Al was Sitting in a housing unit nestled within the 23rd Mortal Ring of the Supreme Leaf. The room he occupied was shrouded in darkness, and the ground underneath him was cold. An earthly smell filled the air, soothing his mind as he reviewed the dozens of spells from his Stubborn Will.
An abrupt knocking broke his concentration. Al rose from his seat and wiped his robe clean from any dirt. He walked out of the darkroom and ascended the stairs to the entrance.
Upon opening the door, he was met by someone wearing light leather armor and a whip at her hips. Al recognized Elissa's figure; no other cultivator was dressed like her. However, for some reason, she was wearing a dragon-shaped mask.
Her voice emanated from beneath the strange mask. "Are you going to let me in?" Elissa inquired, prompting Al's brow to furrow in confusion. They were supposed to meet again in the field, but she hadn't said anything about visiting his housing unit. Al ignored the surprise and moved to the side, inviting her in.
Elissa followed him into the housing unit. Al asked, 'What's up with the mask?' as he led her downstairs and into the room with the light source. "I like dragons. I saw the mask on my way here and wanted to wear it. So, I did," she answered.
She looked around his housing unit before changing the subject, her voice direct. "Why did Lapaptzi abduct you? And why would the Rakh-ahtan want to purchase you? I've heard that they don't keep humans around for too long."
Al's thoughts swirled around the archives of his mind, and they all revolved around Midnight Abyss. He told her how he obtained the etheric shell for his Stubborn Will.
“After I had obtained the ring that is my Stubborn Will's etheric shell, I remained in the material plane. Eventually, I stumbled upon a blade with no handle. That was how I acquired Midnight Abyss, an indestructible etheric shell chained to my ring." Al explained. Elissa looked at his right hand where the ring was, but she saw no chain.
Al continued, "Because of Midnight Abyss, they could not destroy the etheric shell of my Stubborn Will, which made it impossible for them to kill me." Elissa interjected, "An etheric shell that can't be destroyed. How is that even possible?" Al shrugged his shoulders and continued.
"They were interested in Midnight Abyss. That is why the Rakh-ahtan purchased me. They wanted to try and separate me from it, which they did.” As Al went on, Elissa grew more and more doubtful.
She had taken off her dragon mask and was closely examining Al. "How did you manage to break free?" she inquired, keenly aware of how powerful a single Rakh-ahtan warrior could be. Even for her to kill one would likely also lead to her death.
Al recalled the sound that pierced his mind before everything went dark. When he opened his eyes, a figure clad in obsidian armor had killed the Rakh-ahtan in the underwater lab. "They separated Midnight-Abyss from me, and he cut them down. I saw an opening and escaped. Trying to make my way back, I realized I was astral walking, which I eventually lost when I birthed a second Will—my Heat Will." As Al recounted his journey, he realized how lucky he had been to survive.
Elissa's gaze lingered on Al's two blades; her expression was still uncertain. Possessing two Wills in the Mortal Chasm was unheard of. However, instead of asking him to show her, she hoped that, for his sake, he was telling the truth.
"If that's the case," she began, her voice tinged with acceptance and anticipation, "then you should be able to complete what I need without trouble. As a Supreme Seed, we have our tasks given to us by an Immortal Seed. One of these tasks is a find-and-kill. The target is an Immortal Spirit belonging to a Dark Acolyte. It has killed countless Phantom Seeds. However, this task has a 5-year window, and as you can see, our seed isn't going anywhere anytime soon."
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She extended her hand, asking for his C-stone. Al handed her his C-stone into her outstretched palm.
"I will return this to you," she assured, her tone resolute. "In four hours, we will meet in the fields beside the statue of our Supreme Leaf's Supreme God."
With that, Al walked Elissa out of his housing unit. She departed, bearing with her one of Al's C-stones. For a few moments, Al continued lingering on the path he had taken, which had led him here.
With the moments ticking away, Al dedicated himself to refining his Stubborn Will spells. So far, he had only been relying on one. As the appointed time arrived, he rose from contemplation and went to the designated field meeting spot.
Al was just as discernible as she was among cultivators. Few had white hair, and almost none wielded dual swords. Elissa stood there, her eyes fixed on the statue, a palpable reverence emanating from her. She had noticed Al approaching her and turned towards him.
Her first word to him was, "Catch," she shouted, tossing Al a tied cloth bag, which he caught. As he untied the cloth, he realized it was a cloak tied to his C-stone and a runestone.
"This cloak will render you nearly invisible if you channel your Will into it and hold your position," she explained, her voice steady and knowledgeable. "And the runestone contains the memories of a past Heat Will cultivator. It should help facilitate your cultivation."
Al secured the items, a sense of gratitude mingling with his determination. After he had shared how he lost Midnight, Abyss Al recalled their first meeting. He posed a question that had weighed on his mind for a long time.
"When Mark died, you told me only the weak died, and it was up to us to keep them alive in our memory," Al began, his voice measured. "A mountain surrounded by dead bodies, is that what it means to chase Immortality?"
Elissa did remember the words she had shared with him decades ago. She stared at Al. Her gaze held a brilliant light that Al recognized, a light that illuminated the dark of night when the sun went down.
"To die? For what? Birth, death, rebirth—it makes me nauseous just thinking about it. The only choice given to us is to yield and merge with it. No," she declared, her voice infused with a resolute fervor, "I reject that. If I have to, I will break open that cage with my bare hands!"
As Al listened to Elissa, he felt transparent in front of her. Her words struck Al with an intensity that echoed within the marrow of his bones. Instinctively, he asked, "Like severing fate?"
Elissa smiled, her eyes sparkling with a fervent fire. "Oh, Al, I'm talking about something more than that. I'm talking about the essence of what it means to cultivate Will." Her words emblazoned him.
She reminded him of Benjamin. Benjamin was deep, like an ocean; it was hard to see his depths. However, Elissa was like a fire so bright you couldn't see its source. Al suddenly recalled another question he had. "Our Wills," he began, pondering aloud, "stem from two distinct beings: OOU and IA. By following our Will, wouldn't we be following a path towards either one?"
Elissa suddenly laughed. "That's merely a metaphor. By Entity, we're speaking of a thing that exists and is the source of our Will. It is not an actual being or sentience. Think of it as masculine, the source of what it means to be a man, and feminine, that of a woman. We can say both are entities."
Al didn't expect that answer. He had begun to think there were cosmic beings outside of reality. He looked at her momentarily, remembering their deal about her teaching him about Astral Walking. "You know, when we first met, you had made me so angry. I thought about our conversation for a long time. I wanted to ask you that question for many years." Al paused causing Elissa to look at him strangely, Al gave her a small smile he couldn't hide. "Maybe instead of teaching me about Astral Walking. Can I ask you more questions about your own thoughts on cultivation?"
Elissa sighed in relief. "That's good because I didn't have much I could teach him about Astral Walking," she thought before answering. "If that's what you prefer, I'm fine with it."