allowing him to go on a mission to Proxima Centauri b.

    Proxima Centauri b was already confirmed to contain life. The planet belonged to the Alpha Centauri system. There was a base and a group of scientists from the previous expeditions waiting there.

    Matthew was not only interested in the experiments he will be able to do in his own field of knowledge, but he was also very eager to see this new ecosystem. "Even though it is colder than earth, there is a lot of biodiversity, there are new species being discovered every day. It is a mystery how they got to evolve in such a frigid place."

    Looking towards another window he could see a group of engineers working with perfect synchronization. They were handling complex machinery, annexing another structure to the already huge ship.

    The ship was so big that it needed to be sent in parts to orbit and then mounted together in space. ¡°The assembling is almost finished.¡± Said Matthew, the childish look disappearing, replaced by a complex one.

    ¡°My journey is about to begin,¡± his voice became shaky, tinted with the same complex mix of emotions reflected in his eyes. He was somewhat reluctant to leave his family and friends. "Not seeing them for twenty years, ¡°would my parents be alright? Would my little sister miss me? How many things will I miss?¡± will everyone be okay during these twenty years?¡± These questions were soaked in sadness.

    Thankfully, modern medicine allowed one to live long lives. People till the hundreds were full of vitality as shown by how his parents had his little sister at the age of fifty.

    He felt fear going in hand with his anxiety and expectations for this new adventure. There was also the most prominent feeling, a burning desire to discover the truth of everything, the same desire that drove him as a child towards science.

    But as he looked outside, he felt pride at being part of this mission. ¡°How far humanity has come. From living in caves to living on different planets, we are a species that''s no longer tied to the fate of a single planet. We already have mars, Titan and many colonies on asteroids around the solar system, and now we are traveling towards the stars."

    " No matter how beautiful earth is it isn''t wise to put all the eggs in one basket, besides the more we explore the more secrets of the universe we uncover.¡± He couldn''t help to imagine how far humanity will explore in the future.

    ¡° With the attachment of that last minor module, everything is ready¡±. He felt butterflies in his stomach, he was getting really nervous.

    ¡°Well, it''s not like I will never come back so when the time comes to say goodbye I will lighten the mood as much as possible¡±. He knew how opposed his mother was to this trip. She thought that he was too young and this mission was too dangerous. His mother was right, it was just that his interest in the exploration of this other world was too big to pass out this chance

    With these thoughts, he went to the meeting room to have his last report before the journey began.

    <hr>

    two years later

    matthew woke up in his living quarters, it was small in comparison to the monstrous size of the whole ship but it was spacious. It had three rooms, a bedroom a bath and a living room that acted as a small study. The whole room gave the feeling of cleanness, there was a robot that came every day to tidy the place up so he didn''t have to worry about that.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    In general apart from going to the lab and going to some meetings, he didn''t have much to do. But what he had to do was always very stimulating, at the same time he had the chance to learn from the more experienced scientists.

    Rising up he looked through the small window. The beautiful sight of earth was there no more. Instead, greeting him on this new day was the darkness of the void. He went on with his morning routine.

    ¡°Man how I miss the internet, even though I have my books and music I would like to play some games and use a computer, other than to work." Although he was hardworking after a hard day he often liked to play games to relax.

    With a dejected expression, he kept thinking ¡°Sadly this place has a gym and a few sports-related fields, but it doesn''t have a single virtual reality game. The closest to it is the simulators that are only for training.¡±

    ¡°Well I knew what I was signing up for, I will just have to suppress my addiction to gaming. Besides it only gets boring on days I have nothing to do like today.

    "Guess I''ll go to the library and see what I can find.¡± Matthew was not a sports person and though he didn''t dislike social interaction he wasn''t too good with people either. Besides most of the crew was older than him having not much in common.

    He knew there were some people around his age but they were all in other modules. With each module being as big as a city, having a different schedule for days off, it was hard to meet with them often.

    He was leaving his room when a tremor ran through the place. He didn''t have much time to ponder about it because suddenly a sensation of weightlessness took over. It detached him from the floor and at the same time all the objects around him began to float like him .¡± What''s happening? Why would the artificial gravity field stop working? It''s only supposed to be turn off when we are about to land!! ¡±

    Pushing his feet and hands against the walls he propelled towards the main door which opened at the scanning of his thumb.

    ¡®tzz¡¯

    The moment he gets a peek of the outside of his living quarters the lights go off with a light electrical sound.

    ¡®bzzz''

    and the next second the emergency lights kick on.

    With face aghast, Matthew watched the red lights that forecast danger and his dread started to mount. ¡°Shit!! first the gravity now the lights, what the hell is going on? This is no good I have to keep moving.¡±

    Without wasting more time Matthew does as the security protocol states. ¡±I have to go to my zone evacuation point and there the administrator will surely have information on what''s going on.¡± The evacuation point wasn''t far, each module was divided into 50 zones and each zone had 10 evacuation points. They were made to be rally points to communicate and to coordinate between zones and modules in case of an emergency.

    ¡°I just hope the situation isn''t so desperate that we have to use the emergency capsules." The capsules where in case of serious damage to the ship, it was improbable since the ship was immense. So if a few modules were to be damaged they would just have to evacuate to another module.

    But if the integrity of the whole ship was in danger they would get inside their capsules where they will sleep, entering a hibernation state. At the same time, the capsules will send a distress signal to the other two interstellar ships in both earth and Alpha Centauri.

    ¡®rumble¡¯

    Another turbulence hit the ship but when Matthew looked through the window he realized that he could see the stars.

    "Oh, fuck! The ship has stopped! Lucky for us that this ship uses warp propulsion, or else, the inertia would''ve killed us all!" The warp propulsion moves the space around the ship, contracting it at the front and expanding it from behind. If it were another method of propulsion the sudden deceleration would have killed the whole crew.

    After a few minutes, he got to the door of the rally point, where two armed guards were standing at both sides. Their presence was not reassuring in the least, it was alarming. ¡®The army is in this trip to make front to the dangerous creatures of Proxima Centauri b they aren''t usually deployed inside the ship unless....¡¯ A bad premonition was growing in his heart.

    After showing his ID and a quick body search he was allowed inside where many people were waiting. The emergency room was in the form of a cylinder. With a height of 800 feet and many doors in the walls going from the floor to the roof, each one leading to an individual capsule. Many people were already floating and grabbing the handlebars next to each of their pre-assigned capsule.

    After spotting his assigned capsule Matthew stayed there watching how people talked in hurried voices. Until the hologram of a fat man appeared in the middle of the cylinder. He had short hair and lenses, he was the general manager of the module.

    ¡°Silence please.¡± His deep and steady voice was not loud but it was reassuring, managing to silence the crowd.

    After waiting a few moments he continued. ¡°Since time is of the essence I will go to the point. We have been infiltrated by terrorists. We believe that there is a considerable number that infiltrated in this ship over the recruiting period back on earth¡±

    Matthew''s heart, as well as the rest of the crew, sank as their fears were confirmed. There were a lot of organizations that were against these expeditions. They ranged from anarchists to more organized groups, and of course terrorists. The main complaint was that this travels spend a lot of resources, while people were dying of hunger and poverty back on earth

    But Matthew knew that the terrorist had political backing and one that belongs to the coalition of countries that fund this mission. What''s more, it had to be someone with a really high position. Even he, as a young graduate student with a clean background, was thoroughly checked. To hoodwink all those security measures someone with real power was necessary.

    Meanwhile, the manager kept informing. ¡°As you have already guessed they had attacked the main gravity field generator and the warp engine room. They have homemade bombs, probably prepared in the ship itself by someone with chemistry knowledge."

    ''Of course¡¯ thought Matthew. ¡®Even with the best backing, it would have been impossible to smuggle a bomb in the ship. But if you have someone with enough knowledge it is not hard for them to make a bomb with some common use materials. Much less if you had a scientist on your side with access to the chemicals used in the laboratories.¡¯

    With that, the manager gave a review of a few security measures to be known inside the capsule and with a final wish of good luck the hologram disappeared. The crew went to their designated hatches

    When he tried to open the capsule by using his thumb it didn''t respond. He tried again and nothing happened, then he started to hear the swears and yells of the people. Matthew''s face went pale. ¡°No...this can''t be, even if they hacked the main server these modules are separate how could they have made it¡±

    suddenly a panicked voice was heard ¡°Look through the glass there is something inside the capsules !!!!¡±

    Matthew capsule had nothing inside but the one next to him did. It was a grey square with a bunch of wires, obviously a bomb, Matthew''s pupils constricted. ¡®It cant be they were already prepared beforehand? The only one who can enter the rally point when there is not a crisis is.¡¯ The face of the fat man appeared in his mind.

    ¡°oh no we are going to d-

    BOOOOM!!

 Chapter 1: Original Sense

    As Matthew regained consciousness he was greeted by darkness and silence so intense that it was almost unbearable. His first reaction was to try to speak but no sound came, then he tried to move but it held no results either, which only served to increase his now very prominent fear.

    Then the memories of heat and pressure that only lasted for a few seconds finally came at him.

    ¡°...Am I dead? ... I¡­ I can''t believe it¡±

    ¡°There were so many things that I wanted to do. So many things that I wanted to say and see, so many things that I will miss."

    The first thing that he thought was how he said goodbye to his family before going on the mission. The casual way he talked, and all the things he couldn''t say to them anymore.

    ¡°If I had known it was going to be our last time chatting.¡±

    A sense of sadness gripped his heart at the thought of how the news of his death would impact his friends and family. He was supposed to be gone for around 20 years which with the average life expectancy was long but not too long, now he would never return.

    Then a bunch of unfinished business came to his mind. The biggest being his expedition to Proxima Centauri B. His biggest regret was not being able to explore this new world. The fact that he was so close to it made everything worse

    If he could yell and cry in his current state he would already be yelling like a maniac and crying like a baby.

    In this state, thinking about his life and death, he kept floating in the darkness without him even realizing how much time had passed. It could have been thousands of years or just seconds, but eventually, he calmed down.

    ¡°Well, there is really no use in thinking about my life now there''s nothing I can do anymore-¡± His thinking started to slow down. Matthew felt darkness taking hold of his consciousness, but it was no darkness. It was the absence of everything, even darkness

    Some part of him or maybe in a corner of the only thing that was left of him, Matthew knew that he was disappearing.

    In what seemed like slow motion, Matthew thought. ¡°But...it doesn''t quite feel like I''m disappearing... its more like... my memories are being assimilated into a part of myself.¡± That idea, for some reason, didn''t bring any peace to him He was falling asleep, or the equivalent in this strange place.

    ¡°No¡­...no¡­..NOO¡­.NO! I HATE THIS FEELING!! Come on, think! Stay Awake! ¡± He screamed in his mind. He could tell that if he let go he will be no more. Some part of him was saying that it was okay to let go, to fall asleep. But his rational mind was screaming to not let go or everything will be over.

    trying to not fall asleep, he started to explore as best he could his current condition.

    ¡°If I''m really dead, how can I still be producing thoughts?¡± It was the first thing that came to his mind after he calmed down and tried to put some order into the situation.

    ¡°Is this even real? Maybe I did survive and I''m still on the ship. Maybe I''m just in a coma or something in the medical area. I have to admit that this weightless sensation is exactly what it would be like if I was floating in a dream.¡±

    This first thought to try to put some logic to the situation came really fast but was dismissed with the same speed, for a not so logical reason.

    ¡°But there''s something that is telling me that I have died, it''s almost like an instinct, is the same part of me that is telling me to let go, inviting me to fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°Besides, even though it''s still the first reason that made my mind, now that I start to concentrate I can tell there''s this new sensation. Something that I have never felt before, and although in a dream you can feel things that you have never experienced, like the sensation of flying, this feeling is something more profound and too complex to be made in a dream.¡±

    ¡°¡­.It feels like a skin made of water but more ethereal that spreads around my very being. It''s weird but somehow it feels natural, like a mix between the five senses but at the same time without being like any of them. As if the five senses were just a cheap imitation of this, or maybe just a simplified version.

    His inquisitive mind, the same that pushed him towards science in his life was starting to act up again

    ¡°Well, for now, let''s call this feeling original sense since it feels like the origin of the senses.¡±

    Come on keep going don''t fall asleep.¡¯ Something inside him kept pushing him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    The first he did with this new sense was check himself. Because nothing has happened to him for what seemed like an eternity. He deduced that wherever he was, it was a safe place. He doubted it was even possible to get hurt in this state. Along with the fact that the more he spread his original sense the harder it became to control, the easiest choice was to figure his current condition.

    What he felt with it left him shocked, he had to take a few minutes to comprehend what he was sensing.

    ¡°I can feel myself being in the form of some sort of ball. But even with this original sense that I know by instinct that is way sharper than the normal ones, if I try watching my whole form it feels blurry. Only a small sphere is nitid, the rest feels like I am unable to comprehend it. It''s like the form of something I cannot process with my mind. I can only comprehend it as an amorphous blurry figure. So my current form is a small sphere attached to a much bigger and blurry amorphous part.¡±

    ¡°Is this my soul?¡± Matthew had never thought something like the soul was real. Nevertheless, this surreal feeling and his current form made him think about the famous soul. Yet again some instinct was telling him that his guess was correct.

    Next, he proceeded to send his senses into his own ¡°body¡± or soul, as his gut told him. Waiting there was a boundless space, so big that he could only feel an extremely small portion of it. Filling the space was an uncountable number of tiny specks of white light and strings connecting this dots light.

    ¡°I can tell there is some kind of information inside these simple structures, in fact, they''re so much and in such a cryptic way that I can''t make heads or tails of it.¡°

    The quantity was such that if his consciousness was to be compared to a glass, the information in a single dot would be an ocean. Trying to understand it would be like compressing the later inside the glass.

    Then there were a lot of blurry parts just like on the outside, he couldn''t sense them right.

    ¡°The more I keep looking inside the more I feel like I will lose myself and ¡°fall asleep.¡±

    ¡°agh.. this is so frustrating the only two things I can do are extremely restricted. I think I better focus on trying to control the original sense and spreading it further away, maybe if I can expand it enough I will know what is happening in my surroundings.¡±

    With the only other option being to fall asleep to oblivion, he kept manipulating his original sense to expand it and experiment. He soon found out that he could spread the original sense in a radius around him in pulses and they then bounced to his surroundings coming back with the information.

    The function was very much like a radar. That is if the waves instead of being sound or electromagnetic pulses were a sticky substance that stuck to the surroundings before coming back. And it came back even if there wasn''t anything after spreading to a distance that with his lack of instruments o reference he couldn''t measure it. He could only call it his observation field.

    He could tell there were other ways to use this sense and other ways to observe instead of using pulses, but this was the easiest way.

    He spent what he felt like a lot of time trying to filter the information given by his new senses. Luckily it was not like the information stored inside him, where the smallest part still looked like an astronomical amount.

    ¡°There are other spheres just like me!!!¡± He could sense a total of 20 other spheres in his observation field. Like him, they were actually more complex than simple orbs but he could only interpret the rest as a blurry shape, and what was more astonishing was that he could even feel emotions and simple thoughts coming from them.

    They were all in a hibernation state sending emotions of peace and serenity, which made him want to let everything go. There were only two exceptions, one that was showing emotions that he interpreted as intense regret and hate with a strange mix of love. The other sending signals of anxiousness and fear the moment he touches these spheres they shuddered as if they could feel someone touching them, even then, they were gradually calming down and Matthew knew that they would soon join the rest.

    ¡°Wow! They are all like me, and I feel this closeness to them. It''s so weird, how come they don''t seem to have the ability to use this original sense? Matthew could tell they had it but it was in the state it naturally took form when it wasn''t being used. It was surrounding them like a layer of skin

    ¡°Also, now that I have other things as a reference I can tell that I''m moving and it looks like I''m going slower than the others. Does it have anything to do with me being the only one capable of using this sense?.¡±

    Just when he was about to start another round of exploring Matthew felt something taking hold of him together with pressure all over this new form of his. Followed by a boundless presence that felt immense and superior to him and everything else in any imaginable way.

    He didn''t even have the thought of resisting, it was impossible. It was like trying to oppose a planet in its path, he stretched his original sense in search for the being that grabbed him but he couldn''t see anything. The only thing he got to perceive with it was that he was being taken from his original place, besides that was pure terror and innate awe for whoever this being was.

    Again that instinct from before appeared telling him something very different this time. That there was someone out there, someone with such power that the best he could do was to let this being do whatever he wanted and not resist. This time he couldn''t help to take the advice to heart.

    ¡°Can this possibly be a god?¡±

    Matthew knew that science could not explain everything and that it only used simplified models to comprehend the complex reality. Though he was very open-minded he didn''t believe in any religion, but he never discarded the possibility of the existence of a god. Right now he was really inclined to believe that this presence without even looking at the origin of it, was, if not a god the closest there was to one.

    He felt himself stop and the pressure over him decrease a little but not much. As it lessened he could feel through a strange awareness or connection, that the being was watching him. It was a cold but amused gaze that almost hurt him as if whoever that gaze belonged had complete control over his very existence encompassing his past, present, and future.

 Chapter 2: A Literal Twist Of Fate

    To Matthew''s dismal the previous decrease of strength was only temporary. For some unknown reason, the pressure came back stronger than before.

    The terror in Matthew mind only kept increasing as the pressure escalated. Such strain made him believe that his new form was going to burst at any moment, he felt like a balloon being squeezed by a giant hand.

    ¡°aaagggghhhh!!!!¡± A wave of pain worst than any physical form of pain came to him.

    Sadly it was only the start of his plight. Through his original sense, that he kept using even in the face of such agony, he found something approaching. It looked like black water with red particles that congregate in small clusters. These particles moved in such a way that resembled the spirals of galaxies. It gave the feeling that a universe rested in those waters. It would have been a beautiful thing to watch if it weren''t for the powerful and violent aura it emitted that left Matthew appalled.

    The moment this liquid touch him, Matthew felt a fierce burning sensation. He had once burned his hand when playing with fireworks when he was younger. It was a third-degree burn and only thanks to the advanced medical technology did he recover completely. But that was nowhere close to the heat and pain he was currently experiencing. He suspected that the only reason he was still conscious was that his mind and bearing was more resilient in his current form. Otherwise, he would have already fainted.

    Strangely enough, as an unknown amount of time passed, the pain started to abate. The burning sensation transformed into an almost mild and warm touch. As the pain stopped he spotted at the edge of his observation field another sphere of light. It was another soul, and it was being pushed towards his direction.

    This other sphere was sleeping just like most of the others he had seen. It gave no other feeling but that of peace and tranquility. Even when covered by the same pressure as him it did not react, which was something Matthew found quite disturbing.

    This sphere started to speed up towards him until they were side by side. At that moment Matthew found the attention of the mighty being focus again on his location. He has already learned through pure instinct that grabbing the attention of this entity meant being hurt just by its mere interest.

    Then, both he and the other sphere started to be wrapped in the strange black liquid. At the same time, the creature started to squeeze them together.

    ¡°agghh!!!!¡±

    And more pain came knocking the moment they touched each other. There was also a sensation of repulsion, so strong that he doubted the previous closeness he felt with these other souls. This whole process felt completely wrong.

    ¡°am I going to die? Can one die after death?¡±

    Just when Matthew thought that he couldn''t take it anymore, a golden thread of light came out from inside him. Not the sphere but from the part of him that even he himself couldn''t see clearly. From inside that blurry part, that he couldn''t comprehend, more and more of that golden thread started to come out. And it started to push away the other sphere while it transformed into a cocoon that covered him.

    With a powerful burst of power, it took him away at an unmeasurable speed. The last thing he felt was the complete shock and surprise of that cold and indifferent being.

    <hr>

    More than a hundred light-years away was a creature whose size was enormous. It had a human shape, blue skin and it''s white hair looked and behaved like a fire on this beings head. It''s two eyes were completely yellow with no sclera nor irises. While his torso was the canvas for a set of complex and beautiful runes that glowed with a golden light. The rest of his immense body was covered by a thick white mist. He was known by many as daraak e`ktel. He was currently looking in the direction where Matthew had disappeared.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ''That golden thread. I''m sure it was the power of destiny, but it was altered in a way I had never seen before. I had picked that soul only because it was able to use soul force in spite of being the soul of a simple mortal. It certainly wasn''t the first mortal soul in doing it and since eventually it was going to forget everything, it wasn''t that special either.''

    ''So what happened then? What was it that gave way to such a reaction? It went beyond any of my predictions. I''m doing millions of experiments like that right now but none of those have anything even remotely similar to that golden thread of destiny. It was probably something in that soul, though I cannot be completely sure.''

    ''It was a normal mortal soul, as soon as that strand of consciousness of mine started concentrating on it, it started suffering. Only when I delegated the actions to my unconscious mind could it stand my presence. That kind of weakness only belongs to weak mortal souls. After all, it wasn''t even a millionth of my total awareness.''

    ''If I want to give chase, I would have to raise the usage of my consciousness in this body. I can stop all my experiments, but to go to that speed, I need at least a 5 percent of my complete consciousness but with my other body fighting that insufferable old bastard...''

    ''I don''t have the luxury to do it, even a minor mistake could cost me a lot.'' Even though he could teleport, he needed first to know where the soul was going to be. The cocoon made erratic and fast movements. If he wanted to teleport in front of it, he would need more than 5 percent of his consciousness. ''If it wasn''t for the interference that golden light is making I could predict its next position with less effort.''

    ''Moreover, I''m not confident in destroying that strange cocoon of concentrated and mutated destiny. At least not without compromising the coordination of my other body.'' A lapse of concentration or a minor mistake in combat at his and his enemy''s level would spell disaster.

    ''That soul will have to wait for now. Even at my stage, there are many matters about the soul that I can''t answer. That''s why I''m here experimenting after all, and that thread of destiny had given me some new insights¡­''

    These thoughts went through daraak e`kteld''s mind in less than a second and only in the tiny fraction of his consciousness that was overseeing that particular experiment. And as soon as they passed he put that part of his consciousness back to work. He sat in this void filled with light produced by the amorphous shapes coming from all directions. These shapes, of huge size, had an even bigger void separating them. Only from afar could one appreciate how they move together like a flowing river.

    <hr>

    On Matthew''s side, time kept passing as he traveled inside the light cocoon. At a speed that would put the interstellar 3 to shame, the pinnacle of human technology, the cocoon crossed the void. But despite the speed, inside the cocoon everything was quiet and peaceful

    In an instant, Matthew felt the cocoonbreak some kind of barrier. As he came back to himself he felt that everything was different from the place where he was before breaking that barrier. Before he had the impression of being in a dream, all seemed unreal but now everything felt right.

    Shortly after, turbulence struck the cocoon and then everything got confusing again.

    He felt emotions that were not his. The most prominent was the rapid dread it took over to whoever or whatever those feelings belonged, everything went black for only a second.

    Matthew woke up to more pain but this pain was different from before. It was agonizing and it kept him from doing anything else. How hard must his previous experience had been, that this pain was still nothing in comparison to the ordeal he went through before.

    ¡°What happened? Where am I?¡± Asked Matthew to no one in particular. ¡°Ahhh fuck, it hurts!!¡±

    "Wait! I''m speaking! I hear sounds !!" he opened his eyes wide and all that he saw was white.

    ¡°ahhhhhh¡±

    But he knew this feeling. It was physical pain, not the weird all-conquering pain he felt before in his other form. And he could hear his own voice.

    ¡®It hurts every single cell of it. And I can barely see right now. But with this familiar feeling, I can tell that I''m back in a body!!¡¯ In an outburst of joy, he couldn''t help to laugh and yell in his loudest voice.

    ¡°HAHAHHA!!! Im back... Im back !!¡­¡­.. FUCK YEESS!! IM BAAACK!!!!! AHAHAHAHA!!!!¡±

    His voice sounded hoarse, high pitched and a little childish but he paid no attention to it. His hearing wasstill a little messy.

    Yes, in his previous form he had that original sense that was betterthan the five senses. But the thought of having escaped his previous ordeal was enough to dismiss the longing he had for that form that had felt so natural and comfortable.

    Seconds after his yell of joy his vision finally accommodated. He found that he was surrounded by people who were murmuring something he didn''t understand. they were all looking at him with concern and shock especially for the man who was touching his head.

 Chapter 3: Rough Landing

    Darim Vistrage was walking towards the great hall where his guests were waiting for him, it was his job as the head of the family to start the banquet. All branches of the family have come to his mansion to celebrate his birthday, but he knew this day wasn''t about him.

    He was walking through the ample hallway with its lustrous white tiles and walls decorated with paintings. These paintings depicted scenes of war, telling stories of bravery and honor. In most of them, the hero of these stories was a man with black long hair. He had thin eyebrows that make him look like he was halfway through a frown, a straight and small nose, and medium-sized lips. But what stood out the most were his dark cold and piercing eyes. All was framed by an oval-shaped face that made him look somewhat feminine.

    The person on the paintings was a younger version of Darim. From a time when he thirsted for power and wealth, a time when he fought under one of the three grand generals of the empire. A campaign that led to the conquest of the barbarian lands at the northeast, where his current domain laid.

    At that time his family only had a small piece of land near the capital. Now, thanks to him on top of that they had more lands on the north in the form of 5000 hectares. It wasn''t much, there were certainly people with more lands. But this territory was the Blackwood region, named after one of the best resources the north had to offer.

    So, although small in comparison to his accomplishments, what lacked in quantity it had more than enough in quality. Making many of his brothers in arms quite envious. Of course, the importance of the lands near the capital was still the highest but in comparison, he had more freedom here in the north.

    Reaching the doors of the great hall he spotted a young boy with roughly his same features. He looked more similar to the hero of the paintings than to the current Darim. But instead of having his black eyes he inherited the light blue from his mother. He had short brown hair, almost blond, and he had a good build for someone his age. This boy was his eldest son.

    Seeing his father the boy straightened his back and congratulated him in a formal way. With a clasp of his hand and a slight bow he said. "Happy birthday father, I''m sorry I couldn''t congratulate you earlier."

    With the same serious look in his eyes, Darim regarded his son. "It''s okay. I already notice the moment you broke through. You have reached the qi circulation stage, it is remarkable indeed, Al "

    "Thanks, father I will keep working hard I swear I will not disappoint you"

    His son was going to be the main character of this event, a 13 years old boy at the qi circulation stage. That was a real genius with nothing to envy from the other talents in the capital. Today he was going to show to everyone that he has a worthy successor, someone worthy of spending enough to send him to the royal academy.

    His son entering and graduating from the royal academy meant that they will have another expert of his and his brother level in their family. And with the potential his son has shown there were hopes of him surpassing them. That was not all, attending to this school meant establishing connections with the highest powers of the empire.

    That was the best way to ensure the continued prosperity of the Vistrage family. He was almost sure his family will see, despite its cost, the importance of this step. If they invested enough resources and his son made another breakthrough in the next three cycles, then he will be able to join the elite class.

    "I know you will." Said Darim with a soft voice both to him and his son.

    He proceeded to open the door to the main hall. On the other side, his relatives were sitting at a long and wide table that rested in the center of the spacious hall. The hall was not as decorated as other rooms, it had some minor decorative statues and urns. What predominated in this room were very big windows, making the place look bigger than it actually was. Thanks to these windows, as long as the sun was out, no other type of illumination was needed.

    The instant he entered everybody stood up in a show of respect towards the head of the family. Darim took a moment to look at his guests and nodded at them while he went to the main seat followed from behind by his son

    As he close in he caught sight of his wife. She had blonde hair and pale blue eyes with a round face that made her look young and innocent. In her arms was his youngest boy, still a baby, but he hoped he will grow up like his brother.

    The moment he caught sight of her he saw the frown on her face as she looked at something behind him. At that point he noticed something off, his son who was behind him stopped walking.

    Turning around he saw his son, standing there with an empty gaze. After that Darim felt the energy inside his son go out of control "Al control your energy, what''s wrong? But it wasn''t over, afterward, the boy fell to the floor shaking and convulsing.

    Darim moved over to his son side and grabbed the back of his head, then the kid started to mumble and laugh like a maniac. An incomprehensible scream escaped from his son''s mouth, coming after it was more incoherent noises.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    <hr>

    Matthews eyesight returned to normal to show him that he was surrounded by strangers in what looked like a big spacious room. His joy was soon overcome by disorientation, so swallowing his pain and gritting his teeth he asked.

    "Where¡­ where am I? Where is this?"

    Nobody answered. He watched as a woman carrying a baby and a handsome man kept telling him something in a language that he didn''t understand. He could guess that they were concerned and probably asking if he was alright. Though he had no way to tell them anything, so he tried to make gestures while speaking.

    "I''m fine.." and then he realized he couldn''t move his arms nor the rest of his body nothing but his neck and mouth answer to him.

    Bending his neck he caught a glimpse of his body, he was wearing some kind of robe with an ancient style. But what struck him the most was that he was all sweaty, with a stain of blood on his torso and on top of that he had somehow soiled his pants.

    ''What do I do now?'' He couldn''t communicate, and he couldn''t move. worse of all he didn''t know where he was, he couldn''t even recognize the language these people were using.

    "well for now I bett-"

    ahhhh!!"! The strongest headache he had ever had assaulted him and took his consciousness away.

    Images and sounds of a life he had never lived went through his mind. Like a dream or a movie in a first-person perspective, with confusing and blurry parts, they all passed very quickly, some clearer than others.

    <hr>

    Waking up Matthew realized that someone had placed him in another room. Looking around while moving his neck, the only part of the body that answered to his wishes, he could see that the room was quite big. The bed he was on, was already quite big and was really comfortable if it wasn''t for the pain that didn''t allow him to feel anything else he would have enjoyed it

    The room in itself was not very furnished. Aside from the bed, there was only a big wardrobe on his right side and a study desk with several drawers on his left. The desk had a fancy air to it thanks to the golden engravings in the form of trees and leaves on its edges and legs. On top of the desk were several books all neatly ordered, with the cover written with illegible words. At the corner of the desk apart from the books was an old oil lamp placed in such a way that illuminated all that part of the room.

    Lastly, right in front of the bed was the woman he saw before with the baby, only that now she was sleeping in a chair. ''She fell asleep watching out for me.'' He looked at her with pity, she was caring for someone who was probably dead.

    Now that he has calmed down he started to sort his mind out. "Let''s start with the facts, I''m in the body of someone else. It seems like the body of a kid, for what I can tell probably 14 or 15. I can''t move but after waking up I''m feeling a little less pain."

    "Well fuck me, so much for the facts, that''s all I''m sure of "

    "Mmmm the best thing to go with is the ones I think are the most likely assumptions. I''m almost sure those images and sound where not illusions but the memories of the kid whose body I took." A regretful expression crossed his face. " Poor boy. " He couldn''t help but feel somewhat responsible for this, even if he wasn''t in control of what was happening

    Trying to not think about that he kept going with his thoughts. "Those memories are not too useful in the short term, it''s not like I have lived them I am not able to tell what the boy was thinking watching those images. Moreover, it feels like a movie I had watched long ago, all that he learned was lost even now I cannot speak that strange language. I don''t even know the name of his parents, though if i have the time i will be able to learn a few useful things."

    "On the bright side, I did learn the kid''s name he was Aleran Vistrage, which I guess it is now my name? I don''t know how long it will get me to get used to it."

    "But, why did all this happen?"

    Remembering that time he spent in that mysterious place where everything felt unreal he already had a theory. " If that was really my soul, that would explain a lot. But if I had let go and fall in that strange state like the others, would i have reincarnated without my memories? Or something else would have happened?"

    The more he kept going on this train of thought the more questions started to appear. " Why were the other spheres of light or souls, in a state of slumber. And why the ones that were awake were slowly entering that state? Why was I the only one that was wide awake? Did it mean something?" No matter what, the feeling of his own existence and personality fading fill Matthew with concern and apprehension. He was glad he kept his mind active." By the way, why was I the only one capable of using that original sense? And then there''s that entity....

    And he stopped right there. He didn''t want to think about that thing that took control of his soul. Just thinking about it made his mind hurt as if his brain wasn''t able to comprehend what that being was. He remembered how only through his original sense and the being¡äs focus on him he could already feel such awe. More than that, he remembered the fear and helplessness, even in his current situation without being able to move his body Matthew didn''t feel with such intensity.

    "Well, I guess that any answer I give to these questions would be completely hypothetical." Trying to end this train of thought he went on with more pressing questions.

    "Where am I? Am I on earth? There were some disturbing images in the kid¡äs memories, according to these images there are some beasts that looked like monsters."

    "And things other humans did in those memories were more inside the realm of fantasy than in the field of reality. So, unless the boy was insane and was seeing things, I don''t think I''m on earth. Besides, I can''t see nor feel what was going through his head, so, I don''t think I can see what he was imagining. Unless this Aleran suffered from a strong case of dementia till the point he actually saw these things, I''m safe assuming that I''m on another planet."

    "So, for now, ill assume that I''m not on earth. Even though I have to say that the probability of there being a planet like earth where life evolves in such a way that gave birth to humans is astronomically small. Even if the only similarity was to be our appearance."

    "Moreover, the fact that they have some cultural similarities is weird too. I suppose this will also lead to pure speculation on my part."

    "I''m getting thirsty, I better make some noises to wake up this lady and, with a bit of luck, I may be able to make her bring me some water."

    Regrettably, he woke her up but with the screams of pain from a sudden migraine. The last thing he saw before fainting was the woman screaming the boy''s name.

 Chapter 4 : Discarded

    Matthew opened his eyes after a long night of sleep, he noticed that he was spending an increasing amount of time unconscious. Nevertheless, the seizures had stopped and the long hours of pain had also come to an end. Only to be replaced by an uncomfortable itching that felt like having a colony of ants under his skin searching for something.

    ¡°At least I can move my fingers now.  I just hope don''t stay like this forever.¡± Thought Matthew in an attempt to console himself. ¡°I want to at least be able to eat by myself and go to the bathroom.¡± It¡äs been a week since Matthew possessed this body. He had long given up on trying to speak, every time he tried they looked at him with faces of sadness and pity. This entire time, besides Aleran¡äs parents and the maid that took care of his necessities nobody came to see him.

    ¡°well there was that old man too, he was an odd one¡±.

    Recalling the strange experience Matthew wanted to vomit. The old man was bald and was full of wrinkles. At first, the man checked his pulse, making Matthew assume that the old man was just a doctor or its equivalent in this world.

    Only when the he closed his eyes with a hand in his chest the disgusting feeling came.  It was like someone was touching his in innards. Though it was a fleeting sensation it was unpleasant, to say the least.

    ¡°creack¡±

    The door suddenly opened extracting Matthew from the creepy memory. Making an effort with his neck he tilted his head to look at Aleran¡äs mother that was approaching. She sat beside the bed with teary eyes.

    She put a hand on his arm and started talking something with a shaky voice.

    This scene has already repeated several times. Though today she was more distressed than usual, today something had broken inside her. Matthew just stayed there in silence.

    The woman had fallen asleep next to Matthew¡äs bed. She spent the day taking care of him, even changing him, which was the work of the maids. ¡°Something clearly happened for her to be so shaken, does it have something to do with me?¡± Matthew¡äs train of thought got interrupted by the opening of the door

    A group of people, one of them being Darim entered the room. The other two where the bald old man and the other was a short but burly man with sharp eyes and a long nose. He was Bulga, a trusted Aide of Darim.

    ¡°It''s time dear, healer Gu will make the last check to make sure that Al is stable enough to travel.  After that Bulga will change him, and take him somewhere safe. Come I will tell you the details.¡±Darim embraced his wife by the waist with his arm, slowly taking her out of the room.

    What happened next was as Darim had said, the old man checked him and nodded to the burly man who immediately undresses him and changed his clothes. Following that he was put on a type of stretcher and carried towards a plain carriage.

    ¡°Are they taking me to see another doctor or something?¡± Still ignorant about his fate Mathew was left making wild guesses till he got to the carriage where the father and the mother of the boy were waiting. Besides the sadness of the woman, he could see the unwillingness in her and Darim''s expressions.

    ¡°Something in the way they are looking me gives me a bad feeling. Besides, why are they taking me at night? It''s been a week or so since I''m like this. Can''t they wait till tomorrow?¡±.

    Matthew had some grasp of the time inside his room thanks to the sun and the meals they brought him two times a day. He was convinced that together with his first days blacking out and convulsing, a little more than a week has passed.

    The carriage had no decoration and was pulled by two creatures that he had never seen in his life. They had a strong muscular body, long legs that ended in paws with four long fingers, three pointing to the front and one to the back. Their size was similar to horses if a little taller. They had a short neck and long head with two completely black eyes. They were wrapped in a short brown fur with black stripes that emphasized their muscles.

    Matthew was mesmerized by these new creatures. He had seen strange creatures before in the reports made from Proxima Centaury and he had also seen some weird creatures in the kid''s memories. But that and seeing them in person was a completely different thing altogether. He always loved to see and read about the discovery of a new form of life back on earth, no matter how small they were. Now that he was in front of a new and unique animal he couldn''t tear his eyes apart from them.

    He was taken out of his entranced state by a tearful goodbye that only served to exacerbate Matthew¡äs anguish. Then Bulga put him in the carriage and drove what it felt like hours. When the carriage stopped the burly man took Matthew off and carried him to other two men who were waiting beside yet another plain carriage.

    These two people dressed in gray plain robes, one was fat and the other thin. Other than that they had no distinctive features. As soon as they got off the carriage they talked with Bulga for a while until they exchanged some papers and took Matthew inside the new carriage.

    This alarmed Matthew even more, but there was nothing he could do.  The trip this time was a very very long one, with the two men taking turns to attend to his necessities every day.

    With a resigned inward sigh, Matthew thought.¡¯I''m already used to be changed like a baby. At first, I felt humiliated even though this is not my body, sigh. The adaptability of the human mind is unbelievable.'' Diverting his mind with all kinds of thoughts so as to not despair in his current situation was another of the things he got used to.

    <hr>

    They took what Matthew count to be 50 days to get to their destination. By the thirtieth day he had gotten back the mobility of his whole body, and when they stop to rest he tried to walk short distances. Since he was in bed for many days it was hard to start walking again, more so when the body he was using wasn''t his original one.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The only problem with his body was the itching that was similar to having ants crawling under his skin it was something that was not getting better.

    He tried to interact with his two travel companions/caretakers but they pay no mind. Though when he moved outside the carriage to do his short walks they always paid attention to his movements, there was always one in front and one behind.

    This consolidated his thinking that something was wrong. If they were concerned that he may fall they only had to get closer to him, one of them was sufficiently strong to hold him up.

    He had seen the thin man get out and lift up the carriage alone when, after a rainy day, a wheel got stuck in the mud. That was with him and the fat guy still inside.

    So he realized that he was a kind of prisoner, though he didn''t know why ¡°Maybe it''s something that the boy did before I took over his body?.. well that''s quite unlikely ¡±

    He also noticed that they always rested at night and in secluded places with no other people. All these places looked the same, as some kind of clearing in the woods. Thanks to the lack of windows in the carriage he couldn''t tell if they had passed through any inhabited place but judging by the sounds he doubted it.

    It also came to his attention the little rest those beasts needed, unlike a horse they could travel for a day. Sadly he was not in the mood to ponder about that for too long.

    At some point, he tried to use some of the words he learned from the memories. The language was so strange that it confused him a lot, so he didn''t focus much on it, but despite that, he was able to link some words to a few objects.

    He learned the words for sword, food, for clothing articles and a form of greeting. But every time he tried to talk to the two men they simply ignored him. They just kept making conversation between each other, like he didn''t exist.

    By the time they reached their destination, he had made his mind that the place he was going was not a nice place at all.

    It was a big white building, with small windows dispersed along the structure. It was surrounded by a thick and really tall wall of the same color. The wall had metal doors with a few strange letters. They passed through those doors with the thin man who calmly leading and the fat man grabbing Matthew by the arm, following right behind.

    Matthew saw that one of the guards that were at the gate took the beasts and the carriage somewhere else. The guard was also dressed in grey robes and had a sword on his waist.

    At the other side of the wall was a simple garden with plants that, had Matthew been on the mood, he would have marveled with them. But again, he was too concerned for his fate to care about plants.

    They soon reached the white building. Up close it was much bigger, it looked like a neatly cut rectangle of almost 20 meters high. It was oddly symmetrical for a place that clearly lacked the use of modern technology.

    They approached the gate which was also guarded by people and was quite big. With a calm and unhurried peace, the thin man opened the door.

    The door opened to a waiting area of sorts where a guard was seated. He greeted the two men and paid no attention to Matthew. They didn''t tarry long with this guard and dragged Matthew through a door to the left.

    They took him to a room where his hair was cut off and another old man made a similar inspection to the one the old bald man did on him back in the house.  Meanwhile, the thin man and the one checking him started to look at the papers Bulga gave them. A conversation soon took place between them.

    ¡°Does he need a collar?¡± Said the thin man

    The old man checking Matthew answered immediately. ¡°Yes, I''ll put him one, though it is unlikely he can do anything, the report and my analysis show that he was already at the qi circulation level.¡± While talking the old man took a needle and pinched Matthew in the arm taking a bit of blood. Turning his back on the two men and the poor boy he went to his desk.

    ¡°Damn! Qi circulation?... wait how old is this little shit?¡± The thin man had an astonished expression

    ¡°Yeah I know he is 13, can you believe it? He must be from one of the top families.¡± The old man didn''t turn around, the only thing Matthew could see was the rapid movement of his arms and shoulders. ¡°Anyway¡± the old man continued ¡°It''s better to play it safe.¡±

    ¡°You are the expert,¡± The thin man blurted with his eyes still glued to the boy with the same sense of disbelief.

    Suddenly a bright light flooded the room for a few seconds before the old man turned with a satisfied smile. ¡°Okay it''s done, let''s get this over with.¡± The old man approached Matthew with a collar graved with complex patterns on the inside but completely smooth on the outside.¡±

    He closed the collar on Matthew¡äs neck and pressed hard until a click was heard. With the click of the collar, the itching under his skin that Matthew had felt during the past month was gone.

    But he didn''t have enough time to contemplate much, the moment everything was done, the thin man dragged him again to the waiting area. He said something to the guard and together with the fat, man that had remained in silence till now, went outside, leaving Matthew to the new guard.

    This one had a completely forgettable face it was average in every way. But his eyes radiated malice and a sense of schadenfreude.

    The guard started to move Matthew in a more forceful way, which was quite painful since these people seemed to have super strength, he moved him towards the right door.

    Matthew¡äs face turned darker by the second. On the other side of the door, was a large corridor with several rooms. Each with sturdy doors that had a small head sized window at eye level giving Matthew the chance to take a peak to the inside. These rooms could be no other thing but cells.

    ¡°AHAHAHAHAHA!!¡± The first one they passed had two beds and a man curled in a ball at a corner laughing

    ¡°THE IMAAAGEEES MAKE NO SENSE !! NO SENSE !!¡± In the next were also two beds on one was a woman screaming at the top of her lungs while looking at the ceiling,on the other was another woman covering her ears.

    ¡° Heeh. What a blunder, what a blunder.¡± On a room near the end of the hallway, was only an old man with thick eyebrows and disheveled hair. He started murmuring while looking at him through the small window in a calm manner.

    He didn''t need to understand the guard, that spoke with clear mockery, to know where he was.

    ¡°HEHEHE! WELCOME BOY!!, TO THE GARBAGE CAN OF THE KINGDOM,  THE SILVER CREEK ASYLUM! HAHAHHA!¡±

    Even though Matthew didn''t know what the guard was saying he understood perfectly. They threw him in a nut house!!

    ¡®I should have run when I had the chance. Well, it''s not like I had any chance with those guys always watching me. Besides I was still gaining mobility while they are probably really fast and strong.¡¯Looking around at all the screaming and weird people. Then he looked at the guard with a clear look of malevolence and Matthew could only sigh at his fate. ¡®I guess it would be pointless now to start screaming in English that I''m not crazy. I guess they sent me here because they thought that my language was an incoherent mumbling. Well, that the fact that all of a sudden I couldn''t move and started to crap my pants didn''t help.¡¯

    The next fifteen minutes were spent walking through all kinds of screams and laments. Finally, they got to his room or more accurately speaking, his cell, where the guard locked him in a practiced manner.

 Chapter 5: Old Pervert

    Matthew was lying on his bed, his cell was a single bed one so he has been alone since he got here two months ago. The first weeks were challenging for Matthew, to say the least. If the screams near the front door of the asylum were loud then the ones in his surroundings were deafening.  ¡®That is probably the reason why this section of the building only had one-bed cells.¡¯

    Even now while he was in bed at night the screams kept going ¡°THE WAR WILL COME AND YOU WILL ALL SEE!!¡±

    ¡°NO!! PLEASE, MASTER, THEY ARE JUST CHILDREN!!¡± a panicked plead was heard next

    ¡°Where the shadows shine is where the night hides

    Where the shadows shine is where the night hides ¡±

    Matthew knew that was his neighbor, he had sung the same song every day for the past month. Sometimes he spent hours doing without stopping.

    The routine in this place was a simple one, he never left the cell, they gave him some incipient food twice a day. With the second food pot, they gave him a pill with irregular edges. Once ingested its effects were quite obvious, it was some kind of tranquilizer that lasted quite a bit. Unfortunately, it seemed that for some of his neighbors the dose was not enough

    The first days Matthew swallowed the pill and it made him daze for hours. Thankfully, it seemed that they thought him as an obedient one and they stopped checking his mouth to see if he was taking it.

    What Matthew did after, was to simply ground the pill to dust and throw it into his waste bucket. Nobody was eager to inspect closely that thing.

    ¡° I have to figure a way to escape of this hell or else I will really go mad¡±. He started having these thoughts the moment he stopped taking the pill and his mind regain lucidity. ¡®Sigh¡­ the problem is I have nothing to work with¡¯.

    Matthew looked around his cell, it was small, around 15 square feet and painted in a turbid white. Not that it mattered since most of the walls and ceiling were covered with moss. It had a small window the size of his palm that faced the outside wall and was furnished with a bed and a toilet in the form of a heavy metal bucket.

    This was the place where he spent the whole day. ¡®It is inhumane to keep someone locked in a room without even getting him to enjoy some fresh air.  What''s worse is that they are treating insane people like criminals.¡¯

    So he had not come with a way to even get out of this room much less scape. ¡°Maybe if I somehow pretend to be dead I could get a chance, but how? and would it even work? its a long run till the door and I know of no other exit.¡± He had been getting these ideas and immediately discarding them for the last two months.

    ¡°Anyway I have to get out, the worst part is this room and its putrid smell that is only covered by the smell of my feces when it''s the end of the week.¡± He couldn''t believe that they emptied his bucket only once every 5 days, that was unhealthy.

    ¡°Mmm?¡± His inner complaint stopped when the door was opened and an unusually sane voice came from the other side.

    ¡°Boy! you have spent two cycles in this pavilion and you behaved very well. So, we are moving you to block one, we need these rooms for more aggressive patients. Be glad, at least they don''t scream at night over there.¡± A jailor grabbed him and without wasting a second, took him out, lucky this one was quite decent.

    ¡®Well that is good news.'' Matthew could already understand part of the sentences, he had been working day and night to get this language. He couldn''t form a coherent sentence and could barely understand when someone spoke, but the meaning of this sentence didn''t scape him.

    The jailor took him down the same path Matthew passed by the first time.  They walked for 15 minutes and halted on the first corridor, nearer to the outside door. ''Ohh that''s what i call a gift from above, it doesn''t solve my problem but it''s an improvement.''Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Now the jailor stopped him in the middle of two cells and seemed to be in deep contemplation while passing his eyes back and forth between the two.  ¡°Mmmmm, now this is a hard decision. Who do you prefer as a roommate kid? the cannibal or the old man? it''s a tough one.¡±

    He pushed Matthew closer to the cell at his right. He looked inside to a pale bald man looking at him with bright eyes, like someone seeing water in the desert. That look gave Matthew goosebumps, then without a sign, the man pounced on the door and started screaming and scratching like a mad animal.

    Matthew looked at the jailor and tried to communicate something he had tried many times to say. ¡° Hey... Me.. not.. crazy... me forget talk.¡± Of course, he couldn''t say he was the soul of a 22 years old guy in the body of a 13 years old. That was a crazy story, not that he could even make a sentence that complex.

    The jailor looked surprised. During all the time the kid has been in this place, he has said no words other than a few incomprehensible mumbling. But he recovered quickly and just shook his head.

    Then he saw what the bald man was doing and sighed. ¡°Well, I guess you will be stuck with the old pervert. Sorry kid, this one usually behaves well and is very quiet but he  seems to dislike you, well the old one is weird but harmless.¡±

    So Matthew was pushed to the left door where an old man was sitting on his bed looking at the floor. When the jailor opened the door the old man only tilted his head in their direction with his eyes still locked on the floor. Then he slowly looked up with a smile.

    The jailor just threw Matthew in and close the door quickly as if he didn''t want to get too close to the old man.

    ¡®Well he is a little creepy but at least he''s smiling and not out for my blood.¡¯ Thought Matthew with a relieved sigh. He looked at the room and noticed it was much bigger than his previous one. Besides the two beds, there was a bigger window on the much cleaner wall, but a frown popped up on his face at the look of only one waste bucket for two people. ''This will be a disgusting experience¡¯ concluded Matthew.

    The old man got up slowly and came before him. Matthew had seen this old man mumbling when he first came to this place. He had bushy eyebrows and white matted hair, he was skinny, his arms were full of wrinkles but his face had only a few.

    When he got in front of Matthew he stopped and look down, Matthew followed his line of sight to see the old man looking at his feet. ¡®doesnt matter how odd he is at least I will have a  someone to practice conversation¡¯

    ¡°Hi, nice to meet you.¡± Matthew greeted him with one of the few sentences he knew. The old man slowly raised his head again and answered.  ¡°Hi there. Hey, I couldn''t help to notice you have some good feet.¡± Then he put a sheepish look, like a kid who knows that he is doing something bad, and pointed at Matthews'' feet. ¡° May I lick you one? I¡¯ll make it really clean.¡±

    Matthew had a mental block. ¡®Did I understand wrongly?¡¯ But the old man continued. ¡°Okay, okay maybe not one foot I¡¯ll settle with just a toe.¡± Matthew creased his brows, and a realization hit him ¡® So that was what the words the jailor said meant, I only understood old but I missed the pervert part.

    Matthew started to take a few steps back, the old man¡¯s face was starting to look much like the guy next door. But suddenly the decrepit old man stood up, grabbed his sunken belly and laughed. ¡°Hahaha, kid your face was priceless! Nice to meet you.¡± he cupped his fist in a sign of formal greetings that fail miserably in the formal part due to the context.

    Matthew looked with a skeptic''s face at the old man. Although he said the earlier words were a joke he was still giving a few sneak peeks at his feet. Making Matthew believe that had he answered yes to the previous question this guy would have gladly licked his feet clean.

    In the end, Matthew could do nothing else but talk with the old man.  He was in so much need of company that even this strange man was good for him. Like that, he passed the next few moments telling the old man that he had suddenly convulsed and lost most of his memories. He also told him that he even forgot how to talk.

    The old man accepted everything without much question and even gladly offered him to re-teach him the language. With the condition that Matthew had to stop wearing shoes. After making the old man promise that he will do nothing weird and only look, Matthew agreed to the deal.

    "Oh by the way. What''s your name boy?" The old man was now speaking with exaggerated hand and body movements that made him look silly but strangely, it helped Matthew understand.

    ¡°I''m Ma..¡± He stopped for a moment and sighed thinking ¡®sighhh. I guess my old name will be of no use anymore. I''m not sure but it may sound strange to the natives here, it''s better that I start to look at myself as Aleran.''  With some reluctance, Matthew left behind his name. ¡°I''m Aleran Vistrage, and what is yours?¡± he asked back.

    ¡°Ohhh Aleran nice name, almost as nice as your feet.¡± Said the old man gesturing, something that Aleran would have prefer to not understand.

    ¡°As for me, I¡¯m the one and only Zarasen Ignim. Zar for friends so you can call me Zarasen.¡± Said the old man slowly conveying the meaning perfectly with a smile on his face

    Matthew¡äs eye started twitching.  ¡®Man, was there a need for that last part? I''m already regretting asking him to teach me.¡±

    And so time passed, with Zarasen teaching to the now Aleran, the language and some basic knowledge he had ¡®forgotten¡¯.

 Chapter 6: Wanna Escape?

    The sunlight shone through the small window, heating the cell even more. Aleran was now eating together with the Zarasen. They were each sitting on their beds talking while carrying the insipid food to their mouths.

    It was a fluid conversation it has been 5 months since the old man started teaching him. Aleran was already able to talk normally, although with a bit of accent.

    Of course, it was impossible to learn a complete language in a few months, but he no longer spoke like a one year old. He was at a level that one could pass him as a foreigner who can manage a decent small talk in Eleemes, the common language of the continent.

    Aleran raised his look to Zarasen. In the beginning, he had been a skeptic, but now he had to admit that as crazy as this old man was, he was an excellent teacher. Zarasen had taught him from the most basic to the most complex, from conjugation to the structure of the sentence. All that with nothing to write on and to someone who had zero knowledge of it.

    This made Aleran guess that Sarezan was some kind of teacher. He once tried to ask him with the old man making an imposing gesture and answering .¡° I was much more than a teacher. If I had taken a fart back then, a line of people would have been trying to breathe it. Had I wanted to teach, hmm! there would have been wars to attend to my lessons.¡± The only answer Aleran gave to that was an eye roll.

    After that, the old man kept babbling about how great he was for the whole day. Making all kinds of comparisons, most of them Aleran didn¡¯t get. That''s why now, he avoided asking any questions related to Zarasen past. Sometimes the old man was a pain in the ass with his creepy obsession with feet and his weird behavior. Like not trying to cover himself when using the bucket to take a piss, or sleeping naked on hot nights.

    But overall, it was great to have company, unlike his first two months here. Also to have someone willing to teach him the language no matter how weird this someone was, was a good thing.

    Finishing eating Aleran said. ¡°I wish I could have talked like I¡¯m now when they sent me to this cursed place.¡± He put the plate next to the door and continued.¡± They wouldn''t have sent me to this accursed place if I had been able to show them that I was not crazy, but now these damned guards don''t even care that I''m sane.¡±

    ¡°Ahahahhaahah!¡± Zarasen just started to laugh at his words as if they were the funniest joke he had heard. Aleran glared at the old man who was throwing bits of food out of his mouth, dirtying his own clothes even more while laughing.

    Zarasen suddenly stopped and looked at Aleran like he was looking at an idiot, then he looked surprised. ¡°Oh!, you don¡¯t know hahaha! How cute of you to think that.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean old fart?¡± Said Aleran with a frown

    Zarasen laughed a little more, then looked at Aleran with pity. ¡°Kid, they would have put you here no matter what. Don''t you realize? This is where the Silver Moon kingdom throws their garbage, the problem is not what comes out of your mouth.¡±

    The old man got up with strange agility unfit for such a weak body and pointed towards Aleran chest. ¡° The problem is that you had an accident with your cultivation and crippled yourself and that my boy, it¡¯s a huuuge loss of face for any clan or sect.¡± Said while making a gesture with his hands to show how big of a problem it was.

    "Believe me, they had no other choice. If the news had spread about you, their whole clan would have suffered greatly. It is something every family knows it happens and it surely happened in most families. But everyone takes huge efforts to conceal this from others. A cultivation deviation is perceived as a weakness of the family legacy, a failure of their techniques and negligence from the elders. It''s the kind of news that can destroy the reputation of a family. It is the hypocrisy of the noble families in all its splendor."

    ¡°Many of those who suffer your same fate end up losing their minds. There are some who lose their minds but not their cultivation, making them a risk to other people and to themselves, so they are locked here. Some others are just like you, sons of powerful families abandoned here. Hard to imagine, isn¡¯t it? The crazy guy next door crying like a baby could have been a mighty cultivator who bowed his head to no one. Of course, there are also regular crazy people, it''s hard to tell them apart now.¡±

    ¡°So they put me in here just because they were embarrassed by me.¡± Aleran was trying to process this news. ¡®Well, I guess I would feel betrayed if I were the same Aleran from before.¡¯

    ¡°In a nutshell, yeah. The only chance to see their families again to those who are here is if one of their once loved ones with low cultivation needs a transfusion of blood. Since they can''t get it from a cultivator with higher power because it would be harmful, they use someone like you, who has the right amount of remnant qi.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°But don¡¯t feel down kid, the more strict families usually kill the ones like you. After all, no matter how well covered is this place and how much anonymity is guaranteed, there is bound to be someone who knows the identity of all those who are here.¡±

    ¡°Who runs this place anyway?¡± Aleran asked.

    Zarasen made a faked thinking pose that looked convincing if it weren¡ät for his eyes that were half laughing. ¡°Mmm I''m not sure but I would say its either the royal family or one of its puppets, maybe the right minister. Those who kill their black sheep are those who don''t want the royal family to know of their weakness. On the other side, the royal family reassures its grasp on those who do trust them enough to put their relatives here.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fucking perfect.¡± Aleran''s hope of breaking out was finally destroyed. ¡°Haaa.¡± Aleran let out a sigh and plummeted towards the bed, covering his eyes with his hands. ¡®There goes the last ray of hope.¡¯

    ¡° Come on kid, here have a look at my feet, that will cheer you up.¡± Aleran turned his head only to see an ugly, dirty and amorphous foot, it was full of calluses and had a wart in one of the toes. It was so ugly that it made him laugh unconsciously.

    ¡°See, there''s nothing a good foot can¡ät solve.¡± With this weird phrase, the old man went to the door and staid there looking at the guards doing their rounds.

    Aleran sat up again and even though he had promised himself not to ask about Zarasen past he couldn''t help to blurt out. ¡°And why are you here? Are you also from some powerful family?¡±

    He saw Zarasen flinch a little before clearing his throat to answer. ¡°hmmm! No, I wasn''t, this place is near a town which is mostly inhabited by the jailors and their families, except for them the rest are all common folk. I suppose they force them to live in this secluded place to ensure secrecy. Anyway, I was there beg¡­ heem!....I mean asking for loans, but the people there didn¡¯t like me for some reason and gave me for crazy so they sent me here.¡±

    Aleran couldn''t help but squint his eyes at the old man. The short tale was enough to picture the old man asking for money to the passers-by and when meeting with rejection asking to let him lick their feet.

    What''s more, he had been living with this old man for enough time to know that his obsession with feet was not the only one. He had sometimes asked if he could rub Aleran¡¯s elbow or more disgusting yet Aleran sometimes caught him trying to sniff and lick his ear.

    ¡°That...makes sense.¡± Said Aleran ¡° Why do you have to ask those questions? you would still be free had you kept your weird fetish a secret.¡± Aleran knew the old man wasn¡¯t as dumb as he looked, in fact, he was really intelligent.

    ¡°Ahahhaha¡± Zarasen didn¡¯t turn, he was still with his forehead glued to the window. ¡°Because it is all about the questions, kid, and the reactions to them.¡± his voice was now deeper startling Aleran who never heard him speak like this.

    ¡° Everybody is the same, look at those guards for example. Every step they take it''s already planned, everything they do fall into their routines. They have a pre-planned route to patrol, in a fixed amount of time with a manual that tells them how to control the prisoners or in this case the crazy. And though it is easier to notice it in them, most people are the same.¡±

    ¡°There is a certain unspoken code of how to dress. There is an accepted way to behave depending on the situation and there is also a personal factor that is each individual routine.¡± Zarasen paused for a minute as a guard was passing by and when it was far enough he continued with an even deeper voice.

    ¡°Humans are beings of routine, wearing it like armor they lock their hearts in it and eventually lose themselves. They repeat without thinking the same behavior over and over. But there is a moment when you make them a simple yet unexpected question, or you do an action outside their logic, that''s when you can peer inside the armor for an instant and see a glimpse of their true hearts.¡±

    Aleran was silent for a moment. For a second only the sound of footsteps was heard, the jailor was again passing by de door. Once the sound faded Aleran with a serious expression made a question in a low voice. ¡°What did you see in my heart?¡±

    Zarasen expelled a breath of air out of his nose and turn around to look at Aleran with a serious look. His formerly grey eyes were suddenly filled with life, shining with a green color. They were so deep and penetrating that Aleran felt a shiver down his spine. For a moment the old, fragile man was nowhere to be found, his aura was intimidating even.

    His voice deep and powerful Zarasen spoke. ¡°Sadness, loneliness, fear, and disorientation. Hatred, to this place, to the jailors, the product of you thinking yourself better than this place and everyone else in here. There is a hidden and wounded pride there, but it is not the only thing damaged. Your whole heart is wounded and you know it, but you are underestimating the size of the injury. It runs deeper than you think, it feeds on your fear caused by a deeply rooted trauma that will hunt you your entire life.¡±

    The moment he finished, Zarasen turned again to the window. The air he emanated was back to that of an old fragile man, the previous aura seemed to have been a lie. Only silence remained but to Aleran it felt like an oppressive silence he was still affected by the words the old man said.

    ¡®Glup.¡¯ He swallowed saliva, the moment he thought of the trauma and the sensation of his consciousness banishing. Of falling asleep to be lost forever together with the latter appearance of that being that made him feel insignificant.

    He knew that the moment he is left alone, his thoughts will always wonder to those feelings, reliving everything again. It scared him how accurate Zarasen was.

    The silence lengthened but was suddenly cut by Zarasen¡¯s raspy and carefree voice. ¡°Hey kid, wanna scape?¡±

    Aleran who was lost in his thoughts was jolted awake. He raised his head to look at the old man with incredulity ¡° What did you say, old man?¡±

 Chapter 7: Hope

    For a moment Aleran became mute at Zarasen question. Yes, he was always fantasizing about escaping, but the news about who runs the asylum and the strength of the guards were huge deterrents.

    ¡®Is this old man joking with me?¡¯ This was his first guess but the serious look Zarasen had a while before made him doubt.

    ¡®Could he be some hidden supreme expert like in the novels?¡¯

    Aleran''s eyes grew brighter for a second but soon he tossed that idea aside. ¡® Why would someone who can escape be staying in such a place willingly? It makes no sense¡¯

    So, with more realistic expectations he asked. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Can you really take us out?¡± If the old man had a way to escape he would do anything. Hell, he would let the old pervert lick him clean if that was of any help.

    ¡°Me?... No No No No.¡± Said Zarasen while pointing at his old face with an incredulous look, and then he shook his head waving his messed-up hair. That gesture was enough to make Aleran regret ever taking the old pervert seriously.

    But then the old man pointed at him. ¡° YOU!... can take us out¡±. And shrugging he continued   ¡°otherwise, why would I even bother to ask you, I would just escape on my own.¡±

    Now Aleran was more confused. ¡°How am I supposed to help us break out here? if you are suggesting making me some kind of bait to distract the guards¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehehe.¡± Zarasen laugh stopped Aleran from continuing.  "Just hear me out, kid. I noticed it the moment you went through the corridor, the big mistake the healer of this place made. Back then it was just a potential opportunity, not a real one but now I can confirm it .¡± Meanwhile, his eyes turned crafty like an old fox.

    Aleran squinted his eyes and turned serious while listening. Zarasen seemed to have a thousand faces, from crazy to smart, to imposing and then the crafty creature in front of him.

    ¡°The secret lies in your spirit-veins. before he could continue Aleran stopped him with a question. ¡°what are spirit veins?¡±.

    With an annoyed look, Zarasen answered his question. ¡°You have surely heard the term. I must have mentioned it before and you should have heard of it even after losing your memory, though you probably missed it because you didn''t understand anything.

    Sometimes they are called spirit roots or phantom organ. They are not a physical thing, so you can cut open someone and if you don''t have a special method, you will see nothing.  Besides once someone dies the spirit roots disappear, nobody knows why though.¡±

    Waving his hand dismissively he continued. ¡°But that''s not the point, the important thing is that they are the channels where you can circulate and refine the energy of heaven and earth. They are also what allows you to harness the power you refine Without them, you cannot move heaven and earth energy. In short, it allows you to cultivate.¡±

    Aleran already knew about cultivation. He had watched the images where Darim took flight like in a superhero movie, or Saria freezing water with a thought seemingly defying all laws of his precious physics. Coupled with the superhuman strength of all the jailors he wasn¡¯t surprised by something like this. In fact, he had already talked about that with Zarasen but never so deeply like now so he insisted the old man to keep going.

    According to Zarasen, in this world, everybody had spirit veins but only those with spirit veins of a determined quality were able to efficiently cultivate. Those were called functional spirit roots.

    Anyone could have a son who is able to cultivate. The quality of the spiritual roots was completely random unless both parents had functional spirit roots. Then the child would have also functional spirit roots.

    Of course, the issue with the resources and techniques was a completely different problem, not everybody had them.

    After the explanation, Aleran guessed out loud ¡° So my spiritual roots are broken¡­ but?¡± He looked expectantly at Zarasen. He was fascinated by the idea of having superpowers.

    ¡°Yes, yes, that''s what I was going to say before getting interrupted by your stupidly obvious questions.¡± Zarasen changed his face again, now for a serious mask as he sat on his bed.

    He tilted his body forward and lower his voice as if about to say a secret even though no one could really hear them. ¡°The thing about your condition is that there should be no buts, once you wasted your spirit roots it''s over, you have no chance at using qi¡±

    ¡°If you had destroyed a portion of your spirit veins you would still have the chance to move some qi. Of course less efficiently, and with no chance of improving just like someone who is born with not functional spirit roots.

    The best-recorded outcome to a cultivation deviation was of someone who got back a thirty percent of his original power. Its as if the quality of their roots had dropped."

    "Of course there are cases of deviation that only affects the mind but we are talking strictly about broken spirit-veins."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Anyway your case is unbelievable, you have somehow regrown your spirit veins anew!¡± Zarasen started making gestures with his hands waving them over his head, it seemed like he really couldn''t believe it. His voice was pretty loud too, making the previous secrecy charade look pointless now.

    ¡°There has never been a case of someone mending spirit veins after they broke, much less growing new ones out of thin air. Boy, you have no idea how huge this is! There is supposed to be only one set of spirit veins per person. I''m still struggling to understand how in the hell it happened.¡±

    Aleran knew how it was because he wasn''t Aleran. ¡®I guess even for this world, soul transmigration is unheard of.¡¯ He wasn''t going to say it though. ¡° But I still don''t see how that is supposed to help us. After all, I remember hearing you say that this collar was  supposed to stop me from sensing heaven and earth energy and using the qi I have.¡±

    Aleran knew from previous talks, that the tingling he felt during the travel to the asylum was the inner qi moving chaotically through his body.  It was thanks to the repressive nature of the collar that he didn''t feel it anymore.

    Zarasen nodded ¡°Mm! Well, that''s the important part boy! When they made your collar they took a drop of your blood that was impregnated with the particular essence of your old spirit-veins. It blocked your old and broken spirit-veins.¡±

    ¡°Each person has a particular essence, it is similar to your parents but it is still unique to you. In fact, that relationship with the essence of your parent''s energy is part of the reason why you are here so that nobody can get his hands on you and through a specific technique, prove that trash like you is related to your family. Hihihi¡±  The old man chuckled.

    ¡®Is Like DNA¡¯ Thought Aleran making an association. He was starting to get where the old man was coming from.

    ¡° Through a few simple checks, I concluded that the energy essence of your new set of spirit veins is different from your old one. This means that if you start cultivating, nothing would stop you from doing it. In fact, if we play it right we may be able to use that remnant energy of yours.¡±  The old man started to smile excitedly while pointing with his finger.

    ¡°That''s a huge mistake they made, how come they didn''t realized about this when they checked up on me?¡± Asked Aleran a little incredulous.

    ¡°  A huge mistake Indeed. Tough to be fair, few people have the required perception to see past the remnant qi and the destroyed spirit-veins. Moreover, at, that time your new spirit veins were very faint, like a newborn. They were clearly functional but not developed yet, it was like a mirage.¡±

    ¡°Besides they probably saw the mess with the most simple energy check and they concluded that it was a waste of time checking more thoroughly. Not that it would have helped them with their mediocre abilities.¡±

    ¡°Then, how did you notice?¡± Asked Aleran with a skeptical face.

    What''s with that face kid?! Maybe I wasn''t clear enough about how awesome I was, and well, some of that awesomeness is hard to get rid off even now. You see-¡±

    ¡°Okay, I understand. Sorry I doubted of you.¡± Aleran interrupted him with the hopes of stopping another incessant boasting

    ¡°Yeah, that''s better. As for how I did it, let''s say that my eyes are special¡± Blurted Zarasen with a disgusting wink.

    Thinking about Zarasen s eyes glowing green from before Aleran nodded unconsciously. ¡®There''s definitely something weird about those eyes¡¯.

    Now Aleran was starting to get convinced. ¡°So, I have to cultivate. How do I do that? Don''t I need something like a meditation technique?"

    ¡°I''m glad you remember some of our past talks. Yes, you need a meditation technique and guidance. I will provide you with both, in return, you will make sure we scape this place.¡± The old man now looked magnanimously at Aleran. ¡°And maybe you can lend me your feet a little.¡± As always he couldn''t stay serious for more than a minute.

    ¡°Then it''s a deal, till the escape part.¡± Said Aleran ignoring the last sentence, already used to those. ¡°Now what do I have to do to start?¡± continued with excitement.

    Zarasen raised his hand to signal him to stop. With an almost mocking look, Zarasen started to speak about the issues. ¡°First you should get rid of that impatience. Cultivating isn''t an easy task. It will be harder in this place and especially for you. that remnant energy, though useful at a later time, it will make it harder for you to sense and absorb the energy of heaven and earth.¡±

    ¡®What the hell is with that look, if I can''t cultivate you will be stuck here too¡¯ Thought Aleran with an inner snort.

    Meanwhile, Zarasen kept listing. ¡° As I already said, the other problem lies in this place. You can''t cultivate while the jailers are patrolling, they will sense the shift in energy and that will put you in evidence. So we have a limited time at night to do it.

    Suddenly he shut up and pointed at the small window on the door. With an almost coordinated timing, a guard passed by their cell. It was almost spooky how good Zarasen was at measure the time the guards took.

    It was for these tiny details that Aleran chose to ignore the old man''s craziness and pay attention to his words. After all, Aleran knew the guards tried to change their shifts and times to make them as random as possible.

    As the footstep sounds vanished Zarasen returned to his speech. ¡° Our goal is to make you as strong as the average guard, if we time it right we will have a chance to escape. The bad news is that with our limited time and resources it will take a lot of time to get there.¡±

    ¡°But don''t despair yet kid, the good news is that those guards are weak as ants. To you, they may look like superhuman but that is because you have no frame of reference, in the outside world they are trash. As the guards probably told you and I repeated to you, this is practically a trash can, it is so for us and the jailors. The difference is that they can sometimes leave this pace.¡±

    ¡°You probably thought that their random patrolling time is to be unpredictable to the prisoners.¡± Aleran was impressed ¡®Is this old fart reading my mind?¡¯ Zarasen continued. ¡°But the sad fact is that they just do it when they feel like it, it''s not a confusing tactic, only tardiness, and laziness.¡± Zarasen made a clear look of disgust, something rare to see.

    ¡°Besides I will make you refine that remnant energy. It has special characteristics, it is in a sort of limbo between your spirit veins and your body. If you refine it you could use it as a reservoir of energy, you could fight for longer than the average cultivator of your same level. That is until that reservoir runs out, but it will last enough to take us out.¡±

    ¡°Now get some rest we begin when the moons are out.¡± With a failed attempt to look like a master, he waved his sleeve and leaned on his hard bed.

 Chapter 8: Familiar Feeling.

    ¡°There goes the last patrol of the night kid, let''s begin.¡± Aleran was suddenly awakened by Zarasen''s voice. He had been keeping tabs on the guard.

    They sat crossed legged on the floor between the two beds facing each other. As he saw Aleran take a seat, the old man started speaking. ¡° Okay I will only explain what you need to know and no more, I''ll try to make it as short as possible since we don''t have much time.¡±

    Aleran nodded and noticed that Zarasen was using the same tone as when teaching him Eleemes, only this time he looked more solemn.

    ¡°Your goal is to get to the heaven opening middle stage, the flesh refinement phase. It is only the first stage of cultivation, that''s how weak these people are. Most of them are in the middle stage, your goal.¡±

    ¡° But do not underestimate this stage, for people without cultivation someone on the third phase would be undefeatable.¡± Zarasen eyes started to emit a faint green glow. ¡° The heaven opening stage, like most of the cultivation stages is divided into three phases.¡±

    ¡°The first is the qi gathering stage. In this stage, the only thing you need to do is to feel the heaven and earth energy, or source qi as cultivators call it. Then move some of this energy towards yourself.¡± He said as he made a gesture with both hands as if grabbing something in the air and pulling it towards him. Aleran noticed there was something hypnotic in Zarasen voice.

    He continued. ¡°In this first phase, you feel the energy, and absorb it. As soon as the energy gets inside you, you are in the second phase. You will have to guide the source qi through your spirit-veins to refine it and then transport it along certain paths to strengthen your flesh.¡±

    ¡°This will, in turn, strengthen not only your flesh but also your spirit-veins. Once the spirit veins reach a certain threshold you will be able to absorb more energy and strengthen your bones. In theory, you could strengthen your bones first but it was discovered through trial and error that this way is better.¡±

    ¡°Oh, by the way, this will not increase your strength permanently. It will only last as long as you have this energy injected in your flesh and bones. Though it''s obvious I had to tell you that this is the reason why although you had already passed this stage before, once your spirit-veins broke you became a normal kid again. ¡± he said like he just remembered something important.

    Aleran nodded while thinking. ¡®Then it''s like a battery. As I cultivate the capacity of the battery will allow me to divert energy to other parts of my body like the bones.

    ¡°Now follow my lead as I breathe in and out.¡° Without thinking, Aleran followed the strange and rhythmic breathing. He entered a deep trance, with the only noise being Zarasen''s voice that sounded like a soothing breeze.

    ¡°Try to feel the source qi all around you, you will realize instinctively when you notice it. First, you will feel your remnant qi. It will be like a wall, you will need to filter that, find a hole, and feel beyond it.¡±

    <hr>

    After an hour or so, Aleran could feel clearly his inner remnant qi, it was calm thanks to the collar. But instead of a wall, it felt like an armor under his skin. It cost him a great deal to filter that sensation.

    ¡°I Think I feel something¡±. Said Aleran after five straight hours of meditation, though he somehow didn''t notice it. He sensed a familiar feeling but he couldn''t point what was it.

    ¡°Describe it.¡± The same soothing voice reached his ears, but now it felt more distant.

    ¡° It''s everywhere around me, vast like an ocean, but tiny at the same time. And if I concentrate too much on it, it''s like it doesn''t exist as if it were a void.¡±

    ¡°Good, now try to reach for it with your consciousness, imagine something on your chest reaching for it and pulling the energy that''s closest to your skin. It will feel different from anything you have done before. Once you make it, you will naturally feel your own spirit-veins. ¡±

    This time Aleran spent an hour trying to move this strange energy he felt. Sadly he had to stop before he could do anything, a jailor was starting his round.

    <hr>

    Two more days passed with not a single improvement on his part, and Aleran was starting to get frustrated. Now he only took almost one hour to feel the source qi, but he couldn''t move it towards him no matter how hard he tried.

    He knew the problem was, that in a corner of his head a there was a nagging voice trying to rationalize all this. The fact that there was some kind of particle only appreciable through meditation that could give someone enormous amounts of energy. At least enough to give someone strength without exercising one bit.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    And then there was the issue with how the hell was he going to move it without interacting with it. It was the same as someone asking you to move something with your mind, no matter how much you stare at it the thing will not move. To move something you needed to give energy to it.

    Usually, there was no free lunch in the universe. If you wanted to move that source qi to give you energy, you needed at least an equal amount of energy to move it to you. It was the same as electricity, to obtain energy you needed to spin a turbine, be it with the wind, water or a nuclear reaction.

    He had asked Zarasen where does the energy to move the source qi comes from. The old man just stood rooted where he was, thinking of something. It seemed he had never asked himself this question.

    That was more than Aleran expected. After all, to someone without modern knowledge, the most common answer would be something along the lines of: ¡°That''s how things are¡±. And they would keep going with their lives. But the fact that Zarasen just stood there without answering was a good measure of his wisdom.

    ¡°He may not know about the law of conservation of energy, or thermodynamics, but he somehow intuits there''s something important he is missing.¡±

    After three days of struggles, he decided to make a pseudo-theory in order to appease that corner of his mind. Fortunately, as a scientist, he was always open to discuss new theories and approaches. After all, theories are made to be improved as new information is discovered.

    Since it was everything so new and he couldn''t prove anything, it was hard to even call it a pseudo-theory, it was more like a story he told himself to feel better.

    So, according to his experiences till now, he guessed that the source qi was some kind of energy that was capable of changing into other kinds of energy depending on certain circumstances yet unknown. This came from the memories of the previous owner of this body. After all, in these memories, people could summon fire out of nowhere.

    To absorb the source qi his train of thought came from a different perspective. Since he had a new set of spirit-veins it was highly likely that the spirit veins were related to the soul. With this connection, he guessed that it was the soul through the spirit veins that used energy to move this source qi.

    Where does the energy from the soul comes, he didn''t know. But his guts told him that if there was something miraculous enough to be the engine of this crazy phenomenon, it was the soul. The image of that strange form he once had, and how he instinctively knew it was his soul made a huge impact on him.

    That seemed to be what he needed because that very night he was able to move a strand of source qi. The moment it happened, like by art of magic he was able to sense his own spirit-veins.

    He could feel them as clearly as he could feel his limbs. They felt small but boundless at the same time.

    ¡°Great! well done kiddo. Now, follow my instructions, I will tell you how and where to circulate this strand of qi.¡± Without Aleran telling him Zarasen was able to notice his progress. Since his last question about energy, even though it was a very basic question, Zarasen had started to see him in a different light.

    Zarasen started to trace a path with his finger in Aleran''s body. According to the route, the strand of qi entered through his abdomen and then traced a complicated path throughout his body. The pathways the strand reached became somehow more robust. Zarasen also started giving instructions that were not possible to show with his fingers. After all the spirit veins were not two-dimensional.

    ¡°Now you will deposit the strand of energy here¡±. The old man''s finger stopped in a section near his heart. There, the spirit veins took the form of a small pocket the size of a pebble. ¡°That is a spirit node and once you deposit your energy there, it will slowly disperse to your heart and flesh near the node.¡± Doing it, Aleran felt a warm current on his chest but nothing else.

    ¡°That was a revolution. It''s when you circulate that strand of qi through all your spirit-veins and then put it on a node. The mere fact of circulating qi allows your spirit veins to grow without consuming it. The more qi you circulate the more they will grow and the more qi they will allow you to circulate. At the same time, they will allow you to pump more energy into your flesh and bones. It is a virtuous cycle.¡±

    The night ended with Zarasen making Aleran memorize many other paths and node,s all of them to strengthen his flesh.

    The next night Aleran was starting to attract source qi when a feeling that the day before he had overlooked came to him. It was the familiar feeling he felt before, but now it was more clear, more complete. It was something that came from his spirit-veins, it was what manipulated the source qi. ¡®This¡­ this is... original sense!!¡¯ He had to make an effort to not scream.

    However, as he paid more attention he realized something. ¡°It''s not original sense, but just like the rest of the senses, it''s like a part of it. Though this one is composed of a bigger part of the original sense.¡± It was like a puzzle if you put together the smell, hearing, touch, vision, and taste you would have something like 20% of the original sense. But if you throw this ability to sense and manipulate source qi to the mix, it would be like 60%.

    The second this association was made he felt like he could control all the qi in his surroundings, and that was what he did.

    He felt everything within his reach. Like with the original sense he sent pulses of a sticky kind of energy that came from his spirit-veins. Then when it came back it dragged the source qi that stuck to this energy. It was like an octopus with thousands of tentacles, spreading them and grabbing everything around him.

 Chapter 9: Freak

    Zarasen watched in horror as a humungous mass of source qi rushed towards the seating boy. ¡°How is this possible? He just began to practice!! Could it that he remembered how to cultivate?¡± He shook his head, partially trying to awake from his shock and partially to deny his last question. The shock remained, still gripping his heart and drying his mouth.

    ¡° No, even if he remembered how to cultivate, this mass of energy is way above the level of the qi circulation level.¡± The higher your cultivation the more source qi you could attract, this was common sense.

    And at the heaven opening stage, the norm was to move a small strand. With the size ranging from a hair for the less talented or those with broken spirit-veins to a palm wide stream for the more talented. By the third phase of the heaven opening stage, the more talented could move twice the source qi. But nothing like what he was seeing.

    The kid was pulling energy from every corner of the room. As he paid closer attention Zarasen realized that Aleran was attracting the source qi in waves. Once a wave reached him, it took almost the time to blink an eye to gather another wave. It was so fast that it could be taken by a continuous stream, but Zarasen could see it clearly.

    Like a fast beating heart, wave after wave dragged the source qi inside the room towards the kid. And as this source qi moved, more took its place from outside the cell. ¡°How is he doing it? It would take a monstrous concentration to compress and circulate all that source qi inside your spirit-veins.¡±

    ¡°This could lead to another cultivation deviation.¡± But Zarasen could tell that the brat was in complete control. It almost made the idea of the kid ever suffering a cultivation deviation laughable.

    As if suddenly remembering something Zarasen jumped at the window on the door. He plastered his nose on the glass to look around. ¡° Shit! I stay too much time being impress at this little turd''s feat and I forgot the mess he is doing with the energy.¡±

    He turned around and looked at Aleran closely. He had to calculate the exact time to stop him, with this much source qi it would be dangerous to interrupt a revolution inside his body. Zarasen had to wait for one revolution to end and stop Aleran from beginning a new one. The thing was that the little bastard was to quick at doing the revolutions, it was like watching a time accelerated cultivation.

    Aleran never felt so comfortable in his past or this short life. Every time he completed a revolution, every time he put his refined qi inside some node, he felt his body shivering with pleasure. It was like putting armor around every single cell, giving each one support and power.

    It made Aleran wonder how all this process worked. He controlled everything till the point he pored the refined qi into the node. But then the qi would naturally go from the node to the physical body and them it enhanced his body on its own. Almost as if it were alive.

    ¡°Focus!¡± He scolded himself for going on a tangent. Cultivation was harder than he thought, it required all his concentration to move the energy inside his spirit-veins and remember the paths Zarasen taught him. He had a good memory but the spirit veins were like a maze, sometimes making him doubt which path to take.

    Aleran was about to begin another revolution when he felt something weird. Frowning and easily stopping he opened his eyes to look down. Attached to his right foot was the old man sucking at his big toe like a leech. The old man looked up at him and, like a kid removing a lollipop from his mouth, he stopped sucking his toe.

    Aleran took a time to react, enough for the old man to stand up again. ¡° What the fuck are you doing you old perverted fart?!¡± Aleran didn''t know how to react. Luckily Zarasen had been generous teaching him curses for these situations.

    But the bad jokes Aleran was expecting of the old man didn''t come. The old man just started whispering.¡°Shhh. We don''t have much time.¡± Said in a hurried state.

    ¡®Then, don''t lick my feet, just wake me like a normal person!¡¯ Aleran saved his complaints in his mind and just listened.

    ¡°Lay on your bed and don''t move a muscle, now your every movement is filled with qi. If you don''t move they would have to focus specifically on you to discover that you have active qi.¡±

    With a single fast jump, Aleran went from a sitting position on the floor to the bed. He was expecting to get up with that jump and immediately running to the bed with the impulse. Instead, he almost crashed against the wall next to the bed.

    ¡®Is this the result of just one session of cultivation?¡¯ Aleran stood on top of his bed for a while, looking at his hands and legs. ¡® I have to control the qi I consume when I move.¡¯

    ¡°Come on, little turd, lay down¡± Sarazen''s voice reached Aleran and he did as the old man said. ¡®Did he just called me a turd?¡¯ Another thing he will have save for later.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Soon after laying down he heard the hurried steps of the guards. ¡®Why are they so stressed, did I do something wrong?¡¯

    before the footsteps got closer the old man warned him. ¡° KId once they are close stay very still, don''t even breathe.¡±

    As he wondered what could he had possibly done wrong, the voice of the guards came from the corridor. ¡° What the hell was that?¡±

    Another guard answered him. ¡° some sort of source qi turbulence... I think. I''m not sure. Someone must have broken in after all those here in the cells have their collars on.¡±

    The first guard replied with a shaky voice. ¡°Don''t care, I already sent the signal. The supervisor should come any moment now, that turbulence was pretty big I don''t think we can handle this¡±

    The other seemed to agree to the first one and was equally shaky ¡° Yeah but we have to do some patrolling. You know as well that if he comes and finds us doing nothing about this anomaly he will flip out on us.¡±

    With hurried and equally shaky footsteps the jailors passed by. ¡°Haaa¡± Aleran let the breath out then he inhale deeply. The footsteps sounds were hurried but their actual footsteps must have been short and fast.

    Not long after, the guards came back, their voices and peace were calmer. ¡° Even if there''s nothing we did the right thing sending the signal. The qi turbulence was real, we both felt it after all¡±

    The other said. ¡°Maybe it was outside turbulence that somehow extended through here, it''s rare, but it could happen.¡±

    ¡°Gudrak won''t like to be called for a false alarm, but it''s better than fighting an unknown intruder. Maybe if we hurry we can stop him from coming over. ¡±

    Once they were outside their hearing range Zarasen spoke ¡° fortunately they think it was a disturbance on the source qi. We were quick enough if you were a little late in stopping your cultivation they would have figure out what really happened.¡± Afterward, he told Aleran what happened while he was cultivating.

    ¡°By the way you are now at the threshold between the second phase and the third. I seriously don''t know how you do it, maybe it has something to do with having a second set of spirit veins out of nowhere. What did you feel?¡±

    Aleran wasn''t going to say anything about his soul or how he came to this world. He didn''t know how people would react to it and what the implications maybe if there were any at all. He lied a little. ¡° I don''t know, I just felt I could reach for more and I did. My cultivation will be faster than others, right? I''m a genius then.¡± He finished with a cheeky smile that gave one the urge to punch him.

    ¡°hmm¡±

    Zarasen snorted ¡° You are a freaking monster all right, you make me wonder if there''s Kaisha''s blood on you. But don''t be so pleased with yourself. Yes, it will make the heaven opening stage a breeze for you but in most other stages it won''t make a big difference. For those stages, you will need comprehension of the source qi and your images.¡±

    There were a few things Aleran didn''t understand what Zarasen said but the last part picked his interest.

    ¡°What was that about images?¡±

    ¡°Sighh¡±. Sarazen dropped his shoulder like he was tired. ¡° I might as well explain it now.¡± ¡®I just hope you are not a monster in this as well.¡¯

    With a little fear at what this brat was becoming he continued. ¡° You told me about your mother once freezing water. Remember? Well, all that she did was changing her inner qi to a freezing qi with an ice image, or cold image and inject that qi to the water. It depends on each person. By what you told me, she could probably project her inner qi and transform it into ice or water.

    ¡°The use of images can become quite complex. Only after you can project qi outside your body it becomes really important, before that it''s pretty useless. But you can start meditating on images after you get at the heaven opening stage third phase. It will allow you to change your inner qi into your image, but if not controlled right it could be deadly to you. Just imagine your mother''s case, she could freeze her blood if she changed her inner qi inside her.¡±

    What image should I meditate in? And why do you have to meditate on them?

    When you cultivate you enter a state of connection with the energy of heaven and earth and through it, you connect with the world. If you meditate your image while cultivating you can gain inspiration from this, it will improve your understanding of your image and how it behaves in the world. Though you can do it on your own, there are special techniques to meditate in these images. There are some sects and kingdoms that have their own especially when it comes to images.

    So my image has to be based on my understanding of nature? ¡®This is getting good¡¯ thought Aleran

    ¡°Mmmmm yeas and no. It can be something completely imaginary or a concept, like the concept of fear. Many cultivators imbue their energy with this concept, it is capable of giving a heart attack to a normal human, but it is harder to improve these abstract images. And you are right that the closer you get to how something in nature works the more powerful the image becomes.¡±

    ¡°The image alone can be more powerful than the natural phenomenon. There are cultivators who can conjure fires more powerful than real fire. Yet if they want to improve their cultivation and images they have to understand better the natural fire. Don''t worry it''s too early for you to think about this, normally cultivators pick several images. Not too many and not too few, you will have the time to really improve 5 and the rest will be used as a support.¡±

    Aleran was breathing heavily now because maybe, just maybe he will be able to put his knowledge to good use. ¡®Knowledge will translate in real power¡¯

    Seeing his excited face Zarasen reminded Aleran ¡° Be careful with the image you choose, boy. Make sure you understand it and are able to control it.¡±

    Aleran had already stopped listening, he just nodded out of pure reflex. He was deep in thought, about what image he should choose.

 Chapter 10: First Fight

    ¡°How are we going to do it?¡± Asked Aleran. It had been six months since Aleran had started cultivating. Thanks to his speed in cultivation, they decided to change the plan and aim for the peak of the third phase instead of the second. Something that Aleran had achieved just yesterday.

    He had cultivated carefully moving only the energy inside the room, this slowed him down. But according to Zarasen, six months or cycles, as he called them, was an unheard peace.

    The most difficult part for Aleran was not being able to test his strength. In order to lay low, he was actually moving less so as to not stand out. Now, unable to hold it anymore, he was asking impatiently for the details of the escape plan.

    ¡°It''s simple when the last patrol comes, you will lay down on the floor and I will start kicking you. It will look like I beat you and left you unconscious. We''ll have to wait for either Corif or Jedun to make the night patrol. They are the only ones who would give a fuck at such a scene.¡±

    ¡°Then, the guard will open the door and grab me. At that moment you will punch him till he loses consciousness or you kill him, whatever you prefer. It should be easy. With a bit of luck, the second guard on duty that is outside the pavilion, in the waiting area, will not hear anything.¡±

    Trying to ignore the thought that he might have to kill someone, Aleran said. Wouldn''t it be easier to use my strength to break the wall or dig a tunnel?

    ¡°It would if this was a normal prison, but here the walls are reinforced with a formation. You would need much more strength to break them.¡±

    ¡° Then what next? I imagine there are more guards out there.¡± Though Aleran was eager to try his powers he had never fought in his previous life, he was a full-fledged lab rat. In his time with Zarasen he had only taught him about cultivation and not fighting.

    ¡°Mmm? After that, we just improvise opening our way with brute force. Of course, you will lead the way.¡± Said the old man like stating something obvious.

    This was one of Aleran''s fears. He had thought more than once that the old man was too erratic to make a thorough plan. But there was another deeper fear. Where would he go after the escape? He couldn''t remember the location of the Vistrage family lands. ¡®Man I was hoping he had somewhere I could crash.¡¯

    ¡°And after we escape where are we going to go?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know, It will be better to go our own ways, they will be hunting us. I recommend you to get out of the Silver Moon kingdom territory, to the Sidrin empire. Don''t worry I''ll tell you how to get there. Although someone with your cultivation is not considered an expert your level is rare enough to get you a job easily.¡± Said Zarasen dismissively.

    After reassuring Aleran, Zarasen told him the rest of his ¡°plan¡± and spent the next days waiting for the right guard to make the last night patrol.

    In the end, they had to wait thirteen days for Corif, a square-faced middle-aged man with small eyes and a characteristic unibrow decorating his face. He was one of the few jailors who took his job seriously.

    Corif was the second best option because he, unlike Jedun, had recently broken through, and was at the third phase. But Aleran and Zarasen would not wait for another chance, this was the moment.

    When Corif was almost at the middle of the first corridor, he heard the muffled noises of Zarasen''s kicks against the torso of his roommate, while the first screamed insults.

    ¡°You deserve it you little turd. You think your feet are a great deal! I only asked one simple lick yet you refuse! Who do you think you are?!!¡±

    It was weird for Corif, the old man was without a doubt crazy, but he was usually harmless, he had never lost it like that. But the rules were clear, he had to stop all fights lest all patients started killing each other.

    Immediately, Corif took his master-key and went towards the cell. This was an easy task, the old man was as weak as the air in front of him.

    <hr>

    Aleran heard the sound of the door behind the curses the old man was throwing at him. Zarasen was a perfect actor, he looked truly incensed with veins popping out of his neck and reddened eyes. But his kicks were completely real, and he could not use his qi to strengthen his body, so he was receiving a real beating. ¡®This old turd must be really enjoying this.¡¯ Thought with gritted teeth.

    Suddenly a huge hand grabbed Zarasen by the back of the neck, like a baby chick, and pulled him upwards. The guard looked towards Aleran who was still on the floor with dazed eyes. He looked like he was about to pass out, but Zarasen started flailing his arms and legs, still engrossed in kicking his beaten opponent forcing the guard to take him to the bed to restrain him.

    This last move lest the Corif with his back to Aleran whose eyes immediately focused. He crouched sneakily, and in an explosive burst of force he jumped with his fist risen and punched.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°bam!¡± a dry sound was heard the moment of impact

    The guard didn''t see it coming, he received the punch with the force of the jump added in the back of his head and fell to the side, releasing Zarasen.

    But the guard body didn''t hit the floor as Aleran expected, Corif managed to stop his fall with his arms. Shaking and dizzy he tried to rise again. ¡®Shit! Of course, this isn''t a fucking action movie where a punch in the back of the head is enough to knock out the bad guys.¡¯ With that thought, Aleran pounced towards Corif trying to hit the back of his head again.

    The guard, with his face still looking the floor received Aleran kicking like a horse. Aleran knew he couldn''t dodge so he stabilized himself as best as he could.

    ¡°ghh!¡± Aleran let out a low groan

    Though it hurt Aleran received the blow and, upon impact, he grabbed Corif''s leg. With his hands firmly grasping the guard''s leg he spun and threw the guard towards the back wall. There was a sound of something breaking followed by a pained grumbled of the guard.

    The tick reinforced wall now was full of cracks, but Corif remained awake. Aleran could see the shock on his face but the yell of Zarasen stopped him from daydreaming.

    ¡°Idiot hit him harder! You are not using your full strength!!¡± The yell not only made Aleran react but it also alarmed Corif

    With a quick movement, Aleran ran to the guard who was on the floor, preparing to mount him and shower him with punches, but Corif quickly swept his leg and made Aleran fall. Instead of mounting him he fell next to the guard, but Aleran didn''t cushion his fall he went with the fall and punch the guard face.

    Now with both started to struggle on the floor, Aleran threw three more punches with his left. Corif managed to avoid two but received the last one while he also managed to connect a blow to Aleran''s temple.

    Suddenly, Corif made a swift and practiced move taking Aleran''s back with perfect timing. With a move that to Aleran looked that was taken from a jiujitsu manual Corif started to choke him.

    A bit scared of blowing off the scape, Aleran grabbed with all his strength one of Corif''s arms and started to squeeze at the wrist.

    ¡°kraaa¡± Something broke but the guy was tenaciously holding on.

    ¡° Kid, the bucket!¡± Another yell reached his ears.

    Aleran didn''t doubt it for a second and started to feel around for the waste bucket which was found pretty quickly. At some point during the fight, it got hit with all the piss scattering through the floor. Without modesty, he grabbed the bucket and hit the guard¡¯s head who was glued to his back.

    ¡°Clank.¡± The metal bucket made a hollow metallic noise.

    ¡°haa haaa¡± Aleran''s breathing was the only noise left.

    Aleran felt the strength of Corif arms fading away and soon he heard the body falling. Breathing heavily he stood up and looked down at his first opponent. He didn''t hold back on the last strike with the bucket, the result was pretty good. ¡° I should have gone all out from the beginning.¡± He was not used to using violence yet.

    ¡°Puahahaahahaah¡± Zarasen''s laugh ruined the solemnity of the moment. ¡°How nice of you to give him a hat as a parting gift.¡±

    The waste bucket had deformed with the force of the strike and was still stuck to the guards head, which apparently was so funny to Zarasen that he couldn''t hold back any longer.

    ¡°Are you okay kid?¡± Zarasen was trying hard not to look at the guard in order to avoid another fit of laughter.

    ¡°Yeah, though I guess I could have won more easily.¡± Though the fight was messy, Corif was the one on the receiving end for most of the time. The last moment when he was being choked was due to the difference in fighting experience. In fact, if the fight happened in a more spacious place he would have won easily due to his higher speed.

    ¡°Okay let''s go. Though this was the guy who was supposed to hear if there was too much noise it''s better not to push our luck¡± Zarasen went towards the opened door.

    ¡°Wait, is he alive?¡± That hit was enough to cause a grave concussion and could be deadly. This guard had clearly tried to subdue him all this time, which was part of the reason why he kept holding back. Aleran had nothing personal against him not to mention that the idea of killing someone gave Aleran goosebumps.

    ¡°Don''t know. Who cares? Grab his keys and follow me, we have someone to visit.¡± Surprised by the Zaraze''s lack of interest he went to take the keys and meanwhile, he checked if the guard was still breathing. He was, and it made Aleran release a sigh of relief. Maybe to Zarasen or to this whole world killing someone was not a big deal but to him it was.

    ¡°You told me we were going to free the prisoners to make chaos but that will take time we don''t have.¡± Now that he paid attention he could hear some of his neighbors screaming and talking. Like a beehive that had been upset, they were starting to make noises in response to what had happened on their cell.

    They knew that although this pavilion only had two guards, the asylum had many pavilions with two guards each. Not to mention the guards outside the gates. That''s why Zarasen proposed to free the prisoners of this pavilion to create diversions.

    The problem was that there were one hundred cells and some housed unstable psychopaths.

    ¡°Don''t worry we will release someone first with some conditions, between those conditions will be that he has to release the prisoners. Of course, this is a little bit of a bet, the guy could just say yes and once freed he would just escape¡±

    ¡°But we can use that guy to distract the guards first, it would not be ideal but its something. And since the second scenario is more likely we have to release someone we know it will draw attention hehehehe.¡±

    Aleran followed Zarasen, they reached an intersection and turned right. At the end of the hallway was a huge metallic door, this one had no window. ¡°This used to be the shower room, the jailors joke with this when they transfer someone here. Four years ago a special guest came to this Asylum. If you judge it by his danger level he should be in another pavilion. But the thing is they had no room where to put him.¡±

    ¡°So they reformed the shower room to contain him? What is so special about him? ¡±

    ¡°He is a body cultivator and unlike you, he keeps his strength even after putting him the collar. He will be weaker but nonetheless, he is at the second phase of the qi circulation realm. Which makes him one of the most powerful inmates. There are only two families in this kingdom that practice body cultivation and both are important ones, he must be a top fighter.¡± The old man was rubbing his hands like he was about to get a new toy.

 Chapter 11: Fedrin Levian

    ¡°AHHHHH!!! Feeeeeedrin !!

    Fedrin Levian was yet again reliving that fateful day. He was pinned down against the floor with all his limbs broken and twisted in weird unnatural angles. A bloody hole in his left chest made his blood mixed with the dust on the floor, creating a peculiar smell.

    The weight of a mountain rested on him. This was the doing of the man seated on top of his back, the same that was lifting his head, forcing him to look in front. Yes, because it wasn''t the hole on his chest nor the broken limbs that caused him pain. It was the scene right in front of him that was hurting him, something he was powerless to stop.

    ¡°noo.¡± A soft whisper comes instead of the intended yell. The oppressing weight preventing him from gathering enough air.

    He knew he was having a nightmare, but he couldn''t wake up. No, he didn''t want to wake up, he had to watch. He had to remember every detail, every ounce of pain, he had to engrave it all in his mind. For the day he encounters that man again.

    The one standing before him, grabbing his loved one in the air and looking at him. This was the man. ¡° Do you know how much shame you have brought to this family?!¡± With eyes filled with disgust, his father grabbed the arm of his loved one and pulled.

    ¡°kacha.¡± The sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing apart was heard.

    ¡°Ahhhhh¡± The desolate scream of his lover followed. Fedrin stayed looking, impotent.

    Limb by limb his father tore his lover apart in front of him until the torso and the head were left. ¡° THIS IS SICKNESS!! You are sick, son. AND BY THE GODS, I WILL CURE YOU OR KILL YOU IN THE PROCESS!!¡± Lastly, he grabbed the head and pulled it.

    ¡°kraach¡± This time the sound was more bone and less flesh as the head deformed under the pressure while being pulled.

    With a flick of his wrist, the monster in human form he called father threw the head at him. Rolling on the ground the head stopped right in front of him, it was unrecognizable now. One of the eyes had already left its cavity, the jaw was dislocated like in a perpetual scream, and the rest of the factions were completely deformed.

    To the smell of blood and dust, now the salty taste of his tears was added as he watched for the last time the face of his loved one. It was then when a distant noise caught his attention, it didn''t come from anywhere. He concentrated on it trying to find the source, until that sound took him away, forcing him to open his eyes.

    <hr>

    Aleran and Zarasen had to try a dozen of keys before finding the right one to open the heavy slide door of this special cell. At the other side, darkness greeted them. They had to open it completely to allow the dim light of the hallway to show them the inside. The room was almost as big as three of the normal cells, which allowed darkness to be present in spite of the light coming from the hallway.

    There was a man standing in the middle of the room. His head was weakly hanging down. ¡®He''s probably asleep.¡¯ Thought Aleran. The man''s whole body was covered in thick chains that were fixed onto the floor, walls, and ceiling. It looked like a huge knot of chains.

    On the places where the chains connected to the building, there were strange patterns and writings. It looked like painted runes, but Aleran could feel some sort of qi flowing through it. ¡°Those are small formation. They are connected to the bigger formation that strengthens the whole building, they are actually hard to make. It gives the chains a quarter of the strength of the walls.¡± Seeing Alerans interest on the engravings, Zarasen quickly explained. ¡° Even with that strength, the key to keeping him prisoner is in not letting him move. The chains are tightly wrapped around his body, if he could move even an inch of his arm he would be able to free himself.¡±

    Zarasen''s voice made the person in the middle of the chain knot to raise his head. What the light showed was a face half covered in a muzzle, with auburn hair and dark blue eyes. Seeing Aleran and Zarasen the eyes of the man briefly reflected confusion. He was especially concentrated in their tattered clothing, which clearly wouldn''t belong to a jailor.

    Zarasen got closer to the center, clearing his throat, and looking like a shady salesperson, he started speaking. ¡°Hi there, big guy. I''m Zarasen and this one next to me is Aleran.¡± He said with a business-like smile that contrasted with his unkempt appearance.¡°You surely have noticed that we are not guards. We are potential friends actually.¡±

    A frown took place on the formerly confused face of the prisoner, his eyes going back and forth between Aleran to Zarasen. But an almost visible glint appeared in them. It was hope. The man''s breathing started to get faster, and although half his face was covered, there was a clear pleading expression in his eyes.

    ¡°How about, we make a deal? We help you, and you help us creating chaos, freeing prisoners and distracting the guards. For what I heard from the guards you are in the qi circulation middle phase, which makes you stronger than any of the guards. Even the supervisor is only in the first phase, you can easily crush them all.¡± Said Zarasen, praising the strength of the man, trying to decorate the fact that he would be a diversion.

    There was a brief flash of doubt on the man''s gaze but was quickly replaced by determination. The chains barely allowed him to move his neck but still, he nodded.

    ¡°Great, its a deal then.¡± With a short clap, Zarasen started to get closer. Aleran who had stood behind him all this time went forwards too. But soon he realized the closer he got to the chained man the bigger he looked.

    He grabbed Zarasen by the arm and whispered to him. ¡° Hey old fart, you know this guy is here for a reason, don''t you? What if after we release him and decides to kill us? I mean, look at how they kept him here.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Pushing Aleran''s arm aside Zarasen spoke with utter confidence. ¡° Your doubts are understandable and rational, kid. Don''t worry, I don''t know why they put him here but I can tell you he is not crazy.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± After the old man''s words, Aleran seemed more relaxed. When it came to judging people the old man has proven himself eerily perceptive. But he still had his reservations.

    Without bothering controlling his volume Zarasen answered. ¡°Absolutely. He is like an open book if he wants something he goes for it. He is a straight forward person both relating to others and in his way of cultivation. If something doesn''t go the way he wants he would smash through it. I don''t know if he will keep his promise, but at least I know he won''t kill us and play with our bodies just for fun, like most of the inmates here. Isn''t that enough?¡±

    Aleran noticed that the man in chains was now looking at Zarasen with a surprised look. ¡®It''s true that he has very expressive eyes but to call him an open book and guess all that¡­ ¡¯

    Though Aleran didn''t know how Zarasen did it, he had experienced this creepy ability before so he believed him and more importantly, the man in chains too.

    ¡°Do we split to search for the locks?¡± It was dark, and even with the inner qi, that while activated enhanced his vision, he couldn''t see any type of lock to release the man.

    ¡°There are no locks¡± Zarasen was in tippy toes, holding the face of the chained man. ¡° Not unlike our collars, it is made to stay locked under almost all circumstances. The only part that can be opened and removed is the muzzle. It is made in a way that, while you remove the muzzle you can insert another device to keep his mouth open. That''s the way they shove food down his throat.¡± Zarasen pointed at a corner. Again he seemed to know very specific things.

    Aleran noticed it only then, the small table with a strange device in the form of a funnel with harnesses. The funnel also had some of the strange runes of the formation, in fact, they were more complex. He could only imagine how they must shove that thing down his throat and forced the food in.

    The muzzle had three different locks, but Zarasen found the keys almost instantly. Under the muzzle, the prisoner''s mouth was locked open, ready for the funnel whenever it was needed. ¡°Huu. They didn''t bother brushing your teeth.¡± Zarasen said moving his face sideways

    Aleran''s eye twitched and he could only berate him in his mind. ¡® Could you please don''t fuck around with the man that can literally punch a hole through you.¡¯

    ¡°And... it''s done.¡± After opening the locks of the muzzle and dismantle it Zarasen backed down.

    ¡°Wait, Is that all? How is this going to help-¡±

    ¡°Creek creeeek.¡± The shrill sound of metal being grounded and cracked filled the cell.

    Before he got the chance to finish, the man in chains had bent his neck as much as he could and took a bite out of a chain wrapped at his shoulder.

    ¡°Puu¡±... ¡°clanck¡± he spat a huge chunk of metal

    ¡°Let''s help him, bringing him some of the looser chains to his mouth.¡± Zarasen urged Aleran who was still in a state of shock

    The next few minutes were spent in bringing the chains to his mouth. Since the chains were very tight and were quite heavy it was something only Aleran could do. The old man just cheered on the background.

    ¡°Clank.¡± As the last chain on his left arm fell the man used his free arm to rip off the rest of his chains with relative ease. Now he stood straight in front of Aleran and Zarasen. Except for his underwear, he was completely naked, but he had didn''t seem to care.

    This gave Aleran the chance to have a rough understanding of what a body cultivator looked like. He was tall almost 8 feet, Aleran calculated. His body was full of well-toned muscles, he had a wide frame but was not bulky. It was more like his bones were longer and wider than a normal human. Like his bones, his muscles looked long and elastic. ¡®Probably the effect of his cultivation¡¯. Finally, Aleran realized that there were scars all around his body the most obvious being a huge circle the size of his head in his right chest. More than scars they were marks.

    To Aleran it looked like the guy had regrown portions of his skin with the marks being where the new parts joined the older ones. The more he looked the more he realized the hidden strength this guy had.

    Clasping his hands the man said. ¡°I''m Fedrin, and thank you, benefactors. What you two have done today, I will remember forever. You have put an end to years of darkness and lament, so don''t worry I will keep my end of the deal.¡±

    Contrary to his wide and tall build his voice, though masculine, was soft and pleasant to the ears. His eyes looked completely clear of any deception making a good impression on both Zarasen and Aleran.

    Without wasting time or even asking for the keys, Fedrin went to the closest cell, grabbed the door and with a strong pull he tore off the door from the wall.

    ¡°Boom¡± The walls trembled trying to offer some resistance but it was not enough.

    As the astonished prisoners realize they were being freed Fedrin grabbed the collars on their necks and broke them just as easily as his chains. It will take them a little time to gather some energy, but something was better than nothing.

    Without even seeing the prisoners he just released, Fedrin went to the next door and did the same, then to the next one.

    Nevertheless, after the fifth door, the loud sounds made the guard standing guard just outside the pavilion to enter in a hurry. What greeted him was the image of the giant about to tear off a door like he was moving air.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± The guard stood rooted at the entrance, he was clearly not that well trained and not prepared for this sight. He only reacted when Fedrin turned to look at him. Those dark blue eyes almost petrified the poor jailor, he knew who this giant was. The only thing he could think was to plead for his life

    ¡°Wait, please... ¡± With a single jump, Fedrin went from the end of the hallway to the entrance, right in front of the guard. The poor man, at the heaven opening second phase, couldn''t even finish his words as he was struck in the head by a punch that broke his skull like a watermelon. The body went flying as the head exploded, it broke the entrance door and struck the wall behind, slowly sloping down to the floor. Such was the difference in strength.

    Fedrin may be a good man, but he was also a warrior and was ready to kill anyone who got in his way. He knew the fewer guards left, the more prisoners will be able to escape and the more distractions will be for the later persecution. It was obvious that the whole kingdom will be looking for him and the escaped prisoners. Either for the danger they represented, the fact that most of them were the shame of their respective families or for the information they held, a considerable force would be put to the task of hunting them.

    While Zarasen had a wicked smile, Aleran who was next to him, on the other end of the corridor, went pale. This was the first time he saw someone die, and in such a gruesome way at that. He looked as Fedrin wave his hand to shake the blood off and coldly went back to break the cell doors. Meanwhile, the hallway was starting to get crowded, and a little messy thanks to the more unstable prisoners.

 Chapter 12: Escape

    Pieces of broken metallic doors were scattered across the ground, dust was flying everywhere, making it hard to breathe. The once quiet hallway now looked like one of his old world war zones. Aleran knew there was no more turning back, not that he would want to turn back, he wanted to escape this place at all cost. Even without knowing exactly where to go after.

    He looked at the prisoners and almost immediately he could differentiate three groups. The first, was gathering next to Fedrin. Those who could still cultivate were sitting crossed legged trying to gather as much energy as they could. They knew it would not be enough for a long fight, but they only needed to have an extra boost to run faster. They would try to put as much distance as possible between the guards and them. If they were lucky, the guards would concentrate on others. Those who couldn''t cultivate were just standing there waiting for Fedrin, who was also sitting crossed legged to charge out. Although Fedrin could fight even without qi, because his body had been permanently altered by his cultivation, he would still need qi to fight someone above the heaven opening stage.

    The second group was almost as big as the first, but they were behaving erratically. Some started running to the other pavilions. Some stayed in their cells even after their doors were broken. The worst of them were already fighting each other. Two men and one woman were trading punches and kicks in a three-way fight that started without logical reason. One prisoner was sticking his fingers into the eyes of a fallen opponent, the fallen victim was screaming at the top of his lungs, but no one was willing to intervene.

    At the corner of his eye, Aleran caught sight of a man going for the unconscious Corif. He was about to move when he felt a hand gripping firmly at his shoulder. ¡° Let it go kid. You are already in deep shit, don''t bother about someone you don''t even know.¡±

    With guilt vibrating in his voice, Aleran turned to Zarasen. ¡° Whatever happens to him is my responsibility old man, I can''t let him to the mercy of these madmen.¡±

    Reinforcing his grip Zarasen berate him. ¡°If you fight that maniac you may attract the attention of others to fight you, and we don''t have the time to enter in that mess.¡± Zarasen pointed to the prisoners fighting. He was right most of them stayed away from those who were quiet and only fought with those that were as aggressive as them.

    ¡°Kid, look around, this whole mayhem is our doing, whatever they do when they are outside is our fault too. Each and every action we make has consequences that escape us. There are some consequences we can control like this one just now, but the questions are simple. Are you willing to pay the price? Are you willing to risk the escape? Is it because you are worried about him or because you want to feel good about your decision and to care for your own ego? ¡°

    ¡°You knew the consequences when you agreed to it. Now that they look ugly you want to stop? No, you have to keep going, kid. As long as the escape is not compromised you stick to the plan. It''s not pretty nor poetic but that''s how you survive.¡±

    Aleran closed his eyes, his mind was a mess. He had the power to stop that man, the guy didn''t have energy fluctuations which meant his spirit-veins were probably broken. God knows what that maniac was going to do to the unconscious guard, that thought weighted like a mountain inside Aleran''s heart. ¡®But Zarasen is right. Maybe it is a way to justify the actions of a coward but I can''t do anything to jeopardize my escape. Much less for someone who would probably lock me up if he were awake.¡¯ When he opened his eyes they had a much more resolute look. But for some reason, they looked dimmer.

    In the end, Aleran stood there, like the third group of people. They were only three, besides Aleran and Zarasen there was a bulky man with a diamond-shaped jaw. The three were the only ones that were like outsiders, watching as the more organized group gathered strength and the others tore each other apart. They were located near the entrance to the second pavilion far from the chaos. Aleran could see the glow of intelligence in the third man like he had his own plans.

    ¡°Bam!¡± Suddenly the door to the second pavilion was opened and two guards came in. One had a blade drawn and was dripping with blood, while the other had no weapon whatsoever. Clearly, they had run into some of the lunatics that went towards the other pavilions.

    The first pavilion became silent. Even the fighting prisoners went still like statues, frozen in their combat poses mid-fight. For a second, guards and prisoners looked at each other.

    ¡°Oh no, this can''t be happening!¡± The first to react was a guard. As fast as he came in, the unarmed guard, turn around and run to where he came from.

    The other armed guard was a few seconds slower to react and as he was turning around when the hand of Fedrin grabbed the back of his neck. The guard quickly wielded his blade in a backhand grab to stab Fedrin but he only managed to pierce his clothes. ¡° If it''s not an artifact, don''t bother using it against me.¡± Fedrin soft voice was now a whisper of death. He squeezed his hand and the guard died instantly.

    From Alerans perspective Fedrin had been sitting near the center of the corridor. But somehow and in a way that escaped Alerans perception, he stood up and appeared instantly behind the guard. What followed was the unpleasant sound of the guard''s neck breaking and his body falling like a rag doll.

    Aleran had been far away to see the death of the first guard clearly. But with this one, he could see the life leaving his body and thanks to his enhanced senses he could even hear the guard''s last agonizing breath. The insipid food he ate before was threatening to reappear again but Aleran forced the vomit to stop in his throat.

    ¡°Okay, the time to gather strength is over. Let''s leave.¡± Fedrin spoke to the other prisoners. He then looked at Aleran and Zarasen. ¡° It looks that this is where we part ways, I will never be able to thank both of you enough for your help. I hope we meet again, no matter the situation, you will always find a friend in me.¡±

    With that, he turned and enter his cell, followed by most of the prisoners. He went to the wall and stood there with his legs flexed and apart from each other. One of his arms was extended, almost touching the wall while the other was at the height of his waist closed in a fist. He inhaled and suddenly his arms started to glow, it was the glow of qi. His arms started to give cracking noises and they started to look more like boulders than arms, they literally looked like rocks. The walls that were connected to the outside were much thicker than the inner walls so he needed much more strength to open a hole in them.

    ¡°That''s what a body cultivator can do with qi. The Levian family specializes in defense techniques but their strength is not to be underestimated. Like all body cultivators, they can integrate their images to their bodies changing their properties.¡± Zarasen explained to Aleran who was looking with all his attention, he had already forgotten of the sickness he felt for the dead guard or the moral issue of rescuing the unconscious jailor.

    Breathing out Fedrin punched with a quick movement, unlike what his arm that looked to be made of rocks suggested, the speed was unbelievable. Aleran could not see the punch only the sound was heard It was like when a ball or a fast-moving object passes next to your ear. Only that now, the sound came from a few tens of meters.

    ¡°Booom!¡± The whole building experienced an earthquake and a huge hole was opened in the wall.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "We better prepare too, let''s go." Zarasen started walking. Aleran looked behind to see that the previously killed guard was now naked. The man with a diamond-shaped jaw was finishing changing into the guards uniform. As if sensing Aleran''s look he stopped changing, he looked up smiled and winked at him. Then he turned around and went towards the second pavilion.

    ¡®That is strange, I had assumed he was going to wait like us to escape, but it seems he has other agenda.'' With that thought, he also turned around and followed Zarasen.

    <hr>

    Gudrak was currently standing on top of the outer wall near the gates, preparing himself for what was to come. He was clothed in tight-fitting robes and had spiky hair. His eyes were brown and with a frown surrounding them. He looked around at his men, they were standing at a distance from each other, some were equipped with bows, others with blades. But all of them, from time to time sent looks of worry and concern towards his side, but they were mainly questioning looks.

    ¡®Tss¡¯ He could only click his tongue at this. They had never been in the army they were just the most powerful of the silver creek village. In order to keep secrecy most of the personnel of the asylum was from the village nearby. They were generations of guards. They were weak but most of the prisoners came with collars on or especially sealed. So, even with their meager skills, they could handle everything.

    But he was different, he had been in the royal army, only for some stupid mistake, he was sent here to oversee this cursed pace. ¡® If this goes wrong then, What is going to become of me?¡¯ This was the lowest he thought he could fall. But if the prisoners escaped¡­

    Now, any person who has commanded men before. No, any person with a head over his shoulders would realize that he had a numerical disadvantage. The best option in this situation would be to send his men inside and take advantage of the relatively narrow hallways and close space to make up for that handicap. Even more, he could send some men to enter by the front door and others to enter from the second pavilion door. Attacking them from both sides with their weapons and equipment would do the job. That was probably the reason why those country bumpkins, that believe themselves smart, were sending him odd glares

    Yes, that was the right call if it weren''t for a little problem in the form of Fedrin Levian. ¡®These idiots had never seen what a body cultivator is capable of.¡¯ He was one of the few at his level that has seen one of the famous body cultivators in action. No matter how many of these weaklings he sent, the only outcome would be them becoming meat paste and decorations to the walls. Facing a body cultivator in a closed space is as good as committing suicide. Even with him there, the result would be the same, only with one extra punching bag. From the moment he realized that the Levian scion had escape he prepared for the worse.

    That was why he was waiting for him to come out, and that was why he choose an artifact he was not that familiar with. Unlike his usual short sword, he was now using one of the iconic Sidrin empire weapons, the spiked chain. As the name described it was an artifact in the form of a long chain with spikes at the end, the longitude variated. It had special formations engraved to increase control and to wrap around the user. It was usually harder to control the larger it was. So depending on the ability of the wielder it could be larger or shorter. He could only control one with each arm, of almost 15 feet long. It wasn''t much, but he knew every inch mattered.

    ¡°Booom!¡± While his men were scared and confused, Gudrak didn''t even blink at the sound. ¡®So they are escaping from the side, that''s reasonable.'' He had already given the orders, they will concentrate on Fedrin and sent only small forces to chase after the others. He had already sent an eagle both to the village and to the east moon province garrison, to ask for more men. He knew that things could go really bad.

    ¡°Move! To the east wall!!¡± With that, he moved with his men.

    When he got to the broken wall location, Fedrin was already halfway between the building and the outer wall. ¡° Oh no, not tonight motherfucker.¡± He whipped with the chain from up to down, forcing Fedrin to stop to avoid the attack. The ground cracked and a deep crevice was formed.

    Fedrin stopped and looked frowning at the man that was coming from his right. Gudrak stopped and said retracting his chains. ¡°You didn''t expect me to have artifacts on me?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡± Fedrin only snorted and charged in his direction.

    ¡®Tss. He won''t allow me to gain time.¡¯ Gudrak was trying to wait for his men to come, after all, he was the fastest of them. Unlike the lunatics escaping that were avoiding their fight, his men were going to help him.

    He threw his left chain in a straight line trying to impale the charging Fedrin, who dogged towards the left as to not get attacked by the right chain. Gudrak spun from right to left and whipped with his right chain sideways. Fedrin jumped forwards trying to avoid and get closer to Gudrak at the same time, but Gudrak kept putting distance between the two.

    The battle transformed into a sort of dance with Fedrin dodging in circles and Gudrak retreating constantly. They looked like a moon orbiting a planet in fast motion, only that the moon would constantly change its orbit.

    With a decisive look, Fedin raised his arm, which now looked like an arm made of pure rock and let the chain wrapped around it. The spikes thrust almost reached the bone, but Fedrin didn''t even flinch. He also ignored the other chain that was coming for his legs.

    Gudrak was sent flying towards Fedrin instantly. But just before the pull, he had managed to land a blow to his leg with his left chain, which worked like a saw leaving a deep gush on him. A piece of white bone was even visible between the flying blood. Having moved the qi to his arms his legs were unprotected. Well, unprotected was a relative term considering that a normal cultivator would have had his leg completely shattered. But he couldn''t be too happy he was flying directly to a rocky punch from that monster. If he took that punch directly¡­. he didn''t want to think about it. Immediately, he retracted the spikes on the right chain that was wrapped around Fedrin''s arm and ordered the artifact to roll around his arm in concentric circles, like a shield. In an instant, the shield was half-formed, though it wasn''t complete it was at least some form of protection. That was the versatility of an artifact and what''s more, the iconic weapon of a whole empire.

    Baaam craaack¡­. ahhggg!! The force of the punch deformed the shield made of chains and soon cracking noises were heard together with the grunt of pain coming from Gudrak. Unlike Fedrin who didn''t even snort at his wounds, he could not help but let his pain show.

    Immediately after he was launched like a cannonball towards the wall. Now he wiped his left chain to the ground managing to anchor himself and stop his collision.

    Fedrin was not going to let this chance go. While Gudrak was looking at his injuries he used his uninjured leg to propel himself and give the finishing punch.

    Woosh! The sound of an arrow coming directly at him makes Fedrin react. Though the arrow could not pierce his flesh, this one was aimed at his eye with uncanny precision. He had to dodge and that second of distraction was enough for Gudrak to react, whipping the chain and retreating.

    Gudrak looked at his right arm, it was hanging uselessly, with the right chain bearly holding together. It looked like a small breeze could destroy it. It was, after all, an artifact of the lowest grade. But that was not everything, the punch was so strong that went through his shield and the arm, to break two of his right ribs. One had even pierced through the skin, it looked really gruesome.

    Gudrak looked at Fedrin and sighed. The freak was already healing, his right arm was less injured than his leg but the bone of his leg has already regrown the part he destroyed. Like all at the qi circulation, he could rapidly move qi towards one part of his body be it to strengthening it or to heal faster. But the rate at which Fedrin was healing was clearly a few notches above the norm. Fedrin had obviously put a priority on his leg, but still, his regeneration speed was absurd. He had underestimated his strength. Although he had seen other body cultivators fight he had never fought one. And this guy in front was clearly among the best of body cultivators. He thought that with the artifact, and the fact that Fedrin was clearly not in his best condition after the years of confinement, he would have a chance. But reality has proved him wrong.

    Luckily his men arrived just in time. For all that they were country-bumpkins, they were experts of archery. Though most of them earned their living in the asylum there was a strong hunting tradition in the silver creek village. They used the strength and sharper senses they had from cultivating, to better their aim and to see farther than normal archers. And though the Levian scion could very possibly have the mastery to harden his eyes, this would let him blind to other attacks.

    With this extra support, Gudrak started spinning his left chain. While Fedrin, now with his leg healed, started giving short but fast jumps circling him. Gudrak knew he had to make this battle as long as possible. Fedrin was not one hundred percent charged with inner qi, so he had to make him stay away and spend energy. But at the same time, he had to stop him from turning around and jump the wall. It was a tricky situation.

 Chapter 13: Escape II

    The moment Fedrin charged out of the asylum, Aleran and Zarasen quickly went to the front door. They knew it would not be totally unguarded but the number of enemies would be extremely low for sure.

    When they reached the front door, the place was empty and dark, there was not a single soul, at least that was on the inside. On the outside, and thanks to the light from the moons, Zarasen noticed a shadow resting in the crack between the door and the floor.

    Meanwhile, Aleran was searching for the front door key in the reception desk. The unconscious guard, who they stole the keyring from, didn''t have it on him. No matter how lazy the security of this place was, it would be a security risk to allow every guard to have their own front door key.

    After searching a few drawers he found two long keys, that he remembered as the same the thin guard used to open the door on the outer wall and the front door of the building back then.

    ¡®They had left someone watching over the front door from the outside.'' Zarasen whispered while pointing at the shadow.

    ¡°Yes, I will try and knock him out, let''s hope he is not too strong.¡± Aleran whispered back. Sadly sensing someone''s power through walls and doors was still beyond his abilities.

    ¡°Don''t worry, he isn''t¡± Zarasen nodded with a strange glow in his eyes, reassuring him.

    Aleran got closer to the door and spied through the door lock. On the other side, and almost five meters away, was a guard that was facing the door. But he seemed more worried by the sounds coming from the escaped prisoners. He was constantly looking left and right. It seemed he had been tasked to guard the door but was also afraid of being jumped at the back by one of the lunatics that had already escaped.

    ¡®It''s a miracle this guy hasn''t turned his back to the door.'' Thinking along those lines Aleran prepared himself.

    He slowly put the key into the lock turning it with the less amount of sound possible, trying to not attract the guards'' attention. Once the door was unlocked he waited to see if the shadow moved, but it didn''t. He put his hand on the doorknob and waited. Knowing Fedrin''s strength, what he was waiting had to come any time soon.

    ¡°Boom!¡± An especially loud sound with a tinge of a metallic ring was heard coming from the battlefield, making the shadow flinch. That loud sound was enough to make the guard turn around from the door, reconsidering his priorities, and forgetting his duty for a second.

    In a single movement, Aleran opened the door and launched himself towards the guard. That previous caution and stillness disappeared in an explosion of movement and force.

    Aleran took the chance to block his mouth with his left hand and put his right arm around his neck. He was trying to do the same thing Corif did to him, to choke the guard and knock him out. Though Aleran was not a fighter he roughly knew the principle of the move. It was to stop the blood flow to the brain for a few seconds forcing the guard unconscious.

    The guard instinctively went for something that Corif lacked back in the cell, his blade. Aleran reacted grabbing the guard''s hand when it was touching the hilt, he could not ignore the blade like Fedrin. With his strength, it wasn''t a problem to hold the guard''s hand in place. With one arm into the guard''s mouth and the other in his hand, Aleran discarded his previous idea and launched a knee to the guard''s back.

    ¡°Crack¡± The back of the guard made a cracking noise and his legs instantly stopped moving. Aleran didn''t expect it, he had forgotten that the guard was much weaker than himself, he was probably in the second phase. He didn''t just hear the sound, he also felt the vibrations of the guard''s spine breaking and his organs moving.

    ¡°Mmmmmm!¡± The scream was muffled by Aleran''s hand.

    The heat of the guard''s breath and the tears coming from the pain. He could feel it all with extreme detail and for a second he froze. But quickly he regained his awareness and with a hand still covering the guard''s mouth he knocked him out against the floor, this time with less force.

    ¡®I had forgotten that Corif was at the third phase like me, and most guards were in the second phase.'' The difference in strength between the second and the third phase was like that of a bodybuilder against a regular person. Aleran looked at his trembling hands, he was really nervous.

    ¡° I know that you forgot almost everything and it feels like the first time you even fight but pull yourself together." I already reminded you before and we don''t have time to do this again.¡± Zarasen patted his shoulder and pushed him to continue.

    They went towards the outer wall, not following the narrow pathway, but through the bushes in the garden, trying to hide as best as they could.

    When the big metallic door of the wall was in sight they noticed there was no guard looking over it. So, they creeped out of the bushes and with slow steps, Aleran and Zarasen got closer.

    ¡°Shwing¡± The sound of a sword being unsheathed reached their ears and force them to turn their heads. Coming from the left was a guard that was previously hiding near the metallic door. ¡°Tch¡± Zarasen clicked his tongue while thinking. ¡®This guy was probably hiding to avoid danger but must be confident in his ability to kill us and decided to gain some merit.¡¯

    The reason why Zarasen was so irritated was that the guard seemed to notice Aleran''s strength and went for Zarasen first. He was trying to kill the weakest of the two in a single blow and then deal with Aleran. The guard had a condescending smile plastered on his face when he jumped and slashed with the blade vertically at the old man.

    Aleran who was about to react caught sight of Zarasen''s face and stopped himself. The old man still showed no energy, nor any other sign of power. But there was such calm in the old man''s gaze. Such certainty. Everything the guard could do was meaningless in front of that calm expression.

    Even after Fedrin broke his collars off, Zarasen hadn''t even tried to gather energy. This made Aleran believe that he had his spirit veins broken. Though for some reason Aleran found that hard to believe, he could not bring himself to ask such a question in this situation. He had decided to help the old man if he was in danger, but now something in his gut told him that Zarasen would not die so easily.

    Without a change in his expression, the old man raised his right hand. It was facing the edge of the blade like it was trying to use it as a shield. The guard''s smile became even more pronounced and full of malice. But his smile was soon wiped by the odd feeling he got when the blade made contact with the decrepit hand. He felt a soft sensation like hitting a pillow.

    Meanwhile, Aleran saw the blade made contact with the hand and the old man''s arm started to flex going together with the motion of the blade as if absorbing the impact. The hand seemed to be glued to the blade but at the same time not making real contact. Then, when his arm was almost completely flexed and the blade was almost touching his nose, the old man pushed.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    To Aleran it felt almost unnatural. He could not tell if it was the old man pushing the blade or if the blade was dragging the old man''s hand. But what he knew was that it felt like a powerful mighty wind blew and the guard suddenly lost his grip on the sword. With an abnormal movement, the sword flew straight from the guard''s hands to his head, piercing right through his forehead.

    ¡®plop¡¯ The body dropped, the face was frozen in an eternal gesture of mild surprise that failed to realize the magnitude of his last mistake.

    ¡°These idiots are all brawn and no brain.¡± Zarasen was as relaxed as always.

    ¡°That was a neat trick, old man. How the hell did you do that?¡±. Aleran was almost sure the old man had not used any qi whatsoever. He was so impressed that he wasn''t bothered by the third death of the night and of his twenty-four years of life.

    ¡°They have strength and speed but they don''t know how to use it, how to distribute their strength in their bodies. This guy could not even hold a blade properly. So its no wonder they can''t take even the most basic of martial forms.¡± Zarasen said while pulling out the blade from the dead body. ¡° Though when one grows more powerful these forms become useless, their concepts can still be used, refined and improved.¡±

    ¡®Martial forms.'' Aleran took mental note of the comment while opening the door that, even though it was huge, it only required a slight push from his part to open. On the other side, there was no guard. Only the night with the screaming and chaos that Fedrin and the prisoners made.

    ¡°The outside, finally.¡± Even though he said that Aleran was still scared. Not only because they were not safe yet, but because he was about to jump headfirst into a strange world he knew nothing about. It was like waking in the middle of an unknown country without money, nor cultural references. Only that he knew there was no map, no embassy, nor an airport or place he could go to return home. ¡®At least I know the language now.¡¯ Aleran thought, trying to blow away the anxiety.

    He took a deep breath and looked at the three moons of this alien sky. One in the right was silvery white and the other two were brown, one almost reddish and the other had a tinge of yellow with it. He almost started to loss himself guessing their composition could be. But without saying why, Zarasen chose a random direction and started jogging. Aleran followed without saying much, though he sent him some questioning glances from time to time.

    ¡°We are going east, that is where the border with the Sidrin empire is.¡± Zarasen was speaking while jogging. ¡°We will go till the entrance of the forest of eternal¡­ hmm.. dreams, there we will split. The best place for you to go is the Sidrin empire so if you go into the forest and in the direction, I will point you to, you will find a river. If you follow it, it will take you to the other side of the forest and to the Sidrin empire''s territory.¡±

    ¡°Can''t I go with you? I really don''t know my way around, I had forgotten everything.¡± Aleran knew the answer, but he had to try.

    ¡°No way kid, you are the son of a noble family, you will be a high priority catch. While I am just an old nobody, they won''t give a crap where I go. Do you understand boy? I will head to the mountains alone.¡± Zarasen shook his head with a fake look of fear.

    ¡®Sigh¡¯ Aleran could tell there was something more the old man was not saying, but he left it like that. The important thing was that he was out. Ever since he arrived at this world he had only been reacting to what this place threw at him. His fate was never in his own hands, something that was unacceptable to him. It was time to take control of his own destiny.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Zarasen stopped in his tracks looked to his left. Aleran stopped too and when he followed Zarasen line of sight he was able to see a group of people on top of a hill. Though they were far for Aleran to see their faces clearly, they were close enough to notice their uniforms that revealed them as guards. They were five of them and had the company of two things that, from afar, looked like dogs. Thanks to the shine of the three moons the night, though by no way bright, was clearer than a night on earth. That coupled with his enhanced senses allowed him to see farther and better.

    The silhouettes on top of the hill also notice them, they stopped for a moment and the one in the center patted one of the dog-like creatures and pointed at their direction. That''s when the resemblance of these creatures to dogs vanished. The four-legged creature unfolded some kind of hood around its neck, like a cobra, but it looked like a satellite antenna to Aleran.

    ¡°GggggraaaaaaaaAAAaaaAAAaa.¡±The creatures started to make a rhythmic sound. The sound started low but soon became loud filling the area, even with a great distance between them it was able to stun Aleran.

    Without waiting a second longer Aleran and Zarasen started to run while the group of five men and two beasts started to go down the hill chasing after them.

    "Wow, nice little things they got there. Hahaha! Those are domesticated beasts, they are sound seekers. They can''t see well, but they have a great sense of smell and hearing. The weirdest thing about these creatures is those huge crystal-like things on their foreheads. It is what uses to locate enemies through the sound you are now hearing. It also stuns their prey if they get too close." Zarasen enthusiastically explained the animal to Aleran.

    Aleran though terrified by the beasts was also fascinated. Sadly he was too busy running, so he just nodded at Zarasen description and answered shortly. " Got it. We are the prey. Don''t let them get close."

    The leader of the five men, Varig, was the same man that had first introduced Aleran to the asylum with a mocking face. He was currently very excited, he had orders to bring reinforcements and the two beasts to help the supervisor fight the body cultivator and the prisoners. But he had other plans. ¡®You think I will go and put my life at risk against a man even Gudrak isn''t sure he can take? Dream on! This is the perfect excuse. A chance sent from the heavens so I don''t put myself in danger.¡¯

    He didn''t know how powerful a body cultivator was, but he had the chance to see the supervisor power once. It was thanks to a mistake he made a few years ago at work. That day the supervisor instilled the fear of God in him through a devastating beating. That moment, in front of the supervisor, he felt like a little child facing a lion, utterly powerless.

    ¡®If I say we were ambushed by these two while we were on our way he may be pissed but the excuse is still believable.'' While thinking this, he made a hand signal and the men started to fire arrows even as they ran.

    ¡°Hahaha! Quite clever coming for the old man and the young child instead of facing the real threat.¡± Zarasen laughed as if he didn''t understand the situation they were in. But with his words, he remarked exactly what those guys were thinking.

    Aleran started to accelerate, though his energy reserve was halfway depleted, he still had his remnant energy. So, without caring for his energy consumption, he started to gain speed. He was probably running faster than was humanly possible. But it seemed the beasts and three of the five men could keep up with this speed, the distance was not shortening but it wasn''t increasing either.

    At his right, Zarasen was keeping up without a problem. He was running beside him while laughing like a maniac. Apparently, he was thrilled by the chase. And for the first time, he showed signs of using qi.

    ¡°swoosh swoosh swoosh¡­ clank clank clank ¡° The same sounds were repeated a few times. It happened every time the guards fired arrows and Zarasen blocked them with his stolen sword. Every time, he parried the arrows with seemingly careless movements of the blade. He didn''t even look back to parry, it was as like he had eyes on his back. All the while he was laughing and chatting.

    ¡°clank, clank, clank¡± ¡° Hey, what the hell! That last one was aimed at my balls! You people are sick!.¡±

    The chase continued for almost a minute. With Aleran and Zarasen jumping over rocks, fallen trees and dodging all kind obstacles appearing in front. While Zarasen also handled the arrows coming from behind.

    ¡®The situation cannot keep going like this. Thanks to my remnant energy I am sure I can endure more than those guys, but I''m not so sure about those two beasts.'' Aleran thought, looking behind and focusing especially on the beats open maws filled with razor-sharp teeth. ¡®They look really dangerous and even bigger now. I can''t bet on outrunning those things. If this goes on, the beats will catch up first and will soon be followed by the guards, at that point we will be defeated if not dead.¡¯

    Following that train of thought, Aleran suddenly stopped, faced his charging opponents and closed his eyes. ¡°Boy! what are you doing?¡± He filtered out the sound of Zarasen voice together with all the other sounds. The guards were roughly 500 meters away, so he had around 20 seconds or a little more to focus.

    He was going to use all his remnant energy in a single attack. He closed his eyes and breathed in, focusing on his image. This attack was his last resort, this was currently his only hidden card.

 Chapter 14: Image And Resonance

    Aleran remembered Zarasen''s reaction when he told him the image he had chosen.

    ¡°Kid, this time you are not only going to destroy your spirit-veins you will also destroy your body. If you pick a natural image it is always better to have special cultivation techniques to teach you how to control it. Otherwise, you are playing with something dangerous you don''t understand.¡±

    ¡°Natural images, to be controlled need previous knowledge. Those cultivation techniques were made after many of our ancestors died trying to find the right way to move the qi in order to use them. Many others died trying to improve the way we use the images together with our cultivation. I already told you not to waste your time on images, you can''t use them outside your body anyway.¡°

    ¡°And do you know what is the worst of all this? Nobody has figured out how to control that as a natural image. It is used in special domains, like all unnatural images and laws. The power of lightning it''s too chaotic kid, there''s being countless generations and to this date, nobody knows how it works. There are some techniques, but they are still a far cry of what the established cultivation techniques of natural elements can do. They mostly use lightning partial images and concepts to add to other techniques.¡±

    Aleran didn''t know very well what Zarasen meant and the latter refused to explain more saying that it would be a waste of time for the current him. But he didn''t need a cultivation technique, he knew what the real nature of the lightning was.

    He had approached Zarasen with that word because the language of this place probably didn''t have a word for what was on his mind. It was likely that no one in this world could fathom what electromagnetism was. No one that could picture what this force, one of the four fundamental forces of the universe could do.

    With the little time Zarasen allowed him to use to train on his image, he had done several experiments. But he had never tried to do something like this and in this magnitude. In theory, it had to work.

    He had two main ways of creating an electrical current, one was to transform one part of his qi in negatively charged particles and another part into positively charged particles inducing a current.

    So he thought he could launch a ball of his qi to the enemy and transform it into positively charged particles, then creating a bunch of electrons or negatively charged particles with another ball of qi in his hands. After it reached the needed potential energy the current will naturally come. The problem was that he could not spread his inner qi outside of his body yet. So he discarded that possibility for now.

    He had other ways to target people with an electrical current from a distance, but for all of them, the ability to externalize inner qi was needed.

    The second option consisted of creating negatively charged particles and move them with his own will then, gain enough voltage to create electric arcs. As long as they were inside his spirit-veins since it was his image he could do it. Though he needed more qi, much more qi to do that. Fortunately, he had his remnant energy that was still full, so he choose this second option.

    He had also tried other methods of generating the current, but they were not the best for his current condition. One of those was with magnetic fields, but it seems he still needed to polish his image of them, he could barely control them.

    Since he was not yet in the qi circulation stage he could not move his qi towards the flesh in his arms to reinforce them even further, but he could move it through the spirit-veins of his arms. Though there was the risk of destroying his spirit-veins he had no other choice.

    Aleran pictured two separate thick threads of qi inside the spirit veins that ran along his arms. These threads of qi were not straight they went in a spiral from the spirit-veins in his shoulders to his forearm and then the hands.

    Right now the thread, that looked like a very compressed spring, closed on itself, making a sort of closed circuit. It ended looking like a spring with many loops that was highly compressed. The good news was that spirit-veins where bigger on the inside than the actual proportions of his body. Making it better for him to pump more energy in them.

    ¡®This will serve as the conductor.'' With that, he meant that the particles transformed from his qi preferred to travel through his own qi than outside of the spirit-veins and through his body. After some experiments, he discovered that the qi was a perfect conductor. It probably had something to do with the fact that the particles he created were transformed from that same qi.

    All this consumed the remaining energy left in his spirit veins, now he was going to start using the remnant energy.

    ¡°GaaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaAA¡± The sound seeker''s strange and constant howl was a reminder of his enemies closing in. And with them a life of confinement and misery or even worse, death. But he ignored it, he needed to devote his mind to his image if he wanted to survive.

    The image of electrons all moving towards the same direction, it was an image the people in this world lacked. It may seem simple, but the concept of an electron was an extremely complex one. He had yet to put together all his knowledge in it, the image was not totally complete, but it was enough.

    He started to move all the electrons in the same direction. He could not manipulate magnetic fields efficiently and he didn''t have a positive pole nor a negative one, so he had to move the electrons by himself.

    He also started to convert more of his remnant qi into electrons creating a bigger current. The more electrons he created, the more qi he had to use to move the whole current.

    ¡® This is taking more qi than I thought. Only when I open the circuit, the current will flow naturally without me doing anything.¡¯

    ¡®I need more, more current! MORE POWER!!¡¯ But he knew that was not everything if he wanted the electrons to create an electric arc. To do that, he needed to create a difference in potential between the inside of his spirit veins and the outside. If this difference was big enough, once he opened the circuit it, would allow the electrons to jump outside. That was what voltage did. If you could generate enough voltage your electrons could pass even through materials that had high resistance.

    <hr>

    Zarasen was standing beside Aleran watching as the enemies approached. He had tried to talk with the kid but he seemed to be concentrating on something important. ¡® What is this brat plotting?... He had surprised me twice already. It is hard enough to surprise me once, but I will bet on him doing something big again. I will trust him on this one and try to stall this bugs.¡¯ With that thought, his eyes turned sharp. He grabbed the sword in a reverse grip, stood in position and threw it like an Olympic player throwing a javelin.

    ¡°Swoosh.¡± At an impressive speed, the sword flew through the air and thrust itself into the open mouth of one of the sound seekers. The poor creature was sent flying backward and crashed into one of the three guards running behind it. The incessant sound was abruptly cut short.

    The three men and the remaining beast stopped for a moment. Even the almost blind beast stood still, looking with some incredulity at his fallen brother and then at the seemingly fragile old man.

    The man who crashed with the fallen beast stood up and exchanged glances with the other two men. They seemed to encourage each other with that because the next moment they patted the beast and resume their chase.

    Just when Zarasen was thinking what to do next he heard a hoarse voice.

    ¡°Thanks, old man. Get a few dozen steps back, please. I will handle it.¡± Aleran was standing with his arms raised but flexed at his chest with eyes wide open.

    In these few seconds, his eyes became red, with a few tears of blood dripping down. His lips were dried and he seemed to be in great pain.

    Zarasen had a strange glow in his eyes when he looked at Aleran. But he stepped back as he was told without saying a word.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    <hr>

    ¡°Tsss¡± The sweat on his arms was evaporating rapidly. The heat in his arms was starting to increase. ¡® Shit, If I had more practice all this energy would not be wasted in heat and would have been transformed into more electricity.¡¯

    Aleran''s time to think was over when the enemies got into range. The three men stopped a few meters before him. They had long since run out of arrows and were now wielding their swords. Thanks to Zarasen they now looked more weary, though their confidence was still there.

    Aleran didn''t give them time to attack or speak, he breathed out and extended his arms pointing at them. An ominous silence took place in the area. Inside his spirit veins, Aleran finally opened the circuit right at the tip of his fingers. The next second, he saw countless bright electric arcs that extended everywhere from his hands. They made erratic movements and although they were not targeting anyone in particular, the electric arcs didn''t take long to reach the guards.

    Some thin as a hair, others thick as an arm, countless arcs of lightning swept through the air in a deadly but beautiful dance. Like poisonous snakes, the bolts of lightning attacked quickly and retreat with the same speed only to be replaced by another arc of lightning in the next instant.

    The whole spectacle lasted for a few seconds, even though to Aleran it felt more like a few hours.

    The guards had no time to react. One instant they were in clear advantage and had the situation pretty much controlled, and the next moment they were no more.

    Three stiff charred corpses were thrown back by the sheer power of the attack. They fell like wooden logs on the ground, lifeless. Only the sound seeker, that maybe by some animal instinct, sensed danger just before Alerans attack and managed to step back.

    The creature was uninjured but clearly stunned.

    Aleran stood in his place looking at the creature and before it got time to sober up he yelled at it. ¡°AHHHHHHH¡± Making honor to the place he escaped from, his face was that of a deranged person or more like that of a cornered animal. This finally made the creature to react. Seeing its masters dead it turned tail and ran.

    Watching the creature run, Aleran had a sigh of relief. He was obviously bluffing, his tank had already run out of gas. The moment the beast was out of sight Aleran collapsed, his legs could not support his weight anymore. Feeling like an untouchable superhuman and then suddenly feeling as weak as a normal one was a more uncomfortable sensation that he had thought it would be. It was like going from an athlete to a cripple in a second.

    Then he smelled it, the odor of burnt meat. But he knew it was not any meat, it was the smell of three carbonized corpses.

    ¡°Puah¡± Finally, the food that had been threatening to reappear the whole night was out. And Finally, the reality of what he had done hit him. He wiped the vomit and still kneeling he raised his head to look at the corpses. ¡°I¡­ I killed them.¡± He couldn''t take his eyes away from them. Their factions where no longer visible and their clothes were almost gone. All that remained were reduced to silhouettes of what they once were, bearly recognizable as humans. Just like when he and Zarasen first noticed them above that hill. Just silhouettes.

    Zarasen slowly approached Aleran, he didn''t know how to react. ¡®That attack¡­¡¯ he was shocked. The strength of the attack was not what shocked him, anyone who could externalize his qi and create a qi barrier could probably survive the attack. Though to be fair at Aleran''s level and maybe at a level higher, that was a really strong attack. No, it was the attack in itself and what it implied, that left him without words.

    He knew the kid had been working on an image but he didn''t even think that it would be useful. When Aleran practiced his image Zarasen always went to sleep, refusing to help and even look. It was his way to tell him to use his time to cultivate and not in images. But the kid stubbornly continued on his own even though it pissed Zarasen off. But since the kid cultivation speed was so amazing he treated it as some sort of reward for Aleran.

    It was an amazing thing what the kid had achieved with the few moments he had to practice. He himself had to make sure that Aleran time to practice images, which was equal to his time to sleep during the training hours of the night, was not longer than half Ru. Give a normal cultivator double the time Aleran had and they would barely achieve some minor visualization.

    No matter what, he always came back to the same question.¡®How did he do it?¡¯ It was the question that repeated itself inside Zarasen''s mind over and over. From the moment the kid summoned lightning, his mind was trying to find a reason, an explanation of what he just saw.

    ¡®Let''s forget for a second that he just used an image that nobody had ever used, not like that at least.¡¯ Yes, there were techniques that used lightning but they usually never looked so natural, they were mixed with other concepts. This was pure lightning if this was mixed with other images the power would be unbelievable.

    ¡® What bothers me is that I can feel the almost complete resonance with nature from that attack.¡¯ As he had explained to Aleran, the attacks from images were usually more powerful than the natural produced phenomenons. A fire from a cultivators image was more powerful than a real fire. But if this cultivator could increase his knowledge of natural fire, the power of his image will increase and this will cause a resonance. The higher the resonance the more powerful was the attack. The amplification to that lightning attack was at least five times what it should have been with Aleran''s qi, even taking into account the remnant qi.

    ¡®Can a boy his age have that much knowledge? It''s impossible, but everything about him seems impossible, his spirit veins regrowing, his absurd ability to absorb source qi and now this¡¯.

    For an instant, he had the impulse to just knock the boy unconscious, kidnap him, strap him into an operation table and torture his secrets out. But that was the old part of him talking. Besides, there was something, some gut feeling or premonition that told him that meeting this boy is a huge event in his life, though he still didn''t know how. ¡® Sadly I can''t take him with me, not that I would if I could, that same feeling is telling me to let him develop on his own.¡¯

    He got next to Aleran and noticed that the kid was looking at the corpses. His face was painted with a mix of relief, fear, and guilt. But there was a little pride there of what he had just done, something that even the same Aleran didn''t notice.

    Zarasen patted Aleran''s shoulder and awakened him from his thoughts. Aleran noticed the old man who had a solemn expression, looking at him with questioning and shocked eyes. ¡°Are you okay kid?¡±

    Aleran looked once again at the corpses then at his hands, the tip of his fingers was burned by his own attack. ¡°I''m fine. I know it was them or us, it''s just¡­¡±

    Zarasen waited, urging Aleran to continue with his silence.

    ¡°It''s just that it disturbs me the ease with which I choose my life above theirs. How easy and quickly I decided to kill them. Maybe there were other ways, maybe they would have given up. Maybe if we had kept running those beasts wouldn''t have outrun us. But I was...I am so tired, for once, I wanted to be in control of my own destiny.¡± With his gaze fixed in his hands, his eyes started to get wet. ¡° I know it probably was the right decision. But I can''t help but feeling like I''m losing myself. What am I becoming? ¡±

    With a soft voice, the old man said ¡° Come, stand up. You won''t find the answer looking at the dirt in your hands. Somethings you have to give them time, your answer will come through living, experiencing and probably through more killing. When to kill, when to not kill, that''s not something you can decide overnight, not in this world that is filled with dangers and death.¡±

    ¡°Now let''s go, I would normally ask you to meditate and gather energy, with your speed it would be easy. But in your state of mind, it seems impossible. Thanks to that chase we are already quite far, so we can walk. But we have to start moving now if we want to get to the forest by morning.¡± He offered his hand and helped Aleran to stand. After a little time to put himself together, Aleran started walking with the old man, but not before looking one final time at the remains of the guards.

    After about an hour of walking in silence, Zarasen decided to ask one of his many questions ¡°Hey kid, how in the hell did you externalize the attack? To tell you the truth It felt weird it was like you could forcefully pull your image out of your spirit-veins. But at the same time, it felt different, somehow weird but natural. You should not be able to externalize qi even when transformed into an image. No, much less transformed into an image.¡±

    Aleran just looked up and thought what to say. He couldn''t really explain the old man the principles of electricity, potential energy, and voltage out of nowhere. How he created enough voltage to make the electrons jump through the air once the circuit was opened.

    Firstly Zarasen would probably not understand if it wasn''t explained form the very basis of how all matter was composed of atoms and such. That, including some mathematical equations to make the explanation whole. Secondly, they didn''t have the time to explain the necessary concepts, some of which were hard to understand for someone who lived in a world where these concepts didn''t exist. It was something he could not start to elaborate in the middle of their escape. Thirdly, and supposing the other two were not a problem, he didn''t know how to say about half of the words he needed to explain the concepts, they were too complex after all.

    Lastly and more important, it would create more questions he didn'' t want to answer. That last battle was enough to prove how big and important his knowledge was, and how it was his only real advantage in this cruel world. He appreciated what Zarasen had done for him, but this was just too important. If the old man came with a specific question he would answer if that helped him, but to explain what he just did he needed to expose too much.

    It was the difference between lending money to a friend and give him all your money and your savings. It was only something you did for your family or life long friends. ¡®Sorry old man, I considered you a friend but I''m not ready to reveal my secrets, maybe in the future.¡¯

    ¡°It just felt natural, it flowed like the lightning. I don''t really know, I just felt like I could do it.¡± He lied.

    ¡°Hmmm... how mysterious.¡± Said Zarasen in a mocking tone. He was back to his relaxed self and he didn''t seem bothered at all by the lack of a real answer.

    After that question, they just chatted about random things and ideas Zarasen came with. Aleran appreciated the change of topic and the distraction from the faces of his victims that were engraved in his mind.

 Chapter 15: Each One On His Way

    "swoosh...swoosh¡± An arrow well aimed to his eyes forced Fedrin to duck, but following right after was another arrow aimed at his new position. ¡®They are not well trained, but they are used to coordinate when it comes to arrows.¡¯ Though Fedrin. Joining the second arrow was the chain swiping horizontally aiming to chop him at his waist.

    With a swift jump, he threw himself forward, dodging mid-air the arrow and the chain. Still in the air, he went for Gudrak''s neck stretching his arm. But with an overwhelming effort, Gudrak managed to rapidly change the trajectory of the chain. Forcing him to contort again in mid-air to dodge the chain, killing his momentum.

    He didn''t have much time to land, because as soon as he avoided the chain more arrows came. The worst thing was that every time he dodged another arrow appeared aiming again to his eyes.

    Another chain attack soon appeared in his field of vision, Gudrak may be weakened after Fedrin had severely injured him but the man was not giving up.

    ¡°Swoosh¡± He could hear another arrow coming, but this time he didn''t dodge. Since he knew the target was his eye, without even looking he caught the arrow while jumping and rotating to avoid the chain. After a 360 degree spin he threw the arrow he caught back to Gudrak.

    ¡°Ahggg¡± The speed and force of this arrow were much faster than the ones shot by the bows. It hit Gudrak''s leg with such force that it destabilized him, making him fall to the ground.

    Almost like having a mind of its own, the chain contracted and formed a shield in Gudraks arm, but the impact he expected didn''t arrive.

    Capitalizing on Gudrak''s fall, Fedrin ran to a guard that was near the wall. The guard tried to keep his cool and managed to shot an arrow at him, but without time to aim properly the arrow just hit Fedrin in the chest and bounced harmlessly.

    Without giving the guard time to process what to do, Fedrin''s arm turned into rock and with a sudden thrust, it impaled the guard going right through his abdomen. His arm, with the guard still hanging from it, kept going as if nothing happened and hit the wall.

    ¡°Booom!¡± The wall trembled and after some cracks appeared, a huge hole took form.

    The escaped prisoners, that a few moments before were trying to climb the wall or jumping over it while fighting other guards, went quiet. And as if guided by a single mind, they rushed with all their madness towards the easiest exit, the hole.

    The guard with the bows started to shoot the other prisoners, though most of them kept firing at Fedrin. ¡°Concentrate fire on Fedrin Levian!¡± Soon Gudrak''s pained voice put some order to them. He was standing up with some difficulty now, and in his eyes, the fear of death was finally showing. He knew that even if he dragged the fight, with his injuries, the one to give in first would be him.

    Fedrin''s lips arched upwards and instead of escaping, he turned and raced towards Gudrak. Arrows were shot at his eyes, but now he used the guard that was still impaled in his left arm as a shield.

    ¡°Ahhh¡±. With a scream, his shield announced to the world that it was still very much alive.

    He saw the shadow of the chain coming again, this time it was slower than before. With a bit more time to prepare, Fedrin jumped up avoiding the attack but as he went down he punched the ground with his rock fist.

    ¡°Booom¡± A huge crater was formed. But more importantly, Gudrak that had been barely standing and supporting his weight with only one leg, was thrown off balance and yet again, met with the floor.

    Almost by reflex the chain contracted again and condensed into a shield. Fedrin advanced with a concentrated look, as his arm transformed once more to attack. Once he reached the shield he stabbed with his hand

    ¡°clank.¡± ¡°... Ah...me...metal¡± Although the impact Gudrak expected did arrive, it was different than before. He only managed to say a soft word as Fedrin''s arm had turned into metal and was stabbed in his throat looking like a sharp sword blade. From the wound, a small stream of blood was coming out.

    That''s the reason why Fedrin picked a human shield. He could block the arrows with his arm or avoid them if necessary. But he needed to concentrate in order to transform his arm into metal and he could barely dodge the chain and run while doing it. It was not easy and costed more qi to use this image but the results speak for themselves.

    Gudrak looked one last time at his opponent, and from the corner of his eye, he could also see his men throwing their weapons and turning around. He didn''t blame them. In one arm, an impaled guard with arrows filling his body, and the neck of their leader being opened by his other hand. That image must be terrifying for these men.

    This guy was not only a powerful body cultivator, but he was also a genius. He had managed to fuse the image of metal to his body at the early qi circulation stage. The only reason they were able to hold him back was that he didn''t have the time to charge his spirit-veins fully.

    ¡®At least I wasn''t killed by a weakling.¡¯ With that last thought, Gudrak said goodbye to his life. With a swipe of Fedrin''s now metallic hand, the head flew off and with it, a shower of blood was released into the sky.

    Fedrin watched as Gudrak''s headless body dropped to the ground, only then he retracted his hand with some difficulty from the chain shield he had pierced. Then looking around and noticing that the rest of the guards had run, he dropped his human shield to the ground. His movements were so casual that he didn''t look like someone who had just fought with his life on the line. A testament, perhaps, of a life filled with fighting and death.

    He raised his head to look for the last time the place where he spent the last four years.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯ something grabbed his attention. ¡®Another wave of prisoners?¡¯ A group of prisoners that he didn''t remember freeing was rushing out from the hole in the wall. They were much more than the first wave and the few guards that were still fighting were soon overwhelmed by the sudden increase in numbers. ¡®Someone must have gone to the other pavilions and released more people.¡¯

    The resulting scene was a picture taken straight out from hell. Prisoners killing guards, others killing each other, some even harming themselves, and the remaining ones running in all directions. All that with the constant sound of laughter, weeping and cursing coming from the prisoners. ¡®I suppose that''s what happens when you free a bunch of madmen at the same time. This truly is a night of death and madness.¡¯ Fedrin thought as he took in the scene in front of his eyes.

    That''s when he caught sight of a man calmly walking at the back of the group, it was the only man of this new group he remembered freeing. He was the last to walk out of the building and he was dressed in the standard jailors'' uniform. But for some reason, he didn''t look happy about escaping. Instead, there was actually a frown on his face, and his expression was somewhere in the middle of thoughtful and disappointed. The man was just rubbing his well defined angular jaw while deep in thought, not paying attention to his surroundings.

    Fedrin''s eyes just stopped for an instant on the man, but the man seemed to sense his gaze and looked back at him. There was no hostility in his eyes, as fast as he looked at Fedrin he went back to his own machinations.

    For a moment Fedrin was startled, but soon he decided to ignore the man. ¡® If he doesn''t mean any harm to me I don''t care enough to not pry into his business.¡¯

    Then, he looked again at the building. ¡®This kingdom will pay for what you did, father. I will make sure to destroy everything you care for.¡¯ With hatred fueling his movements, he turned around and disappeared into the night.

    <hr>

    Aleran was exhausted, they had been walking the whole night and the sky was already clearing up. It would not have been a problem if he still had his inner qi, it was a pity that he hadn''t meditated at all since last night. Because of that, right now he was like a normal 14 years old kid walking in the wilderness with his limbs hardly responding. To make it worse his shoes were all worn out from last night run, making him feel like he was barefoot.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Zarasen said that they had been walking for 5 Ru. Aleran guessed that each Ru was roughly like an hour of the earth. Of course, he couldn''t be sure of the exact equivalence, but he didn''t really care about that right now. The people in this planet divided the day in 28 Ru, so purely for practical matters, in his head, he called them hours.

    ¡°Old man, I really need to rest. Are we there yet?¡± Aleran said with a tired voice. This was the tenth time he had asked that question and of course, he knew the answer. Every time he asked, the old man seemed to become more annoyed. But for some reason seeing the annoyed look of the old fart gave him strength.

    ¡°We are almost there so stop whining, you talk like an old woman.¡± Zarasen kept climbing the hill. ¡° After this hill, we''ll be able to see the forest and then I''ll be free of your constant nagging.¡± Despite the annoyed expression, the old man was actually in a good mood and as carefree as always. During their long walk, he had been talking about many stories and even some gossips along the way.

    There were stories about the man that was so powerful that created one of the three moons on the sky. And how the current royal family of the Silver Moon kingdom claimed to be their descendants.

    Also, he told him some of the rumors about the Sidrin emperor. It seems like the current Sidrin emperor and founder of the empire appeared in the world out of nowhere. There was no record of him before he gained his current power. Something hard to do with the other top tier masters always watching their backs in case of new talents rising to their level.

    This was the origin of many rumors about the Sidrin emperor, and Zarasen seemed to know all of them. One of those rumors said that he was an old reclusive expert who, after realizing that he could not advance in his cultivation anymore, decided to come out and create an empire. Of course, that theory had many flaws, one of them being that the emperor has lived for the past thousand years and he has become stronger during that time.

    Another popular theory talked about how the emperor was half dragon half man, and his children inherited the same dragon blood. This rumor was probably started by the common people. After they saw the dragons on their robes and other similar decoration the Sidrin family usually had, the common people could not help but start rumors. There were many more rumors surrounding the figure of the emperor. From being the child of a deity, to be an evil cultivator who drained the life force of people to gain power. There were truly countless theories.

    Although most of the stories and rumors Zarasen talked about were really hard to believe, after everything he saw, Aleran could not discard any of them. For christ sake, last night he had practically become a living Tesla coil, so he had to at least give these stories the benefit of doubt.

    During the first hours, Aleran listened to the stories paying close attention, and more so to the ones referring to the Sidrin empire. After all, that was supposed to be his destination.

    Now however he could not pay attention to anything else as he was barely standing and his vision was shaking.

    Once they reached the top of the hill Zarasen stopped talking and pointed at the landscape before them. In front of them, an endless sea of green could be seen. It looked like it had no end except when you look at both the south and the north. In each of those directions, there was a mountain range in the distance. They were like two dams stopping the advance of the green sea that was the forest of eternal dreams.

    Meandering through the forest, and sometimes hiding under the cup of the trees, was a wide river that flowed from south to north and then it made a smooth turn to the east.

    Aleran looked with awe at the forest, it was immense. For a moment he forgot of his tired body, but in the next second, he felt his legs heavier than ever. He looked at Zarasen with a bit of incredulity and while gasping for breath he asked. ¡° You are telling me that I have to get to the other side of that never-ending forest? Old man, if you wanted me dead you could have just stabbed me in the back when you had the chance.¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry kid, once you refill your qi the forest won''t be as dangerous as you think. your odds of dying should be fifty-fifty.¡± Zarasen said waving Aleran''s insecurities away, but he only managed to increase them. Now Aleran started to wobble but he was trying to stay put.

    Seeing his reaction, Zarasen continued ¡°Look, this is the only place out of the kingdom that it will make it hard for them to locate you. And believe me, a soon as the word goes out the Silver Moon kingdom will hunt us down like rabid dogs. If you want to go back and try your luck getting back home where, by the way, they already kick you out, be my guest.¡± He pointed towards their back at a hilly area with a few patches in the form of grooves that extended towards the horizon.

    ¡°Sigh...okay, then once inside the forest, what the hell am I suppose to do? I mean I can see the river here, but I know it will be hard to find it once I''m inside.¡± Aleran aked resigned. Now the edge of his vision was starting to get dark.

    ¡°That''s a more proactive question. And you are right, inside the forest is hard to find your way. That is why you will look for something to guide you. Once you get close you will notice at the base of the trees some purple mushrooms. These things are almost always pointing opposite to the nearest water source. Not all of them are exactly pointing to the opposite direction but if you find enough of this mushrooms they will take you towards the general direction.¡±

    ¡°Oh, how reliable.¡± Said Aleran with a sarcastic voice.

    ¡°Sorry, but that''s the best I have. Now, once you find the river, you follow it downstream. From there, It should take you two days to get out of the forest.¡±

    ¡°And you, you said something about going to the mountains?¡± Said Aleran. But before Zarasen answered, his legs gave up.

    ¡°Ah¡± Finally, his body couldn''t take it anymore and he collapsed on the ground, first he kneeled and then the rest of his body fell.

    ¡°Oh, I was wondering when you were going to give in.¡± Zarasen said without an ounce of surprise. ¡°Frankly you last longer than I thought.¡±

    ¡°What the hell is happening?¡± Aleran''s vision was starting to get swaying.

    ¡°You did use all your power and even more than what you can handle in a single outburst. Though the exterior of your spirit-veins looks fine, on the inside there may be injuries. I honestly can''t tell about the inside but as long as the exterior holds the interior can heal. You put a lot of strain on your body but with the emotion of the chase you were able to ignore all that and now you are starting to feel the consequences.¡±

    ¡®So the adrenaline is starting to wear off.¡¯ Thought Aleran and then he asked. ¡°Is there going to be permanent damage?¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry, that was the reason why you were so tired. You will probably fall unconscious for a few Ru and when you wake up you will only have a headache. LIke a hangover. Its the result of straining your spirit veins, you should be glad you didn''t destroy them again. Can you imagine? The first guy to regrow his spirit-veins was also the first to suffer a cultivation deviation twice. That would have been really fun to watch hahaha!¡±

    Zarasen explained the situation in detail with more laughing and then he changed the subject. ¡° I can''t wait for you to wake up, I have things to do. So, here is where we part, kid.¡±

    ¡° What?! You are going to leave me here unconscious in the middle of nowhere?!¡± Aleran was shocked and angry. It was too sudden, not to mention his current condition. With a weak voice, Aleran tried to argue. But he really didn''t have more energy to do so. He could barely see the figure of Zarasen that was not facing him and was still watching the landscape.

    ¡°You will be fine, I''m not that heartless¡­ well, I am but not right now. Hehe.¡± He said with a humorous tone, but next, he turned a little more serious. ¡°Our time together has been an eye-opener for me, I really grew attached to you, sadly I can''t take you with me. You should try to meditate after you wake up because inside the forest you won''t have much time to rest. As for the kingdom, they will take a while to react. If our friend did what he promised and make sure everything ended chaotically, they will take at least three days to come after us.¡±

    ¡°You could stay and make sure I don''t get killed while I am unconscious. That would be a good way to show your friendship.¡± Those were the final words Aleran muttered with his final trace of consciousness before darkness took his vision away.

    As if suddenly remembering something Zarasen said ¡°Oh right!! Once inside the forest don''t fall asleep near-¡± When he turned around he finally saw that Aleran had closed his eyes. ¡®Oh, he already passed out. Well, it doesn''t matter, what are the chances of that happening?¡¯

    Shrugging Zarasen turned his back to Aleran but he seemed to remember something important again and faced back at the unconscious boy. Looking serious, his eyes started to glow green with unprecedented brilliance. It was so bright that the green glow practically covered half of his face.

    At the top of the hill surrounded by the morning mist, Zarasen looked not like an old man, but like an ancient ghost coming from a time long forgotten. The air around him seemed to change and grow still, giving a strange feeling. He extended his pale decrepit arm and pointed his finger to the sleeping Aleran.

    ¡°whoosh.¡± A green streak of light flew out of his finger and entered Aleran''s head leaving no trace of its intrusion. After this, everything returned to normal. ¡®I guess this could be called a proof of friendship.¡¯

    ¡®Now you really have a fifty-fifty chance. This will scare away the more powerful and sensitive beasts and it will also make it hard to follow his trace for the kingdom.¡¯ Zarazen''s eyes, that had returned to their usual grey, softened a little and his lips showed a rare sympathetic smile.

    ¡®I hope you get to the other side before the effect wears off lad, you have five days of grace, the rest depends on you. It will be hard even with this help, but this is the best way for you to get out of the kingdom. Besides, if you don''t remember anything is for the best that you start remembering how cruel this world is.¡¯ His gaze suddenly hardened again.

    With a serious look, he now regarded his hand. The decrepit skin started to grow more wrinkles and his arms started to get more skinny and much older. Following soon after, his face experiencedthe same changes. ¡® Look at me running unnecessary risks, I really need to go back and undo the seal. Luckily this travel was quite helpful, my breakthrough is nigh.¡¯

    With a complex look and a lot in his mind, Zarasen turned around and, slowly like a normal old man, he walked in the direction of the northern mountains.

 Chapter 16: Into The Forest

    The sun was high in the sky when Aleran woke up amidst confusion and a splitting headache. The next few moments, he spent them trying to reorganize his thoughts and after remembering the plan traced by Zarasen as he sat up.

    ¡® I have no other choice, at least the old man''s advice gives me a clear goal. Going back and looking for the boy previous home is not an option with the kingdom looking for me. And if they catch me and realize what happened to my spirit-veins¡­¡¯

    ¡°Gulp¡±

    Remembering the rumors he heard, not only from Zarasen but also from the guards, about the fourth pavilion, he could only swallow his fears. Not wanting to think any more of what would happen if he was caught, he sat down crossed legged as Zarasen taught him.

    The few hours of forced sleep he had, were plagued with nightmares of the previous night. But somehow, these dreams allowed him to regain enough composure to try sitting crossed legged and meditate. Nonetheless, it costed Aleran what he felt like three hours to get into the right state of mind to feel the source qi. No matter how much he tried to connect to his surroundings, the faces of the three guards sometimes flashed randomly in his closed eyes.

    After that and with his monstrous ability, it took him a few minutes to refine and refill his inner qi. ¡°woooh.¡± Expelling a long breath he slowly sat up and looked at his destination. The forest of eternal dreams looked immense, but according to Zarasen, it would take him a few days after he reached the river to cross it.

    His eyes rested especially on the wide river. Then, he looked around and a feeling of loneliness started to creep around his heart. During all his life he always had someone he could rely on If something bad were to happen. This was something almost everyone has. It could be in the form of parents, brothers, friends, a wife, a son or any other bond, be it personal or professional.

    Even when he was going on the expedition he didn''t feel lonely. After all, there were several countries backing up the expedition trying to keep its members safe from all harm. But now he was completely alone in this huge and dangerous world, and he didn''t even have a tool to defend himself.

    He looked at his hands, they were painted with patches of brown dirt. ¡®I should have picked up a sword when I had the chance.¡¯ But he knew that would only make him feel slightly safer.

    Even with a blade, he didn''t know a thing about surviving in the wilderness. He had gone camping with his dad when young a few times, but that was only with advanced technology aiding them. Even the tent made itself thanks to the miracle of technology and the things that required some dexterity were always done by his dad.

    He started walking to his destination while thinking about this. That was when the sudden realization that he missed Zarasen''s company hit him. The old man could be a pain in the ass and could be eccentric if not completely insane. But he had been living with him for the past year and had gotten used to his presence.

    Before Aleran met the old man, he was planning on how to escape the asylum. But he knew deep inside that those were just delusions he was telling himself to not lose his mind. He was afraid of spending the rest of this new life in a cell. But because of his traumatizing experience as a soul, he was also afraid of taking his life in case his imprisonment turned unbearable.

    It was then that a broken Matthew, shattered in pieces and barely holding together thanks to those fantasies, met Zarasen. He was alone in a strange world in a situation that he didn''t really understand. This strange old man with his constant nagging and erratic personality made his situation look less serious, no matter how ugly or dangerous it was. This was something that Aleran needed badly at the time.

    Before that, his mind was still clinging too much on the past. It was Zarasen that gave him confidence and helped him take his first real steps into this world. Teaching him how to speak and how to cultivate in the process.

    After spending more than a year with him, Aleran knew he was still wounded, just as the old man accurately pointed. But now he could stand on his own. And yes, maybe he was just as lost as before if not more. But now he had the tools to try and find his own path in this world wherever it may lead him to.

    ¡®Maybe, I should have trusted him more about who I really am.'' Aleran had made logical excuses in his mind to not tell Zarasen anything. But he knew that one of his biggest flaws was his lack of trust in others, and logic was the disguise he chose this time to use for this flaw. It was something that came from his childhood days.

    He closed his eyes for a second and the image of the dead was replaced by one of his father with an unknown woman. A secret he had never told to anyone in order to keep his happy family united. He was barely eleven that year, and though he didn''t understand much about relationships or love he understood how wrong that scene was. His father was a good and extremely intelligent man, his personal hero. But that day, without knowing, he had marked his son for life.

    He shook his head and went back to reality. ¡®Still, I have more pressing issues now. ¡¯ With some complex emotions and lingering regret about Zarasen in his heart, he started to regard the forest that was getting closer. It took him minutes with his now recovered strength to reach it.

    As he got near the edge of the forest, he couldn''t stop himself from making comparisons to Earth. The first thing he noticed was how big the trees were. They were not as tall as a Sequoia but they were taller than most of the trees back on Earth. There were also some strange trees that had their branches extending in spirals around the main trunk and then going upwards. Besides that, there were many other strange plant life.

    Another thing he noticed was that the forest was not silent at all, it was filled with the noises of birds and other creatures he didn''t recognize. The constant noise was almost deafening. Besides some minor unfamiliar points, in general, it was much like a forest of the Earth. This similarity was one of the things that left him without words ever since he came to this world.

    ¡®Had I luckily reached a world similar to eath? Or am I in an alternate version of Earth placed in a parallel universe?¡¯ His mind started to wander with crazy thoughts and baseless theories.

    ¡°slap.¡± ¡®Concentrate!¡¯ With both hands, he slapped his face and started to look at the ground. ¡®I have to look for the mushrooms.¡¯This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    After a few minutes of walk, he finally found a bunch of them lying at the base of a tree. There were eight of them, three pointing to one side and four to the other, the more advanced the more he found. And although there were some pointing to other directions, there was a clear pattern with most of them pointing towards a general one. Like that he maintained a fixed direction. The mushrooms were easy to find since their purple patterns had a slight glow.

    The forest canopy started to become thicker, making the surroundings darker and very damp. This made the glowing mushrooms more conspicuous, they were almost tracing a pathway.

    The deeper he went into the forest, the quieter it got. It was strange since he assumed it would only get louder as the animals increased in numbers. It gave him a bad feeling.

    ¡®Huh? what the hell is that thing?!¡¯ A few meters in front, in between the roots of the trees was a head size rock. The strange thing about it was that it had two big, yellow eyes. Aleran had already seen a few animals, but they were not that strange to him. He had seen a small rodent, similar to a rat gnawing at the bark of a tree. Other than that, he had seen a snake that besides being a little bigger than normal snakes and having a few spikes on its back it was not that strange.

    So as the first strange thing he saw, it piqued his interest, driving him to approach the little thing. The eyed rock was beside other real rocks that were totally inert. And as soon as Aleran got closer two long thick antenna-like things appeared unwrapping themselves from around the body of the animal.

    As he got closer again, he realized that it was not made of rock. Instead, it was hard skin that looked like rock what covered the animal. He also discovered that the thing didn''t have any other extremity. And it was using its antennae-like things to turn its body and face the approaching human. Then it just laid there, starting with its round big eyes. It had a big mouth that looked like a grimace of sadness.

    ¡® Its kinda cute once you get used to-¡± ¡°Baam!¡±

    With a loud explosion sound and speed that alarmed Aleran, the head-sized rock shot itself like a cannonball. Without thinking, Aleran jumped to his right and barely avoided the thing. Though Aleran didn''t notice, even after dodging, the thing extended one of its antennae to try and grab him while in the air. Fortunately, it missed too.

    Still on the ground, Aleran turned his head and looked at the thing that was now embedded into a tree. He was completely shocked at what had just happened.

    ¡°craak craak.¡± It had extended some kind of beak filled with sharp teeth from within its mouth and was grinding the tree with it like in a reflex act. Its antennae were wrapped around the tree. And like that, it kept chewing at the trunk with an almost manic insistence.

    ¡®If I had gotten closer it would have struck me right in the stomach. It seems like it attaches to its prey once it hits and I can already guess how hard those appendages are.¡¯ He stood up and quickly tried to put some distance between them.

    After getting to what Aleran thought to be a safe distance he turned around and regarded the thing that almost injured him. ¡® I am not really sure if that impact and then the thing itself would have killed me or only injured me. But I''m sure it was too dangerous and too close.¡¯

    He didn''t know how the thing propelled itself like that, it was obviously with qi , but he didn''t know the exact mechanism. These creatures that could manipulate qi like humans were called source beasts. And although they could absorb source qi they could only use it in rough, unpolished ways. Most of them could only use it for a single propose like this rock, simply propelling themselves.

    ¡°sigh.¡± ¡°Even though it is a beast, it can already externalize its qi, it''s infuriating.¡± Most beasts had an inborn affinity with source qi, though in exchange they would find it extremely hard to improve that affinity. Talking his frustration away he turned and continue on the path of mushrooms.

    The undergrowth soon transformed his walk into an odyssey, the longer he walked the more plants started to appear in his way. He assumed it was because he was getting closer to the river.

    Sometimes the undergrowth was so thick that he was forced to change his course slightly. Especially every time he encountered a plant with blue flowers which had a smell that made his eyes burn and his nose sting. For a few minutes, it left him almost blind and barely breathing.

    And as he pushed into the plants some flying insects started to bite him. At first, he thought they were some kind of mosquito. But soon he found out that was some kind of oval-shaped insect, smaller than a grain of rice, that was eating small bits of his skin and flesh. His qi may be able to enhance his strength but the toughness of his skin and flesh was not on the list of improvements. At least not to a level that would make the difference with these bugs. The bites may be small but there were enough insects to cause some damage and discomfort.

    ¡°Its a blessing there are no more of these little shits otherwise I would be eaten to the bone by them.¡± Aleran said out loud while slapping one of the bastards that was biting his neck. While inwardly, he was praying not to come across a swarm of these things. ¡®That would truly spell trouble.¡¯

    From time to time and when the annoying bugs stopped their feast, he sat down to meditate and recover the qi he used to pull plants or to speed up. As long as he had inner qi he could keep going on longer than a normal human. The more he went on the trees did not get taller but thicker. Leaving for him and the plants below narrower paths, and that translated in more obstacles for Aleran.

    Soon, the air started to get more damped, and Aleran found himself out of the undergrowth and next to the river. With his body filled with small wounds, Aleran came out of the bushes.

    His first instinct was to run and jump into the river in an attempt to shake off these little bugs that were still biting him, but he instantly put a stop to that idea. First, he didn''t have a change of clothes, so once he got out of the water, he would have to spend the rest of the day wet.

    Second and more important he didn''t know what kind of creatures lived in the water. Even on Earth, one would know how stupid it was to jump into a river without knowing anything about the creatures living in it. That was even more valid here. His encounter with that rock thing was enough to make him realize the impact the source qi had on the ecosystem. Everything here had that unknown factor that made all the creatures more dangerous.

    But with all that said, he still had to drink something. It has been a full night and several hours since he last drank some water making him very thirsty. Inner qi could help him endure hunger and last longer without eating but he was still far from the point of not needing any food, much less water. In that regard, he was still like any other human.

    With that primal need in mind, he got to the shore and after cleaning his hands and washing his face he started to drink. ¡°Haaa. I never thought that water would be so tasty.¡± Aleran had thought about starting a fire and boiling some of it just in case, he had an idea on how to start a fire with his image and wanted to try it. But his thirst won and he drank it anyway.

    ¡°tick¡± Aleran heard the sound of a branch being stepped on. And from his squatting position next to the water, he stood up in an instant facing the origin of the sound.

    Near the tree line, with its head hanging low, was a huge wolf almost five feet tall that. Noticing the noise it accidentally made, it was frozen in position. Realizing it was spotted by its prey, it discarded the stealth tactic and started to walk closer to Aleran.

    Both human and wolf locked their eyes on each other. Aleran was slowly backing down, looking for any sign of sudden movement on the brown wolf. If it weren''t for that broken branch, he would be wolf food by now. The damn beast was so well adapted that its fur made him look like it was part of a tree trunk.

    ¡°grrr¡± It made a low growl and showed its long fangs. From its open maw saliva started to drop and when it touched the soil a hissing noise was produced.

    Looking at the slightly wet and small crater made by the saliva, Aleran cursed in his mind. ¡®Great. It wasn''t enough to be a giant wolf it also has corrosive saliva. Fuck my luck!¡¯

 Chapter 17: Bottom Of The Food Chain

    ¡°Awoo¡± The wolf emitted a short but powerful howl while slowly closing in.

    Hearing the howl Aleran''s face turned serious. ¡®I have to run before the rest of the pack arrives!¡¯ Without wasting time he turned and fled along the shore of the river.

    The wolf seeing its prey escaping and guided by its instincts, gave chase. Aleran could hear the footsteps of the wolf getting closer and closer. With every breath he gave, and for every step he made the wolf strides got them closer together. ¡®This won''t do, it''s too fast!¡¯

    He abruptly turned around only to catch the wolf already in the air, jumping with his fangs going straight for his neck. Aleran almost couldn''t react but, at the last moment, while seeing everything in slow motion, he managed to grab the head of the animal with his two hands. Keeping the closing jaws scarce inches away from his neck.

    This feat that saved his life also made him drop to the ground with the beast on top trying to bite something, anything, out of him. The beast was so strong that every time it moved the head, it dragged Aleran through the floor. Only thanks to his enhanced strength did Aleran managed to get a firm hold of the beast.

    ¡®Tssss¡¯ ¡°arrggg¡± A growl of pain came out of Aleran thanks to the acid saliva that started to drop on his neck and chest. He didn''t want to open his mouth in case some of that acid dropped inside.

    It was in this moment of peril that Aleran, with his two hands still holding the head of the creature, concentrated on his image. In his right hand, he created a negative pole filled with negatively charged particles. Whereas in his left hand he did the exact opposite, creating a positive pole.

    With a quick movement, Aleran put his hands on the temples of the beast losing some grip. but managing to get his hands at the hight where the brain of the creature was. He opened the circuit in the spirit veins inside his fingers and the charge naturally flowed.

    ¡°Welcome to the electric chair, mother fucker!¡± Forgetting about the risk of getting acid in his mouth and even the Eleemes language and speaking in English, Aleran shouted. With a voice mixed with fear and rage, he unleashed the attack.

    ¡®tzzzzz¡¯ With the current passing through its body, the beast whined while convulsing, losing control of its limbs and the rest of the body. The yellow eyes of the wolf started to bleed and then they started to melt. The toxic saliva started to boil while the rest of the wolfs face contorted in an unsightly grimace. One of its hind legs, due to the strong convulsions, suffered a fracture and was bent in a wrong way. Aleran could feel the heat burning his hands but he couldn''t stop now, not until the beast breathed its last.

    To Aleran every second felt like an hour as he focused on the image and at the same time he dogged the convulsing limbs of the wolf.

    ¡°Ahhhhgggg¡± This time the growl of pain coming from Aleran was much louder. In the middle of the involuntary movement, one of the paws of the animal crossed paths with Aleran right shoulder. Luckily for Aleran, the long claws didn''t reach the bone and just grazed the flesh.

    The beast whole body stopped moving and with a smoking head, it dropped on top of Aleran. The dead weight of the wolf almost crushed him and with an injured shoulder it cost him double to shake the body off him.

    ¡°Haa... Haa... Haa.¡± Gasping and trembling Aleran stood up and grabbed his shoulder. The wound was not that deep luckily the wolf was not aiming at him, it was convulsing without a target. It hurt, but to him, the pain was common currency by now.

    He looked at his hands with the tip of his fingers burnt black and the rest of his hand red hot. ¡®I can''t avoid hurting myself while I do this, although the burning looks worse than the last night, in fact, is only the flesh that got damaged. My spiritual veins seem able to handle this level of power although it still feels like I am straining them it is not hurting them. Last night I only got my whole fingers burnt but the spiritual veins were damaged.

    He looked at his legs, they were wet. The wolf lost control of its sphincters. ¡°Seriously? Every damn time I have a fight I will end up with fricking piss on me! What the hell man!¡± Remembering the fight in the cell when he used the waste bucket to knock out the guard and then when he first arrived at this world. Every time something like this happened. He was truly grossed out by now.

    ¡°To think that at some point in time, this method of killing was considered clean back on earth. I guess they didn''t have to smell it.¡± But to Aleran those times where almost ancient, he didn''t know anything about electric chairs. In his time the executions where through nanobots that entered the prisoner body and stopped the heart from the inside. Then, they could be gathered and re-used every time. He certainly didn''t expect to watch how the muscles of the wolf face contorted and much less to smell the burnt eyes and flesh. ¡® Probably, the wolf was so big that it was impossible to kill it instantly with my power.¡¯

    Although he said it was like an electric chair, the idea was more similar to a stun gun. But a much deadlier one and with more power. ¡°Half of my qi...I knew the cost was going to be big, but this is too much. Not to mention that I have to be in close contact with the target.¡± He didn''t know that for someone at his level it was practically impossible to use images. Not only because of the limitation of using it only inside the spirit-veins but because at his level, the cultivator would not have that much knowledge.

    This was the first way he thought off to use his image. But last time he ended up using a more drastic approach when he was surrounded by three enemies and their pet. The fact that he needed to touch the target was a huge set back for someone like him who didn''t know martial arts.

    Aleran raised his eyes from the corpse of the wolf and looked into the distance. From the place the wolf came, more started to appear. They were five, with four of them just as big as the first one, reaching Aleran''s chest even in all fours. The one in the middle besides having the characteristic saliva also expelled some dark green smoke from its mouth. Only by the looks, Aleran knew that was the leader, and that smoke was bad news. ¡®Some kind of toxic gas?¡¯ Looking at the plants touched by the gas wither rapidly he guessed it was similar to the saliva but with a further reach.

    Without taking the gas into account, only the five wolves together were enough for Aleran to know what to do. ¡®I have to run, there is no other choice! If luck is with me, the distance between us is enough for them to give up. Its a shame the attack of the other night was a one time attack. I already spent all my remnant energy in that attack, only when my level gets higher it would be an option. ¡¯

    He dashed following the river downstream. With the wolf spiting smoke at the lead the beasts gave chase immediately. And, as the leader ran, the smoke left a trail that covered the other wolves that ran behind. With the only exception being the last and smaller wolf that was too slow and was barely keeping up.

    They were closing in, the leader was especially fast and seemed the most eager to hunt him down. ¡® Shit! I thought my speed was similar to theirs. But no matter the initial distance, they are faster than me and will reach me quickly. I better climb some tree, that could be a solution...¡¯

    ¡°Baaam!¡± One of the rocks in the shore suddenly shot up toward the smaller wolf at the rear. It fiercely pierced the soft stomach and took the beast down leaving it without strength to complain.

    The familiar sound made Aleran turn his head while running to see what happened behind. At the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of the last wolf. He could see the antennae of the rock beast he saw before, grabbing hold of the wolf. And even from that distance, he could hear how the rock thing was mercilessly bitting through its flesh.

    The other wolves seemed to be so focused on the persecution they didn''t notice their decrease in numbers. Either that or they didn''t care enough to stop the hunt.

    Looking ahead, Aleran started to notice the small rocks that plagued the river, some were real rocks but others were certainly beasts in hiding. He couldn''t tell them apart while running. ¡®It''s like a minefield. This may be good news!¡¯ Since the wolves were much bigger targets it made sense to Aleran that the rocks would prefer to attack them instead of him. So he chose to follow the river and see what happened.

    ¡°Baam!...Baam!...Baam!¡± Three more rock beats attacked, but their target were not the wolves but the skinny and hard to hit human. Two were too late and the last one almost caught him with its tough antennae that looked more like tentacles now. ¡°What the-?... Are these things really that dumb?¡±

    For a moment Aleran was confused and afraid, the wolves were dangerously close and his plan had failed without a logical reason. But then he turned around to see how the wolves were faring and noticed the thick green smoke covering the leader that left a trail also covering the rest of the pack.

    ¡®So that''s it, I should have noticed before. Change of plans then.¡¯ Changing course, he ran for the closest tree and jumped with all his might barely grabbing hold of a thick branch. He raised his legs to avoid one of the wolves that jumped going for a bite it. He climbed onto the branch with an agile movement and now standing on top he was forced to dodge to the side. The wolf leader with a single amazing jump succeeded in rising above the branch and lunching his body at Aleran. After dodging and without stopping, Aleran jumped to another close branch that was higher. As he was arriving a wolf jumped and almost bite off one of Aleran¡¯s feet.

    Now out of reach, he looked down at the wolf he assumed was the leader amazed by its power. ¡® I almost didn''t reach the first branch but that wolf jumped over it, I can''t believe I killed one of these things. I''m lucky they are not made to climb trees.¡¯

    ¡®Huh?¡¯ His sense of safety didn''t last long as the bigger wolf started to produce massive amounts of toxic gas that was slowly creeping up, withering all the leaves and life in its way. ¡°Am I really worth all this trouble? Look how skinny I am you stupid animal!¡± While yelling to release his frustration he quickly started to jump from tree to tree trying to get away from the wolves. Even with his strength and speed, it wasn''t an easy feat. The branches were slippery with some growing moss on them.

    ¡®This tree looks big enough for the wolves to stop-¡¯ Even before he could look down a vine that was resting on the tree suddenly came to life and wrapped itself on his ankle. He was thrown off balance and fell, the branch was so wide that he didn''t have a risk of falling off the tree but the wolves, nevertheless, inched closer in anticipation.

    Aleran looked at his leg to see a vine filled with thorns taking a firm hold of him. He had been so focused on the wolves that he missed the mean looking vine resting on the tree.

    The thing started to pull him closer to a gap that was in the bark of the tree. ¡® I don''t know what''s inside that hole but I sure as hell won''t wait to find out.¡¯ With some effort, he created a small electric arc between his thumb and index finger, it looked more like a spark than an electric arc. That was enough to start a small fire on the vine that spread faster than he had thought.

    From the inside of the tree, a piercing screech of pain filled the area. The vine lost strength and Aleran was finally able to retrieve his leg. After getting off the remains of the vine he was left with a leg filled with wounds and with a first-degree burn.

    The rest of the vine retreated into the hole in the tree. The interior lit up for a second showing a deformed shadow and then the fire and the screech died out. Not knowing if the thing that tried to kill him was still alive he stood up. and without a second thought, Aleran jumped to the next tree. Now paying more attention to where he stepped.

    It only took a while for the wolves on the ground to realize the human was now truly safe. With one last unwilling look, the massive wolves turned around at the same time as if they had one mind, and disappeared between the undergrowth.

    ¡®Maybe my inner qi is what''s so appealing to them, it''s not like I can prove it but that would make sense.¡¯ He looked at the place he came from with a frown. ¡® I can''t go back those wolves are not that far. It''s better to find another path and then go back to the river later. For now, I will find a place to rest. Tomorrow morning I''ll try to find the river again.¡¯Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡®On a closer look, the trees don''t look like the best option to move.¡¯ As he paid more attention he found more and more of those vines all joined to some hole in the tree. ¡°This forest is a deadly trap. Old man, where in hell have you sent me to?¡±

    With a little time to rest, he made a quick session of meditation to regain his lost qi that, after the running and fighting, it was almost depleted. Soon after he finished he was startled by some rustling in the bushes. Not wanting to stay and find out what it was, he jumped carefully from tree to tree a little more.

    The vines were so well hidden that he wasted too much time to make sure the next tree was safe. Tired of being in constant lookout for them, he jumped down and started to walk faster. It was starting to get darker and under the forest canopy, the light from the moons did not show itself.

    Looking for an adequate place, he found a small clearing and after piling a few dead branches and leaves he started a bonfire. His image resulted convenient to lit the fire just like he did with the vine.

    He rested his back on a tree that he previously checked. He couldn''t see very well in the darkness, but he tried to check there were no evil vines hanging low near the base. Besides some weird looking fruits hanging from the tree he could see nothing else.

    For a moment he allowed himself to relax, spending so much energy two days in a row left him exhausted. Even though he had slept something when he fell unconscious, it was merely for a few hours. Without anything to eat he needed to sleep more badly than he thought. That instant was enough for him to fall soundly asleep without caring about his surroundings.

    <hr>

    Matthew was sitting with his family again, having lunch altogether. They were eating pasta like all Sundays at noon. His mother, the most kind and loving woman he had ever met, made a habit to cook pasta every Sunday. Though his father didn''t like it, he was forced by the majority of the house to compromise and join this custom. His father may have his defects, but he always put his children above everything. If they liked pasta that much, he was willing to eat it every day if it made his children happy. Maybe he spoiled his son and daughter a little too much.

    Mathew was in a good mood, last night he had had a horrible nightmare. Where he was alone and lost in a forest filled with all kind of dangers. It was of those nightmares that fell so real that by the time you wake up and realize everything is normal you can''t help but feel grateful for what you have.

    ¡°Matt, have you thought what do you want to eat tonight? It will be our last dinner together in who knows how long. ¡°His mother asked while serving their food.to the family one by one.

    ¡°Mmm... I don''t know, I already ate my fill of sushi yesterday.¡± He had gone with his friends to eat his favorite food in a Japanese restaurant. As his friends heard he was going on an expedition they decided to throw him a farewell party. It was a much-needed break from studies and lab work for Matthew.

    ¡°Then, I will try to surprise you. Oh!¡± As she was serving some salsa was spilled on his shirt. ¡° Don''t worry I will clean it fast, is just a small spot. Today you don''t have to do anything.¡± His mother grabbed a napkin, put one hand on his shoulder and started to wipe the stain.

    Matthew watched the spaghetti with some reminiscence, for some reason he felt a nostalgic sensation even though he remembered eating some last month. ¡°Uh, Mom, What are you doing?¡± He felt his mothers hand on his neck.¡±

    ¡°Mom?¡± The hand started to squeeze, and when he looked at her face it was still smiling. But it was a stiff smile as if she wasn''t able to stop smiling no matter how she forced it to go away.

    The hand started to squeeze even harder and Matthew could feel his lungs asking for air. ¡°Mom?!¡± he screamed hoarsely with what was left of his air. He looked at his father seat but he wasn''t there anymore, neither his baby sister. He tried to struggle but suddenly his arms turned short and his hands small.

    ¡°It''s all a lie! Why didn''t you tell me?! WHY DID YOU KEEP IT A SECRET?!¡± Her mother yelled but her smile was still plastered into her face. Matthew started to feel his vision blur, he was going to die.

    <hr>

    With an abrupt movement, Aleran sat up but as he tried to breathe, nothing happened. His lungs were still screaming for air. He opened his eyes but darkness was all he saw. He tried to touch his face and something slimy came in contact with his hands, then he realized something was stuck to his head making suction noises. His desperation started to mount as he moved his body and hands without knowing what to do.

    ¡®There''s something on my face and is suffocating me!¡¯ He tried to punch the problem away, but nothing happened. His second reaction was to electrocute the damn thing but he restrained from doing it. ¡®It''s too dangerous to use when is so close to my face. A burned visage would be the best result while the worst could be death. What do I do?¡¯ He was starting to despair, he was feeling dizzy from the lack of air, at any moment he would fall unconscious. Aleran could also feel the thing in his face slightly tugging at his inner qi. ¡®Is it trying to suck my inner qi?¡¯

    ¡°crack¡± ¡®Thats right! the bonfire!¡¯ The cracking sound of the bonfire revived Alerans hopes. Following the noise and the heat he reached the bonfire and got his head on top of it. Due to the lack of time, he couldn''t worry about getting burned. At least it was less dangerous than the electric option. He only wanted the damn thing, whatever it was, to get a painful death.

    "kyyaaaa." A weird screech came out of the creature. It first clutched harder and during a short second Aleran thought that he was really going to die. But it seemed that was the last dying struggle of the creature as it lost its grip and fell, screaming, into the fire.

    A more than welcome mouthful of air brought Aleran back from death''s door. His face was covered by a slimy substance and bubbles took form every time he exhaled. He just sat there grabbing his head and breathing roughly. For a moment his head went back to the dream he just had. ¡® I miss them... more than I thought I would.¡¯ It took him a while to gather his bearings and look at the culprit of this whole situation.

    A giant leech that was now dead, getting cooked by the fire and expelling an awful odor. He looked at the flames that had grown smaller since he went to sleep. ¡® Between man-eating trees, bullet rocks, and giant wolves, this leech was the one who got closer to kill me. But where did it come from? It doesn''t look like a fast animal.¡¯

    Aleran looked around, after finding nothing he looked at the tree where he had supported his back. There he caught sight of a trail of slime coming from the top of the tree. He tilted his head upwards and noticed the strange fruits. Now, with the darkness slowly receding, he could see them clearly.

    They were no fruits but dozens of those leeches hanging from the branches, some directly stuck to the main trunk. This was not the only tree with those leeches, they were everywhere if you knew what you were looking for.

    The top of these trees looked lifeless, filled with withered leaves and dying bark. Compared to the bottom that was filled with green they were like another tree altogether. ¡®Okay, lesson learned. No sleeping near the trees.¡¯

    With the light of down and after composing himself, he decided to find his way back to the river. He started walking with an injured shoulder, a scarred chest and a leg filled with holes surrounded by burned patches of skin. Not to mention the tiny cut and bite marks all over his body. Each one of those injuries was proof that he had come out alive from a deadly situation. Most people would have collapsed from the pain alone but to Aleran this was nothing compared with the pain of the soul. With that said, it hurt, and a lot, but he gritted his teeth and continued.

    The next hour, he searched for the mushrooms that had guided him before without success. And after a while, Aleran was starting to believe that he was walking in circles. Every tree and every part of the forest started to look the same.

    ¡®I need a vantage point to look for the river.¡¯ With a frown, he regarded the trees around and started to search for the tallest one in the area. It didn''t take long to reach a thick tree, covered in moss and so tall that Aleran could not see the end of it. ¡®I have bad experiences when it comes to the trees of this forest but I have to climb it.¡¯

    The climb was a long one, he was very careful not to fall prey of another weird trap but more than that he was severely injured. Though he could deal with the pain his mobility had been slightly compromised. The other main reason for his delay was the size of the tree, that was around 200 hundred meters tall.

    When he reached the top, he was able to see the carpet of trees that extended everywhere. The carpet had some patches of other colors such as red, yellow, and even black. But they were small areas in comparison. There was not a single cloud in the sky, so the conditions for his search could not be better.

    He had been lucky enough to find this tree, for what he could tell, there were few trees taller than this one.

    Aleran changed positions many times in search of a tinge of blue in the endless green of this landscape. ¡® How can this be? The river is really wide yet I can''t see even a glimpse of it.¡¯ After doing a 360 degrees search, he found nothing. The canopy was too thick to see anything besides a few clears showing solid ground. ¡® This can''t be, I remember there was some space between the trees and the river. Which is normal when rivers tend to cause floods and uproot the trees. I should be able to see something.¡¯

    ¡®The next best option is to go where the foliage is greener and more vivid. After setting the general direction I will try to look for some animal trails, the bigger the better, I''m no expert tracker after all. Eventually, it would lead me to the river since every animal needs water, well at least every animal I know off.¡¯ He had seen several of those trials while he was following the mushrooms but, for obvious reasons, he avoided those paths. ¡® It is risky but its the last resort.

    As Aleran was focused again looking for greener areas to have a general direction to go something at the distance caught his attention. It started as a dot coming from beyond the northern mountains. And soon it transformed into a huge bird that was passing above the forest at an amazing speed. Though it was flying high, its size made him easy to spot.

    ¡®wooosh.¡¯ Every time its wings flapped, they created a gale that threatened to rip the trees from the base. Aleran had to hold with all his might to not get blown off. Squinting his eyes due to the strong winds, Aleran could clearly see the huge bird. It was of a bright orange color with black on its chest and had a crown of red feathers. While at its rear a long and wide red tail waved in the wind like the cape of an emperor.

    As it was about to pass above him, Aleran felt a chill crawl up his spine. The proud black eyes of the bird made contact with his blue fearful eyes. But the bird''s reaction surprised him enough to forget his awe. The moment it caught sight of him, the bird changed its course of flight deviating towards the left. Aleran looked at its eyes and noticed how the pride of the emperor vanished to be replaced by fear. ¡® Is it afraid of me?... No, no, that can''t be, it must be something else.¡¯ Of course, Aleran could not believe that such a beast would be afraid of him. To that bird, he was as threatening as an ant could be.

    It only lasted for a second, the speed of the bird allowed it to get from the northern mountain range to the southern one in an instant. But as it was passing above the southern mountains an earthquake shook the earth and the whole forest. Holding on the tree with all his might Aleran saw an unbelievable image.

    A huge feathered serpent appeared out of nowhere coiled around the tallest mountain. It had been there all the time, camouflaged. Its feathers had the grey color of the mountain that made it impossible to differentiate from the other rocks.

    As the bird closed in, the serpent changed its color to red with spots of green. This change happened at the same time as it stretched its body to the sky, going for the bird. Happening so fast, that it gave the impression of appearing out of nowhere. As the feathered snake reached for its prey with half of his body in the air, most of the mountain crumbled losing its spot as one of the tallest.

    The bird reacted fast and dodged the bite of the snake, who after missing opened its mouth one more time, creating a vortex that sucked everything around.

    ¡®Whooooosh.¡¯ Torrents of air, dust, rocks and more importantly, source qi, started to get sucked by the feathered snake. With half of its body still in the air, the serpent looked like a pillar holding the skies. This tactic paid off as it managed to stop the bird from escaping.

    But the bird was not going to stop without a fight¡­ Aleran could swear that the world dimed and for a second it felt like a cloudy day. A brilliant ball of light gathered at the crown of the bird.

    The serpent feeling threatened reversed the process of shallowing and instead, pure raw source qi came out of its mouth just in time to engage in a direct collision with a beam of light coming from the bird. From his point of view, Aleran could no longer see the bird and only saw the shadow of the serpent. The next thing he saw was pure whiteness.

    ¡°Boooom!¡± The resulting collision was immense. With the mountains as the center, a huge shockwave expanded outwards. The power and heat were such that the nearest trees and life forms were carbonized before they were blown out. Aleran was able to see how the shockwave expanded, uprooting trees and trowing animals in its wake.

    Aleran could not see the end of the fight because the shockwave arrived before him in an instant. Even though it had lost some power when it reached him, and despite his own efforts to stay firm, Aleran was violently thrown off the tree. He was sent flying dozens of meters with the wind screaming into his ears.

    Alerans heart stop for a moment, he knew the tree was so tall the fall could kill him. For a moment he gave up, this was it. ¡®No! Not again!¡¯ A few branches passed by him, but every time Aleran tried to grab them they were either too slippery or too weak, breaking with his weight.

    The images of his previous death rushed through his mind, and more than that, the feeling of impotence he experienced at the moment. Like that time, he felt trapped, he lacked the power to survive this. He lacked control over his own destiny, he lacked freedom. His weaknesses were now his shackles.

    Then, the sensation of power he felt when killing those guards took over his thoughts. He didn''t like it, but it was this memory that made him feel he had some control, some chance to fight back against a sure death.

    ¡®NO! I can''t die. I already decided to take control of my own destiny!¡¯ Halfway to his death, he found one of the vines with thorns, one of those he had been avoiding since their first encounter.

    Aleran couldn''t believe how glad he was at seeing that sinister thing. With a wave of his uninjured arm, he reached for the vine. Although Aleran couldn''t grab a hold of it, a small touch was all it took for the vine to wrap around his arm thrusting its mean thorns on his flesh.

    "rriiip" Although it managed to stop him for a second, the vine slowly started to rip apart. But the plant wasn''t the only thing that got damaged. Besides the thorns creating new wounds, the sudden pull dislocated his arm. Eventually, the vine broke and he dropped into a much shorter fall. Apart from a blow in the head with a branch, and the pain of actually hitting the ground Aleran survived the fall.

    When he stood up again he was stunned and confused from the blow in the head. And for no apparent reason, he started to walk aimlessly through the forest. Injured, he limped his way through the undergrowth but, without realizing a strange fog started to cover him and his surroundings.

 Chapter 18: Silver Creek Asylum Incident Report

    Silver Creek Asylum Incident Report.

    Classification: Grade 3 (Minor leak of sensitive information).

    The following report is an attempt on my part to reconstruct the events that took place the night of the incident in question. Followed by an analysis of the repercussions and my advice on how to handle the aftermath.

    First, as the grade of the incident suggests, this is not an issue I dim worthy of bothering his majesty. But the complexity of this disturbance grants it enough importance to reach your capable hands, Red Moon Minister.

    I arrived at the place on the 7th Ru of the eleventh day of this month, two days after the incident in question. The closest army station received an immediate support message coming from the warden in charge of the asylum. The message spoke of a mutiny and a high risk of escape. It also mentioned the man leading the scape, a well-known figure of the younger generation, Fedrin Levian. Whose situation we already know.

    By the time the reinforcements arrived the situation had devolved into complete chaos. The warden had been killed and the rest of the guards were either fighting for their own survival or running away.

    Fedrin Levian had previously gathered all the prisoners in the middle of the hall and destroyed their collars. Transforming them in simple scraps of metal. This, coupled with the warden''s accurate decision ( according to his capabilities) of waiting for them outside, gave them the time to gather some qi. When reinforcements made it to the region the prisoners had spread everywhere. With some of them having reached the nearby Silver Creek village, sowing chaos and destruction in their wake.

    With good judgment, the captain in charge of the reinforcements gave the order to kill on sight. And specifically ordered his soldiers to preserve the inside of the asylum as much as they could. This was done to avoid losing any important evidence.

    According to the captains'' report, the next day was spent killing and apprehending all prisoners that came in sight. Also, the forces made the effort to protect the nearby village and reorganize the scattered forces. At the moment of my arrival, they were still entangled in the search of more than 50 prisoners.

    After a day of investigation at the scene, the picture of the whole incident started to become more clear. At first sight, there are two possible causes for this episode. With both causes having the common detonating factor of Fedrin Levian''s escape. The first and less probable is a misplacement or an error on one of the restraints put on him. Be it for the guard''s incompetence or another structural malfunction. This was what the guards believed had happened. Only that the lack of a sign of force being used on the door of his cell makes this theory flawed.

    That leaves us with another more plausible theory. Fedrin Levian was aided by external forces. We all know that in recent years, the asylum and its ¡°abnormalities¡± had grabbed the attention of neighboring countries. Making it a target of constant attempts of espionage.

    This theory seems to be backed up by the testimony of some of the guards. They claimed that Fedrin Levian only helped to break out the prisoners of the first pavilion. While the rest of the prisoners escaped in a second wave much after Fedrin Levian left the building. Furthermore, some of the prisoners of the other pavilions that were captured alive and interrogated said to be freed by a guard. Or at least a man wearing the guard''s uniform.

    When questioned how the man looked, the prisoners till now had given different descriptions. We are still trying to figure out if it is a special technique used by the perpetrator to remain hidden or just the confusion of the prisoners. Be it as it may, the descriptions are unreliable and, for now, the identity of the man remains a mystery.

    But is this man that gives credibility to the second theory. Although his identity is unknown, his intention of collecting information is undeniable. Some of the prisoners said they saw the man going first towards the fourth pavilion before freeing them.

    The scene in the fourth pavilion is one of the most conspicuous. Some of the research specimens and prisoners there were killed by this man, with two of the dead showing clear signs of torture.

    Looking further, the next thing that stands out is the hidden repository of the pavilion. The intruder took special care in destroying everything inside. And although we couldn''t confirm it, I strongly believe the existence of the rainbow pill has been discovered.

    The destruction of the repository made it impossible for us to know what he took and if he noticed some other sensitive documentation. Given the short time frame, it is unlikely the man could look after every subject thoroughly. But either way, we have to prepare for the possibility of him seeing through most of them and finding some of the research topics.

    Normally, I would conclude this part of the report. But there was something that escaped my sight the first time. And thanks to this detail, I was able to find some other oddities. It was a small but important detail that stood out in a subtle way.

    It was one of the common cells in the first pavilion, where everything began. To be precise it was not the cell per se that took my attention at first, but the door.

    In its impatience, Fedrin Levian had freed the prisoners using brute force leaving all the cells without doors. All but one single cell. This one had its door opened just like Fedrin Levian''s door was, without signs of force being used.

    After a quick search, it was found out who lived in this cell. They were two people. The first was a nameless old man found in the Silver Creek village and thrown into the asylum for disturbing the public order. ( This was done by the guards and it is a clear violation of the protocol. But the documentation shows the old man was put through all the tests needed to asses his danger level. He was also handled correctly after assessing his threat as low and restricted accordingly. For these reasons the punishment will be postponed). The second inmate was Aleran Vistrage. He is the eldest son of Darim Vistrage and recently had suffered from a cultivation deviation. Thus he was sent here by his family, like many others. During his stay, he had recovered some of his mental faculties.

    The strange thing is that neither of them should warrant the attention of the exterior force that freed them. Only one option comes to mind. The old man who didn''t have a name was actually a spy in disguise. With that, it could make sense that he was released by some comrade. No matter what, in this case, the variable is the identity of this elder man. The Vistrage heir had his spirit veins crippled, making him of no value whatsoever. Only leaving the old man as the target of this favor.

    Even so, I recommend keeping a watch over the Vistrage family. Although it doesn''t make much sense to expose their child like this just to gather information. But the possibility of a connection with enemy intelligence agents, though low, is real.

    The inside of that same cell only begs for more questions. Everything looks normal until another subtle detail shows itself. The standard waste bucket, that every cell has, its bent in a weird shape. As if someone had hit it with considerable force. The waste buckets are made of dense and heavy materials. This is to prevent the prisoners from destroying them or using them as weapons.

    There are some reasons that come to mind as the why of this bucket. The most likely one is that it got used as a weapon during the chaos by one of the escapees who had regained his cultivation. But the fact that was found in the cell with the only remaining door standing, is strange.

    We later discovered the dead body of a guard with a wound in the head, consistent with that same bucket, lying in the hallway. But the trauma in the head is not what killed the guard. Instead, he was killed by a necrophilic prisoner, who cut his throat with a piece of broken glass and then did unspeakable things to the corpse. When he was found, the prisoner was indulging in a sexual act dragging the corpse all over the hallway while occasionally stabbing it.

    He was killed early by the reinforcements in a fit of righteous anger from the soldiers, so he could not be questioned. But the unusual thing was that the soldiers confirmed the prisoner did not have any cultivation whatsoever. Making it impossible for him to kill the guard.

    Who struck the guard with the bucket? Was it the old man? Or the one who helped him escape was discovered and used the bucket as the last resource? That last one doesn''t make much sense, to break in undetected one needs at least to be at the qi circulation, third phase. What use would be a metal bucket for someone at that level? To be honest we have no good theory besides that it was a real coincidence. The guard was hit in the head during the chaos with the bucket by someone else. And just so happened to be in that cell. But again it is too much of a coincidence

    Then, did the old man figure a way to take off the collar and the struck with the bucket? This is extremely unlikely, the suppression of the collar was absolute. Only someone on the higher levels of cultivation could achieve that. But if he has that power then he would not have any need of creating that much chaos to escape or even showing himself. He could destroy anything on the surface totally unnoticed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    Another thing that contradicts this last theory is that there are no remains of any collar inside the cell. Suggesting that the old man''s collar is lying in the pile of broken scrap metal were Fedrin Levian threw the rest of the broken collars.

    Is my thinking wrong? Was an entirely different situation that took place?

    Any more speculation will leave us running in circles and with baseless theories. But what is sure is that this old man and Aleran Vistrage have yet to be found and have now transformed into a priority of this investigation.

    The last weird detail is the appearance of three carbonized corpses. They were found east from the asylum, in the middle of the grasslands. Together with the bodies was one of a sound seeker pierced by a sword. In this occasion, we count with the rare luxury of having two eyewitnesses.

    They were originally five guards that were ordered by their warden to bring two of the domesticated sound seekers from the village to help him against Fedrin. A good plan, all things considered.

    But midway, these guards came across two figures in the distance. The only thing these two witnesses could account for is the prisoners clothing these two figures were wearing. Being the weakest of the group their sight was also the worst.

    In a clear sign of disobedience, the leader of their group decided to chase after them. The two eyewitnesses, being at the heaven opening second phase, were too slow to keep up with the speed of the escapees and the rest of the group. Thus, they missed the real action, something that ended up saving their lives.

    But they kept running with the hopes of eventually reaching their team. As they were closing in, they saw a bright, blue light appearing in the horizon for an instant. And a few moments later, one of the sound seekers appeared before them, scared and trembling.

    They first attributed the estate of the beast to the lack of proper training. If not trained well the beasts can get scared of the sounds of battle. But as they reached their comrades they found the three carbonized corpses.

    We cannot confirm but is highly possible one of the two men that killed the guards, was the old man. With the other being his accomplice. And the light the witnesses saw was some kind of fire image.

    The estimated power of the attacker is at the qi circulation mid or advanced phase. The three victims could not put up any kind of fight. The exact image used in this attack is still unknown. Although we believe it to be some kind of fire image we could not match the patterns with other known images. This could be because at the time we found the bodies a day had already passed. This wasted time made some evidence to be lost. But the way they died seems almost instantaneous as if they didn''t know they had died till the very end. Something tells me there''s more to this attack than meets the eye.

    But this also brings more questions. If one of them was the old man How did he deceive us to make us believe he was in the second phase when he was clearly at a higher level? Even if he did not make the attack he had run at a speed clearly impossible by someone at the heaven opening, second phase.

    Or was it not the old man one of the two figures? Also, who was his accomplice?

    Another good question is if these people were working together with the man that entered the fourth pavilion?

    And, where was Aleran? The other figure could not possibly be him if he was running at such high speed. Did the old man or his accomplice kill him in order to silence him? But Why would they take the trouble to hide the body?

    Again I hit a wall with this line of thought. Every time one theory starts making sense I find something that contradicts or put some doubt on it. For now, we had deployed some forces in the vicinity of the Forest Of Eternal Nightmares. That is the only good hiding place going east. Of course, even at the qi circulation advance phase, the chances of surviving there, are slim. So as a hiding place is a double edge blade. Unless they have some sort of support waiting for them inside the forest. If so, it¡¯s possible the Sidrin Empire has some involvement in this incident.

    But in these situations, nothing is as it seems and is better not to make any rash assumptions. In the end, to follow the suspects into the forest and give a real chase will need more specialized troops.

    The reconstruction of this incident leaves us with many unanswered questions that will require further investigation. It is clear there''s a key factor we are missing and will take time to figure out what it is. But this fact must not stop us from taking appropriate measures.

    The first measure is to reinforce the security of the asylum. This is needed to keep the appearances, making it look like we take this incident seriously. This whole event could end up in our favor if we make the enemy spies believe we suffered a major loss.

    Luckily, the underground facilities were not compromised. The Moonless special unit stationed underground were ordered to ignore everything that happened outside the facilities to keep maximum secrecy. During the whole incident, they stood on high alert in case something or someone could put in evidence the existence of the facilities.

    But the credit in keeping the underground research grounds hidden goes to the deputy-head of the counterintelligence department. It was his idea to make the fourth pavilion a place similar to the underground pavilion but more exposed. Of course, most of the research material in the fourth pavilion were not truly classified material.

    But to make it real enough we had to make some serious classified research in it. The deputy-head in person decided to transfer the development and test of the rainbow pill from the underground pavilion. He decided this was the less harmful secret we could give away. And in exchange, the enemy would be more likely to take the bait and stop looking for more research facilities.

    This measure came in hand with the intentional leak of rumors about the fourth pavilion. All kind of real information mixed with some false stories was leaked. The stories were often exaggerations or simply lies about the fate of some prisoners. Then, the same guards would take these rumors and spread them to the general population inside and outside the Asylum.

    This diversion tactic, with its costs and the leak of the rainbow pill, had finally paid off. We can now take advantage of the situation if we mount a convincing act.

    The second measure, which is of less importance, is to compensate the families of the dead prisoners. The value can be calculated using the amount of blood essence they could have gotten if the prisoner was still alive and give them something of equal value. Then comes the compensation to the guard''s families that should be done in gold.

    Lastly, I recommend the use of the Night Eagle special unit to track down the escaped prisoners. With a special focus on those I will mention next as high priority targets:

    Athias Hul: Former intelligence operative. Due to an unknown incident in his last mission he had his spirit veins partially destroyed, losing his mind in the prosses. He has important information about the legendary pill king and his death. In a twist of fate, he lost his mind before he could share the complete information. Now he only sings in an endless loop a song we believed to be some kind of hidden code but could not crack yet. Although the blood essence talisman given to him in his time as an intelligence operative has broken in the past days, informing us of his death, we still haven''t retrieved his body. It is imperative to confirm beyond all doubt his death.

    Rasid Erket: Personal servant of the Sidrin empress. About him and his circumstances, I know the Red Moon minister surely knows more about it than me so I won''t waste time with explanations. After he became a prisoner here and under our special techniques, we managed to receive valuable information from him. But the constant torture had broken his mind. One interesting thing is that after he lost his mind some of his most repressed memories had come afloat. But sadly the memories come and go in pieces and his state of mind does not help. Either way, he has to be taken back at all cost. The Sidrin empire must not know we have him.

    Luckily his cultivation was crippled long ago and he is like a mortal now. By my estimations, he should be found by the regular troops in the course of this day but if not the Night Eagles will be needed.

    Aleran Vistrage: I already explained the necessity of finding the Vistrage former heir. He could be a potential key witness to clarify the whole situation. We either need to find his dead body or capture him alive if he''s still breathing.

    Unknown elder man: Again I had already explained his high priority in this business. Perhaps the most difficult person to find as we know nothing about him or his personality since he was possibly a spy all the time.

    The man in disguise: Another one I already explained. He will also be hard to find, but with more persuasive methods of interrogation, we may be able to get something from the prisoners that saw him.

    Fedrin Levian: Another potential key witness, but unlike the other kid, we are sure Fedrin has worked with the enemy. He also has to be captured alive even if it proves to be difficult. His knowledge of the kingdom underground organizations makes him a resourceful person. I also recommend to keep tabs on the enemy spies we know off. Fedrin Levian knows their existence and is a prime target for these organizations to recruit. The counterintelligence division should be useful for this. Lastly, I would like to recommend someone under my command to supervise the search for him. I will later contact you about this last issue.

    There are also a few other special prisoners but not as important as the ones listed before. For the others, it is best to let the night eagles decide by themselves who to put the priority.

    In conclusion, the main reason why this report is in your hands is to take advantage of this chance. To clear all doubt our enemies have on the asylum, allowing us to use the underground Silver Creek research grounds freely. Any decision that affects these research grounds has to be made by you, sir.

    Always at your service.

    Minister of internal affairs, Uldrav Levian.

    <hr>

    After sealing the letter Uldrav stood up to look out the window. He was looking down at the small village with cold indifference. The whole place was mourning the loss of more than 20 men, sons, husbands, and fathers. But Uldrav didn''t really care about that, even without this incident he will outlive these people. He may even outlive the whole village.

    ¡°Krag.¡± He said softly and waited, but no one answered. ¡° Take the letter and personally give it to The Red Moon minister. And while you are there tell my daughter I have a job for her and explain the situation. If she doesn''t want to, is okay. Don''t insist, you are not her match and she will make you regret to ever bother her. Just tell her to go to the right minister for instructions if she accepts. Let''s hope she listens ¡± Again, there was no answer, but the envelope on top of the desk suddenly disappeared.

    Thinking about his daughter Uldrav sighed. He was proud of being her father but she had a strong personality. ¡°She is getting stronger by the day, I will not outlive her.¡± Then he looked at the empty desk in thought. ¡® I hope the right minister accepts the presence of my daughter in the search.'' Her presence was not part of the protocol. The right minister, as the people called the Red Moon minister informally, was a flexible man. Nevertheless, every little concession he made came with a price.

    Uldrav softly shook his head leaving the rest to his subordinate. He got closer to the window, and in an instant the room was empty.

 Chapter 19: Strange Encounter

    The fog covered everything with a strange white and purple color. Aleran walked in a confused state of mind for an unknown amount of time. In the beginning, the sounds of the chaos caused by the fight between the bird and the giant snake could be heard. But as he entered deeper and deeper into the fog all that noise started to sound distant and distorted, until it disappeared altogether. Inside this fog, there was no up and down, no back or forward, only a constant state of moving that got Aleran dizzier than he already was.

    Only after the fog cleared Aleran came to his senses. ¡®What the?... Uhg... My head hurts¡­ where the hell am I? How much did I walk? ¡¯ He woke up to the vision of a lake surrounded by fresh grass, all kind of flowers and short trees. The water was calm and perfectly clear and if you look closely you could see the bottom of the lake that was glittering with a strange dim radiance. There were also beautiful birds flying low between the grass and flowers. To Aleran it looked like a perfect painting, he couldn''t reconcile the image of the dark and gloomy forest with this beautiful place.

    In the middle of the lake, there was a small island With a gigantic tree with roots that went all the way to the bottom of the lake. Every once in a while, the tree would pulse with a green light and the whole scenery seemed to pulse with it. There was something profound, some deeper meaning in those pulses, but Aleran couldn''t figure out what it was

    He started wandering around for a while, simply enjoying the beauty of this place. For a moment the anxiety of finding the river, of surviving in the wilderness, and the uncertainty of what would happen after, vanished. He didn''t notice yet, but he had also forgotten about his injuries that were still very much present.

    He looked at the sky, which was partially covered by the giant tree, and saw a combination of white and blue. But every so often he came across a streak of purple between the blue and white. For a while, he tried to search for the source of light, finding no sun in it. But for some reason, he let that pass reasoning that the sun must be hidden behind the tree. Although some part inside him was still pointing that, according to the shadows, the sun should be almost above his head. Not wanting to disturb his only moment of pace, he kept strolling around.

    But as he circled the lake, he gained a new perspective of the island. From his new point of view, Aleran had in his line of sight two creatures in the middle of a fight. Unlike the one between the giant snake and the powerful bird, this fight was much more silent. But even then, Aleran could tell these two creatures, fighting noiselessly in that island, were far more powerful than the former two.

    One was a dark figure made of shadows with eyes that somehow managed to be darker than the rest of the body. Its body was in constant transformation. One moment it had a human shape and the next it would grow four arms or two heads and even a tail. Then it would split into two shapes or four only to become one again later. And while these transformations occurred, it circled around the other creature without stopping, like a whirlwind.

    Between the dancing shadows, Aleran caught sight of the other creature. It was currently on its knees but Aeran could tell it was not afraid. It had the head of a deer, the mane of a lion and the body of a tiger. Its tail was like that of a fox but much longer. The fur that covered it was a dark brown, making the golden mane and the beautiful golden tiger stripes to stand out even more. Although it had a strange combination of features, Aleran had never seen an animal as beautiful as that.

    ¡®Well, I guess is not a simple animal.¡¯ Aleran could feel how the creature as a whole exuded a sense of intelligence, pride, and grace that no animal could show.

    Although the shadow felt stronger than the bird or the snake, it wasn''t by much. But this other creature, Aleran could feel it in his gut, it was on another whole level altogether. Even when it was being suppressed, it was in another order of existence. There was something regal in its bearing like it was a true ruler of the world. But it wasn''t a sensation imposed by force, it was something the rest of the world accepted out of their own will.

    The moment Aleran laid his eyes back on the shadow, all previous sensations were forgotten. The world around him lost all color and started to get an ominous atmosphere, the air felt heavy as if made of jelly, hindering his breathing. And the echo of distant screams started to mix with the sound of the wind. Just by its mere presence, the shadow instilled fear in its surroundings. Aleran was again confronted with the harsh reality of how powerless he was in front of such beings.

    The shadow seemed to sense Aleran''s presence and turned to see the intruder. The moment they locked eyes Aleran saw a deep bottomless abyss. In it, his fears and nightmares came true, filling him with despair and pulling him deeper into the darkness. But before losing himself in that abyss, the shadow started trembling uncontrollably. Even without communication, Aleran understood what was going through the shadow''s mind. It was fear, the same fear the giant bird had shown before in its prideful face. Aleran was baffled. Again, he found himself before a being he clearly couldn''t handle but was terrified of his presence.

    The shadow''s hollow eyes darted between Aleran and the deer a couple of times, in a clear show of hesitation. Aleran could feel the repressed greed and fear in that swirl of blackness. But soon the shadow started to disperse. Just like the light of dawn dissipating the darkness of the night, the air in the tiny island and its surroundings lost that previous weight. The light finally started to conquer the previously lost space. With the shadow gone, the place that had lost all its colors was again filled with life, becoming a true paradise once again. Somehow, more beautiful than before.

    Seeing the shadow disappear, the deer slowly stood up while staring intently at Aleran. Unlike the other creature, the deer didn''t look afraid in the least. There was a clear intelligent look in its eyes as if trying to figure something out. After some time passed, with both staring at each other, the creature touched lightly the surface of the lake with its paws. Strands of ice started to form and in the time it takes to blink, a pathway between the island and the shore was created. Aleran could not feel the moment the creature used qi, it was as if the world just answered to its wishes.

    Aleran stood mesmerized in place, looking at the deer for almost a minute. There was something pure in its eyes with no trace of malice whatsoever. He could tell this creature would not try to harm him. In fact, he felt a sense of closeness with this new being. The more he looked at the deer the more his gut feeling assured him of how superior this creature was.

    Seeing the boy standing without response the deer pointed with the snout at the narrow path made of ice. That gesture was enough to wake Aleran from its dreamy state and propel him to walk towards the deer, without knowing exactly why. The path of ice did not feel cold, instead, it was like walking on the ground. As he got closer he noticed how the golden stripes on the creature sometimes changed to become complex patterns, and sometimes the patterns became simple stripes. Now that the shadow was gone he also noticed the deep purple eyes and the shining pupils the beast had. The pupils seemed to be made of tiny stars glowing brightly, only the antlers above its head rivaled that pure white color.

    It was only when he was nearing the island that Aleran realized how careless he had been following the wishes of an unknown creature. With that thought, he abruptly stopped and regarded with suspicion at the beautiful deer. The beast was now sitting near the trunk of the giant tree that occupied almost all the island. ¡® What just happened? It''s not like it forced me to walk to it. But it felt like when I was a child and my mom scolded me, telling me to go to my room. Maybe I would put up some fight in the form of a tantrum but I always ended up following her orders. It just felt like a natural response... Did this creature mess with my mind to make me low my guard or something?¡¯ He thought with mistrust, the forest thaught him that nothing is what it looks.

    ¡°Friend¡±  The creature spoke with a voice just as beautiful as the animal itself. It was like a whisper but it felt potent, so much that it made Aleran dizzy for a while. It had the softness of a brize but the power of a hurricane. And in all that power there was a peace and kindness that made him lower his guard again.

    It didn''t take long for Aleran to notice that the word he just heard, did not pass through his ears, but went directly to his mind. It freaked him out a little to think that his mind was so easily reached by someone else. But the fact the creature showed no ill intention towards him quickly pacified his thoughts. He kept closing in and the closer he got to the creature the bigger it looked. By the time he actually arrived at the island, the size of the creature seated and all was close to 3 meters high.

    ¡°Where-where am I? What just happened?¡±

    ¡°Thank...you... for your¡­help. I will compensate¡± The deer mental messages started with difficulty and long pauses but by the end of the sentence, it was more fluid. It was speaking in the Eleemes language, it was like the deer had just learned how to speak. He didn''t know why he had this thought but the more the deer spoke the more Aleran felt like this.

    Aleran had to steel himself to speak his mind before the creature. ¡°Compensate? Why don''t we start for where in the world am I?¡± Some part of him was afraid to make the deer angry with his disrespect but another part of him told him to treat the beast candidly.

    ¡° Faraway¡­ in a special plane, outside.¡± The deer answered unfazed. Not bothered by the tone Aleran was using. The more it spoke, the fewer interruptions its speech had and the more refined it sounded.

    This answer only made Aleran panicked inwardly. Even with all that happened back in the forest, he had his own fate in his hands. He had to fight and sometimes run away from the danger, but everything depended on how strong he was. Even when he was falling to his death he could at least had the freedom to try and fight for his life. Now, however, he was back to his days when he was dragged by external forces without control of what to do. And was again facing beings that could snuff him out of existence with as little as a thought on their part. This situation could stress anyone, much more a control freak like him. That pissed him off a lot, even if the whole deal ended up being a good thing for him.

    He wanted to say many things but, somehow, a single question came out of his mouth.¡°A special plane?¡± Aleran didn''t know what exactly did it mean by that. Was he in another, dimension, another universe perhaps? Not happy with the answer he continued. ¡°With outside, you mean outside the world or the universe? Then, why did I end up here just for walking in a strange fog? Was it some kind of portal?¡± He barely remembered going into the fog, it was like a dream. This whole situation seemed surreal. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    The deer seemed surprised and without reservation, it voiced it. ¡° Your concept of ¡°world¡±, of ¡°universe¡±¡­ is different from the one the others... in your world should be capable of handling...more complex and deeper. It needs someone with more power, higher cultivation, and comprehension. The concept of ¡°world¡± you have is not that hard, but the concept of the ¡°universe¡± is very deep. There''s no one like that... in your world, I can tell. They are all too weak. That knowledge¡­ Where does it come from?¡±

    ¡°I knew it¡± With the face of someone that just confirmed something Aleran started to step back. He didn''t care about the question posed by the beast, he focused something else. How could the creature tell what he was thinking when he said the words ¡°universe¡± and ¡°world¡±? It was pretty obvious. ¡° You can read and manipulate my mind, what the hell do you want?¡±

    Aleran didn''t know why but at that moment there seemed to be a somewhat maternal smile on the creature''s face. ¡°True, I can read... and control your mind. But I''m only reading¡­ the superficial thoughts, those you want to convey. Don''t have the energy... nor the need to bother with a deeper search. And it is possible you feel compelled to follow my orders¡­ the difference in strength is too big after all. Besides I can control... your unconscious behavior subtly. ¡±

    Aleran himself didn''t realize how he was arguing with a creature that could easily kill him. And that if it wanted, it could do it without any need of arguing. His head started to feel heavy, and his thinking slower than usual. Perhaps that too was the creature''s doing. ¡° That makes some sense, I suppose. But you didn''t answer how or why I got here.¡±

    ¡°I brought you here. I''m sorry, I needed your help. But don''t worry, in a moment you will return to the exact place you were before coming here.¡± The honest apologies dampened Alerans anger that had just sprout in his chest. The deer seemed genuinely sorry.

    ¡°Did you bring me here to scare that thing away? Why was it hurting you? And why did it run from me?¡± The reason it had given finally calmed him down. At least the deer did it out of desperation.

    ¡°No. That thing is weak. It was just taking advantage of my previous injuries. Cannot hurt me, it can only trap me hoping I get weaker with time. It entered at the same time you did and from the same place but was faster. Even if I was captured, the real danger was low. I could have destroyed it but it would have worsened my injuries. I need all my power to stop them from growing worse.¡± Now the deer showed no pause in its messages.

    ¡°It was all a coincidence. Why did you bring me here then?¡± Now, Aleran was more relaxed, for a moment he thought the deer wanted to use him as a glorified scarecrow. And that made the previous anger resurface temporarily. His time in this new life had made him somewhat paranoic.

    ¡°I thought you could help with my injuries. I was wrong. I thought you would be more powerful.¡± The deer looked clearly disappointed.

    Aleran gave a quick glance at the body of the creature. But it looked unblemished, without even a stain. He decided to ignore that fact, he couldn''t hope to understand the physiology of this creature. But the deer wanting his help only got Aleran more confused. Once again he felt his thinking slow and his head heavy. ¡° How? I mean...That doesn''t make any sense, how would you even know about me? And how could I help you?¡±

    ¡° I was far away. But even from that distance, I could feel the power of something, something that could help me. I thought you had it, but now I can tell your essence had merged with those waters. It cannot be taken away and you cannot use it, not for now at least. I thought you were one of those who had transcended, but you are just someone lucky or perhaps extremely unlucky that got in touch with those waters.¡± The deer looked at Aleran with a weird mix of jealousy and pity.

    ¡°Waters?¡± The image of something that looked like a stream of black water, with red bright particles moving within, assaulted his mind. In hand with that, the memories of pain and anguish of the moment slipped into his memories too. That was the only thing he thought this creature could want from him. ¡®Is that black water still stuck to my soul?¡¯ That thinking took his breath away, and again, the unpleasant memories rushed to his mind. He shook his head trying to forget about it, he didn''t want to relive that experience. Every second he was in this strange plane and talking with this creature Aleran got more and more confused. He was afraid of asking but he did it anyway. ¡° What are those waters you speak about?¡±

    ¡°It''s better if you don''t know. There''s nothing you or I can do. I know very little about them either way. Besides, as much as you seem to know about things you should not, I''m sure I can''t explain it with the words and concepts you possess. I called them waters because is the closest thing you know of that resembles it even a little.¡± The stag explained with patience, but still showing the same face of pity as before, only now the jealousy was all gone.

    Even though Aleran felt that pity strange, for some reason, he could not ask more about it. ¡°Was that the reason the shadow ran, and other powerful beasts fear me?¡± Although he couldn''t confirm this, he was pretty sure the bird and the shadow were not exceptions.

    But the stag shook its head. ¡°No, they are too weak to feel what is merged with your essence. There are not many that can tell, even with bigger powers. I am an exception thanks to my species, we are somewhat special. These creatures ran from something else, it''s only temporary, I can tell you that. In a few days, if they see you, they will either ignore you or kill you with ease.¡±

    ¡®Something else? What is it? And, it thinks that those monsters are weak? How strong is this creature?¡¯ Aleran thought with still many questions. But before he could say anything more the voice of the creature burst again in his mind.

    ¡°It is almost time to part, with this being a failure I have to leave and tend to my wounds. Opening the passage for you already cost me dearly. But you still helped me, killing that creature would have cost me a little in my current state. I had promised I will compensate you and I keep my promises. There''s little I can do now, let me think what can I give you. Something that spends less energy than killing that creature, of course.¡± The deer raised its head looking everywhere and nowhere. It seemed somewhat happy trying to choose in his mind.

    For some reason the voice of the creature made Aleran forget about the questions. If the deer said it was time to part and didn''t want more question he was almost compelled to do it. Only one question could escape Aleran''s mouth, and it was about the current conversation theme.

    ¡°What? Do you know some sort of supreme cultivation technique that will take me to the peak of cultivation?¡± It was a half-joking question but it seemed to be the only one that could leave Aleran''s mind. It was as if the creature unconsciously allowed some questions to be asked. And Aleran, at the same time and also unknowingly, accepted those conditions and only asked what it was allowed. It was a very frustrating feeling that was very hard to explain or even pin down.

    ¡°Mh?¡± The question seemed to bring the strange deer chimera back to reality. ¡°Yes, I know the one that will take you to the peak.¡±

    That short sentence made Alerans heart to stop for a second. ¡® Could it be? Could this be the moment I am given a supreme technique that will leave any others in the dust?¡¯ With his talent at gathering qi, he couldn''t even imagine what it would be like.

    But the deer''s answer destroyed his expectations. ¡°The technique that will take you to the peak is the one that you create by yourself.¡± Aleran could swear that at that moment, the deer''s face had a mocking expression as if saying. ¡°Yeah, you wish, idiot.¡±

    ¡®Is that the reason why I was able to ask that question? Just to entertain him?¡¯ Alerans face was like that of a child who had his favorite toy taken away. ¡° I can''t believe I am going to say this to something that can literally obliterate me. But you are an asshole, you know?¡±

    The creature squinted its eyes and started shaking, it was like a burst of soundless laughter. After a minute the creature stopped laughing and regarded Aleran with amusement before speaking. ¡°I know what I can give you. Earlier when we were talking, you unknowingly showed me you were lost in a forest. Is this still your current situation?¡±

    ¡°Yes, actually I don''t know where I ended up even before I entered the fog.¡± If this creature could help him, that would be great. It wasn''t a supreme cultivation technique but at least it would help. Another question, maybe a more important one, was able to leave his mind. ¡°Why are you really helping me? You said it yourself, that shadow could not really hurt you.¡±

    The creature sat still, with its tail swinging from one way to the other. To Aleran it looked like it was thinking its answer, making him roll his eyes. ¡®C''mon, I''m sure you already knew what I was going to ask.¡¯

    ¡°It''s more like a bet. There is a chance I don''t get to recover on my own. On another hand, there is a very tiny probability you survive to get strong enough to use those ¡°waters¡±. If those two conditions are met, then I will come again to ask for your help. What do think?¡±

    Aleran just nodded, by now he only wanted to get out of this place and make it out of the forest alive. The creature didn''t seem to be evil or something, in fact, it seemed to be a good-natured one. So, if he could, he would help it.

    ¡° Then, come closer. This will feel uncomfortable but don''t worry. Where do you want it, in the face or in the chest?¡±

    ¡° If it is that uncomfortable, in the chest, I guess.¡± Aleran answered getting closer.

    ¡°The face it is.¡± while shaking in another fit of laughter the creature tapped Aleran''s forehead with one of its antlers.

    ¡®Son of a-¡¯ A cyan light shone before his eyes followed by the sensation of something like worms crawling under his skin. Then the same sensation spread through his eye sockets, ears and nostrils, lastly they gathered into his skull.

    As the creature said, the prosses was uncomfortable but painless. After everything was done he could feel nothing and there were no visible changes in his face.

    ¡° If you focus your mind on your forehead you will figure out how it works by your own, It is very easy once you put your mind to it. Once you get out from here you can try doing it. This is not some great power, is just something that will enhance a natural ability cultivators tend to overlook. And because of that, they don''t exercise this ability too much. You will thank me when you realize how important it is. With that, our time together is over, is time for you to go back.¡±

    ¡®Can you at least tell me what this ¡°gift¡± does?¡¯ was what he wanted to ask but what came out of his mouth was another not so important question he had. ¡° By the way, I''m Mathew. Do you have a name?¡±

    The being shook its head with its golden mane leaving a trail after every movement. ¡° I don''t have a name, those of my kind are special. We are like one, we don''t share everything but we can share some sensorial information and abilities. We can also share with each other some memories and basic knowledge .. like a language for example. You should feel blessed, this is something few know about.¡±

    ¡®Oh.¡¯ Aleran had thought the creature had read his mind to learn the language. But now he remembered that it was only reading his superficial thoughts, only what he wanted to show.

    ¡°Then how do you call yourselves?¡± Again, he blurted the only question he was allowed to.

    The creature stood up, stuck its chest out looking impressive and filled with pride. And with a flourish of its tail, it announced. ¡° I am, a Kaisha¡±

    With that last announcement, a thick fog started to fill the place, the same fog that brought him here was the one that was taking him out.

    Still, Aleran was depressed he couldn''t ask all the questions he had, not even what the gift was. What was the point in talking with someone that will say only what you wanted to hear? Seeing the beast through the fog, still in the same position and proudly sticking its chest out, he immediately understood. ¡®It just wanted to show off...what a weird creature.¡¯

 Chapter 20: Divine Perception

    It didn''t take long for the fog to cover everything around him, leaving him in a state of utter disorientation. His feet seemed to be touching something solid but he could not feel anything under them. This sensation only served to reinforce his disorientation.

    He decided to start walking just like he had done before, albeit much more conscious of his movements now. But being aware of his movements didn''t make much of a difference here. He didn''t know if walking was needed to go back, probably not, but it gave him some sense of normalcy. Time seemed to stretch and space seemed to bend as he walked, making Aleran unable to tell how much time he had been here.

    Knowing that the Kaisha was not bent on hurting him and that this was the way back to the forest, he didn''t panic. Instead, he started to list a few possibilities on how he may be traveling back a forth from the forest to that strange plane. ¡®Could this be some kind of wormhole? Or the fog hides another form of travel through space and time?¡¯

    His mind started to diverge into the many theories and means of space-time travel he knew of. From the already existing warp impulse that powered the Interstellar 3, to more unorthodox methods like the infinite improbability drive. ¡®No, even back on earth talking about infinite improbability drive was mere science fiction.¡¯ In theory, If you could behave like a quantum particle, there is a low probability of ending up anywhere in the multiverse. Of course, there are places where the probability is really high and as you get further away from that place, that probability will start to become increasingly smaller. But being a random system, there was a small chance it could jump to the less probable place.

    ¡®Even though having a fixed destination goes against the very concept of infinite improbability drive, with all I have seen till now, I can''t say it is impossible. Maybe before I died I would have thrown away that possibility, but now I can only keep my mind wide open. If the Kaisha could somehow make things behave like quantum particles and control them as he wants, it would be terrifying.¡¯¡¯ But, no matter how great the Kaisha was, Aleran couldn''t imagine it being capable of such a feat.

    ¡®To tap into the realm of quantum mechanics can''t be that easy. And in this case, this mean of transportation gives you the ability to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time. What is that but a god?¡¯

    For a moment his mind drifted to the moment that unknown being took his soul and handled it like it was a simple toy. ¡®No, not even that being cant do something like that.¡¯ That thought somehow reassured him. If that being was that powerful then how could he have gotten away.

    His inner monologue was interrupted when the fog started to dissipate just like the last time. The white and purple disappeared to show the somber view of the forest.

    As soon as Aleran put a foot on the real ground, his body started to ache and his legs gave up. Now that he was out he remembered how injured his body was. The best he could do was to change the angle of the fall so that his back meets the floor instead of his face. The fall didn''t hurt as much as his preexisting wounds did, so he took it without a single grunt. He ended up lying flat on the floor, looking at the cup of the trees.

    He could still feel the heartbreaking pain of the wolf''s claws on his shoulder. On his leg, the hot burning sensation and the piercing pain joined forces to torture him. And how could he forget the dislocated shoulder? He was losing the sensation of the whole arm because of it. ¡®I need to put that shoulder back in place, now.¡¯

    ¡°Arrgg.¡± With no medical expertise whatsoever, Aleran had no other choice but to start moving his dislocated arm very carefully with his other, not so healthy, arm. It took him long minutes of pain to finally reattach the shoulder back on its socket.

    After that, Aleran decided to stay where he was, lying on the ground. He stayed there, gazing at the pieces of sky that made their way through the foliage. He knew this was not the peaceful place of the Kaisha anymore. But his body needed some rest even if it was for a few seconds.

    This moment of relaxation served to show him how bizarre his previous encounter had been. The state of his body made Aleran wonder how he had been able to remain standing before the Kaisha, and how he was able to walk in that fog. ¡® It must have been another mental trick or maybe some other mysterious ability.¡¯ Only now he realized how strange and messy his state of mind had been in that weird plane.

    It was like his mind had been running with extra weight on, and now, with that weight lifted he could finally think normally. ¡°Sigh.¡± Letting out a breath he thought. ¡®That will be in my top ten of weird experiences for a long time.¡¯

    With much effort, he sat up crossed legged and started to meditate, trying to forget what happened for a while. The talk with the creature had served to ease his thoughts a little. For all the Kaisha had messed with his mind, it had no ulterior motive other than just avoid some questions and having some fun with his reactions. And while it did help him with some personal agenda, the creature seemed honest the whole time.

    The news of those black waters still being attached to his soul was something that disturbed him. But the fact that something as powerful as the Kaisha could do nothing about it, allowed him to throw the matter at the back of his head, at least for now.

    After Aleran got into the ideal state, the meditation time was as short as it always was for him. Even though the qi could not heal his wounds, it stopped them from getting worse. It also allowed Aleran to move despite the pain and the fatigue of his muscles.

    When he felt full of qi, he decided it was time to see what was the present the deer had gifted to him.¡®Wish the deer would have told me more than just concentrate on your forehead. I guess I will have to make do with that.¡¯

    He focused his mind on his forehead, as he was told to do, and the next he felt was something warm crawling under the skin of his face, just like before. ¡®I wish I had a mirror to know what the fuck is happening to my face right now.¡¯ If he could indeed have a mirror, he would see a purple pattern spreading on his forehead. Finally transforming into a thin crown-like tattoo. After a low humming noise, the sensation stopped. It took him a long while to completely activate the new ability. But when he did he couldn''t help but open his eyes in shock.

    ¡°So that was what the Kaisha meant with something all cultivators can do. It is really just a simple technique. And I can''t deny this is exactly what I need right now.¡± In his shock, he had stopped using the technique. But that small time he had activated it, was enough for him to retrieve information on how to use it. The Kaisha was not lying, he truly got all the knowledge about the technique the moment he used it. For a second he felt connected to a large network of information, so big that his mind felt insignificant before it. It only lasted for the time it took him to assimilate the information on the new technique, which was extremely quick. To Aleran it felt like he was back on earth, using the internet and downloading something from the cloud. Only that here, he was downloading the knowledge directly to his brain.

    ¡®Wow! What the hell was that? Is that how those creatures share information? Shit, that was awesome! Sadly his ¡°connection¡± to this network was cut the moment he received the knowledge of the technique.

    Stilling his emotions and more prepared than before, he closed his eyes again and focused on his forehead, it was just like meditating. And just as he did when gathering qi, it took time to enter into that state.

    The name of the technique was the Divine Perception technique, it consisted of several steps to gather information about one''s surroundings. The first step was to enter into the right state of mind where one connects with the heavens and earth. Thus connecting with the source qi. But instead of using his partial original sense to gather the qi, he had to let himself go, becoming one with the world and the source qi.

    The idea was simple if the source qi was permeating everything, then besides absorbing it, you could also use it as a medium to explore the world around you. It was the reverse of cultivation, you had to spread your partial original sense, as Aleran called it, on the sea of source qi. Somehow when he did this, this partial original sense that only served to feel the source qi could feel the world around him through the source qi. ¡®I supposed the closest analogy would be on how a blind man uses a walking stick. The man can feel the stick and through it the world around him.¡¯¡¯ It was not such an accurate analogy but it was the closest he could think of. Aleran didn''t know exactly how this technique worked yet. Though he had some ideas as to what the source qi was and how it truly worked, he left that for some other time.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    The next step was simply to explore through the source qi. It sounded simple and in theory, it was, but Aleran knew from the information that learning to do this would take years of training. It was thanks to his most recent acquaintance that he was able to learn how to do this so fast. Besides that, he knew that the minor mishap in this state would end up with him losing his mind. This time for real. The trick was in letting go and spread your consciousness as far as you can. But at the same time, he had to restrain himself to not go too far and spread his own partial original sense and his consciousness too thin. If that happened, he could become an idiot, a vegetal, or even die.

    After letting go of most of his self-awareness, with a little bit of fear for what it could happen to his body while away, he started to explore. The first thing he felt was an overwhelming amount of information that made his head hurt and feel like it was about to explode. Lucky for him, his experience with the original sense made this a minor inconvenient for Aleran.

    That tide of information was in an abstract form, very hard to comprehend. Unlike the information he could gather through his original sense back then, this technique flooded his mind with random information he could not control. It was his job to feel his way to the information he wanted.

    The scope of the technique was big, Aleran guessed it was roughly 5 kilometers, making the quantity of information hard to handle. He couldn''t help but compare it again with the original sense. Maybe, it was because he could feel some small and distant similarity between the two. ¡® Could it be that in this technique is hidden another portion of the original sense?¡¯ This question popped up in his head and he couldn''t make it leave.

    Whatever the reason, the comparison always ended in favor of the original sense. The reach was much smaller than the original sense. That was what his instincts told him. He hadn''t any reliable frame of reference back when he was a soul. But as he thought about how using his original sense here would be, he always felt the reach of it would be immense. Maybe it could even cover the whole world, sadly, he couldn''t do a real test. ¡®I have to concentrate, it''s not the time for those questions.¡¯ He couldn''t linger too much on those thoughts, he had to keep his mind cleared.

    With time, more than Aleran would like to admit, he started to get the hang of it. The information was an unconscious instinctual type. When he concentrated, the location of the biggest geographical features appeared in his mind. It was a rough awareness of where everything was. Aleran knew that if he had a better understanding of the forest terrain and everything in it, the technique would have been more accurate. But even with his meager knowledge of the forest, he felt like a part of the landscape. And every part of the landscape was also a part of him, searching for anything in it was like looking at his own body. And between those landmarks, he finally found it, the river. It was just an approximation of where it was, but that was enough.

    Having found the river, Aleranwas was disposed to retract his consciousness. Spreading his awareness applied a big strain on his mind. He needed some rest, the constant work of filtering the information with his mind made him sleepy.

    ¡°tack.¡± But the fall of a simple small branch on his head hastened the process beyond his control.

    ¡°Ahh¡± With a scream that showed more confusion than pain, Aleran opened his eyes to see the world spinning all around him. A deafening ringing sound became present in his ears disorienting him even more. In a futile attempt to stop the spinning and the piercing sound in his ears, Aleran grabbed his head and tried to stand up but he dropped to the ground instantly. This time it was not due to his injuries.

    Grabbing his head and curled in the ground, It took him a few minutes of pure confusion to regain his bearing. ¡® That was close, luckily I was retrieving my consciousness when I was forced to wake up.¡¯ Impulsed by the need of finding a culprit for his most recent brush with death, he looked with a frown at the branch that had hit him. As if the piece of wood could bear any responsibility for what had happened he clench it in his hands. But that does not mean there was no culprit. The rustling sound in the cup of the trees showed him the guilty ones.

    Aleran was still having difficulties to hear, but soon the rustling became too obvious. When he looked up, he saw the cup of the trees swaying vigorously as if they were being lashed by a strong wind. Between the leaves and branches, Aleran caught sight of countless creatures speeding across the trees. They were so fast that he could only see blurs and shapes. But their numbers made the whole forest sway in their path. Leaves and branches rained from above due to the march of these creatures. Whatever they were, they seemed to not care about Aleran as they just passed above, maybe without even noticing he was the. Still, to be sure, Aleran waited as quietly as possible, there were too many of them to take the risk of grabbing their attention.

    With the creatures out of sight, Aleran started walking in the direction of the river. And, although he was paying attention to his surroundings, his mind was still reviewing the information he got about the divine perception. It has its pros and cons like almost any technique.

    The technique itself was not meant to be for finding your way when you are lost, as he used it. No. It was a technique that excelled at one thing, and that was stealth. When a cultivator reaches a certain level he is able to use an ability that is called external awareness. But this technique that is meant to explore beyond what is possible by the five senses had a huge flaw. It was extremely easy for other cultivators of the same level to notice when this technique was in use. Contrary to this, the divine perception was undetectable unless someone several levels higher was paying extra attention. After all, who would rise his guard against the source qi and the world itself? Added to that advantage, is the larger scope of the technique that makes it even more useful for stealth.

    Of course, the divine perception had its flaws. For once, it could only be used when the cultivator entered a state of deep meditation. Meanwhile, external awareness could be used even in the middle of a fight. But the most important and the main reason many cultivators were oblivious of the existence of the divine perception, was the immense danger it carried. When one entered a state of meditation to cultivate, a sudden interruption could translate in internal damage most of the time. But the smallest interruption of the divine perception could end up in brain damage or death. That danger made spreading your consciousness and give control to the source qi a counterintuitive movement. It was like throwing yourself in the middle of a stormy sea and hoping the waves will take you back home. Without the tools and knowledge that was suicide.

    For those few who knew this technique existed, this was a huge deterrent, only those who had an excellent master would attempt such a thing. Also, the existence of such a technique was usually kept in secret for the simple reason that it was too useful for espionage. The fewer people who knew about it the better.

    In this regard, Aleran had to really thank the Kaisha, because without the special way of transmitting knowledge he would have been in much more danger to die using the technique. That was without taking into account the years of training and the danger said training supposed.

    But for all the danger, this technique had so much potential that made the high risks worth it. What he used just now was more like the beta version of the divine perception. Not only was the reach small, but the real version of it would also mix this technique with images and concepts. And although the information didn''t say how to do it, Aleran was going to do his best to make that possible.

    Aleran knew that if he figured out how to mix his mastery in images with this power he would be able to understand the surroundings like the palm of his hand. He still didn''t know how it worked. But according to what the Kaisha passed to him, the images served to refine the information he received.

    Mixing his image of electromagnetism with this technique was an exciting prospect to Aleran. If he did it right, he would be able to use the magnetic field of this planet to orientate, like a compass. Or even better was using the image to trace the electric impulses all living beings make, getting their exact position instead of a rough estimate.

    That was not the only image, he really wanted to know what would happen if he mixed many images at the same time. But in the corner of his mind, an even more outrageous idea was brewing. His previous analysis of how the Kaisha could travel came to his mind. In particular the idea of the infinite improbability drive. He really wanted to know what would happen if he put his concepts of quantum mechanics into the mix. As he thought this, a grin appeared on his face. ¡®This world, this life... may not be so bad after all. There is nothing better for a scientist than being able to explore the mysteries of the universe with his own hands. And it is even better if I could use that knowledge to play a little.¡¯

    But the reality was far from his thoughts, be it with his images and with the technique. When it comes to divine perception, his current situation reminded him of how the Kaisha had learned the Elements in a few seconds. But it still had some difficulty speaking. Even after gaining fluidity in the language, it still wasn''t perfect, though it was better than him. Sadly, unlike the creature, he could not master this technique so fast. He knew it would take time to unleash its true potential.

    As for the images the reality was even harsher. The information about the technique said each time you add an image to the mix it becomes harder to add another one. That was without counting his own limitations. Yes, he had a facility with them, there was no doubt of that. But even with the electromagnetism, he needed some kind of physical image beside his knowledge, some kind of picture to get inspiration. He already had some troubles picturing electrons or magnetic fields. But to add the uncertainty principle or the wave-particle duality concept he needed much more time. Either way, he suspected that even with the ability to picture or to integrate those concepts into his images he would need higher cultivation and more qi to actually use them. But that didn''t stop him from dreaming and planning for a future where he could make it possible.

    ¡°Oh, I made it!¡± The sound of running water brought his mind back to reality. At the same time, the river with those suspiciously well-placed rocks appeared before his eyes. Finally, he was back on the right track.

 Chapter 21: The Barbarian

    It had been two days since his encounter with the Kaisha, and Aleran was sure, thanks to his new ability, that he was close to the edge of the forest. After the creatures that passed above his head two days ago, Aleran had not seen any other big animal. The only creatures in sight were the tiny bugs that were constantly biting him. The forest had become eerily quiet, allowing him to loosen up some tension

    Thanks to this calm, Aleran was able to quicken the pace of his travel. Now, he was running near the river shore but not so close that he would be targeted by those weird rock things.

    Aleran wanted to get out of the forest as fast as he could. Even with the inner qi supporting his body, he was starting to feel the void in his stomach and the dizziness in his head.

    His body still burned energy like normal, only that now it could use inner qi to pass the threshold of what it could endure without food. So, he still needed food. The only thing inner qi could do was helping him moving as if nothing was wrong.

    Aleran was somewhat afraid of eating some of these weird creatures. He didn''t know if some were edible, or if the source qi had made them somehow toxic. But if he didn''t find his way out soon, he will start hunting and eating them.

    "I''m almost there." He had calculated the distance and was sure there was little left.

    Soon, Aleran could hear sounds at the distance that contrasted with the now quiet forest. But The nature of these sounds made him frown. The first thing he heard was the booming sounds of loud explosions. Then, the myriad cries of different animals, some roaring, some whimpering, reached his ears. It sounded like a small war.

    Frown deepening, Aleran quicken his movement again. And, after passing through a wall of undergrowth, he could see between the trees what was happening.

    "People! Finally! Haha!" He sped up, even more, nearing the edge of the forest. What he saw was a war about to end. A war between men and beasts. This conflict was taking place in the plains, near the edge of the forest.

    There were two distinct groups of men fighting together against a now diminished group of creatures. These creatures were of all kind. He first recognized the wolves that were just like the ones who pursued him. Then he saw some other creatures, there were lizard type creatures an even some bird types.

    But the ones that grabbed his attention were a group of middle-sized monkeys. They had the face of a human with long noses but had less fur than a monkey. They looked like goblins with long tails and four arms. And the reason why they caught Aleran''s attention was that he could tell these creatures were the ones that passed above him two days before. Their green fur that matched that of the leaves made them difficult to spot when they raced between the trees.

    ''This is where they were going with such a hurry?'' They had obviously arrived here long before him. And, although they once were a large group, the ground was paved with the bodies of their kin, piled together with the bodies of other creatures. It seemed Aleran had arrived with the conflict near the end, in a clear victory for the humans.

    Aleran''s gaze then moved to those of his species. There was a glaring distinction between the two groups. The first group was clearly well equipped and well trained. They had full body armor, swords, shields, and even bows of good quality. Moreover, their average cultivation level was at the heaven opening, third phase.

    While the one who seemed to be their leader was at the qi circulation level. The man was barking orders to everyone around. He was equipped with the same armor that, to Aleran, had a Chinese style in the chest and legs. And the shoulders, arms, and head were covered by armor that did not correspond with that style. Another thing that set him apart was his weapon. It was a long spiked chain that began curled around his arm and then extended in spirals around him. At the end of the chain were two small blades that looked like menacing claws.

    Meanwhile, the other group was shabbier. With their pikes and hoes, they fought against the wild creatures protected only by their cotton clothing. They were following as best as they could the orders given by the man with the chain. And while the first group function like a well-oiled machine, this group functioned like an old, almost broken one. To Aleran, they looked like farmers and hunters that had been called to compensate for the lack of manpower.

    He started to ponder how to approach these people. '' What lies should I spill to convince them I am not suspicious? Well, I have time to get my story straight. I don''t want to get mixed in the fight, nor do I have the energy, so I will just wait till is over. I also need treatment for my wounds.

    But as he was thinking, he heard a high pitched noise, closer than the rest of the roars and cries form battle. He turned left to see a small creature closing. It had big black eyes, chubby legs, and short tail, all covered in white scales. It was closing in with a comic wobbling typical of young pups.

    Aleran gave an involuntary smile at the little creature that was smelling and looking at him with the curiosity and wonder that only newborns had. " Hey, little fella, you shouldn''t be here it''s dan-"

    "Grrrr" He didn''t get to finish his warning when a huge shadow covered him from behind. The low growl made his body vibrate with it.

    "Kacha." Without turning around, he launched his body to his left, just in time to avoid a fierce mouth filled with huge teeth that would have torn his body in half.

    After a quick roll on the ground, Aleran stood up to see what was it that almost killed him. A bigger version of the small creature, clearly its parent was standing opposite of him. Unlike the cub, this one had a black horn that contrasted with its scaly white body.

    This angry parent was as big as an elephant, with a slender body and a long tail. And as Aleran just found out, despite their size, they were extremely stealthy when they moved.

    Now, the beast was between him and his fellow humans. ''It''s too big, I can''t get close enough to electrocute it. And what is worst is that I don''t know if I have enough qi to do it either way. I should have rested and meditated, What an idiot.''

    But Aleran was not afraid of getting lost in the forest anymore, so he turned around ready to escape between the trees. Contrary to what he thought, the creature moved gracefully between the trees and bushes. And those trees it didn''t avoid, where just bent or uprooted with brute strength. Very soon, The beast was upon him forcing Aleran to dodge one of its huge paws.

    ''Damn! I can''t even escape.'' He knew that turning his back to the creature again would be pushing his luck.

    <hr>

    "There''s a civilian coming from the forest!" Kindrav heard the loud report of one of the soldiers while he was aiming with his bow. But right now he could not deviate his eyes from his target.

    As one of the few villagers with some cultivation, he was tasked to help the army in repelling the beast tide. After the collision between the two heavenly beasts in the southern mountain range, the rest of the creatures started running away from the forest.

    As the powerful creatures near the mountains ran towards the forest, the ones living there had no other choice but to run outside the forest. This was the start of a chain reaction that ended in a beast tide.

    Normally the monoliths built a few miles away from here where enough to scare them away. But in these special circumstances, they had no other choice but to risk going out of the forest.

    ''Woosh'' Kindrav fired the arrow, hitting squarely into one of the bird monsters they called source ravens. They could use source qi to gain sudden bursts of speed when flying. Making them a troublesome lot when they used that skill to attack or dodge.

    Having taken down one of the few birds left he move his gaze at the new arrival. It was a boy of his age, a little younger maybe. He had long blond hair, he was probably good looking, but he was in a miserable state. With his shirt and pants ragged, without shoes and injured in various places he looked even worse than a bum.

    He could see him standing near the treeline and looking down at a small creature. ''What the hell are you doing idiot, run!'' It was horrible seeing how the man didn''t even notice the huge white hunter approaching.

    Some of his fellow villagers were trying to warn him, but the roars of the beasts and the sound of fighting drowned their voices. Thankfully, the white hunter wanted to protect his cub, so it let out a roar to make it back off, only then attacked. That gave him the time to run away. Apparently, the guy was a cultivator because he dodged something a normal man couldn''t.

    Kindrav shook his head. ''You only prolonged your life for a few seconds.'' The white hunter was an earth level creature. A low leveled one? Perhaps. But it was something only those at the qi circulation mid phase could hope to defeat. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    "Hey, you! Barbarian trash, come here!" The mocking voice of the man in charge pulled him out of his thoughts. Kindrav had a bad feeling but could do nothing about it.

    With a light trot, he ended in front of the Captain who was looking at him with disgust. It was not a new thing for Kindrav, with the exception of those in his village everyone else treated him like this.

    There was nothing about his appearance that could betray him as a barbarian. He had deep black hair and eyes just as black that were always half closed, giving the feeling that he was always tired or bored. He had a handsome face that, although it wasn''t exceptional, it was passable.

    But, there was one thing that only those barbarians had, It was a series of rings in his ears. They had a few characteristic patterns that only barbarians used. It may seem like a small detail, but it was the signature of the barbarians.

    Everybody hated them, the barbarians were known for their pillage and plunder. But that was a common misconception, there were hundreds of tribes living on the mountains, and all of them had been grouped together as barbarians. Most of those living in the mountains were just hunters that lived by the day, making that generalization a huge injustice for them.

    He could get rid of the rings if he wanted, but they were the only thing he had left from his parents. Kindrav preferred to be treated like a pest than taking off those rings.

    "Yes, Captain?" He said swallowing his displeasure for the racist man.

    "As someone who is momentarily under the army''s command, you have the duty to protect normal civilians. Go and help the civilian being attacked by the white hunter." The captain pointed at the ragged boy that was barely dodging the fierce attacks.

    Kindrav was flabbergasted, that was insane. "Sir, with all due respect, I am not qualified to face that beast. It would be suicide."

    "He''s right sir if you have to send someone, please, send me." A middle-aged man came running from behind. Kindrav looked at the village chief, he was a heavenly opening stage second phase, lower than him. Yet, here he was trying to protect him, like always. It was thanks to him that Kindravl could live in Vast sky village.

    "No, it is suicide even if you send the whole village. Please, Captain." Kindrav didn''t want to let the chief go instead of him.

    "Enough! This is an order! With a powerful voice, the captain stopped their complaints. "We are in a state of emergency, and as the commanding officer in charge of this region, I can employ the strength of the men capable of fighting in the area." Then he came closer to Kindrav. "You know, I also have the right to punish those who refuse to follow my orders. I can even raise the taxes of your whole village under the charges of obstruction."

    "Now. You go there alone. Do you hear me? Obey!" He said with a smirk on his face and pointing at the faraway monster.

    "Sir, could you please, in your great mercy, grant him at least a suitable weapon?" Seeing the unwavering gaze of the captain, the middle-aged man tried to raise the chances of Kindrav''s survival.

    Looking at the middle age man, the captain thought for a moment and nodded. He made one of his soldiers give Kindrav a military bow, made of the famous black wood, and a good quality sword. Then he looked at the chief. "If he loses the bow and the sword your village will have to pay them." Those were expensive items that even the whole village would be hard pressed to pay.

    And like that, Kindrav was forced to run toward his death. He was generally a lazy guy that tried to avoid hard work, but when there were two things that could make him the most active person. The first was finding the culprit for his parent''s death. And the second was the village that took him in when he had nothing.

    ''Fuck, I would have preferred armor instead of this sword and bow. I will never be able to get close enough to use the sword and stay alive.''

    As he ran, he aimed at the beast, but the boy had lured it farther into the trees. ''I''ve got to get a little closer.'' After avoiding some other creatures and jumping over the dead bodies of some other ones, he made it to the trees.

    He climbed the trees and went further inside. After looking for the right place, he finally had a clear shot. The problem was that the scales of the creature were known to be as hard as steel. As an earthly rank creature, it had fused with the source qi and had its enhanced.

    Kindrav got in position over the branch of a tree and aimed again, this time he had no obstacles. From this new point of view, he could see that the beast was injured. Large drops of blood fell from under its belly. ''It probably entered a conflict with some other creature that was forced to move due to the heavenly beasts clashing.''

    He slowly lifted the bow, nocked an arrow and pulled. The bow was truly good, it was light, and it could support more tension, as expected of the magical blackwood. He then let go of the string. ''This may be suicide, but at least you will remember me every time you take a shit.''

    "Swoosh" It was the fastest arrow Kindrav had ever shot. With an uncanny angle, it avoided the moving tail and embedded itself right into the animal''s rear.

    "Grrraaaaaa." A loud roar of pain escaped from the white hunter. Exploding in rage, it turned several times searching for the offender. It may have its whole body protected, but there was a small hole under his tail that could not be sealed under scales.

    Kindrav tried to hide soon after seeing his blow was successful at distracting the beast. He was obviously not trying to kill it, his plan was to distract the beast long enough for the boy to run.

    Half of the mission was complete, the boy had climbed over a tree, and the beast was rampaging about trying to find Kindrav. The other half was just getting back alive.

    "Boom!" With that sound, the tree Kindrav was using started to tilt over. '' Shit! It found me.''

    He jumped, going for another tree, but the white hunter, injured and all, moved after him. It climbed the tree that was falling with two fast jumps, and with the last one, it swiped its paws at him.

    "Krack." With a fast reaction, Kindrav used his sword to block the attack. The blade showed a few cracks, and he was sent flying like a cannonball.

    "Boom." Another tree stopped his flight a few meters away.

    Kindrav tried to reincorporate as fast as he could, he knew the beast won''t let him rest. Sadly, he only got the time to roll on the floor to avoid another attack of the beast''s claws. A deep impression of the paw was left where he was before. But the beast continued with its assault whipping its tail at the rolling human.

    Again, Kindrav barely dodged, but he couldn''t get the time to get up and run. It was that moment when he felt trapped, that a shadow dropped from one of the trees and into the white hunter''s back.

    A soon as the shadow touched its back, the creature started to tremble in a creepy way and fall sideways. "Now! Its belly is injured, stab it!" From somewhere Kindrav heard a voice. And without even thinking, he grabbed his sword full of cracks and raced toward the fallen creature. He dodged the trembling limbs, and there he found it, a large wound in the middle of the belly that looked like a stab injury. He had to hurry, the limbs were moving erratically, and if one hit him, he would be seriously injured.

    Using as much strength as was possible, he stabbed his sword on the wound, and once inside he ran the blade across its abdomen. A fountain of blood came out, together with some other entrails.

    "Graaa... aaaa..a" With a last roar, the beast died, and its body stopped convulsing.

    "Hahahahahaha! Yessss!" Unlike his usual cool and relaxed character, Kindrav could not stop himself from cheering out loud. He had just killed a fucking earthly beast, something a qi circulation cultivator at the middle stage could barely match.

    Yes, the beast was injured, but that didn''t make this achievement any less impressive. Soaked in shiny red blood, Kindrav circled the body to see his partner in this feat.

    There he was, a boy even younger than him. He was injured from head to toe and clearly tired. But somehow this boy had jumped on the back of the beast and made something that left it helpless. Now that he review the situation in his mind, his excitement went down a little. Whatever the boy did was the decisive factor that not only helped to kill the beast but also saved his life.

    No matter what, Kindrav was still very proud of the feat. He went to the boy that was still on the ground, shaking and gasping, and extended his hand. " Here, let me help you." The boy still gasping nodded and grabbed his hand.

    With his help, the boy managed to stand up supporting himself with the dead body of the white hunter. He looked at him with piercing blue eyes and said. " Thanks for coming to my rescue, that was one of the close ones."

    '' One of?'' Kindrav asked himself, but seeing the body of the boy he understood. ''He must have braved many dangers.'' " I should be the one thanking you, you saved my life. How did you make it convulse like that?"

    "Oh, that? Just a special trick of mine." Said the boy with a big smile. Kindrav didn''t really care how he did it, he only asked because he was impressed but he wouldn''t peer into other secrets. The only thing he needed to know was that the boy instead of running away stayed and fought with him.

    "Well, whatever it was, we just did something amazing ." He said pointing at the dead beast. " Wait until I rub this on his face. Ahh just imagining that asshole''s face I feel refreshed. Sorry, I let myself get carried away. Come, you need treatment, and I need to compensate you for saving my life."

    Aleran just nodded, he really needed help. "Thank you, I would appreciate that."

    "Let''s take you to the village, the beast tide is almost over, and the army can take care of it by themselves. You will also be a good excuse to bring some of the men back to the village, so thanks again hehe." As if suddenly remembering something he clapped his palms and said. "Oh, right I didn''t ask for your name. I''m Kindrav Praux."

    "I''m Aleran, nice to meet you." Aleran knew from Zarasen that his name was not uncommon, but his last name would give away his identity too easily. Just in case the Silver Moon kingdom continued the search, he would think of a good last name. For that, he needed to know more about the common names of this world. He couldn''t walk around calling himself Aleran Hartman. Well maybe he could, but he didn''t know. He had to investigate if the names and last names were something strict or something that didn''t matter for the people of this world.

    "Nice to meet you." The battle had dragged them even deeper into the forest, but not so far that they would be lost. So, lending his shoulder to help Aleran, that was now with almost zero qi, Kindrav started to guide him towards the outside.

    Turning his head one last time to see the body Aleran was surprised. ''So that''s why the east stopped attacking me. No wonder, anyone would lose his mind at that.'' He turned his head again to look at the guy at his side. " You shot an arrow at his ass?"

    Nodding calmly, Kindrav answered. " Mn, that was an insightful move on my part." He was clearly proud of that.

    "Hahaha, nice." Aleran already had a good impression of this guy.

 Chapter 22: A Plan for the Future.

    ¡°Haaaa! Haaa...haaa¡± Jolted, Aleran woke up to a quiet room. He looked around to see wooden walls and a desk with some herbs and other stuff. As for the rest of the room, it was unfurnished except for the bed he was on.

    He looked out the window and he had to squint his eyes, it was a sunny day too shiny for someone who had been sleeping. After his sight got used to the light, he could see a collection of small cottages dispersed through the landscape. The house he was in was on a hill, allowing to see these other cottages from its position.

    Looking around, the memories of how he ended up here started to come. After returning with Kindrav from the forest, they faced the captain of the units stationed there. Kindrav told the captain they had killed the white hunter between the two of them.

    The boy seemed to have good people skills because, when the time came to tell what happened, he wisely hid the fact that Aleran had rendered the creature defenseless before his sword killed it. That not only helped Aleran to hide his odd abilities but also made them both seemed like total badasses. Kindrav made a whole embellished story, where Aleran, against all odds, bravely distracted the creature while he nimbly bypassed the tail and the limbs of the beast to stab the sword into a preexisting wound. He later explained to Aleran that he had to say the truth about the wound to make the story more believable. The added benefit of making them look smarter was also in his plans. Basically, the pathetic rolls on the ground were replaced by cunning movements and the opportunistic tactics were changed for bravery and teamwork.

    The exaggerated story, with miraculous movements and improvised but perfect teamwork between two strangers, lasted almost 20 minutes. By the time he ended, the tale transformed into some kind of epic fight between gods and demons. And, while most of the villagers on the scene believed them, the soldiers, especially the captain, were skeptical. The corpse of the creature was not visible, but the blood drenching Kindrav was a piece of compelling evidence on his favor.

    In the end, the unfriendly Captain decided they will check on the corpse after they finished with the remaining beasts. But when Kindrav asked to take Aleran to the village, the captain ordered him to come back quickly. So, while Aleran was now in the village, his new friend was still facing the creatures.

    ¡°How long have I been sleeping?¡± When Kindrav brought him to the village, he was taken to the house of the chief, who was also fighting the beasts. There, he was fed some kind of vegetable soup. It was probably an insipid food for normal standards. But, to someone who had only eaten the food on the asylum since he got here, it was a delicacy. In the end, he ate five bowls, before he was told there was no more by a kind looking woman. After that, Kindrav who had stayed for the meal said that he had to go back soon and took him to this very room. He said that Caidel, the chief''s wife and also the healer of the village, will treat his injuries. The moment he was put on the bed, Aleran lost all consciousness. He was more exhausted than he thought.

    Only now he woke up with bandages all over his body and a weird taste on his mouth. The strange numb sensation on his shoulder told him that the woman had used some kind of topical anesthetic. Besides that, there was obviously some painkilling medicine since the pain was more manageable now. ¡° Well, it''s not a modern treatment, but it''s still amazing what this woman can do. And this bed is rough but its a five-star suit compared to the asylum¡±.

    ¡°Creeck¡± The door of the room opened with a creaking by said woman. Caidel had brown hair, a small nose, and black eyes. Her face was quite plain but her smile and the dimples on her cheek gave her an especial air of sweetness. Dress with simple clothes and some kind of apron on top, she gave a maternal vibe that made one naturally lower their guard.

    ¡°I heard some noise, are you okay?¡± With a worried face, Caidel entered the room.

    ¡°Yes, I''m sorry for startling you, ma''am. Lately, I''ve been sleeping in dangerous places, so I''m still a little worked up.¡± What he said was true, he had been surrounded by dangers all day and night. And, at the minor sound, he would become alert.

    ¡°Oh yes, little Kin told me you came from the forest. That must have been a terrifying experience. Don''t worry, you are safe here.¡± With that, she went back to the door. ¡° I''m glad you are fine then. You had slept for a day so you must be hungry. I will bring you food in a while.¡±

    As if remembering something, Aleran spoke before she reached the door. ¡°Thank you miss Caidel... for treating me.¡± The woman had not only patched him up, but she had also washed him clean. It had been almost a year since he last had a decent bath. And that was when they washed him up before they sent him to the asylum. After that, he only had a bucket of dirty water and a rag to wipe his body. The worst part was that, sometimes, he had to share the rag with the old man. He didn''t want to imagine how dirty and smelly he must have been for someone who wasn''t used to the smell. Now, he felt refreshed. ¡®It is truly a basic necessity, I feel like a human again. It is almost worth the embarrassing sensation at having other people wash you.¡¯

    As if seeing through him she said. ¡°It''s what I do, you don''t have to be so shy. I may don''t have the strength to fight in these special circumstances, but I have the skill to keep safe those I care. And you help little kin, so you are more than worthy of my time. Now rest, I''m sure by this afternoon my husband and the rest will come back.¡±

    <hr>

    Just as Caidel said, that same afternoon, those who were forced to fight, returned home. After spending some family time, the chief and Kindrav went to visit their new guest.

    ¡° Hey Al, you Okay?¡± With his casual way and half-closed eyes, Kindrav entered the room followed by a middle-aged man. Aleran knew this man who had blond and white hair, square jaw and soft blue eyes. He was the chief of the village, and his name was Faud. Just like his wife he had a kind aura and a trustworthy face that made one comfortable. ¡° I hope you are feeling better, young man. You can stay here until you feel completely recovered.¡±

    ¡°I''m feeling much better, thank you. Frankly, I was at my limit before Kindrav showed up.¡± Aleran said with an embarrassed face. He already knew that Kindrav was forced to help him, but that didn''t take away the fact that he had risked his life to take down the beast.

    ¡°Well, he helped you as much as you helped him by staying and fighting by his side. So, you are a friend of ours now. My wife says your recovery will take a cycle or two thanks to your level of cultivation. In the meantime, you can stay here. I don''t know your personal situation, but if you want to stay in this village for longer, we can find you a place and something to do. With your cultivation, you could be really helpful.¡± The chief, as the straight forward person he was, made his offer. And after talking some more he left the room with a few words. ¡°Well, you have time to decide what you want, see you at the diner.¡±

    As soon as the chief was out, Kindrav that was leaning against the wall, asked. ¡°Hey, may I ask you something? What the hell were you doing in that hellish place? you don''t have to answer if you don''t want, I''m just curious¡±

    After thinking a little Aleran answered. ¡°Someone told me the forest of eternal dreams was the most direct way to the Sidrin empire.¡± He was not going to say anything about the asylum or his escape. But he didn''t want to lie too much either. He didn''t have the necessary knowledge of this world to make up a believable story.

    ¡°Forest of eternal dreams?¡± Asked Kindrav with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Yes, isn''t that the name?¡±

    ¡°Weeell...yes, I suppose nightmares are also dreams. But I think someone wanted you dead. Hehe. It''s hard to find someone who doesn''t know about the forest of eternal nightmares. Are you not from here? ¡±

    Aleran''s eye twitched at that comment. ¡®That old fart, does he want me dead?¡ä The worst thing was that he could imagine the old bastard''s answer. Something in the lines of -If you knew the real name you would have hesitated, and that was the only way out. What use is there in knowing the name?- Then he would have just waved his hand dismissively and changed the subject.

    Aleran grabbed his head, pretending to be in pain and traumatized by something, and said. ¡° I didn''t know... I...I don''t want to talk about it. It''s complicated... sorry.¡± Inwardly he was praying for the questions to finish. ¡®C'' mon man, give me a break.¡¯

    ¡°I already told you, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want. I was just curious, it''s my bad.¡± Said Kindrav, a little startled by Aleran''s sudden reaction.

    Their conversation changed subjects after that, and Aleran started to feel more at ease. Kindrav told him a bit about the Vast Sky village. He told him about the daughter of the chief. She was also a cultivator and had been sent away by her parents that didn''t want her to fight with the beats. There was something in Kindrav''s voice when he talked about Sarya, the chief''s daughter. He obviously had feelings but there was also some conflict in his eyes. Like that, they talked until it was dinner time, knowing each other better.

    <hr>

    Two cycles had passed since his arrival at Vast Sky village. After the first weeks of recovery, Aleran started helping with manual labor and some chores that required strength. This whole time he has familiarized with the whole village and was able to learn more about it. He learned that the ancestors of the Vast Sky village learned cultivation from a wandering master. He taught them the basic Heavenly opening stage. This man was known as the Vast Sky master, so they took his name to honor him. As it was forbidden for a cultivator to teach more advanced techniques to outsiders, the strongest villagers were only at the third face of the Heavenly opening stage.

    He also learned about Kindrav and that he was a barbarian. When he was a child his family was chased out from his father''s tribe. After escaping for a year, his parents sacrificed themselves to cover for his escape. It was when he was wandering alone in these plains, starving and afraid, that he was found by Caidel and a young Sarya. They took him into their house and raised the eight years old kid. By now, Aleran knew that despite Kindrav behavior of lazing around and scaping chores, when it really mattered the guy was always there helping the village.

    Aleran felt somewhat guilty that he could not tell the truth about himself. But he tried to compensate with his hard work, always helping when he was needed.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Aleran, who had earned some free time, was now seated cross-legged on the floor of the guest room. It would be a normal sight of a cultivator meditating if it weren''t for the metallic powder covering the ground like a shiny carpet. He was training his image of magnetism.

    The idea came to him when he was helping at the house of the pseudo blacksmith of the village. The man could not make weapons nor any complex work, but he could make some simple metalwork. After helping him cutting some wood, Aleran caught sight of the metal chips and powder that were the leftovers of the man''s work. Aleran immediately got the idea of using them to practice his image.

    For some reason, he had been having a hard time trying to picture the magnetic field. He wanted to create a magnetic field inside his spirit-veins. And if it was strong enough, it could even affect things outside his body. He was basically aiming to transform his body into a giant magnet. The biggest problem was power. Aleran could create some magnetic fields inside him but they didn''t have much effect outside his spirit-veins. But if he could see its effects he could refine the image and make it more powerful. That is where the metallic powder entered.

    Creating a magnetic field that affected the powder will give him the image of the magnetic lines of force. They will create a pattern that, he hoped, would help to consolidate his image.

    ¡°Zzzzz¡± With his eyes glued to the dust, Aleran could hear it slowly moving as he increased the power of the magnetic field. The more the dust moved the more Aleran could imagine the pattern the magnetic lines of force had.

    ¡°ZZZZZZ¡± And finally, after weeks of training, all the dust settled into a beautiful magnetic pattern. The floor was now covered in long curved lines, many of them traveling from pole to pole with Aleran at the center. A smile crept to his face at that sight. He was doubtful at first, but as the days passed he started to feel this was the right way. He couldn''t remember how many times he had created half patterns or simply failed. And after each failed attempt he had to redisperse the dust manually and try again until he managed to form a magnetic field powerful enough to create a perfect pattern. And now, it truly worked.

    ¡°Wow! That was impressive!¡± Suddenly he heard a voice coming from the window. Aleran knew it was Kindrav, the guy had the habit of escaping his chores. And his favorite hiding place was the guest room. Normally, it would be empty, but with Aleran here Kindrav usually hid somewhere else. With that say, to not be found, the guy sometimes sneaked into his room when Aleran was out.

    It wasn''t uncommon for Aleran to enter the room after a day out, to find Kindrav sleeping in his bed. It seems that today Kidnrav didn''t hear the news that Aleran was given some free time.

    Opening the window and entering as if it was the most common thing in the world, Kindrav said. ¡°Is this what you do with your free time? Damn! Al, you need to learn how to relax. What is all this?¡± He touched the fine dust, noticing it was made of metal, and sat on the bed.

    ¡°It''s my image training, I had just finished when you entered.¡± Blurted Aleran as he stretched his arms and back. He didn''t see a reason to hide this.

    ¡°Oh...Wait! You can use images, and even project them?¡± His half-closed eyes became as big as plates. ¡° You are full of surprises, aren''t you? This must be what you used to cripple that white hunter.¡± Kindrav knew how reserved Aleran was, so he didn''t push it with his questions. Besides, asking about personal images too deeply was a big taboo.

    But in his head, he was shocked and filled with questions. What Aleran was saying defied all logic. Kindrav felt a little touched that he was being trusted with such a secret. If word got out that a Heaven opening cultivator could use images, it would shock the world.

    ¡°I''m not projecting them, this image is special, that''s all. It is quite dangerous. For now, I don''t use it unless necessary.¡± Aleran was telling the truth with that, although it was more about the electricity part. Using it inside his spirit veins required a delicate control. Otherwise, he would end up with destroyed spirit veins or dead.

    Still amazed by what he was hearing Kindrav stared at the pattern on the floor. He couldn''t guess what image was. Before he could say anything Aleran said it himself. ¡°To put it simply, its an image that interacts with metal. Though in reality is so much more than that.¡± During these time Aleran had gotten to know Kindrav and, despite his messy conduct, he was a trustworthy person. Aleran was not going to say anything too revealing, but he guesses it wouldn''t harm to tell him this stuff.

    Kindrav just nodded and stayed silent for a while, looking at the floor. Hi raised his head and look at him. When he spoke again, his eyes were serious and his tone solemn. ¡°Hey Al, what do you plan to do? I mean... with your life. Do you want to stay here in the village? Do you have some previous plan? What do you want of your life?¡±

    Aleran could sense there was some other meaning behind those words, some underlying question that Kindrav was holding back. He could see the expectation in his eyes. So, Aleran took his time to answer. He looked down following the lines on the floor as if they held some kind of answer or direction for his life.

    He didn''t have a home in this world, he barely knew anyone here. But for some reason, he felt free of shackles. As if anything was possible, and all roads were open for him. He took a deep breath and answered the question. ¡° You know, I''ve thought a lot about that recently. The first thing I''m sure of is that I want power. To take my fate into my own hands, never again depending on the whims of others.¡± Aleran didn''t notice, but as he talked his look turned more and more obsessed. Maybe dying once had messed a little with his mind, or maybe it was his later experiences that gave birth to this obsession. Whatever the case, it was something fixed in his heart now. ¡°I can''t explain how good it feels to use the images and my enhanced strength. They make me feel like I''m in control again.¡±

    ¡°But it''s not only that, I just enjoy using them, and I want more. The feeling of having the forces of nature at your command is like a drug. I want everything cultivation has to offer, it''s like I was made for it.¡± He didn''t know much, but if half the stories Zarasen told him where true. If there was really something like immortality in this universe, then he wanted that too.

    ¡° I want to have an eternal life where I have the time to unravel the secrets of the universe. It may sound crazy when I can barely face a few beasts in the forest, but that is how I feel. And the more I cultivate the more this feeling grows. I want to learn until the universe holds no secrets from me.¡± Perhaps, encouraged by his recent experiences and his meeting with the Kaisha, Aleran was finally facing his fears. And in his head, he was talking to himself. ¡® I also want to know who took my soul back then, and what did it do to me. What was its purpose?¡¯

    He made a pause and raised his head, facing Kindrav.With a tinge of that same obsession lingering in his eyes. ¡° So, no. I won''t stay here. I will do whatever I have to do and go wherever I have to go to become stronger.¡±

    Aleran was expecting to see a disappointed look on Kindrav. He had thought that Kindrav wanted him to stay in the village. But instead, he saw Kindrav''s eyes filled with a similar kind of obsession. And plastered on his face, there was a smile of relief. ¡°Our motives may be different, but we both want to become stronger. Would youlisten to my proposal?¡±

    Aleran suddenly recalled something. This lazy guy, who ran away when it was the time to do chores, was also someone who woke up early in the morning to train and meditate. And for what he heard on the village, Kindrav had learned in one week how to use the sword from a retired city guard who used to live in the village. He was good at everything when it came to fighting and his archery skills where impressive.

    Intrigued, Aleran asked. ¡° What kind of proposal?¡±

    ¡°Have you ever heard of the dragon claw academy?¡± Kindrav answered with another question. And seeing Aleran shake his head, as he expected, he continued. ¡°I figured. The dragon claw academy is the official recruitment center of the Sidrin empire. They are the training academy for the army. Normally those who enter, end up becoming foot soldiers. But if your results are outstanding you can choose other training programs. What''s important is that they will give you resources, tech you martial stances and cultivation techniques beyond the heaven opening stage. No matter the result you get in the entrance examination, as long as you pass it, you will get more resources and someone to teach you.¡±

    Alerans interest was piked. He probably didn''t need anyone to teach him images. But he was in urgent need of someone that could teach him how to fight. Aleran still remembered his fight in the asylum, and how much easier would have been if he knew how to defend himself. What''s more, the scene where Zarasen defeated an armed guard with one movement was still fresh in his mind.

    ¡°So we just show up in the academy and take the test? That easy?¡± Although he was interested, it sounded too good to be true.

    Kindrav just smiled and shook his head. ¡°I wish it was that easy. There is a catch. You need to pay an entrance fee. Besides that, anyone can take the test as long as you were born in the empire, or you are the son of a citizen. You need to present the documentation necessary to prove it. And here, is where I think we both have the same predicament.¡±

    ¡°You also don''t have the documents? So, our path is blocked right from the beginning, what''s the plan then?¡± Aleran had guessed that his status as a foreigner would be revealed easily. After all, he knew next to nothing about the costumes of the Sidrin empire.

    ¡°Every two years a public officer will pass to make a census where the newborns are registered and the family is given a paper as a proof of being born in the empire. Noble cultivation families have a stricter method, but that is not our problem. We have no way to get one of those certifications. At least not legally.¡± Said Kindrav with his smile intensifying. ¡° Although it is a simple paper it is very hard to forge one. You need to have some connection to get your hands on a good quality fake.¡±

    Aleran squinted his eyes.¡°What connections are you talking about? I don''t mean to offend you, but you are a barbarian, I can''t imagine you with those connections¡±

    Kindrav raised his hands ¡°You are right, I don''t have them. But hear me out, the chiefs younger brother, Oldre, is a guard on the nearby city of Kilua. He and the chief don''t get along well, but he is quite fond of me. The thing is, he also has connections with a big gang working on the city. And after some talking about how I could get into the academy, Oldre came with an idea. He could vouch for us to get into the gang. And, if we ask to work for them and receive as payment the forged documentation, we may have a chance to take the entrance examination five cycles from now.¡±

    Aleran was surprised, this was not something Kindrav had thought at the moment. On the contrary, it was a well-thought plan made with lots of anticipation. He looked at Kindrav in a new light now. There must be some important reason behind his motivation, maybe his real parents. But he was not going to pry into it, he knew very well what it was to have a secret.

    ¡°Okay, but let me make something clear. The idea is good, and I know I said I would do whatever I had to do to become stronger. But I won''t hurt innocent people, I want to become stronger not to become something I am not. If I start hurting everyone to get more power I may become stronger faster, but all that power will belong to a monster with my face and not to me. If you were expecting something else, then I''m sorry.¡±

    To someone who didn''t recognize his own face, what mattered the most was his essence, his soul. He wasn''t a person that was too concerned about moral issues. But he would feel bad with himself if he started hurting people who didn''t deserve it.

    Finally, Kindrav''s smile grew so big that he showed his teeth. ¡° I wouldn''t have offered you this if I hadn''t figured out what kind of person you are. I also don''t want to hurt anyone, this is actually my last resort plan, But we may have to watch some innocent people suffer without being able to do anything. We need to be prepared for that.¡±

    Aleran didn''t like it, but he was no saint either. Still, he knew that being in the place and do nothing when people were getting hurt will bother him, so he said. ¡° Then we will remember everything these gangsters do, and when we are strong enough, we will pay them back for everything they did. How about that?¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha.Yeah! I like that. It''s a deal then.¡± Kindrav extended his hand.

    Aleran stood up and shook hands with him. ¡° Hey, I don''t have much qi left, would you help me clean this mess?¡± He pointed at the floor filled with dust. The moment he let go of his hand, Kindrav jumped out of the window with the agility of a cat and disappeared of his sight. ¡°sigh¡­ I knew it.¡±

 Chapter 23: Joining The Crimson Claw (I).

    Five days after their conversation, Aleran and Kindrav were waiting at the border of the village. Kindrav had asked the only merchant that lived there to take them to Hilua. Being a small village, everyone knew Kindrav, so the merchant accepted without much thought. Once in the city, they would be on their own.

    As they waited for the man, the chief called them for a final goodbye. They had to walk a little since a lot of people were here to say goodbye to Kindrav. As for Aleran, he didn''t know them all that well.

    After getting out of ear range from others, Faul started. ¡°Look, I know you are going to risk yourselves on this journey, and I know I can''t change your minds. You are both good kids that get along well. That''s why I''m going to ask you to take care of each other out there.¡± His eyes were serious, Aleran didn''t know that the chief was aware of their plan. And judging by Kindrav''s face, he was also surprised. Kindrav told everybody they were going to look for jobs and opportunities in the city. A lousy lie, but from knowing it was a lie to actually figure out what they were planning, there was a large difference.

    Seeing their faces the chief laughed and said. ¡°I may be old but I recognize the passion of those of your age. You are both fairly talented to reach the heaven opening, third stage at your age. You are wasted in this little village. I also know of your special circumstances, so when I realized you spoke to my brother I got the gist of your plan. I don''t agree with this plan of yours but I can''t stop you, the only thing I ask of you, is to be careful.¡± Both Aleran and Kindrav nodded.

    ¡° Al, little Kin may seem a little unreliable, but when it comes to his friends and family he will always be there, take care of him. Kin, the same goes for you, it hasn''t been long since we met Al but we both know his personality. He is smart and hardworking but tends to shut himself up inside his mind, and often he grows detached from those around him. He had barely talked in the village, except for you, Caidel and me. It''s up to you to keep his feet on the ground and make sure he doesn''t spend too much time daydreaming.¡± Neither of them moved, they just looked around embarrassed at how accurate chief Faul''s assessment of the two was. For Kindrav this was nothing new, but to Aleran it was surprising. It wasn''t at the point of seeing inside the heart of people as the old fart. But it was something impressive when you take into account they had met Aleran just two months ago.

    ¡°We understand, thanks, Faul.¡± Aleran was the one who broke the awkward silence. For some reason, Kindrav stood still with his head down.

    ¡°I''m glad you do.¡± Chief Faul continued without paying attention to Kindrav''s odd behavior. ¡° I only have two things left to tell you. They are bits of advice or warnings if you like. The first is, don''t trust my brother completely. I know little Kin gets along with him, but don''t put all your faith in him. Don''t get me wrong, he is my brother and I love him, but he tends to make bad decisions. So, don''t rely much on his help.¡± Aleran agreed and Kindrav, with his head still down, also acknowledged.

    ¡°The other thing I have to tell you is more for the future. If you don''t make it and something goes wrong with your plan, come back immediately. This village will always have its doors open for you two. ¡°

    And if you do make it, as I hope you do, when you get into the academy you will find for the first time how vast this world truly is. There, you will find kids way younger than you with much more power than the two of you combined. Don''t get discouraged by that, master Vast Sky said to our ancestors that age means nothing in cultivation. Spirit-veins never grow old. Those who have better spirit veins and start at a young age have some advantage, but as you increase in cultivation your life span also increases. Giving you more than enough time to reach high levels. If you are willing to put the necessary effort and run the risks, of course.¡±

    The speech came to a conclusion when the merchant of the village, the one who provided the villagers with things from the city and vice-versa, came closer. Behind the man, two strange and short creature followed. These creatures were as tall as mules, but they had thick legs with for long fingers. They had the trunk of an elephant but the ears of a dog and big round black eyes. These two short creatures were called ariats.

    Each ariat was pulling a cart that looked like a carriage but without the comfort of one. Both carts were filled almost to the brim with vegetables, leather, and furs. These were the main products of the village. The merchant, named Duin, was a skinny man with bags under his eyes. His skin was pale and one may think he was sick, but that was only until the man smiled. It was a radiant smile typical of a merchant.

    It was then and there that Kindrav launched himself to the chief with a low sobbing. He clung onto him for some good five minutes. It was understandable, the man was almost like a father to him. And then, the same happened with Caidel.

    After an emotional goodbye with the whole village, Kindrav was ready to board the cart together with an impatient Aleran and their new travel companions, the vegetables. This was going to be a 6-day journey. Although they could probably make it in four if they ran at their full speed, they would reach the city all tired and dirty from the journey. They were press for time, but two days won''t make much of a difference.

    It was the sixth day and they were closing into Hilua. The journey was uneventful and Aleran was sitting uncomfortably inside the cart playing with an onion-like vegetable. It was round and white but had a sweet smell, tempting him several times to try a bite. But the other vegetables had some spicy and bitter smell that took that feeling away.

    Bored Aleran looked at Kindrav who was sleeping. The guy could sleep the whole day without a care for the bumps they hit on the road or the vegetables rolling to your face from time to time. " Hey, Kin. If we are going with these gang for the fake ids, then, where are we going to get the money we need to take the entrance examination."

    Seeing no answer from Kindrav, Aleran squinted his eyes. He flickered his wrist and the white vegetable flew with a shocking force.

    "Pack!" "Ouch, Man! That''s not cool, you can''t wake me in the middle of a nap. It''s what keeps me young, my immortality secret. See this perfect skin? Do you think it is thanks to my cultivation? ¡°

    "Answer the damn question." Said Aleran rolling his eyes. He knew that something was wrong because Kindrav already avoided the issue a few times before.

    Scratching his head and looking like a kid caught red handed on mischief, Kindravhe said. "To tell you the truth, we cant use gold nor any mortal money. We will need this." He took something from a small pouch. It was a blue crystal, the size of a pinky finger that shined brightly. The moment it was out in the open Aleran felt the source qi inside the rock. Without waiting for Aleran to ask Kindrav continued. " This is only a small piece of a source crystal, known as spirit stone. These crystals are the currency used by cultivators to buy cultivation related stuff. It''s not like cultivators don''t use gold, but it''s only used to buy houses, food, slaves and other stuff."

    Not surprised by the existence of slavery in this world, Aleran said. " It''s like a different currency for different markets, okay. Is this rock useful in cultivation?"

    Kindrav nodded and then shook his head. " Not exactly. I mean, yes it is useful. But only if your spirit veins are of the lowest quality. You have to be a very rich loser to waste spirit stones in cultivation. The main uses for these spirit stones are alchemy, weapon crafting, pill making and powering or creating formations."

    "What a stupid choice of currency. Money is supposed to flow, not to be a consumable object. Gold is already not ideal, but this thing is idiotic." Aleran blurted unconsciously.

    Sure, as long as there was a steady supply everything will be fine, but if you consumed more than you could mine of these rocks it will end up with a lack of circulating money. And if there is something an earthling knows, is that no matter how limitless the resources seem to be, there will be a time when they run out. ''Well, I don''t know how they get these things, I guess there must be some way to create a steady supply and fix most of its many flaws in a way that is useful.'' Aleran arrived at this conclusion.

    Watching him like a strange creature, Kindrav continued. "Is it stupid? I don''t know, it worked just fine for thousands of years. You always worry for the most insignificant of things, huh? Well, the thing is that I have no idea how to get our hands on more of this. But we have five cycles to figure it out." He finished with a confident but lazy grin.

    With a resigned sigh, Aleran shook his head "Yeah, I guess you are right.¡± But he quickly recovered. ¡°Then, tell me more about alchemy and formations.¡± These were the two subject that picked his attention.

    To his immediate disappointment, Kindrav just shrugged. ¡°Why would I know anything more.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Oh, right! I forgot you are just a country bumpkin¡± Aleran just raised his hands as if saying ¡®my fault.¡¯

    With a snort, Kindrav shot back. ¡°And you are one to talk? You know nothing about anything. You are like those deities in the stories, those that fall accidentally from the heavens. They have no interest in the matters of mortals so they know nothing about us.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I really am a deity.¡± Aleran said with a mysterious tone. He remembered the myths about gods he heard from Zarasen. They were completely unreal, even for this world standards. Just myths.

    ¡°Ha, if you were one, you would certainly not be lying in a dilapidated cart, surrounded by stinky vegetables and-

    ¡°Watch it!¡± The warning of the merchant came from outside the cart with a humorous tone. He was used to Kindrav''s personality.

    ¡° I was going to say ¡®a handsome driver.¡¯ Hahahaa.¡± The discussion ended with a laugh from the three.

    <hr>

    The city of Hilua was surrounded by walls of almost ten meters high. These walls were packed with guards coming and going while doing their patrols. Inside, the houses were arranged in a disorderly manner. And the roads were filled with twists and turns, very much like a labyrinth. From afar, and thanks to a few tall buildings, the city looked like a porcupine that only had a few spikes left. But there was one structure that left the rest in shame when it came to size. It was a huge white tower in the middle of the city, almost 30 meters high.

    It was completely white with no other decoration but, for some reason, it felt imposing. But it wasn''t an oppressive feeling, it gave a sensation of security that Aleran could not explain. Only after asking Kindrav, he was told this was a monolith. A structure built to repel the beasts from the surrounding wilderness. Its effects reached even the Vast Sky village, although the further away from the monolith the effects are smaller. That''s why under special circumstances, the beasts at the edge of the area would be able to cross the invisible border. That''s all he got from the country bumpkin that was Kindrav, who had no clue as to how it was built or by whom. What he did knew was that there was a monolith in every city, and they protected the surrounding villages and towns.

    When they reached the gates, Aleran and Kindrav said goodbye to Duin, who had to go through the proper checkings for merchants. And, after waiting in a long line and paying with a few copper coins from Kindrav''s savings, they were finally allowed to enter by the guards.

    Once inside, a shower of colors assaulted them. Being a city near the border of the empire, the city of Hilua had a lot of commercial activity. So, the buildings next to the gates were mainly shops and stand that traded all kind of products. ¡°They go by the principle of making themselves visible, at all cost. ¡° Said Aleran as he thought. ¡®It must be their version of the advertisements.¡¯

    The streets were filled with people even though it was still early in the morning. They clustered around the shops to buy whatever they needed. Most people dressed in common clothes. Some simple pants, and boots. The woman wore long tight dresses. But some people that wore more luxurious clothes could be seen passing by or riding some carriages. In general, all these people were dressed better than the two of them. What made Aleran and Kindrav stand out was the color of their clothing. They had white and grey clothing while all the people in the city had clothes of different colors. This made them stand out as people from the countryside.

    But what caught both Aleran and Kindravs attention were not the structures, nor the colorful facades, or clothes. What was really eye-catching was that, from time to time, streaks of light flew above the city. These were the few cultivators that had the clearing to fly above the cities, and they were part of the city guards. Some traveled with strange discs filled with patterns that made them fly. But others flew using their own powers, without any external help. Aleran followed the cultivators flying with his eyes and noticed there was a clear pattern. ¡°Its aerial surveillance.¡± He muttered under his breath. This sight of people flying without any help only made him want to increase his powers even more.

    <hr>

    After waiting a few minutes near the gate, they were received by Oldre, Faul''s younger brother. He was short, a bit shorter than Aleran who was only 15. But he was a brawny person, so much that his shirt seemed to be about to explode from the muscles under it. His eyes were blue, his mouth thin and, as he approached, he smiled at Kindrav as one would to a younger brother. ¡° Hehe, little rascal, you finally arrived!¡± He opened his muscular arms and gave Kindrav a big hug.

    ¡°Long time no see, uncle Oldre.¡± After he got free from the hug, Kindrav pointed at towards Aleran. ¡°Remember you told me not to do this alone? This is Aleran. Like me, he doesn''t have the necessary documentation and we share the same objective.¡±

    ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you, sir.¡± Aleran clasped his hands and gave him a slight bow, this was a formal greeting.

    ¡°No need to be so stiff around me, any friend of this rascal is a friend of mine.¡± Said Oldre with a smile and waving his hands. But immediately he turned more serious. ¡° But when we are before the gang members remember to be very respectful. Especially to those who are above the chain of command. These people may look like they don''t care about rules and order, but in fact, is the complete opposite. They have a strict chain of command that is very strict, way stricter than the army. At least in the army, they won''t kill you for a slight disrespect to your commanding officer.¡±

    ¡°I''m going to introduce you right now. You don''t have a place in the city and you can''t stay in the barracks with me. Since you want to save money is better to stay in one of their houses.¡± Oldre said as he walked the streets of Hilua with familiarity. The man''s back was intimidating. Now that his smiling face was not in sight, Aleran could feel the power of this short silhouette. He was at least at the third phase of the heaven opening level. But unlike Aleran he had the confidence only achieved by years of martial training. Although Oldre was a city guard, they where a unit of the Sidrin army, the dragon scales unit. They were specialized in defensive tactics fighting in the walls and inside the city

    They kept walking and the colorful shop fronts were left behind as they went in what Aleran could only call the slums of the city. The houses here were barely standing. And the streets, that a few blocks before were paved, were now all broken and with some made of mud.

    With people sleeping on the streets, the ambiance was clearly one of poverty. But Oldre wasn''t fazed by any of this as he kept talking, although in a much lower voice. ¡° The name of the gang is the crimson claws. They are not only rooted in this city but in all the important cities around the empire. They do pretty much anything you can imagine, theft, drugs, human and slave traffic, extortions, assassination and a whole other bunch of things. They obviously have political backing and their numbers are unknown, but the total is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.¡±

    ¡°Since you want to get out after five months, you will get in as external members. Normally, they would make you do minor jobs related to stealing or selling drugs. But making a fake identity is something pricey, so be prepared to be asked to do something¡­ more extreme.¡± He said this with some hesitation.

    Aleran looked at Kindrav who was looking with the same look of doubt. They clearly didn''t want to do something that would harm innocent people. But they were already here, they would not back down now.

    After a long walk, they arrived at a run-down building that had an illegible sign above the door. Even from here, Aleran could hear the sound of music and the clamor of people drinking and laughing. Oldre knocked the wooden door, and someone inside opened after hearing him saying the phrase ¡®The dragon claws turn crimson with the blood of our enemies.¡¯

    At the other side of the door, the sound was deafening, and the sight Aleran expected came to his view. It was a very rustic and dirty tavern. Nobody paid attention to their arrival, and Oldre guided them to the back.

    As they walked all kind of conversations and arguments could be heard. One, in particular, caught Alerans attention. ¡° Hey did you hear? That famous genius from the Silver Moon kingdom, the one that went missing a few years ago, reappeared. how did they call him? Oh yeah, Fedrin the titan. And apparently, he came back as a traitor of the kingdom. Hehehe, it''s what those moon fanatics deserve. They are searching for him everywhere. They last saw him causing a big commotion in-¡±

    It was a pity that Oldre didn''t stop, and soon, the conversation was drowned by the sounds of music and laughter. They passed the bar and entered a small room where a skinny man, dressed in a black robe with red patterns on it, was sitting in front of a desk and reading some papers. The whole room had a different vibe from the rest of the tavern. It was clean, and although it didn''t have much furniture, the small table near the desk and the chairs in the room where all tidy. except for them and the skinny man only two other men, some kind of guards, stood next to the door.

    They waited until the skinny man stopped reading and looked up. His right eye was black and the other had a milky white color. Clearly, he couldn''t see with his left one. He had a long hawk nose and thick eyebrows.

    With his only good eye, The skinny man regarded the new arrivals. ¡° Oldre, are these the young ones you told me about?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir Ibrak. As I had informed you earlier these two youngsters are willing to do anything for two forged IDs. They are young but they are already in the heavenly opening third stage."

    Ibrak looked at Aleran and Kindrav. Somehow his right eye, the good one, was even more disturbing than the white one. With his eye fixed on Kindrav, he frowned. ¡° You didn''t tell me that one of them is a barbarian.¡± With those words, the atmosphere in the room started to feel more oppressive. Being in front of this man was like being caged with a wild tiger.

    ¡° I thought the big boss didn''t care where they are from as long as they do their job.¡± Said Oldre with a poker face. Although he couldn''t help his tone of voice to show some nervousness.

    Besides that, Aleran could also see Kindrav sweating like crazy. But to him, this wasn''t such a desperate situation. Maybe it was his multiple close calls when he was in the forest, but this he was calm. Aleran was confident that if the three worked together they could escape this place, even if this Ibrak guy was a qi circulation mid phase. Sure, a human with weapons could be way more terrifying than a beast that knows no martial arts nor techniques. But Aleran wasn''t thinking about defeating the man, just escaping was enough.

    Frowning and with his gaze stilled glued to Kindrav, Ibrak nodded. ¡° You are right, he doesn''t care. Okay.¡± With those words, the tension dropped. But then, he signaled with his head at one of his henchmen that were standing next to the door. ¡° Take them to the test area. They will be a little late, but that is not a problem.¡± Ibrak gave them a creepy smile.

    Again, Oldre suddenly became nervous. ¡° What?! No, I thought they could be accepted without the test. If someone vouches for them they can get in as external members. I take responsibility for them.¡± Now his face couldn''t hide the anxiety he was feeling.

    But Ibrak just shook his head with the same creepy and confident smile. ¡° That is something only the members of the Crimson Claws can do. You are the subordinate of an external ally. Maybe, if your captain was the one doing the recommendation I could think about it, but I don''t have to do that for you.¡± He pointed to Aleran and Kindrav who were both frowning. ¡°They do the test, just like everyone else.¡±

    One of the guards approached them. ¡°Follow me.¡± And with those words, he turned around and left the room. Meanwhile, Oldre urged the two boys to follow the man, while in a low voice he explained. ¡° Sorry kids, I screw it up. I don''t know what this test is about, but everyone says it is very rough. I can''t go with you so I will have to wait here, follow the man¡±

    Kindrav shook his head ¡° I am the one who''s sorry uncle Oldre. It was my barbarian origins that put us in this-¡±

    But his apologies were cut short by Aleran. ¡°Stop lamenting, there''s nothing we can do now. Let''s go.¡± He nodded towards Oldre and followed the guard while dragging Kindrav with him.

    ¡®This must be what Faul was talking about. Oldre is a good guy but he does make bad decisions.¡¯ To Aleran the blame rested clearly in Oldre. There was no doubt that Kindrav being a barbarian was the reason for them taking this test. But Oldre should have known this was going to happen before bringing them here. Kindrav was 17 years old and for all that he was mature, he could still be tricked. Even though Aeran with his 24-25 years wasn''t in a much better position, he had seen more things than Kindrav. And the most important part was that he wasn''t emotionally attached to Oldre, so he could think without bias. Still, Aleran showed no anger to the man and just followed the guard.

    They went through a door that led to a complex system of dark and damp tunnels. With a torch in hand, the man guided them for minutes until they reached a passage with a door at the end. As they approached the door, Aleran could hear again the uproar of people. But unlike the one in the tavern, this clamor was filled with excitement, emotion, and bloodthirst.

 Chapter 24: Joining the Crimson Claws (II): Battle Royale

    Walking through the door, a blinding light forced Aleran to squint his eyes. The contrast between the dark tunnels and this place was too big. With his eyes temporarily blinded, he could only concentrate on the smell of blood and sweat that permeated the air.

    Thus,  Aleran entered the room completely disoriented. The deafening sound of people cheering and yelling only served to strengthen that feeling.  But slowly, the white started to recede and the room finally showed itself.

    That''s when he realized that calling this place a room was wrong. It was too big, almost the size of a small stadium. The place consisted of long and simple seats made of earth, arranged in a circular fashion. They were made to allow the people sitting to see what happened inside a big hole dug in the ground. So, there was a slight slope going from the higher stands towards the hole.

    A brutal scene was playing inside the hole. Around eighty people were fighting barehanded against each other, employing all kinds of methods to cause harm. There seem to be no rules in this fight. In this short span of time, Aleran had already seen people biting, hitting others genitals, and even using unconscious people as shields or weapons.

    This place reminded Aleran of the stories and movies about Rome and its coliseum. Although here, there were people with superhuman strength adding extra spice to the show. The fact that this place was still underground surprised him a lot. There were some crystals that lit every inch of this place with a yellow light. It made one forget that this was still an underground chamber. ¡®How big is this complex of tunnels? And how deep underground are we? Don''t tell me... these tunnels extend all under the city!¡¯ That would mean that this gang had a deep grasp of everything that happened inside this city.

    ¡°Look at that one in the middle¡± taking him out of his thoughts, Kindrav pointed only with a movement of his head.

    It would have been difficult to spot someone in the crowd of almost eighty people chaotically fighting. But it was very simple to notice that, in the middle of the arena, there was someone who stood out. He stood out because every time he was attacked he moved with a fluidity and agility that reminded one of a river. He was in constant movement, every punch, and every kick that was thrown his way was avoided with unusual grace. And then, they were answered with a graceful palm or fist that hit others in weak spots with brutality. But what stood out the most was that every opening he left seemed to be a bite for his opponents to fall. Of course, from time to time he got hit, but he was clearly used to physical abuse.

    ¡°Wow, that guy knows how to fight.¡± Aleran was impressed.

    Kindrav nodded. ¡°It''s more that, though. That is a martial technique, he has some minor accomplishment in the flowing water martial stance. Those things are only taught to soldiers and cultivators who go to the academy. He is probably an ex-soldier.¡±

    ¡°You mean-

    ¡°Are these two fresh meat?¡± Before Aleran could say anything, someone approached them and interrupted their chat. It was a tall man with a small tattoo of a dagger on his forehead. His voice was loud enough to be heard clearly, even with all the incessant cheers and curses of the spectators.

    The guard simply nodded making the man with the dagger tattoo smile. He placed himself between Aleran and Kindrav and wrapped his arms around them. Looking like old drinking buddies, the man dragged them both near the hole. ¡° Welcome to the pit, rookies. Things are simple here, you have to be one of the last ten participants still conscious. The best part, we don''t care how you do it. There are only two rules, nothing of weapons, and nothing of staying in a corner avoiding the fight like a pussy. If we see you are avoiding the fight, then we will bring a fight to you that you won''t be able to escape.¡± The last part was a clear warning as he asked in a threatening tone. ¡°Got it? ¡±

    By the end of his speech, they were a few meters from the edge. And without previous indication, the man suddenly exploded with an unbelievable force, even higher than Aleran and Kindrav combined. He was clearly at the qi circulation stage.

    The sudden force made them both fall to the five meters deep pit. ¡°WHO WANTS TO BET FOR OUR TWO NEW PARTICIPANTS!!¡± The last thing Aleran and Kindrav heard before touching the ground, were the words of the man as he turned to the public.

    ¡°Tud Tud¡± Aleran landed on his feet. Luckily he was not a normal human anymore otherwise, that fall would have seriously injured him. But still, he barely got the chance to circulate his cultivation, making him hurt his legs a little. He turned his head to see that Kindrav had fallen perfectly with a roll that absorbed most of the force from falling. Inwardly he rolled his eyes at Kindrav dexterity. But Aleran didn''t have much time to think. The loud announcement from the man with the dagger tattoo grabbed, not only the attention of the viewers but also from the people fighting in the pit.

    Before he could regain his bearings, a bald man was already charging at him. The man wanted to tackle him, but it seemed he hadn''t realized that Aleran, who didn''t even flinch before his strength, was a cultivator. The man got locked in an awkward position with his head at Aleran''s waist. On his part, Aleran threw a knee to the man chest and, like a wrestler, he lifted him over his own head and slammed him on the floor.

    From his peripheral vision, Aleran could see that of the three people that were initially going after him, two retreated as they realized he was more powerful than he looked. But the third one, a man with a ponytail who was in the second phase, soon reached him while throwing a frontal kick. Aleran instantly dodged, and as the kick touch the near wall, he answered with a chop to the now extended leg.

    ¡°Kacha¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± With the sound of breaking bones, the ponytail man dropped to the floor screaming, taking part in the common background noise. His leg was now bent in the wrong way and he was out of the race.  ¡®What a disappointment, without weapons I can''t use my magnetism image, and I am still far from using it directly on humans.¡¯ Aleran watched the man screaming as he lamented in his head. Although he didn''t realize yet, his mentality was slowly changing. A few months back he would have been impressed by such sight. But now he was used to these gruesome scenes.

    Now, with time to regain his posture, Aleran looked around to see Kindrav his back against the wall. A short guy had climbed onto his back and, even as he was slammed against the wall, the short man was still biting Kindravs ear. At the same time, Kindrav kicked unconscious another man that attacked him from the front. And soon, the short man was on the floor too, wailing and with his back broken.

    Aleran and Kindrav closed the distance between them until they were next to each other. If everything was allowed, then teaming up was an option too. In fact, they were not the only ones, there were a few other two men teams. And the strongest was a four-man team with three at the third phase and one at the second. Aleran didn''t need to talk to Kindrav to know they were going to avoid that four-man team and the guy with the martial techniques in the middle. The rest of the people were all on their own, it was hard to team up with someone if you didn''t know him. Most of these people were street rats, so they naturally mistrust others and they were propense to betray their allies.

    In total there were between 15 to 20  people in the third phase, 25 at the second, and the rest were all normal people. But this last group was dwindling at a fast rate, clearly, they were people who were biting more than they could chew.

    Aleran and Kindrav decided to stay near the wall to avoid being attacked from many angles. Aleran stood in a boxing posture as more people started to come closer. These past few days, Kindrav had been teaching him how to fight. It wasn''t anything as fancy as the martial stances, it was mostly some footwork and how to throw punches and kicks correctly, but it was enough to defend himself. The enhanced body of a cultivator, with higher coordination, allowed him to learn how to fight faster than normal people.

    The next few to come their way were cultivators only. They swarm in groups of two or three, even if they were not consciously teaming up, they still attacked at the same time. But now, both of them were more prepared, so they faced them without fear. After all, they were two heavenly opening third face cultivators.

    The first to reach them was the one with the higher cultivation in the third phase. And closing in were two cultivators in the second phase. Kindrav and Aleran exchanged a look and charged towards the third stage cultivator. The first to attack was Aleran with a high kick to the man''s face, which was easily dodged by the man as he ducked. But as he dodged, Kidrav jumped and threw flying knee worthy of an action movie that hit squarely in his head. The man, now with a broken nose and fewer teeth in his mouth, started to fall. But midway, and before the man regained his composure, a fist from Aleran hit his head again.

    Two more punches from Kindrav and the man was lying on the floor, he didn''t have a chance to fight at all. The next two were already too close to run now, they were obviously expecting to take advantage of the fight between three third phase cultivators. But now they had to bite the bullet and fight. The result was easy to predict, Aleran made a quick work of his opponent and the same was for Kindrav.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    What followed after was a constant fight, hours of fight. Not always fallen enemies would stay on the ground. And not always one had the time to cripple or even kill an opponent before others arrived to fight you. Not to mention that cultivators were often tougher than normal people. So they could get up several times even with broken bones. Meaning the whole battle royal lasted longer than what Aleran first estimated.

    During the whole time, Aleran and Kindrav choose their fights wisely, trying to save as much energy as they could. Except for an especially violent third phase, that was using a ripped off leg like a club, the rest of the fights were relatively easy. The two made quite a good team, it was almost natural to them. Although they had to often save each other''s ass when they coordinated poorly. Aleran suspected that it was Kindrav''s innate ability to adapt that made the teamwork so smooth. The guy was a genius when it came to fighting and physical abilities. As expected of the man that learned how to fight hand to hand and with a sword in one week and when he was still a child.

    Even with the good teamwork, by the time only the last thirty people remained, Aleran was exhausted. And it was at that time when the group of four cultivators they had been avoiding, faced them. Two of them were clearly brothers, they had similar short blond hair and blue eyes with the only difference being their noses. One had a long straight nose and the other had a long but curved one. The other two cultivators were also blonde but their features were somewhat different from the brothers. ¡®Maybe they are all relatives.¡¯ Thought Aleran as the approached.

    They divided into two groups, one facing Aleran and the other Kindrav. ¡® Ahh. As always my luck is flawless.¡¯ Sighing inwardly Aleran prepared. The two brothers were about to attack, and they were both in the third phase, while Kindrav had to fight a third face and a second phase.

    The fight started too fast and Aleran was soon put at a disadvantage. He managed to block and doge some of the fists and kicks thrown his way by the brothers. But he didn''t have an opportunity to retaliate or to separate the brothers. They were coordinating their moves even better than him and Kindrav. It didn''t take long for the punches to start passing through his defenses.

    Soon, a fist found Aleran''s plexus, with a worrying sound the punch hit him and made him curl gasping for air. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, one of the brothers wrapped his arm around his neck and hold him for the other to give Aleran a rain of punches.

    But before the straight-nosed brother attacked, Aleran grabbed the arm that was around his neck and sent an electrical discharge at the man behind him. It was a subtle thing. Otherwise, he would grab the unwanted attention of the other participants and, what was much worse, the attention of the Crimson Claws. The power of the current was low, much lower than the one he used against the wolf in the forest. But enough to stun the man and make him lose his strength for an instant.

    That instant was enough for him to free himself and, grab the head of the stunned man, and slam it against the wall. At the same time and with a single movement he kicked the other man that was approaching to hit him. With the recoil from the kick, Aleran threw a knee with that same leg at the man that was now against the wall.

    The knee must have hit the right place because the man was out cold immediately. Seeing his brother out, the remaining man threw caution to the wind and he pounced on Aleran. There was such desperation in the man''s attack that, for a moment, Aleran felt curious as to why these people were here. Perhaps they were just like him and Kindrav, fighting for a better future, or perhaps they were in more dire circumstances.  But those thoughts didn''t last long. he had to finish the fight quickly. So, used a small discharge of electricity again. And like that, he got a clear advantage that soon became a victory. Now, he noticed that as he stunned his opponents they stopped circulating their qi for a moment. And that gave him a huge advantage.

    Whit both his opponents down he looked for Kindrav. To his surprise, he found him on the floor. On top of him, one of his opponents was strangling the air out of him. Near the two of them was the other cultivator, lying unconscious on the floor. Although Aleran cursed because he had to fight the two third phase cultivators, the truth was that the strongest of the four was the man currently on top of Kindrav. He was older than the two brothers and had much more experience. So, the pairings were not that unbalanced as they first seemed.

    WIth a fast reaction Aleran hit the man on top in the back of his head with all the strength he could muster. The man fell to the side while Aleran kept punching.  And together with Kindrav, they fought him for almost twenty minutes until they managed to pin him down and knock him out. And for the first time, Aleran saw the urge to kill in Kindrav''s face. Aleran would certainly not stop him if he wanted to kill this man. He understood all too well how it felt to have your life in the hands of someone else. It was one of the worst feelings he had ever felt.

    But Kindrav seemed to chill out, and instead, he looked at him. ¡°Thanks, that guy could have killed me. Ah, it hurts to talk.¡±  He knew that giving the finishing blow would just waste time and energy.

    ¡°Then I should thank him, now I can enjoy some peace.¡± Aleran joked trying to lift Kindrav''s spirits as they stood alert for the remaining contestants.

    ¡°Haha. Oh, an easy target to our left.¡± Since they had to keep fighting, they always targeted the weakest.

    <hr>

    The battle royal ended soon after that, with Aleran only having to fight two more opponents. The crowd had already left and the last ten men standing were in the middle of the pit. The rest of the ground was still displaying the bodies of those that will never stand up again. The winners stood with their backs straight looking at the man with a dagger tattoo, waiting for what he had to say. Surprisingly for Kindrav, and not so much for Aleran, the man with the martial stances was not between the ten. He had grabbed too much attention and was taken down by two people fighting him at the same time. The guy was too tired by then so he ended up losing. Although taking him down was not necessary, those in the pit were trying to impress the Crimson Claw members watching. Except for Aleran and Kidrav who only wanted to do some jobs to exchange for the IDs, the rest were probably here for reputation and ready to live by the codes of the gang.

    ¡°Well done! You ten have survived the battle royale, and now you are external members of the Crimson Claws.¡± Then he pointed towards two people and said. ¡° You two killed the guy with martial stances. Come, stand next to me, you will be directly introduced as an inner member.¡± Under the envious gaze of the other eight, a white-haired man and a redhead woman stepped out of the group. Both had pride painted in their faces and were looking down at the rest as if they were looking at a bunch of cowards. It was true in a way, they had taken the risk and it had paid off.

    ¡°As for the rest.¡± The man pointed towards a door. ¡°If you don''t have a place to stay go through that door, there are dormitories. They are a dumpster, but that''s what we have.  If you want to go out to your own places then follow the guard. But you all have to be here by tomorrow morning. The test is over, but tomorrow you will be assigned to follow one of us for a while. And you better respect the ranks, even if the one you have to follow is of the same cultivation level as you.¡±   With that, the man walked away followed by the two contestants he had picked up.

    ¡°Let''s go to the dorms. Uncle Oldre will be worried but we don''t have a place to stay, I''m sure someone will tell him that we pass the test.¡± Kindrav said once the rest of the people started to disperse. Cultivators always had ways to make money, and the last ten winners were all cultivators. It could be shabby but they had the money to rent a place to stay. But Kindrav, although he had some money, he wanted to save as much as he could.

    ¡°Not like I have any money on me¡± Aleran just shrugged and went to the dorms with Kindrav. They followed the tunnel, this one was straight with a few turns and there was no way to get lost. They walked until they reached some stairs with a door at the end. The door was connected to a run down place that was a big abandoned house located in the slums. It was barely standing and the ceiling was filled with holes allowing one to see pieces of sky. They entered directly into a big hallway that was filled with doors. Some of these doors were opened or directly destroyed, but still, there were people in most of them. None were friendly enough to talk. Most of these people were not cultivators. The free rooms were one of the reasons why normal people took the risk to enter the pit or do some other dangerous tests to join the gang.

    They were all doing their own stuff, and as Kindrav and Aleran passed by they just raised their heads for a moment and then went back to their business right after. Most of the doors were broken so you could see clearly inside each room. In some, there were even people having sex, in others people sharpening their weapons or simply sleeping. The only constants were the mold, the rats and the awful smell. They quickly found two empty rooms one next to the other, and since that was the most important requirement they staid in these rooms. Just like the rest of the rooms, these two were also dirty, filled with spiderwebs and a rotten smell. The man with the tattoo was not joking when he said this place was dumpster.

    <hr>

    The next day, they returned to the pit, that was now cleaned of blood and bodies, to be assigned their first mission. They were not inside the pit but in a side room, it was small but it was well kept.

    Aleran and Kindrav were the last to be assigned a leader. They were standing once again in front of Ibrak, the man with one eye white and the other black. Next to him was a man that was frowning and clearly displeased at his two new underlings. This new face had a square jaw a small nose and big eyebrows. His eyes were black just as his black short hair. And besides being muscular his only distinctive feature was a tattoo of a bloody dragon claw on his arm.

    Ibrak pointed to this man and said. ¡° This is the person you will be following for the next few days, his name is Rogdo. He will show you the kind of small jobs you will be doing for the next cycles. If you want your IDs, then you will have to work for roughly four cycles. You will start with small easy jobs and then we will see. Maybe, if you do a good job, you can speed up the process.¡±

    ¡°Zone leader, one is a barbarian¡­¡± Rogdo couldn''t help to mutter.

    ¡°Yes and he was introduced by an outsider and took the test just like the rest, rules are rules, and we have to stick to them.¡± Ibrak also seemed a little annoyed, but he was better at hiding his emotions.

    Aleran couldn''t understand why these robbers and murderers were so bent in hating the barbarians. Normal people could hold a grudge to the barbarians that assaulted the villages and roads, but these gang members were just the same. ¡®I guess people are influenced by the common prejudice and probably the Sidrin empire encourages this hatred. And perhaps, there''s something else I don''t know about the barbarians.¡¯

    Rogdo closed in and looked at them with a threatening glare. ¡°I will be watching you closely. You too, boy, if you hang out with this scum then you are the same.¡± Both Aleran and Kindrav just looked at the front. They already knew they will have to endure this kind of threats.

 Chapter 25: Thieves.

    For their first task, Rogdo took them to a small village near the city, very similar to Vast Sky village. It was only a few hours of walk, and since they had been jogging, they reached the place much faster.

    The inhabitants were all common folk without cultivation. And Rogdo took them to collect protection money from most of the villagers. It was pretty easy to go from door to door collecting silver coins. But it was hard to watch the fearful villagers bowing their heads and paying with trembling hands. To Kindrav this was even harder considering he was a common villager just like them.

    From time to time, they had to search the huts to see if the villagers who couldn''t pay were hiding money. They also had to look if they had bought something more expensive than usual.

    After doing this with several houses, Aleran was getting bored and disgusted. Not only for this practice but he was also disgusted at himself. At the fact that he had chosen this path to get what he wanted. In the course of this hour, Aleran had heard Rogdo spit all kind of threats. They ranged from simply rising the protection fee, to taking away their houses, with the worst being the occasional threat to the children and wives of the villagers. Some times, he even beat men and women to make his point clear.

    One thing was to rob people. It was bad, sure. But depending on who you rob, and the way you do it, Aleran could sympathize with a thief that robs because he needs it. It may sound hypocritical, but that was what he thought.

    But here, there was something way more sinister. Forcing common people to give you the money voluntarily while threatening with taking away everything. It was not only taking the money. But it was also humiliating the parents, frighten the children and turning their lives into a torment where they had to make enough money for next time. Not to mention the physical injuries these people received.

    Aleran couldn''t help but wonder if there was another path. According to Kindrav, there wasn''t, but he was just a villager. How much could he really know?

    Since the beginning, he knew they had rushed with this plan. But he also knew they didn''t have much time until the academy started their recruiting. He had trusted Kindrav since he was smart. But he had forgotten that the idea came originally from Oldre. He was someone that, as stated by Faul, made bad decisions.

    To Aleran, the plan was good only with the condition that Oldre had some weight within the gang. But that was clearly not how things were. Without someone backing them, they were depending on the word of criminals. For all that he knew, these people could just kill them the moment they start demanding to receive their forged IDs. Sadly, they couldn''t back down now. Firstly he doubted they had the time to come with another way to get forged IDs.

    And secondly, from the moment they were introduced by Oldre, they had no other choice but to go all the way. It wasn''t good to waste the time of people like Ibrak saying something like ¡® you know what, now I think this is a bad idea, goodbye.¡¯ No, they had to keep going now. But they also had to find a way to make a run for it when the time was right.

    Finally, they reached the last house. It was the hut of a middle-aged couple, they had a list of who lived in the village. So, they knew who lived there, with a description of their face and age. A man opened the door and he fearfully stood before the three of them. ¡°Mighty warriors, we could not make it to the silver coin, we had unexpected losses in our field. Please, accept this copper coins and next cycle I will pay fully.¡±

    But Rogdo, who seemed to be in a bad mood from the lack of payment of some of the other villagers, grabbed the man by the collar. ¡°A few coppers won''t do.¡± He threw the man inside the hut and followed him in. Aleran and Kindrav looked at each other and went inside too. They got in to watch how Rogdo punched and slapped the man till he could stand no more. He could only stare at Rogdo with his face swollen, teeth broken and making a whistling sound when he breathed.

    With a foot on the man''s chest, Rogdo said. ¡° You sure you haven''t spent the money on booze or something else? Or are you just hoarding the silver?¡±They had witnessed similar scenes before, but Rogdo had become especially violent now. It seemed this was a specially bad day and they had collected less money than expected. He was about to land a kick on the man when Aleran said. ¡° Sr, He is a commoner, he can''t take many punches.¡±

    Normally, Rogdo would stop at a punch or a slap paired with a warning. That''s why Aleran wouldn''t intervene, and just like Kindrav, he would stay back. Kindrav would usually touch his earring as he did every time he was angry or nervous. And Aleran would just grit his teeth. But this time the man was having a hard time breathing, it was possible he had some internal injury. And, in this world, commoners had no easy access to medical treatments.

    Rogdo looked at Aleran with a violent gaze, but in the end, he nodded. ¡°Search this place and see if he is telling the truth.¡± The search was quick and, as expected, they found nothing. Aleran just hoped that the few minutes of search would clear Rogdo''s mind a bit.

    His hopes didn''t come true, as the result of the search only got Rogdo angrier and more frustrated. It was then that a woman entered. ¡°What is happening?¡± She panicked seeing her husband on the floor and three stranger on her house. It took her a moment to realize what was happening, but, seeing the claw tattoo on Rogdo, she understood everything.

    The woman ran unconsciously towards Rogdo help her husband stand up. But before she came too close, Rogdo hit her with a brutal frontal kick. She was sent flying to the other side of the room and crashed against the wall. ¡° Fucking bitch! You are of no use. If you were a little prettier we could at least sell you.¡±

    ¡°Sir, remember they are just commoners! If you kill them, they won''t be able to pay anything.¡± Aleran and Kindrav stood between him and the woman that was gasping on the floor. Clearly Rogdo held back just now, otherwise, the man and the woman would have died. But still, normal people were fragile as glass when a cultivator decided to hurt them. It was very hard to destroy a piece of the glass without damaging the rest.

    ¡®Man, it seems like we are the seniors and this guy is the amateur. What''s the deal with this idiot?¡¯ Aleran was inwardly cursing. Even if you weren''t concerned about these people, you can''t just beat the shit out of them. If you injured them too bad they won''t be able to work and in turn, they won''t have money to pay you. It was as simple as that.

    Rogdo sent them a fulminating glance, but it seemed that Aleran''s words made him come back to his senses. He looked at the man on the floor and said. ¡° Your name was Karse Ivrath, right? You will have to excuse my manners, I''m not used to doing this kind of job where I interact with people. I''m just doing it to train these two. Here''s the thing, Karse. I may not be able to hurt you. But believe me when I say, that if you don''t get us the money soon we will find another way to make use of you and your ugly wife.¡±

    Still burning with anger, but with his rationality back, he signaled for Aleran and Kindrav to follow him out. Both of them followed after him without making any noise. They kept walking until they left the town and reached a crossroad. The moment the town was out of sight Rogdo turned around and grabbed Aleran''s neck. ¡° Listen to me well you piece of shit. I will forgive you this once, but if you ever contradict me before others, no matter the reason, I will make you regret it. The same I said to those two applies to the both of you. If you can''t make yourselves useful we will find a way to make you spit money even if we have to sell you as sex slaves. And you know what? Without your papers, it is even easier to make you disappear.¡±

    Kindrav was about to move the moment Rogdo spoke, but with a look from Aleran, he knew that it was not the moment. They were not afraid of this man, he was only a third phase cultivator. Hell, Aleran alone could fry the man into a black carcass with just a touch. But he had proven his loyalty to the Crimson Claws and was an inner member. From Aleran''s perspective, they had to endure at least until they got their IDs. The last sentence Rogdo spoke was a little disturbing, but they had to take the risk and see if the gang would keep their promise. After that, they could risk it and try to escape. Although according to Oldre, there had been cases similar to them, they could not rely on his words anymore. He knew it was going to be quite hard to get out of this without someone on the inside helping them.

    ¡°It won''t happen again, sir,¡± Aleran said with a low voice thanks to the hand on his windpipe. ¡®This guy is too quick to anger, he should be thanking us for stopping him. It must have been assigned to us on purpose.¡¯ It was not only the fact that one of them was a barbarian. But they were also an especial case of those who joined the gang. They only wanted to get a favor and were not completely loyal, so it made sense in a way.

    ¡°Mhh.¡± With a snort, Rogdo released him and turned around. ¡° We go back to the city. There, I will show you the spots and how to sell drugs. This is a dangerous job, some of the junkies are violent and are quite strong. But if you handle their addiction well, you can get more coins from them. And tomorrow, I will teach you the spots and times where you can rob people. I will also teach you how to pick locks and other common thief practices. Although, you will mostly be doing pickpocketing jobs. ¡°

    ¡°This is the hardest way to earn some gold since it is not a steady influx of money and it depends on your skills and luck. The nature of your future tasks depends on which of these you do best. By the way, this was the easiest task but you didn''t handle it too well, so you can forget about it.¡±

    Aleran rolled his eyes. ¡®This guy is blaming us now? Whatever, I don''t want to do this shit either.¡¯ Then he looked to Kindrav and realized he was wearing a ridiculizing gaze. This guy had actually made it easier for them.

    Aleran also realized that they had the same idea when Kindrav made the gesture of grabbing empty air with his hand. Aleran nodded back at that gesture. They would try to do the best at stealing. That way, they wouldn''t have to harm people, not directly at least.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    As they kept walking beside the road, they didn''t notice that a person riding in a simple carriage that was passing by had watched everything. It wasn''t their fault, the carriage was totally plain and forgettable.

    <hr>

    From the moment their discussion started, the carriage had slow down to watch the show. And now the person inside was currently speaking with someone else besides him.

    ¡°If that tattoo isn''t some knock-off, then, those were people from the Crimson Claw, weren''t they? Interesting...¡± A blond man with blue eyes said. He was seated next to the window, with his hand on his chin supporting his head. His face seemed to have perfect proportions, almost too perfect. It didn''t seem real. And he was clothed in an elegant cerulean robe with golden patterns of tiny wings on the sleeves and the chest. That, coupled with his face, it made him seem like a prince from some kingdom.

    The man was in deep thought for a moment before speaking again. ¡° For what I can tell, those two are young, so they just joined the gang and they must be in training. But, unlike most of those who join, they don''t seem too eager to follow orders. And, did you see the reaction of the taller one? He was clearly prepared to take the muscular man out. It was only after the shorter one gave him a look that he stopped. Clearly, they don''t expect to stay long in the gang. What do you think, Adra?¡±

    The man took his eyes out of the window and look at the young woman beside him. She had black long hair with a white lock that was longer than the rest of her fringe. Her extremely pale skin contrasted with the black hair, her big blue eyes, and red lips. She was a beauty by all rights. And though she was wearing a loose rob, it was easy to tell that she had been gifted with a great body.

    At the man''s question, the woman shrugged. ¡° You speculate too much, master. There''s no way to know if those two are recruits. For all we know, they can be villagers or poor cultivators being threatened by the man with the tattoo and taken somewhere else. As for the rest is even more impossible to tell.¡±

    The blond man shook his head and sighed. ¡° You still have much to learn, you should focus more on their body language and less on appearances. See the context, and weight the different options in your mind with the knowledge you have. Then choose the most likely one. But be always prepared to replace that theory with others if you get new information.¡± Of course, he wasn''t going to tell that with his cultivation he could actually hear them. It was part of her training to realize when her master was cheating. It definitely had nothing to do with the look of admiration his pupil had.

    ¡°That''s too much mental work for me.¡± The woman said a little dejected, even though she still had a look of admiration towards her master.

    ¡°Don''t worry, like most things in life, it requires practice. When we finish our business, find out their situation, maybe I can use those two.¡± The man focused again on the landscape, they had long passed by the three people they were talking about.

    ¡°Master, you know well who is behind the Crimson Claws. If you act now, you risk exposure, it is too early for that. And this gang is located throughout the empire, it would be pointless to do something here in this small city.¡± The woman seemed a little jittery.

    The man''s eyes became a little dreamy before coming back to reality. ¡°Haha. I guess that seeing those boys reminds me of my beginnings. When I had nothing and had to hang with similar lowlife. Don''t worry about repercussions, this won''t affect our plan. If someone comes complaining, I will just tell them the truth, that the Crismon Claws were stealing some of our customers and the market in Hilua was the most affected.¡±

    ¡°We don''t know yet, we still have to take a look at the numbers¡± Retorted the woman.

    ¡°I know the biggest problem lies in this city. The presence of the crimson claws, tough weak in power, is large in number. We are far from the Dragon heart after all.¡± The blond man looked at the woman and sighed. ¡°Seriously, you don''t have to worry that much. The reason our major plan has a chance now is that we are completely rooted in the Sidrin economy. We have become vital without them even realizing how much they need us. It wouldn''t be a bad thing if they start realizing now how important our monopoly has become. Even then, they would only be seeing the tip of the iceberg.¡±

    ¡°I still think it is too small of a matter for you to do it personally master.¡± She knew her master like to play these minor games sometimes, but still, she had to insist.

    ¡°Hehe, you know me, I like to have some fun from time to time. But I will only stay for a while, this will be something that will be handled by you. I will only stay to check on the numbers. After we finish with that and with some other deals, you will go and see if the profile of those two checks with what I guessed. If not, then you will have to find some others willing to take our deal, it won''t be that hard. But remember, whoever you choose, they mustn''t want to climb on the Crimson Claw ladder. That way, we will avoid a possible betrayal. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡± The woman nodded while thinking if this whole deal was some sort of test.

    Seeing the look on his pupil, the man said. ¡° It could be called a test. I will reward you if the results are satisfactory. I will leave after you recruit someone. After that, how to handle everything is up to you. And if you get those two, I will probably meet them in person. One of them is a barbarian.¡± The last sentence was said almost in a whisper. And as he said this, a nostalgic smile crept onto his face.

    The woman didn''t know why her master was like that, it was a rare sight. Usually, his smiles would be all shiny and business-like. Nothing like this melancholic one.

    <hr>

    Two cycles passed since the day they joined the Crimson Claws. And from the very first day, Aleran and Kindrav made extra efforts to show exceptional results when pickpocketing. They had seen what selling drugs were like and it was not a nice job. The main reason was that the stuff the Crimson Claw was selling was too addictive and too harmful. It was a substance in the form of purple dust named ¡°The feeling¡± that was inhaled with the nose and caused an intense euphoria coupled with hallucinations. It didn''t last long, though. The effects were short-lived but those who tried it a few times got hooked for life.

    It reminded Aleran of cocaine, only much stronger. It seemed that no matter the world, there will always be humans that can only escape their problems with drugs. The worst part was that some of them were cultivators. They commonly got hooked under the false pretense that the drug would help them connect with the source qi easier. By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late.

    It was a dangerous thing to be between these people with nothing to lose and their ticket to ¡°freedom.¡± Not to mention the harm it caused to other common people. So Aleran and Kindrav made special efforts to not get assigned as drug dealers and instead get a fixed position as thieves.

    The first week was the hardest, they had yet to get used to discern when to rob and when to retreat. Mostly because of the patrols, which the Crimson Claw knew their times and routes. And most of the time they paid the patrols to look away.

    The goal was to always make more money than the amount to buy the change in the route of the patrols. But still, sometimes they had gotten caught in the moment and forgotten about their window of time with the patrols. This was the reason why one of their first times, Kindrav got a harsh beating from the guards. And he could only escape thanks to Aleran making a distraction.

    But very soon they started to learn, not only how to pickpocket but also how to pick locks, which allowed them to get better tasks when they were available. Besides getting in some fights with other pickpocketers when they got into their territory, everything went smoothly.

    They had also come with a way to get a better income. When their ¡°shifts¡± were over Aleran and Kindrav kept robing to make some extra money. It was riskier because they were on their own when it came to the patrols. Aleran couldn''t pay the patrols outside of his own designed work hours and designed placed. This was to avoid that the guards changed the course of their patrols and it affected other pickpocketers that were ¡°on duty¡±. Every time they changed the course of a patrol, they had to warn their superior, Rogdo. He will, in turn, tell the rest about the change in course of those specific guards. Unlike what it looked like from the outside, it was all heavily coordinated.

    But, even with the extra risk, when they were off the record they could also keep the money they took. With it, they bought better clothes to blend better in the wealthier districts. While buying the patrols there was more expensive, there was also more income. And in the wealthier districts, they didn''t have to worry about coordinating with others. By the end of the first cycle, they were both making more money than the rest of the pickpocketers in the Crimson Claws.

    By the second cycle, they were often tasked with heists were they had to break-in in different stores. Be it because the owners didn''t pay protection money of simply because they were a good target.

    This was something that Kindrav and Aleran did extremely well. When it came to picking locking, they were some of the best. In a world were people normally had super strength, the doors of the different businesses were often secured with really strong locks and all kind of security measures. And Aleran and Kindrav were especially good at it, they had passed through doors without being seen nor heard many times. Aleran quickly learned that besides being sturdier, locks were not as complex as those back on earth. Most of the doors deemed impassable were simply made of steel or iron huge bars acting as locks. This was a problem easily solved by Aleran and his literal magnetic hands. As for the other more complex locks, they invested a lot of time to learn how to open them correctly. This made them quite famous inside the Crimson Claw, and they had earned the ugly nickname (according to Aleran) of twin ghosts.

    Now, Aleran was walking down to the Safehouse to meet with Kindrav. By now he was quite familiar with the streets of Hilua and he could come and o as he pleased.

    ¡°No, please, wait!¡±

    As he walked the streets, Aleran heard the sound of a woman screaming. He peeked at an alley, and he saw a scene right out of a movie. The damsel in distress being assaulted by two random guys. One man was restraining the woman and the other was touching her body in a lusty manner. The woman had her eyes closed as she begged them to stop.

    ¡°Hey, I guess this is where I step in?¡± Aleran approached the scene with slow steps.

    ¡°Piss off, kid. This is an adults thing. Hehe¡± The man restraining the woman only spare him a glance. But as he turned his head to the woman, he only saw blackness as all the strength in his body vanished.

    ¡°What happened?¡± the woman opened her eyes to see her two assailants lying on the floor. ¡°Did you save me? Oh, thank you, mighty cultivator.¡± She was well dressed, but she wasn''t a noble lady. She was probably the daughter of a merchant with a good standing. But nonetheless, she was about to kneel on the floor as a form of extreme gratitude.

    Aleran hurriedly helped her up and told her to just be more careful next time. And with a smiled he sent her off the alley. As the woman disappeared from his sight Aleran took a pouch out of his pocket. ¡° This petty thieves should learn more from the politicians from the earth. It is easier to rob someone with smiles than with force. That lady had quite the money on her.¡±

    To Aleran that incident was quite common, he often played the good citizen act just to get a few inches closer. Rich people tended to have their money pouches hidden under their clothes. But with his cultivation, it was an easy pick as long as he could get close enough.

    He kept walking and soon he reached the safe house. There, Kindrav was already waiting for him so the two could get inside. ¡°Hey, you know why we were called?¡± Aleran asked Kindrav as he arrived at the safe house. Today was one of those unusual days when Kindrav arrived before him.

    ¡°I think is about some kind of special job. All the other members are talking about some big score. Maybe it has something to do with the lord of the city going out for the next few days.¡± The lord of the city was the man in charge of protecting the city in case o crisis. One would think that Hilua had a powerful lord since it was a city near the border. But in actual fact it was one of the weakest, nevertheless, it was stupid to underestimate someone in that position. Aleran had heard that the city lord had a cultivation level above the qi circulation.

    In the end, Aleran just shrugged. ¡° I guess we are about to find out, anyway.¡± Together with Kindrav, they entered the safe house.

 Chapter 26: Making Deals with Gods and Devils (I)

    The safe house they entered was not like any other hideout they had been. This one looked more like the mansion of a respected noble than the hideout of some street gang.

    A man seated in some kind of throne stared at the new arrivals with a calm gaze. His dark eyes seemed to show that everything was under his control and anything that wasn''t would end up destroyed by him. His face was oval and had thin eyebrows, while his hair was light brown and short. On one of the locks of his short hair, he had a small white feather attached on it with a golden thread. His build was normal, not too muscular and not too skinny. But there was hidden power in the man that made Aleran very apprehensive from the moment he entered the room. He just kept walking together with Kindrav, trying to keep his mind cool.

    He started to look around, noticing Ibrak standing respectfully next to the chair. Making him guess the identity of the seated man. He also started to look at the decorations in the room. Behind the throne-like chair, was a detailed map of the city with the surrounding villages nearby included. The room in itself was well illuminated with light crystals, that now Aleran knew were another type of spirit stone. Only that these had to be charged with other spirit stones or source qi to give light for a short period of time. For a while, Aleran had thought that those crystals were a good replacement to electric light, only to realize afterward that they were not. They had to be charged every day with lots of spirit stones, source qi or inner qi. People normally used the last option to not spend an astronomical amount of spirit stones on this.

    But what grabbed Aleran''s attention were not the crystals, but the complex decorations these crystals were embedded into. Some were cravings on the wall and others were sculptures, but all of them were made after animals and were extremely lifelike. There was a snake carved on the wall, with a few of its scales being crystals that formed a pattern. There was also a huge bear statue near the middle of the room. And the most spectacular was a bird engraved on the ceiling. It covered all the ceiling, its orange and black color stood out thanks to the crystals shining on the bird''s eyes and on the tip of its red crown. It was the same bird he had seen fighting the giant snake at the forest of eternal nightmares. And whoever had made this craving, captured the arrogance of the bird in all its glory.

    ¡° A majestic creature, isn''t it? The one who made that craving was someone lucky enough to get near the Heavenly Crowned Bird and survive. I''ve never seen it myself, but they say it was recently spotted fighting the Heavenly Mountain Snake at the border of the Empire. That must have been a good spectacle.¡± The man in the throne, noticing Aleran''s look, spoke again in a casual way with a deep but calm voice. ¡°Although it would be hard to survive such a show.¡±

    Aleran nodded with a serious face, he knew better than most how powerful it was. And he almost didn''t live to tell the tale.

    ¡°So, you two are the famous twin ghosts, our rising stars.¡± Said the man more to himself than to them.

    ¡°We are just hard working and a little bit lucky, Sir,¡± Answered Kindrav in a fake show of modesty, but tactful as always.

    ¡°Luck is always needed, but without talent, it is wasted and you two have shown talent. But enough of praises, let''s not lose focus here and get straight to business.¡± The man said cutting his own monologue. ¡°I''m Grujil, and I''m in charge of all the Crimson Claw members inside the city of Hilua. I''ve heard a lot about your skills and that''s why I called you here today.¡±

    Aleran and Kindrav clasped their hands and bowed, greeting almost in a synchronized manner. ¡° Respects to the Bigg Boss.¡± They couldn''t be careless before the man in charge, he was literally the king of this city''s underground world.

    Although he was obviously not the highest rank in the organization. He was someone with the highest standing in this city. Not to mention that the man was really powerful, something almost impossible to achieve unless you belonged to an organization. Linking this with all the majestuous carvings and statuses and the whole elegant air of this safe house, made Aleran question who was behind the Crimson Claw. This safe house was located in the wealthier district and it had fancy decorations. You don''t get that kind of money just by stealing and pickpocketing. Well, Aleran knew that back on earth, every drug lord had so much money that they could buy almost anything. But this was different, this guy was just in charge of this city. So, this was just like a branch office. Aleran couldn''t help but ask himself. ¡®What would their headquarters be like?¡¯

    Grujil nodded. ¡°I summoned you here because, as you have surely heard, there will be a major heist at the end of this cycle. And, if you decide to participate in this, we will give you your IDs as payment. By now, you must have surely realized that forging IDs is extremely costly. And if you keep going like this it will take you at least another five cycles to make enough money for us. Even with your extraordinary skills. After all, pickpocketing and thieving is the less stable position, there can be good days and there can be bad ones. Plus, it is hard to know when an opportunity to rob some major shop will come.¡±

    Aleran and Kindrav exchanged looks. It was obvious that the first estimate they were given was a total lie. And until now, nobody had bothered to tell them anything. But now, it was in plain sight that they could be useful, so these people started to be honest. The biggest problem was that every time they asked how much money was needed to forge the IDs, they would always get an ambiguous answer. The closest they got to a real answer was a few days ago when someone told them ¡° You would have to convert spirit stones in gold coins to get the real amount.¡± That answer made them both despair. Luckily, that same day, they had gotten the news that some big heist was coming so they waited to see. And now, it seemed that the wait had paid off.

    Aleran was the first to speak of the two. ¡° What do we have to do, Sir?¡±

    The man on the throne continued. ¡° For obvious reasons, I won''t tell you the details until the same day. But, know that it will be very dangerous, if something goes wrong you will be on your own. But if you do well you may even get rewarded. You got until the end of this cycle to give your answer to Ibrak.¡±

    ¡°We will-¡± When Kindrav was about to answer Aleran interrupted him.

    ¡°There''s no need to think it through, we accept, and we thank you for this opportunity. But we need to see the IDs before the mission starts, together with proof that they won''t be easily discovered. After we complete our job, we will receive the IDs and go on our way.¡± They needed to have some proof. Otherwise, these people could just send them to their deaths in this ¡°dangerous¡± mission or even killed them after they did they part. If they went through all the trouble of making the forged IDs, it was less likely that they would kill them after the mission. And it seemed that they needed their skills for this heist, so it was unlikely that the Crimson Claw would kill them before that. He also knew that if he had to negotiate with someone it was better if this was the boss, his word carried more weight than the word of Ibrak.

    Grujil frowned for a second, the mere shift in his expression changing the mood of the whole room. Suddenly, the aesthetically beautiful carvings and statuses seemed more alive and more threatening than ever. The gigantic bird seemed to be measuring its prey, ready to pounce on them.

    He exchanged a look with Ibrak and then his face turned indifferent again taking away the pressure together with his frown. ¡°Very well then. We have an alchemist in the city. He is part of the team that creates the papers of those born here and the surroundings. We will need a few drops of blood with your inner qi. Cultivators need to create a new ID when they start cultivating, this would be usually free since you only have to exchange your already existing ID for the modified one. But with you, it will have to be done from zero. Either way, this makes it is easier for us to put you into the system. Just give your blood and qi to Ibrak after this and in ten days or so you will get to see your IDs.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Hearing the answer, Aleran released an inward breath of relief. For a moment he had regretted his attempt at making a deal with this monster. ¡® What level of cultivation does this guy have, anyway?¡¯ To Aleran, it had truly felt like every creature represented in this room became alive and were about to rip him to shreds. He looked at Kindrav who was covered in sweat and his hands were tightened into fists. Aleran knew he was struggling to not touch his earrings as he always did when in fear.

    Aleran immediately bowed and clasped his hands again, Kindrav followed suit. ¡°Thank you, Big Boss, for your kindness and understanding.¡±

    ¡°Then wait outside. In a moment, Ibrak will reach you with the necessary items the alchemist needs to forge your IDs. Remember, come back here in twenty days, and we will tell you the details of your mission.¡± With those words and a wave of his hand, Grujil dismissed the two of them.

    <hr>

    Seeing the two kids out Grujil turned his indifferent gaze towards Ibrak who looked like he had something on his minds. ¡° What is it Ibrak? Speak, you know I hate to waste time and I need to meet more people.¡±

    Ibrak let out a sigh and said. ¡° Is it really necessary to give these two the IDs and let them go just like that? They know a lot about our inner workings, and they will know more if we let them take part in the heist. We can just fool them with some second-hand IDs and let some ¡®random¡¯ search of the guards find them later. they can just kill them for ¡®resisting¡¯ to the arrest .¡±

    ¡°That won''t be necessary, it would be a shame to let such talents go. If I wanted them dead, we could just force them to still what we need and then kill them. But their abilities may be of use in the future. Besides, every document is signed by the alchemist that made it. As long as we have the word of the alchemist that made the document it will be easy for us to make him say he was forced to forge their IDs. That way, we will have leverage over those two and keep using them.¡±

    Ibrak wasn''t completely convinced. At first, he was disgusted by Kindrav, the barbarian. But as time passed he started to realize that the true threat was the other one. There was something on the look of that boy Aleran that always made him uncomfortable. It was like he was always studying them, searching for a weakness, for something he could use against them. It was like having a poisonous snake lurking inside your hose, not knowing when it was going to strike.

    That made Ibrak extremely uncomfortable. He couldn''t explain that feeling, it was like some sort of intuition. And every time that happened, it made him feel like squeezing the life out of the boy''s neck. ¡°Then I will get the spirit crystal and the bottles¡± But the decision was not his to make. So, he hurriedly bowed and went out.

    <hr>

    Ibrak appeared before them soon after they got out carrying two spirit stones and two small crystal bottles. He took a few drops of their blood in each bottle and then asked them to pour some of it on the spirit stones. Since they could not channel raw qi outside their bodies they had to use this method to charge the spirit stone. Aleran had learned that, when they were empty, spirit stones were called spirit crystals. They seemed to have endless uses, and it gave Aleran a lot of ideas of how they could be used.

    This process also reminded Aleran that the inner qi was unique of every person. And that if your parents were cultivators, someone could use their inner qi to trace you and vice-versa. It also made him thankful that his spirit veins were different from the original Aleran making his inner qi different from that of the parents of his new body.

    Following that, Aleran was surprised that Ibrak also took their fingerprints with some special ink and paper. He guessed that, maybe, it wasn''t that hard to realize that fingerprints were something unique to every individual. Apparently the IDs, besides using some alchemical method, it also used this more mundane method.

    <hr>

    Once outside, they were finally able to relax. ¡° That was scary. Next time you decide to bargain with someone that can kill us in seconds, give me some heads up, will you Al?¡± After walking some blocks on the labyrinthic city, Kindrav was finally back to his usual lazy attitude.

    ¡°I know it was dangerous, but it was needed, Ibrak would keep delaying it otherwise.¡± But Aleran was not relaxed at all, he was still serious when he continued speaking. ¡° Kin, we need to find the alchemist, I don''t believe for a second they will let us go just like that. There''s too much we don''t know about how the IDs are made. That''s why we have to find him and at least know his movements. Grujil said he was in this city. He must be an official alchemist of the Empire working in the House of Myriad Transformations. I won''t feel comfortable unless I know exactly what they are doing, and find a way to get a hand on the IDs by ourselves.¡± Although Aleran had been very busy with the Crimson Claw, almost to the point where he had no free time, he had been making inquiries about the alchemists and things related to ID forging.

    He found out that every city had a house of Myriad Transformations, where all the works related to alchemy were done. Besides making alchemical substances like new metals, elixirs, and even weapons, they also served as a school for aspiring alchemists. Sadly, it was a very exclusive profession. Not only required one to have a lot of money, but the whole organization was also controlled by a few ancient families and one had to have contact with them to get in. This made the information about alchemy extremely restricted and hard to find.

    ¡°Ha, you can''t tolerate not being in control, can you? You really are a control freak.¡± even though Kindrav joked he agreed with Aleran. ¡° If we can''t find him, we will need another way to escape their grasp. Which brings me to another theme, we need to get stronger. More and more I''m getting the feeling that our strength is-

    ¡°Big brothers, may I ask you to follow me? Someone wants to meet with you two.¡± A high pitched voice suddenly interrupted, making Kindrav look in annoyance at the new, tiny interlocutor.

    Kindrav looked at the kid that was right before them, he was probably 9 or 10 dressed in ragged clothes, a classic little rat of the streets. Like many kids on the street, he was probably an orphan of a poor family. These little street rats took any odd job they could find, like guiding visitors into the labyrinth that was this city or giving information about certain places. They could be almost anywhere, unlike the bigger rats, the guards sometimes took pity on them and didn''t chase them out of the wealthier districts. But if they were caught robbing they would be punished like adults.

    With a sarcastic voice, Kindrav spoke to the child. ¡° It seems today is the day of ¡®let''s interrupt Kindrav while he speaks¡¯.¡± He said as he shot a glance at Aleran. Clearly remembering how he had been literally sent to sit in the bench in the negotiation with Grujil. Not that he would have had the guts to negotiate with that guy.

    ¡°Tch tch tch¡± Aleran shook his head while clicking his tongue. ¡° Poor, foolish Kin, the sooner you realize that you are destined to be stepped on by others the happier you will live,¡± Aleran answered in a joking manner suddenly realizing that, in one way or another, Kindrav always managed to lighten the mood of the situation.

    Kindrav just rolled his eyes and look at the kid. ¡°Okay, I''m interested in this mysterious person that wants to meet us. Can you tell us who he is.¡±

    The kid shook his head. ¡° I don''t know her name, but she was a beautiful lady, she was walking with other men, like guards. And told me to take you somewhere.¡± The kid said while flushing a little.

    ¡°Oh! My charm is acting out again. It truly makes women do the most unthinkable things.¡± Kindrav spread his arms and look at the sky, almost looking like a martyr.

    ¡°Don''t you have that girl Senna? The chief''s daughter? I''ve never seen her but you talk of as if she was an angel. So, this one is mine. Besides, I''m the one with the charming blue eyes.¡± The sad truth was that he only knew he had blue eyes from the blurry reflex of windows in the city and his reflex in water. This world had mirrors, but it was something for rich people. He could barely steal enough to buy good clothes and the rest he had to give it away to the Crimson Claw or use it for food. He didn''t want to take the risk to keep stealing when he was off duty. So he had never actually seen the aspect of his new body.

    ¡°It''s all about personality Al, You are practically an ogre. And being around you makes me look like a charming prince. Why do you think I hang out with you?¡± Kindrav shrugged and continued to talk to the kid that was looking at them like one would at two idiots. ¡° Why does this beautiful lady wants to meet us?¡±

    ¡°She said that she may have the solution to all your problems with your... employer.¡± The boy said with a clear effort to remember what the woman had said.

    Aleran elbowed Kindrav. ¡°Dude, this is obviously some kind of trap. And a very poor one at that. It would be really embarrassing to die falling in this kind of shitty ploy.¡± Although normally they were innocent, these kids were sometimes paid by other bigger rats to lure their prey with lies or by guiding tourists into less crowded areas.

    ¡°Relax, as you said, is too sloppy to be a trap. Besides, aren''t you interested in what the solution may be? And, how much does this other person knows more about us? At least, there must be a hot woman on the other side, the flush on the kid''s face was real. If you want, you can go a few steps behind me in case anything happens.¡± From time to time they had to tail people the streets so they were used to following from a prudent distance.

    ¡°Lead the way, boy, let''s meet her.¡± At his cue, the boy started to trot by the streets of Hilua with familiarity.

 Chapter 27: Making Deals with Gods and Devils (II)

    Surprisingly for both of them, the kid didn''t take them to the slums or the poorer districts. Instead, they ended up in front of one of the biggest buildings in the city. It was located a few streets away from the city lord¡¯s mansion, the monolith and even the House of Myriad Transformations. One could say it was in a centric place, near all the important places of the city.

    The building in question was almost 20 meters high, its front doors looked like the doors of a palace. They were three meters tall and were completely made of metal. And on top of the opened doors, there was a sign with the words ¡°Heaven''s Vault¡± engraved in golden color.

    On the inside, the place was filled with stands and counters showing all kind of weapons, bottles with strange liquids, and pills. The weapons ranged from common swords to spears, with even the strange chains the people of the Empire were so fond of. As for the liquids and pills, some were made with healing proposes, while others were made to enhance strength. There was even a liquid to improve performance on the bed that seemed to be quite popular judging by the people buying it without shame. These people were all nobles, meaning that they had at least one relative that was a cultivator and had good standing in the empire. They could be only a branch family of the cultivator, but still, they gained good social standing.

    Aleran was impressed, he didn''t have the time to visit places like this. Not that he had the money to spend on weapons and pills either. But it was a good experience to visit this kind of places even if it was just to browse around. More so to someone who knew so little about this world like him.

    While Aleran was taking the scene, the boy went to a bald man standing by the door. And after exchanging some words, the man threw him a few coins. Before departing, the kid wave at them while the man on the door approached them. He was wearing plain white clothes, but he wasn''t doing anything to hide his strength. Making it easy to notice that he was a powerful cultivator.

    ¡°Well, this doesn''t look like a trap but, where is the hot lady?¡± Kindrav whispered to Aleran who just ignored him.

    ¡°Greetings, my boss wishes to meet the two of you. Follow me.¡± The man only said that and never spoke again. It was like he didn''t care if they actually followed. He guided them inside and into a circular stairway. They went up two floors and stoped on the third one, that was similar to the first but smaller and with only one counter that didn''t have anything on display.

    Unlike the first floor, the third was deserted. There was no one else besides two people standing behind a counter. One was clearly a man, but he was facing the other way. The only thing Aleran could see was that he was wearing a cyan robe and had golden hair. Besides that, he seemed to be cleaning some sort of antique with a small brush.

    The other person was a woman, and Aleran immediately understood why the kid flushed when he mentioned her. She was a true beauty, probably the most beautiful woman he had seen since he got to this world. Maybe, on earth, she would be a little average, certainly not the most beautiful. But here, at least comparing to what he had seen til now, she was above average for Aleran. What struck him the most, was a lock of white hair that made a starking contrast with the rest of the black on her head. While the black contrasted with the pale of her skin that it was not a sick pale but the kind of paleness that made her look like a doll. That was without taking into account her body that made her look like a model.

    ¡° Thank you, Inya. You can go back now.¡± A sweet, mellow voice came from the woman, reinforcing the image of beauty she gave. The bald man didn''t even hesitate as he just bowed and turn around without even talking to Aleran or Kindrav.

    ¡°You will have to excuse him, he takes his job too seriously and sees everything as a threat.¡± The woman smiled and introduced herself. ¡° I''m Adra, sorry for making you travel all the way here.¡± Even as the woman introduced herself, Aleran noticed that the man kept looking the other way.

    ¡°Well, I must admit I''m quite intrigued as to why someone with such high standing as miss Adra would want to meet with us, two lowly commoners.¡± Kindrav was the first to speak.

    Adra showed a charming smile. ¡°That''s because I know you two are not just commoners.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Then what are we for you?¡± Kindav said that with an easy tone but he stopped his approach to the counter, just like Aleran. They stopped halfway between the stairways and the counter. They knew it was probably useless to be careful inside the other party''s lair, but it was better than nothing.

    ¡°Oh, don''t worry boys. I know you are thieves and I know you have been working for the Crimson Claws for a few cycles at least. But I don''t mean any harm to you two, in fact, this may be the opportunity you were looking for.¡± She answered with a wink at the end.

    ¡°For how long have you been keeping tabs on us and how much do you know? Why us?¡± Aleran was the one who continued the conversation. He wasn''t in the mood to enjoy her pretty face anymore. They knew she had to know about the Crimson Claws. But she also knew what they did inside the Crimson Claws. And even though she hadn''t said anything directly, judging by her words and the words from the kid it was obvious she knew their situation. Or at least she had a rough idea.

    The woman shot a short glance at the man beside her, but he was still engaged in cleaning an old medallion. ¡°Would you believe me if I say that I chance upon you two by coincidence and I got the gist of your situations from just watching for a short moment. Of course, after that, I watched over your¡­ activities. Just to confirm my guesses.¡±

    ¡°That sounds fishy no matter how you look at it.¡± Said Kindrav squinting his eyes.

    ¡°Just sit here, and let''s talk. Believe me, this is a good opportunity for the two of you.¡± Adra pointed to a few wooden chairs in front of the counter. ¡° Please, excuse the state of this place, it is too deteriorated and miles apart to our headquarters in the capital.¡±

    Both of them sat up slowly and carefully, still not fully trusting the woman. The chairs, despite being made of wood did not feel too hard, in fact, they felt comfortable.

    ¡°You still didn''t answer why us and what do you want.¡± Aleran kept pressing for answers.

    ¡°Well, it is like this, the Crimson Claws are stealing some of our business and we want that to stop. We were going to negotiate to make them back off, but my mas¡­ but I spotted you and we came with an idea.¡± She briefly glanced at the man cleaning the medallion again and continued. ¡° You two are obviously using the crimson claws to obtain something you want and are not loyal to them. In fact, I noticed you despised them. Maybe we can collaborate and help each other. You have surely seen that it is not that easy to just use the Crimson Claws and that you won''t be able to get out without help. Maybe if you help us, we can help you.¡±

    ¡°What can we do that you can''t pay someone to do?¡± Aleran asked almost incredulous at the whole situation. This seemed too good to be true.

    ¡°Well to tell you the truth, we need to gather information. As infamous the Crimson Claw is, we hadn''t pay much attention to them since nobody is so stupid as to anger the Heavens Vault. It was recently, that they had affected the sales of a certain drug we sell. They started selling a drug they call ¡°the feeling¡± and it is a more potent, addictive and harmful version of a drug we sell. Our drug can help people to heighten their senses and makes it easier to connect with the source qi. While they sell their drug under the pretext that it does the same and better, for a cheaper price. Of course, that is a lie, it is the same drug but without the refining process, making it really harmful and transforms into addict at whoever tries it.¡±

    After a short pause, she continued. ¡°Now, we could pay someone to recommend some other agent that we also hired into the Crimson Claws. Then, make him slowly infiltrate into the Crimson Claws. And, we will probably do it in the future. But we still need more information on their inner workings and their infrastructure. Anything that could help us infiltrate or that can be harmful to them will be useful. From their chain of command and who to befriend, who is too loyal or who can be bought. That''s why we need people that are not loyal to the Crimson Claws. And that''s when you come in. With your information, we could slowly infiltrate them and then, find a way to eliminate them. Thus releasing you two from their grasp. ¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Adra was inwardly sighing, this was a half-lie she had come up with. The truth was that even she didn''t know why her master had picked these two. But she couldn''t tell them that, and much less, that this whole thing was probably a test for her.

    But there was something else that her master told her recently that made her become more serious. Apparently, there was a real chance to earn something big if this went well. She knew that even though her master sometimes did things just for pure entertainment, he always managed to make a profit off everything. After all, her master was the most ambitious man in the world.

    Aleran was without words. Everything was great but, why them? Just because she came across them by chance? there were probably many people working as external members of the Crimson Claws. This woman managed to answer his question without really answering it. ¡® Damn, and here I thought people from this world could learn something from politicians of earth.¡¯ Aleran thought with exasperation. This woman has mastered the art of answering a question while not really addressing the main topic of the question.¡¯

    Seeing that she was not going to say anything more Aleran looked at Kindrav and whispered. ¡° What do you think?¡±

    Kindrav just whispered back. ¡° I don''t know, but we may be able to get something from this. Remember we still need the spirit stones to take the exam.¡±

    Actually, they could take the normal test and get into the academy without any need of spirit stones. But that was only the normal test to be trained as a foot soldier. They would teach you one martial stance. And they would not give you anything more unless you accomplished something or after serving for at least two years.

    But if they could pay the fee of 50 spirit stones each, they could take the elite test and would have more options and more resources. They will also receive a cultivation technique right from the beginning. Besides that, there were other perks, like access to the academy library and special training grounds.

    After hesitating for a moment both Aleran and Kindrav nodded to Adra. ¡° What kind of information are you looking for?¡±

    Adra smiled, this time her whole face lit up. ¡° You have made the right choice. Believe me, even we that know little about them are aware that most external members either end up as internal members or end up in bad situations. You must have noticed this too, right?¡± Seeing the boys agreeing, she continued. ¡°As I told you, we need anything that can help us infiltrate or sneak out on them. All the inside information would do. Why don''t we start with the reason why you joined the gang and what you have done till now. ¡±

    Since these people knew they were thieves it was no big deal to tell them more. Skipping the ugliest parts and with a quick recount, Aleran and Kindrav explained their objective ad story. They also told her how they choose to rob to avoid the other, more ugly jobs, and how they got to their current situation.

    ¡°Oh, we can''t help you to forge an identity. They must have some connections with some alchemists. That is worthy information on its own.¡± The woman''s eyes glowed, making some sort of connection in her mind. ¡°But we can help you with other things.¡± Said Adra after hearing their story

    Aleran thought for a moment before speaking. ¡°Don''t worry about the IDs, if they want us to participate in the heist, they will make them and show them to us. As for the information, I could tell you about the big heist that is about to happen. But they say they won''t tell us anything before the actual day in twenty days.¡± Then as if suddenly coming up with an idea, he said. ¡° What if I give you a detailed map of their underground network of tunnels in the next fifteen days? Would that work for you?¡±

    Adra looked at Aleran with a strange gaze, while the man cleaning the medallion suddenly stopped swiping it. Even Kindrav was surprised by his last statement. Everybody knew of the underground tunnels and their many doors all around the city. People called them the gates to the underworld. But nobody knew exactly where all the doors were and much less the true extension of the tunnels. Even the inner members had restricted access to some areas. And Aleran wanted to map out the whole underground system in two weeks, that was insane.

    The woman took a while to react, but she finally managed to say something. ¡°That¡­that would be extremely helpful. It could even move or plans forward from a span of a year to a cycle or less.¡±

    Aleran nodded. He needed this to be settled as soon as possible. Aleran was not willing to wait another year to get into the academy, he needed strength as soon as possible. He needed to feel in control of his life and learn more about this world, and the academy had all he needed for now. ¡°Great, then we want to be paid in spirit stones, I don''t know how much this information is worth, but I suspect it is a lot.¡±

    ¡°How about¡­¡± Suddenly, the man cleaning the medallion turned around and spoke. He was a handsome blonde man, who had a smile on his face that gave confidence and made one unconsciously trust him.

    For some reason, the moment Aleran saw this man, he thought about Zarasen. There was nothing remotely similar between the two, but for some reason, his mind made an illogical connection for an instant.

    After the small pause he made while turning and storing the medallion inside his robe, the man continued. ¡° Instead, we give you the method to break into the half step qi circulation realm. It is nothing fancy. But as you know, you can cultivate anything that, as long as it doesn''t break your spirit veins, you can always pick a better cultivation technique and improve. You said that big heist was going to be dangerous, right? Then what is better than breaking through into the qi circulation realm, even if it''s just half step into it. Think about it, that''s the furthest you will get without officially joining an organization.¡± The man seemed to be the woman boss judging by how she wasn''t even reacting at his sudden intrusion in their chat. She just stood there letting the man do the talk now.

    Aleran looked at Kindrav who nodded. ¡°Mmmm. Throw two hundred spirit stones above it and we have a deal.¡± Aleran didn''t know the value of the technique, he may be doing the most stupid deal in the world. But both him and Kindrav needed strength, and the girl hadn''t noticed that but this guy did. Aleran was waiting for the girl to give them a price, but the man throwing the technique alone as a payment force him to ask for money on top. Maybe, the technique wasn''t even worth one spirit stone, but they couldn''t be picky. He immediately regretted not being more vague about the number of spirit stones. ¡® Man I suck at this kind of negotiation.¡¯ Suddenly, they were in an extremely awkward position to bargain with the man. It was clear who had the most experience between the man and the woman.

    The negotiation was quick, and somehow ended with Aleran and Kindrav in a disadvantage. The man ended up agreeing to pay 50 spirit stones on top of the technique. The main problem was that the man realized immediately that they had no clue how much a spirit stone was worth. They didn''t know if 10 spirit stones was a lot or too little.

    After the negotiation, the man entered a room an took 25 spirit stones with him. The rest would be given after they accomplish their side of the deal.

    ¡°Here you have it.¡± he also took an old piece of paper and gave it to Kindrav. ¡° This is the cultivation technique. I was going to give it to you once you hold your part of the deal, but I trust barbarians. You all suffer the burden of the deeds done by the Blood Peak tribe, I''m truly sorry for that, young man.¡± The man looked at Kindrav with a tinge of nostalgia. Upon closer inspection, one would notice he was looking at his earring. But very quickly, before Kindrav could say anything, the man turned and went out through a side door. They hadn''t even heard his name, and the woman only told them he was her master.

    Confused, and taking comfort that maybe they will get the rest of the money with the next big job, Aleran and Kindrav went out of Heaven''s Vault. After putting enough distance with the place, Kindrav spoke first. ¡° How do you plan on keeping your promise, Al?¡± He knew Aleran and he would never make a promise like that without confidence.

    ¡° Do you know why I''m always the first to reach the places we are about to rob? And why I always know the general layout of the places by the time you appear?¡± Aleran answered with a question. Their normal M.O. was with Aleran opening the lock either by pick locking or using his magnetic Image. And then Kindrav would go inside and empty the place with the information given by Aleran on the distribution of the rooms. If Aleran had to use his magnetic image he would normally end up too tired to search the place.

    ¡°I always assumed you paid some of the little street rats to get inside before the shop closed. They wouldn''t be suspicious if they enter asking for money or food to the owner. And you know them, they can get slippery and enter back rooms and storage rooms if they are motivated. The owners would just yell at them and make them run. Then, they would tell you how big the place was inside. But, now that you mention it, I always find it strange how accurate the information was.¡± Kindrav said stroking his chin.

    Aleran nodded. ¡°I always get at the place one hour before you and I use a special way to get the general layout of the shops. It''s a very risky method, actually, and I need to be really focused. If something goes wrong I could even die. But it is also very efficient. If we start today, I can assure you we can map the whole network of underground tunnels in ten days. I ask for more in case of something unexpected happening.¡± Aleran said with a glint in his eyes.

    ¡°Any other super weird ability I need to know about?¡± Kindrav asked sarcastically. It was already surprising Alerans ability to knock out an earth level beast or to move metal with his mind. But every time that Kindrav thought he knew the extent of his abilities, the guy came up with a new way of showing off.

    ¡°Haha. It is not super weird. When I master it and if you are willing to take the risk, I will try and teach you. But I need to get better at it first to teach you right and not put you in danger.¡± The truth was that he didn''t know where to begin to teach someone. He had practically download the technique to his brain.

    ¡°Sure, as long as it doesn''t kill me.¡± After that, they started talking about how to proceed with the mapping of the tunnels and about the cultivation technique.

    ¡°We have to first test the cultivation method that guy gave us. But judging from his looks when he gave you the paper, it must be real. After that, we will start mapping the tunnels¡± Said Aleran with resolution. Finally, things were starting to go their way. Now, he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, a chance to get the IDs and scape the Crimson Claw.

 Chapter 28: ????????????

    Bahari was passing by one of the many training grounds his organization had. This place consisted of a simple, circular arena that was only a place cleared of trees. With the power of these people, they couldn''t be bothered in making a real stage. It would simply break all the time and would cost too much. The floor filled with scars and craters was a good example. The place was deserted, with only two people about to fight right now in the circular arena.

    It was the middle of the night, so they were either friends helping each other in getting better or enemies settling some private dispute. He had been away for too long, therefore it was normal that he didn''t know the faces of these two. With a little time to spare, he decided to watch the show for a moment.

    The fighters were just about to begin, so when Bahari came closer they just looked at him and resumed their fight of stares. They were far from the living quarters but not too far to be afraid of beats or intruders.

    Both contenders were very young, clearly two new geniuses of the organization. Bahari also noticed that both were at the qi circulation mid phase, an impressive feat given their age. He was way older and only at the advance phase, but he had much experience these two unmistakably lacked.

    One of them held a sword, he had short brown hair and a savage look that seemed to say ¡°stay away or get killed.¡± He held his sword with one hand and above his head while his legs were half flexed. He was wearing the plain black robes the organization gave to its members.

    The other one held a black spear in one of his hands, the tip was pointing to the floor and the shaft ran behind him. He looked unprotected with that stance, but his face and bearings were enough to tell he was not. He looked cold and detached, almost the complete opposite of the other fiery guy. He had dark hair and eyes with a faint goatee on his chin.

    Bahari wanted to laugh at them, these young cultivators were all very easy to read. He could almost guess the images each of them held just by looking at their faces. With old cultivators, it was impossible to tell. But young ones tend to choose their first images heavily influenced by their personalities. Not that he thought it was a mistake, he was one of those that believed that if you picked an image that suits your personality it will be easier to understand it. He just found it nostalgic, when one gets older it becomes easier to hide your personality.

    While he was thinking that, the swordsman moved with surprising quickness. He slashed his sword at almost 10 feet from the spearman. The spearman dodged what it seemed to be a blade made of wind with minimum effort.

    ¡°Whooshh. Baam!¡±The wind blade left a 6-foot long scar on the floor. But, what surprised Bahari was that soon after the scar was made flames ignited from it. Bringing more light to the night. It was clearly some kind of retarded effect. Bahari knew of a few ways to do that, none were simple to do for someone at that level.

    After dodging, the spearman spun in a circle and slashed with his spear forcing the swordsman to retreat. Judging by the style, the swordsman had clearly learned the wind martial stance, coupled with some other movement skill.

    But the spearman was not over, as he immediately controlled his weapon to thrust at his opponent. This time, the swordsman parried the spear deflecting it to his right. But following that, the butt of the spear came from the left, thanks to a quick change in grip from the spearman.

    The swordsman ducked while moving sideways and cutting again at the spearman legs. Now, the spearman had to jump and, with another change in his grip, he thrust with his spear from above towards his crouching opponent. Rolling on the floor, the swordsman barely dodged the attack

    ¡°Boom!¡± Another crater was birthed on the ground, this one was 5 feet deep and three feet long. Bahari could see ice forming on the crater. Obviously, the spearman used an ice image.

    The swordsman jumped towards the spearman that was still on the air. And again, he slashed another wind blade, this one was already catching fire midway.

    With quick judgment, the spearman flexed his arms and pull himself closer to the spear, that was still embedded on the floor with a 45-degree angle. Stepping on it, the spear bent under his weight and using that, he bounced off the spear, pulling it out in the process.

    After a short glaring contest, they both resume the fight again. But now they fought with renewed vigor. The spearman was in a defensive position, making accurate counterattacks with steady but graceful movements. While the swordsman seemed to attack with constantly increasing ferocity, always finding new ways and angles to approach.

    Soon, both of them started to use their images more and more, the spearman threw some spikes of ice and between them, he thrust his spear. The ground around the spearman was starting to freeze making it very slippery for his opponent. Meanwhile, the swordsman started to create a tornado around him that was soon catching on fire, trying to counteract the freezing in the ground and the spikes.

    But still, the spearman created a path of ice that ended in a curve above the fire tornado and started to slide through it. He ended up over the eye of the tornado and dropped down with his spear thrusting towards the swordsman from above. This forced the sword-wielding boy to stop concentrating in the tornado and to sidestep. In turn, this made the tornado to dissipate and the cold to start building.

    After that, the spearman started going into the offensive, creating paths of ice and sliding through them. Thus, gaining some of the mobility that he lacked before and making it harder for the swordsman to cope with him. He was practically skating while he spun with his spear and attacked at his opponent. But the swordsman, although he was not suited for defending he was handling the pressure and keeping up, although by a small margin.

    ¡®This will take too long, and the spear kid will obviously win, anyway. Although is the sword boy who is younger and has more talent.¡¯ Bahari shook his head and started walking towards the mountain cave. No matter the result, they won''t kill each other, the killer would be severely punished if that happened. That was why they were not using their images at the beginning, they were measuring each other to see if they could survive when they unleashed their images. ¡® They are just measuring their dicks to see who has it bigger. No matter what, they are good seeds for our forces. In a way, they are our future.¡¯

    He kept walking and passed through the rest of the training grounds reaching the living quarters. More than living quarters, it was like a small village constructed in the woods. Many houses sat on the treetops while others were between the trees on the ground. The only constant was that they were camouflaged, blending perfectly with the rest of the environment.

    But, this was not his destination. He was meeting with the patriarch who was currently on a cave in the mountain. Bahari had to ask earlier that afternoon where the cave was. The patriarch and his forces move every few years and he had been out of more than four. He had to report the results of his mission and findings. He believed the results would please the patriarch.

    As he passed by, he often heard the laugh from some of the members or even the nigh activities of couples trying to keep it as quiet as possible. Their organization may be labeled as a den of monsters and cruel assassins, but they were just like every other human. They had loved ones, aspirations and dreams. Many of those who joined had seen one or all of those three destroyed by others, leaving them full of hatred. But that didn''t mean that they couldn''t rebuild something, or have some semblance of normalcy inside the organization.

    He kept walking until he reached the base of a mountain where the cave was. Its entrance was almost fifty feet tall, and besides the deep darkness, he couldn''t make anything of it. From the outside, he could see some stalactites and stalagmites. This made it look like the mouth o some terrible beast.

    The inside was damp, but it had a nice smell of incense that was coming from further inside. The patriarch wasn''t ostentatious, but he always kept his surroundings smelling nice and clean. As he got deeper into the cave he had to put a hand on the wall as a guide to not trip and to not get lost. The darkness was such that every step he gave felt like he was about to fall to an endless abyss.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    The lack of light made more obvious the immense pressure that was becoming stronger as he got inside the cave. This was what kept powerful monsters at bay, the fear towards their patriarch. Once the pressure became unbearable, Bahari knelt on the ground, he could literally not stand anymore. He knew the patriarch wasn''t doing this on propose, it was needed so that the beasts in the wilderness could feel his power and back off.

    Bahari could feel a slight breeze coming from above. This was also something his patriarch always did. Every time he found a cave, he would stab randomly at the walls. Without any effort he could make a hole that connected the inside of the cave with the outside, creating an air duct. It seemed that these wholes were not aligned to any of the moons since he could see nothing inside the cave.

    ¡° Patriarch, I have returned from my mission.¡± He raised his head at the deep darkness to report. This darkness too wasn''t something he did on purpose. It was just that, for the patriarch, it was as clear as day inside the cave, he didn''t need any light. Or at least it was enough for him with the tiny lights of the stars to see Bahari''s face. But even without that, Bahari knew that every movement he made inside this sphere of pressure his patriarch emitted, would not be unnoticed.

    ¡°It has been years...You aren''t hurt, that''s good.¡± A calm but strong voice echoed from the darkness. It was impossible to tell where exactly it came from. It could be right from Bahari''s side or from the other side of the cave. ¡° And you seem to have found something interesting.¡±

    ¡° Yes.¡± Bahari nodded and took three pills from an inside pocket on his robe. ¡° I founded in while doing my secondary mission. Inside the place where they were keeping our secondary target, they were doing some questionable research. Although I believe the information I got there was too shallow, this pill made the effort worth it.¡±

    ¡°Mm. Tell me what you find out.¡± The strong voice appeared to be interested.

    ¡° It is called ¡®rainbow pill¡¯ and when the subject consumes it, he or she becomes extremely susceptible to external suggestions. They were using it as an alternative of torture, to keep the mind of prisoners intact as compared to other, more extreme, methods. Besides making the prisoners more honest, it can also be used to make them obey orders. In reality, as I said before, it only makes them more vulnerable to suggestions, they won''t follow direct orders. I retrieved two intact ones and one was vomited by one of the prisoners as I¡­ got carried away when interrogating him. I thought that he was giving information too easily and that it was all a lie.¡± He raised the three pills with his hand, like making an offering.

    ¡°Woosh!¡± The pills flew from Bahari''s hand and into the darkness.

    Taking the silence as a signal to keep going he continued. ¡° I must say that they let this pills away too easily. Either they don''t think much of them or they were using them as a bait to distract.¡±

    ¡°Maybe both.¡± Said the all-encompassing voice. ¡° But that is only because they don''t know what I can do with these pills. You did really well this time, Bahari. I''m very pleased with this result.¡±

    Bahari nodded. He knew the abilities the patriarch had, and if they were used correctly these pills were like giving wings to a tiger. This was truly like the saying the garbage of a man is the treasure of another.

    ¡° Then, what about your side mission? The results of your main mission I already know them.¡± The patriarch asked.

    ¡° Athias Hul is dead. I managed to track him down after he escaped. But due to the chaos, I couldn''t get any more information than we had. I especially tracked him down and saw his body floating in the river. After our fight back then, when he refused to sell us the information as it was usual, he ended up with crippled spirit veins and with mental damages. He must have drowned while hallucinating or something, taking his secret with him to the afterlife.¡± He paused for a moment and then he said. ¡°I also found that the Silver Moon kingdom had Rasid Erket, a personal servant of the Sidrin Empress, as a prisoner. But I couldn''t find him once everyone escaped. I think this information would be useful. If the Sidrin finds out about this...

    ¡°Haha¡± A very soft laugh, almost imperceptible, echoed inside the cave. ¡° The mystery of a generation, the real identity of the Sidrin emperor won''t be disclosed by a mere servant. No matter how close he was to the Empress. I doubt even the Empress knows that man''s real identity. This information could be useful, but there is a possibility that the same Sidrin Empress used Rasid as a distraction, just like you think the Silver Moon used the pills to distract spies. As for Athias Hul, as long as you have confirmed he hadn''t been able to give any information and that he is dead now, it''s okay. It seems they hadn''t realized that he was previously dealing with us.¡±

    ¡°Understood, patriarch.¡± Bahari nodded, and was about to rise when the patriarch''s voice sounded again.

    ¡° I''m very pleased with the way you handle this mission. And these pills¡­ these pills are a great bonus, they will help me a lot. Starting tomorrow you will be one fo my in name disciples, this means that once every ten days you will train under my direct supervision. I know you don''t have the best talent, and you are already reaching your forties and you are still in the qi circulation. But as long as you have functional spirit veins there''s hope. Maybe you won''t be able to reach the pinnacle, but you will be able to live longer if you breakthrough to the next realm. And as you live longer, there are more opportunities and lucky encounters. I can''t count the number of young geniuses I have seen crumble before the older, less talented, cultivators. And there are many of those less talented who reached my level despite all the odds being against them.¡±

    Bahari felt a warmth in his chest, he saw the patriarch as a fatherly figure from the moment he picked him up. To the rest of the world, just like how they saw their organization, this man could be the worst monster in history. If they knew all the things he has done, all the things he is doing and intends to do, that opinion would only get worse. But to Bahari, he was the only family he had, even if the patriarch didn''t see it that way.

    His village was massacred by the forces under the patriarch. But Bahari didn''t resent the patriarch for that. When he was a child, his father had been caught stealing from the chief and had been executed. Soon after his father''s death, his mother followed, leaving him at the age of 12 alone in the world. As the son of a thief in a small village, he was hated by everyone despite not having anything to do with his father''s sins. He only survived because he learned how to hunt small lizards in the shrubs.

    And then, at the age of 14, when he was starting to think about robbing these mean villagers who treated him like garbage, the patriarch and his forces appeared. Apparently, one of the villagers had seen something he shouldn''t have, some sort of ruin, told him the patriarch much later. And just to be safe, he ordered them to kill all the villagers. Nobody was spared, even babies were killed like cattle. The young Bahari survived hiding in a pile of corpses, and thanks to his unkempt looks he passed easily as one of the members of the pile.

    His village that was at the foot of a mountain was also close to a cave. One of the places the patriarch liked to stay in. In one of his walks, the patriarch noticed him even though he was far and in the middle of the pile of corpses. During those five days, he had drunk the blood of the corpse on top of him, he still remembered soulless eyes of the woman on top as he drank her blood.

    The patriarch, impressed by his stubbornness and his will to live said to him ¡®You probably don''t have anything to live for anymore, yet you still cling to life. For five days you have survived doing unspeakable things, I like that.¡¯ He ordered his men to take him and in a short time, Bahari was training in a place not too different from the one those two youngsters were using before.

    ¡°Thank you, patriarch. I will not disappoint you.¡± With tears threatening to come out, Bahari bowed. Then, he stood up and left the place while struggling with the force coming from the patriarch.

    <hr>

    The man watched as Bahari departed from the cave. He was still a child, even if he thought he was a grown man, in the eyes of this man he was a kid.

    He then cast his gaze upon the three pills. Two were perfectly spherical and the other was smaller and had rough edges. That last one was partially digested, if he couldn''t figure out the ingredients from the other two, he would have to use this one.

    For a while, he kept looking at the three colorful pills, spinning, chasing each other a few inches above his palm. ¡®The Seer thinks he can manipulate me, but while he was busy looking for that invisible destiny that appeared all of a sudden, I made enough preparations. He gave up looking too soon, though. I will need more time, but with these pills, I will be able to speed up other plans. It is truly a gift from heaven.¡¯

    The man kept the three pills inside a bottle and sat still on his chair made of stone with. With his eyes closed, he started to process some of the information Bahari had brought. ¡®The Divine Alchemist, I''m not sure if I should be sad or happy that I didn''t get the information.¡¯ Having that information was important, perhaps the most important. Though he would never say it out loud before his subordinates.

    But having that kind of information was like sitting on top of a land mine. The moment some of those old monsters knew he had that information, they would attack him like a swarm of starved locusts. He was confident in his strength, but taking even two of those monsters together would be an impossible task. After all, they were all roughly at the same level of strength. And with the recent news he received about the Protector of the Free Central States, he didn''t want to risk it, not yet. If the news were true, then that man was now a monster among monsters.

    The information about the Divine alchemist was something every single one of them wanted. Not for his abilities in alchemy, they had long caught up with those ancient methods, even surpassed them. With the exception of some incredible recipes that the Alchemist took with him to the grave, the rest were all useless. But, what everyone wanted was something else¡­ something that was in his possession before he died.

 Chapter 29: The Real Mission.

    The first thing Aleran and Kindrav set to do was to locate the alchemist working with the Crimson Claw. But despite all their efforts, it ended up being a dead end. Alchemists were reclusive by nature, and access to the House of Myriad Transformations was very restricted and guarded with many formations.

    The first day both of them had made a reconnaissance, sitting at a bar with a good view of the House of Myriad Transformations. The place looked like a small palace, with big sturdy doors, and precious statues of dragons on each side of the door. The street was quiet, in fact, people tried to avoid passing by the doors as much as they could. They didn''t want to disturb the alchemists'' peace. This makes the block where the House of Myriad Transformations was, incredibly quiet. There wasn''t even a single guard on the doors.

    But the second day, when they were still doing more reconnaissance, they were approached by a seemingly normal man who asked their names out of nowhere, in a very polite manner. After speaking he just stood next to their table with a bland smile plastered on his round face and with his eyes glued to the House of Myriad Transformations. But despite how common he looked, Aleran and Kindrav could immediately tell this man was even more dangerous than the big boss. The problem was not on the man itself, but on everything else. At some point, their surroundings had distorted into a mess of twisting colors and noises, always changing, with the man as the single constant in the world. The feeling lasted for an instant that seemed to drag for eternity.

    As soon as the world recovered its form and without wasting a moment, both of them gave the man a random name and excused themselves. The man didn''t stop them, he just stood there from beginning to end with the same bland smile that gave Aleran a creepy feeling.

    With no other choice, they forgot about the alchemist and put their minds into mapping the tunnels. Aleran was confident in his Divine Perception, and he had been working to improve it. Although he hadn''t found the way to integrate images with it, the ability gifted by the Kaisha was getting easier to use. With his divine perception, Aleran could see the general form of the tunnels and the chambers they were connected to.

    He started going to different corners of the city and simply felt, through his connection with the source qi, the places where there was a lack of earth under him. The network of tunnels slowly revealed itself before Aleran who draw the whole thing in a white big paper. It was practically an underground city beneath the actual city.

    That part was pretty easy. But one day, he was going through the tunnels and seeing no one near him, he used that opportunity to use Divine Perception. Peering again under the tunnels, just for pure curiosity, he found that under the regular tunnels were another layer of tunnels.

    These were narrower and fewer in number but ran much deeper than the ones used by the normal members of the Crimson Claw. It took him a lot of time, but with Kindrav keeping an eye for outsiders, he managed to trace the tunnels back to the safehouse where the Big Boss lived.

    These tunnels were probably meant for emergency and they connected to three different exits outside the city. The exits were cleverly hidden but were not guarded by anyone. After exploring a little with his Divine Perception Aleran realized there were places in this second layer of tunnels he couldn''t reach. So, he and Kindrav took the chance to sneak into one to see if there were more hidden chambers.

    They picked one exit that was on a small lagoon. Although he didn''t want to admit it, Aleran picked this exit because he always liked the stories about pirates with hidden treasures under the sea and remote islands. There was no hidden treasure and no sea here, but nonetheless, Aleran loved every second of the small expedition.

    The entrance was a simple metallic door that looked more like a hatch and was unlocked. Aleran and Kindrav had to swim for a long trench even after crossing the door, luckily the place was illuminated by some strange aquatic plants. If one wasn''t a cultivator it would be impossible to swim through the inundated tunnel without an oxygen line. Either way, to be cautious they had gotten along a hose made with the intestines of some animal, to breath and to guide them back. The tunnel in question made a turn upwards, and after a while, the water was kept at bay. Then, they had to climb down on to the other side, which was the hardest part since there was no ladder.

    All the effort was worth it because they finally discovered, through his Divine Perception, two rooms that they hadn''t been able to see before. These rooms, Aleran estimated, were outside the city limits. And they were not connected to any other place more than these tunnels.

    Smelling treasure, both of them continued through the tunnels going straight for the rooms. but as they got closer they started to feel a huge pressure. It was Kindrav who noticed that this was the feeling a killing array gave. The best ones were usually undetectable but it seemed that the boss himself set up this array. It made sense in a way, you couldn''t hire an outsider to create a protective formation for your top secret hideout. The big boss could only use his meager abilities to set some formations, what''s more, he couldn''t place them on the doors because they would be too eye-catching. This way he was compromising the defense in order to gain privacy. The hideout relied upon the fact that no one would be looking in the places the exits were hidden, and that nobody even knew they existed. The first layer of tunnels was complex enough to make anyone believe that if the big boss had something to hide he would do it there.

    But it appeared that in this case, it had worked. Both of Aleran and Kindrav were ignorant when it came to formations. Either way, the formations couldn''t stop Aleran from using his Divine Perception and keep exploring with his mind. With this new discovery, Aleran, and Kindrav, mapped the complete set of tunnels three days before the agreed time. These three days left, Kindrav spent them training with the cultivation technique.

    As for Aleran he had broken through way before Kindrav and took those three days to rest. Once he looked at it, Aleran realized that, though they had not been scammed, the cultivation technique was really not that good. The thing was useful, but calling it a cultivation technique was far fetched. It was more of a guide to expand the nodes of the arms and chest. Breaking through the qi circulation realm consisted of expanding the nodes on the spirit-veins. With this expansion, the nodes would fuse, or overlap, as they called it, with the flesh and with other nodes. This made it possible for the cultivator to move more qi towards one part of his flesh strengthening, even more, one extremity but at the cost of losing qi on the others.

    Every node needed a different method of refinement in order to expand. But Aleran and Kindrav only had the method to expand the nodes of their upper bodies. That was what the man referred to as half step qi circulation.

    They would be able to strengthen one of their arms at the expenses of the other and the chest area. The same could be done the other way around. It was not much, but it was enough to save their life in a desperate time.

    Wanting to keep it a secret, they cultivated outside the city. Thanks to the upcoming heist, the big boss had given them and other members of the Crimson Claw, free time. That free time was the only reason why they managed to cultivate and map out the tunnels at the same time.

    Aleran was the first to break through. He only needed a few days of work gathering the source qi at a monstrous pace that left Kindrav with his mouth agape. What took him more time was the process of refining, it was a complex set of movements of his inner qi around the node that could make anyone dizzy.

    The moment one of his nodes expanded, he understood why Zarasen didn''t allow him to breakthrough when he was in the asylum. All his inner qi turned chaotic and the surrounding source qi also started to vibrate. Inside a calm place, in terms of qi movement, this kind of disturbance was like a holding a lantern in the middle of the darkness. And this was only with one, every time he expanded another node on his arm the effect grew stronger. He couldn''t imagine how much would it be if he did the same to his whole body.

    While Aleran managed to expand his nodes by the fifth day, Kindrav could only do it on the last day, the fifteenth. This made Kindrav realize how much of a monster Aleran truly was, and that soon, Aleran''s abilities will start to become monstrous. But that only motivated him to work harder so as to not get left behind. Still, be it Aleran''s or Kindrav''s speed, they had both achieved a breakthrough faster than normal cultivators. After all, they had done this while mapping the tunnels.

    <hr>

    ¡° You are saying that are two sets of tunnels?¡± Adra was looking at the map the two boys had brought to her. It was impressive, the tunnels were like a spider web extended under the city, slowly trapping everything inside.

    And, what was more impressive was that they only took fifteen days to do the whole thing. She had been skeptical about them at first, but her master seemed to believe their words the moment the blue-eyed boy said he would do it. She knew of some ways to do what they did, but none were possible for their level and would take much more time. This made Adra question what she knew about these two boys.

    ¡° Where is the second set of tunnels?¡± Asked Aldra after looking at the map closely.

    ¡°Ah, that would cost extra, let''s say... eighty spirit stones,¡± Kindrav said with a harmless smile. This was something they planned the moment Aleran discovered the second layer of tunnels. They still needed fifty spirit stones for the two of them to take the test. Being a secret, they were obviously important for the big boss, and that made it important for Adra.

    Adra didn''t look surprised by this, in fact, she expected it the moment she heard about the second set of tunnels. She was not as experienced as her master, but she was no idiot. ¡° That''s too much, It would be good to have this information, and if this was a set of tunnels under the capital I would pay you that much. Unfortunately for you, this is just a branch of the real Crimson Claw and it will only help us with this single branch.¡± It was hard to learn from the secular world the actual value of spirit stones, and the boys must have already understood that the price they had agreed before was too low. ¡° But I can give you fifty if you are willing to do something more.¡± She had learned from her master that no matter how small the sum you are expending you will have to make it worth it. Moreover, the boys mad the mistake to tell her why they needed those spirit stones, she would never pay more than what they needed to take the test at the academy.

    Aleran and Kindrav shared a look, and as before, it was Kindrav who finally spoke but with dubiousness. ¡° What do we have to do? As long as it is not dangerous we can try.¡±

    ¡°Simple, give me the two maps and let me study them for a moment, you can wait here till I come back. I will be able to tell you exactly once I have studied the layout of the tunnels. Just trust me.¡± She spoke with a resolute look in her beautiful eyes.

    ¡°That blond guy, your master, trusted us when we said we could map the tunnels and even gave us the cultivation technique before we completed anything. I guess its fair to trust back.¡± Kindrav nodded, remembering the look the man had when he spoke about the barbarians.

    Adra smiled as Aleran took a small piece of rough paper rolled just like the bigger one, and handed to her. Afterward, she disappeared behind one of the doors behind the counter.

    <hr>

    Aleran didn''t count the time, but he was sure it took her more than three hours, or Ru as they called them, to come back. She looked tidy like before, but her face was clearly showing signs of tiredness as she carried on her hand a stack of papers. Unlike the rough paper, Aleran used for the maps these were a pearly white, they had a shiny luster.

    She extended both maps on the counter and put the stack of papers to the side. The maps now had ¡®o¡¯ markings made with black ink in some areas. Adra pointed at one of the marks and said. ¡° I need you to put these paper talismans in the general areas near the circles I marked.¡± She said with a weak voice. Making the talismans was a tiring process. Fortunately, her master had almost completed them, she only had to do the finishing process which was the easiest part. But with the level of these paper talismans, it was already a titanic work for her.

    ¡°What are these for?¡± Aleran asked seeing that Kindrav also had a look of confusion.

    ¡°This is one of the ways to make formations. As for the details... you will see soon enough. Let''s just say that if you do this right, in seven days you will not want to be in the tunnels.¡± She said with a tired but sweet smile. But this weak smile sent chills down Aleran''s spine without knowing exactly why.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    After making some more arrangements, Aleran and Kindrav say goodbye to Adra and started their new mission and for the big heist coming in five days.

    <hr>

    Many warriors of the Crimson Claw had gathered in the pit but the stands were not fully packed, there were less than fifty people. And unlike the usual scene, there was no massacre playing in the pit and no yelling in the stands. Only a single man, with a small white feather the size of a pinky finger hanging between his hair, was standing in the middle of the pit.

    Aleran looked around and noticed that almost all the people here had a tattoo of a red claw somewhere on their bodies. They were all at the third heaven opening stage with some qi circulation cultivators mixed in between. There was even one qi circulation mid phase standing next to Ibrak. All the people here were inner members, the only exception being him and Kindrav.

    Next, Aleran looked at Grujil. He was standing in the pit with his arms behind his back facing at the stands, like a general looking at his army. He looked more prideful than when he met him in private.

    ¡° My friends, you have surely heard why I have gathered you here. Word on the street has spread about a big heist we are going to pull soon.¡± Grujil spoke with a domineering voice.

    All the people in the stands nodded, some even cheered. But Grujil just looked calmly at everyone before continuing. ¡°That''s good. Because we are not going to be pulling any heist today. This is a mission coming directly from the capital, and it is no robbery. We have gathered here to end the life of the Lord of Hilua. Our target is the City Lord himself!¡±

    The whole place turned silent, even Aleran drew a gasp of air when he heard the real target. Everyone with some connections in the streets knew that a big heist was going to happen soon. Nobody knew when or where, but this made the city guards patrols to increase. And the personal guard of the City Lord had gathered near his private warehouses located all around the city. This left the mansion unprotected. ¡°It was all made on purpose.¡± Aleran heard Kindrav whispering from the side and only nodded in response. It was a crazy idea, even for the Crimson Claw.

    Grujil passed his gaze through everyone present. ¡° As you know, the City Lord is stronger than any one of us here, including me.¡± This was possibly what was going through the mind of every single member at the moment. Even if this City Lord was considered to be in the lower spectrum of power, he was still someone the Empire recognized to have the ability to protect one of its cities. Aleran was still pretty ignorant about how the empire at large worked, but even he knew that someone in that position had to be quite strong.

    After a small pause, Grujil continued. ¡°But, even before he returned from his last expedition, we got the word that he had been injured in his latest adventure. The odds of killing him are not as slim as you might think, in fact, we have the advantage. His injuries are bad and they are getting worse. Thanks to the decrease in guards patrolling the City Lord mansion, we will have one shot at destroying the formation surrounding it without being interrupted. With that done, the rest is just to do what we do best, to fight! ¡± He made another pause to let the information sink before opening his mouth again. ¡° I won''t lie to you, though. This mission will be dangerous, some of you will die. But for those who return, you will be compensated with one hundred spirit stones!¡± Grujil raised his voice, and with it, the inner members started to cheer.

    Grujil knew that even if they knew the City Lord was injured, his men would still hesitate at the crucial moment. It was understandable, even if they do kill him they will all have to hide, laying low for a few cycles, even years. The Empire didn''t take well to have its authority stepped on.

    Killing a City Lord was no joke, even with his backer, Grujil would have thought this through a little more if he didn''t have his own personal agenda. For obvious reasons, he didn''t say it, but he was pretty much aware that he will lose more than half of his men. That was the reason why he offered so many spirit stones, he knew that only a few would live to actually receive them. One hundred spirit stones were a small fortune for a cultivator without a strong background, it could open many doors to better resources and equipment. Most of his men, just like most of the Crimson Clawin every city, were deserters or they had been kicked out for bad behavior from the army, the Dragon Claw. They had no other place to go and they had no way to get their hands on spirit stones, they would do almost anything if they could get a few, much less one hundred.

    ¡°It seems this mission will be more dangerous than what he is saying. We had to go to all those troubles to get only one hundred spirit stones, and suddenly this guy decides to give them way just for one mission? That''s just too suspicious.¡± Kindrav said whispering as low as possible.

    ¡°Look at them closely, Kin.¡± Aleran pointed at the men cheering, they all looked excited on the outside, but their eyes betrayed a hint of fear. A fear they could only vent with cheerings. ¡°I''m guessing everyone understands that. They must know better than us how much a spirit stone is worth, and they must know this mission will be extremely dangerous. Yet, they are willing to do it precisely because they know how hard is to get that amount of spirit stones. Even if they have to go through hell to get them¡±

    Kindrav nodded. After the encounter with that strange man in front of the House of Myriad Transformations, he couldn''t say how many experts were lurking inside the city without anyone knowing. And, if the alchemists were guarded by such a powerful person, then the City Lord must have someone or something to rely on to protect himself. Kindrav was certain, these people surely knew how serious the situation was. If not, they had lived in the city''s underworld through all this time for nothing.

    Even as they whispered back and forth, Grujil continued to talk and encourage his men. It was only after a long monologue that he gave instructions for everyone to prepare in one of the side rooms.

    But just as Aleran and Kindrav were about to follow the rest, they were surreptitiously held back by Ibrak. Aleran suddenly tensed up as an idea surged in his mind. ¡® Had they discovered anything bout our deals with Heavens'' Vault? Or did they found some of those talismans the woman gave them?¡¯ He looked at Kindrav who was doing everything to look as innocent as possible.

    At some point, after everyone had exited from the colosseum-like place, Grujil appeared next to where they were sitting. He was already sitting next to them and looking at the arena. The haughty air from before was gone and his usual serious and businesslike face was back again. He was very different from the thug and gang leader from just moments ago.

    After some time looking at nothing Grujil opened his lips. ¡°You won''t be with the rest in this mission. You haven''t even practiced any martial stance nor skill, and therefore are too weak to make any difference.¡± He said with a grave face that made Aleran afraid to even look at the man. He raised his had and looked at Ibrak who was standing. With that single exchange of looks, the man turned around and went through one of the many doors. Then, Grujil continued. ¡°But that''s not why I include you on this mission, the reason is that there''s something I need you to steal for me.¡±

    Understanding that they had been held back to speak about business and not about betrayal Aleran was finally able to talk. ¡° Which one of the City Lord warehouses must we rob?¡± Aleran had guessed that even though right now they were heavily guarded, once chaos ensued in the City Lord''s mansion they will realize everything was a ruse and they will forget about protecting the warehouses.

    ¡°You are a smart boy.¡± Grujil showed a faint smile. ¡° But the item I want you to rob is special and it will be in the City Lord''s Mansion. In its vault to be more precise.¡± Seeing the look of apprehension of the two kids, the big boss said. ¡° You won''t be fighting and I only need you to use the skills you use every day in the streets. While the vault is protected by a formation, it is the same that protects the rest of the mansion. And that formation will be destroyed by me, luckily for all of us, the mansion is a private place of the City Lord. Meaning that he couldn''t hire a good formation master from the empire because of how expensive it is, and much less from the outside because of privacy matters. You won''t believe how many people leave unguarded their most precious things due to the lack of trustworthy formation masters.¡±

    ¡®Yas I do believe it, you and your precious tunnels are a perfect example.¡¯ Aleran said inwardly while sharing a knowing glance with Kindrav. He was sure the barbarian would be laughing and pointing at Grujil if he could.

    Unaware of what was going through the head of the boys, Grujil kept talking. ¡° The vault is located in a separated building resting at the back of the mansion. It is just a gray square building that contrasts with the white and gold mansion. You will wait outside the perimeter. Once I destroy the formation you will get inside the perimeter only after we start fighting, and even then, you will wait until you are sure most of the guards have left the grey building. After that, you will do your magic. For what Ibrak has told me, you have a keen sense of space and move fast even in unknown terrains while no door had been able to block you. That''s exactly what I need, someone who doesn''t waste time and is able to do everything fast. Someone who can''t be stopped even by the most solid, sturdiest divine metal door that can even hold someone like me back.¡±

    What made Aleran and Kindrav famous was that they had been able to rob a place protected by a door made of divine metal, that was locked by a bar made with the same metal. It was a special metal made with alchemy and reinforced through unknown methods. The metal wasn''t much heavier than normal steel, it was even a little lighter, but it was many times more resistant. It was actually used more for weapons than for doors. But Aleran discovered that it was attracted by his magnetic field. This discovery let him very excited at the moment and made him want to reach qi circulation mid phase only to be able to use magnetic fields outside his body, that would allow him to do much more cool things.

    Kindrav nodded his head. ¡° If we don''t have to deal with formations, then we can do it.¡± He said, knowing what Aleran was capable of and trying to reassure Grujil.

    ¡° Good. Once inside, you will look for a large box 30 inches long made of blackwood with golden engravings on its corners. Once you find it, take it back here and make sure nobody follows you.¡±

    Knowing not to ask what was inside the box Aleran answered. ¡°We will do as you command, big boss. But¡­¡± Aleran paused, he could tell that whatever was in that box it was important for Grujil and he didn''t want to piss him off. But he was not going to forget the reason why they were doing all this in the first place.

    As if reading his mind Grujil turn to look at the door where Ibrak had left a moment ago. ¡±Ibrak will come back in a moment with a drawing of the box. He will also bring your IDs so you can see them. Once you circulate your qi inside your bodies, the IDs will react and glow showing your same qi fluctuations. That''s the fastest, and the first method everyone uses to verify IDs. These IDs are made so they can pass every possible check, strictly speaking, they are not fakes, but real ones made skipping the legal prosses. That''s the reason why it is so expensive.¡± He said this with a little pride, showing a shadow of a smile on his face. Getting an alchemist on your side was extremely hard.

    And just as he finished, Ibrak closed in with two small papers that looked more like flexible sheets of metal. They had a metallic brown color and the edges were almost too sharp. On the papers were written ¡°Aleran Ivrath, son of Karse Ivrath. Born on the 16th year of the Last Dragon.¡± ¡°Kindrav Ivrath, son of Karse Ivrath. Born on the 13th year of the Last Dragon.¡± After that phrase, there was more information on where they were born and a physical description.

    ¡°Oh, I guess we are brothers now. Though nobody will believe we are related, with you having a butt for face and me being the handsome specimen I am.¡± Kindrav said while pointing his finger all over Alerans body and face.

    But Aleran didn''t answer. He was staring at his ID with a frown and the face of someone who had eaten something disgusting. ¡® Mother fuckers!¡¯ He Thought while trying but failing to keep a straight face.

    ¡°Is something wrong with the ID?¡± Asked Ibrak clearly unpleased with the brat that didn''t appreciate all the troubles they had to go through to make one of those.

    ¡°No, is nothing. I was just trying to memorize the information here, just in case, someone asks me. It would be truly stupid to have a foolproof ID to just have my cover blown by a simple question as ¡®Where are you from?¡¯¡± He finally reacted, clearing the suspicions.

    ¡°Yes, and make sure to get your stories straight too. You are brothers now, you have to share some childhood memories. Though the chance small, someone could ask you about that.¡± Grujil reminded them before keeping the IDs and continuing with more instructions. Once the mission was over he will give the IDs to the boys, as promised.

    After a while, Grujil rose and went to one of the doors followed by Ibrak. But before leaving he turned. ¡° Oh, by the way, Rogdo will be supervising you. You already met him I believe, so I''m sure you won''t mind.¡± Grujil didn''t trust the kids, Ibrak had made good points on how dangerous it was to have them know too much. And the more he talked with the two the more he realized they were smarter than what they looked. This made him rethink if he should kill them or not. Having a dumb but loyal subordinate was much easy than controlling a smart but unloyal one.

    And although he also didn''t trust Rogdo too much, the man was one of the oldest members under him. And what''s more, on the surface this mission was an order from their backer, even the robbery. Rogdo didn''t know him, but he had some rough understanding of how powerful that backer was. So Rogdo would not dare to touch the box, on the contrary, he will guard it with his life. The best part was that the guy was very powerful compared with those of his own rank at the Heaven Opening stage. Knowing that he could not advance Rogdo had focused on martial stances, producing good results.

    In the end, Grujil decided to wait and see. The IDs were hard to get and the boys were useful, more so at a moment like this. But after the mission, he could just kill them if what was on the box was as good as his informant had told him. No matter the cost of the IDs or their abilities, what was on that box was way more valuable. He will give Rogdo the order to not open it, but there was the risk the boys could peek inside while Rogdo was distracted. It could be better to finish them off once everything was over.

    ¡°You have two Ru to get ready, after that, come back here and meet with Rogdo. Do not get out of the tunnels until its time, the doors are guarded so we will know if you get out.¡±

    Aleran and Kinrav were left with no other choice but to accept the arrangments made by Grujil and preapare for the upcoming heist.

    <hr>

    Once Grujil and Ibrak went out, Aleran turned to look at Kindrav. Unexpectedly he was looking at his ID with a sad face. ¡° So, you did notice it. You are better at hiding your emotions than me.¡±

    ¡° Of course I noticed.¡± The moment he received the ID he had to make a joke because that was the only way to cope with his emotions. Otherwise, he would have attacked without caring about the difference in power.

    The face of a poor villager, dressed in what almost looked like rags emerged in Kindrav''s mind. The man was fearfully holding a few copper coins with a trembling hand raised at the level of his fearful eyes. And then, he remembered the lines Rogdo spoke before leaving the man alone. ¡°If you don''t get us the money soon we will find another way to make use of you.¡±

    Looking at his ID as if it was the only thing in the world, Kindrav spoke ¡°We say we wouldn''t harm innocent people, but this...Say, Al, do you think that if we hadn''t done anything, that man would still be alive?... If I hadn''t suggested you join the Crimson Claw if I hadn''t spoken with Odre¡­

    ¡°Highly unlikely. Don''t beat yourself for something outside your control. They would have killed him for other reason like giving the parcel of land to another unlucky villager. And even if it was because we joined the Crimson Claw that he died, so what? It was impossible for you to know it was going to happen. We did what we thought best for us. All we can do is to try and cover as much we can, trying to think about the possible consequences and act with that in mind, hoping something like this doesn''t happen again.¡± Although he said that, Aleran was feeling just as guilty as Kindrav, although he knew it was illogical to hang on that thought. There was nothing they could do anymore.

    Aleran patted Kindrav''s shoulder and with a hint of obsession that made Kindrav rise his head from his trance, Aleran said. ¡°Want to control everything? You want to make sure this doesn''t happen again? Then get stronger, strong enough to make others feel everything is under your control, everything. Past, present, future, their whole lives, their essence...their soul.¡± Kindrav recognized that gaze, it was the same Kindrav saw when he asked Aleran about his future. A mixture of panic, fear, and...greed. Peering into that obsession, Kindrav could tell that whatever it was that his friend had lived through before meeting him, it had left a big mark on him.

    ¡°Let''s go, we have a few more talismans to put, if we hurry it can be done before the mission begins.¡± Pulling himself out from the guilt, Kindrav started to walk. He did it for himself just as much as for Aleran who seemed to be fine but was clearly not. Kindrav had learned from his time together with Aleran that his obsession was not only one of the things that pushed Aleran forward but also an armor he used when things got out of control.

 Chapter 30: Not so Weak.

    In the middle of the night, Aleran was looking at the City Lord mansion, he was seated in one of the rooftops. If this was any other night, the flying patrols would have noticed something was wrong. But this night, the Crimson Claw had made sure there were fewer parols than usual.

    The mansion in question was on top of a hill. It that was the highest place in the city without taking into account the giant monolith. The mansion being in the hill was the only reason why it could be higher than the monolith. The hill looked out of place in the middle of the city thanks to the copious amount of trees and the lack of buildings.

    On the top of the hill, the big mansion stood tall above everything else, like a king looking at his subjects. It looked like a miniature castle but with a white exterior that gave the whole place a more pleasant look. The lack of walls also made it look less threatening. But for those who knew, the mansion did not need walls to intimidate. The defensive formation was more than enough to stop any unwanted visitor. And anyone who could cause trouble to the City Lord would not be stopped by a mere wall.

    ¡®It''s already this late, when are we going to move?'' Aleran thought while looking at the castle, more precisely, at the tower in the middle. On the tower was a huge circle plate made of strange runes. With a few of these runes lit with a blue light and the rest completely dark. It was simply called the circle of runes, and this was what the people of this world used to measure time. The day started with the runes all lit up, and then, the runes would start to turn off one by one at a constant pace till the circle was all dark. Then, all would light once again and the process would repeat itself.

    The first time Aleran saw that circle of shining runes he could not help but to recall the common clocks of Earth. Instead of having twelve numbers, this circle twenty-eight runes called Ru. And between each rune, there were smaller runes, called Mu, that followed the same pattern.

    Kindrav had told him these artifacts were very old and mysterious. The artifact may look simple but it was one of the most, if not the most complex artifact in existence. These circles of runes were all found in ancient tombs, ruins or even lost in the middle of the woods. But nobody knew who made them or when. They were scattered throughout the world with no real pattern whatsoever. Most people believed they were crafted by an ancient civilization.

    The only problem was that older civilizations had less knowledge about cultivation. All evidence showed that it was impossible for these civilizations to make these artifacts. For example, there was an old scroll stating how the highest level of cultivation was qi circulation, something that was clearly proved wrong later. So, Although there were some ancient civilizations that had useful and mystical techniques, in general, they were less knowledgeable than the current ones. That kind of artifact needed a deep and vast knowledge of cultivation and formations.

    These circles of runes were much more complex than anything the cultivators of today could make. Every time someone tried to open the circles to see how they were made, the formations and complex runes that made it work would mysteriously disappear, leaving a simple plate made of extremely hard materials.

    Only one person was successful in opening one of those plates to take a look at what was inside. And that person was the founder of the Astral Runes sect, also known as the formations guild. It was only thanks to that knowledge that the sect was founded and is also the reason why today they are one of the biggest powers in existence. Every formation currently in use was inspired by the knowledge this man had gathered from that circle.

    The sect had a monopoly on the creation of formations and the use of runes. Every formation of the Empire, and even of the other powers, were installed by the Astral Runes sect. The ones that were installed by these powers were thanks to knowledge the sect sold to them in exchange for ridiculous sums of money or territories.

    Still, the Astral Runes sect kept many secrets of their discoveries on the circle of runes. But even then, they had never claimed they knew every secret and formation hidden in these circles of runes. That''s why many believed that using these circles to just measure time was a waste. But sadly, nobody could do anything about it except for the Astral Runes sect.

    The one embedded on the tower was actually a replica and a very poor one at that. Unlike the originals, these replicas required a lot of maintenance. They needed spirit stones to keep them charged and from time to time someone had to check that the runes were still turning on and off at a constant speed. That was without mentioning the many malfunctions and that a replacement was needed every 5 years, which for a cultivator was a very short time.

    Like that, most of the cities had a circle of runes that was just an imitation of the original. And just like the original, the runes would start to dim and turn off. After a few days, the color of the runes would change from red to orange, then from orange to purple, followed by blue and finally, a spectral green. Once they settled in green they would turn blue again completing the cycle. That was the reason why the people divided the year in cycles. Nobody knew the true reason for this change in colors, but the fact was that after four cycles there was a change in seasons. Despite not knowing the true meaning of the colors, people started to use this circle of runes to measure time. After all, the color was just a minor detail for the common people.

    ¡°It doesn''t seem to be starting anytime soon. I imagine they have to prepare well, and thanks to their secrecy nobody really knows what to do except for Grujil and his bitch, Ibrak.¡± A voice took Aleran from his thoughts. Kindrav, who was standing by his side and also looking at the giant circle of runes.

    ¡°Have you memorized the layout of the building?¡± At first, Aleran was worried that he would not be able to use his Devine Perception with Rogdo watching them. But it turned out that he would come to them only after making more arrangements. That gave him the time to check the general layout and not enter completely blind.

    ¡°Yeah, I got it, it''s not that big, anyway.¡± Kindrav said a little unfocused and clearly nervous.

    Aleran looked at Kindrav that was touching the earrings with his fingers passing on the small cravings of its surface. Finally, he decided to tell him what he had been wanting to say for a while. In a low voice, Aleran said. ¡°You know, those earrings¡­ they will be a problem in the future. I thought we could say you were half barbarian or something. But from what I''ve been hearing, barbarians don''t leave children behind. Every woman they rape ends up dead.¡± According to the rumors he heard, they did this to avoid being tracked through their own children by some obscure rituals. It was the same reasoning behind the actions of the Silver Moon nobles and their ¡°failures¡±. They couldn''t just send their children away and, because they could be traced back to their parents and have their shame exposed, the families preferred to hide them in the asylum or kill them. The barbarians just killed the women they raped to avoid this problem.

    ¡°Haaa¡± A long sigh escaped from Kindrav. ¡° I know. I know that better than anyone. At some point, I will have to do it, but I can''t bring myself to take them off. It''s just that¡­¡± Kindrav was in silence for a moment, he seemed to be trying to put his thoughts in order. ¡° My parents were chased from my tribe, I told you that much. And after that, I told you the chief¡¯s wife and daughter found me. Well, that was the simplified version, Al.¡±

    ¡°I know you must have suffered. It must have been hell, being hunted and then having to watch your parents die. And all that at the age of ten, that kind of thing leaves a mark, I''m not stupid. ¡±

    ¡°Yes, it was a nightmare.¡± Nodded Kindrav. ¡°I didn''t watch them die, but I heard them die and as their assassin laughed with glee, I will never forget that laugh. At that moment I just ran as my parents told me, and for some reason, the killer didn''t notice me. Maybe it was my parents¡¯ doing, I don''t really know. But after I ran from the place, I was alone, all alone in the wilderness. I spent five days on my own, but more importantly, I spent five nights on my own. You don''t know true darkness until you spend a night completely alone in the wilderness. When you are with someone else is completely different after all. It''s the difference between stabbing a practice dummy and an actual person. Few know how it feels, maybe you are one of those that actually know. But at that time I was only a child, so of course, I didn''t know. During those five days, for some reason, the sky was cloudy and not a single light shined upon the marsh. I couldn''t even see my own hands, and soon I realized that walking in the darkness was impossible, every step I gave required a leap of faith.¡±

    Kindrav paused to swallow some saliva and continued. ¡° In the darkness, everything gets distorted and the sound of a branch falling becomes the movement of a massive beast waiting to eat you. And if you spend enough time in that darkness, you start hearing things too. It starts with every sound twisting and, slowly, they transform. It is never clear, it feels like a faraway echo of someone''s voice, in my case, it was my mother''s. But as you focus more on the sound, the voice disappears and it changes back into the howling of the wind. It''s like the darkness is toying with your mind, taking pleasure in your agony.¡±

    For a while, Kindrav just stared into the distance. Only a while later he shook his head and his eyes gained some focus. ¡° It was in that situation that the only thing I could cling into was my earring. Every time night fell, I would curl up into a corner of a cave or under a tall tree, touching my earrings. Those earrings took me back to when everything was okay. I focused so hard in every single pattern, in what my mother told me when she gave it to me. I was only five when she poke the holes into my ears and gave me this. At that moment I hated the tradition, I cried like a little girl at the pain.¡± He started rubbing the earring, but this time he had a soft smile, and his gaze wasn''t that lost anymore. ¡°But I remember it as if it was yesterday. She told me that with these earrings she will always find me, they were bonded to her earrings. They connected our souls for this life and the next. In that deep darkness, the only thing I could think was in those words she said. That even if they were dead, my parents would always be watching me, thanks to these earrings.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡® I wouldn''t be so sure about those words.'' Thought Aleran, remembering for an instant that feeling of being a soul and having his consciousness washed away. But he didn''t say that out loud. ¡° I knew it was something important but I didn''t know it was like that, sorry Kin.¡± Aleran still thought that it was an irrational thing, maybe even a childish stubbornness, but he could respect those feelings.

    ¡°These earrings are what took me through the worst moment of my life. They are solace and a promise that I will never forget. A promise that someday I will find their killer and make him pay for what he did.¡± Kindrav''s demeanor changed, and his face showed a grimace of hatred that startled Aleran. But just as fast as the face appeared it went back to normal, or as normal as a tired and sad face was. ¡° I used to think the only way I would take these earrings off would be if someone cut both my ears. But if I want to someday avenge my parents and make everyone involved pay for that. If I want to make that a reality, I will have to cast aside those thoughts for now. At least until I am strong enough to do and wear whatever the hell I want.¡±

    He raised his hand and, with a movement that seemed to last forever, he took them off. Soon after, this time with a fast movement, he extended his hand towards Aleran. ¡° You keep them, they are my treasures but also shackles. And for now, I''m not strong enough to keep those shackles on me.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I will keep them safe. And if anyone asks me I will just say they are my trophies from a fight with a barbarian, that would make me look cool.¡± Aleran took the earrings and slowly put them on a small inner pocket of his robes.

    ¡°Hahaha! Yeah, tell them it was the most handsome barbarian.¡± Kindrav laughed, and at the same time his eyes seemed more clear, he had really taken a weight off his shoulders.

    As the conversation reached to an end, a voice traveled to their ears. ¡°Are you prepared you little shits?¡± Rogdo''s reached the rooftop with a single jump.

    Aleran and Kindrav watched him with traces of coldness in their eyes for a moment. This guy was only here to put them in place and keep an eye on them, not that he could. If he ever tried to use force on them, they had decided to just kill him and invent an excuse later.

    ¡° When do we start?¡± Aleran broke the awkward silence the entrance of Rogdo generated.

    ¡°Soon, we have to wait until the place is chaotic enough,¡± Rogdo answered while positioning himself to look at the mansion. ¡°It''s beginning¡±

    Aleran and Kindrav looked again at the mansion and saw a few shadows flying above it. The moment those shadows appeared, a translucent hemisphere of golden light encircled the mansion and the surrounding hill.

    Circulating his cultivation to have a better view, Aleran caught sight of a man standing on top of an old flying compass. On the back of the man, a bone spear could be seen, it was apparently made out of the spine of some beast. And the spearhead looked to be the fangs of the same beast. On the hands of the man was a golden plate the size of a head filled with runes and strange patterns. The man was Grujil and was currently pouring an enormous amount of his cultivation into the disk on his hand.

    The shadows Aleran had seen before were actually smaller plates that positioned themselves around the hill. These plates were all formations breakers and were a special product made by formation masters. Only the Astral Runes sect could make something like this and it was an expensive artifact. Every formation breaker had to be tailor-made for the specific formation it was meant to destroy. And for that, one had to know the details of the formation, something Grujil''s backer got quite easily.

    Aleran just sat there and waited. ''This reminds me of the asylum.'' He thought. The situation was completely different, but Aleran remembered how he had taken advantage of the chaos made by Fedrin to escape. He also remembered the waiting when Fedrin gathered the prisoners. All that was happening and what was going to happen today reminded him of that time.

    <hr>

    Grujil poured almost a quarter of his cultivation reserves onto the disk before it started to activate. A quarter may seem a little, but for someone his level, it was a huge waste. But he had predicted that, and between having to use almost all his energy to destroy the formation by himself and this, the formation breaker was a good deal.

    He had also learned the seals he had to make with his hands. The hand seals helped the cultivator to move the qi outside the body. If one was very proficient in a technique, the seals could be skipped. Sadly, Grujil was a total beginner when it came to formations and the formation master would charge extra for activating it. They already charged a fortune for making the formation. If you asked them to activate the formation it would usually be very expensive when it involved danger like today.

    After a moment of pouring his qi into what seemed like a black hole, Grujil felt a sense of rejection from the disk and knew the process was over. The disk on his hand went flying towards the formation joining the other small disks.

    A brilliant light took over the night firmament for a few seconds and a giant circle made of runes and complex patterns materialized above the hill. As soon as this formation appeared in the sky, the golden shield surrounding the hill started to vibrate. And with the shield, the whole hill started trembling.

    Many citizens woke up due to the tremors and looked at the sky, where a formation had appeared, in fear. This made many believe the city was under attack. Many citizens hide while many other rouge cultivators stood at a safe distance to enjoy the show.

    ¡°YOU THINK I WILL JUST SIT AND WATCH WHILE YOU DO WHATEVER YOU PLEASE!?¡± While the normal citizens woke up in a panic, a powerful yell came from the hill. And with it, a golden figure jumped from the mansion and towards Grujil on his flying compass. It looked like a shooting star was trying to come back to the heavens.

    Grujil looked indifferently at the golden figure speeding his way. Before it even reached him, a blade of wind cut towards the man together with a powerful blast of raw inner qi. A golden chain transformed into a shield in front of the golden figure, successfully stopping the two attacks. But at the same time, the figure lost all his momentum.

    Once it stopped, Grujil looked coldly at this figure from the corner of his eyes. He was clad in golden armor and had a metallic mask with the face of a demon. He was the captain of the personal guard in charge of protecting the City Lord and was a powerful cultivator at the third phase of qi circulation, just like Grujil.

    Even if the Crimson Claw could drive away many guards with the rumors about a big heist, this man would never leave the City Lord alone. His propose was precisely to defend the Lord when he was injured or couldn''t fight.

    Grujil looked behind him, where the attacks that had stopped the man came from. There, Ibrak. his right hand, together with Jiun, his left hand, were standing guard. Their mission was to stop anyone from interfering with the destruction of the formation. Both were in the qi circulation second phase, and Jiun didn''t even mastered an image yet, but Grujil believed they could handle the captain for a while.

    The captain floated in the air and looked at Grujil for a long moment. At his level, he could fly for short periods of time, but it would waste too much qi. Ibrak and Jiun couldn''t fly without a tool but the captain would not want to waste his qi trying to stay afloat either. What''s more, Grujil had a flying tool designed for combat. And unlike the ones used by the patrols, this flying tool could make rapid movements. The captain would not be able to catch up to Grujil if Ibrak and Jiun interfered with long-range attacks every time.

    But the captain was not going to give up just because two henchmen were trying to stop him. He sped up towards Grujil and launched his spiked chain at the same time. Before the tip of the chain got to close, Ibrak had already jumped and put himself before his path. On his hand was a giant white feather with the length of two arms, a gift Grujil had given to him a long time ago.

    With a firm grip on the feather, he swung it towards the oncoming chain. Surprisingly, the feather parried the chain without any trouble, it was actually harder than the chain.

    Surprised at the sturdiness of the feather, the captain poured more qi into the chain and activated a formation in it. Small holes opened all over the tip of the chain that Ibrak had just parried. From the holes, thinner and smaller versions of the chain started to come out and were trying to wrap themselves around Ibrak. This was a real artifact with real formations that gave it higher flexibility and myriad uses.

    Before the chains touch Ibrak, though, Juin also jumped while making seals with his hands. Once the seals were finished he threw a palm strike which let out a blast of inner qi. This stopped the chains long enough for Ibrak to impulse himself backward in the air.

    The captain didn''t care about those two. With his free hand, he threw a palm strike that materialized into a golden hand going for the man he considered a real threat.

    Grujil was still concentrated on the formation and had one hand forming a seal. Without effort, he raised the other hand towards the incoming golden palm. The image of a turtle, with two snake heads, appeared around Grujil, taking the hit for him. With a loud booming sound, the turtle and the palm shattered at the same time. The Captain was sent flying over ten meters and into the ground from the collision, while the flying artifact helped Grujil to stay in his original position.

    Just as the captain was sent flying, a huge explosive sound could be heard. And at the same time, the whole city started to tremble. Grujil made a few more seals and the light surrounding the hill imploded, and at the same time, the formation he had just activated was also destroyed.

    ¡®He''s stronger than I thought.¡¯ The captain on the ground had a grim face. He had underestimated Grujil. Usually, the captain could take someone of his level with ease. But today he had been pushed back by a peer that wasn''t even paying attention to him. And for that mistake, the formation was now broken.

    But the captain didn''t have much time to think, another blade made of wind came from Ibrak as he swung his feather. And behind him, Juin was also closing in. The captain was confident in killing these two, but it would take some time. And by now, it was obvious that the city guards had either been paid to delay their response or were being kept busy by other small forces.

    ¡°It is time, brothers!!¡± The voice of Grujil could be heard like thunder in the area. And with that sound, dozens of men rushed from different dark alleys as if summoned from the shadows by Grujil.

    Some of the men ran towards the hill while others made a perimeter. The latter group wanted to stop the personal guars of the City Lord that went to reinforce other areas and were rushing back. As for the city guards, not only had the Crimson Claw paid most of them, they had also created a fake attempt of stealing the city''s armory, where the guards kept their fighting and flying artifacts. They made a huge scene in order to give the city guards an excuse to not show. Of course, nobody would believe such an excuse but it was better than nothing. And with the backing of the Crimson Claw behind all this, the issue would be dropped after making some scapegoats take the blame.

    In a short moment, the men were already making siege over the personal guards of the City Lord waiting on the hill. It had to be said, that even though the attack was too sudden, the personal guards were already waiting in a neat formation for the charging men.

    Grujil, who was on top of the flying compass, didn''t bother anymore with the weaklings. They were meant to create chaos and give the other two kids an opportunity to steal the treasure. With serious eyes and with his gaze glued to the mansion, he grabbed the bone spear behind his back with a slow movement.

    Grujil was deciding whether he should kill off the captain before attacking the mansion when he caught a glance of a man standing on top of the tower. Even though he hadn''t taken his eyes off the mansion he couldn''t say when the man had arrived. Perhaps he was there from the start, but the idea of having missed him from the beginning raised a red flag on Grujil''s mind.

    The man was wearing a red luxurious rob with golden patterns of lotuses on it. He had short hair that was of deep dark color, and eyes that matched his hair. The face also had a long straight nose and thin lips with an angular chin. He had a clearly recent scar that started on his forehead, passed through his left eye and ended on his cheek. It also altered his features the missing ear he had, it was another scar of his latest expedition. Besides that, he was clearly pale and looked weak. His internal injuries were obviously much worse than the ones on the outside.

    But what struck Grujil the most was how young this City Lord was. He was appointed earlier this year and rarely made public appearances. The only information that transcended about him was his cultivation level and nothing else. No matter how much he looked for information he didn''t get any more personal information. One could say that the expedition and this occasion were his first public appearances. But despite that, Grujil thought that the only thing that mattered was that he had formed his core embryo and was at the Qi Manifestation realm but was heavily injured, the rest were details that didn''t really matter. But now...

    The man on the tower looked to be no more than thirty, that alone changed the view Grujil had of the City Lord. There was a world of difference between saying he was the weakest and saying he was the youngest City Lord. What does it mean to reach the position of City Lord at the age of thirty? Only an extreme genius could manage to do that.

 Chapter 31: Blood Script.

    ¡°Shit! No wonder our backer wants him dead. But why do they have to send me? I may be above average, but I''m not enough to be paired with a genius of my level. Much less someone who has a higher level. ¡± Grujil started to have second thoughts about this. In the cultivation world, age didn''t matter and everyone could cultivate to the peak. And that was certainly true, there were even old geniuses capable of battling those younger and above their level. But when someone young achieved a high cultivation level it meant he was undoubtedly a genius. And more often than not those geniuses came from powerful families with the resources to nurture them.

    If he had a chance, Grujil would accomplish the mission he was given and kill him. But he had decided from the moment the information about that item reached him, that he would put priority into that. Once that was done he would run and hide into his personal tunnels.

    ¡®That''s what they get for recruiting the dregs of the army. If they were expecting a loyal servant they should have raised a force by themselves.¡¯ Grujil was an ambitious man, he didn''t want to be a thug his whole life. He only took the chance to join the Crimson Claw to escape punishment from the special forces of the army. The Crimson Claw was just a tool he would use and discard when the time was right.

    ¡°So, you are the leader of those rats who hide under my city?¡± The man on the tower didn''t yell, yet the voice reached Grujil as if the man was standing right next to him. The tunnels were not a secret, the City Lord was clearly aware of them. But every time he sent his spirit sense towards the earth to see the tunnels, Grujil, and his two trusted subordinates would intercept his perception. Although spirit sense was a good way to explore areas beyond sight, it was very easy to notice and intercept. They didn''t even need to collide with the spiritual perception of the City Lord head on, they just needed to make small collisions to distort the information he received.

    Unless the difference in cultivation was too high, a small interference would be enough to make anyone leave empty-handed. If someone with high cultivation managed to force his spirit sense inside, the Crimson Claw would already be alerted and would just escape through different exits.

    "That is indeed us, milord. You seem to know us, but I''m ashamed I still don''t know your great name.¡± He made a small attempt at figuring out the background of this young City Lord. Not that it would make much difference, but at least he would know what to expect in the middle of the fight.

    The man with one ear ignored his question and replied something else. ¡° I know your backer must have given you the order to kill me. But I can sense this issue is way bigger than we think. Why don''t we talk this through, something feels...odd.¡± The man said while looking around as if hoping to catch something, anything out of place.

    For a moment, Grujil thought the man was too injured to fight and wanted to avoid conflict. But the tone of his voice was not pleading at all, he was just making an honest suggestion. Nevertheless, Grujil would not stop, not now that he could get his hands on that opportunity. ¡°Can''t do that. I''ve been given orders to follow, and at least I have to make it look like I tried.¡± He said as he pointed his bone spear towards the man.

    The man stopped looking around, and with a sigh, he looked at Grujil as if looking at an idiot. ¡° Suit yourself then. By the way, you made a mistake bringing all these people. I''m usually against using my abilities on weaker enemies, but today I will make an exception.¡± As his words fell, the area around the man started to distort, and in a short time, the distortion grew and expanded. With the City Lord as the center, the whole hill felt like it was suddenly wrapped in some sort of invisible cocoon.

    Grujil felt his chest tighten and his blood freeze. ¡° He is clearly not in his best state yet he can still use a domain?¡± The range was limited to the small hill, but it was nevertheless a domain. It was one of the abilities of those at the Qi Manifestation realm. And usually, when they get hurt, the domain is one of the abilities they stopped using thanks to the high consumption of qi.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    ¡°What the hell is happening to my body!!¡±

    ¡°Help please!¡±

    Many of the members of the Crimson Claw were already inside the range of the domain. There were those who were fighting while others were still running towards the mansion. But without exception, they all stop in their tracks. The personal guards of the City Lord didn''t seem surprised and just stepped back with solemn faces to watch at the Crimson Claw members. Those who were attacking the mansion and inside the range of the domain felt a deep terror gripping their hearts. They first started to feel light headed, but after a few more seconds they felt all the blood inside them stop and going out of control.

    Some of the luckiest suffered a heart attack, directly passing out to their deaths. Some others started to bleed from all the holes in their bodies. Nose, eyes, ears, mouth, every place was filled with blood. They started to choke on their own blood as some parts of their bodies bloated as if about to burst. But the most unlucky ones survived until the last moment when every member of the Crimson Claw inside the domain, no matter death or alive, started to explode in rain of blood.

    It was a gruesome sight, and the sound of a body exploding from the inside out was imprinted in everyone present. It was like hearing a water balloon make an explosion, only that within the sound of water, there was the sound of organs crashing against each other.

    But that was not the end of it. The blood of the dead Crimson Claw members started to gather and move, as if alive, towards the City Lord.

    ¡°This technique... ¡° Grujil was startled and had a bewildered look on his face as if he just remembered something.

    The City Lord had his arms behind his back as he looked at Grujil with the arrogance only the powerful and geniuses have. ¡°You are called the Crimson Claw, don''t you? Hehehe, well¡­ this is going to be quite ironic.¡± The City Lord started to float and rise in the sky far enough so as to not injure his own men with the aftermath of his attacks. Grujil was forced to follow. If not, all his men could be whipped out, and for now, he needed them to distract the guards. After reaching a certain height, the City Lord made a clawing motion with his right hand. Suddenly, all the blood gathered in front of him to form a diabolic gigantic five-meter claw. It was a dragon claw made purely of blood, just like the one in the tattoos of the criminals.

    Grujil paled at the sight of all that blood. It had to be known that it was not just normal blood. The cultivators who died were all using qi at the moment of their deaths. That bloody claw was brimming with the qi of those who died. They may be weak by their own, but once you gathered all that together, the power became terrifying.

    ¡®Fuck! I can''t believe this. That''s the technique of the blood emperor!!¡¯ Grujil couldn''t help but curse in his mind. The technique displayed before his eyes had a lot of history behind it. It was used by the man who subjugated all the barbarian tribes and unified them under his rule. The tyrant known as the blood emperor ruled the barbarian tribes with fear and violence as his tools. Many lives were sacrificed on his blood rituals, and thanks to those heinous rituals the name of the barbarians was forever tied to the despicable acts he committed.

    But after his death, the territories the barbarians had conquered were later reclaimed by the surrounding forces. One of the forces was the Sidrin empire who chased the barbarians all the way back to their mountains. In one of the last fights, one of the trusted aids of the emperor, Imperial Enforcer Agraham, got his hands on an incomplete cultivation manual. The manual called the Blood Script was brought back to the empire, and with the permission of the Emperor, Imperial Enforcer Agraham took it as a family inheritance.

    The manual itself didn''t require blood sacrifices, although it was true that saving lots of blood did help. If one cultivated with the blood of others according to the manual, it would speed up the cultivation process. It is said that the complete manual even had a way to absorb special bloodlines. But the one the Ethergel family had was incomplete and didn''t have such grotesque parts. With the permission of the emperor, the family took the technique and it was now a signature of their power.

    Judging by his age, the man before his eyes was the youngest son of the Imperial Enforcer, Ireg Ethergel. Knowing who the man before him was, Grujil turned extremely serious. There was not much information about him, he usually kept a low profile. But despite his low profile many knew of his power and the talent he had. The people not only feared his family, but this man had also made a name for himself that brought just as much fear. It was just that he didn''t like to show himself too much and the information about him was very limited besides his earlier days of cultivation.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.With a determined gaze, Grujil prepared to clash with the claw. ¡® I don''t have to kill him, I only need to stall him until the boys steal the treasure.¡¯ He said to himself to gather some confidence. At the end of the day, the man was injured and he could not maintain his domain for long, and Grujil could also pull back with his own pseudo domain to help deviate it. But even like that, this was perhaps the most dangerous and powerful enemy he had ever faced.

    ¡°Haaaaa!¡± A powerful shout left Grujil''s lips as he summoned his power to fight the injured opponent. With a couple of hand seals, the world around Grujil distorted. Although it was in a minor grade than when the City Lord created his domain, it was still enough to see it with the naked eye. His pseudo domain still didn''t have any special features like the one the City Lord used, but it could help to alleviate the pressure he felt. The moment he activated his pseudo domain, he finally felt capable of breathing and he could feel his blood returning to its normal flow.

    There was another reason why Grujil activated his pseudo domain. He could survive the pressure of the blood domain by itself and with the protection of his flying compass. But his men could not. If he didn''t do it, his men won''t be able to rush into the mansion and neither the two kids will be able to enter and steal the treasure. The pseudo domain used a lot of qi, but it was a waste he had to make.

    At the same time, a translucent red shield appeared around Grujil''s body. Although it looked thin, to Grujil this was a major safety net. The shield was a small formation engraved in the compass made to negate powerful attacks.

    Grujil raised his bone spear and thrust it towards the oncoming claw. Perhaps it wasn''t the wisest choice, but he was a battle cultivator and wanted to compare his strength with this powerful enemy.

    The moment his spear stabbed forward the image of a beast with two black snakeheads, the body of a turtle and the tail of a scorpion appeared around Grujil. Although the image was not very clear, and it needed more work, one could not help but notice the power of the beast this image was based on. Just looking at the green eyes of the beast send a chill down on anyone who saw it.

    The beast attacked with its scorpion tail, fused its image with the spear. The tail of this beast was much more flexible than a normal scorpion tail. At the same time, the spear vibrated the moment the image appeared, making it appear more real and the strike more deadly. This was one of Grujil''s all-out attacks.

    The blood claw met with the tail of the scorpion and both paused for a second. Then, the tail of the scorpion pierced through the claw with a lot of effort. When the attack reached the other side of the claw, the image Grujil used was already shattered and only the spear remained. With the claw destroyed, the blood remained floating eerily in the air. Amidst the blood, the spear kept stubbornly going forwards towards the City Lord. But there wasn''t glee in Grujil''s expression, only alarm.

    The City Lord looked slightly amused as he tilted his upper body slightly to avoid the spear that has lost a lot of its power. The spear light passed by his side and advanced until it reached the sky. And, with a loud booming sound, a big hole was opened in the ceiling of clouds. The power of that spear strike was clear to anyone, even the City Lord was impressed by the power and knew he should not take a hit like that directly in his current state.

    But the City Lord wasn''t distracted by this and acted decisively. With his left arm behind his back, he extended his right hand and grabbed the bone spear with a fast movement. The City Lord''s hand had a dark red color, and Grujil noticed at that moment that the hand was covered in blood. It was like a glove made of blood, that offered protection and increased the strength of the grip.

    ¡°Do you really think I don''t know what that compass of yours is? I if it weren''t for that thing and its shield you wouldn''t be able to cross even a single strike with me.¡± The City Lord said looking with a sneer at the flying compass while gripping tightly at the bone spear.

    Grujil was well aware of that too. That strike just now was only possible because the compass had a special shield that covered the user, negating a big part of the enemy''s attacks. This compass was handed to him especially for this mission, it was a way to ensure his safety. But every time he attacked a part of that invisible shield would dissipate to allow his attacks to pass. He would have to take some of the force of the enemy attack, but the rest would still be absorbed by the remaining of the shield. One could say that the moment he attacked was the most vulnerable. It was just that with an opponent like this he couldn''t just sit inside the shield and do nothing, otherwise, the City Lord would just burst the shield open even sooner.

    Just when the City Lord was about to yank him off the flying compass, light escaped from the bone spear as a cloud of green smoke started to spread from it. For the first time, the City Lord erased the sneer from his face as he immediately retreated.

    Flying back in an instant, the City Lord undid the bloody glove. Now, that blood was turning black and letting an awful stench. Luckily he had made the glove. Otherwise, with his current condition, his arm and possibly his life would have been in danger. But he was knowledgeable about the many tricks and formations the artifacts could have, only an idiot would try to grab one with naked hands.

    The City Lord retreated together with the blood in the air so as to not get it contaminated. The moment the blood got completely dark, he would lose control over it. A hundred meters away from Grujil, the City Lord stop for a moment to really look at his opponent for the first time.

    ¡° The image of that beast, and that bone spear that resonates with the image¡­ you have the inheritance of a shaman from the western deserts. If I remember correctly, there was a foreigner from the deserts who married into one of our noble families.¡±

    Shamans were how cultivators of the desert called themselves. The specialty of these shamans was not in poisons but in the creation of elixirs that enhanced the power of whoever drank them for a short period of time. The formulae to the elixirs were a huge secret and only the most powerful shamans knew them. They also had a miraculous elixir that healed all kinds of flesh wounds in a short time, it could almost bring someone back from the dead. Not even Grujil''s father had access to the formula, only the great shaman and his three disciples could know it. Although most shamans knew some recipes to make some elixirs. They weren''t at the level of the great shaman but they were enough to be sold like precious items outside the desert.

    ¡°It pales in comparison to your Blood Script, City Lord.¡± Grujil answered between gasps of breath. He had made an all-out attack an couldn''t even scratch the man. While the bloody claw, even though it didn''t harm him thanks to the shield of the compass, it felt like having a mountain on his shoulders for a few seconds. His arm almost broke in two. At the same time, he felt for a moment his pseudo domain shudder and his blood had gone out of control from a time. If he showed the slightest opening in the control of his own inner qi to counter that force he had no doubt he would end up like his own men. But this was only an attack to probe his opponent state, now he was sure he couldn''t take the man head-on. Killing him was out of the question now, the man was weak but he was truly a powerful cultivator.

    ¡°Of course it can''t even compare to my Blood Script. Maybe the only cultivation technique at that level in the western desert is the one the Great Shaman uses.¡± The sneer in the City Lord was back on his face together with his arrogance, but he was slightly more vigilant. ¡°You people have grossly underestimated me. If they had sent someone with my cultivation level I would have been a little more pressed. But with you, even with that flying compass, it is just a matter of time for me to play with your blood.¡±

    The blood around the City Lord started to morph into many sphears, all circling around him. The speed of the spheres started to increase until only blurs could be seen moving around the City Lord. He was about to attack seriously.

    Although the City Lord seemed confident and his face showed disdain, he was inwardly very serious. The situation was not as good as he made it look. And in fact, the more time it passed the harder it would be for him to keep his domain going. Without his domain, he could not control blood so freely, putting him at a higher risk of receiving an attack. In a normal day, he could use his blood without hand seals as long as the attacks were not mixed with too many other images and concepts. But in his state, without his domain, he would be forced to use some hand seals and waste more time to control blood. And not only was the blood script his main way to attack and defend, but he wasn''t sure he could always avoid that spear. Much less doing so while using hand seals.

    The hand seals were made to strengthen the images through the movements of the spirit veins inside the fingers and hands. Independently from the knowledge, one held the hand seals could help till a certain point to materialize the image. If one had trouble materializing the images outside the body, it could also help to reduce the time it took to use them. For the most advanced cultivators, they were used when they had to mix many images and concepts, for normal simple images they could use them without them.

    This was a practice that had started with body movements and ritualistic dances. But through the years, cultivators perfected those dances and movements until they created a simplified version of hand seals. Some shamans, for example, still used dances and contortionist moves. The only problem was that no matter how simplified they were, they still took some time to make, time the opponent could use in his favor.

    To the City Lord right now, in comparison to using his domain, the hand seals were too slow. He may have seemed calm, but he was really surprised at the speed of Grujil''s attack. In his normal estate, even using hand seals he could avoid these attacks, but right now he was too dizzy and his reaction was slower. He couldn''t take the risk after seeing the speed of his opponent. The truth was that it was he who had underestimated his enemy. His sneer was only a mask to cover the urgency of his real condition. Right now his body was very frail, and a single wound in the right place could worsen his condition and even push him to his death.

    The City Lord''s bluff had worked though. Grujil was not so sure anymore about the extent of the City Lord''s injuries. But whatever the case, he had made his mind to not clash directly and was going to start using long-range attacks.

    Grujil looked down and saw some of the personal guards rush out from all parts of the mansion to reinforce the ones that were already fighting. The Crimson Claw may have lost a bunch of men to the blood domain but they were still many of them.

    The personal guards of the city lord were very powerful and well trained, but they were vastly outnumbered. After all, a City Lord was not allowed to accumulate too much power for himself otherwise every city lord would have a personal army.

    Looking at this Grujil inwardly smiled, that was the signal for the two ghosts. Once everyone started fighting, they would be able to slip in. The plan was less than ideal, but given who they were robbing and the time he had to work with, it was the best they had.

 Chapter 32: In the Narrow Hallways

    Aleran was very impressed by the battle between Grujil and the City Lord. The images both of them showed left him speechless. But more than that, they gave birth to many questions. Was it possible to use beasts as images? Does one need to dissect a beast or practice some kind of biopsy to gain a more clear knowledge of it?

    It wasn''t that he was interested in using such images, but he was interested in how images worked in general. He knew for sure that knowledge took a big part in it, but maybe there were other methods or other factors at play. He doubted the City Lord knew exactly what was the composition of blood and much less know about DNA. Although there was a small possibility the City Lord knew about this, Aleran found it unlikely.

    And now that he thought about it, how did everyone managed to use images? Even if the City Lord didn''t know about what blood was made off, he would need a deep understanding of water or something else. Or maybe, the knowledge needed to move the blood or water or to create any other image wasn''t that deep.

    Aleran had also been hearing people talk about the five elements and such stuff while he was in the Crimson Claw. It was mainly for this kind of talks, that he found it hard to believe that someone could have such advance knowledge. This sight of the City Lord controlling blood made him question his previous assumption and also create new ones. Whatever the case was, the City Lord somehow managed to control the blood of others, and that was an impressive feat in his eyes.

    ¡° How in the hell did he do that?¡± Aleran blurted unintentionally as he saw the blood transforming into a claw.

    Unexpectedly an unanswered came from a source he wouldn''t have imagined. ¡°That technique¡­ it''s not what it looks like.¡± Kindrav said while glancing towards Rogdo. The man had gone to another rooftop to watch the battle. It seemed he was sensible enough to put some distance between him and them. Rogdo hated them and the space he put between them was to avoid any unnecessary confrontation before the mission. Kindrav and Aleran thought this was a very professional way of handling things and that Rogdo wasn''t all muscles after all.

    Aleran looked at Kindrav in silence, waiting for him to continue with curiosity overflowing from his blue eyes.

    Seeing that Rogdo was far away and concentrating on the battle, Kindrav told Aleran a short story about the Blood Emperor. He told him everything and how the technique ended up in the hands of the Sidrin empire. Then he proceeded to explain. ¡° Although it may seem like an unstoppable technique, there is a way to counter it. At least in the weakest form and when the cultivator using the Blood Script doesn''t focus on you.¡±

    ¡° I don''t know exactly how the technique works. But I know that the cultivator using the Blood Script forces his own inner qi into the body of others and then he uses his image of blood. Inside the body of their targets, the cultivator transforms his qi into spheres of blood with his image and traps the blood of the weaker cultivator inside them. For this reason, they have to be weaker. If the target is at the same level their blood is much harder to control. In that case, the user of the Blood Script can only injure him slowly and take the blood from the injuries. While the weaker cultivators can only wait to explode in a rain of blood and gore.¡±

    Kindrav looked at the bloody claw with mix emotions. ¡°The way to stop this from happening is simply to close your spirit-veins. Cultivators unconsciously have them open, but if you close them is all the same as long as you are not meditating. Like that, you can avoid becoming a pool of blood to feed the techniques of the others.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t that supposed to be something like a huge secret? How do you know so much about it?¡± Aleran was shocked, he could imagine the value of this information. After all, KIndrav had just told him a part of the inner workings of a powerful skill. But he didn''t know why Kindrav was telling him this in such an open way.

    Kindrav shook his head, not to deny, but to erase an image that popped in his mind. ¡° My father researched the Blood Script for a while and came to that conclusion.¡± Said Kidrav with sorrow. ¡°When I was a kid I had nightmares about the Blood Emperor because of all the stories I heard. And my dad told me how to counter it and make me immune to the Blood Emperor¡¯s power. At first, I thought he was just making up some stuff to make me feel better. But when I told my mother she looked at me with a serious face and told me to keep what my father said a secret. But now, It doesn''t matter anymore.¡±

    Aleran could see that the issue was very delicate and tried to change the subject back onto the more technical stuff. ¡° So, once you close your spirit veins the technique becomes useless.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡± Kindrav laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous, but he was still more serious than normal. ¡°It''s not that simple. The trick of the Blood Script is in the speed at which the technique works. By the time you notice something is wrong, you are practically dead. First of all, the cultivators always have their spirit veins open by default. It needs some training to actually close your spirit veins from the outside world in a quick way. ¡°

    Aleran nodded. ¡°True, I feel it goes against my natural instinct to close the spirit veins from the world. But with enough training¡­¡±

    Kindrav said without letting Aleran finish. ¡°As I said, it''s not that simple. There''s no doubt the Blood Emperor was a monster, but he was also a genius in cultivation. Even though he kept the secret about this, the actual impact of this information on his strength wouldn''t be much. The technique he created could use the residual images on the inner qi of those who died. Be it by his hands or y others. And he could also steal the power of bloodlines. That is something the Ethergel family cannot replicate and is a secret he took to his grave. The more people he killed, the more images he had, in a war that kind of power is frightening. There was a limit of time to this effect, but they lasted enough to be useful during prolonged battles.¡± Kindrav said with a weird mix of admiration and despise for the man he was speaking off.

    Every barbarian had the same feeling about the Blood Emperor. They hated him for the cruel dictator he was, but they somewhat admired his genius. He had made himself from the bottom and even turned around the established order of their society. He created a technique which was on par with the best in the continent and, for better or for worse, put the Barbarians on the map.

    Hearing this, Alerans train of thought went from the images to how the society in this world worked. He guessed this was one of the consequences of this cultivation society. Unlike how it was back on Earth, those in positions of power in this world were also the ones who held the actual power.

    No matter how powerful the position of a common person in the government was, the actual power of humans was always in numbers. A man could command an army, but he could never overpower an army on his own. Even launching a nuclear bomb was something it required the consent of at least two people. And the bomb itself could only be built thanks to the effort of many people.

    This led Aleran to another set of questions that plagued his mind. Assuming the stories about the Sidrin emperor were true, then, why would he bother creating an empire? According to the stories and what people said, he could wipe out entire armies with his power. Why would he need to build an empire then? There were many ¡®reasons¡¯ Aleran could think off, but none of them were too convincing. ¡®I guess that''s another question to answer later.¡¯ Aleran sighed inwardly.

    Suddenly a voice broke his train of thought. ¡°The City Lords personal guards inside the mansion are finally coming out!¡± Rogdo jumped towards them after looking at the men rushing out in an orderly fashion.

    ¡°It''s time!¡± Aleran jumped off the rooftop and sprinted towards the small hill, using the shadows as their cover. The plan was very rudimentary for being such a big operation and he hated to expose himself to this danger. But he could do nothing about it, and in a way, it made sense that the mansion of the City Lord was the most difficult place to break in. One could only do it with this kind of rushed and unsafe plan or a prolonged plan that would take too long.

    According to Grujil, the object they were going to rob was going to be transported to the capital. That would be a good opportunity to strike, the only problem was that someone would come from the capital to retrieve the item. And that someone was not a person to be trifled with. The fact that Grujil thought they had higher chances of stealing the thing inside the city than when it was in the hands of that person said it all. They were left with no other choice but to try and steal it now.

    The three of them reached the hill in a few minutes. The hill was filled with trees and plant life, but it was not of the kind that you would find in the wilderness, at least not too easily. These trees, flowers and all the plants showed a clear order that nature lacked. The whole hill was like a giant garden. And Aleran wanted very much to stop and take a closer look at the strange flowers with fluorescent colors shining in the middle of the night. But just like when he was in the forest he didn''t have the luxury to do it.

    Besides, the place was already starting to transform from a peaceful garden into a battleground. Unlike the fights Aleran had seen when he broke out of the asylum, the fights here seemed more organized and less desperate. The City Lords personal guards moved like a well-oiled machine, all as one. The men used shields and medium-sized spears to stop their enemies. Like an unbreakable wall, they maintained their positions and nobody even flinched at the sight of the ferocious criminals yelling for blood.

    Although the members of the Crimson Claw were less organized, after some time they too started to coordinate in their movements. With the few qi circulation cultivators as the leaders, the rest started to gather together, using battle formations. As they ordered themselves, they started to use their numerical advantage to divide the enemy formations and push back the City Lord personal guards. They didn''t have the perfect coordination nor the matching equipment, but it was obvious at a plain sight that almost all had military training.

    This should have been enough to slowly grind the enemy force and obtain an easy victory. But the City Lord guards were all elites. From time to time some cultivator would break from the formation and lunch himself towards the men of the Crimson Claw. They would go after weak spots of the enemy formation. Then, the cultivator would kill a few individuals with his superior techniques and retreat safely behind the wall of shields. They were clearly superior individually as much as they were in a group.

    Despite being an amazing sight, Aleran, Kindrav, and Rogdo didn''t linger for too long. They moved with the trees and bushed as a cover and reached the back of the mansion. There, a small nondescript building was standing. It was as if the one who made the place simply wanted to put four walls together and didn''t bother to make it look good.

    But this plain building was where the City Lord had installed the door made of alchemic metal. A door that could withstand any attack. Moreover, this place was worth more than the whole mansion, just for the materials it was made of. For what Aleran knew, the walls also had a layer of alchemic metal. Otherwise, anyone would be able to just punch his way through the walls. That was without taking into account the treasures and other valuables inside. All in all, the building looked like a small bunker. The good thing was that the alchemic metal was so reliable that people tended to slack off in the security of such places. Why would you guard a door that could not be opened? Much more now when the mansion was under attack.

    Aleran and Kindrav looked at each other, they wouldn''t discuss this out loud in front of Rogdo. But they both knew the layout of the place. It had narrow hallways, making only possible for one person to go through at a time. They had also noticed that according to the size and location of the rooms, there were two places that were the best candidates to be the vault.

    The first place was located at the back of the building and was big enough to be the vault. The other was a huge underground chamber. It could be a big basement but it could also be used as a vault. They could only leave it to chance. The other rooms were either too small or too close to windows and the front gate

    Aleran and Kindrav nodded and they slowly got closer to the building. They were still in the bushes as they saw a few more figures coming out of it. They were rushing and yelling, but all were made with extreme order and discipline. They were all going towards the sound of battle to reinforce the few dozen guards that were fighting. Aleran didn''t think it was weird, the building could very well function as a place to store weapons.Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly, a man who was outside the line of soldiers looked towards a bush not too far away. He was clearly someone more powerful than the normal guards since he didn''t follow the rules given by the commander. He was also dressed in a black robe that didn''t match the other soldiers.

    Although he wasn''t specifically looking to their direction, Aleran, Kindrav, and Rogdo held their breaths and stayed still without moving a muscle.

    A rustle came from the bush the man was looking and a small white rabbit hopped out of it. It looked at the human with ignorant eyes and proceeded to munch on a few blades of grass.

    The creature had a tail that looked like it belongs to a fox and deep blue eyes that made it look even cuter. The man just snorted and followed the rest of the group. Inside the garden of the City Lord was not rare to find exotic animals.

    After waiting for a few more minutes with a pounding heart, Aleran gave the other two the signal to go. No one was guarding outside, which showed how much confidence they had on the special alloys made by the alchemist. The door of the plain building was locked, but Aleran made a quick work of it. This was just a normal door, the hard one would be ahead.

    The first to enter was Rogdo. This was actually Aleran and Kinrdrav''s intention and even Rogdo didn''t realize that they had let him pass first on purpose. Rogdo didn''t know how narrow the paths were, but the other two did. If something went wrong, the first to take any hit would be the one at the front. After all, it was pretty unlikely that someone came back after they all rushed outside to fight.

    Aleran was the second to enter and Kindrav the last one. The hallways were so narrow that the bulky Rogdo felt a little constricted, although it was just a psychological thing. There was plenty of space for a single person to walk. The hallway was well lit, almost blindingly bright, by crystals on the walls.

    The place was deathly silent and as they crept forward they passed a few doors. But from the outside, the sound of fighting could be heard along with the strong booming sounds from the clashes of those with more power.

    As they passed by the doors, Rogdo would open them. He obviously knew that they were not the treasury, but he wanted to make sure. Besides the vault, this place also worked as an archive for all kind of documents and scrolls. The only exception were the ones close to the main door. Those rooms had places to put spears and shields like the ones the guards rushing out were using. The places were empty since the guards had rushed out fully equipped, but the other rooms were filled to the brim with scrolls and books.

    They kept going without looking at the scrolls, they were tight on time and had a mission to finish. As they reached a corner, Rogdo suddenly stopped. And abruptly, he went into motion, turning the corner with an explosive movement. On the other side was a guard, that despite the sudden appearance of danger, he unsheathed a very short sword that looked almost like a dagger. In this narrow space, it was a wise choice of weapon. The man had failed to hear them thanks to the loud sounds from outside.

    The guard cut horizontally with his short sword as he tried to retreat. But Rogdo''s hands looked like they were made of rubber as they almost wrapped around the arm of the guard. He moved his hands with a lot of grace for a man his size, and his hands started to guide the hands and blade of the guard. They looked like they were dancing, but the guard was forced to dance to Rogdo¡¯s tune. Every time the blade moved to attack him, Rogdo would move his hands around almost without touching it. But still, the blade deviated every time as if moved by an invisible current.

    With a sudden change of the rhythm, the sword passed through the guard''s neck and the tip appeared at the back. This made Aleran and Kindrav look at Rogdo in a new light. The scene was so fluid that it almost looked choreographed. Rogdo moved with such ease that made it looked like fighting a trained guard was like taking candy from a kid. It almost looked like the guard had committed suicide. To Aleran It wasn''t as impressive as Zarasen using his palm to receive the blade. But it was still an impressive sight.

    If Aleran wasn''t sure he could fry the guy at a distance, he would be really scared of this man. Nevertheless, he made sure to remember to never relax in his presence. For all the power he was capable to unleash, Aleran knew that it would take a long time to use it. And in a fight, that time was too scarce. Now, both of them knew for sure the job of Rogdo in the Crismon Claws was that of a hitman.

    Rogdo slowly turned around to throw a knowing glance to Aleran and Kindrav. His face was stained with blood and he looked at them with clear anger in his eyes. He had realized why Aleran and Kindrav had slowed down before entering the building, letting him pass first.

    Kindrav, who was behind Aleran, knowing what Rogdo was thinking, shrugged his shoulders as if saying ¡®You really are stronger than us, what did you expect?¡¯

    Rogdo would not start cursing now, and logically speaking he was the strongest of the three. Taking a mental note of this moment in his head, Rogdo turned and asked in a low voice. ¡°Left or right? ¡± Rogdo didn''t know about Aleran''s ability, but the two kids were supposed to be good at this kind of thing. So he asked them to show the way.

    The path was divided into two, the guard Rogdo just killed was coming from the right. But Aleran thought for a second and pointed towards the left. Actually, whatever side they choose they would find one of the two rooms that were candidates to be the vault.

    The three thieves advanced towards the right without noticing that behind them, from the front door they had entered before, a man also entered the building. He was dressed differently from the other guards. He had black hair thick eyebrows and a flat face. In one hand he held a white rabbit, and with the other, he was dragging an unconscious bloody man. He was the same man that had spotted the white rabbit that was now hanging from his hand.

    Just as he entered, he caught sight of the shadows of Kindrav, Aleran, and Rodgo. The man knew the guards walked, in pairs at most, and never more. What''s more, inside the treasury there should be only two guards. One of them to patrol and the other to guard a room with sensitive documentation.

    The man looked at his hands, to the white rabbit with a long tail and sharp claws on his right. And to the leg of the man he was dragging on his left. He sighed and dropped them both on the floor. They wouldn''t wake up for a while, it didn''t matter if he let them out of his sight.

    <hr>

    Kindrav was the first to notice something was wrong. Hidden between the sounds of collisions coming from the outside, there were the sounds of steps coming from behind. He rapidly turned his head with a frown only to see a hand that was chopping at his neck.

    Kindrav''s arms moved with a fluidity similar to the moves Rogdo had just made and they seemed to drag the incoming hand to the side. The move looked gentle but also with enough force to move anything. All this was something instinctual to Kindrav, but if Rogdo had been looking toward his side he would be shocked. It was rough, but nevertheless, it was a move from the Flowing Water martial stance. And he had never received any kind of training in the martial stances, which meant that Kindrav had learned it just by seeing him use the move once.

    The man attacking was surprised, but it only lasted for a second as his arms, together with his stance turned stiff and stop the graceful movement of Kindrav. That pause destabilized Kindrav and left him open for another chop that this time landed on his neck. He felt his vision sway and his legs give up and before he could regain his stance a 4 inches long needle appeared in the hands of the man. The long needle had been hidden on his sleeve, and exploiting the small window of time, the man stabbed him on the side of Kindrav''s neck.

    Kindrav''s vision instead of getting back to normal started to shake more. He felt his eyes closing and an unstoppable urge to sleep took hold of him. He wanted to say something, but his mouth wouldn''t move. Finally, everything turned black. The last thing he heard before falling unconscious was the steps of Rogdo and Aleran coming to a stop as they realized something was wrong. ¡® I couldn''t even hold him enough for them to realize in time.¡¯ Was Kindrav last thought before falling asleep.

    Aleran only realized something was when he heard Kindrav grunting. He turned around with Rogdo to see him falling to the ground and a man coming to him.

    The man in the black robe didn''t stop for a moment as he shoved Kindrav to the side and went directly to face Aleran. He threw the needle on his hand which was so thin and so fast that pierced Aleran¡äs right shoulder in an instant.

    ¡®Fuck! Where did this guy come from?¡¯ Aleran immediately reached to the conclusion that this man was a qi circulation cultivator at the second phase. What he feared the most was happening. He didn''t have the time to actually use his abilities to the maximum. He could only wait until the man got close and try to electrocute him.

    The same narrow hallways that transformed Rogdo into his shield before, were now forcing Aleran to face this man alone. The needle on his shoulder suddenly came off and went back to the man''s hand. It had a thread attached to it and the man enveloped the thread and the needle with qi to move the object.

    The thread was akin to the training wheels on a bicycle. It was meant to help the cultivator improve his abilities at controlling the needle with qi. When the cultivator reaches higher levels he will have dense enough qi to control the needle without the thread.

    Aleran started to feel a little light headed as the man reached in front of him and went for a stab in the neck. But disregarding his neck, Aleran touched the man''s arm, sending a powerful current through his body. Strangely, the qi surrounding the man seemed to offer some resistance, unlike Alerans own inner qi. But still, the man dropped the needle and his muscles started to convulse a little.

    Just when Aleran was trying to focus on his image to create a more powerful current, the man sent a shaky palm strike to his chest. Aleran was so concentrated that he didn''t react on time and was hit by the palm squarely in the chest. The moment the palm made contact with him, Aleran felt a huge force pushing him backward. As he flew, a deep gash split open were the palm had landed. He was sent flying towards Rogdo, who could only spectate from behind during the whole fight.

    Rogdo caught Aleran by the back of his head and threw him on the floor. He didn''t care if the boy was dead or alive, he could only take care of himself. The thought of using the boy as a shield popped in his head, but he dismissed that when he thought about that weird reaction when the kid touched the man.

    Rogdo had noticed as they were sprinting before that Aleran and Kindrav had somehow managed to reach the qi circulation half step. But he still believed they were weaker than him as they didn''t know any martial stance. But he just saw Aleran inflict some damage to the man making him wary. Now, he thought that, maybe, it wasn''t so bad if the kid died here. But he couldn''t just die here together with the boy.

    On the floor, Aleran started to lose consciousness. Despite the pain on his chest and the situation that was rapidly deteriorating, he started to fall asleep just as Kindrav did before.

    Rogdo didn''t waste more time on Aleran. he charged at the man with three strides as his arms and hands stayed in a fixed position. He could see that whatever Alaren did to him, it left him not only injured but also surprised. The man was trying to regain his bearings but for some reason, he was dizzy. Rogdo would not let this chance slip away.

    With the third stride, he was only two feet away from the man. He planted his feet firmly on the floor and launched a powerful punch. While his previous move looked like flowing water, this move was more rigid and straight. It belonged to another martial stance, the Unmoving Earth martial stance. The punch was a ruthless one, going straight for the head, and had Rogdo''s own cultivation power to back it up.

    But before the punch landed the man seemed to react with some fear and flickered his sleeve while retreating. From it, ten needles came flying propelled by his inner qi, and pierced Rogdo''s chest, neck, and arms.

    But Rogdo gritted his teeth and the punch continued to go forward, forcing the man to bend his back to avoid it. Since there was too little space he could not dodge to the sides.

    The man faced the ceiling for a moment as he did a backflip and with both legs he pincered Rogdo''s arm. This dragged Rogdo with the man as he was thrown with the momentum of the man''s backflip towards the ground. The moment he touched the ground, Rogdo was already unconscious thanks to all the needles that had pierced him.

    As the battle settled another guard came running, he was actually the only other guard in the whole building apart from the dead one. He was a man with blond hair and a mustache. This guard also had a cultivation that was at the second phase of qi circulation. But the guard treated the man in black with respect.¡° Young Hadok, are you okay?¡± The guard didn''t even ask for the people on the floor. He was worried about the haggard look on this man that may look older but was actually quite young, having only 18 years.

    The young man nodded as he looked at his arm. ¡°I''m fine, thanks.¡± The arm that Aleran touched was red with a little black. ¡®A single moment of hesitation and I would have lost my arm or even died.¡¯ The man looked at the unconscious boy. The fear he showed before was not because of his last opponent, but because of how close he was from dying when the second one touched him. He felt everything, even his thoughts going out of control. He had to channel almost all his qi onto his arms to block that weird power and to push the boy away.

    ¡°I will take them to the underground prison. I was going to help to fight this scum with the others but I''m not in my best state now. I will be able to get in a fighting state, but it will take some time and I will be weaker.¡± He paused as he remembered something. ¡°Do me a favor, by the front door, there is another rat I caught earlier. He is from the Spirit Beast sect and I knocked him unconscious together with his pet. They should still be under a deep sleep from my poison needles. Bring them to the prison while I move these three. After that, you should go to fight, I may be injured but this place makes it easy for my needles to hit my targets. I swear for my family''s name I won''t let anyone inside.¡± Hadok, the man with the black robe said between gasps.

    ¡°The City Lord is fortunate to count with the help of the Sandrel family.¡± The guard clasped his hands and went to the front door.

    Now that he was alone Hadok looked at the three bodies and picked the boy who hurt him first. He was going to question these three and get some answers. He knew they were from the Crimson Claw, and he could guess what they were looking for. Although he had no idea how they were planning to open that impenetrable vault. But he wanted to know who had opened his mouth and gave the information about the object the City Lord brought from outside. There weren''t many who knew about it, it was so important that the City Lord tried everything to keep it under wraps. What''s more, the news must have only reached the Crimson Claw. And its backer must not know, otherwise, there would be more and much powerful experts coming here.

    Shaking his head the man in black tied the unconscious boy on a beam of a prison cell. The beam was made of sturdy Black Wood, it was not as hard as the alchemic metal but it wasn''t far either. The hands of the boy were tied around this beam with a special rope made of the tendons of a high-rank earthly beast. He didn''t have the fancy handcuffs that suppressed the inner qi but this would be more than enough.

    He looked at the boy for a moment. Hadok not only wanted to question him about the information, but he also wanted to know the secret of that mysterious power. The boy was only half step to qi circulation, it could not be an image. Yet it was enough to almost kill him. In Hadok''s mind either he had a very special and strong bloodline or an even more mysterious technique. ¡° I will slowly torture the truth out of you, and no matter what, I will have gained something.¡±

    With a sadistic smile, he turned around and went for the other two.

 Auxiliary Volume (Not a chapter)

    Cultivation levels:

    Divided into stages and each stage is divided into phases. Each phase is also devided in the classical early, mid and peak level.

    Heaven Opening:

    The initial stage of cultivation

    1st phase: qi gathering phase: In this phase, the normal human has to focus on moving source qi towards them. Once they can gather some qi into their spirit veins they are officially past this stage.

    2nd phase: Flesh refining: One has to guide the source qi through the spirit-veins to refine it. And then, transport it along certain paths to strengthen the flesh. This also strengthens the spirit veins and, with time, it makes them able to gather more qi. (Not a permanent increase of strength, once you run out of qi you are as weak as any other human. The qi is stored in nodes that in turn seep qi to the muscles.

    3rd phase: bone strengthening: It is practically the same as the one before, only that here the cultivator will gather qi into the nodes that are connected to the bones.

    To break through:

    Using movements of qi, the cultivator refines and expands the nodes. ( Most nodes have different ways of refinement.) Then through a natural process, the nodes start to fuse with the flesh, the effect is called overlapping. Once all nodes are expanded, they cover the body and make it possible for a cultivator to move their inner qi to strengthen to a higher degree some parts of their bodies.( Normally, when they do this some other part of their body gets weaker in consequence.)

    Note: There are cultivation techniques that only show how to enlarge a few nodes, taking the cultivator to the half-step qi circulation.

    Qi circulation:

    1st phase, initial phase: In this phase, the cultivator focuses on strengthening their recently enlarged nodes as well as making the inner qi travel faster from one place of their bodies to others. The speed at which it moves can make the difference between life and death in this phase. Since when you move more inner qi to one arm, for example, the rest of your body will have less qi. But, there are high-level techniques ( elite techniques) that can make up for this deficiency.

    2d phase, projection phase: After the refining of the nodes reaches a certain level, the cultivator becomes able to use qi outside of their spirit veins and out of their bodies. This is the stage where cultivators start practicing images. ( The level where Aleran¡¯s abilities will start to really show)

    3rd phase, Seed creation: The cultivator starts to compress their inner qi creating a small but extremely concentrated ball of qi inside their bodies. Once it is complete, the cultivator will start having more dense qi. At this level, besides taking a huge leap in the quantity of qi they can store, the inner qi becomes so dense that cultivators can create a barrier of pure inner qi that protects them. The power of their images is also generally more powerful due to the thickness of their qi. Those who are close to the peak can create pseudo domains, imitating a technique of those at the Qi Manifestation real. (Between the second phase and the third, there''s a huge gap and is the stage where cultivators can become more independent. The techniques to form the seed are tightly controlled.)

    Breakthrough next level?????

    Qi Manifestation: ?????Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Images: (will be filled later to not spoil anything, for now just know that there are limits and that you can''t just use all images from the very beginning. There are like slots for images.)

    Martial Stances: (the same as above, they will be filled after they are introduced)

    Bloodlines:  (the same as above, they will be filled after they are introduced. hey will also be explained as Aleran discovers what they are)

    Beasts ranks:

    Although these ranks can be used as a general power rank, there are exceptions, The creatures are categorized not according to their power but according to how they use their qi.

    Mortal beasts: Everyday creatures, not directly affected by source qi.

    E.g, the wolfs of the forest of eternal darkness. Even though in the world people think of them as Earthly beasts, some even categorizing them as a special case of a weak beast in between Heavenly and Earthly tier, their poisonous fog is actually made by special glands. This makes it a purely biological creature, something that Aleran would be more familiar with. This is a clear example of a creature that is more powerful than some Source beats.

    Source beasts: Beasts that can use raw source qi ( some without even refine it into inner qi.) Generally, in simple ways like protection barriers or to gain sudden bursts of speed. This simple use of the source qi makes them the easiest beasts to deal with. They are commonly weaker than Earthly beasts, but there can be cases of source beasts as strong as Heavenly beasts.

    E.g. The flying rocks of the forest of eternal nightmares. ( They use source qi as a form of impulse.) These creatures are often miss categorized as Earthly beasts because of their rock-like appearance. But in fact, that is simply thick skin with the aspect of rocks.

    Earthly beasts: The base level of these creatures is at the human equivalent of qi circulation. They have some images fused with their bodies. Nobody knows as to why or how these creatures originated, neither how the images are transmitted from parents to children by bloodline. And much less how they fuse with their bodies. There are theories saying that body cultivator learned from these creatures their techniques. ( but few families practice body cultivation techniques and they are not willing to show any outsider how their techniques work. It is one of the best-guarded secrets in the world, making it impossible to clear the doubts.) But one thing is for sure, these creatures are extremely dangerous and just like with the Source beasts there can be creatures as powerful as Heavenly beasts.

    E.g. The White Hunters Although they don''t look like it, they have the image of metal fused into their very bodies, granting them an almost perfect and natural body armor.

    Heavenly beasts: Their base power is above that of the human qi circulation. They are a mix of the other two categories, with the extra addition that they can project images. They are powerful and many times they have human levels of intelligence. The most powerful Heavenly beats can even compare with some of the most powerful cultivators of the human race.

    E.g The bird and the snake that fought in the southern mountain range.

    Next rank: ??????

    Note: Some creatures start as source beats and as they age and become stronger they will grow from source beasts to Earthly beasts and then into Heavenly beasts and above. This is often the life cycle of the most powerful and dangerous creatures. ( Nobody knows exactly how they become stronger, many believe that beats also cultivate, just like humans but nothing has been proved yet.)

    Locations

    Silver Moon Kindom: The Kindom where the body of our Mc was born. The people from here have an obsession with the silver moon. They claim to be the descendants of a powerful ancient cultivator. Outsiders see their fascination with the moon as a crazy cult.

    Blackwood region ( inside the silver moon kingdom): Where the family of the original Aleran lives. Their territory produces the rare Blackwood tree. Its wood can be used for several things, depending on if it is the core or the bark it will be used for different purposes and for products of different qualities. The wood can be refined with alchemy to become as hard as steel or as soft as a feather. And the core has a great qi conductivity.

    Silver Creek Asylum: Where the mc was left after his incident with the spirit-veins. It serves as a cover for some secret facilities of the Silver Moon kingdom.

    Forest of Eternal Nightmares: A place of many dangers, that serves as a limit between the Sidrin Empire and the Silver Moon kingdom. It is said that deep into the forest lives a creature that has no form and it is made of nightmares. It is said that despite the efforts of the Sidrin emperor and the Silver Moon king of killing it, the creature has managed to escape time and time again. Although it fears both of these hegemons, it always manages to escape. The part that serves as a limit between the two forces is actually a small part of a forest that keeps going towards the south and there it becomes wider and much more dangerous.

    Sidrin Empire: Founded by a cultivator with mysterious origins, it is one of the powers of the south. The mysterious nature of the emperor leads to much speculation, be it from the general population or from outsiders.

    Vast Sky village: Named in honor to Vast Sky master, a cultivator who taught the villagers the first three levels of cultivation. The place where Kindrav lived since he was ten.

    Hilua: Closest city to the Forest of eternal nightmares.

    Dragons heart: Name used for the Capital of the Sidrin Empire.

    Free central states: ???

 Chapter 33: What the Hell is This Thing?

    ¡°Ughh!¡± A blurry sight welcomed Aleran as he opened his eyes, a mix of black and grey started to distort in front of him until a room took form. But very quickly, he realized this was no room, but a big cell. It was a classic prison, with black bars, a small door, and grey dirty walls.

    It took him a while to remember what had happened as he moved his head around to see his condition. But as he saw his legs and hands tied, he remembered how they had miserably lost at the hands of that man.

    ¡®How much time have I been out?¡¯ Aleran panicked for a moment before hearing the muffled sounds of battle. Although the sound was muffled, it was obvious that the battle was intense. ¡®Those two are probably still fighting.¡¯

    He tried to move his body, but he could bearly balance himself on the beam he was hanging from. His hands were tied around the beam and he was hanging with his legs bound together. No matter how much strength he used, even as he circulated his qi, he could not break free. He decided to stop and not waste his qi, he had used some before, but he never had the chance to go all out so he was mostly full. But it was better to wait and see what was his real situation.

    Failing to get free, Aleran looked at his right. Hanging in a similar fashion right next to him, were Kindrav and Rogdo respectively, and just like him, they also had their mouths covered by a piece of cloth. Strangely, neither of the three could destroy this piece of cloth or the things that were bounding their limbs. They seemed to be made of the same material. The three exchanged glances, recognizing the severity of the situation.

    As they exchanged worried looks, the black-robed man who beat them in the hallways entered the cell. His right hand seemed to be wrapped in a bandage. Clearly, he hadn''t recovered completely from the fight.

    He was pushing a small table with wheels. On it, all kind of tools were placed, ranging from scissors to pincers and small knives. It was plainly obvious this was a torture kit.

    The man didn''t spare a glance at them as he left the small wooden table. He went out and came back again with a stool and a long sword with a hilt made of wood. Once he was back, he finally raised his head and waved the sword. With a plain face, he said to his prisoners. " Depending on how tough you are, I may have to go big. These smalls tools are not enough to cut big pieces." He explained without a change in his expression and looking the sword like a painter would at his brush.

    He placed the sword next to the stool as he sat on it. He was seated right in front of Aleran, making the later curse in his head. He was obviously going to be the first.

    Hadok crossed one leg over the other and just stayed seated for a few minutes, looking at the three in silence with that same plain look. Aleran guessed this was some sort of psychological torture. In a way, it was effective, even while knowing what the man wanted to achieve. The fact they were going to be tortured no matter what and helplessly waiting for that to come was in itself some kind of torture.

    The room stayed silent, with only the sound of battle from outside. Rogdo was trying to say something through the piece of cloth while Kindrav was looking at Aleran with a strange look that he soon retracted. He knew Aleran could use images but he didn''t know exactly how it worked.

    After a while, the three prisoners'' eyes followed the man as he raised from the stool ever so slowly and went towards the small table. He started to look at each tool like someone deciding what shoes to wear.

    " Okay here is the deal.¡± The man started to speak. ¡°I will torture you no matter what. You can answer every question right now and still, I will have some fun with you." He raised his head and his expressionless face turned perverse, he was looking at the three as if looking at mere pieces of meat. Those eyes confirmed the words he had just spoken.

    " But...the amount of pain I will inflict on you and how long you will stay alive will depend on those answers. Believe me when I say this. You will want this to be over as soon as possible." He said as he returned his eyes at the table.

    Finally, he decided to pick a thin dagger the size of a palm and came before Aleran. With a single wave of his hand, he took the piece of cloth out of Aleran''s mouth. Aleran kept his mouth shut, he was not going to beg, not out of pride but because he deemed it useless. If begging could help, he wouldn''t mind to kneel and plead, his life was worth that humiliation. But in this case, he only closed his eyes while frowning, mentally preparing himself. But he was not going to answer any question either.

    Torture was one of the most inefficient ways to get information. Anything the prisoner said before the torture would probably be considered lies. And after the torture, it was just as likely that the prisoner lied just to make the torture stop. In Aleran''s perspective, the most reliable way to get information from others was holding something or someone dear to the prisoner and use that as a threat.

    The strategy of this man was to torture them until they couldn''t take it anymore and wanted to die. In this case, the man would be holding something dear to them which was a way to get out of the pain. But the only thing he didn''t know was that Aleran preferred to live through hours of pain and humiliation than actually dying. He preferred a thousand years of torture than his consciousness disappearing into nothingness once he died.

    "While I cut you into pieces I want you to think your answer to these simple questions. I know you are from the Crimson Claw. But, how did you get the information about the new acquisition of the City Lord? And, who is your informant? Besides those, I have a few questions exclusively for you.¡± Once he said those questions Hadok pointed at his arm with the dagger and looked at Aleran. ¡°I''m also interested in that weird power that left my arm like this, what was it? Was it some kind of bloodline power? Which bloodline does it belong?¡±

    After the questions, he didn''t even bother to wait for Aleran''s answer, he came close to him with the dagger in hand. ¡°Don''t worry if you don''t remember the questions, I will repeat them later. Now, let''s start with a few general cuts, and then we will focus on your face." With that, he thrust the small dagger onto Aleran''s tight and the started to move down, creating a long deep wound.

    "Mm," But the scream he was hoping to get didn''t come. A small, almost imperceptible growl could be heard through the sealed lips of the boy. But that was all, he had closed his eyes, and was unmoving before the pain.

    Even Kindrav and Rogdo were surprised at the lack of response. It was not something impossible to achieve. There were trained special soldiers that could endure torture without even batting an eye. What''s more, even Rogdo could take that stab without screaming. But Rogdo, as well as those trained soldiers, were old and experienced. They had developed a high tolerance for pain.

    But Aleran was no more than a teenager, he certainly didn''t have the training. That meant he must have suffered from prolonged periods of pain before, or that he was crazy enough to ignore the stab. Either way, this made Rogdo remember how wary was Ibrak of this kid, and made him think of some possibilities. ¡®Could this kid be a spy? He is too young, but maybe that was exactly the point.¡¯

    What they didn''t know is that there were two main reasons why Aleran didn''t scream. The first was because he had felt much more pain when inside the forest and much more when he was a mere soul. That kind of pain was something beyond the pain of the flesh, something much scarier.

    But even after going through those experiences, he could still feel pain. Maybe he was more used to it but not to the point of being indifferent, although he was close to that level. No, the reason was that he was focusing on his image. ¡®Focus! Focus! Focus!.¡¯ Was the only thought he had as he was being stabbed.

    Seeing no response, the man frowned and ruthlessly stabbed again. But this time, he went for the right shoulder. He didn''t want Aleran to die too quickly so he was trying to make non-lethal injuries.

    Again, the only answer was silence and veins protruding from Aleran''s neck. ¡°Hehe! You don''t look like it, but you can take some damage. No big deal, I will slowly remind you how to scream.¡±

    Hadok turned around to pick pincer with a weird curved tip. ¡°If there''s something I learned while torturing is that even the toughest change their expression when you go for their eyeballs.¡± But when he turned around he was surprised to see that Aleran had his eyes wide opened. His eyes were not directed at Hadok, they looked directly in front, like someone who entered a trance.

    Hadok became wary all of a sudden, those eyes were not the eyes of someone who had given up. ¡®I''m pretty sure his ability can only work when touching someone. Bloodline abilities have that kind of restriction, they are not as flexible as images.¡¯ Until now he didn''t touch Aleran directly and he didn''t punch him once, only using tools to touch him. That was how wary he was of that power.

    For a moment he stood still looking at Aleran, deciding whether or not to just kill him. But the money he could make selling him to a formation master was truly tempting. Especially if his bloodline was as rare as he thought it was.

    He took a deep breath and decided. He left the pincers and grabbed a knife then he started to move towards Aleran with decisiveness in his eyes. ¡® His attack had almost killed me. I don''t want to die just for greed.¡¯ Selling the blood alone would not be as profitable as selling the breathing specimen. But it was a lot safer and he didn''t know the extent of this weird and unheard bloodline ability if it even was one. He picked the safest road. He stood before Aleran, who was still staring straight ahead.

    He raised the small knife but before swing it, he felt a tug on it. ¡®Swishh¡¯ ¡°Wha?..¡± Before he could even come close, Hadok felt a deep pain on his back and chest. He gazed down only to see the tip of a sword protruding from his chest. The tip was pointing upwards as if he had been stabbed from a low angle.

    ¡®WHO!!?¡¯ He roared in his mind. ¡®Who could have sneaked up on me? I never let down my guard!!.¡¯ With the remaining strength he had, he turned around to see his killer. Nobody was there. Only the stool he brought, but the sword that was leaning was no more there, instead, it was stabbed on his chest.

    ¡®Thud¡¯ His legs and arms lost strength. With that, he lost his grip on the knife that, as if by art of magic, went flying away from his hand. He followed with much effort the knife and saw how it embedded itself on Aleran together with some of the tools that he brought.

    ¡°Fuck!¡±This time the boy showed his pain and cursed loudly as he was stabbed by two knives and a pincer hit his head.

    Hadok opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. His last breath came out from a face filled with shock as he comprehended what had happened. ¡®He is using images!!!¡¯ He felt the boy circulating his qi, but he thought it was only to heal his wounds faster. He had allowed it to make the interrogation last longer. After all, he was below the qi circulation stage, he thought there was no real risk, how wrong he was. If that was a bloodline power there was no way the power could harm with a single touch and also control blades from a distance. They weren''t images that could be changed and take myriad forms, bloodlines were more simple and rigid in their use. The only answer Hadok could think as he plunged into darkness was ¡®images¡¯.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Haaa haaa¡± Aleran struggled to breathe. He had used all his remaining qi to transform himself into a giant magnet. He was hurt, with one knife on his chest and another one on his leg, but all in all, everything went out relatively good. It was more like a gamble, he was gambling that no knife would stab him on a vital part as he activated the image.

    He was also gambling that the magnetic power was strong enough to attract the sword that was a few feet away with enough force to pierce the man. There were too many ifs for his liking. But when he saw the decisive gaze of the man he knew he was wary of his abilities and was going to kill him. So he decided that he couldn''t wait to find a better moment and activated the magnetic field risking being stabbed by the flying tools.

    Luckily, the power of images was stronger than the natural phenomenon. Otherwise, it would need too much energy to attract such a heavy object with that force.

    The piercing pain on his leg woke him from his inner thoughts. A small scalpel-like knife was stabbed into his right leg. ¡®Well, maybe it wasn''t that bad to attract those small knives.¡¯ Seeing no other way out, he curled his body, and with much effort, grabbed the knife sticking on his leg with his mouth.

    ¡°Aggg¡± The knife was deeply buried in his flesh making it harder to take out using just his mouth,

    It took him a few minutes to cut the ropes on his hands with the knife in his mouth. Surprisingly, it was just like a rubber band, it could resist high tension but not sharp cuts.

    He fell and landed on his rear, his legs were more injured than he had thought. But with some breathing, he managed to cut the ropes tying his legs and stood up very slowly. He picked the knife and look at Kindrav and Rogdo.

    The last one had a face filled with shock, regarding Aleran with wariness and suspicion. While Kindrav showed clear relief on his eyes.

    Aleran took his tired and injured body and started to cut the ropes binding Kindrav. He had used magnetism precisely because Kinrdav was right next to him. The lightning bolts were extremely hard to control and there was a high chance of hitting Kindrav them.

    Once Kindrav was untied, he and Aleran glanced at Rogdo who was still hanging like a piece of meat and exchanged a look.

    ¡°Mmmmh!!¡± Rogdo''s eyes were red. He was screaming under the cloth on his mouth but he could do nothing but sway with all his remaining strength.

    ¡°It is a shame.¡± Said Kindrav after he grabbed the sword that was on Hadok and came to stand before Rogdo. Rogdo started to kick with his two legs, he could feel the coldness in the voice of the barbarian. But no matter how he moved he could not hit Kindrav.

    ¡°Rogdo was killed by the enemy, despite our efforts we couldn''t save him. But thanks to him, we could complete the mission and return safely.¡± Kindrav stabbed and the sword went through Rogdo''s heart coming from the other side. Rogdo twitched for a few seconds, his eyes red and filled with anger. He couldn''t even curse or plead to his assassin, there was an unresolved grievance on his face as he died.

    Aleran was slightly surprised at the coldness KInrdav showed. ¡®There really is some darkness inside him.¡¯ Aleran thought as he sighed. Even as he thought that, he didn''t say anything. If Kindrav didn''t kill Rogdo he sure as hell would. If it was just for the constant insults and bad blood between them Aleran couldn''t care less. But Rogdo had seen the extent of his abilities of and Aleran had just now seen how important was to keep his abilities hidden.

    Other than that, he had a rage inside him, probably the same rage Kindrav had. They were angry at the Crimson Claw and angry at themselves for causing the death of the two villagers that were now their parents on paper. For now, they could only take their anger out on Rogdo.

    Kindrav tuned around and his expression was back to normal as if he hadn''t just killed a man. ¡°What now? How much time do you think we have?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know how much time we had been unconscious. They are obviously still fighting but I don''t know how much time will this keep going.¡± Aleran sat crossed legged and closed his eyes. ¡°Let me gather some qi first.¡±

    Kindrav nodded and also sat down. Although he couldn''t compare to the speed at which Aleran gathered qi, as the one who was knocked out first, he was the one who spent less qi in the fight. By the time Aleran finished Kindrav was still halfway through, but he forced himself to stop since he was mostly full from the start.

    ¡° Alright, let''s go and give it a shot and see if we are still close to the vault. But if we see anyone slightly more powerful we retreat and run from the city.¡± Aleran said this knowing that if they retreated they couldn''t come back to the Crimson Claw empty-handed.

    ¡°Don''t you feel like a coward saying something like that out loud?¡± Although he said that, Kindrav didn''t object and started to move. Their most recent defeat showed them how much they had overestimated their strength.

    As they came out of their cell, they saw another prisoner lying unconscious on the adjoining cell. Together with the man was a white rabbit, but neither Kindrav nor Aleran moved to help him. They recognized the white rabbit but it was not the time to stop and guess what had happened or who the man was.

    They climbed some stairs and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the familiar hallways. This meant they were still on the same building. ¡°I guess we now know what the underground chamber was.¡± Said Kindrav.

    Knowing they were next to the underground chamber it made it easy for the two to locate themselves. Slowly making their way to the room that most likely the vault they soon realized there were no guards. This was actually a good sign. The doors and walls were so sturdy that anyone who could open the vault would be able to kill any guard without trouble. Making no difference if there was a guard or not by its doors. On normal days there would be one or two men, probably new recruits, guarding the door. But right now there was they needed every man fighting outside. In fact, the guards from before were probably guarding the documents and the somewhat more important papers instead of guarding the vault.

    Kindrav and Aleran both stood in front of a metallic door. It had a brown color and was completely plain. It was as if someone had stuck a chunk of metal on the wall. It had a small hole on it to place a key. This was one of the main differences between this door made of alchemical metal and the ones Aleran and Kindrav have found before.

    The doors used by wealthy store owners usually had a single metal bar on the inside to serve as a lock. This was possible because they normally lived on the upper floors of the house with the store on the bottom floor. But the vault could only be locked from the outside so he was prepared to face a more complex lock.

    Aleran extended his hand and used his image to try and ¡®feel¡¯ the metal. Depending on how it was made, the alchemical metal could repel qi. But it could not repel the qi once it was transformed into an image. So Aleran could use his image to try and have a rough sense of the complex door.

    The first thing he noticed was the thickness of the door and the walls surrounding it. It had the width of two men standing shoulder to shoulder.

    ¡° The lock is not that complex, I was expecting something harder.¡± Muttered Aleran. The lock consisted of a simple gear that would turn with the key. As it turned each tooth would fit into spaces on a metal bar thus unlocking the vault.

    ¡°Well according to rumors it is not only hard to make the metal but it is also difficult to mold it and work with it. It is no surprise that whoever designed this sacrificed complexity for toughness.¡± Kindrav said shrugging his shoulders and looking around.

    Aleran closed his eyes and concentrated on the image. It took a while but finally, he opened his eyes. Aleran knew he needed more practice with his images, it was taking him too much time to use his abilities. But that was something he would need some time to fix.

    ¡°Creeeek¡± The sound of metal could be heard as Alerans face turned red and his nose, ears, and eyes started to bleed. with his body trembling he started to move the gear and with it the bar.

    ¡°Click!¡± With that sound, Aleran fell on his knees. ¡°Cough cough!¡±

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Kindrav came closer and help him before he hit the floor.

    ¡°Yeah, I lost all my qi and forgot I was injured.¡± Aleran whipped the blood from his face. ¡°Let''s get inside first and close the vault. We can''t be sure no one will pass through here.¡±

    With much effort, Kindrav opened the door, and with a limping Aleran, he went inside the vault.

    ¡° This is¡­ somewhat disappointing.¡± Kindrav looked at the big room illuminated by crystals. It was filled with all kind of objects. Some were statuses, others were paintings and vases with some chests dispersed around the room. There were small mountains of glistening spirit stones from time to time. But Kindrav was hoping to see a room filled with secret technique manuals and mythical weapons. ¡° Well¡­ he is a new City Lord after all.¡± Despite his comments, his eyes were shining. He was a country bumpkin and had never seen so much wealth in front of him.

    After recharging his qi for the second time, Aleran also started to look around. He felt that unless one knew what to look for, it was hard to concentrate on a single thing. The different objects dazzled the eyes making one to not know where to look at.

    But as he focused he could see some objects that stood out from the rest. For example, there was one painting that was placed next to a statue. The statue was made out of some smooth rock similar to jade. It depicted a bald man standing with a smile on his face and his eyes closed. He had a decrepit wooden staff on his hand. He was clothed in what looked like monk robes and besides the staff and these robes he had nothing more on him, not even shoes. On the painting was the same man, this time seated crossed legged but had his eyes opened, they were completely white clearly, he was a blind man.

    The more Aleran looked at the picture and the statue the more he got the feeling that he was entering a strange state. It was the same state one enters when is about to gather qi and meditate. He was entering that state without even trying. He was not even seated, but as he saw the smile, the eyes and the disposition of the man he couldn''t help but be dragged into that state.

    ¡°Wow!¡± Kindrav''s voice woke Aleran up. ¡° That painting just made me enter into the state of meditation!! You know what that means?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it can help you enter into that state without wasting time, it''s not that useful though.¡±

    Aleran nodded casually. It would help you save some minutes, but in a fight, it was still useless.

    Kindrav shook his head. ¡°No, you are wrong, it is very useful. More so for those who want to start to cultivate. One of the hardest steps is to learn how to enter into the state of cultivation. Many people with great potential would be stuck at the very beginning of cultivation because they cannot enter that state of mind. Even among those who manage to cultivate there are many who can only enter that state once every cycle or more. In my village, most of those who can cultivate are like that. there are some with good spirit veins who cannot advance because they can''t enter into the state of cultivation regularly like you and me. Imagine if I could bring that painting to them. This is a fricking legacy Al! As long as you have enough people you will get some with functional spirit veins, and with this painting and this statue, you can start a Clan or a Sect. Of course, is not that simple, but it would help a lot.¡±

    ¡°I really didn''t know it was that hard to get into that state of mind.¡± Aleran was surprised by what he heard. He didn''t remember it to be that troublesome though.

    ¡° You clearly forget fast. Even those with aptitude struggle for entire cycles to get into that state of mind. There are drugs that can help but they don''t always work and have many side effects, some end up crippled by those drugs. Unless you have a supreme expert who can help you achieve it in less than a day, you have to get on your ass for entire days and nights trying. But who has the luxury to ask someone at the level of the emperor to help them in such trivial matters? I reckon not even the princes have that luxury. I''m almost sure the Dragon Claw academy has a place which can create the same effect.¡±

    ¡®Oh, it was like that.¡¯ Thought Aleran remembering how Zarasen''s voice had turned somewhat hypnotic when he was attempting to cultivate. ¡®Who the hell are you, old fart?¡¯

    Kindrav sighed. ¡°If only we had a way to actually rob all this.¡± But that was wishful thinking. Not mentioning the problem of carrying a huge statue through the battlefield outside, anything they took from here would be a hot potato. They didn''t have the connection to sell the items and even if they had, they lack the strength to keep them.

    ¡°Let''s just focus on the mission.¡± Aleran was thinking the same, but nothing could be done.

    It wasn''t long before they found the long wooden box resting on a pedestal. It was actually placed at the back of the room. Unlike the statue or the painting, there was nothing about the box that caught the eye. Especially in a place filled with much more stunning things. But for some reason, it was placed in a way that made it look like it was the most important Item here.

    Hesitating a little, Aleran grabbed the box quickly in fear that some hidden mechanism would activate. Clearly, he had seen too many movies as nothing happened even as he waited in caution.

    With some lingering caution, Aleran opened the box. Inside there were two arms that were clearly not human. They were red and had some fur on them. But the more eye-catching thing was the golden and dark runes that covered both arms. They were shining and pulsating with energy. The energy contained in those runes made Alran and Kindrav take a deep breath, it felt overwhelming.

    ¡°What the hell is this thing?¡± The same question came from both of the youths'' lips.

 Chapter 34: Looting.

    ¡°Why would Grujil make us go through all this trouble to take this thing?¡± Kindrav asked to no one in particular. There were two arms in the box, the left one was spotless from the shoulder to the black and long fingernails. While the right arm was missing half of the forearm with its hand and fingers not attached to the rest of the arm.

    Notwithstanding the state of the arms, Kinrdav couldn''t imagine why would anyone want them. Except for making them a part of some ghoulish collection, he could not imagine any other use for them.

    ¡°Whatever it is, is worth enough to keep it here.¡± Aleran reached for one of the fingers that was not attached to the hand. The first thing he could tell was how heavy the finger was. ¡®Almost a kilogram, or maybe a little less?¡¯ He calculated in his mind. That was way more than an average human. Yet, were it not for the runes, the color, and the black sharp nails, the arm would look like it belonged to a muscular human. ¡®Or maybe some primate, that would make a little more sense.¡¯

    The other thing he noticed was that even the finger had small runes all over it. They had different shapes and no real pattern, as far as he could tell. He couldn''t help but wonder how would a sample of this arm look like under the microscope. It wasn''t his field of expertise but it still made his heart beat faster and his mind itch with curiosity.

    His eyes glowed as many theories of what this arm could mean crossed his mind. But in the end, they were no more than speculation. He was out of his depth when it came to this world and the strange things in it.

    ¡° Al, I know anything we take from here would be hard to keep and even harder to sell, but¡­¡± Kindrav said as he stopped paying attention to the arms and started to wander around the vault with his gaze.

    Looking away from the finger for the first time in several minutes, Aleran also circled the room with his eyes, finally coming back to the red finger in his hand. ¡°Well¡­ I guess only an idiot would enter a place such as this and come out with his pockets empty. But we have to be careful, someone could find us thanks to the things we steal here. Let''s choose wisely.¡±

    Both of them knew the risks of taking something from the vault. One thing was taking the box with those mysterious arms. Although they were probably the most valuable item here, the ones who would handle all the pressure would be the Crimson Claw. On the other hand, anything they took for themselves would be their cross to bear.

    Although it was dangerous, the truth was that they may have already been compromised. From the moment they had been knocked unconscious, there was a possibility that someone had seen their faces without them knowing. Not that it was a huge problem, Aleran knew this wasn''t the modern world. There was no facial recognition software, and drawn pictures of suspects were often similar but not identical to the real person. Aleran deemed that as long as the City Lord didn''t get any information from the Crimson Claw, they would be safe even if their faces were already known.

    Unless of course, there was some kind of mystic ability to find them, a possibility Aleran could not rule out. But in that case, there was nothing he could do anyways, he would already be doomed. In the end, the most obvious factor for his decision was the uncontrollable greed, even some of the most honest men would sin given the right circumstances.

    ¡°Hehe, I get you. Let''s just fill our pockets with spirit stones and light things. Nothing too big that could hamper our movements.¡± Kindrav said laughing but at the same time understanding the seriousness of the matter.

    Aleran nodded, and with a somewhat embarrassed voice, he said. ¡°And since we are at it, let''s just keep a finger, you know, to see what is the big deal about this thing.¡± He didn''t even wait for Kindrav''s approval, he just stuffed it inside his pocket.

    ¡° So much for choosing wisely. You don''t look like it, but you are one greedy bastard. Whatever, if you get one I''ll take one too.¡± Like a kid who wants a toy he cannot have, Kindrav also kept one of the fingers.

    ¡°Now, where should we continue?¡± Satisfied with his new ¡®toy¡¯, Kindrav looked around like a wolf at a pack of sheep. And suddenly his eyes lit up as he pointed to the right. ¡° Look over there.¡±

    He pointed at two cloaks that were hanging from some sort of coat rack. The cloaks were hanging from their hood, one was white and the other black. Aleran looked closely but he couldn''t find anything special about them. Instead, the coat rack was more eye-catching since it was made of gold. It was a sculpture of two coiling dragons going upwards and facing each other at the top. But it was too heavy and too flashy to take with them unnoticed.

    Noticing the Aleran''s eyes showing disappointment, Kindrav quickly said. ¡° If they are here they have to be valuable, and it is a point in our favor that they look so ordinary. Probably even if we passed right next to the City Lord wearing these he wouldn''t even realize they were his.¡± Kindrav said as he fumbled around with the black coat and looked at his interior. ¡°And look, this kind of cloak has many pockets, which means more things we can stuff in them.¡± He showed to Aleran the inside of the cloak that was filled with many small inner pockets as well as two big pockets.

    ¡°Look at you man, an instant ago you called me greedy and here you are trying to increase your stealing capacity. ¡° Even though he said that Aleran went and grabbed the white cloak. As he examined it, he caught sight of a few letters embroidered inside the hood. They were positioned in a way that only the one who wore the cloak would be able to look at them. And, although they were not very eye-catching, once Aleran laid his eyes upon the engraving he could feel how special this cloak truly was.

    ¡°Darkness Removal.¡± Aleran recited out loud the two words embroidered in an opaque golden color. He had been learning how to read mostly from Kindrav since Zarasen had only taught him simple words. But still, it took him a while to read only two simple words.

    ¡°Oh! This one also has an engraving. ¡®Light Suppression.¡¯ They have names so it means they must be special after all.¡± Kindrav said while putting the black cloak and the hood on. ¡° I don''t feel anything strange, but we don''t have time to test why these things are special, let''s just fill out our pockets with spirit stones. Those are the safest things to steal.¡± Even Kindrav with his light mood could feel these cloaks were special once he looked at the engraving. But on the outside, the cloak looked completely unremarkable. If it weren''t because they needed extra pockets they wouldn''t have bothered to look at them.

    It took almost one hundred spirit stones and a few bottles of pills that they had no idea what they were for, to fill their pockets. They picked the spirit stones from different small mountains, taking ten or twenty stones from each one. That way, it was hard to notice that spirit stones were taken without actually counting them. But that was not the reason why they did it. They started to move from mountain to mountain because they found out that every mountain of spirit stones was nurturing a small plant on the inside.

    The plant was in its early stages of growth and had a single leaf that was almost transparent. Kindrav tried many times, but he could not lift the small pot where the herb was planted. And, when he tried to cut the stem with the sword he stole from Hadok, he could not make even a dent on it.

    ¡°Ahhh.¡± With a last swing of the sword, Kindrav finally gave up on taking one of the herbs with him. The plants were obviously something very precious, and since they were small he thought he could keep at least one. But not even with his half-step qi circulation stage strength could he chop the stem.

    ¡°Leave it there, we have lost too much time already. We need to move, the fight outside won''t last much longer.¡± Aleran reminded Kindrav and, carrying the long wooden box with golden engravings, he started to walk towards the door of the vault. For a vault where treasures were supposed to be, there weren''t as many as Aleran thought there would be. But that was probably because the City Lord was young and had not been in his position for long. And Aleran, in his ignorance, could pass next to an earthshaking treasure without even knowing.

    Sill a little pissed at the plants he couldn''t steal, Kindrav searched randomly around the room. He was only satisfied when he grabbed a black notebook that was on a drawer belonging to a small elegant desk. ¡°Whatever this is, it will come with me.¡± He couldn''t open the thin notebook, but it was light and could be carried easily. He couldn''t open it, but as long as it could be carried he would take his time to inspect it later. So, he put the notebook in his pocket and followed after Aleran.

    Praying that nobody was at the entrance to stop them., they started to head quickly towards the only exit. But once they were back on the entrance hallway Kindrav pointed to a room Rogdo had opened before. Nobody had bothered to close it, leaving the dark room filled with big wooden barrels opened for anyone to see. ¡° Al, wait! Look at that. See that flame on the barrels, It means that is burning water.¡±

    Although he was a little curious about what burning water was, Aleran was more annoyed at being stopped just for that. ¡°So what?¡±

    ¡° Man, you are more of a country bumpkin than me! I bet you don''t even know what burning water is.¡± Kindrav said, hitting the nail right on the head with his comment, and continued. ¡° Do you think that after all the mess we left behind they won''t find us? If they make the effort, they would find us very easily. There are traces of blood everywhere, and guess what, some of that blood is ours.¡±

    Kindrav pointed behind him. The entrance hallway was clean, but once you turned around the corner both the right and left hallway had big stains of blood. The right one was were Rogdo had killed the guard while the left one had the leftover blood stains from the fight they had lost. ¡° I didn''t say anything because we don''t have enough time to clean all this mess but with the burning water we can try.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I''m all ears.¡± Aleran said as he inwardly cursed himself for forgetting about that weird technique that used the inner qi in the blood of the parents to trace the qi of their children. If it could be used with the parents¡¯ blood, the same could be done with the blood of the person in question. As long as not much time had passed, there would be some remnant inner qi in the blood. Aleran reminded himself that he still wasn''t used to thinking in the context of this world and that he needed to work in that.

    <hr>

    The moment the attack started Galdia was confident that it would be over soon and that the City Lord and his guards would take care of everything. Not only that, but the guards in charge of the city would also come to the rescue. Whoever had plotted this attack was wrong in the head, or at least, that was what she thought.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    She was frightened for a moment by the big formation breaker that the enemy had used. But it was soon replaced with optimism thinking that perhaps they were just slightly more prepared than she had thought. Even at that moment, she didn''t panicked.

    But for some reason, as she peeked from the window in her room on the second floor of the guest house, she noticed there were fewer guards than usual. When the guards started to gather in their battle formation, her earlier feeling was confirmed. There were at least half of the usual numbers. What''s more, there was only one trusted subordinate of the City Lord, the other two qi circulation, third phase cultivators under his command were nowhere to be seen. She didn''t know that two of the City Lords trusted subordinates had died on his latest expedition. In fact, she didn''t know about the expedition at all.

    As the battle continued she realized that although the guards were holding on, they had their plates full with the organized troops of thugs. They didn''t have the time to stop the many lone criminals that would find paths to avoid the guards and attack the mansion. And soon, these men started to notice the guest house.

    There were only three that headed in the direction of the guest house. But to Galdia, they were three more than she could handle. She was a heaven opening, peak stage cultivator, but she had no battle experience whatsoever. The three men coming had her same cultivation, one seemed even stronger, and besides their numbers, they were obviously seasoned fighters.

    ¡®If it weren''t for that despicable scumbag, I would already be at qi circulation.¡¯ She thought with resentment. She was a noble from a cultivation family, and the fact that she was 15 and was still in the heaven opening stage was a great shame to her. But what could she do? Her father had died and her uncle would not spare the same resources on her as he did on his own son.

    The screams of the maids on the first floor that saw the enemies running towards them put her on high alert again. With fear slowly gripping her heart, she grabbed her sword and waited till the men entered the house. Once they were inside she opened the window and jumped from the second floor with ease. Even if she wanted, Galdia could not save those maids and servants, she could only take care of herself.

    She started running among the trees even before making her mind as to where she was going. Almost all the sounds were drowned by the explosions coming from the sky where the true powerhouses were fighting. Sometimes they were so loud that she felt disoriented by them. It was so much that she didn''t realize her current path was going to intercept the path of two men that were not at all friendly.

    One of the thugs was skinny, had long black hair and had a smile that lacked most of its teeth. The other was a bit more muscular with short hair and a face full of scars. On their hands, they were both armed with weapons that looked more like machetes than swords. ¡° Oh, how lucky we are! A beauty has just dropped on our doorstep.¡± The skinny man laughed as he moved his eyes all over her body.

    Galdia was a young girl with black hair and deep black eyes, that despite their color they had a shiny luster. Her face still had some baby fat and, coupled with her innocence, it made her look quite younger. In contrast, her body was quite developed with ample waist and breasts that made her look older. She was wearing a long, blue dress that was tight on the upper body and loose on the legs, this accentuated her curves. The skinny guy seemed to be fascinated by this contrast between her youthful, innocent face and her well-developed body.

    Galdia''s face paled at the sight of these two men and their lustful eyes. It was not the first time someone had look at her with those eyes. The image of her cousin crossed her mind, bringing with it unpleasant memories. But also rage, a monster of hatred she had store deeply inside her heart and had never allowed to come out.

    Without saying a word, she stood in position with her sword pointing at the two men. ¡® It''s just like in the training sessions, don''t panic. Remember what you were taught.¡¯ Her uncle did not teach her how to cultivate, that was the reason why she was still at the heaven opening stage. But as her cousin learned martial stances and other techniques she would also participate in the lessons. Although she was not allowed to make questions, she could learn from the sidelines.

    Despite her rage, Galdia didn''t charge. According to the instructor, if you are facing someone with more experience you either run or wait for them to attack. Of course, there were exceptions and it depended on each person. But Galdia didn''t have the opportunity to ask about these exceptions. She knew that the more movements one makes the more likely you will create openings for your enemy to exploit. Although it would put you in a passive position it was safer than swinging your blade aimlessly.

    She grabbed the hilt of her thin sword with two hands but with a soft grip, so soft that one may think the sword would fall from her hands at the slightest touch. Then, she raised the sword pointing outwards until the blade was aligned with her sight. And at the same time, she slightly bent her knees. The sword blade moved softly from left to right or up and down in a sinuous way that resembled the movement of a snake. Right now, she looked more like a poisonous serpent than a defenseless woman.

    "Oh! The little beauty knows her stuff." The muscular man opened his mouth mockingly. Galdia''s eyes still showed her reservations about fighting and he could see it. If he had not seen that doubt in her eyes he would have already turned around, because that pose belonged to a well-known style.

    Unlike images, sword styles were shared freely unless they were part of some secret legacy. And the style Galdia was using was simply called the snake sword style. This was the official sword style used in the Sidrin empire and was something every noble would learn. It was a powerful style and when combined with other martial stances it had many variations and showed an increase in power.

    "Brother, let''s try to take her alive. I''m itching to taste this beauty." The skinny man said as he circled Galdia to get on her rear. But the girl kept moving constantly to not lose sight of either of her assailants.

    ¡° Just focus and don''t let your guard down.¡± The muscular man said nothing more, they were both in the heaven opening stage third phase but the woman was at the peak phase. He would not go easy on her.

    ''Swoosh'' After closing the gap between him and Galdia, the muscular man pounced with a simple hack of the machete. And at the same time, the skinny man on her left went for her waist. They may not have the best teamwork but it was enough to put her in a bind.

    But Galdia reacted almost on instinct. She seemed to become boneless as she used a weird-looking move of her sword to hit the incoming machete from the right deviating it towards the left. While at the same time, her body curved just enough to avoid the machete coming to her waist from the left.

    "Ssss" Galdia inhaled deeply as the machete grazed her waist and left a shallow wound on her waist. She had calculated the timing to dodge wrongly.

    Although she was in pain, this didn''t stop her from making another movement with her sword and changing its angle. This time she stabbed at the skinny man who had just finished to swing his machete and was defenseless.

    The thin sword went right through his eye. Galdia froze at the squashy feeling coming from the sword and at the sudden realization that she had killed someone. She had been relying on her muscular memory gained from hours of training. But her first kill had woke her up and made her mind waver for a second.

    That small pause was enough for the muscular man to exploit and send another assault. Luckily for Galdia, she caught sight of it with the corner of her eye and she clumsily avoided the attack falling to the side together with the corpse that was still attached to the sword.

    Again, she was hurt as she dodged, and this time, a deep gash appeared on her arm. An instant later and her whole arm would have been chopped off.

    But thanks to the pain, she regained her composure and rapidly rolled on the ground, standing up and removing the sword from the skinny man in one movement.

    By the time she stood up the muscular man had already runoff. These thugs that were not with the main force of the Crimson Claw were mostly cowards that took the chance to sneak out and kill the weaker people. They looked for the chance to kill and plunder while the others were fighting.

    Galdia didn''t chase after the man. She wasn''t sure what would happen if the fight continued and preferred it this way. That Skinny man was the weaker of the two and the chance to kill him was only possible because he didn''t recognize the style she was using. On the other hand, the muscular man had some understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of her style.

    The main weakness of the snake style was in its defense that could be broken with fast blows that could not allow the style to deviate the attacks with precision. The man was wary of her having mixed the style with some martial stance and closed this weakness. That''s why he preferred to run. If he had known she was far from combining martial stances and sword styles, he would have probably stayed since and finished her.

    ¡°Hhaa haa.¡± Galdia stood where she was, panting and regaining her breathing. ¡®I must find Hadok.¡¯ After gathering her thoughts and getting her bearings back, she decided on her best chance to survive. If this happened again in her current state she would be in peril.

    Although the battle had left her in shock, she knew her chances of surviving would increase besides her cousin. She hated Hadok, but he would at least assure her safety. When her cousin tried to rape her, the threat of ending her own life was enough to dissuade him from continuing. It was not out of fear for her death but because he was concerned with keeping the appearances. If she died, it would be hard to explain to everyone else how it happened. She was the daughter of a well known general and her death could not be hidden easily.

    But against these criminals, even if she took her own life they would probably defile her dead body. So it was much better to borrow the strength of her cousin no matter how much she hated him.

    With her next course of action decided, she grabbed her sword and continued running towards the storage building. She could only hope her causing was still there despite all this chaos.

    As she ran, the adrenaline started to wear off and her arm and waist started to sting. The discomfort started to become more and more prominent. Besides some small injuries, she had never gotten such wounds before in her life.

    What was worse, was that she could still see the face of the man who died at her hands. She kept repeating in her head that he was a scum that deserved to die, but the image was still present in her head.

    With a pale face, eyes that could bearly hold her tears, and trembling legs, she finally arrived at the building. She didn''t know exactly how, it was like she had done everything out of instinct, but here it was, the plain cube that was the storage building.

    Just when she was about to enter, the door opened and two men came out. Well, more than two men they were two boys. One with deep black eyes that made her feel like they would suck her into a world of darkness. While the other had blue eyes that looked at the world with an intensity that almost left her breathless.

    But after her initial shock, she remembered why she was here. And with a trembling voice, she said. " I''m... I''m Galdia Sandrel and I''m looking for Hadok, did you see him? I''m his cousin ... he said he was going to be here reading old military records."

    After speaking she kept looking everywhere as if enemies would jump up at any moment from the surrounding bushes. So concerned she was with her surroundings that she didn''t notice the look of confusion and the small gestures between the two boys. They first had been on guard but seeing that she didn''t look like a guard they relaxed a bit.

    The blue-eyed boy said with a weird expression. " I don''t know him, but I don''t think he is here, most of the men have gone out. Why don''t you go look for him somewhere else?" They truly didn''t know, Hadok had never introduced himself to them, he went directly to torture them.

    " I want to check just to be sure." Galdia knew her cousin would not obey just anyone and would not stick with the common guards. But more importantly, she wanted to first get inside and feel safe for a moment.

    Finally, the boy with the black eyes spoke. " Well, you can try, but if he is not in the first rooms he is probably out with the rest."

    "Thank you, I will intrude for a moment then." Galdia nodded somewhat absentmindedly while she looked around and entered the building. Meanwhile, behind her, the two boys looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, one whispered to the other. ¡°A pity, but I won''t risk being exposed to save one girl.¡±

    Once inside she started looking in the first rooms as the boy had advice her. Weirdly enough, all the rooms had the doors opened. She just had to enter and take a look around each room.

    Maybe, the fact that she was inside a building that she considered safe helped her to feel the strangeness of the situation. As she walked through the hallway she thought. ''Odd, those two didn''t even ask for proof of my identity and left me in. How lousy are these guards? With the situation outside it could happen, but it is still a negligent behavior.''

    The more she advanced through the corridor the more she felt something was wrong. A familiar stench was in the air, but she kept thinking about those two boys on the entrance. By the time she reached the end of the entrance hallway, she opened her eyes wide. '' Wait! How didn''t I notice? Everything was wrong with those two!''

    After the battle, she was left in shock. No, she was still in shock. And that made her unable to see the weirdness of the situation. As she remembered carefully she realized that Under those coats, it was possible to see that those two were using normal clothes and that they had been injured. What''s more, the blue-eyed boy was carrying a strange box but no weapon at all. Even worse, they didn''t even react at her last name. It was like they hadn''t heard about her family. And lastly, they were keeping their heads low, trying to hide their faces under the hoods. But since she was so close, it was impossible for her not to see their faces.

    ''They didn''t ask me if I was okay despite my state, and that look of wariness they had...''

    " Wait, this smell..." Galdia used to bake cakes with her mother when she was little. And she finally remembered what they used to cook. She looked left and right to both corridors and saw that they were stained with blood and a transparent liquid. " Burning Water!!"

    On the entrance hallway, there was too little, but as she closed on the other two corridors, the Burning Water created a big stream all over the floor. It was clear that whoever had soaked the floor with it, had started at the back, running out of it on the front.

    "Wooooosh" The sound of flames could be heard and it was becoming louder and louder.

    Galdia paled, she looked at her feet that were touching the liquid and her heart stopped. It wasn''t much, it had the tip of her shoes hardly soaked in it but the Burning Water was too volatile. Without wasting a second, she turned around and ran towards the exit. She ran with all her strength, barely making it before the fire was all over the place.

    She dropped on the ground looking at the door being engulfed by the flames. " Those two! No, how could it be? They were not much stronger than me, they were circulating their qi and was similar to mine, maybe a little stronger. There should be at least a qi circulation, second phase cultivator in there."

    She looked around to see if the boys were still around. But they were nowhere to be seen. " I''m screwed! I let them pass right under my nose." If they had been too strong for her to stop them she would be okay. But if anyone heard that she had let two guys with a little more strength than her go without doing anything not only the City Lord, even her uncle would skin her alive.

    " Those two being able to set this place on fire means that my cousin probably isn''t here. He must be fighting, so I can only go to the mansion and hide there for now." Galdia took in a deep breath, stood up with a jump and started to run again.

 Chapter 35: Retreat

    ¡°Stop thinking about that, you said it, we can''t be compromised because of a girl that is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, we did warn her.¡± Kindrav whispered as they ran, hoping the sound would reach Aleran''s ears.

    Unlike before entering the building, the outside was now quite chaotic. People could be heard screaming from time to time, and members of the Crimson Claws seemed to have passed the defenses, starting to create all kinds of mayhem.

    Although the place was a complete mess, the guards near the front of the small hill were actually winning, slowly pushing back the less organized formation of thugs. But there were so many Crimson Claw members that they could not stop everyone. More so if the intruders took detours and tried hard to enter unnoticed, after all, that was how Aleran and company managed to enter in the first place.

    ¡°I know, I just felt wrong for a while because we didn''t have anything against her. But I know that if she was here, she was probably one of them, which means she was an enemy. Moreover, it is possible that she had escaped before the Burning Water caught on fire.¡± Letting her go inside was something both of them had chosen and Aleran knew this kind of decision was not something easy to categorize as good or bad. The line was thin and in such stressful situations Aleran knew that there was a possibility of crossing it without even knowing. He could only make the decision of being more careful next time. ¡°I''m not brooding about that. I was just thinking about that Burning Water.¡±

    When he first heard Kindrav''s description, Aleran thought of it as some kind of liquid like kerosene. And he wasn''t wrong, the difference apart from its glowing green color was that apparently, this burning water was extracted from living plants. These plants used it to light fires, driving away other plants and animals that were not as resistant to fire as them. The other difference was that the liquid would not evaporate after being burned. It would lose its glow, but after a few hours, it could be burned again. This could be repeated three times before the liquid could not be used anymore.

    This last property left Aleran thinking for quite a while. Kindrav had set ablaze a small quantity of it to show him how it burned. ¡® If I remember correctly, a yellow flame means a high concentration of sodium. Of course, it could be another magical crap that makes it take that color. Hehe, I love this world, there''s so much to discover.¡¯

    After a quick demonstration, they had spread the burning water all over the building. Then, they used Hadok''s robe, dipping one extreme of it into the burning water and lightening the other end with a torch that was on the underground dungeon. Those places didn''t have the luxury of being illuminated by crystals after all. This gave them enough time to escape, and both Aleran and Kindrav believed that it was enough time for the girl to come out too.

    ¡°I know what you mean, it is something only the rich use, I only know of it thanks to the merchants that pass by my village every year. Only rich assholes can afford it. ¡± Kindrav nodded, misunderstanding what Aleran was thinking.

    ¡°Mmm? People are fighting dead ahead.¡± Right at the moment when they entered a clear surrounded by a few trees, Aleran noticed a few silhouettes moving rapidly. There were five of them in a three versus two battle and none of them wore the battle attire of the guards. Thanks to the difference in numbers it seemed that the three men team was winning the fight.

    To escape Kindrav and Aleran had followed the same route they used to sneak in. But unlike before, the chaos made it more crowded. There were not only people from the Crimson Claw now. The people that were previously watching from the sidelines soon realized the center of the city had become a free zone with no city guards around. This led to some opportunists who stated to approach, trying to fish in troubled waters. Two of these men were such opportunists, while the rest were members of the Crimson Claw.

    Aleran and Kindrav both avoided the group, it was not wise to waste time with this kind of incident. But one of the three men of the Crimson Claw noticed them from afar and started running toward them. The man was bald, had half of his face covered and was shirtless, thus showing the Crimson Claw tattoo on his left chest. He was carrying a club with spikes that to Aleran looked more like a baseball bat with nails than a club, a post-apocalyptic weapon of sorts. As the man closed on them, Aleran noticed the eyes filled with greed as he looked at the box. The man didn''t even know what was inside, but he could guess that both Kindrav and Aleran looked much like burglars sneaking away after a successful hit.

    ¡°Look, pal. We are tight on time. Turn around and we can go on our way.¡± Kindrav said to the man who was already close enough to hear his words. Meanwhile, he was already wielding his sword in a defensive position.

    ¡°Sure, drop the box and you can go on your merry way. Or else you will follow the fate of those two, hehe.¡± The man pointed behind him, one of the two men had already fallen while the other, though challenging for the two men fighting him, was not going to last much. The smirk under the piece of cloth covering half of his face was evident.

    ¡°Imbecile! We are also part of the Crimson Claw, we are on the same side here! Don''t you know about the twin ghosts?¡± Aleran called the name they went by inside the Crimson Claw

    The bald man was first surprised, but then he shook his head. ¡° That can''t be, they say the twin ghosts look identical, hence the name. Kid, you should not speak so much bullshit.¡±

    Aleran visage turned darker as he realized that these men probably weren''t part of the briefing Grujil made before the fight. In fact, Grujil had chosen only those inner members who could follow orders well and were more loyal to be part of this operation. These three thugs were similar to the opportunistic men coming in without knowing anything. ¡®Well, even if they were part of the briefing they wouldn''t know us since we were at the back and our mission is a secret only Grujil and Ibrak knew about.¡¯

    What''s more, although their nickname was known by many and their exploits made them famous inside the Crimson Claw, few knew them. There were many rumors about their appearance, age, and abilities. To make things worse they didn''t have a tattoo to prove they were part of the Crimson Claw, which only made their story more unbelievable.

    But none of that mattered as the man stood in position, clearly, he didn''t care if they were on the same team. He could only see them as prey. Without caring anymore the man swung his club at Aleran who was still holding the box and could not defend easily.

    But Aleran didn''t even flinch at that, he closed his eyes and shook his head. ¡® I guess sometimes is faster to just bulldoze over these obstacles.¡¯

    ¡°Clank.¡± Before the club could hit Aleran, Kindrav was already in front of him defending with his sword. And at the time Aleran heard the sound, he moved like a predator pouncing on a defenseless prey. Reaching with his free hand to the face of the man. He just grabbed his head and let his image do the rest.

    ¡°Ahhhh¡± The scream was first filled with pain, but slowly turned into something mechanical, almost without a soul. It was an intermittent scream that barely felt human. Something that left the other two men that had just wrapped their fight frozen on their spot, not willing to take a single step more. What caught the two men by surprise, besides the terrifying sight, was how smoothly their leader had been dispatched.

    Aleran just looked at the other two men with a deadly glance, his eyes saying ¡®This would be your fate if you come closer.¡¯ He had learned from his previous experienced and he had started to gather his image from the moment the man had noticed them. By the time the fight started, he only needed to rely for a short moment on Kindrav and then everything was settled. There was some kind of unspoken agreement between them. Kindrav would defend wholeheartedly distracting the enemy and taking the brunt of their attack, while Aleran would focus on a finishing blow, trusting his defense upon Kindrav.

    This simple tactic was extremely effective, last time the circumstances were exceptional, not letting them use their teamwork.

    Alerans deadly gaze coupled with the smoke coming out of their agonizing friend were enough to frighten the two other men into running away. Aleran, on his part, was still looking away from his victim. This way of killing was too gruesome and he could barely force himself to use it, much less looking at it. But they needed to send a message and frightening these two was the fastest way to deal with them. The fact that killing was becoming easier to Aleran was the thing that frightened him the most, though.

    With the man still twitching, more from the electrical impulses than any real sign of life, Aleran finally looked down. Just like the wolf he had killed in the forest, the man had a few limbs broken from the violent convulsions. But unlike the wolf, his face was practically melted, making it hard for Aleran to detach his hand. And when he finally managed to take his hand off the melted face, it came out with many pieces of charred skin and flesh. Even his own hand was scorched from the power he used. ¡° Maybe I overdid it.¡± Aleran muttered.

    Kindrav was slightly scared at the sight of the melted face and the burnt lines all over the body of the man. One particular pattern was coming down from the face and neck towards the torso and stopping on the area where the heart was. What struck Kindrav the most about this mark was how similar it looked to the flashes of lightning when they crossed the sky. He remembered when he asked what image it was, Aleran had answered it was lightning. And until now, Kindrav couldn''t reconcile Aleran''s abilities with actual lightning, but now it suddenly made sense. ¡®He summoned the lightning inside the body of that poor bastard. That¡­ that is really frightening.¡¯

    Despite his shock, Kindrav reminded Aleran who was still engrossed looking at his stained hand. ¡° Let''s move, Al.¡±

    Aleran nodded without saying much, and soon both of them resumed their march towards the periphery of the hill. Halfway through, they changed direction and both moved to the base of the hill. After following the path they came from, they had to change direction until they spotted a run down well that was no longer in use. Right next to it, hidden by a group of rocks, they were told there was a narrow fissure.

    ¡°Boy, they weren''t lying about the narrow part. would the box even fit here?¡± Kindrav whispered.

    ¡°I suppose that''s why Grujil didn''t use it to sneak in with the bulk of his forces,¡± Aleran answered a little more at ease after running off his previous mood. Although he still felt his right hand a little squishy with the pieces of meted skin, that was like carrying a wet sponge around all the time. He could gloss over that feeling now.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    They peered inside the man-made crack and was designed to not be too conspicuous. It was hidden by shrubs and plants, and even if it was discovered it looked like a fissure made by lack of maintenance. This fissure led to a secret tunnel the former City Lord used to smuggle prostitutes.

    And, as the ones who sold them, the Crimson Claw was aware of this tunnel. The previous City Lord had a taste for women, especially young ones. But he was married to a woman with a deep background, so he needed to keep his urges a secret from his wife and her people. The tunnel was just one of the many solutions he found for his insatiable lust.

    The only problem was that this tunnel used the sewers and anyone who came out of it would be drenched in an awful stench. It wasn''t a problem for the prostitutes since they would be thoroughly cleaned before getting intimate with the City Lord. But to anyone trying to sneak in without any inside help, it would be difficult to hide such smell. Besides, the formation partially covered the sewers which made it impossible to get many people in a reasonable amount of time without breaking the formation.

    Thus, although it was not a good way to sneak in, it was perfect to sneak out. It was uncomfortable, no doubt, but it was an effective way of slipping away unnoticed. Moreso when the only people knowing about this were the previous City Lord and a few of his men.

    They could come back running in the open, but as they saw just now, two people carrying a box and running away from the danger were too conspicuous. The streets were packed with people watching the turmoil from afar and many would remember two such individuals. That was why before coming here they were told of this passage.

    The small crevice was located near a well used by some servants to water the plants in the hot seasons. And it was only used by these servants sporadically, it was almost abandoned, meaning there were no people in the surroundings.

    Both Aleran and Kindrav entered with much effort. At first, they entered crawling at a slow pace even though the slope was very steep. And, from time to time, they had to stop to make the heavy box pass through the protruding rocks.

    After a long time of crawling, the crevice became wider and finally, they dropped to a slightly bigger section that was the sewers. This sewer system was only a commodity enjoyed by the City Lord and the public baths in the center of the city. Places like the slums and the mid-class houses didn''t have such a sophisticated system. So, as they got further from the City Lord hill, where his mansion was, the sewers became less branched and all started to converge into a big tunnel.

    Aleran and Kindrav took their time to navigate through the sewers since they were not familiar with them. They were in complete darkness, with waste that reached their tights and what seemed like rats and other creatures running away from the two intruders. From time to time, they also found the bones of people. This confirmed the stories Aleran had heard on the streets about what the guards did when they ¡®accidentally¡¯ beat someone to death.

    Despite these conditions and the pungent smell that almost seemed to pierce through their brains, the two made it safely through the sewers and into the Crimson Claw system of underground tunnels.

    ¡°Blaghh¡± Aleran pucked the instant they made it through the gate that separated the sewers with the tunnels. Wiping his mouth he looked at Kindrav who was doing the effort of stoping his vomit at his throat. ¡° I don''t know about you, but I prefer to be tortured all day long than smelling that again.¡±

    Kindrav shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Haha, what are you talking about? I would rather drink from those sewers than hearing that douche being turned on with our suffering.¡± Kindrav looked around and then said with a more serious face. ¡° Hey, I think Rogdo was in charge of sending some kind of signal, but I forgot to ask him before sending him on his way.¡± He frowned at his own stupidity.

    ¡° If they don''t come back we will have to break into Grujil''s private tunnels and look for our IDs, though I have no idea where he keeps them. For now, let''s just go to the pit and wait there. Besides, it¡¯s more convenient this way. It will be more believable when we tell him that Rogdo was killed by the guards and didn''t have the chance to tell us about the signal.¡± Aleran was sure Grujil wouldn''t die so easily and would come back to hold his end of their deal.

    <hr>

    The man in question would surely disagree with Aleran at this moment. He was at his wit''s end right now. He was pale from head to toe, looking almost like a corpse due to the loss of blood. There were no apparent big wounds on his body, only that every inch of it was covered in small shallow wounds. But in this fight, every little wound was one more nail in his coffin.

    His enemy could extract an absurd amount of blood from the tiniest of wounds, and even now, not a single one of those wounds could be closed. Now, the attacks of the City Lord, having Grujil''s blood mixed with them, were becoming more powerful as he got weaker in the same proportion. It got to the point that the last exchange created the first big injuries on his stomach. Some of his organs were severely damaged.

    With half of his flying compass broken and his spear showing signs of following the same path, he was truly afraid. Grujil didn''t want to use his last triumph card, because, after that, it meant he would be practically naked before his enemy. And he knew the Ireg, the City Lord still had more than a few hidden abilities he was not using, even though Grujil could tell his foe was having a hard time too.

    Grujil''s father, for all that he hated him, always said to him that a cultivator who has shown all his cards was half a step into the grave no matter how good the situation looked like. That was because after the fight you would be bare for anyone to do whatever they want with you, knowing exactly what your situation is. If you used everything you got, the least you could do is to look like you got more hidden moves, but that bluff would not last long. Grujil believed in this way of thinking and was one of his main rules.

    Grujil was currently debating in his mind whether to use all his hidden cards trying to resist longer or flee preserving some of his strength. He could tell that his enemy was extremely weak otherwise this fight would have ended long ago. But the man looked so cool and relaxed that sent a chill down Grujil''s spine. It seemed like death was not a possibility for him.

    ¡®Damit Rogdo you piece of shit! Did does idiots fail? Send the signal already!¡¯ He looked down towards the City lord mansion. And that was when he caught sight of the fire engulfing the back of the mansion. His pupils constricted as he thought. ¡®Is on fire? Maybe something happened and they couldn''t send the signal.¡¯

    As he looked back up he saw the City Lord smiling at him and an ominous feeling rose in his heart. ¡®It doesn''t matter now. If I stay here, this guy is going to kill me without a doubt.¡¯ With his mind finally reaching the decision of self-preservation he put almost all his energy in his two artifacts.

    The compass, glowing with an eerie red color, started to accelerate towards the City Lord who was surprised at seeing his enemy charging all of a sudden. Many of the spheres rotating around the City Lord shot towards Grujil, but midway they stopped as realization finally washed over the face of the City Lord.

    Promptly, the blood created a barrier around the City Lord at the same time that Grujil jumped backward, leaving the compass flying on its own. But that was not the end, the spear on Grujil''s hand also started to glow red and even started to make a buzzing noise.

    ¡°Haa!¡± Midair, Grujil threw the spear directly towards the City Lord. ¡° CRIMSON CLAW, RETREAT!¡± At the same time, his yell reverberated through the sky like a thunderclap.

    Following that, the spear reached the compass and almost at the same time both artifacts exploded.

    ¡®Boom!¡¯ Bright light and a huge blast of wind took over the skies while tremors took over the earth. Except for the more sturdy mansions, the houses below the range of the explosion took great damage. Some even started to collapse altogether. Many of the warriors, be it the members of the Crimson Claw or the personal guards of the City Lord, took serious damage from the explosion. The weakest ones who were right below the explosion taking place in the sky died immediately.

    After the loud explosion, silence took over the whole city. Even the commander in charge of the city guards grew worried at the scale of the explosion. He didn''t know why the Crimson Claw had paid such a huge sum of spirit stones. The city guards only had to make everyone believe they were busy and had to delay their response. The Crimson Claw had even convinced their higher-ups to endorse this. But if the damage extended too much, the city guards on duty would inevitably become scapegoats.

    Not only the city guards were nervous, but all the subordinates of the City Lord also stopped in their tracks to look worriedly at the center of the explosion. This was a chance many Crimson Claw members took to retreat and run to the underground tunnels.

    Above in the sky, a cloud of smoke that the compass and the spear had become started to dissipate. Inside, the figure of the City Lord was seeing standing in the air as if nothing had happened. And he was looking with a frown at a crumbling medallion resting on his hand.

    It was only then that the guards breathed a sigh of relief. Even the eyes of the captain of the personal guards could be seen relaxing under his mask. He had been so worried that he let Ibrak escape as the man, with one less arm, ran away.

    <hr>

    With a sigh, Ireg threw the remainings of the medallion into the wind. ¡°It took me so much effort to craft this, and now is gone.¡± This was one of the last treasures he had to protect himself. In his last expedition, he had almost died. He had not only lost two protective treasures he also lost his weapons and many men. The only thing left on him was this medallion crafted by himself, and now he was devoid of protection. He would be lying if he said that this didn''t hurt him.

    The las explosion took him y surprise, he didn''t expect for those two weapons to have a self-destruction mechanism. Some of the masters that made the artifacts could leave mechanisms to destroy their weapons from inside. Most of those mechanisms were impossible to look for on the outside and only the one who created the artifact knew of them. Then, they would tell only to the people they gave their artifact to make sure their creations didn''t fall in the hands of unworthy people.

    But this self-destruction feature was rare, that''s why it took the City Lord by surprise. The artifacts that had this kind of mechanism were harder to control. And the mechanism that was almost always activated with an overload of qi could be triggered by accident id the user was not careful. What was even more shocking was that even the spear, which was apparently some kind of family inheritance, also had such a mechanism.

    Even then, Ireg believed that his hastily erected defense was almost enough to block the explosion. But Ireg was a cautious man, in his current state he could not make any mistake. So he decided to use the medallion instead of risking even a minor injury. That was also why he took so long in fighting Grujil, he was playing it safe, killing him slowly and without risk.

    The City Lord did not bother to look around for Grujil. His sight was blurry, and he was suppressing an old injury that had opened during the fight. Right now, he was not in a condition to go hunting. Plus, he didn''t have any treasure to rely on right now that could compensate for his lack of strength.

    The thought of getting out of this city popped in his mind and started to grow every second he remained in place. Someone wanted his life and he had some idea who this someone was. But as he said at the beginning of the fight, he could feel something wrong. He felt a third party involved in all this, although he was not sure. It was more of an intuition than anything else, but he believed in his instincts. There were too many things that were hard to discern now as if hidden by a thick fog.

    He would have to swallow his pride and go back home defeated. His dark eyes showed a deep resilience, unusual in such a youthful face. He couldn''t leave right now, but as soon as everything was settled he would go back to the capital. Right now he had to order his men to regroup and stay close and inside his mansion.

    ¡® I will wait till the envoy from the dragon heart comes and I will depart with him. Once I-¡¯ His train of thought was suddenly interrupted when he looked down. The surroundings of the storage building were in flames.

    He had looked from time to time towards the storage building. The fact that this happened just when he got his hands on those arms was something that didn''t escape him. But he thought that was only because to get those arms he almost died and was now weakened. If someone was powerful enough to open the vault by force, that someone would also be able to kill him easily in his current state.

    ¡®No, it has to be something else. Nobody who could open the vault would do it sneakily with me like this.¡¯ Ireg tried to calm himself down as he descended.

 Chapter 36: The Key of the Formation

    ¡°What in the hell is this?¡± A sickly and pale Grijil grunted as he saw what was inside the box. His voice was hoarse and his body trembled like a house of cards about to crumble.

    Aleran and Kindrav exchanged a look. ¡°We took the box you showed us in the picture, we didn''t even open it.¡± Aleran answered while thinking to himself that, maybe, they shouldn''t have taken the two fingers for themselves. Maybe they were a little too greedy.

    ¡°What the fuck is this?!¡± But Grujil didn''t hear what Aleran was saying. He didn''t doubt this was the original content of the box since the size of the two arms fit perfectly in it. And the arms were clearly something very, very precious. But the thing was, it wasn''t what he was expecting. As for the two missing fingers, he thought nothing of them since part of the arm was also missing.

    The runes on the arm showed that at least, the source of this arm was real. It came from the Astral Runes sect. And it was very unlikely the two kids could find anything that was at the same time a perfect fit for the box as well as something that clearly came from the Astral Runes sect.

    ¡®But, our informant said it was an inner piece of a circle of runes.¡¯ Grujil thought as he looked at Ibrak who was by his side. The man was just as injured as him, maybe worse. He was missing one arm and his nose was bent in an awkward position. But he needed to be here, otherwise, Grujil wasn''t sure he could control the two boys right now. They were able to complete the mission and come back relatively uninjured. Meanwhile, according to what the boys said, Rogdo had coincidentally died.

    Their ability was beyond his expectations. He was expecting them to open the vault while Rogdo fought the remaining guards. Then, they would have to make a quick search for the box and run for their lives. Rogdo would then send the signal, and Grujil would come down from the sky to pick the box and retreat with it. Whether the kids and Rogdo were able to come back through the sewers was not his problem. He just wanted the box out of the vault.

    After all, there had to be at least a qi circulation stage cultivator doing guard, even if it was just to protect the other stuff outside the vault. Rogdo could handle him for a while, but while he was exceptional in the third phase of Heaven opening, he was no real threat for a qi circulation cultivator.

    Yet, the kids had come back fine and he had nobody to ask how they did it. When Grujil had seen the fire he assumed something went wrong and immediately retreated. He knew that looking them without the special cristal he gave to Rogdo would be useless. The plan was hastily prepared, using the mission given by his superiors and the information he had obtained.

    If all went well, he would have a chance at becoming independent or at bargaining a better position inside the Crimson Claw. If used right, it could open a world of possibilities. But if it went wrong, only the gods knew when his chance would come. The harsh truth was that, until now, he has been stuck in this position. And if this kept going his chances at breaking through would get slimmer as he was suppressed by others inside the organization.

    So, when he heard of two thieves who could enter past any door, not having any better plan, he decided to use them. That was why he was prepared for failure, after all, he had put too much faith in two kids he didn''t even know. But now, here they were, with the exact same box he wanted but with something inside he didn''t expect.

    But although he had many questions, he refrained from asking most of them, at least for now. Taking a deep breath, Grujil looked up after a while and started to speak. ¡°Are you sure... there wasn''t any other box like this inside the vault?¡± It was unlikely, but he asked anyway.

    ¡°We are sure, boss. We even look inside some drawers and chests. This was the only one, in fact, there was nothing of much value inside.¡± Kindrav said with assurance.

    ¡°I believe your story, is just that this wasn''t what I was told I would find. But I can feel how unique this is. And for that, I will keep my word.¡± Grujil nodded to Ibrak who went away for a moment and returned carrying the IDs with him.

    ¡°It was an honor doing business with someone such as yourself, boss.¡± Aleran said respectfully. But his hands moved like starving dogs towards the IDs.

    Grujil didn''t mind any of that, he couldn''t stop looking at the box. Clearly, he was thinking about something else. ¡°You have done very well, but you may want to stay inside the tunnels for a few days. It will get rough outside. But of course, if you want to leave, we won''t stop you.¡± When he finally looked up his face returned to his usual business-like visage.

    Aleran and Kindrav clasped their hands and turned around. But before they could take one step they could hear Grujils cold voice at their back. ¡° Maybe there wasn''t anything of value, but It looks like you have reaped more than just a box and a few wounds from this mission. You two thought we couldn''t hear the tingling all those spirit stones make inside your pockets?¡±

    In fact, both of them had already hidden the fingers in the most hidden pockets they had the back of the hoods. And although they had time to hide the spirit stones they decided against it. They left the spirit stones on them to not raise suspicion. It would be weird if they hadn''t taken anything else.

    ¡°Boss, you said we could get some extra spirit stones if we made a good job.¡± Aleran pointed his finger at the wooden box. ¡°And I think that counts as a great job.¡±

    Grujil paused for a moment and nodded. ¡° Indeed, I said that. But, if my mind doesn''t fail me, I said SOME spirit stones. You think you would have been able to enter that vault with the formation still active, or with that freak still inside his mansion? We get a share of everything.¡± Grjujil''s voice turned threatening.

    The truth was he couldn''t care less about the spirit stones. And the vault Ireg had in Hilua would not have anything too valuable. He actually believed the boys in that regard. Unless it was something very valuable the City Lord acquired recently, the most valuable stuff would be inside the Ethergel family vault in the Dragons Heart, the capital of the Empire. That place was impenetrable, with hundreds of formations and a small army surrounding it. But the most intimidating part was the presence of the Imperial Enforcer who all by its own could crush any thought of stealing that place.

    The only reason the arms were still in Hilua was that the City Lord had come back too injured to guarantee he could take them safely to the Capital. That was why he had to wait for and Envoy to come and fetch it.

    Despite knowing that, Grujil needed to look intimidating in front of these two and not too weak, even when that wasn''t the truth. God forbid they suddenly get the urge to steal from him before running away. Now that he knew how good they really were he was more on guard. With Ibrak by his side, it would be enough to kill them but when they were out of his sight, they could be a pain to deal with.

    But he also didn''t want an unnecessary conflict. Even if he was confident in crushing them with the help of Ibrak, he preferred to preserve his energy. The situation right now was delicate.

    With that in mind, he said. ¡° You have managed to impress me this time so just give me half of what you got, I will allow you to keep the rest.¡± Had he not been this injured, he would have taken everything and strip them naked to make sure they weren''t hiding anything. And only then, if he was in a good mood, he would have given them a quarter of the loot. But right now he didn''t want to push the boys too far.

    ¡®You got lucky, little bastards... for now.¡¯ His face reflected nothing of his inner thoughts as Grujil showed a magnanimous smile. He may have given spirit stones to the other members before the mission started, but that came from the organization. Although Grujil had some savings, he would not despise a few spirit stones sent to his way.

    Without saying a word, Aleran unloaded his many pockets and threw stone after stone over the table. The two men in front of him were surprised by the sheer amount of stones and at how many hidden pockets that cloak seemed to have.

    But after he showed them the empty pockets they looked satisfied enough and didn''t bother him anymore. Aleran had truly shown everything he had except for the finger with runes. And he decided to be the one to trow the spirit stones because it seemed that Kindrav had gotten more than him. They would have to split what Kindrav had in his pockets.

    With his pockets empty, but thankful for not being checked, Aleran left the room with Kindrav after a reminder of Gruji that if they had to go to the surface, they should do it in the night when nobody would see them exiting the tunnels.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Once the two boys were out of his sight Grujil said to Ibrak. ¡°Send a message to our men outside and tell them to investigate our informants near the border. He said the source was a merchant who sold the carriage to the City Lord when he came back too injured to fly back. He also sold him the box so he could have seen the arms. Check that information and why it has been such a misunderstanding.¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss. And, what should we do about those two?¡± Ibrak asked with his eyes on the pile of spirit stones.

    ¡°Sigh¡­ if only one of us were in one piece or if Juin hadn''t died, I would have killed them right here and now. You were right, they are unpredictable. But for now, let''s just keep an eye on them. If they stay in these tunnels then we won''t have to do anything. Once the envoy comes, anyone he deems suspicious of stealing those arms would be captured or killed. And the Crimson Claw will be on top of his list. We will be hiding on our own set of tunnels for two days and get out of here by one of the escapes routes. Those who keep hiding here by the time he comes will only be sitting ducks for the envoy.¡± He stopped and gave the wooden box a long look.

    After a short pause, he continued with a heavy expression. ¡°Even if we could stop his spirit sense, depending on who the envoy for this mission is, he could very well turn the city upside down with tunnels and everything. I can''t tell exactly how valuable these things are, but one thing is for sure, I have never seen or heard about anything like it in my life. If I were the envoy I would do anything in my power to get my hands on them.¡±

    ¡°How important could it be? It is not a piece of the circle of runes we believed it would be. The Envoy will probably arrive in a few days, we could stay longer to nurse our injuries.¡± Ibrak still didn''t believe the Envoy would dare to rashly barge into the tunnels. Even though Ibrak didn''t know who he was, the Crimson Claw had a powerful backer, not many would be willing to cross them.

    But Grujil didn''t think that way. ¡° Ibrak, you have never seen an Envoy before. Anyone who is above the Qi Manifestation realm is qualified to be one. The other requirement to be an Envoy is to have unwavering loyalty to the royal family. They would dare to anger the gods for the name of the Emperor.¡± Grujil''s eyes betrayed a hint of fear as he spoke of the envoys. ¡° I can tell those two arms are valuable, just trust my gut Ibrak, as soon as we heal our most grievous wounds we move.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I trust you,¡± Ibrak said without an ounce of doubt.

    ¡°Good, as for the two kids, I will leave it to your own judgment as to what to do. But if possible don''t spend your energies here and save what you get for later when we make our escape. I know you have been warning me about them and you want to kill them, but try to get back in shape before doing anything.¡± Gujil picked the box and motioned for Ibrak to accommodate the spirit stones.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    It was the dead of the night and there wasn''t a soul in the streets except for the patrolling guards. It''s been one day since the attack to the City Lord and a curfew had been established the same day. No one except for nobles was to exit their houses past the ten Ru and the doors of the city had been shut since the incident. And, except for merchants with special permits, only guards could go in or out of the city. In the meantime, the outside of the city was also patrolled in a five-kilometer radius from the walls.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    With most of the business closed, the streets were darker than usual. Only those places with nobles'' patronage and with very influential owners could stay open. Making the usually busy streets a silent, dark place.

    During the past day, there had already been a few unsuccessful attempts of the city guards to enter the underground tunnels from the few most well-known entrances. But until now, they had been pushed back by traps and ambushes. For now, the tunnels were safe.

    One could almost breathe the tension in the air over the whole city. It was obvious that the attack on the City Lord was not the end of the incidents. Many believed that both parties were gathering strength and healing their injuries. But as soon as that was over, more chaos would befall on Hilua unless someone more powerful arrived to control the situation.

    In this context, Aleran was sneaking around the streets avoiding not only the ground patrols but also the airborne ones. The more he advanced to his destination the more guards appeared. He was going to Heavens Vault to collect the other half of his pay, considering they had already put the papers in the agreed zones, it was time to collect the spirit stones.

    ¡®I should have gone out in the morning when I could blend with the crowds.¡¯ Aleran lamented. He had decided to come out at night because the rest of the Crimson Claw would go out at night. Some of the members were already familiar faces for the guards, even Aleran and Kindrav were somewhat known by them. So, blending in the crowds was hard, leaving only the cover of the night to help them outside. Still, Aleran thought it was better to risk it in the day than going out at night where you would gather all the attention.

    But since sneaking outside of the tunnels alone was almost impossible, he was forced to join other members in their night adventures which consisted mostly of visits to brothels. Even with the curfew many men still visited the brothels, although in a much quieter way. From there, Aleran only had to pay for a woman, enter a room, and go out unnoticed. All this for the sake of not gathering attention.

    He had paid for one Ru which he thought would be enough to come and go. But now, with all these patrols, he was taking forever to just walk a simple block. As he closed into the central zone the frequency of the patrols and the number of men increased.

    Other than that, the streets were also better lit thanks to the number of businesses that were open in this area. This would be good for Aleran to pretend to be a customer, the only problem was that compared with these nobles he stuck out like a sore thumb with his ragged clothes. After all, he didn''t have time to buy new ones after the mission. But the most troublesome of the problems were the flying patrols that would pass over his head every few minutes, forcing him to find a roof or a bench to hide under like a stray cat.

    Slowly but surely, he kept closing in on Heavens Vault. Being such a big and famous store it was bound to be opened even at these late hours. And indeed, the place was opened, and in fact, it was the better-lit place in the whole city. There weren''t many people, but there were still some customers coming and going.

    As he passed by the gates while looking around, he noticed that the patroling guards were more focused on some of the items displayed than in the faces of people. Although Aleran was poorly clothed they didn''t realize it. And although he had taken his cloak to look more inconspicuous, it was still possible to see his raged pants, luckily these men missed that fact.

    With a fast-beating heart, he went to one of the men with the uniform of Heavens Vault and asked for Aldra. The man just asked for his name, and in a few minutes, he came back allowing him to enter, not finding anything weird in such a shady guy visiting his mistress.

    ¡°Some rucks your people have caused, it''s not good for the business, you know?¡± Aldra was behind the counter on the third floor, just like the last time he had visited.

    ¡°They are not my people I''m just a lowly foot soldier.¡± Aleran shook his head as he approached her.

    ¡°And your friend? Don''t tell me he died in the incident?¡± Aldra revealed a look of sympathy. ¡° My master is quite fond of barbarians.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for your worry, miss, but he''s fine. Even in better shape than me.¡± Aleran pointed at some of the wounds he had sustained the other night. Bandages could be seen through the holes in his shirt, some of them were tainted with blood, clearly, not all wounds were closed.

    ¡° Oh, poor thing, you had it rough. But as long as a cultivator survive there are many methods to patch you up. ¡±Aldra smiled sweetly. But immediately after, her smile turned more reserved. ¡° So, if you are here even with these wounds it means you have completed your task.¡±

    ¡°Yes, all of those papers are in place, some made into wrinkled balls and battered inside small cracks, but all in the areas marked by you and well hidden.¡± Aleran nodded.

    ¡°Well done boy, here I have your spirit stones.¡± She rummaged behind the counter an took a bag with the rest of the spirit stones.

    ¡°Thank you, miss Aldra, it''s been a pleasure doing business with you. Send my regards to your master.¡± Aleran put the bag into one of his pockets, clasped his hands in a sign of respect and turned around. He didn''t have much time to waste.

    But when Aleran about to go, Aldra stopped him. ¡° Wait, I have something important to give you.¡± She took a white piece of paper, quite similar to the others he had given to him only that this one had the rough drawing of a toad

    ¡°This is? I thought we were done with the papers.¡± Aleran was genuinely confused.

    ¡°We are, this one is the equivalent of the key to the formation. The moment you activate it the formation comes to life. You only have to put it in any of the exits of the tunnels. And, if I were you I would put it on the outside to run away from it as fast as I could.¡±

    Aleran felt goosebumps crawl all over his spine as the realization hit him. ¡° So, last time when you said it would activate in seven days, it was a lie. What changed? Why are you giving me this?¡±

    Aldra smile grew. ¡°No reason, maybe it is because my master is fond of barbarians. Maybe because I quite like your abilities and feel you are a good investment. It would be a shame to lose you with all those useless thugs. Just take it and know that if you don''t do it by tomorrow night I have a spare key to activate it myself.¡± Aldra said with a faint smile on her face.

    ¡®Is she really changing her plans to let us live? Or was it always part of the plan and she is doing this to show me not to screw with her?¡¯ Aleran looked for a while into Aldras beautiful eyes but he could find no answer. With not much choice he took the paper.

    ¡° Once you put it on any of the exits it will take around a Mu to take effect. But still, you should put it on the outside since the inside will turn into hell very quickly.¡± Aldra reminded.

    Still trying to control his heart at the bullet he just dodged, Aleran just nodded and didn''t even say goodbye when he turned to leave.

    ¡° Remember, next time not only do thorough research on your enemies but also your allies, boy¡± Aldra said as she saw Aleran reach the stairs.

    ¡°Lesson learned, miss.¡± With his figure already gone, Alerans youthful voice sounded one last time.

    ¡°Hehehe. I already feel like my master.¡± Chickling, Aldra sat down looking at her spare key to the paper talisman formation.

    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Aleran quickly walked down the stairs while mulling over what had just happened and what was going to happen. For the first time, he started to feel anxiety. He had thought that the papers were some kind of surveillance and that Aldra would go inside with his men to take down the Crimson Claw later. But now he was certain this was some kind of formation, even though he didn''t know exactly what a formation was. But the important part is that it would probably kill everyone inside the tunnels.

    He couldn''t help to question himself if he was okay with killing every single member of the Crimson Claw. This was no longer whether if these people were good or bad, this was in the boundaries of mass murder. ¡® I don''t know if I want to carry all those deaths in my consciousness.¡¯ How many people were inside those tunnels? How many of them were just people who were trying to survive and how many really deserved what was coming to them?

    ¡°Hey, you! I know you!!¡± One of the guards who had been previously been distracted, suddenly stopped Aleran as he was crossing the front door.

    While distracted with his inner thoughts he had forgotten to look down and hide his face. And when he came back to himself, he recognized the face of the guard who was looking at him. ¡®Shit!¡¯ If he could recognize the guard then that meant the guard could recognize him. It was a middle-aged man with a mustache who patrolled one of the areas that were assigned to him.

    ¡°Yeah, I know you. You are one of the street rats that-¡± Before he could finish Aleran sent a strike at his face, and without looking at the result, he dashed as his life depended on it, and it probably did.

    ¡°Wooooo!¡± One of the guards that were approaching from the side took a small horn and blew it, making a deep sound that was especially conspicuous in this quiet night.

    ¡°Shit, Shit!¡± Aleran kept cursing at himself as he ran towards the closest entrance to the tunnels. The guards will not dare to follow him into the dark tunnels and even if they did, they were not familiar with the layout as he was.

    But after running for only a few seconds, he had to keep changing his course as guards kept appearing, some even dropped from the sky and rooftops. Soon enough, seven guards were chasing behind him.

    ¡®Woooshh.¡¯ As Aleran was forced to deviate from his course again, a spear came flying and hit his shoulder.

    ¡°Agghh¡± Aleran was sent flying backward, but the piercing pain he expected wasn''t present. Instead, he felt a blunt force that almost broke his shoulder but didn''t manage to really injure him.

    This helped him to incorporate quickly and because the guards who had been chasing from behind had dodged his flying body, he now had no pursuers on his back. So he turned around and started running again.

    The guards who had all thought Aleran was a dead man, were at ease as they saw him flying through the air. It took them some time to realize what had happened before giving chase again. This gave Aleran a small breathing space.

    ¡®Thank god I brought the cloak with me!¡¯ Aleran could not think of any other reason why he hadn''t been impaled other than the cloak taking most of the impact. He didn''t know how or why, but it looked like the cloak was a good defense against piercing objects. Not so much against blunt strikes as he still felt the pain on his shoulder.

    Just when he was thinking where he should go, he caught sight of the tight sealing cover of the mouth of the sewer. ¡®How didn''t I think of that before?¡¯ The cover had no handle to pull it from, only a hole where the servants in charge of maintenance would use a tool to hook it off. But Aleran not only had the strength he also had his magnetic image to pull the cover.

    Thanks to that blow, and the fact that he was now in the upper-class district, he could now take advantage to enter the sewers. Even though he promised himself not to do this again he preferred that before being captured or worse. He didn''t see who threw that spear, but he was sure the man was at least at qi circulation for it to have that force. His chances were better in the dark sewers.

    Without a pause, he took advantage of the small headstart he had to open the cover and fell to the sewers. He started to move between the waste, trying to find the correct way towards the entrance of the tunnels. This was one of the most secretive entrances and one of the less used for obvious reasons. He only knew of it thanks to his last mission.

    After a while, he relaxed, seeing that apparently, no one was following. He didn''t believe for a second he had enough advantage for the guards to not see he had entered the sewers, it was more likely that they got lost easily and didn''t want to continue.

    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    ¡°So, we have to make an excuse as to why you left the brothel,¡± Kindrav said with a weird voice as he covered his nose with his hand. He had stayed behind to guard their spirit stones, it would be no surprise if Ibrak or Grujil spread rumors about their loot. It was better to have someone always watching over the bag where they put their clothes and hid their spoils.

    ¡°That doesn''t matter, any excuse would do. Didn''t you hear about the part where everyone dies?¡± Aleran was annoyed that Kindrav was focusing on the wrong thing. But he couldn''t yell in fear of someone''s eavesdropping.

    ¡°Al, nobody here is a good person. Many of the most casual members have moved outside the city right after the attack for fear. Right now only those who took part in the attack plus a few hundred are inside the tunnels. I doubt there are as many as a thousand.¡±

    ¡°First, it was that guy we left to die in the dungeon. We assumed it was dangerous to wake him up and we left him there. Then, it was the girl. And now we are talking about the fate of hundreds. The worst part is that I am genuinely tempted to send them all to hell. Man, I don''t know where the line is anymore.¡± Aleran felt that his own moral boundary was stretching until it was about to break.

    ¡°Sigh. You are too nice for even doubting, Al. But, we can''t stop this or we would be making Heaven''s Vault an enemy and something tells me that would be a big mistake. If that chick is going to do it anyway, you could have left the paper in her hand, why did you take it?¡±

    ¡°I took it just in case we needed it. You got better social skills than me, you surely noticed the look in their eyes, Grujil and Ibrak are wary of us. Before when it was just Ibrak it was fine, but now even Grujil has his guard up. Which in a way I should have predicted, he is heavily injured after all. They didn''t even dare to search our bodies in case we were hiding something else. By taking only half of our loot they are treating us as equals. And I would rather be underestimated.¡± Ultimately, Aleran took the key to the formation because of fear. In fear of angering Aldra and in fear of Grujil and Ibrak. But now, every time he thought of ending hundreds of lives his throat became dried and his chest tighten. He couldn''t help to have second thoughts.

    ¡®What am I doing? I''m just a scientist, what am I doing in this world killing like is nobody''s business.¡¯ The more he thought about that, the more this kind of thoughts started to pop up in his mind. He thought he had already gotten used to this world and life but the truth was a part of his old self remained.

    Before Aleran''s mind started going into a spiral, he felt a hand on his shoulder. ¡°Give me the paper. If the time comes I will do it.¡± Kindrav was looking at him with a serious face and took the paper from without asking again. If Kindrav had to choose he would not use it, but he would feel not an ounce of pity nor remorse by killing these people. In their time here they had seen and heard all kinds of despicable things the Crimson Claw did. From murder to kidnapping, to white slave traffic, and even child sex traffic. Kindrav would not bat an eye if he had to do it.

    ¡°Thanks, Kin. I''m feeling tired, could you do the first watch? Wake me when it is my turn. Tomorrow we plan on how to get the hell out of here. Maybe we could ask the Oldre''s help, it is time he does something right for once.¡± With the lack of beds, Aleran lay on the ground without caring about his pants or smell. He was more frustrated than tired and needed some sleep to reorganize his thoughts.

    Kindrav looked at Aleran while inwardly sighing. ''Once you chose your path you have to be ruthless to survive, Al. You help me to understand that, but it seems you sometimes forget what you say, so I don''t mind helping you.¡¯

 Chapter 37: Unstoppable Duo.

    Aleran woke up, and almost immediately, he and Kindrav started to prepare for what they had to do the rest of the day.

    Today, they had to get away from these tunnels and the city in its entirety. Aleran didn''t expect too much trouble getting out of the tunnels since it was harder to get in than out.

    What he didn''t know was if Oldre would be able to help them. They didn''t have any bad blood, but they hadn''t spoken much since they were introduced to the Crimson Claw. Though Kindrav seemed to still believe in the man, and that was enough for Aleran.

    Nevertheless, to find him, they had to go to the living quarters where soldiers gathered. And once inside they could get easily recognized. The sad reality was that they didn''t have any better options, almost any other plan he could come up with had similar chances of failure.

    When the time came, they prepared everything they needed before going on their way.

    ¡°Today, we will have to play it by ear once more, Kin,¡± Aleran said as they prepared to leave the cube of dirt they called room.

    ¡°We always end up playing it by ear. The day you come to me with an infallible plan, I will eat this cloak.¡± Kindrav said while rolling his eyes and lifting his bag that carried his clothes and the stolen spirit stones.

    ¡°Hehe. Yeah, lately it seems that way. But today we are relying on Oldre and that he can get us past the walls of the city. If we can''t get out today, then, there won''t be any place where we can spend the night. And by the morning we will get caught.¡± Aleran paused as he also lifted his bag while mentally trying to craft a better solution to their current situation.

    The time limit Aldra imposed was the main reason why they didn''t have any other option but to move out without any preparation at all. Perhaps, it was better this way, who knew when Ibrak or one of the savages from the Crimson Claw would come knocking and asking for their spirit stones. And that was not taking into account that he had yet to explain yesterday¡¯s incident.

    Getting out of his own thoughts, Aleran continued to talk. ¡°The streets are packed with guards and it¡¯s impossible to stay long on the outside without being caught violating the curfew. If worst comes to worst, we will have to pass the night in the sewers. Though I imagine that if these tunnels blow up or something the sewers will be affected as well.¡±

    Sadly, Aldra didn''t tell him what the hell would happen after the formation activated, she just implied everyone inside would die. He had also thought of using the sewers to get out of the city, but through his divine sense, he discovered that when the sewers touched the wall, these would suddenly shrink in size. And coupled with a blockade of bars, not even rats could get in or out.

    ¡°Aghh, I''m not going back there, last night before you washed up I could barely stand your smell. It gave me nightmares later. It sounds much better to take our chances banging our heads against the wall, who knows, maybe the wall will crumble before we die.¡± Kindrav said half-joking and half-serious.

    ¡°Hahahaah. It was worse for me, I can still smell the shit with every breath I take. But, I''m glad we think alike in this one.¡± Aleran let out a burst of laughter he didn''t know he needed. But despite being somewhat used to this kind of stressful situation, he had been so focused on finding another way out that he had been frowning all this time.

    Both of them continued through the tunnels, they would come out close to the west gate where Oldre was stationed. The quarters for those who guarded the gate were a block away from the gate.

    They will have to look for Oldre and cross their fingers that nobody recognized them. And also, that Oldre hadn''t been dispatched somewhere else. The only thing they had going for them, was that when they operated on the streets, they mostly did it in the southern, northern, and central districts. Which meant there would be fewer guards who had interacted with them or who knew who they were.

    The former tight cooperation between the Crimson Claw and the City Guard had become the biggest weakness for the gang. After the later became a scapegoat to blame for the attempt on the life of the City Lord, they were forced to show good results. Otherwise, when the real big figures start blaming them for not answering fast enough, they would have no excuses to argue back.

    <hr>

    The tunnels continued to get bigger as they kept walking towards the chosen exit, but halfway there, when they turned to the left on one of the many interceptions, they were forced to stop.

    ¡°You seem to be in a hurry, boys.¡± A wall of men was standing right before them. All of them had unfriendly faces, but the most unfriendly of them all was Ibrak, who was at the back. He was pale as paper, and his robe was hanging loosely where his left arm was supposed to be.

    It was him who spoke in an even tone while looking at Aleran. ¡°You know, when you went out the other night I knew something was wrong. When have you ever been to a brothel by your own volition? You believe to be above that, I know it. And then, I go and find out you actually snuck away from the brothel.¡±

    ¡°What is this?¡± Asked Aleran with all the alarms flaring in his mind. He had thought that it would take more time for Ibrak to catch up on what happened last night. But apparently, he had underestimated how paranoid the man was.

    Instead of resting in secluded meditation to recover, the man forbore some time to be updated on what was happening outside. And it seemed he had been tracking their movements. Thus, placing this ambush in this wide tunnel. One of the few places down here where numbers could make a difference. They could fit eight men standing side by side. And right now, there were two rows of eight and one of four, with Ibrak included, right behind them.

    Ibrak didn''t react at Aleran¡¯s attempt of getting answers, he kept going with his monologue. ¡°You caused quite a commotion up there, Aleran. Would you be so kind as to tell me what exactly were you doing in the central district? And think very carefully what you say, you can''t afford to give a wrong answer.¡± Despite what he said, judging by the expression on his face, it was quite clear that no answer would please Ibrak at this moment.

    ¡°Hey! We did the job, Grujil himself said we could get out whenever we want. We are free to do whatever we want outside, aren''t we?¡± Kindrav dropped the bag he was holding to the ground.

    ¡°Shut your mouth, filthy barbarian! I''m not talking to you. You can take those earrings off, but you will always be a filthy animal. It''s in your blood, and like an animal, you should just behave or be put down.¡± Shredding all pretenses, Ibrak couldn''t contain his displeasure anymore.

    He had treated the barbarian well only because Grujil didn''t mind him, being the descendant of a foreigner himself, the BIg Boss could sympathize with Kindrav. But to Ibrak, the difference between a normal foreigner and a barbarian was like that between heavens and earth.

    Forgetting about Kindrav, Ibrak''s gaze returned to Aleran, who was looking at him with those eyes he hated. He was appraising his every movement, even in this situation. Ibrak could almost see the endless possible scenarios reflected in his eyes.

    ¡°I''m asking you, you little piece of shit! Where did you go the other night? I can see it in your eyes, you are plotting something, and I can tell you it won''t work. You are trapped like a rat now. You better spill out everything. What did you do yesterday? And if there''s nothing wrong, you may be able to go with your head attached to your shoulders.¡± Ibrak¡¯s cold voice echoed inside the tunnel, this was further enhanced by the silence the rest of his men made.

    Aleran shook his head thinking, ¡®This man has been holding some grudges for a long time, maybe he was wary of us but I failed to see it.¡¯ Now, it became evident to Aleran that he hadn''t seen how wary Ibrak really was of him. And last night''s incident had given him the perfect excuse to act on his previous suspicions.

    But on the outside Aleran just kept a calm facade, ¡°I don''t know why you are so insistent, but whatever. I just went to gather some rations and buy some clothes before parting.¡± He lied with the hope that it still existed a small chance where this could be solved peacefully.

    ¡°Then come with us to prove that what you are saying is true.¡± Ibrak nodded and took a step forward followed by all the goons next to him. Clearly, he was trying to capture them and maybe even thinking about torture, judging by the savage expression he was trying to hide. ¡°You better not resist, I know where you two come from. Vast Sky Village, was it? If I have to, I assure you we can visit that place and take a look around.¡±

    Ibrak didn''t want this to turn into an open fight. Even though he didn''t know how capable these two boys were at fighting. Other than what he saw in the pit when they first arrived, they were a mystery to him.

    But they completed the mission too well for him to underestimate them, that''s why he brought so many people with him. He was too weak to fight for a prolonged time right now. It would be better if the two boys just surrendered. His men were also tired and stressed, it would be best if all was solved without actually drawing their swords.

    That would be the most sensible solution, even if Kindrav and Aleran got out of this by some miracle, they couldn''t kill everyone inside the tunnels. And as long the Crimson Claw existed their family and friends would be in danger. Under these circumstances, there was no point in resisting.

    The two boys before him fell silent.

    ¡°Oh, and I think the little Sarya is already in the Capital, maybe she would like to join us too,¡± Ibrak said, trying to strike while the iron was hot. He had gotten information about Kindrav¡¯s whole foster family and had a rough idea of the place they occupied in his heart. The feeling of superiority he felt through these methods was something almost comparable to overpowering his enemies by raw force.

    Then, Ibrak looked at Aleran and the sensation of superiority dropped. The boy was a fricking ghost, it was as if he had spawned out of nowhere. He believed that Aleran could be someone from a merchant caravan that got too greedy and tried to cross the Forest of Eternal Nightmares.

    But he had no proof of anything, and almost nobody would be stupid enough to cross the Forest of Eternal Nightmares unless they had considerable power. What''s more, the kid didn''t seem to have any other close kin he wished to contact. Those merchant caravans run by one or two families never put all their eggs in a single basket. There was always someone who either stayed back or had another trading route.

    Ibrak knew that Kindrav would send some letters to his foster father from time to time, but Aleran never did such a thing. Apparently, the boy was truly all on his own.

    Upon hearing Ibrak''s words, Kindrav''s face turned various shades darker, but he said nothing. Only a quiet and constrained fury burned in the back of his eyes. Aleran felt a chill in his heart but at the same time a thought pop in his head.

    ''Sigh.'' He sighed in resignation. Obviously, nothing would work at this point. So, Aleran dropped his bag to the ground and stood in position with Kindrav. There was no fear in his eyes, only a strange calmness mixed with a light that made even the twenty thugs halt their breaths. This was unshakable confidence. It was also his first time showing actual killing intent. These men were already dead for him.

    ¡°Hahaha. Okay, it seems you do have some ability. But are you really fighting us all?¡± Ibrak¡¯s heart inwardly dropped. How confident were these two kids in their abilities? Did they really believe they could defeat every single one his men, and then defeat him?

    He may be injured, but the only reason he didn''t want to fight was for fear that it would take longer to heal his injuries. He didn''t doubt for a minute he could kill these two petulant kids. Admittedly, with some difficulty.

    That was his frame of mind until it shattered when he saw the confidence in Aleran''s eyes. It was only a small change in his disposition, but this boy was worlds apart from the green kid that was introduced by that city guard.

    Something happened that transformed him into the threatening figure before him. Or, was it that he was always this dangerous only that he had been hiding his sharpness, like a sheathed sword. If it was the latter possibility, then the kid was a true monster.

    Doubts began to appear in Ibrak''s heart. Doubts that soon became fear. Which was replaced by shame at being afraid of a pair of Heaven Opening stage kids. And very quickly, it all morphed into a wave of burning anger.

    ¡°Show them this is no place for kids to screw around, guys. Kill Them!¡± In his altered state, Ibrak forgot about the original plan of capturing them. There were still many questions he would like them to answer. But those inquiries were thrown out of his head the moment he lost his temper.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Hehehe, with pleasure, boss.¡±

    ¡°We will get to kill the twin ghosts!¡±

    ¡°A short-lived legend, what a pity.¡±

    ¡°Sorry lads, this isn''t a problem you can get away with hiding skills.¡±

    The first row of eight started to advance as they mocked the two young men. Their faces showing the pleasure they felt to take down someone more famous than them.

    But those words entered one ear and came out of the other for the duo facing the gangsters. Aleran''s eyes shone with a strange light as he whispered to Kindrav, ¡° Kin, step back. At least ten steps. And don''t take your sword out of its scabbard, that is very important.¡± As he said that he stood in front of Kindrav.

    ¡°What are you doing, Al?¡± Kindrav whispered back with a harried voice. He knew Aleran was powerful, but deafening twenty men plus Ibrak was madness, no matter the extent of Ibrak''s injuries.

    What''s more, this was against their usual way of fighting. If Aleran had asked him to hold these men for a few seconds, Kindrav wouldn''t have found that strange. He would have gladly bought time for Aleran and wait for him to kill a few later. But instead, Aleran was going to fight them alone.

    The corner of Alerans lips curved upward, ¡°Kin, you have never seen me going all out.¡± In fact, since the time he was escaping with Zarasen, he had never gone all out again. The biggest reason was that the conditions were never given. Many times, almost always, he was afraid of hurting Kindrav. But now, these idiots, with their mocking smiles gave him enough time to make Kindrav step back.

    But the most important thing was that his understanding of how to use the images had increased. Every time he had used them in the past, it increased his ability and his efficiency. Right now he could transform almost all his inner qi into his image, instead of wasting it in creating the image and losing energy with heat.

    His past experiences were not for nothing, as they now had become the source of his confidence. IN the past he could, at most, kill three or four men with this. But with the efficiency increased, he now could take much more than that.

    ¡°Hahahahaa. I can''t believe it, you actually want to make your odds even worse?

    "This kid wrong in the head?"

    "There are many ways to become famous, and luck seems to be their way."

    ¡°You are thinking too highly of yourself, kid. But it''s okay, we will have fun with you first.¡±

    ¡°STOP WASTING TIME AND KILL THEM AT ONCE!¡± Ibrak''s yell put an end to the laughter of his subordinates. He didn''t mind it at first, but for some reason, he got a bad feeling and the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end. Cold sweat started to gather at his back and for some reason, he took a step back.

    Seeing his men in silence and starting to wield their weapons, that were mostly a bunch of swords and brass knuckles, he relaxed a little. But the unease was still there, so he took another step back.

    ¡°Thank you for giving me time, guys, you basically killed yourselves,¡± Aleran''s cold whisper could not be heard by the laughing men. He raised his opened hands and didn''t waste any more time.

    Kindrav, who was behind Aleran, didn''t move. He just stood in place grabbing the hilt of his sword, nervous, ready to unsheathe it at the minor hint of problems. But soon, he lost his grip on the hilt as he could only watch with wide eyes at the frightening spectacle in front of him.

    ¡°Kacha Kacha Kacha!¡± Unlike the many thin bolts of lighting Aleran used last time, these lightning bolts were less in number but very thick. And besides the buzzing noise of electricity, the sound of the air expanding due to the heat after being ionized could also be heard.

    It was a sound these men could only describe as the sound of thunder. The air screamed in pain at the power of those white arcs of death.

    The arcs of withe light meandered across the air between Aleran and the group of men in a mare instant. Leaving the bright light imprinted on the retina of those who were still alive to see them.

    Almost half of the lightning bolts missed the targets, but there was always more coming and at such speed that it made no difference whatsoever.

    It all happened in mare seconds. Aleran took only two steps forward while throwing electric arcs from his hands to reach those who were further ahead. That was all it took.

    Almost fifteen men turned to black carcasses without having the chance to even scream. On some of those charred bodies, the traces of some self-confident smirks could still be seen.

    The smell of burnt meat inundated the tunnel and smoke filled the area. It was a scene taken straight from hell.

    "Huff...Huff...Huff" Now, a different kind of silence took place in the tunnel. A heavy silence filled with dread and fear. Only the heavy pant of Aleran could be heard.

    Aleran didn''t glance at the dead, he had no time to regard what he had done. He needed to rest, even while being almost at the Qi Circulation stage, he could barely handle the stress this attack put on his body.

    On the other side, Ibrak''s legs almost gave up at the sight he just witnessed, it all happened so fast that he could not believe it was real. Those few who were lucky enough to survive turned from ferocious fighters into frightening little animals.

    Many questions ran through Ibrak''s mind but he didn''t want to hear them. He just wanted to wake up in a reality where he hadn''t provoke such a monster.

    He placed his gaze on the culprit of this madness, and finally, he regained some of his bearings. Because Aleran was panting. ''But of course, he is just a human. His qi was at most half-step into Qi Circulation.''

    Although that last sentence was supposed to reassure him, it only served to frighten him even more. For a moment he thought Aleran was a spy sent by the Crown Prince himself, or even the descendant of a powerful family with an incredible blood lineage. But, besides that neither of those options made any sense, nobody would send someone so talented to such a dangerous place.

    The myriad and chaotic thoughts running through his head converged into a single voice. ''Kill him... we must kill him now that he is weak!''

    "He is tired and it''s obvious he spent all his inner qi. Now is our chance!" Ibrak urged what was left of his subordinates. Only four pitiful and frightened men were spared. And that was because, just before the attack, they had taken a step back together with Ibrak. They had been able to tell that Ibrak had felt something wrong, and that saved them.

    One of them was sitting on the floor from the jump scare he got. Another one was staring blankly at the front, clearly, he was in shock. But the last two were brave enough to step forth.

    It took a kick to the one who was sitting next to Ibrak, to make him stand and go too. While the last one was woken up from his fear-induced coma by one of his comrades.

    "HAHAHAHAHA!" A peal of laughter exploded abruptly inside the tunnel. " And here I was worrying for nothing, it seems I''m friends with a monster. Hahahaha!" Kindrav finally came out of his astonishment. After all, he was used at seeing Aleran defy common sense. Only that this time, Aleran had truly outdone himself.

    "Huff, Huff, Let¡äs... Huff, let''s do as usual now, Kin." Aleran said between gasps, taking a few steps back while the four goons stepped forward.

    In a second, they had exchanged places, now it was Kindrav who was at the front while Aleran stepped down from the fight.

    Ibrak was bewildered at what he was seeing. There were still four men at the Heaven Opening, thrid phase against them. No matter how tired Aleran was, the only reasonable action was to fight together. Ibrak doubted Kindrav had a similar power yet the kid still wore a confident smile on his face.

    This scene also made his subordinates flinch and halt their advance. They were clearly traumatized by the previous events.

    "Don''t fret, you idiots! Do you think that kind of power grows in the trees? Only the other kid has it." In the end, they needed Ibrak to compel them to move.

    Kindrav took his sword and stood in front of Aleran, watching the four men approach with caution. He couldn''t help but chuckle at the furtive glances they sent to Aleran. Their state of mind would only help him.

    "Ahhh" One of the four men finally couldn''t wait anymore, preferring to move than to stay in silence and remember what had just happened.

    With the first moving, the other three also took action. The first one had a short sword and went stabbing for Kindrav''s chest. The second, a tall man with a long sword that was at his left, swung his blade going for Kindrav''s head. While the other two just waited for openings.

    Meanwhile, Kindrav never stopped smiling. Just when it seemed the swords would hit their intended target, he moved. With a swing of his sword, he parried the one coming at his chest and move it towards the one coming from his left. This movement was extremely effective as it blocked both swords with one elegant move.

    But it also exposed his back and right side, and this flaw was exploited by the other two who pounced at him. One slightly chubby man flung his sword at him intending to cut from above and the other bald man slashed sideways almost at the same time.

    But at that moment, Kindrav moved one more time with incomparable grace and a smooth flow.

    Kindrav''s body contorted with fluidity just at the moment the first man was about to swing down his sword. He kicked him in the chest with an immense force. And, that same movement, allowed Kindrav to barely dodge the sword that was slashing sideways.

    As he incorporated himself in a standing position Kindrav''s sword stabbed slightly against the leg of the bald man who slashed horizontally. But that slight touch was so precise that almost pierced through the leg, cutting the Achilles tendon.

    In what was practically a single move, Kindrav had managed to injure two of the four men. Ibrak knew what these moves were, but he didn''t want to believe it. Every move Kindrav made seemed to be a variation of his previous movement, and this made all his movements look like one single fluid motion.

    Ibrak knew exactly what this meant, Kindrav had actually managed to merge the Flowing Water martial stance with his sword moves. It was still very rough, but the kid had managed to take a step into a broader path that few elites could walk at that age.

    What unsettled Ibrak was that when he had seen him fight, back at the pit, the boy had no clue of how to use even a single martial stance. The training of martial stances was very hard to hide. The higher the mastery of the martial stance, the easier it was to notice it when the martial artist started to fight. And when they fought they would subconsciously show it in their movements, even if they tried to hide it.

    This implied that in these few cycles, Kindrav had not only learned the Flowing Water martial stance, he even took it one step further and merged it with his sword moves. Ibrak felt like he was part of some collective joke, and his men were actually helping Kindrav and Aleran to make fun of him. If it weren''t for the charred corpses on the floor he would have truly believed that.

    And if he knew that Kindrav had only seen the Flowing Water martial stance up close only once, he may even suffer a heart attack.

    He watched the battle with cold eyes for a while longer, in hopes that Kindrav would make a mistake or that his mind slipped up. But the more time it passed the more refined the kid''s movements became. It was like seeing the training of entire Cycles, or even a year, in the span of a few breaths.

    It continued until the point where one of the men lost an arm. Now the prospects of the battle were truly grim. '' I will have to make a move myself.'' Thought Ibrak with a dark expression. He had brought men precisely because he feared that. But seeing Kindrav''s monstrous improvement was starting to put him on edge.

    These men all had unrefined moves, even though they had been a part of the army, they hadn''t been real soldiers. These people were never part of the dragon, as the people of the army called it.

    It meant that they were only helping the army as external forces, like mercenaries. But they were never part of any unit. For example, Oldre was part of the dragon scales, there were also the dragon claws, the fangs, etc. But these men had been part of the militia, which was practically a meat shield.

    Maybe if Rogdo was still around,Ibrak would have hopes of these men killing Kindrav. After all, Rogdo had been a low-grade soldier of the dragon fangs and had some knowledge with martial stances.

    "Sigh..." Ibrak took a step forward, but just as he was about to make a move, he caught sight of Aleran at the back. The boy was seated in the lotus position. And Ibrak thought he just wanted to rest his mind and body for a while.

    But right at this moment, Ibrak saw something that took away his breath. Once again, he was flabbergasted. In this single fight, he had been startled more times than he had been in his whole life.

    He could feel the turbulence of source qi surrounding the boy, and he could feel the massive amounts of it that were gathering towards him. He had never thought someone would have the guts to gather qi in front of his enemies. But with that speed it was possible. ''What kind of spirit veins does that little monster have? Is that speed of gathering source qi even possible?''

    Despite his surprise, Ibrak didn''t doubt for a second. He could tell that if he let Aleran alone, the boy would be back in his peak state in no time. That would spell death not only for his men but also for him. Gathering some force, he pushed with his legs and jumped over Kindrav and his subordinates, reaching the ceiling of the tunnel.

    "Al, watch out!" Kindrav screamed the moment he saw the look on Ibrak''s face. The yell reached Aleran just when Ibrak was high above.

    And again, Ibrak pushed with his feet on the ceiling and propelled himself towards Aleran, striking with his palm. Inner qi gathered in front of his palm as numerous illusory fethers took form and went flying towards Aleran

    On the other hand, Aleran frowned and opened his eyes while coughing a mouthful of blood. He didn''t know where the attack was coming from, so he could only roll to one side hoping for the best.

    Luckily enough, he avoided all the feathers, but one that clung to his shoulder. Even though the cloak could not be harmed by normal weapons, it seemed that images and qi could damage it.

    Aeran didn''t even bother to fight Ibrak. He had only been able to gather a little bit of energy and didn''t want to waste it all. "Let''s run!" Aleran yelled and started running towards Kindrav and the goons fighting. Kindrav put his sword back on his seat while facing the four thugs who by know were trying to survive more than trying to kill him.

    With a wave of Aleran''s hand, the swords of everyone shifted towards him only for a second. Destabilizing the men and even Ibrak who was behind. That small window of time was enough for Kindrav to pass by the four men who were trying to regain their footing.

    In such fashion, both Aleran and Kindrav escape the encirclement.

    Meanwhile, Ibrak, who was coughing blood, raised his head and started to chase. " Follow them! If they get out of the tunnels everything will get complicated!" He had immediately regretted having used his image, It forced his spirit veins and almost made him convulse. That''s why Aleran could escape so easily.

    But although some part of him wanted to catch them. Another part, hidden inside his heart, wanted to just let that monster go. He too had felt the tug on his metallic belt when Aleran waved his hand. The abilities of the boy never ceased to amaze him. And the other kid, the barbarian, was also nothing to scoff at, he was a monster on his own right.

    He couldn''t put what he saw under any category. Was Aleran using images with such a low level of cultivation? Impossible. Was that a bloodline power? Unlikely, because it manifested outside his body. And, had Kindrav always been practicing in secret? how did he learn so fast?

    No answer could give him peace. He could only search in this maze of tunnels for the boys with a troubled heart.

 Chapter 38: Hilua in Chaos Once Again.

    With a bang, Aleran closed the door that connected to the tunnels. To lose track of their pursuers, they were forced to change course several times. And now, they had come out near a shopping district filled with people, instead of the intended place.

    Luckily, they were not that far from the west gate and the door they came out was yet to be discovered by the patrols. So, even though they made quite a rucks coming out, they just earned some curious glances from the people passing by.

    But they could not relax yet, as they knew Ibrak was hot on their heels. He knew the tunnels better than them, and it was just a matter of time for him to find their trace.

    Aleran turned his head to the side, looking at Kindrav, who took the key to the formation and gave it a long look at it, wavering for a moment. He was hesitating whether to do it or not. According to Aldra they only had to put the paper talisman on the edge of the formation, in this case, near the door of the tunnels, and everyone inside will surely be in peril.

    Kindrav couldn''t get off his head the image of his adoptive family being hurt because of a dumb mistake he did. And that, made his blood boil and his face turn dark with rage and hate. He wanted these people to burn in hell for even thinking about hurting his loved ones.

    But he could also imagine the face the village chief would put if he knew about this. He could almost hear his voice telling him what he should do, or more like what he shouldn''t do in this situation. Would Sarya look at him with the same eyes if she ever knew how much blood was in his hands? Surely not. She wouldn''t hate him, she would just look at him with pity instead of love.

    ¡®But, they don''t have to know. I can carry this burden by myself. That bastard, how dare he threaten them?¡¯ Said Kindrav to himself while he remembered the smug face of Ibrak. Despite all that hate, his hand moved staggeringly slow. It was only a split second before he finished, that he felt a hand on his shoulder.

    Turning around he saw Aleran¡¯s face, with a look that Kindrav had already seen many times. It was a look unlike a 15 years old boy, it was a deep gaze filled with the weight and knowledge. In this case, the knowledge of the consequences it entailed to Kindrav''s mind doing such an act.

    In the middle of their fight, Aleran had already anticipated this when Ibrak threatened with going to Vast Sky village. He also believed that if Kindrav did activate the formation it could benefit them to escape the city.

    In the spur of the moment, Aleran had actually made a plan to escape the city after destroying the tunnels. While everyone was distracted on what was probably going to be an eye-catching incident, they could use that window of time to flee the city.

    But now, seeing Kidrav hesitating, he couldn''t stand it anymore. ¡°Let it be Kin, they will get what they deserve but it doesn''t have to be you. You don''t have to carry those deaths on your shoulders. And we don''t have to prove anything to anyone, certainly not to Aldra. Don''t let a fleeting moment of rage become an eternal burden in your heart. ¡±

    He was sure that Aldra had given him the key to the formation as some sort of test. And for a while, he was okay letting Kindrav do the deed. But right now he felt incredibly selfish and self-centered. He hadn''t realized how much doing this would impact Kindrav.

    The tunnels were almost as big as the city, and, even if most of the members had left, there were many more still inside. It was not only about the numbers. Sure, the sheer weight of ending almost five hundred lives could crush a person''s heart. But also there was the question of how many people were truly bad and how many were just rouge cultivators trying to survive.

    Chances were all those that lived underground were bad guys, but the doubt would still be present. Had I killed someone that, just like me, was only trying to get something from the Crimson Claw? That doubt would slowly burn him from the inside.

    Kindrav was probably struggling with those questions right now-

    But besides all that, Aleran had other reasons. While he could sympathize with Kindrav''s feelings, it was his logical brain that was telling him how unnecessary it was to dirty their own hands with this.

    Aleran never believed in the idea of ''good people'' or ''bad people''. It was mainly a matter of perspective, that was why no one could judge people thinking his sole opinion was right. Because someone could also be judged by another person as ''bad''.

    But in order to think from a purely logical stance, it was necessary to remove the hatred they had for the Crimson Claw. Something that Kindrav was clearly failing to see. These people were going to die by Aldra''s hands anyway. Logically speaking, there was no reason to dirty their own hands.

    The only thing that held Aleran back at first, was the reaction Aldra would have if they didn''t activate the formation. He was afraid of her taking that as a sign of regret or weakness and that she decided to kill them for that.

    But he would rather take his chances than killing automatically just for convenience. If the Crimson Claw could be a threat after this, he would certainly support the idea of sending them all to hell. The guilt could make him lose hours of sleep at night, but the fear of retaliation would surely make him go crazy of paranoia.

    He barely flinched when he killed those fifteen men. But that didn''t mean he wanted to become someone who would kill anyone just to make it more convenient. Right now, his moral compass was not exactly working great, but at least, he knew what he didn''t want to become.

    And letting Kindrav activate the formation would be even worse than doing it himself. He would actually prefer to kill those men than cowardly hide behind Kindrav and let him do the dirty work.

    "It is no longer our issue, we got what we wanted. And, more importantly, we know someone else is going to shoulder the burden of killing them all." They had already been used to put the formation in place, but that was without knowing how many lives it would endanger.

    Aleran had thought it was a way for Heaven''s Vault to have a better understanding of what was happening inside the tunnels. And then, they would have to enter with their forces to deal with the Crimson Claw. It was a completely different thing to know that those living inside could die without even putting a fight.

    In the end, feeling guilty for what they did was inevitable. What he said and what he repeated to himself was mostly an excuse, he knew it. But now that it was impossible to reverse the situation, they might as well let others do the real dirty work. ''This way, it is easier to fool ourselves into thinking we got nothing to do with this.'' Aleran thought with a heavy heart. Hoping that, at least, Kindrav would get out of this with a clearer consciousness than him.

    "Remember, this is only a branch f the Crimson Claw, right now the only ones who know about us are in this branch. Let others take care of this problem. We are in the middle of a fight that is above us. We are just pawns to the bigger players, Kin, let them settle this. Let¡äs go, we still aren''t in the clear...Huh?" As Aleran was trying to convince him, the paper talisman in the hands of Kindrav started to shine and his hand started to shake.  And, with the increase in the radiance of the paper talisman Kindrav''s hand shook even more.

    Veins protruding on his neck and head, Kindrav called to Aleran, " Al, is trying to fly off my hand!"

    Aleran reached for the white piece of paper, trying to help. But the paper seemed to have come alive as it started to struggle with an even fiercer determination to get off their grip. The drawing of the toad seemed to come alive as it opened its mouth.

    <hr>

    Inside of a small yet elegant tea shop, an equally elegant young lady sat looking through the window. She had a black dress on her body and a veil on her face, this was common practice for single noble ladies of the capital, not so much on Hilua. But the curious thing about the lady was that having just arrived she didn''t ask for tea and instead she just sat there waiting.

    ¡°Mmm... they should come out from this door, there is no other tunnel. Something must have happened that made them change directions too many times. Hehehe.¡± Mumbled the lady to herself as she brushed to the side a strand of white hair that was covering her eye.

    She was none other than Aldra who, with her paper talisman in hand, was following the movements of the two boys. She chose this place with a good view of the door she guessed was the only one left they could come out from. After all, she had the complete map of the underground tunnels.

    And her memory of the tunnels was soon proved to be right. They came out with an unsteady breath, quickly closing the door behind them. But they didn''t run as anyone would guess, instead, the older boy, took out the key of the formation.

    Aldra could almost feel the hesitation that was running through the boy¡¯s mind. And when Aleran put his hand on his shoulder, stopping Kindrav movement altogether, she finally knew their decision.

    ¡°Oh, my master was right about them. I guess that means the next lunch we take is on me.¡± She took her key and infused some inner qi in it. Instantly, the rough drawing of a toad in her paper opened its big mouth.

    The two kids tried to stop it with all their strength, even though mere instants ago they were pondering whether to do it themselves.

    After waiting for a little while, she added more power to the key. Next, she only sat back and relaxed, watching the two boys suddenly struggle to stop what they knew was inevitable.

    She could hear the agitated cursed of the younger boy as their hands started to feel the heat the paper talisman radiated. It came to the point of being as hot as putting their hands on fire.

    In the end, the power was such, that a small shock wave was expelled from inside the hands of the two boys. This shock wave was enough to remove their hands form the paper talisman. And like that, they watched as the key plastered itself right next to the door they had just come out from.

    Having been destabilized by the tiny but powerful shock wave, the two sat on the floor watching with wide eyes as the formation ignored their intervention and completed itself. After a while, that previous power was nowhere to be seen. The paper talisman that seconds ago was like a fierce dragon struggling to break free, looked now like the funny drawing of a frog. As if some child had whimsically pasted his artwork on the wall.

    The blonde one was the first to recover and stand up, dragging his still stunned partner away from the door. Soon, both of them got lost into the crowd of people. Only the closest bystanders noticed what had happened. But after some curious glances at the boys and at the previously glowing paper, they went back to their own business.

    But that wasn''t all, soon after the two boys were out of sight a ragged and worn out Ibrak came out of from the tunnels. He watched with apprehension at his surroundings but did not dare to venture too far from the door. Unlike Aleran and Kindrav, he was actively searched by the guards all around the city. There was practically no one who didn''t know his visage, and worst of all, there were even wanted posters all around the city.

    Yet, despite all that, he still hesitated. He had suffered a big setback at the hands of Aleran and Kindrav. And now they had become two big loose ends. But besides that, his personal grudge was burning with unprecedented intensity and part of him refused to let it go just like that.

    However, logic won over his agitated heart and he took a step back. It had taken him a while to track their footsteps inside the dark tunnels, while at the same time, fearing a surprise attack from the two. They could already be anywhere, and venturing outside right now was tantamount at throwing himself into the tiger''s den.

    Aldra watched how, in a matter of seconds, Ibrak made the worst decision and probably the last one of his life. He turned around and went back, together with his three men. ¡® Well, in his defense he doesn''t know how dangerous the tunnels will turn out to be in the next Mu.¡¯ She thought while shaking her head. He had made the right decision taking into consideration what he knew at the moment.

    That was no longer Aldra concern, she only had to wait now.

    ¡°Amm, miss are you not going to order anything?¡± The shop clerk asked politely, seeing her veil and elegant dress.

    ¡° I already have what I wanted, thanks.¡± Aldra just passed by the counter and left a single gold coin, making the clerk almost jump in joy at the free coin. The lady had only used one table for less than a Mu, it was literally free money.

    With graceful steps, she left the shop and immediately, like the boys, she blended into the crowd of people.

    <hr>

    For a while, Kindrav just followed Aleran without saying a word. Until finally he came to terms to what had happened. " That woman, she must have done something to the key behind our backs."

    "There was no point in us trying to stop the paper talisman, we knew they were going to die. But it happened so quickly that we acted out of instinct. If my guess is right, she or someone under her must have been watching us from somewhere close. Perhaps she put someone in every door just to see what we will do." Aleran was sure now that the whole thing with the key was just a test of some sort. Although he didn''t know why someone would go to such lengths to test them.

    "And we went and showed her how we really feel about killing all the Crimson Claw members inside the tunnels indiscriminately." Kindrav completed the idea.

    Aleran nodded, "Indeed, she now knows she can''t trust us completely I guess. Maybe, she wanted to see if we would warn them. Though, I don''t really know why would anyone use this method as a test. " To Aleran it was pretty clear that warning them about the danger was not an option. They would just put themselves in ore danger that way.

    "I have no clue what''s in her mind. But I do know it is pointless to keep talking about it. What''s done it''s done." Aleran quickly put an end to the discussion. They had more pressing issues at hand. " Our first plan was to look for Oldre, but I think that now it is safer to wait and see what happens with the tunnels. If the commotion is too big we may be able to use that as a distraction and then look for Oldre."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Besides looking for Oldre, the other option before the incident with the paper talisman was waiting for Aldra to make her move. But she said she was going to wait until night. And the more time they spent on the streets, the more likely they would get caught. It was tantamount to bet with their lives if they decided to wait for Aldra to act.

    With that in mind, Aleran and Kindrav quickly ran until they reached the vicinity of the gate. And next, they decided to wait.

    But to Aleran''s surprise, the underground explosion and the huge earthquake he was waiting for never happened. Instead, a purple gas started to surge, seemingly from nowhere, all around the city. At first, it was inconspicuous, but in a matter of a few minutes, the gas engulfed the whole city. Inside the city, one could only see purple.

    Panic took hold of most commoners and cultivators alike. Those few cultivators who had any means of flight used them unconcerned of the restrictions. It was better to be punished later than to get exposed to this unknown substance. Most people on the ground started to yell and run to take refuge.

    But Aleran noticed that those who breathed the purple gas were just fine. They didn''t seem to be in any danger, only in fear and confusion.

    Aleran was sure this was the formation''s doing, and by the same certainty he was almost sure Aldra and Heavens Vault would not destroy a whole city just to kill the Crimson Claw. If he had learned something from Aldra was that they operated with discretion and decimating cities was clearly not their M.O. Not to mention that their own store was still in the city, it would be utter idiocy for such known commerce to destroy their place.

    Nonetheless, he covered his mouth and stopped breathing until he saw that some of the cage birds that were on sale nearby were fine.

    But the lack of lethality of the smoke did rose the question as to what happened on the tunnels. This smoke was coming from the many small ventilation ducts of the tunnels spread throughout the city. So, it was obvious this was a product of the formation.

    What Aleran didn''t know was that inside the tunnels that purple gas was actually black. Al those paper talismans they had planted started to show on their surface the same drawing of a frog. And the gas was coming out of its open mouth like a torrent, quickly flooding the tunnels.

    And the mere touch of this gas was enough to put a normal human into a path to a gruesome death. Every member of the Crimson Claw, Ibrak Included, was currently convulsing on the floor. Fuming out of their mouths and asphyxiating. Their eyes became red and bloated as if they were about to pop out. Their bodies were starting to corrode by the mere touch of the gas, black patches of skin appeared. But that was soon corroded, as the muscles and even bones soon started to emerge. All in all, It was a cruel death.

    But once the smoke left the perimeter of the formation it instantly morphed into a less dense and purple colored gas. And besides a mild burning sensation in the eyes and itching in the throat, it was harmless.

    Finally, after some more time passed, the smoke became an impediment to seeing anything beyond a few feet away.

    Ignoring what was happened underground, but somewhat guessing its nature, Aleran said to Kindrav. "This is better than I expected. It''s not an explosion but it is a perfect cover for us."

    Both of them went without hesitation towards the small gate next to the bigger one made of metal that was tightly shut. All the surroundings of the gate were in chaos, the open field that was between the closest building and the gate was filled with the disoriented shadows of the guards.

    Kindrav took the lead whispering, " I don''t know if uncle Oldre is on guard this early in the morning, they change that often. But if he is, he should be right next to the gate.

    They went past almost half of the guards and were closing very fast.

    "Hey! Come Here!" The yell of a guard could be heard, but when they turned around, they find out he wasn''t talking to them. It seemed some of the pedestrians that were running started to run towards the gates. And the border of the gates was, right now, a restricted place.

    But as more and more people started to run towards the gate the situation turned more chaotic. It got to the point where going while crouching and hiding was useless. So, Aleran and Kindrav decided to start running towards the small side door. Unlike the rest of the commoners, they remembered perfectly where the small gate was even with the purple gas blocking their sight. Even though they didn''t have a clear sight of it, they knew its exact location. After all, that was their original objective.

    Finally, after jumping over a fence they almost stumbled upon, they reached the side door. But looking around, three silhouettes were already there.

    "Halt! If you are looking for refuge, go back, this place is off-limits!" Despite the smoke, the three guards could tell these two hooded shadows were not guards.

    Aleran and Kindrav didn''t stop, they kept running towards the black silhouettes of the guards. It wasn''t much of a surprise attack, but they needed any advantage they could get. If they truly wanted to kill them, it would be truly easy. But these were no thugs, they were just a bunch of guards doing their job. Despite all they had been through, Aleran and Kindrav would not kill them heartlessly.

    Aleran was the first to attack, he sent a punch with some electric charge in it. The guard who blocked the attack easily felt a numb sensation but it wasn''t enough to shake him. The guard, stiffly, sent back a right hook.

    "Tsk" Aleran clicked his tongue in annoyance, it was much harder to stun someone than kill him. Cultivators had a higher tolerance to the electric shock and calculating the power to make it none lethal was pretty hard

    Meanwhile, Kindrav had engaged in a fight with the other two guards. And, though he didn''t have an image to rely on, he had a better time fighting them. In a matter of three exchanges, one guard was already with a broken nose and the other was having immense trouble to keep up. In direct combat, Aleran was not even half as good as Kindrav was.

    But as Aleran was dodging the experienced fighter at the same time that he was preparing another electric shock, he heard Kindrav''s surprised voice.

    " Uncle Oldre?"

    "Little Kin? When did you get so good at kicking my ass?" A similarly socked voice came from one of the men he was fighting.

    The other two guards stopped at the familiarity his comrade showed with these people. They had not been fighting to kill, for all these guards knew, Kindrav and Aleran were just two cultivators scared of staying in the city. And they could tell Kindrav and Aleran, similarly, were not harboring killing intent. So, when Kindrav called for Oldre they all stopped at once.

    "Oldre, do you know them?" Asked the shadow of the man Aleran was fighting. Up close, Aleran was able to see that the man he was fighting was past his middle age and had some grey hair.

    "Yes yes, don''t hit them." Oldre¡äs relived voice could be heard. "They are my nephew and his friend. They had come from my village to know the city. But as you can see, they had come at the wrong time. It is a shame the first impression of a real City they get is one with constant incidents, chaos, and martial law. We lost contact a few days ago and they must be sacred."

    The old man snorted. " They didn''t look too scared, though." He still remembered the numbing sensation he felt with that punch. Maybe, someone less experienced would have been put into great trouble thanks to that. He didn''t know how the hooded figure did it, but they were not the sheeps Oldre wanted him to see. Still, they didn''t come with blades or with killing intent, so he let that slide.

    The three guards gathered together while Aleran and Kindrav also got next to the other. They saw how the three silhouettes started to murmur something for a while. Especially how Oldre talked to the older man, who seemed to be the leader of the three. After a short discussion, Oldre approached them.

    "You are in luck that team leader owes me one. I know why you are here, and I must say it is a sensible choice you made. The Crimson Claw has caused too much trouble. I won''t enter into much detail, but everyone involved with them, even me and my whole team are implicated. We let them pass too much contraband after all. And now that everything has gotten out of hand, we will pay four our greed." Oldre made a slight pause as if inwardly reprimanding himself.

    It was a very real possibility for the formation breaker Grujil used that night had been smuggled through one of the gates of the city. This ended up putting the life of the city lord in danger. Oldre couldn''t think of a worse crime than that.

    Oldre struck Aleran as more mature than the last time they had met. It seemed that the pressure of a possible punishment made him understand some things and made him grow more mature. ''I guess, it''s never late to mature and learn something. Maybe this is a good thing for him.''

    Then, Oldre continued, "I''m sorry Kin. I got you involved with these people and now everything has gotten out of hand. My brother was right, I sometimes do things without stopping and thinking about the consequences."

    KIndrav shook his head and hugged Oldre. "Its okay uncle, I came here knowing full well it was going to be hard. Though I won''t say I didn''t curse you and your suggestions a few times, hehe. But I can''t say everything was bad either, as you can see I have learned many things." Said Kindrav as he released Oldre from his hug and pointed at a mark he left on his uncles face while fighting. " And I know you wanted to give me an opportunity to leave the village and find my own path. In the end, you just wanted me to follow my dreams and aspirations."

    Oldre''s eyes redden a little and it wasn''t the smoke that did it. So, he tried to change the curse of the conversation, he wasn''t good with emotional talks. "Coming here to find me and leave the city was the right thing to do. You are a pair of great thieves for the Crimson Claw, but in the end, you are outer members. This makes it possible for you two to come out of this on your feet." Although he was far from their usual place of action, Oldre had been keeping tabs on them out of concern.

    "It is hard to leave without having achieved what you wanted. And I don''t know of other ways to get those IDs. But anything is better than staying here. Believe me, when the big wiggs come to put some order, which they will do at any moment, you won''t want to be here." Oldre turned around and gestured them to follow him.

    Kindrav and Aleran followed him with, more relieved now. They didn''t bother to correct Oldre about the IDs. Although the man had been gathering news about them, he didn''t know they took a major role in the other night''s incident. " Uncle, won''t this cause troubles to you? You know, letting us escape."

    Oldre just looked with a fake sneer at Kindrav. " Hmmph, you may be famous within the Crimson Claw, but you are a nobody. It''s not like I''m aiding the Big Boss of the Crimson Claw. And it''s not like you even took part in any major incidents. You two just happened to be at the wrong time in the wrong place." Despite what he said Kindrav knew Oldre was taking a huge risk by letting them pass through. But Oldre was willing to take it just to put them to safety.

    "Oh, by the way, thank the team leader for turning a blind eye to this. " Oldre pointed at the old man by the side.

    The smoke was still concentrated and they could barely see him. But still, Aleran and Kindrav both approached the man and took off their hoods. They cupped their hands while bowing slightly at the man. " Thank you, Sir. We will never forget this kindness." Said Kindrav.

    "I''m sorry for the punch, sir. Thanks for letting me out of the hook." Aleran apologized.

    The factions of the man soften greatly after that. More than anything, it was the simple gesture of taking the hoods that eased the man''s heart. He was surprised because they were younger than he had thought, and that made Oldre''s story more believable. " Just go, and don''t let this ugly experience be the only memory you got from this city. You should visit the Dragon''s Heart, that place will surely blow your mind."

    After exchanging a few more polite words they went through the small metal door following the short but bulky figure of Oldre.

    "Now, go back to the village Kin. I know it''s painful to go back after failing, but you will be safe. Don''t give up on cultivation, the academy is the best way, but we will think of something with my brother." Oldre said as they walked through the pathway that went through the thick walls.

    "Amm, actually, we already have the ids, uncle. We made them tons of money so it was the less they could do. So, we will probably go to the Dragon''s Heart now." Kindrav finally disclosed the truth or, at least, a partial truth.

    Oldre stopped for a moment, he was truly shocked. Part of the reason why he felt so guilty is that, after having introduced them into the Crimson Claw, he had discovered how hard was to really get them to forge an ID.

    "Hahaha, you two have become truly capable. I feel old now." He just laughed but didn''t ask how they did it. He was aware that there had to be something more to the story, but he didn''t care. As long as they had gotten the IDs everything they had done was not for nothing.

    As they reached the other end Oldre had a short talk with Kindrav, and after another long hug, Oldre addressed both of them. " When the officials outside see that purple smoke they will surely come with reinforcements. You have to move in hiding until they enter the city and then you will be free to run away. You are truly in luck today... wait you didn''t have anything to do with this right?" Oldre ended up asking at the suspiciously good timing the boys had come looking for him.

    "Ahem, no, well... ahem, no," Kindrav answered shyly. The close contact with Oldre had given him a needed relief of the tension and guilt he actually felt.

    Oldre just gazed at his nephew with a strange look but he only shook his head, " Sigh... and they say I am the black sheep of the family." The boy may not be related by blood to him, but really reminded Oldre of himself. And after all these years, he was part of his family. "Just go quickly, and take care of yourself"

    Oldre almost kicked the two boys through the threshold of the gate. He would start to get too emotional if he spent more time talking with Kindrav.

    With his kick as the final push, both kids started to move. From time to time Kindrav would turn and waved like a child, knowing full well that the gesture only made Olde more annoyed than anything else.

    Oldre stayed for a while watching over as they got further and lost themselves into a group of threes.

    "it''s settled then. If it is discovered that the formation breaker was smuggled through this door, you will take the blame for us." The old team leader quietly appeared behind Oldre.

    "Rest assured, I will keep my word," Oldre answered with a serious face. He was willing to take the risk of letting Kindrva and Aleran pass, but his teammates were not. They didn''t even know them, so no matter how much good faith was between Oldre and his mates it was not enough to sway them.

    He had to give them something in return, some assurance. And he was more than willing to sacrifice himself if it ever came to that. The truth was that they didn''t know if the artifact had been smuggled through this door. Most of the time they didn''t ask questions and only took the money. So, the four gates and the four teams of guards in charge of them were all in the same situation. Those who were on guard duty at the gates in the last couple of cycles will be suspects.

    "Good, now let''s go back, it is chaos out there."The old man turned around and Oldre followed him. Despite his precarious situation, Oldre''s eyes were clearer than ever. What Aleran saw was true, he had changed. But more than his situation, it was how he had endangered Kindrav that made him change. Now that he had redeemed a little of what he did, he felt a weight in his heart lift.

    And more than that, seeing how KIndrav had gotten through this ordeal inspired him. The kid had grown and now he was helping him to grow. For the first time in his life, Oldre felt that maybe, he could stop wasting his time making deals with thugs and fooling around. For the first time, he wanted to change.

    <hr>

    Grujil felt as if a worm, or some sort of parasite, was coursing through his veins. Biting at everything it found, the parasite tried to rip him from inside out.

    This was the final gift the City Lord had given to him. Although at the last moment before the explosion the man had used the blood to defend his body, some blood arrows still had kept with the onslaught.

    That blood not only cut through his flesh, it also took residence inside him. Now, it was always moving and twisting inside him. Slowly torturing him from the inside and blocking his recovery. Grujil knew that if he didn''t fight back against this blood, it would kill him in a single day.

    The arrows had hit him in his arm and leg. And that was really fortunate. Had it been his chest the blood would have immediately burrowed his way to his heart, instantly killing him.

    Besides the constant threat of death and the pain, Grujil was sure that this unwanted passenger the City Lord had left on his body allowed the man to track him. But despite knowing his exact location, the City Lord hadn''t come knocking. ''That only means, he was way weaker than I had previously thought.'' Grujil thought gritting his teeth.

    He breathed in and out to cool his head. There was no point in thinking about it. He had to devote his full concentration to expelling this blood, otherwise, he would not be able to run far.

    He had to close his eyes and focus on the inside. But as time kept gong he started to feel a burning sensation on his head. ''Mm, hot, on my head?'' His shut eyes, immediately jumped open with alert. And what he saw made him feel a chill down his spine.

    Darkness, a pitch-black smoke surrounded his body. The crystals illuminating the room were broken by the smoke together with a wooden table that had melted under the strange fog.

    He had been so focused on the inside that he hadn''t realized what was happening outside his body.

    With a start, Grujil stood up and touched his head. The only source of light in the room was where his hand was touching. It was the white feather that always hung on his head. It was only thanks to this totem that he was still alive despite being surrounded by the fog. A thin but extremely sturdy barrier was blocking anything that could harm him.

    The burning sensation was the heat emitted by the feather as it consumed its energy. Once activated it would protect him for a short period of time. It was a one-time use item that activated either when the user wanted or by sensing something harmful.

    Grujil looked at his hands and clothes that had patches of black.

    It seemed that when the fog started to surround him before it could harm him enough for him to get out of his trance, the smoke touched the feather and forced it to activate.

    It was a close call, but he could not wait and think anymore. The totem''s power won''t last long. There was no time to question why or how.

    With the time ticking, Grujil sprinted towards the outside and picked a tunnel. He kept running towards the nearest exit, without caring if someone was waiting outside. That was something he would have to think after that strange smoke was out of the equation. He saw what it did to the table and his clothes as well as his skin, in the mere seconds they came in contact with it. That was more than enough to know how dangerous the dark smoke was.

 Chapter 39: Profiting at Others Expenses

    A few miles outside the city of Hilua, a small collection of rocks was standing peacefully in between some trees. The biggest of these rocs had a cave that was the home of a small wild cat. Being just a mortal beast it was unaffected by the power of the monolith. The wild cat resting inside the cave suddenly sniffed the air and ran away from its own home, as if something very bad was coming.

    First, the cave started to fill with purple smoke, and after a few minutes, a loud rumbling sound could be heard as a figure smashed right through the locked hatch on the floor. But the figure didn''t stop there, with unstoppable momentum it continued upward and also smashed the rock. In an instant, the whole place was filled with rubble and dust.

    Above this messy scene, a pale man with short brown hair was hovering in the air. His figure was rising and falling unstably as if it took some effort for the man to stay in mid-air. Strapped to his hair, the feather that used to be white had become completely dark. The man was none other than Grujil.

    His sight was directed towards the city and his face was twisted in fear and rage. ¡®I barely made it before the totem ran out of power.¡¯ Looking at the city engulfed by a purple cloud and then down below where he just came out, his heart dropped. The quantity was so much, that not even the monolith could be seen. ¡®Who? Who did this?¡¯ It was obvious just by seeing the dark smoke turning purple that the same situation happened with every other tunnel.

    Whoever it was, must have used some kind of formation. But he couldn''t think of someone who would have such an ability. ¡°Well...except for the Astral Runes Sect.¡± But if the Astral Runes Sect had gotten wind that one of its weapons had been compromised they would have attacked directly and retrieved it. Or even openly pressured the Sidrin Empire to give them back that arm.

    The empire knew better than provoking such a monster. They probably just wanted to study the arm before willingly giving it back to the Astral Runes sect. Only the gods knew how and where the City Lord found out that arm and why he had lost so many men retrieving it. But one thing was for sure, he didn''t attack at the Astral Runes Sect directly.

    The relation between the Empire and that sect was actually quite good and it wasn''t worthy to antagonize them for a very small chance at figuring out some runes. Not to mention that in the case of an open conflict the Sidrin Empire would likely be destroyed if it didn''t ally with other powers. Wich again, against the Astral Runes Sect that supplied formations, rallying allies against them was very hard to do. In fact, the Astral Runes Sect could probably gather external forces and fight the empire without having to lift a finger.

    Besides that, Grujil also thought that maybe, the culprits were his own backers. He didn''t know their faces but he was sure of their nature. If the upper echelons of the Crimson Claw ever found out that he had withheld information about that red arm, they would crucify him.

    Even if he told them that he intended to use it as a bargaining chip to ascend inside the Crimson Claw, they would never believe him. And the truth was that Grujil, who had thought that what was inside the box was a fragment of an original circle of runes, wanted to first try and learn something from it. Only if he couldn''t gain anything from it was he planning on giving it to the Crimson Claw.

    But it didn''t make much sense to believe it was them, they would not go to these lengths. While they did have the croquis of the tunnels, being the ones who build them, they would just kill him without making such a spectacle of it. Besides that, he couldn''t think of anyone else. If an Envoy had already arrived he would just do everything by brute force and Grujil would have already been caught or worse.

    Thinking about that, grujil looked around, afraid of being ambushed. But after inspecting carefully he felt no one in the vicinity. Next, he looked at the city again. besides the gigantic cloud of purple smoke covering the city, there were hundreds of black dots surrounding it. These were the guards that had been patrolling outside and, after seeing something so out of the ordinary, decided to fly back. Besides these guards, other cultivators were trying to flee, some of them made it in time, some others were stopped by the guards.

    And just as Grujil was watching, the giant formation guarding the city activated. Those who were still inside were unable to fly too high or too far from it. The formation wasn''t even activated when they had attacked the City Lord. Granted, it wouldn''t have been of much help at that time since what it happened was in an extremely small area inside the city. But seeing it activate now spoke volumes of the state of high alert the city had been put these past days. Grujil didn''t doubt for a second that if the formation was easier and less expensive to maintain, the city guards would have it running 24/7.

    Still afraid of being ambushed, Grujil landed on a tree and started to gather qi into his eyes. The black dots in the distance transformed into the easily recognizable figures of the guards and the cultivators flying. As he looked around, almost by pure accident, he caught the silhouette of two hooded silhouettes running in the opposite direction from the city.

    From time to time, these two men would turn around vigilantly towards the city. In one of those turns, Grujil caught sight of the visage under one of the hoods. Seeing that face, Grujil''s breathing started to accelerate as his chest went up and down with increasing speed. His eyes almost went red as anger spread through his face. ¡° Those two!!¡±

    He had to be an idiot to not relate them to what was happening inside the tunnels. Even though he had no proof, he was sure now that he saw them fleeing from the city just at the right moment. He had to exert almost a supernatural amount of will power to not rush towards them to vent his anger.

    With his expression turning cold, he flew in their direction while trying to not get their attention. As he was speeding off, Grujil didn''t notice that a figure was crouched behind another group of boulders. He was dressed in black robes and if one wasn''t looking at him, one would simply ignore his presence.

    The man took a small vial of silver liquid from under his robe and drank it. The moment he finished the vial, the man that seemed like a normal mortal suddenly showed the energy characteristics of a cultivator. To hide from the senses of a cultivator actively looking for someone, more so if the other party had a higher cultivation base, one needed to drink a special potion. Otherwise, Grujil would have found him immediately after a single swept of his senses.

    The man could suppress his energy without the need of the potion, but to fool someone at Grujils level actively looking he needed extra help. The only downside was that if Grujil had spotted him, the man would have been as good as dead since the potion suppressed his cultivation. Even if a mortal beast were to try, it ould surely kill him.

    But the man took the risk and now, with the counter potion, he was safe again. He looked at the way Grujil took off and started running towards another direction. ¡°I have to tell the Young Mistress that Grujil came out of the western exit.¡±

    Being three different emergency exits, his misteress could no be in every single one of them. She had to pick one exit and trust her subordinate with the other two.

    _______________________________________________________________________

    Once Grujil got close enough, he started probing the surroundings with his divine sense. The only reason why he didn''t give in to his urges was that he was sure these two kids couldn''t have done so much damage on their own. Someone had to be backing them up.

    When Ibrak said he was going to handle them after he found out that Aleran had snuck out last night, Grujil thought he was being paranoid. After all, he didn''t have any real proof of them wanting to cause them any harm. Now, there was nothing he wanted more than to go back in time and slap his own face for doubting Ibrak.

    He followed the boys as they went along one of the main roads. They didn''t walk openly on them. They just followed it from the side, going at a moderate speed and using the trees as a cover.

    After watching out for some time, Grujil was sure that no one else was following them. Which reassured him on his next course of action.

    He landed on a tree branch and gathered his qi. He couldn''t use everything he got or the infected blood inside him would start rampaging again. But using some of his energy will be enough.

    ¡ä¡¯Crack¡¯ As Grujil gathered power the branch he was squatting over made a faint sound. But to Kindrav who was on edge since coming out of the city, it may as well had been the sound of an explosion. He turned around with incredible speed and saw Grujil stalking them as a tiger would to his prey. The moment he widened his eyes in surprise and fear, Grujil pounced on them.

    Without even thinking it, Kindrav pushed Aleran out of the way and he himself jumped to the other.

    Aleran only managed to see a blur pass right next to him as he fell to his left. Indistinctly he could see the figure of a snakehead on each side of it. The humanoid figure, with the head of a snake in each hand, landed with a loud thud sound. If he hadn''t been pushed, the figure would have hit his back and with that force, he would have been crippled or worse.

    The ground, cave in as two big and deep craters appeared on the ground.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Only after the dust somewhat settled, did Aleran recognized it was Grujil, who somehow was not dead.

    ¡°Ughh!¡± Grujil let out a muffled growl as he felt the strain of using his powers in such a condition. But although he failed, he didn''t stop. He just got up and faced Kindrav, who was the one that had spotted him first.

    Kindrav didn''t stand still either, he stood up and threw two knives at Grujil, only to watch in shock as the man didn''t even bother to dodge. He just let them bounce on a layer of inner qi that he had spread all over his body. In front of mortal weapons and those of lower cultivation, that thin layer of qi was so dense and impenetrable as a divine armor.

    Grujil didn''t let Kindrav think much on what to do next as he moved rapidly towards him with his fist up. Again, a snakehead could be seen enveloping his fist, and up close, Kindrav could vaguely hear a hissing sound coming from it.

    That was one of the basic movements of the Sidrin Empire, simply named Dragon Fist.  It was a powerful move that was taught to those of a certain rank in the Academy. Although it was a basic move it could not be underestimated. And Grujil had merged it with his own image of the desert leviathan, an almost mythical beast of the desert. The original dragon fist was forcefull, but this was more insidious and sneaky.

    Kindrav could only raise his arms in a useless attempt at blocking such a fist. But the fist passed through his guard like a slippery snake. And although the heart, which was the intended target was not hit, the fist landed on the left chest. It had such force that sent Kindrav flying backward and into a tree.

    ¡°Cough cough cough!¡± Kindrav couldn''t stop coughing after he crashed and toppled the tree with his body. He could feel some ribs broken.

    ¡°Hmm?¡± Grujil looked at his fist and then at Kindrav. Grujil hadn''t use all his power. But, that blow should have at least caved half of the boy''s chest inward. Instead, he only felt a few cracking noises, but besides that nothing more.

    ¡°Oh, I see what happened.¡± With a look of realization, Grujil looked at Kindrav¡¯s cloak. ¡°That cloak must be an artifact you picked up from the treasure vault of the City Lord. If you could activate it, maybe you would have a chance at fleeing. But with your level, it''s only a slightly sturdier armor. It can¡¯t block inner qi and what''s more, it''s probably not even a defensive artifact. But that doesn''t matter now, just tell me who send you two into the Crimson Claw and I will let you die quickly.¡± Grujil started to come closer to Kindrav.

    He was walking not because he wanted, but because he had to. If he spent too much energy his wounds would open and the contaminated blood inside him would flare again. He needed to kill one of these two fast and then make the other spit everything out. But before he got too close he could sense a disturbance of qi behind him. When he turned he saw the other kid with his eyes closed and his hands extended.

    Next, Grujil only saw white flashes and felt an incredible heat in his right chest. It happened too quickly, and in a mare blink, half of his qi barrier was broken. He blacked out for an instant and when he came back to himself he was falling to the ground. With a major effort, he got to kneel before hitting the floor.

    His eyes were still half-blinded and the sound of thunder had yet to vanished from his eardrums. But he still managed to see the boy who was responsible for his current situation.

    Aleran was also kneeling on the floor as he had used almost all his power. But although the one who was hurt was Grujil, the eyes of the boy were the ones filled with despair. He had launched everything he got left in him and still, he only managed to hurt his already wounded enemy.

    On the other side, Grujil was in an extremely pitiful state, he had the right side of his body and neck painted in a mix of black and red. His robes were also burnt and his breathing was ragged. On his eyes were a shocked look and a slight trace of fear as he regarded the boy in front of him. Although Grujil was using less power when attacking, his qi barrier was as strong as ever. His cautious nature forced him to maintain it at the peak, even when facing two weaker cultivators. And still, he had gotten injured by that mysterious power. He didn''t even know what was that hit him.

    If he had been uninjured previous to the fight, this attack would have left some gruesome wounds but nothing more. It would not be life-threatening.  But in his current state, it had almost sent him on his way to the other world.

    ¡®Now I know what happened to Ibrak who was going to deal with these two. He was probably dead even before that poisonous smoke.¡¯ Many thoughts raced through his mind but he didn''t have the time to duel in them. He stood up and his gaze regained its calmness. He could tell despite how powerful the attack was that Aleran was a spent force.

    A cold killing intent surged from Grujil as he moved up without tearing his eyes away from Aleran. He was about to vent all his repressed rage. Grujil''s eyes were watching Aleran with vigilance as if he was in front of a dangerous beast. He now realized he had targeted the wrong one with his first attacks, he should have started by killing the boy in front of him.

    Even now, Grujil could see the eyes of the boys moving about as if thinking of other solutions to his situation. But he was not going to give him the chance. Using the last of his qi, other than the part he needed to stop the contaminated blood, he reforged his qi barrier. A light blue glow emanated from the thin layer over his skin.

    He stood in position and was about to run towards his target when a yelling Kindrav jumped on his back. Still sore and with his ears not functioning well, Grujil couldn''t detect him until it he was hanging off his shoulders.

    ¡°Dieeee!! ahhhh!!¡±  The barbarian put his left arm around Grujil''s neck as his other hand stabbed towards Grujil''s chest.

    Grujil would not have cared about it, but he realized too late that what Kindrav was using as a weapon was not a knife or any other blade, but a small red finger.

    ¡°Agg!!¡± The black nail of the finger pierced through the qi barrier that, strangely, didn''t pose the slightest resistance against the severed finger. With the qi barrier gone, his flesh was pierced just as easily as any mortal flesh would be. And, like a crazed animal, Kindrav kept stabbing and screaming wildly. The yell was more to forget his own pain than to actually vent any anger he had.

    Grujil only managed to grab Kindrav by the hair and throw him off after the third stab. By then, his qi barrier, which was more unstable than the first one, was completely gone.

    ¡®Huf, Huf.¡¯ Grabbing his wounded chest Grujil thought of retreating. But now, he found that Aleran had appeared before him. The weird thing was that instead of actually attacking him, the boy hugged him.

    That movement was so unexpected that fGrujil froze for a second. And before he could do anything, a piercing pain came from behind at the same time that he felt the same numbing feeling as before. Only that this time, it was coming from the hands of Aleran that were touching his back. Again, Grujil blacked out.

    ___________________________________________________________________________

    Panting, Aleran let the body of Grujil fall to the ground. He had not only electrocuted him, but he had also used what little was left on him to attract the two knives that Kindrav had previously used. Unlike Kindrav, he couldn''t use the finger to attack because he had left with the rest of his luggage in the bag that was now on the floor.

    ¡°Is he?... Cough cough!¡± Kindrav had not finished the sentence when another fit of coughing was heard, together with a mouthful of blood. That last throw was not that hard, but it had worsened the pain he felt in his ribs.

    ¡°I think so...¡± Said Aleran as he grabbed the two bags and then went to help Kindrav. ¡°We have to go, the fight created too much noise. I bet the electric arcs could be seen even through the cover of the trees.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that technique of yours kicks ass, but it''s too showy¡­ Ouch, walk slower! You are not only a show-off now you are also a terrible crutch!¡± Kindrav ranted as he used Aleran shoulder as a support, not making much sense with his words but feeling better now that he could vent his anxiety.

    ¡°Well, we have to go faster. And remember this crutch can ditch you and run away with the loot.¡± Aleran said as he slowed down somewhat and adjusted his position.

    ¡°Ditching me? You have as much grace as a rock, without me your life would be a grey mass of depression¡­. Cough cough!¡±

    ¡°Ahahaha. Well, you have gotten me into some interesting mess.¡± Aleran said while looking behind them in fear someone was still following. They had already left behind Grujil''s body, and it didn''t seem like someone had noticed anything.  ¡° Now stop talking, you are gonna talk yourself to your death¡­¡±

    Like that, the two went on their way, following the road towards the next city which will, in turn, led them closer to the Dragon Heart.

    _________________________________________________________________________

    ¡°Ahhgg¡± Gurjil grunted at the pain. He had to wait until the two boys were far enough to try moving. The humiliation he felt at having to play dead in front of two weaker cultivators was almost worse than the pain he was currently experiencing.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± It didn''t take him long to realize he couldn''t move. He was too injured and could only sit against the tree that had fallen during the fight. What was worse was that the pain didn''t let him concentrate to gather qi. He could only take the two knives stabbed on his back after struggling for a while.

    ¡°Oh, when I got the information, I didn''t expect to find you in this state. He clearly said you were relatively uninjured.¡± Grujil heard a pleasant female voice at the same time that a shadow covered him. When he raised his head, he found that this new interlocutor was a beautiful woman in an elegant dress and a veil on her face.

    ¡°Who...Ha, Ha¡­ who are you?...¡± Grujil answered at the blurry figure that was slowly taking form in his eyes.

    Adra regarded the injured man before her with curiosity. When his subordinate went to her to tell her that Gurjil had come out of another gate she had expected to find him running away. Instead, she came across a half-dead man.

    But that didn''t really matter now, she had come only to make sure to tie all the loose ends. ¡°Right now, I do the questions,¡± Adra answered with coldness in her voice. ¡°You only have two options, Big Boss,¡± Adra said this last words with some sarcasm. ¡°You have proven to have some abilities when you fought the City Lord, even though he was injured. And we could use someone like you. So, you could pledge allegiance to us, to serve my master. Or you can say no and die right here.¡±  Adra made a small pause to let her words sink in.

    After looking at the indecisive gaze of Grujil, Adra continued, ¡°I''m not gonna lie to you, it will basically be a slave contract. Except for having freedom in minor matters, you won''t be allowed to decide on your own in anything that can affect directly or indirectly to our organization. Your speech will also be restricted and only after we are sure of your attitude we may give you more freedom in this regard. As I said, you will be basically a glorified slave to my master.¡±

    Adra wasn''t fond of Grujil and the Crimson Claw. She had done some despicable things, but her bottom line was way above the one of the Crimson Claw. Yet, if she could gain a new asset out of this, she will take it no matter how despicable that asset was. What''s more, she knew that the MO of the Crimson Claw was already stablished way before Grujil joined. And unlike his underlings that mostly enjoyed that lifestyle, to Grujil, the Crimson Claw was just a means to an end.

    In the end, though, the decision was Grijil¡äs. The contract she was talking about could not be done without the consent of the other party. Grujil had to give his consent on the kind of relationship he will be part of.

    Grujil¡äs mind was in chaos right now. He had barely had the time to process how and why he was defeated. How could Aleran possess such strange abilities? And who was the mastermind behind all this. To all that, he now had to add a decision that will mark the rest of his life, well, depending on what he chooses.

    But Adra gave him plenty of time to make his mind. ¡®If his master can make such a contract, then that means he is extremely powerful. Or at least, resourceful enough to have the means to make such a contract. But something tells me it is the first.¡¯ Ultimately he sighed.

    ¡°I want to live no matter what. I accept.¡± He said solemnly. He was aware that this meant his future was almost surely done. It was basically selling his soul to a third party. Any dream he had, and any aspiration was over. But as long as he was alive something could change. For example, it was common knowledge that most of the slave contracts would stop working once the master died. As long as he was alive, there was hope.

    ¡°Good, very good. Take these two potions then.¡± Adra took two small vials, one had a lavender color and the other was colorless.  ¡°This one will stop your bleeding and heal you a little. While the other, after a moment of drinking it, it will make you go into slumber.¡±  She gingerly put the vials in Grujils hands and then continued. ¡°Once my men take those runic arms we will leave.¡±

    Grujil heart ached at the mention of the arms, even as he swallows the two liquids. If Adra wanted him dead, she could have done so already, so he drank the vials without reservation.

    In the end, this woman and her organization were the ones who had profited at his and the City Lord''s expenses. Suddenly, a thought popped up in Grujil''s mind as he connected several dots on his head. ¡®It can''t be¡­can it?¡¯  But soon, he felt a cool sensation running through his body at the same time that his eyes grew heavy. In a few seconds, he was asleep.

    In front of him, Adra looked at the distance and a faint smile emerged on his face. A man dressed in black was flying towards her, on his arms, he was carrying a wooden box. It was Inya, her most trusted subordinate.

 Chapter 40: The Mind Behind All

    In a valley in the middle of two small mountains, there was a simple wooden cottage placed right in between. In front of this cottage, a blond man was drinking tea while enjoying the view of the lake that was in front of him. With a tranquil lake that reflected the sky perfectly and the beautiful flora and fauna, although it could not be called a paradise on earth, this place was a wonderful spot to relax.

    ¡°Oh, Adra is coming, I hope everything has gone fine.¡± The handsome blond man, who was seated in a luxurious chair talked to the man by his side. Sitting next to him in a similar chair, was a man with brown and short hair and a mustache of the same color. His name was Ulim and he was also part of Heavens Vault. He exuded a dignified air, but he was using black plain robes that didn''t fit with his own refined attitude or the place he was. Yet, neither the blond man not him seemed to be concerned about this as they kept talking like always.

    ¡°She is a capable one, and you left detailed instructions. Plus, you maintained contact with her and sent indications regularly, making it very hard for anything to go wrong.¡± A dissatisfied grimace appeared on the mustached man''s face. ¡°If I may say, you pamper her too much, Headmaster.¡± The man said after some thought.

    ¡°Nonsense, I just want her to grow safely.¡± The Headmaster of Heavens Vault smiled, and although he denied it, it was clear by his satisfied face that he liked to spoil his disciple. ¡°Besides, although it is not really that important to our overall situation, this was a rare episode. I had to dedicate some of my time to this incident.¡± Said the man with a slightly more serious tone.

    ¡°Well, I have to admit the matter was quite important to let everything be run by her. But¡­¡± Ulim was stopped before he could make his point.

    ¡°Shhh, shhh. She''s already too close, I have to enter into my cool master mode. You know what to do. ¡± The Headmaster shut him up quickly while snickering.

    ¡°Haaa.¡± Sighing, the mustached man stood up with a practiced and frequent despondency. This was a common occurrence for Ulim.

    Although he was one of his subordinates, the Headmaster always treated him and his men very kindly. Never putting any airs around him. That was just how he was, with the sole exception of the times when his disciple was present.

    When she was just a kid, Adra had seen the Emperor and how his subjects always treated him with respect. She voiced out loud to her master how could the Emperor was for having everyone paying respect to him no matter where he went. And from that day, this farce began.

    Ulim was sure Aldra could tell something was odd every time she walked on his master and his subordinates. She was not a kid anymore and she could tell her master often spent time, and even wasted some, talking with every one of his men like equals. He liked to find interesting aspects of people¡¯s lives and talk about them, often getting distracted from other, more serious, matters. From the hidden secret assets like Ulim to the public and simple shop clerks, he spoke with everyone like equals. Yet, the man seemed determined to maintain this charade every time Adra was present.

    Uim raised his head and saw Adra entering the valley, flying while standing atop a fan. This fan was small and only one foot could be used to stand on it while in flight. In spite of that, she managed to look elegant while doing something that would make others look extremely awkward.

    Besides her, was her subordinate and protector assigned by the Headmaster himself, Laom. The man was sent to pick her up midway to make sure Adra was safe on the way back. He was respectfully flying a few feet behind her.

    ¡®Sigh¡¯ Ulim gave an inward sigh seeing her coming like that. The journey from Hilua to this secluded place was not short. It was painfully obvious that Adra did not have the cultivation base to support such a long flight and take so little time to reach here. Everyone in the scene knew for sure that for her to reach so soon, it was needed the help of her protector. She was without a doubt, carried here by him. Then, when they were near, she made him stop to start flying by herself and make herself look better. ¡®Seriously, she picked up all the wrong habits form the Headmaster.¡¯

    Once Adra was above them, she jumped down from high above and landed perfectly in front of her master. ¡° I have completed the task, master. Oh, it has been a long time, uncle Ulim.¡± Said Adra with a radiant smile greeting her master and Ulim, both of them just nodded.

    Once Laom landed, Adra turned to him. He was carrying on his back a rectangular box warped in a long piece of cloth which was then strapped to his back. The man took a step forward and presented the unwrapped box to Aldra, who in turn presented it to her Master. She put it over a small white table in front of her master, trying not to hit his half-full teacup.

    The moment she opened the box, her master looked like a child seeing a new toy for an instant, before returning to his more composed manner. Adra had to suppress a giggle, honestly, she enjoyed looking at those rare moments where her master slipped up from his act.

    ¡°You have done well, really well, Adra.¡± The Headmaster smiled and nodded as he tilted forward to appraise the two arms without getting them out of the box. Although it looked like a casual look, Adra was sure her master could tell a lot from that simple glance.

    After a short moment, he tilted backward again, resting his back on his chair. She then recounted with much detail the whole incident, although her Master already knew most of it.

    With his gaze now focused on Adra, the Headmaster said, ¡°Well, tell me what you learned from this experience then.¡± He made a gesture with his hand, motioning for her to sit on the chair next to him.

    WIth Ulim rolling his eyes in the background at the rapid change in his expressions, Adra sat and began to think hard on what to say. She was good at martial arts and even at business, but she always found it hard to answer this kind of question. ¡°Mmmm¡­ I would say to always be open to change and be willing to modify the plan. The situation dictates the plan, even if you have to modify the very basis of it. I know for a fact that when we first arrived at Hilua the plan was completely different. You kept making slight arrangements as the days passed, according to the circumstances. In the end, those circumstances ended up favoring us, enabling us to go for the most profitable plan.¡±

    ¡°Yes, that''s true. And¡­¡± The Headmaster made a gesture with his hand, urging her to keep going.

    Completely out of her element, Adra pouted a little, ¡° You want more.¡± She continued. ¡°That the fights of others are good opportunities for us, for example, the current power struggle in the Capital that extended even to the small City of Hilua. Provided that we are able to maintain or selves outside of said struggles, that is.¡±

    ¡°Okay, that''s enough. You are on the right track, but I would like for you to pay more attention next time. If everything goes right, you will always have me for this kind of scheming. Even if you go on your own, you can always ask me about these strategic issues. But, you will always be limited if you don''t learn how to handle yourself and scheme in this world. It will forever remain a shackle that you will never be able to break free from.¡± The Headmasters tone turned serious.

    ¡°If I were to die, you would be on your own, Adra. I have made arrangements, even if all Heavens Vault gets decimated you will still have some people and riches to command. But if you don''t learn to use your wits, you will be scheme against, only for the things you have to be taken away by others. They don''t even have to be more powerful than you. Of course, with enough power, most schemes are useless. Either way, the best will always be a combination of power and mind.¡± He looked at his disciple directly to her eyes, worry evident on his blue irises.

    ¡°You won''t die, Master, stop exaggerating,¡± Adra said wth confidence. She didn''t say that to reassure him or herself, she enunciated that sentence as a matter of fact. In her mind, there wasn''t someone who could defeat her Master.

    She roughly knew his strength, but that was only part of the reason why she was so confident. The other part was because she knew how good at scheming he was. Saying that the waters of Heavens Vault run deep was an understatement. What''s more, Adra was sure that what she knew was only a tiny fraction of her Master''s real capabilities. His real strength was a mystery to her.

    Although he was inwardly happy at his disciple''s confidence in him, the Headmaster shook his head. ¡°Adra, the world is a big and scary place. Although I''m not afraid of it, I do respect it and so should you. Out there are people insanely powerful and old enough to be as sly as devils.¡± He looked again at his disciple but seeing her expression unchanged he decided to put it another way.

    The Headmaster looked around to the lake and the whole valley.¡°Let''s see, one of the big points you should have learned about is to always, and I mean always, look at the situation of the world. You said that one has to always adapt according to the situation, and that''s not bad. The only thing is, for that to work, you have to be cognizant about the overall situation. The big picture, if you would like to call it that way. Then you have to create the possible scenarios and be prepared to change from one to another, minimizing the looses.¡± He paused for a moment to let her process.

    And then he continued once he saw her nodding. ¡° You want to know the origin of how those arms came to be? Of how did I get the right info?¡±

    Adra nodded repeatedly, ¡°Of course, this whole deal is a mystery to me. What are those arms, to begin with, Master.? You say they were runic arms, but what does that even mean?¡±

    ¡°I guess I can start with that, in fact, it is the best way to start. Those my dear Adra...¡± Said the Headmaster as he pointed to the arms.¡±... belonged to a human, and they are the latest invention of the Astral Runes Sect. They are called runic enhancements, and you can be sure they not only make arms.¡±

    Adra was surprised when she heard that, she had theorized many things, but she hadn''t thought about that. The craziest theory she had was that it belonged to a creature that was sealed by the Astral Runes Sect.

    Seeing her shock, the Headmaster nodded. ¡°For now, they are just a prototype, the people compatible with such enhancements are few. However, they are making huge progress in this area. If they can mass-produce them, these type of runic prosthesis will impact the power balance in the whole continent and even in all the lands of Elemeth.¡±

    ¡°How...how powerful are these things?¡± Adra asked with not entirely convinced.

    ¡°It depends, from what I know from my one and only source there, the power varies depending on the spirit beast one takes the part from and the runes one uses. Normally, the power is set by the flesh of the spirit beast. For example, these arms belonged to a red demonic ape from the north. It is a very powerful Earthly Beasts as powerful as a Qi Manifestation cultivator.¡± The Headmaster drank some tea and continued while looking at the arms. ¡°If this is a normal enhancement, then that would be the level of power one would get. Meanwhile, the runes would be there just to attach the body to the arm.¡±

    ¡°So, they can attach any part of a spirit beast into a human. It is like creating body cultivators without wasting time on cultivation at all.¡± Adra quickly cached what the main issue was about.

    The Headmaster nodded again. ¡°Precisely, and Earthly Beasts are not the limit. What''s more, they can even add more runes to these parts and give them other powerful abilities. It is a monstrosity.¡± His gaze turned very serious now. ¡°It also raises questions like, if they can engrave runes on the flesh of dead spirit beasts, then, can they do it on the flesh of humans? Or how much can they engrave on those arms? I have many more doubts as to whether it is possible to remove the parts and replace them for other more powerful enhancements or if these enhancements can grow with the cultivator. Hopefully, this gift will help me uncover some truths.¡±

    Adra''s eyes were literally glowing as she heard her master, there was a lot of potential in these things. ¡° I didn''t know these were so important master. Why didn''t you tell me sooner!¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha¡± The Headmaster shook his head while laughing, ¡°Nothing is that easy. I am sure that even the Astral Runes Sect doesn''t know exactly how the process of the mysterious runes worked. Remember that they only know how to use them thanks to some instructions found inside a Circle of Runes. They are far from actually grasping the meaning of these mysterious runes. Much less us, who don''t even have the instructions on how to use them. The Astral Runes sect plays with those runes and tries different approaches, but the ignorance of their own runes makes it hard for their progress to be too fast.¡±

    Adra felt that today her image of the world was drastically changing. ¡°I can''t believe it, they are so powerful yet they don''t even know what the basis of their power is.¡±

    The Headmaster just shrugged his shoulders at this, ¡°Do you know exactly what the sun is? Yet, you use its light to see and even warm yourself. Do you know exactly what is the mechanism of how your body moves? No, yet you move your arms and legs regardless of that. We are surrounded by such examples, it is nothing weird at all.¡±

    ¡°Now that I think about it¡­¡± Adra noded although she still thought it was kinda ridiculous for the Astral Runes Sect to not know how their runes worked.

    ¡°That doesn''t mean they won''t protect such a powerfull weapon prototype. This was a well-kept secret, that took my informant a lot to just tell me the rough details. Not because he didn''t know any, but because to circumvent the restrictions an insane amount of effort and time is needed.¡± He stopped for a moment like reminiscing something really dangerous until he shook his head.

    Realizing he had strayed too much from the main issue, he tried to get back to the real point he wanted to make. ¡°Now back on topic, the reason why we took the course of action we used to get those arms originated from a seemingly unrelated event. This is what I want you to learn¡± He looked at Adra in the eye.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Seeing he got her complete attention he continued. ¡°Almost a year ago, in the Free Central States passing the northern mountain range, the Heavenly Crown Bird started nesting right outside the Capital city. This may seem like something rare but natural. However, to those of us who knew, it was a move instigated by the Spirit Beast Sect.¡±

    Adra frowned, truth be told, she didn''t know much about other countries and sects. When her master told her about the big picture, she was still thinking about the Sidrin Empire and what happened within.

    The Headmaster wanted to make his student understand that she had to pay attention to the big picture, and also, that out there were powerful entities she should be careful of. That was his real motive.¡° This move was made to test the waters indirectly. They wanted to probe and see whether the old Protector was still alive. His disciples were still comparatively weak, but for the old Protector, that kind of Heavenly Beast could very well be a farm chicken. The thing is that everyone was aware he was approaching the end of his life. Unlike most of the peak experts who are at the colloquially known Emperor level, he was the only ruler of such a big expanse of land that was of a lower level. Yet, he was so powerful that he could suppress most of those so-called peak experts.¡±

    ¡°I may not know much, but I know of the famous ¡®old Protector¡¯, Master.¡± Adra felt like she was being treated like a child when her master repeated such basic knowledge.

    ¡°Ahem¡± Clearing his throat a little awkwardly, he continued. ¡°The thing is, that the Spirit Beast Sect has had many conflicts with the Free Central States. So, they took this chance to test the waters. For a whole year, the bird was allowed to nest right at the doorstep of the Fee Central States. That was like a huge slap in the face for the Central States. In the beginning, many believed it was a bait, but as time passed everything indicated that the Protector was death, incapable of coming back, or could not be reached. Either way, many started to harbor thoughts. I won''t lie, even I had some thoughts about taking some advantage of it, hehehe.¡±

    Even though he was laughing, his eyes were deadly serious. ¡°But a few cycles ago, out of nowhere, all the disciples of the protector banned together to repel the beast. They valiantly showed their strength. Even then, many outsiders believed it was just a last show of strength on their part before being crushed by the Spirit Beast Sect.¡± The Headmaster looked at the nature around him, especially at the little squirrels and animals lurking around.

    The Spirit Beast Sect was often underestimated because their disciples were weak without their pets. Thanks to the Monoliths, they couldn''t launch a large scale attack inside most countries. But the truth was that outside the range of the Monoliths, in the wilderness, they had immense power. Every animal around, from mortal animals to the more powerful ones could be under their control. The wilderness was their domain. What''s more, they actually had a solid intelligence network that used wild mortal animals to gather information. It wasn''t too fancy, they could only make these animals do a limited range of actions like smuggling letters with informations. But it was very hard to get rid of such a network.

    And the Headmaster, like some other old cultivators, knew that although it was very hard for them, the Spirit Beast Sect could send very powerful creatures inside the range of the Monoliths. They could not completely control all Heavenly Beasts, but they had many ways to manipulate the patterns of their behavior. Coupled with some secret rituals, they could make these true threats to humanity fly right into any city, forgetting their fear of retaliation. That was how they managed to cause trouble for the Free Central States.

    The Headmaster only paused fora few seconds, to allow his words to sink in before resuming with his explanation. ¡°Apparently, the truth was different. Because, a few days later, the skies of the northern mountain range and the Free Central State were painted green. Followed by a powerful laugh that resounded throughout that territory.¡± The Headmaster remembered how he had strained his consciousness to peer into that huge qi disturbance at the distance. Luckily he was in the wilderness, otherwise, that strain could make him stand out and he would have been found out easily.

    The disturbance was so powerful that he believed a massive catastrophe had occurred, or that many peak experts were fighting. When he stretched his senses, a powerful voice sounded in his mind. ¡®HAHAHA, THAT WAS CLOSE, I ALMOST DIED! AHAHAHAHA!¡¯ The old man was laughing at his close brush with death. He must have used some method to extend his life long enough to breakthrough.

    Adra saw for the first time in her life a trace of fear in the eyes of her master, but very quickly he shook his head. His eyes regaining their natural calmness. ¡°I almost made a huge error regarding that issue. That powerful disturbance was the old Protector breaking through and reaching the current peak of cultivation. Do you remember all those legends about him?¡±

    A little lost at her master''s initial show of fear, Adra answer honestly, ¡°Yes, one of my favorites was a secret story you told me, master. Of how he fought with the Ice Emperor. The later was forced to use his protective technique sealing himself inside indestructible ice. Just before he completely sealed himself, the Protecto forced him to stand on one leg, almost falling. His sealing technique kicked in and he got stuck in a silly posture for days, with the old Protector laughing at him until he got bored and destroyed half of his palace before leaving.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha. Yes, don''t tell that to anyone, if the Ice Emperor knew that embarrassing scene has been leaked out to the world he would kill you. ¡± The Headmaster tone tuned more jovial and then it instantly went back to a more dark mood. ¡°See, all those stories were with him being a level weaker than the rest of his opponents. I can''t imagine the power that the old monster has now. I know for sure I don''t want to be the first to test his new powers.¡±

    Adra nodded, finally seeing at that old figure of legends as a real person. That fear she saw in her master was because of that man. He had started to think about taking advantage of the weak Free Central States without knowing that the already powerful expert guarding it was becoming more powerful. For the first time, Adra could see how stressful was for her master to manage the whole of Heavens Vault.

    ¡°We have astray from the topic one more time.¡± The Headmaster stopped Adra''s train of thought. ¡°Now, we know that the reason why his disciples chased the Heavenly Crowned Bird out was that their master was returning. They naturally didn''t want him to see everything in a mess. The Heavenly Crowned Bird flew south, where he clashed with the Heavenly Mountain Snake at the border of the Forest of Eternal Nightmares.¡± The Headmaster paused to make some emphasis in the upcoming piece of information. ¡°What only I knew was that a group of disciples from the Astral Runes Sect was trying to entrap the Heavenly Mountain Snake in a formation. Amongst them, for I reason unknown to me yet, was someone using these enhancements.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so they died in the sudden clash between the two Heavenly beats!¡± Adra finally knew what happened. The Astral Runes Sect disciples, if they were well prepared in advance, could take on higher-level creatures with their formations. This group was a clear example of that. Nevertheless, it was extremely dangerous. Just like what had happened with this group, any unexpected incidents could send them to their deaths.

    ¡°Yes, they had been working at ti for days, but they didn''t manage to set the formation before the two beasts clashed. It was obvious, without me even checking, the fight between the two creatures had killed them. And with the prototypes being so sturdy, they were likely to be remains of the enhancements. ¡± The blond man stoked the arms on the box gently. ¡°But I couldn''t just go there myself and pick them up. The Astral Runes Sect would surely investigate the matter. That is another enemy that is currently outside my capabilities, Adra,¡± Said with sincerity.

    Adra opened her mouth to say something but ended up closing it up again. The Headmaster smiled. ¡°Well, I said currently, you don''t have to lose so much faith in your old master. Otherwise, I wouldn''t dare to keep these arms.¡± Seeing his disciple cheering up at this he continued. ¡°I decided to leak the information to two parties. One was the Spirit Beast Sect, because they would be interested in these arms and because they would get here very fast despite the distance. The other was the Sidrin Empire, to be more precise, the crown prince.¡±

    ¡°That, I can''t understand it. Why not chose the Silver Moon Kindom, it''s right next to the Sidrin Empire. Is it because they are too weak?¡± She asked with ingenuity.

    The Headmaster launched a fulminating glance at Adra that made her shrink her neck. ¡°Never again underestimate the SIlver Moon Kingdom, it could cost your life. I won''t enter in details now, because it would distract us again from the main topic. The main reason is that they wouldn''t move right now, they are restructuring and reorganizing their lands. And the appeal of this arm is not that high to them, at most, they would simply return it to the Astral Runes Sect. Unlike the Sidrin Empire that would want to study it before giving it back. Don''t mistake that lack of interest with weakness, Adra, because it is pride that makes them so indifferent towards it. Besides, they would have sent one powerful cultivator to check it out, and that would have thwarted my plans. ¡±

    He was angry out of worry, underestimating the Silver Moon Kingdom had been proven to be a wrong idea during all the course of history. Not for nothing this country was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, in the world. But that was for another time to discuss.

    disciples

    ¡° With the breakthrough of the old Protector,¡± The Headmaster continued, ¡°The Emperor and the crown prince went to congratulate him. At the same time, I organized a special auction back at the Dragon''s Heart to keep most of the top experts occupied. The only one who could make it in the shortest amount of time was the City Lord of Hilua. On the other side, the ones closer to the place were a group of disciples with an elder leading them. This group was roughly on par with the forces of the Sidrin Empire. My idea was to get the Sidrin forces to win and take the arms, but only after they had lost some men. Although, I think it is not necessary to tell you that I already had a plan in mind in case the winner was the Spirit Beast Sect.¡±

    ¡°In the end, it was a closer fight than I thought. The City Lord almost got killed by the elder of the Spirit Beast Sect. I had old information regarding this elder who had recently broken through. But besides that, everything went according to the plan thanks to the high talent of the scion of the Ethergel family. The rest you already know, we leaked information about the condition of the City Lord to the Crimson Claw.¡± He started to recount a little faster from this point onwards since Adra knew a little more about this.

    ¡°However, we only told the boss of the Hilua branch about the arms. The whole situation evolved with some different results of what I expected. All in all, the outcome ended up being better than I thought. We first planned to deal with this branch of the Crimson Claw slowly over time, and use the pressure after the incident to uproot them. But those two kids were a real surprise.¡± The Headmaster showed a satisfied smile on his face. He didn''t say it out loud but the first plan to sprout in his mind was to kidnap the cultivator who had the arms while he was far away from the sect. This would expose some of his true forces, so he was not sure to go through with it. In the end, he was very lucky and adapted quickly to the changes. But that would sound to unrefined to his disciple.

    Adra who was for the first time taking part in her master''s plans was in awe. A whole city was in chaos just with his master using the right information. Without even moving a finger, he used three superpowers of the world as pawns to his game. She knew that nothing was as smooth as her master made it look, but she also knew that he didn''t put too much thought into it either. This was more of a diversion, or a side job, for her master. It was just meant to keep things interesting.

    Not knowing the impact he had on the impressionable mind of his young apprentice, the Headmaster started to think about the consequences. ¡°Now, Grujil came out alive from all this, and he will be blamed for escaping with the runic arms. That makes things easier now that he will be working for us. Maybe, we can make him appear in public once or twice while carrying the box to make the story more believable. After that, it will be enough to put him to work in a distant place in the shadows. As for the crown prince, he will surely try to hide everything regarding the runic arms. Knowing him, It would be too embarrassing for him to say ¡® I had the arms, but I lost them¡¯ he would prefer to pretend ignorance.¡±

    The Headmaster had to admit it, this had been a casual move with not much thought put into it. Despite that, even if he had planed it for years, the result may not have been as good it was.

    ¡°Headmaster, I should depart now.¡± Ulim, who had retreated a few hundred miles with Laom, playing the role of a faithful subordinate, took him back to reality. ¡°It is time for me to leave.¡± He really had to do much work and he was wasting time here playing along with this charade. He could hear the interesting talk of the Headmaster but he couldn''t talk or ask questions. Which was exasperating. It was better to go back to his ow business.

    As if he had forgotten about Ulim''s presence, the Headmaster turned around and after a while, he nodded, ¡°Oh, of course, Ulim. You may leave. I will see you again back at the Dragon''s Heart¡±

    ¡°Goodbye, Uncle¡± Adra said goodbye with a warm smile. Contrary to the cold and aloof expression of her master. Ulim just sighed and took flight.

    ¡°Are we going back to the capital? I have a few more questions.¡± Adra asked once Ulim was out of her sight.

    Her Master kept looking in the direction Ulim had gone as if he was still able to see him, and probably he could. His gaze didn''t move, looking out for him, even though he was already miles away. Adra liked how her master looked out for his subordinates and how he tried to not look like he was doing it. So, she waited for her master''s reply with patience.

    ¡°We are going to make a stop first, and then we will go to the Capital. What questions do you have, I think we covered almost everything.¡± The Headmaster kept looking to the same direction, not once moving his gaze. His long experience had taught him to always expect trouble, especially when things were going well. The only way someone could really try to hurt him would be through his faithful subordinates.

    ¡°Mmm, its about the two boys. Why didn''t we kill them? They are a major loose end. Besides, Grujil told me that apparently, they have a finger from the runic arm. That''s what they used to stab him.¡±

    ¡°Ahhhh, the kids. They are indeed a loose end. But you know what they did and how capable they are. Think about it, they are just beginning and they have already caused such chaos. Heehehe.¡± The Headmaster couldn''t help but chuckle at the thought of how much they had influenced the whole outcome of his plans. If he were to tell someone that his plan and all those incidents that happened in Hilua rested on the shoulders of those to youngsters, people wouldn''t believe it. ¡°They are really capable, and you put them to test. They passed the test. They are not people that would kill mindlessly, at least, they hesitate.¡±

    Contrary to what Aleran believed, they had actually caused a good impression on The Headmaster. ¡°This world doesn''t lack people who would kill at first thought. But these people are unreliable, no matter how good their results may be. It''s like working with a wild beast, they were hard to predict and they were capable of doing something really stupid. Many mistakes can be mended and reverted, death is not one of those. These two kids understand that.¡±

    ¡°But what made me decide was their abilities, they are truly something else. From what I can tell, this branch of the Crimson Claw doesn''t have anyone capable of breaking into the vault of the City Lord. It had to be them, the ones who stole the runic arms.¡± When he leaked the news, The Headmaster thought the Crimson Claw would ask for help to some of the most famous assassins guilds. They could get almost anywhere and they would have been the perfect people to incriminate when the envoy came looking for the runic arms. Yet, they didn''t contact anyone. Coupled with the rest of the information he gathered, it was obvious who they were going to turn to. Now, with Grujil in their hands, they could confirm his assumption at any time.

    Finally, the Headmaster turned around to look at Adra. ¡°As for the fingers of the runic arms. Let them be. The fingers only have a few runes and those are not even the most important. In the hands of someone who doesn''t know, they are just a powerful and fancy dagger. In the unlikely chance that they get to glimpse something from it, the insight they could gain would be very little in comparison to the whole arm. In the end, they have earned those fingers. After all, we really ripped them off with the deals we made, hahaha.¡± He closed the box with the runic arms and said to Adra. ¡°I''m looking forward to working with them again. Satisfied? Now, tell Laom to prepare the carriage, we are going to the Free Central States. Its time for you to meet another important country besides the Sidrin EMpire. After that, we will go back.¡±

    Although she was already at the Qi Circulation third phase, she didn''t have much experience. When she had ventured outside of the Sidrin Empire she went most to small towns or tribes. And with her master, she had only traveled to the southern wilderness once to train her martial arts. Now, it seemed her master wanted her to see other countries to learn more about how they affected each other.

    ¡°Sure, Master.¡± She stood up and with an excited expression went to the back of the cottage.

    The Headmaster looked at his disciple''s excited face and couldn''t help but smile. ¡°Ah, today was a good day indeed. And from now on, the situation here in the south will become more and more interesting. The Dragon''s Heart will also start to get more and more bussy, hehehe.¡±

 Chapter 41: It was Probably my Fault.

    ¡°Blegh¡± Aleran watched as Kindrav vomited blood for the second time. They had been walking by the cover of the trees but always following the road from a safe distance. By now, they had long left behind the search perimeter of the guards and could start walking on the road. Not that the guards would have been distracted by the two of them while the city was being inundated by a strange fog. Nevertheless, the worry of catching the interest of someone passing by had remained until now.

    Turning around, partially to give Kindrav some privacy, Aleran could no longer see the city nor the huge column of smoke that had taken over it. ¡°I think we are far enough, why don''t we rest?. ¡± They had been walking nonstop for the last day, and Kindrav''s body was constantly reminding them of that fact. Slowly but surely, he was getting worse. Kindrav insisted, and Aleran believed him, that once he managed to meditate and replenish his qi he would be able to recover more quickly.

    ¡°Yes, whatever, I can''t keep going either way.¡± Kindrav nodded after wiping his mouth clean. The idea of resting sounded like heaven now, moreover, he could also tell the sun was going to set soon.

    Aleran helped Kindrav as both started moving towards the road. At this distance from Hilua, they could safely say they were travelers who crossed paths with some bandits. It wasn''t an uncommon sight according to Kindrav.

    As they got closer they saw a small bonfire right next to the road, sitting at the side was a slightly chubby middle-aged man. The man was dressed in some simple grey robes. He was sitting on a folding chair while stirring something that was inside a metal pot and was brewing over the fire. Behind the man was a big wooden cart that was almost three meters tall and two meters long and wide. It was covered by a huge veil and it was not possible to see anything but one of the weels thanks to the wind.

    When he heard the rustling of some shrubs, the man slowly turned his head and watched the boys get closer. He only stayed seated with a simple smile.

    Seeing the old man unfazed by their sudden appearance and their unkempt state surprised Aleran. He was expecting any reaction other than that simple smile.

    For a moment, Aleran, who was going to start talking according to the reaction of the man, froze in place without knowing what to say. The strangely calm man sat looking at them while Aleran stood in place with Kindrav reclining on his shoulder.

    ¡°Ahem.¡± After an awkward cough, he started. ¡°Hello, Sr. My name is Aleran and this is my brother Kindrav. Sorry to bother you but, as you can see, my brother and I ran into some trouble,¡± Aleran said signaling with his head to Kindav who was panting. ¡°We are not asking for anything other than staying close to the fire so my brother and I can rest and recover.¡± He told the story that Kindrav believed it would be the most believable and since they had the papers, he decided to go along with the brother¡¯s story.

    The chubby man smiled and his forehead became full of wrinkles, making Aleran re-asses his first impression about the man¡¯s age. His chubby face stretched his skin, making him look younger than what he actually was. With a voice that was slightly more high pitched of what one would expect, the man nodded and said. ¡°Oh, your brother looks quite injured, my young friend. Did you run into some bandits?¡± He made a pause to stir the liquid in the pot and Aleran nodded while thinking that it was a good thing the man had already created an excuse for their pitiful state.

    ¡°By all means, sit and rest. When I was young and hit the road I had to rely on the goodwill of strangers on many occasions. I won¡¯t turn my back on two youngsters who are out trying to spread their wings. Be assured that the world it¡¯s not as grim as it first looks, hehe.¡± The man said as he went back to look at his pot.

    ¡°Thank you very much, sir.¡± With his permission, both of them sat by the fire while facing the man. As they got close, Aleran could see a white milk-like liquid inside the pot, it didn¡¯t smell nice, but he was so hungry that he would have eaten it without complaining. Of course, he didn¡¯t have the face to ask for the man¡¯s food, it was enough with the warmth of the fire. Meanwhile, at his side, Kindrav sat crossed legged and started to meditate.

    Seeing Kindrav sit in that position and closing his eyes the man raised his eyebrows and exclaimed. ¡°Oh, Cultivators! If you are alive, it means the bandits paid the price for getting in your way.¡± Although he was exclaiming the old man had the same relaxed attitude he had all this time.

    ¡°Emm... may I ask something?¡± Aleran waited for a signal of the man who nodded with the same simple smile. ¡°Aren''t you afraid or at least wary of us? More so now that you know we are cultivators. You know, we could be bad guys or even bandits making ourselves look like victims. You are all alone here, yet, you let us get closer just like that without getting flustered, not that I¡¯m complaining.¡± He was aware the question was out of place, but he was really curious. The calm demeanor of the man in this strange situation made him feel like something was not quite right.

    ¡°Mm? Hahahaha!¡± The man started to laugh out loud grabbing his protruding belly. After a while, he stopped and raised four fingers. ¡°First, I have seen a lot of things during my years of life, this is not the strangest one, not even by a long shot. On the contrary, it¡¯s quite common. Secondly, how do you know I¡¯m not a bandit posing as a merchant, attracting victims with my bonfire while also fooling any passing soldier?¡± This question made Aleran a little tense. He realized that the man was right, and he had been too hasty in approaching judging the man just by its amicable appearance.

    But the man still had two fingers raised. ¡°Thirdly, being just a simple mortal, how could I resist if you were bandits. It would not matter if you approached me with sweet words or by force, I could do nothing. But the last and real reason is that I¡¯m not actually alone.¡± The man was still looking right at the front, but his eyes were no longer on Aleran, they were looking past him.

    It was right then that Aleran felt a hot breeze on his back, too hot for that time of the day.

    ¡°Grrr¡± The low growl of a beast made Aleran and Kindrav jump to their feet and turn around.

    ¡°What the fuck!?¡± Screamed Aleran in English without realizing it. Standing on four legs, with the size of an elephant and white scales all over its body, but with a black horn on its head, the thing approached them noiselessly. It was a familiar figure for both of them, an Earthly level beast with a base strength of mid-stage qi circulation, it was a White Hunter.

    ¡°Hahahahaah. Don¡¯t panic, it¡¯s alright.¡± As many ideas of how to escape from the beast turned inside their minds, the man¡¯s sudden laugh made them pause.

    It was then that Aleran noticed the beast was not looking at them, but at the liquid in the pot. It was making a face that reminded Aleran of a dog asking for a reward.

    Inwardly sighing with relief, Kindrav moved to the side to stand together with Aleran, making way for the beast. ¡° I was lucky to have just stopped with my meditation for a while to listen to the conversation. Otherwise, I would have had serious trouble with the scare this thing gave me.¡± Interrupting someone while cultivating was very dangerous and could cause a deviation. Although gathering qi was less complex and carried less risk than actual cultivation it still posed some level of danger.

    ¡°Is... is this your pet?¡± Asked Aleran. Just like with the previous question, once his curiosity was piked he could not help himself. He now realized that the beast had been resting behind the huge wooden cart. The fabric that covered the cart also made it impossible to spot the beast behind it. Now that he thought about it, it made sense the old man had some beast to pull such a massive thing.

    ¡°Hehe, say hi to Avalanche. Yes, you could say it is my pet.¡± The old man patted the beast that had now crouched net to him looking at the smelly pot as if it contained the world¡¯s finest delicacy. ¡° Don¡¯t take offense for its behavior, he just smelled his favorite dish and noticed that is ready. He isn¡¯t supposed to eat this, but I like to spoil him a little.¡±

    Aleran nodded, noticing that the beast was way fatter than the one they slew at the edge of the Forest of Eternal Nightmares. Even then, it could not be underestimated. Back then, they had killed a White Hunter that was already injured. He was sure that the only reason why they were able to dodge the attacks of that White Hunter was that the injury had slow it down. What¡¯s more, to kill it, he had dropped on it with a surprise attack while Kindrav distracted it.

    In Aleran¡¯s mind, he was sure that Kindrav may be able to dodge and fight such creature for a while before dying from a few blows of the thing. But he himself would not be able to last that long without using his images. He knew his strengths and weaknesses better than anyone and knew that Kindrav had better instincts when it came to fighting than him. In such a short distance, this pet White Hunter, even with its big belly, would undoubtedly overwhelm them before they could defend themselves. ¡®No wonder he seemed so calm, not only is he not alone, he has such a bodyguard!¡¯ Thought Aleran in wonder.

    ¡°Does it bite?¡± Asked Kindrav who could no longer stay calm and meditate. He had only gathered a little qi. Although he was already feeling better, it was still far from ideal. His wound was still there but his inner qi allowed him to resist the pain and made his injuries heal faster. However, it was not nearly enough to face such a dangerous creature. He had already assessed the chances they had against this beast just as Aleran did and reached the same conclusion.

    ¡°Dude, you must have damaged your brain in our last fight. Of course it bites! Look at those teeth, do you even remember the one we encounter before?¡± Before the fat man replied Aleran said while rolling his eyes. He was still a little afraid of being surprised by that White Hunter, and now that he remembered, the other White Hunter was just as stealthy as this one. He just wanted to vent some of his fright berating Kindrav, hoping the later would say something to distract him more.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡° I mean to ask if it¡¯s domesticated. It is you who must have your brain fried by your own attacks¡± Answered Kindrav with a sneer.

    ¡°Hehe, well it does bite...if I tell him so.¡± Said the pudgy man without getting offended by their questions or their tone. In fact, he looked at them with a warm and much softer smile when he saw them bickering.

    ¡°Wow! So, it¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t know you could buy Earthly Beasts as pets.¡± Said Kindrav in wonder.

    ¡°Oh! No no.¡± The pudgy man¡¯s cheeks swayed from side to side, denying what Kindrav said. ¡° You most definitely cannot buy such a powerful beast as a pet. I¡¯m a special case.¡± The man said with undisguised pride.

    Sticking his chest out and seeing that both of the youths had a confused look, he continued. ¡°You must be from a small village and you must be venturing out for the first time if you don¡¯t know this.¡± The man smiled. ¡° There¡¯s only one place in the world where you will see such a creature treated as a pet, and that is the Spirit Beast Sect. ¡±

    ¡°Oh! So you are from a sect?¡± Aleran was about to explode with a million questions about the difference between the Sidrin Empire and a Sect. However, before he could do so, he was stopped.

    The chubby man denied with his hands raised. ¡°I¡¯m just a simple mortal, how could I belong to any sect? No, this beast was acquired by my son. Those who can trade with the Spirit Beast sect and get powerful beasts as pets are only a few influential people. However, my son won this beast in a bet with a disciple from the Spirit Beast Sect.¡± It was evident by his speech that the source of his pride was that son of his. ¡° My son was on a mission helping the Empire establish some trading routes with the Spirit Beast Sect. Our relationship with them is quite...complex to say the least, there is lots of friction. Before returning, he got into a ¡°friendly fight¡± with a cultivator there and Avalanche was part of the stakes. After winning, my son thought this big fellow could help, and he was not wrong, hehe.¡±

    After that short story, the man showed them a small amulet that hanged on his neck. It was the thing he used to command the White Hunter. It looked to be made of wood and had the simple drawing of a hand on it. With it, he could order the White Hunter to attack or defend but only by giving simple commands and nothing too complex. The amulet was specially made to help control beasts for those who didn''t cultivate inside the Spirit Beast sect. The man also explained that if someone else who wasn¡¯t related by blood with him took the amulet, the beast would attack the one holding the amulet.

    ¡®It even has safety measures! That thing is truly magical!¡¯ Aleran would have loved to see how it was made and on what principles that thing worked. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t steal the thing. He wasn¡¯t so corrupted by the Crimson Claw to go and rob innocent people. He was only entertaining the thought of borrowing it to have a better look at it before returning the amulet without the man noticing. Nevertheless, the fact that the beast could attack him, whether it was true or a lie to dissuade them from doing anything stupid, made him drop the idea.

    ¡°Well, now that his dish is done, let me prepare something for us.¡± The man went up to the carriage, took three bags from the cart, and came back to the bonfire. In those bags, there were some cooking wear and some vegetables and meat respectively. ¡°Oh, by the way, I¡¯m Bulda.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you Mister Bulda.¡± Said Aleran as Kindrav nodded with his head and went back to his meditation. Now that Kindrav knew the beast was controlled, he could focus again. His injuries had only been roughly treated before and now he needed to gather qi to heal faster.

    ¡°My sudden questions made us skip the introductions, I¡¯m sorry about that.¡± Aleran continued while the man started to prepare the food in a very professional manner. He could already tell that the meal was going to be good. ¡°As I said, we are just a pair of brothers with bad luck. We are going to the capital to try and take the entrance exam at Dragon Fist Academy. Sadly, we ended up in this state.¡±

    ¡°You are going to the Dragon¡¯s Heart? I live there, and I¡¯m currently on my way back from a trip. I was with my son, but a few days ago, he got word that a special auction was taking place back in the Capital. Without wasting a second, he left this old man alone and went ahead by himself, can you believe it?¡± The man sighed with fake sadness before proceeding. ¡° Why don¡¯t you come with me? I can show you around the Dragon¡¯s Heart, I know the city like the palm of my hand. Meanwhile, you could help me around. After all, Avalanche has brute strength but some things need opposing thumbs and brains, hehe.¡±

    ¡°That sounds great.¡± Aleran accepted without much thinking. ¡°To be honest, we barely know the general direction of the Capital. It would have taken us many detours to get there.¡±

    ¡°With me as your guide, you will get there in time for the academy entrance exams,¡± Bulda said without lifting his head.

    ¡°That sounds great, thanks.¡±Aleran agreed immediately. There was too much they don''t know, and having someone with experience on their side would save them tons of trouble. Besides, Aleran could tell that despite not being a cultivator the man could know some useful things about the cultivation world thanks to that son of his.

    ¡°Great! Let''s eat first, I¡¯m starving.¡± After reaching an agreement, both started to talk about more casual stuff like the kind of food they like and the such. Once Kindrav finished gathering qi he joined the conversation and the meal.

    Aleran waited for about an hour to taste a stew made of meat and strange vegetables. Although it wasn¡¯t at the level of the food on Earth, it had its own flavor and charm. ¡°Mmm! This is delicious, are you perhaps some kind of chef?¡± He asked with his mouth still full.

    ¡°Haha, well, thank you but I''m no chef, cooking is just a hobby. I should spend less time on it, though.¡± Said Bulda patting his big stomach. ¡°I''m a merchant, I deal mostly with antiques, but I have a little bit of everything in stock like some low-level weapons, clothes and some carpentry made by a friend of mine.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a traveling merchant then! You made a smart choice by skipping Hilua, otherwise, you would have been stuck there for a while.¡± Said Kindrav with a satisfied voice as he finished his bowl of food.

    He felt very relaxed now with his belly full, that was until he got a hidden glare from Aleran. He immediately realized that he shouldn''t have brought that topic. It wasn''t like they would immediately get caught, but it was better to avoid anything related to it. Kindrav had dropped his guard with the food and had talked before thinking. ¡°From afar it looked like something big had happened.¡± He said with the hope of repairing some of the damage.

    Bulda''s face turned serious and his whole body froze for a second, but soon, his smile returned. ¡°Something big happened? I wouldn''t know about that, I came from a minor road and didn''t pass by Hilua.¡±

    ¡°Oh, we only saw some smoke from afar, and because of it, we did not get too close, but we don''t know much either.¡± Kindrav rapidly put an end to the issue.

    Bulda nodded while sighing in his head. ¡®Oh young man, what would you think if I were to tell you all that chaos is probably my fault?¡¯ He didn''t like to lie, but when it came to this matters he could only hide the truth. He was usually an honest person which made his few and rare lies more believable.

    What he said before about being with his son was true, but before he even met with his son, he did something else. In the beginning, the trip was purely for private business. But then, he got a special request from Heaven''s Vault. As every mission they issued, it was totally up to him whether to take it or leave it. They only asked him to reply if he was going to do the mission in less than a day. He was sure that if he said no they would have some backup staff to accomplish the mission.

    The price they paid was too good to let it pass, it was something Bulda wanted for a long time but couldn''t get his hands on. So, after weighing the pros and cons, he accepted.

    Like always, the mission was very simple. He just had to wait in the outskirts of one of the border villages near the Forest of Eternal Nightmares. He had to make it look like he was resting for a while and putting his goods in order before going inside the village. Of the villages closest to the forest, he had to wait near Duckweed Village. Again, he had no doubt other people like him would be waiting in the Vast Sky Village and Freedom Village.

    Once there, he had to wait. Wait for a man to appear. He was told that he could be wounded and that he should wait to be approached and not the other way around. If the man passed by him, he just had to stay put and do nothing. But if the man engaged him, he should pay attention to his condition. Bulda had to take note of anything that he might be carrying with him or anything unusual about him.

    After waiting for various Ru, an injured man truly appeared in front of him. He was badly injured but his expression was calm, so calm that Bulda felt a chill run down his spine. If the man could be so injured yet not show any of it in his face, then he was surely a powerful expert. Maybe with his son, he would not have been afraid of him, but being alone he felt some fear. So, silently, he called Avalanche to his side.

    The man who was approaching, all injured without saying a word and with an expressionless face stopped. His eyes twitched a little and his expression changed to a more cordial one. Bulda was sure at that moment, had he been alone, the man would have killed him and robbed him instead of walking towards him with a smile. The man was probably stronger than Avalanche but he was surely not in a state to fight anything that could put some resistance.

    Once in front of him, the man asked for medicine, tons of medicine and bandages. It was more than necessary for a single man even for such an injured person. Bulda didn''t sell medicine, so he gave him what he had for himself. He also cut some clothes and gave them to him to use them as bandages.

    After that, the man asked if Bulda had a box to sell. That was something that Bulda actually sold. He showed the man the boxes. People who buy from him almost always needed some boxes or sacks to carry what they bought.

    The man picked a long rectangular one. That was something Bulda marked as unusual since it would be better to buy a more practical box. One specifically made to carry things with handles would have been the best choice. Yet the man picked a rectangular box usually used to store weapons.

    After getting everything, the man surprisingly took a small pouch of gold coins and toss it to him without even asking for a price. Then, he whistled and two more men came out from the forest. These two were wearing very distinctive uniforms. Which Bulda could tell were from Hilua thanks to the small crest of the city gates embedded in the shoulder plate of their armors. These two were more injured than the first man. Every step they took looked like it was an endless torment for them. One of the two was using a branch as a walking stick and looked to be in his lasts moments. Still, the two of them followed the man''s orders with unbreakable discipline.

    The three together gathered the things the man bought and went back into the forest. After that, Bulda took off as fast as he could and reported back what he saw in extreme detail.

    Now, thinking about that crest Bulda sighed. ¡®Yes, It was probably my fault¡¯ Shaking his head Bulda couldn¡¯t help but think that his mission was likely related to the disaster that fell on Hilua. After doing several missions for Heaven¡¯s Vault, Bulda had already seen the pattern. The tasks he had to do would look small or insignificant, but in fact, they had far-reaching consequences.

    He had noticed this a long time ago. One small act that ended with a big almost disproportionate consequence. That was the way Heaven¡¯s Vault acted.

    However, Bulda wasn¡¯t bothered by it. He felt guilty sometimes, but every time he reminded himself of his objective and he would immediately stop thinking about that. Besides, he liked Heaven¡¯s Vault. After all, they were the ones who gave his son the initial spirit stones to enter the academy. Right now, and although he had already repaid Heaven''s Vault for that favor, he knew very well that his son¡¯s power and status was owed in part to them.

    If it weren¡¯t for them, his son would be forever bound to a noble family, becoming nothing more than a fancy servant. He would not be the independent force he currently was.

    ¡°Amm... are you all right? Did we say something that bothered you?¡± Asked Kindrav who noticed Bulda spacing out for a while.

    ¡°Eh? Not at all my friend, I was just thinking about some businesses.¡± Said Bulda as he finally came back to reality. ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Why don¡¯t we go to sleep? Avalanche will watch out during the night, that fellow slept enough already.¡±

    ¡°That sounds nice.¡± Answered Aleran.

    ¡°Yes, my body is craving for some sleep. It¡¯s great that we don¡¯t have to stand guard, this big guy sure comes handy.¡± Kindrav said with a yawn.