In the subterranean chamber, hidden beneath the Iceheart clan's complex near Arcadia, Meilin's body slumped onto the cold, unforgiving stone floor. She winced at the sting of fresh burns from the divine energy she had refined, a harsh reminder of the intense trial she had just endured. She had done it. Against the odds, she had achieved the impossible.
The chamber echoed softly. Her whimpers returned from the cold, damp walls. Meilin had refined Ahja Kai’s divine energy, a task her father considered lethal. But her determined spirit and unwavering faith had reshaped impossibility into her will.
Her eyelids fluttered shut. Her eyes were dead, black, all she could see. Until the end, she could see Kai’s radiant energy, which had been too much for her mortal eyes; they burned out and darkened the room, rendering it desolate. Her father's cautions of impossibility and his dismissive words no longer mattered - she had already proved him wrong.
But the after-effects were brutal. Meilin’s body screamed in protest, her meridians seared from the refined energy. The smell of burnt flesh hung heavily in the air, a harsh testament to her ordeal. Painful doubts gnawed at her. Her body felt unfamiliar and reshaped. Would her suffering serve a greater purpose? Or had she ruined herself for a master who didn't want her?
Despite the agony, Meilin dragged herself across the frost-kissed stone floor, her fingertips probing for the rough seams of the tiles. The room was ruthless in its chill; the cold stone contrasted against her feverish skin.
Her body finally gave in to fatigue, collapsing onto the hard stone. Sweat soaked her skin, her trembling body wrapped in exhaustion. As she traced the strange bulges on her temples, she understood. Refining his divine energy forced my bloodline traits to the fore and transformed me.
The memory of her father's troubled gaze haunted her. Shame had replaced his adoration, a stark reminder of her alienation. She was no longer welcome in her father's house. Yet, in despair, a strange relief bloomed. She had a new master, a new purpose. The cruel transformation served as a ticket to her new life.
Exhausted, Meilin leaned against the cold stone wall, a sudden wave of pain shooting up her spine. Her fingers brushed over more unnatural protrusions, a grim realization of her transformation sinking in. She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain, turning his side to the wall.
She moved along the wall toward the sound of the constant dripping. She slowly approached until she could feel the frigid water in the stone basin. She cupped her hand and lapped the refreshing liquid up. When her thirst was finally quenched, she began washing herself, one handful of water at a time.
Her mysterious master would be coming for her. This she believed with her whole heart. She would be ready.
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Kai took to a rush mat, hands tracing the aging weave. The green had surrendered to yellows, yet the scent of summertime persisted. He meditated upon his dais, peering over the mindful arrangement of his secluded courtyard. Open walls surrendered to the tranquility within.
The harmony was punctuated by a soft rapping on the door. "I am Lou Linur. I present myself as directed," came a youthful voice filtering through the lattice of the wooden entrance.
"Enter," he called out, clearing his mind of lingering thoughts and turning his full attention to the newcomer. A girl, no more than a child, entered, her hair pulled back severely, eyes a dull shade of brown. Kai recognized her, but something was different. This wasn’t the same girl he’d refined this morning.
"Lou Linur," he murmured, inspecting her aura closely. "Or would you prefer to be called Lord Azurewing?"
She stiffened slightly, her posture rigid as she sat on the rush mat opposite him. "It's Lou Linur now," she corrected, a small frown creasing her forehead. "And yes, the transition to Azurewing has been made. I was placed in Lou Nela’s body. The elders have chosen me as her successor. You are to heal and rebuild my spiritual foundation," she confirmed.
Kai hoped they wouldn't repurpose Lou Linur, not for her sake but due to the blatant evidence he could maintain a low-level cultivator. He had no intention of becoming their spiritual suppressor.
"Very well," he grunted, waiting for Linur to assume the kneeling posture before reevaluating her with his spiritual sight. His gaze explored her spirit form. Her tainted core was bound to her spirit, leaving Azurewing untouched. Unsurprising.
"Why didn't they extract the tainted energy from your spirit when the infection was detected?" Kai probed, curious about the Lou Elders' difficulty with a straightforward solution.
"Anyone who contacts the black heart energy with their spirit becomes infected themselves, spawning a deathcore," Linur enlightened, observing his reaction with fresh curiosity in her eyes.
"Deathcore?" Kai echoed, a spark of fascination igniting at the novel concept.
"Don't resist. Allow me to extract it," Kai centered his spiritual awareness on the girl's corrupt core, feeling the weight of its malevolent energy. It was dense, potent, and suffused with a pull reminiscent of gravity's grip on the mortal realm. He nudged it along her spiritual pathways, attempting to coax it from its host.
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Her spirit resisted, clenched tightly around the encroaching darkness. Her control rebuffed his willpower within the sanctity of her spiritual form.
"Stop resisting," he insisted, determination etched on his features.
Her visage mirrored his struggle, knitted in intense concentration. With a final release, the dark energy began moving once more. Kai swiftly ushered it entirely from her, watching it coalesce into a sphere of energy between them.
Ensuring every trace was expelled, Kai swept through her once more. Any lingering wisps of corruption were quickly removed and added to the sphere. This cleansing process repeated until her spirit was unblemished.
"I've cleansed your body and spirit of this taint," Kai refocused on the hovering sphere of darkness. The urge to scrutinize it warred with caution. If the energy was contagious, exposing his spirit to it seemed risky.
"How do you remain untainted?" she questioned after hesitating.
"I already possess a heart core," he offered.
"Will it simply shift elsewhere, then?" She examined him more carefully, her brows creasing with confusion.
"I have cores located elsewhere," Kai conceded.
"You lack vacant core locations?" Her skepticism was evident in her headshake.
Kai refrained from further explanation, instead sending the energy along his spiritual connection. The potential significance of this death energy made its investigation irresistible. He delved into his spiritual sanctuary, securing the sample.
Returning his focus to his physical form, Kai inspected himself for any signs of contagion. He discovered traces. A thread of dark energy threaded through his spiritual channels in search of refuge. Finding none, it made its home at a minor junction beneath his right deltoid, where numerous spiritual pathways converged. There it began its rotation.
Interesting. Just how many minor core locations existed?
Kai attempted to purify the minor junction by flooding it with his purifying white energy, yet the black essence remained undeterred. He let out a sigh of resignation. He doubted he had any potent life force to neutralize it, but it was of little consequence. Undeterred, he immersed the minor core location with his primordial power, relentlessly assailing the dark energy until it regressed to its original state.
He had observed this phenomenon during his numerous failed attempts at refining his colored cores. An overabundance of primordial power would inevitably return anything to its fundamental state. This fact gave him the confidence to experiment with the dark energy.
Once the procedure was complete, he withdrew his radiant golden energy, ridding his body of the death energy. He repeated this cleansing process with the remaining dark energy suspended between him and Linur. Afterward, he meticulously scanned her to ensure the corruption had been eradicated and proceeded to the next step.
Kai was anxious to conclude this endeavor, receive compensation, fulfill his agreement with the Iceheart clan, and depart from Arcadia.
"Your clan has already been supplied with the necessary energy to start refining your Azurewing power reserves. I will strip away your current cultivation and rebuild it with this energy. This will fulfill my part of our agreement."
With this marking the fourth time he had performed this specific procedure, Kai set to work.
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Kai trailed the red-robed elders of the esteemed Lou Family. His duties were fulfilled; now, all that lay ahead was the collection of his rewards.
One elder, in particular, led the way, his movements slow and laborious. Deep lines etched his wizened face, a map of his life's trials and triumphs. His eyes, sharp yet distant, sparkled under the flickering torchlight. He was older than the others, his back hunched and his steps more careful. The labyrinthine corridors of the palace seemed to drain him of his strength. However, his voice still carried an unyielding authority.
"This technique, it's a deeply protected secret within our family. I must emphasize its importance," he uttered, his breath labored as if the extended journey through the palace's subterranean maze had drained him.
"Quite aware," Kai responded, with Relay snoozing on his shoulder. "Hence the binding oaths of silence we swore." Relay had been engrossed in studying the spatial ring, resulting in prolonged periods of slumber. Kai checked in on him and acknowledged his progress but found the intricate rune patterns deep within the ring's design incomprehensible.
"Indeed," the elder retorted, rounding a corner before starting their climb. Kai couldn't help but observe the increased guard presence in this area. The elder halted before a stone entrance, virtually indistinguishable from others, guarded by two sentinels.
"The forbidden manual is secured within a concealed vault, under constant surveillance and surrounded by protective formations. I shall guide you through the formation, after which I will observe you while you study it," the elder detailed.
Acknowledging the elder with a nod, Kai watched as the guards stepped aside, allowing the elder to open the entrance. His bony hand wavered over the formation, and a series of swift gestures released a shroud of golden-red energy. The energy of the formation dispersed, exposing a compact chamber with a lit stone pedestal at its center.
A small, open book rested atop the pedestal.
"I shall oversee from here. As per our agreement, you will not be allowed to take anything from this room," the elder stepped aside after informing Kai.
Kai smirked. He planned to digitally replicate the entire text in mere seconds and add the virtual copy to his compendium. Kai ventured into the room and approached the book. He was just commencing his study when he perceived the formation beginning to close.
He whirled around only to witness the Elder's self-indulgent grin of triumph.
Kai infused his body with energy and sprinted towards the exit, but the formation closed with the ferocity of a predator, stopping him in his tracks. He collided with the wall of radiant energy, sliding across its harsh surface until his body slammed against the chamber wall.
"Your stay with us will be extended," the elder announced, his grin persisting. "It's your own fault for proving to be so invaluable."
The stone doors closed, trapping him within.