Once Inero-ie made the conscious decision to confront the repressed memories and emotions, his Path stopped destabilizing any further. He did not suddenly recover, though. Time passed while he was stuck in that state of mental disarray, unable to gather even a single coherent thought.
His mind was constantly enveloped in a hazy fog, thoughts came and went erratically, jumping from one to another without any semblance of order or connection. In one moment his mind would be fixated on why now of all times had his Path destabilized, then in the next, it would be he would be pondering on how his blade technique could be improved. Then, it would move on to something else.
Clarity came suddenly and with it, the pain vanished. His head no longer felt as though it would explode. It was like he had woken up from a long dream, he was unable to remember what had transpired inside the dream, left with a jumble of feeling in the back of his mind which eventually disappeared. It almost felt like the whole thing had not even happened. But it had happened and its effects were scattered throughout his mental landscape, which had once been as desolate and barren as the wastelands he loved wandering. Now though, scattered through it were memories he had tried to forget, and splashes of emotions he had tried to suppress.
Cogs inside his mind spun as he thought what to do. He had to get out of here, to do that he had to learn how to use the Law of Inevitability. For that to be possible though, he had to heal his core so he decided to divide his week into two parts and started working. The majority of his week was dedicated to healing the core while in the remaining portion, he would explore, examine, and gather the memories and emotions that now painted his mental landscape. Carefully, he corralled these fragments, herding them into a secluded corner of his mind. While he had resolved to no longer ignore them, he would not allow them to adversely affect him.
His desire remained unchanged, he still wanted to die.
Time passed, weeks gave way to months.
With the passage of time, the cracks began to heal. He created thin, thinner than his Qi Threads, strands from the Qi that filled his heart submerging the core. Then those strands were weaved to create a foundation within deep cracks resulting from his suicidal technique. These foundations then helped in speeding up the healing process.
While most of his mental capacity was focused on weaving, a small portion repeatedly absorbed the exceptionally pure Qi that was available in his surrounding, circulating it throughout the body, refining it, and then gathering it in his heart, bathing his core in it. It was as if his core had been parched for a long period and was now allowed the opportunity to quench its thirst as it rapidly absorbed the Qi, using it to heal the cracks.
It took longer than expected because the damage had been more severe than he had anticipated. While many of the small cracks had been healed previously, many more had remained hidden internally. He did not find it surprising, the amount of Qi he had shoved into his core had been massive, comparable to the reserves of one who had undergone his second Shedding, he reckoned.
He took a few days to rest, to relieve the tension and fatigue that had accumulated while he focused non-stop for months. Inero-ie gazed upon the diminutive figure before him. The being was whiter than even the princess, who, if not for her glacial blue hair, could easily meld with the white snow that made up the frozen wastelands. The being was coiling, appearing frail. Not to him. Since he had first laid his eyes upon it, he had never underestimated it.
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His gaze then shifted to the sea of the Under Dark. A sea of liquid beneath the frozen surface. Diving in it meant courting death, not just due to the cold that could not be compared to the cold on the surface. No, the creature that resided in this sea of cold, dense liquid were some of the most formidable beings he had been unlucky to come across.
The sea was calm, only occasionally could he hear the waves but rarely did they appear in their vicinity but even when they did, they were unable to stir even a single droplet in the area surrounding the being. There was a sphere of stability around the being, unaffected by any external force.
His thoughts wandered back to the task at hand, “How do I imbue the Law?”
What he had been attempting was to imbue the aspect of inevitability into his strikes. What he envisioned was a strike that, upon execution, would be as inevitable as death itself. It would connect with the target without fail. Inevitability was bound to come, but it could also be delayed so the second thing he had wanted to attempt was delaying the moment when the power of his strikes was transferred to his target. What he wished was that upon the execution of a strike, its power would gather until the inevitable could no longer be delayed. The gathered power would erupt at that his desired moment, engulfing the target.
Ideas came and went, some he tried, others he discarded. He focused inwards, trying to recapture the sensations of the moment he had first grasped the essence of the Law of Inevaibility. Time slipped through his fingers, elusive and intangible. Months elapsed as he tirelessly sought that elusive spark, yearning for the answer that continued to evade him. Finally, with no other recourse, he turned his attention to the being before him, the one who had enlightened him to the Law of Inevitability.
Inero-ie stared intently, preparing to speak, but hesitation held him back. His mouth opened and closed, a hesitant dance that repeated several times until he ultimately closed it firmly. ‘What should I ask?’ he pondered.
"What are the Laws?" A question echoed in his mind. He turned towards the white snake. Its eyes were still closed, it was still coiled, as though sleeping but he knew he had been asked a question.
After spending a few moments gathering his thoughts, he replied, "Laws are the rules by which the universe operates."
"What is cultivation?" Another question appeared inside his mind and shortly after an answer came before he could even move his lips. "Cultivation is the act of delaying aging. Cultivation is the act of postponing frailty that accompanies aging. Cultivation is the act of gathering and kindling the Vital Qi. Cultivation is many things. Cultivation is a combination of universal Laws that consolidate to perform a miracle. But, at its heart, cultivation is one thing. It is delaying the inevitable. Cultivation delays the Inevitable death that every being must face. Look within yourself, and reflect on how you have cultivated this far. Reflect on the Path that you have chosen to walk. Reflect and you shall discover hints that will guide you toward your desired goal."
Silence descended once more, leaving Inero-ie to absorb the unexpected wisdom. Grateful for the guidance, he uttered a sincere, "Thank you," and closed his eyes once more, entering a state of deep meditation. As he embarked on this introspective journey, he became increasingly convinced that the being before him had indeed been the catalyst for the destabilization of his Path. It could not be explained otherwise. He had successfully repressed all of his unwanted memories and emotions for many cycles but suddenly he had lost control to such a degree that his Path had almost crumbled.
Now, after hearing its words, he was completely sure. Had he not been forced to confront and accept the poison he had left to fester within the dark corners of his mind, had he not painstakingly faced those memories and emotions over the course of those arduous months, he could not and would not have done this.
Before, it would have been impossible for him to even entertain the thought of facing those memories and emotions.
They were facets he had long avoided, memories he had strived to forget. Yet now, in order to progress, he had to confront them repeatedly, seeking the elusive hints and clues that would give him to the ability to use the Law.