Daiyu sat in her dimly lit chamber, her thoughts swirling like a dark storm. Each time the visions came to her now, they were shrouded in an unsettling darkness, where once she could see with clarity into Feng Zhiming’s fate, now there was only an impenetrable void. It was as if Feng Zhiming had vanished from the threads of fate, his once vibrant presence replaced by a cold, lifeless dormancy.
Her hand moved to her forehead, massaging the ache that had settled there. The migraines were growing more frequent, more debilitating. Each vision seemed to pull her deeper into a well of pain, the intensity increasing with every attempt to pierce the darkness.
“Feng Zhiming… I’ll kill you,” she muttered through gritted teeth, the pain clawing at her mind like a beast. She had no rational explanation for her suffering, so she directed her anger at the one figure she believed was responsible.
The situation was becoming untenable. She had scoured the realms, but the elusive heart she sought remained hidden, just as Feng Zhiming remained beyond her grasp. His newfound alliance with a Dao Lord had only compounded her frustration. Without a Dao Lord of her own, she was powerless to confront him.
As she stewed in her frustration, a sudden shift in the air caught her attention. Someone was approaching her abode, a presence she hadn’t anticipated. Her eyes flicked to the door, narrowing in suspicion.
“Yes?” she snapped, her voice edged with irritation. She had made it clear that her seclusion was not to be disturbed.
“It seems that the young ones these days are quick to anger,” a voice, old and wise, responded calmly.
Daiyu’s irritation evaporated instantly. She slid off her bed and dropped to one knee, her head bowed in reverence. “Disciple pays respects to the Sect Leader,” she intoned respectfully, forcing the pain that gnawed at her into the recesses of her mind.
Dao Lord Vitalis entered the room, his every step leaving a trail of verdant green in its wake, as if the very essence of nature itself followed him. His presence was a stark contrast to the dark aura that had surrounded Kura, where Kura brought despair and stagnation, Vitalis radiated hope and renewal.
“Disciple Daiyu, I sense you are facing a significant problem,” Vitalis said, his tone direct, bypassing any need for formalities.
Daiyu felt a cold sweat break out on her brow. She hadn’t fully trusted the sect with the secret of her visions, knowing that such a power, sight into the future, was a treasure many would kill to possess. She hesitated, her thoughts racing, unsure of how much to reveal.
“...”
Daiyu remained silent, her thoughts racing to find a way to conceal the truth. She was unaware that the very secret she was trying to hide was already known to the man standing before her. The visions, the pain, they were mere symptoms of something far more dangerous, something that had taken root within her mind without her knowledge.
Vitalis observed her closely, his ancient eyes seeing beyond the surface. He had felt the disturbance long before she had come to him, the stirrings of an embryonic spiritual life form nestled deep within her consciousness. It was growing, feeding off her energy, and yet she remained oblivious.
“Disciple Daiyu,” he began, his tone measured, “I can sense your reluctance, but know that I am here to help. You are in more danger than you realize, and time is not on your side.”
Daiyu looked up at him, confusion flashing in her eyes. “Sect Leader, I… I’m not sure what you mean.”
Dao Lord Vitalis took a step closer, his presence enveloping the room in a soothing aura. “You are marked, Daiyu. You are cursed.”
Daiyu’s breath hitched in her throat, a cold wave of fear washing over her. “Cursed? I don’t understand…”
Without warning, Dao Lord Vitalis raised his eyes, and in that instant, the pain in Daiyu’s head erupted with a ferocity she had never known. It was as if her skull would shatter under the pressure, the agony so intense that her vision blurred. For a split second, the image of Feng Zhiming, still dormant, flashed before her eyes, overlapping with reality in a horrifying distortion. Something deep within her mind fractured, if only for a moment.
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The pain receded as quickly as it had come when Vitalis withdrew his influence. Daiyu collapsed to her knees, clutching her head, her screams echoing through the chamber. She struggled to make sense of what had just happened, her breath ragged, her body trembling.
“Sect Leader,” she whispered, her voice laced with confusion and fear.
Vitalis sighed deeply, the weight of his failure evident in his expression. “It is my defeat. I failed to prevent this from happening.”
As the pain finally began to subside, Daiyu looked up at him, her eyes searching for answers. There was so much she didn’t understand, so much she needed to know.
Dao Lord Vitalis caught the desperation in her gaze and began to speak, his tone grave. “You’ve been parasitized, Daiyu. By whom, I do not know, but it must have occurred sometime in the past two years.”
“Parasitized?” she echoed, her voice thick with dread.
“Spiritual Parasitization,” Vitalis explained, his expression darkening. “It is an art long lost to time. I have only heard of it in the ancient teachings of the Life and Death Sage. Even with my extensive knowledge of the laws of vitality, all I can sense now is chaos, a cacophony of interference.”
He pointed to her forehead, his eyes narrowing. “Something, or someone, implanted you with a purpose, a goal. Following this, you should have exhibited symptoms. Have you experienced any?”
It was invisible to anyone else but Dao Lord Vitalis could see it clearly, a blueish cocoon nestled in her head alongside her brain, its existence was an enigma.
She had fought many battles and being decapitated was not rare, this meant that the parasite was not physical in nature, its existence had been brutally ingrained into Daiyu’s very own, separating it would be nigh impossible.
Daiyu hesitated, her mind racing. Should she reveal the truth about the visions? About Feng Zhiming? The risk was immense. If she told him everything, she might expose herself to dangers she couldn’t foresee. But if she lied, she could be sealing her own fate.
“The only symptom is the pain,” she finally said, choosing to keep the visions hidden.
The implications of this were heavy and her mind began to reel.
Dao Lord Vitalis shook his head slowly, his expression a mix of disappointment and resignation. “Regardless, what’s done is done. If this parasite is left unchecked, you will die, and it will be an excruciatingly slow and painful death.”
Daiyu clenched her teeth, her mind a whirl of fear and uncertainty. She was on the precipice, staring down into an abyss with no clear path forward.
“There is a way,” Vitalis added, sensing her despair.
She looked up at him, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes. “A way?”
...
At the same time, a palpable sense of excitement surged through the academy’s fighting grounds. The day had finally arrived for the highly anticipated showdown between Raja and Laizu. The entire academy had been abuzz for weeks, speculating on the outcome of this match. Both combatants had systematically fought their way through the ranks, defeating their opponents with skill and precision, but this particular matchup held a significance beyond the norm.
This battle was unlike any other. Typically, first and second-year students were never pitted against each other in such direct competition, but this occasion was different, a special arrangement orchestrated by the headmistress herself. The reasons behind her decision remained a mystery, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the event.
The arena was packed to the brim with students, all eagerly awaiting the clash. The atmosphere was charged, the air thick with anticipation as they filled the stands surrounding the arena. On an elevated platform at the front, the instructors sat in their respective chairs, their expressions a mix of curiosity and quiet contemplation as they awaited the match to begin.
Among them, Wuya, the stern and often unforgiving instructor, leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He sent a mental transmission to Feng Zhiming, his voice dripping with condescension. “Prepare to see your disciple beaten to a pulp.”
Feng Zhiming, seated a few chairs away, responded with a light-hearted chuckle, his tone jovial and unconcerned. “I think you’re the one who should prepare to bow in public before Raja,”. Despite Wuya’s taunt, Feng Zhiming remained utterly indifferent to the older man’s arrogance.
Wuya’s eyes narrowed at the response, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. The match hadn’t even started, yet Ryes's confidence in his disciple was unshakable. This only served to fuel Wuya’s determination to see Raja defeated.
In the arena, Raja and Laizu stood at opposite ends, their eyes locked in a silent exchange of challenge and respect. The crowd’s murmurs fell to a hush as the tension between the two fighters grew. This was not just a match of skill; it was a clash of wills, with both students representing their respective instructors’ reputations.
"Let me see how a wildland pig squeals when it's slaughtered." Laizu spoke as he held his hands up to his face, in a peculiar battle stance.
"The only one being slaughtered today is you, arrogant bastard." Raja responded as he unsheathed a jagged sword from his waist.
The headmistress, seated in a place of honor above the instructors, raised her hand, signalling the start of the match. The crowd leaned forward in their seats, their breath held in anticipation.
The time had come.