"Natural energy is everywhere," Minoru lectured once again, waving her hand as if conducting an orchestra. Stas had grown accustomed to some of her quirks, and this one was far from the most annoying.

After all, wouldn't it be strange not to expect oddities from a creature that had lived for several hundred years?

"No matter where, very deep underground or high in the sky, in plants, animals, or water. Natural energy can be found everywhere. Of course, some places have more of it than others. Like in this forest. But don't worry, there's more than enough natural energy in your Citadel to heal your pet."

"Natural energy is present in everything except humans and yokai," Stas noted, doing push-ups at a steady pace. And he wasn't using prana to enhance his muscles. He didn't need to. The passive influence of prana allowed him to surpass two hundred push-ups without much fatigue.

At the moment, he was taking a kind of break from the attempts at feeling natural force, so Ordyntsev habitually combined two activities at once: Minoru's lecture and physical exercise.

"Do you know why that is? What sets humans and spirits apart from the rest of the world?"

"I don't know for sure," the ancient yokai leaned over and picked an apple from a tray before crunching into it.

Kaede was in charge of the food. It was as easy as pie for the Kuchisake-onna to use her illusions and take some supplies from a passing caravan. The roads to Sumada City teemed with merchants, so finding a target was no trouble at all.

"However, I have some guesses and unconfirmed rumors," continued Minoru. Under her gaze, the apple scraps flowed and turned into a drop of water, which immediately evaporated.

"There's a belief that this world originally was empty and had neither humans nor spirits. Dragons reigned supreme here. This is corroborated by the fact that dragons do possess natural energy, despite being sentient."

Minoru took another apple.

"Then you, humans, arrived, and everything began to change. From your desires, sufferings, or hopes, the first yokai appeared. I've heard from others," Minoru didn't specify who these "others" were, "that there was a war between dragons and the first spirits. Humans were weak then and could not oppose the lizards. But at some point, the war ceased, and the yokai and dragons left each other alone. End of story."

"A curious tale," Stas finished his push-ups and moved on to squats. "Did the rumors retain anything about how and from where the first humans arrived?"

"You seem not to grasp the scale," snorted the yokai. "This was not hundreds or thousands of years ago, but tens of thousands! Maybe even more. Only the great spirits might know something about those times."

"Yes, yes, I remember - the turtle, the serpent, and the fox."

"Show some respect, little human," Minoru glared at him dismissively. "If you stood before Lady Nine-Tails, all your vile words would instantly fall from your mind," the Nure-onna wrapped her arms around her shoulders and looked somewhere up in admiration. "The pure and unwavering power of fire. So bright and vibrant that even I, a creature of water, cannot help but marvel at it."

"If she's so powerful, why does she sit in the deepest hole of this world, afraid to show herself outside?" Stas snorted ironically, sending a verbal jab at his interlocutor. And judging by the way she flinched, the hit reached its target.

"What do you understand, human?!" hissed Minoru in a way that would make any snake envy. "We, spirits, are far superior to you! Purer and more righteous. If any of the great spirits declared war on you, oh, not even your onmyoji would help much. A terrible extermination would befall your kind."

The yokai shook her head in indignation.

"But the great spirits are wise and do not delight in senseless killings. So, to let you live peacefully and allow others the same, the Nine-Tails and the Imperial Turtle withdrew far from you. Though what am I talking about if even dragons are better than you humans? They can enjoy life without destroying others' fates. At least, most of the time."

The riled spirit was about to leave when the human's words made her stop abruptly.

"Sorry." Under Minoru's surprised gaze, Stas started doing sit-ups.

"Did I mishear, or did you just apologize?" The yokai was genuinely taken aback. She had formed a certain opinion of this human, and the fact that he could admit his mistakes was new to her.

"It might seem strange to you," Stas glanced sideways at the attentive Minoru. "But I really don't like what's happening in this world."

Ordyntsev sighed heavily.

"I'm peaceful enough not to wish for war. In the last few years, I've seen my fill of horrors that humans can inflict on each other. So, I respect the decision of the great spirits to step aside to avoid provoking human anger and greed. Furthermore, I, along with some other people, am interested in trying to solve this problem."

"What problem?" Minoru frowned. "Stop the wars? What a silly joke. That's impossible. Even if you were the strongest of all humans, you wouldn't have the power."

"Maybe the strongest human wouldn't," Stas agreed. "But a united group of strong like-minded people stands a chance."

"And what does your plan entail?" The yokai couldn't help but bite the bait.

"I can't say. It's not just my secret," Stas paid no attention to the annoyed Minoru. "Nevertheless, I can tell you that it involves uniting people."

"Pf-f-ft. As if I really cared," the Nure-onna slithered away angrily, leaving the human to continue his training.

What she didn't notice was the brief smile that flickered across the earthling's lips.

The seeds had been sown, and if Stas had understood the story of a certain defeated yokai correctly, they would eventually sprout.

All that was needed was a little patience.

*****

But besides mastering natural energy, Stas didn't forget about the necessity of learning the Kiato techniques.

Since training on Leviathan was not an option, nor would he have done it anyway, he needed to find other test subjects.

How fortunate that there was a whole forest nearby filled with bloodthirsty creatures mutated by natural energy.

Catching a couple dozen specimens for Stas was a piece of cake.

Earth techniques created superb pitfall traps, and the devouring serpents drained their strength, causing them to lose consciousness.

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When the beasts eventually came to, they were shackled in maximally compacted earthen bonds growing directly from a massive solid stone platform.

And since Stas was satisfied with relatively weak monsters, they had no chance of escaping the gloomy underground prison.

First, Stanislav began training to create a bond between himself and one of the beasts.

Why just one?

As it turned out, the Kiato had reasons to control and develop only one beast.

Only the fact that his bond with Leviathan was something else allowed him to barely create a single thread.

Any attempts to extend the connection to another monster led only to searing pain, so Stas settled for one bond.

But the difficulties were just beginning.

It took Stas another two weeks to master the ability to create a bond, so time was running out. He had been holed up in these dark dungeons for two months now, and it was starting to wear on him.

But creating a connection was only half the battle, as he still had to learn and use the regeneration technique.

One had to understand that the Kiato approached this process very slowly and cautiously.

Their beast was supposed to accompany them for life, so young Kiato applied the necessary techniques little by little, trying not to harm their companion.

All of this resulted in months and years of labor, which Stas didn't have.

In the end, Stanislav acted as crudely and aggressively as possible. Where he needed to probe the path carefully, he charged straight ahead.

One should not think that anything good could come from such an approach.

The earthling's prana distorted and perverted the bodies of the test subjects with an explosion of natural energy.

The screams, wails, groans, and roars shook the entire underground prison.

But Ordyntsev had no pity for those he killed in such a twisted manner.

If someone dear to him was at stake, the moral aspect of the process didn't bother him much.

One day, Kaede made the mistake of descending to where Stas was working. She quickly regretted it.

The scene she witnessed forever seared into her memory, though she fled from there as if chased by the devil himself.

A long, seemingly endless hall. If the rest of the hideout was bathed in a whitish-blue glow from the fireflies, a dark red radiance spread around here. It illuminated dozens of monsters sprawled on the floor, their limbs, tails, heads, and bodies shackled to the ground by thick bonds.

Why was the light around red?

Simply because the innocent spirits had absorbed so much pain, fear, and hatred that they changed their nature. Anyone who spent a long time near them would gradually start to feel insecure and doubtful. All positive feelings would be muted, while negative ones would be amplified.

But the man present here didn't care.

Right now, he stood over another exploded body, which had sprayed everything around with crimson liquid.

The blood trickled from the nearest monsters, streamed across the floor, and dripped from the ceiling. Small drains in the floor clearly couldn't cope with streams of blood, creating little pools.

Panic screams and whining filled the air. The monsters tried to break free from their "cells," but only harmed themselves. Some were so mad with fear that they didn't even notice it.

It was at this moment that Ordyntsev turned to look at Kaede, frozen at the threshold.

A small piece of flesh landed on his white cheek and trailed down a bloody "tear."

It was too much.

Kaede left the darkest dungeon behind and vowed never to return.

Stas just shrugged and stepped to the next victim, starting to form a new bond.

*****

"Are you sure you're ready?" Minoru looked at Ordyntsev intently, as if searching for doubt in his eyes. "As I understand, there's still time. There's no need to rush."

"There's always a reason to hurry," Stas was uncompromising. "But I'm doing this today not for that reason. I'm sure I'm ready."

"Alright. It's your life." Minoru's slight hesitation didn't escape Stas. Their evening conversations hadn't made them friends, but Minoru found their interaction quite interesting.

There were at least two reasons for this. First, the Nure-onna had been deprived of communication for centuries, and the situation hadn't changed much now. Second, Stas was far from stupid and possessed an impressive assortment of diverse knowledge. After all, he had recently turned thirty-six in his mind.

Ordyntsev didn't try to manipulate such a strong personality as Minoru. She was too experienced not to notice his tricks.

Rather, he simply talked to her, sometimes offering ideas.

For strong people, it's not so easy to find someone equal to talk to and, at the same time, someone you can trust even a little. Ordyntsev and Minoru were involved in many dark affairs to form some trust.

"You know what to do. I can't help you at this step," the yokai concluded.

Stas sat upright and focused as much as possible. Too much was at stake.

Nearby, a mutated wolf whimpered, shackled to the floor. At the moment, it was the only one who had survived Shiro the Serpent's brutal experiments. And only because it hadn't yet had its turn.

If someone looked closely, they would notice that the tips of the fur on the wolf's muzzle had taken on a whitish hue. Clearly, the shocks had caused the mutating creature to grey slightly.

Finally, Ordyntsev deemed his concentration acceptable and, as Minoru taught him, altered the flow of prana in a certain way to "open his eyes."

The world wobbled slightly and blurred, swaying.

This blurring was the natural energy that Stas so desired.

Right now, he could only see it, and even then, he was risking his life.

Giving himself a moment to adjust to this state, Ordyntsev took the next, most crucial step.

He allowed a little of his prana to leave his body, grab some natural energy, and then pull it back like a fish on a hook.

Despite all the efforts, the process was difficult.

Prana kept grabbing too much or, conversely, nothing at all.

Sweat dripped down the man's brow, for by releasing prana this way, he left his prana points open to the natural energy.

And if he made even one mistake, the natural energy would burst through the points straight into his body, like water into a breached submarine.

And one didn't need to be very smart to understand what would happen then.

But at last, he felt that he had captured just as much as he wanted this time.

Now, he had to pull so that the "fish" wouldn't slip off the hook.

Obeying the man's will, prana slid back into the body.

If not for his phenomenal control, Ordyntsev could have died long ago.

Seconds dragged on painfully.

Half-closed eyes, Minoru watched the surging natural energy around with undiminished attention.

Finally, prana, along with the natural force, was fully drawn back into Ordyntsev's body.

But it was just the beginning. At the moment, all the deadly energy was only gathered in prana, but even so, the radiation was already starting to accumulate inside Stanislav's innards.

He had to hurry.

The man's hand lay on the trembling back of the wolf and then began to release prana, which, swirling, started to penetrate the body of the magical animal.

Little by little, the beast, not feeling pain, began to calm down. Instead, its strength seemed to increase.

After transferring the last bits of natural energy, Stas immediately connected to the previously created bond with the monster.

A glance at Minoru, and she struck with the tip of her tail, ripping open the side of the whimpering beast.

At the same moment, he commanded the wolf's body, activating the regeneration technique.

The muscles of the latter twitched and shook, but Stas watched with delight as the terrible wound rapidly began to heal, first covered with new skin, then regrowing fur.

Within minutes, nothing but blood indicated there had been a wound.

But it was too early to relax, as Ordyntsev had to deal with the natural energy stuck in his body.

There wasn't much of it, but even that amount was enough to significantly shorten his lifespan.

Straining, Stas forced himself to feel his entire prana channel system.

But that wasn't enough. He still couldn't see a hint of natural energy.

More concentration!

Now he saw not only the thick and medium channels but even the smallest capillaries, hidden deep in the tissues.

Yet that wasn't enough either.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest, hindering concentration.

'Could I have been wrong?!'

Using all he had left, Stas focused on his body with all his might.

Painfully slowly, his view expanded until something flickered before his sight.

The man's relief was hard to put into words when he saw what he had been searching for so long.

The translucent scatter of natural energy blended perfectly with his body, yet now this couldn't stop Ordyntsev anymore.

Creating ether was easy, but directing it precisely to the affected areas was more challenging.

As if that weren't enough, maintaining such concentration became harder every second.

Stanislav hurried as best he could, dispersing the natural energy with ether, but kept finding new and new foci of infection.

At some point, his strength finally left him, and he collapsed backward to be caught by the arms of the concerned Minoru.

On the other side, a frightened Kaede's face peeked out.

"So? Did it work?" they asked simultaneously, piercing Ordyntsev with tense gazes.

"Yes," Stas rasped. "It's a success."

The women's faces immediately lit up with smiles, and they were not marred by one's overly-long fangs or the other's too-wide grin.

All remnants of natural energy had been destroyed, and in the end, Stas was just double-checking himself.

Now, he had to refine the technique and take his vision of prana to a new level, so he wouldn't have to strain so much in the future.

He also planned to release the lucky wolf. It had honestly earned its freedom.

After that, he could go heal Leviathan.

Stas had no time to ponder about it, but right now, he operated as many as three and a half types of energy - prana, ether, natural, and a little bit of spiritual energy. Such achievements could be boasted by only a few living individuals.

By then, the third month of his training was underway.