“Damn, where did the kid go? I take my eyes off him for one second and…”
“I saw him going over there, Chief. I think he was curious about our new neighbor.” One of the workers answered.
“And you didn’t think to stop him?!” The Chief shouted.
“I- Uh…”
“Forget it! Continue your work, I’ll go get him.”
The Chief quickly ran after the kid. Considering he was a Spirit Realm Cultivator, he was actually quite slow. But that’s because he couldn’t afford to conjure footholds for himself as he had to conserve energy. The gravely ground was not one that facilitated fast running, unfortunately.
He did allow himself to extend his Spirit Sense though. It was luckily extremely cheap in terms of energy consumption and gave him more information on the surrounding area so he could find the little guy quickly.
And he indeed found him almost immediately. Unfortunately, he was too late, and the kid already made contact with the two newcomers.
He sped up, quickly grabbing the child by the shoulder, and bowed his head to the red one.
“Forgive us, Senior. If the child bothered you, it is entirely my fault. It was my negligence that allowed him to get away and disrupt your work.”
He was the oldest and wisest person in the village, and as their leader, he was responsible for keeping things steady. Although it didn’t seem like the two beings before him had evil intentions, he was more than aware of how quickly things could turn when angering someone so vastly stronger.
He, of course, didn’t remember how he knew that, he just did. Some in the village speculated he might have been an advisor to some important ruler, but the Chief didn’t hold himself in such high regard. He was just an old man well past his prime but with a lot of life experience.
[It’s fine. I was just finishing up the first round.] Gerald pointed a thumb behind him.
Seeing it up close, the Chief nearly fainted at the mountain of ground stone off to the side. The man alone did more work in a few days than they would in a month. And he was using magic for it as well. For all of it. They could feel the grand spells even back in the village, and the flow of energy never stopped.
Just thinking about how much Qi he had to waste just manipulating the Dreadsone ore, he felt sick. He was well aware of how thirsty the rock was and how difficult it was to just shift it around in big blocks, much less directly sifting all that sand with magic.
Worse yet, he noticed one of the collapsed golems holding a nearly black brick. His eyes bulged out and he nearly coughed blood as his Spirit Sense was devoured by it. That was without a doubt the purest form of Dreadstone he had ever seen! Not even their concentrated ore came anywhere close to it.
Yet as his thoughts spiraled, the man himself kneeled down to get on the child’s level and looked him in the eyes.
[What’s your name, little guy?]
The kid, instead of answering, timidly backed away and took refuge behind Chief’s leg.
“His name is Felix.” The old man answered in his stead. “The poor kid was born in the Ashen Wastes a decade ago.”
[Born?] Gerald looked at him with a frown. [How? I thought that was impossible here?]
The Chief sighed. “Conception is impossible, yes, since such a weak Soul would immediately die. But he was different. His mother came here already expecting and gave birth to him shortly after. He was just strong enough to survive this wretched place.”
[But not enough to grow.] Gerald added, his gaze seemingly piercing through Felix.
“It is as you say, Senior.” The Chief sighed. “He is the only child in the village, and we are doing everything in our power to help make his life easier, but it is difficult.”
He looked at the kid lovingly and patted his head. “He first began to walk at three years old, and spoke his first word at five. Things changed little since then. His growth stagnated, and even now at ten years old, he is mentally barely more than a young bebe.”
Gerald nodded. [It’s a miracle he came as far as he did, considering the state of his Soul. Calling him an infant would be accurate, even if the body is nearly that of a teenager.]
“Why keep him then?” Thalza inserted herself in the conversation, looking at the child with disdain. “He is useless, can’t even Cultivate. Why waste your time and effort on such trash?”
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The Chief frowned, not liking her tone or words. The woman, her ashen skin perfectly suited for the land of death, was just as cold and unfeeling as the Ashen Wastes themselves. Still, he didn’t dare go against her and instead chose his words carefully.
“While it is true that he cannot Cultivate, that is not the reason to discard a life. Everyone deserves to live, no matter their shortcomings.”
Thalza snorted and turned her head. She was obviously not willing to even entertain the thought.
[Why not?] Gerald suddenly said.
“Why, what?” The Chief asked.
[Why can’t he Cultivate?] He repeated himself.
“Well… Because…” The Chief gestured vaguely around them with his hands. “There is no Qi. His Soul also cannot grow and mature naturally. Even with the Soul Stones, it is impossible.”
“Even if he somehow could, his Talent is trash.” Thalza stated. “I examined his Soul, and after so many years in this place, it is full of impurities. He probably has the worst Soul I have seen in my life. Not even a god can help him now.”
Gerald suddenly quietly snickered, yet with his form, the laugh seemed more to be coming from a devil. He extended his hand, and under the watchful eyes of everyone present, his skin suddenly changed color, from a deep red to a much paler pink and then white, with a tinge of brown. His face also changed, becoming human, and quite handsome to boot. He became similar to any average young Cultivator.
The change was so drastic and quick, the Chief nearly took a step back and would have stumbled, if he didn’t catch himself and remembered the kid was behind him.
[Give me your hand, little one.] Gerald smiled. [Let’s show this brooding witch how wrong she is.]
[And a touch of divine guidance.] He added, murmuring under his breath. The Chief managed to catch it and lifted an eyebrow, not sure what he meant.
Felix, as shy as he was, found Gerald’s new visage much more approachable, so he extended his hand and placed it in Gerald’s grasp. A weird, warm, tingling sensation spread from his hand and through his body, and soon changes began to take effect inside him.
[First, let me say that I consider Talent to be a poor measure of real potential.] Gerald began. [How many became stuck later in life just because they failed to completely purify their Soul before they even started their journey?]
It was a rhetorical question, so nobody answered. He continued.
[I think it's unfair to let people fail before they even start. A pure Soul should have no limits on how large and strong it can grow. But, I know it is not realistic to think everyone can be purified before they even begin their path of Cultivation, and I am enough of a hypocrite to pick favorites to bestow these blessings upon.]
Chief’s eyes opened wide as Gerald lifted one finger.
[I will make this one exception for no other reason but that I think Felix here was dealt an unfair hand at birth. In a world of magic, everyone should at least be able to participate in the fun.]
That’s when things changed. As a Spirit Realm Cultivator, the Chief was intimately familiar with the child’s damaged Soul. He knew just how bad it was, especially since he tried to help the poor kid so many times before. However, no matter the resources they received from the outside, or the things they tried, the results have only gotten worse over time. Many doubted the kid could ever reach middle age, let alone live a full, fulfilling life.
That’s why he was so stunned when the fragile Soul began to improve. The impurities that previously nearly saturated the Soul were extracted and destroyed. In their place came the most gentle stream of Soul Essence the Chief had ever seen, an energy source so pure and vigorous, that empires would fight wars over it. And it continued to feed the poor child’s Soul, advancing it by leaps and bounds in mere moments.
Energy surged around them, but the Qi was gentle and soft, yet despite standing at the edge of an open mine, with Dreadstone all around them, the Chief suddenly realized the pull on his body was gone. Even the brick, the purest source of Dreadstone, felt inert even at such a close distance.
“Incredible.” He whispered to himself. He knew exactly what was going on. The man before him, this shapeshifting Senior, was exerting his will upon the world. As his Intent commanded, the world obeyed. Looking at Felix beside him, he detected no discomfort from the kid, and so he relaxed. As long as the little one was safe, he could trust the strange man.
[There, done. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?] Gerald released the kid’s hand and smiled, gently patting him on the head.
Felix shook his head and giggled.
[Alright, I got a small gift for you. Keep it safe, alright? And come say hello anytime. We’ll be here for quite a while.] Gerald took a small pouch out of his sleeve and gave it to the kid. The Chief didn’t pay it much attention apart from giving it a curious glance. It was just a small thing after all. Probably contained a toy or some other trinket.
He bowed, clasping his hands. “Thank you, Senior, for your help. We could never repay your kindness.”
[Ah, don’t mention it.] Gerald waved his hand. [Oh, one question before you go. What happened to his mother?]
“Oh, she’s fine. She’s just busy with work at the moment, that’s why I’m responsible for the little guy.” The Chief explained truthfully.
[I see. Alright then, take care.] Gerald waved.
“Bye, bye!” Felix waved back, speaking for the first time since they met. He seemed like a jolly little boy, and Gerald grinned.
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On the way back, the Chief sighed while holding the kid’s hand. “You need to be careful, Felix. What if that Cultivator was a bad one? You got lucky…”
“Ah, ah!” The kid squirmed in his grip, shaking the pouch with his other hand, and pushed it into the Chief’s lap. “Open!”
“Alright, alright, settle down.” The Chief shook his head and smiled. He took the pouch and opened it. His eyes immediately went wide. The inside of the sack was much larger than the outside would suggest.
“Spatial distortion!” He gasped.
He remembered having treasures with similar effects once, a long time ago, but obviously, when he was thrown into the Ashen Wastes, he arrived with nothing. For one to just give away such gifts, they had to have an extraordinary background.
His shock increased as a scroll fell out. A tightly bound parchment scroll with an unknown Cultivation technique. And alongside it, a Soul Stone. A full one.
“What-” Just when he thought things couldn’t get any more absurd, the senses he didn’t know were constrained, returned, and his jaw nearly hit the floor.
Felix, the little ten-year-old boy bouncing on the spot beside him, gave off the feeling of… The first stage of the Spirit Accumulation Realm!
At that moment, unbeknown to him, the world, for the first time in 10.000 years, gained a native with the potential… to become a God.