Surrounded by darkness, Syonas knew precisely where he was.
A soul space.
He now had a soul space. If he had a physical body here, tears would be welling in his eyes right now. His evolution fixed his soul space; he now had a functioning soul space, that means he could learn magic now!
Syonas calmed himself and began to contemplate the implications of this development. Evolution was a purely physical experience, it did not affect the soul; Syonas was sure of this. So, that meant whatever caused a shattered soul space was also physical. He had shown no form of physical ailment in his thirteen years of life apart from the typical diseases, indicating that maybe it was some form of genetic deformity or recessive gene that caused it. Either way, if he could figure this out he would have single-handedly cracked not only one, but two problems that had left mages baffled for centuries on end—both at the age of thirteen.
Leaving his fantasies of greatness and returning to reality, he began to inspect his brand new soul space, and that is when he came to the realisation, he knew nothing about cultivating a soul space. He had spent the last six years of his life trying to overcome his lack of a soul space, why would he learn how to cultivate one. He abandoned any hope to get one years ago.
Awkwardly withdrawing from his meditative state, Syonas returned to his room and released a sigh of embarrassment. Lying in his bed, he proceeded to list out his options for learning how to cultivate his soul space, and after extensive thought, he realised there was only one place he could locate this information.
Viridian high, library.
That was his only option disregarding other illegal action and indentured servitude to an entity or organisation that possessed the knowledge he required. He could only check his school library in hopes that one of the best schools in Vero city had what he was looking for.
Sitting up from his bed, Syonas got down unto the floor and started doing push-ups. Just because he now had a soul space doesn't mean he would abandon the core he had worked so many years to get. He did not know the mechanics of evolution, but he did know that with a core, his physical stats would continue to grow as long as he pushed himself physically.
Three minutes later, Syonas was amazed at the changes, evolution had caused in him. He could do five push-ups at most in the past, but now he had done two-hundred push-ups and barely felt anything.
He only began to feel a slight strain on his muscles in the five-thousands, by the ten-thousands, he began to sweat, and by fifteen-thousand, his arms gave out. As he lay on the floor in a pool of his sweat, panting like a lizard on a hot rock, he couldn't stop smiling. He had gone from an average kid to a super athlete, not to mention a tenacity of twenty-one he had no idea how durable he was right now, but he was too tired to find out.
'A.I show my status.' Syonas thought, and a screen appeared in his view. He didn't expect much change, but he was met with a surprise.
[ name: Syonas Adanon
Age: 13
Race:???
EE: 2/300 (2)
STR: 10
DXT: 14
VIT: 10
TEN: 21
CHR: 25
INT: 15 ]
'system what is EE?' Syonas asked mentally.
[Evolutionary energy(EE): this is the energy that is born when the host's body is placed under stress. It can be used to augment the host's stats, and if enough of this energy is accumulated evolution will take place.]
This surprised him even more, but it made sense that he could distribute his evolutionary energy when beasts couldn't. Unlike beasts, his own core was not run by instincts but a powerful A.I.
'so as long as I add EE to one of my stats, they will increase by one?' soon as thought
[Incorrect, different stats are modulated by various aspects of the body; some parts of the body are more difficult to augment than the rest. Therefore different stats require different levels of energy.
These requirements are as follows:
STR: 1>1
DXT: 3>1
VIT:2>1
TEN:4>1
CHR:5>1
INT:10>1]
Silence ensued, as Syonas considered the ramifications of this new information. Syonas was ready for a gruelling path of painfully slow self-improvement, but he gained two EE point from a single exercise session. If this was the average rate of progress, he would be evolving again in a matter of months. That is if he didn't exercise more than once a day.
Deciding to stop stalling, Syonas crawled back into bed, braced himself for the pain and ordered the A.I to add both points to strength.
Though the pain never came. Instead, he felt a warmth wash over him as a feeling of comfort enveloped him. The fatigue from such a long and hectic day finally hit him, and he drifted off to sleep comforted by the warmth of his growing strength.
*******************************
The dark corridors of banshui academy rang with moans of pleasure and screams of ecstasy. Fei stood outside the door that these sounds emanated from with a stoic expression lacking any emotion.
He would be fourteen this year, and he was already used to his older cousin's nightly escapades. He had witnessed a big sister he had a crush on gleefully serving his older cousin with a grin of satisfaction spread across her face, a grin that blossomed into a full-blown smile when he delivered the cultivation resources his older cousin offered her for her body.
He felt anger, sadness, even hatred at first, but eventually, he accepted that these girls were simply doing their best to climb the social ladder. His older cousin was a personage of great power and prestige: to be honest, they would have offered their bodies up for free if his cousin had asked.
A few hours later when the light of dawn began to illuminate the hallways, the moans finally stopped. Taking his cue, Fei stepped towards the doors and opened them, while simultaneously, he was stepping aside for the line of men and women that trickled out in a straight line. They where all young and decent looking with dark brown hair, snow-white supple skin and the oriental features of the Fengbao nation: It was clear his cousin had a type.
"servants will deliver the promised resources to your rooms." Fei said to the group, his face cold and his tone professional.
The line up bowed and thanked him profusely before disappearing down the halls. Turning around Fei walked through large wooden double doors, stepping into his cousin's room, it smelt of sex and other bodily fluids.
Laying on a king-sized bed in the middle of this mess was a man built like the gods, his dark hair sprawled around his head like a halo, muscles that looked like they where carved from stone, and olive coloured skin. Noticing Fei entering the room, he rose to from the bed to his intimidating height of 6'2.
"good morning Fei, the mistress is in the next room." he said to Fei in a respectful tone of voice.
Fei nodded at his cousin's favourite toy and walked into the changing room where his cousin was located.
Thankfully she was done dressing when he entered, it's not like she would have cared if he saw her naked but Fei would rather not.
Measuring six feet in height dressed in a blazing red cheongsam that complimented her red-brown hair and green eyes, set in a beautifully formed face and fair flawless skin that almost glowed with vitality, no one could call his cousin ugly — not physically at least.
"Hmm, what's the name of the one from the water department again," Ling said while inspecting herself in the mirror.
" Sen Do." Fei replied in his signature monotone.
" I liked her, give her something a little extra." Ling replied while giving Fei a once over from the corner of her eye.
"Hmm, why are you so bland this morning. Don't tell me you are still crossed over that girl. I told you she was a gold-digger" Ling said, turning around and pouting down at her little cousin.
"Yes you did, then you slept with her" Fei replied his tone not even shifting throughout.
"well you weren't going to sleep with her, and it's not my fault you walked in on us" Ling said slight annoyance invading her voice.
"I moderate your schedule and come by your room every day by that time like clockwork, something your very aware of, but your right. It isn't your fault. Nothing ever really is right?" Fei replied his expression ice-cold, his tone implying a meaning only the two of them were aware of.
After this statement, a staring contest began between Fei and Ling, a contest that lasted a few minutes but was eventually broken by Fei. He didn't have the energy or time to waste on his childish and self-absorbed cousin.
She seemed to sense this, and the slight annoyance in her voice from earlier turned into full-blown anger at Fei's coldness, and a blazing red aura exploded from her body pushing Fei up against the wall of the changing room.
Yet, even now, his face did not falter. Still, staring at her with a blank expression. For a few seconds, the threat of violence filled the air, but no sooner did the aura appear did it disappear just as swiftly.
"Fine, I'm sorry," Ling muttered through grit teeth.
"you have no appointments today, and all of your nightly visitors have already been determined if that is all I have a class to attend." Fei said while dusting himself off and walking out of the room.
The sound of breaking objects and his cousin's screams of anger rang out behind him as he walked away from her room and entered his own that was two doors down. Telling her that he had a class was just his way of getting her off his back so he could cultivate in his room without being interrupted by her.
He only started cultivating two months ago on his thirteenth birthday, it was also when he learnt his elemental alignment— wind, a common element. It was the same day that his uncle, the clan head, gifted him his first Jutsu.
Wind style: heavenly gale Jutsu.
He had spent the next two months memorising it while cultivating nonstop. Well, at least when he wasn't babysitting his cousin. He remembered what his uncle told him on his birthday.
"Little Fei..." he said in his baritone voice while placing a wide palm on Fei's head.
"You are just like your mother; she was also smarter than everyone else and wise beyond her years. You may have a common element, lacking her cultivation talent, but you make up for it by being twice as smart. The family will need that, and as the future of the clan, your cousin will need that. She listens to you; sometimes, it feels like she listens to you more than her old man." He said, letting out a boisterous laugh and slapping his knee.
"I know she is mischievous and can be a little spoilt, that is my fault as her father, but I won't be here forever. Promise me when I'm gone you will watch little Ling for me." He said, giving Fei a final pat on the head before walking back to the party, not bothering to wait for a response. Why would he? He already knew the answer.
Fei loved his cousin.
Who would have thought that three weeks later, the clan head would die in battle and the grief would warp his cousin's once boisterous and sweet personality into a spoilt brat who ran from one sexscapade to the next trying to fill a void that no amount of sweat and wreathing bodies could ever fill.
Returning his attention to his cultivation, Fei calmed his mind entering a meditative state. His hands began to run through hand signs, slowly building up speed until his palms where just a blur of moving fingers.
Located all over the body where places that the energy of the soul was concentrated. These places where dubbed chakra points, through charging these points with elemental Mana, practitioners are capable of transforming these chakra points into a place of power.
That is what the hand signs that Fei was doing where precisely for, they where a cultivation technique called the storm's eye, given to him by his deceased uncle. He had already unlocked one chakra point in his left hand with it. Once he opened the other in his right hand, he will be capable of Jutsu: effectively taking his first step toward becoming a powerful practitioner.
A small wind began to pick up in his room as elemental wind energy began to accumulate around Fei's palms, and with a soft click, his second chakra point was formed.
A satisfied smile spread across Fei's face for a moment before his face went slack, and his eyes glazed over.
Help!
Help!
Help!
He felt it, instead of hearing it. It rang in his soul, and even without knowing who it was or understanding what he was doing, he offered out his hand to save whoever was calling.
His vision shifted into a blur of colours he didn't understand how he got there, but he was suddenly standing in the middle of a street, about to witness a giant creature he had never seen anything like before in his life slash a young boy who looked around his age in half.
Without thinking, months of memorisation and preparation urged him into action. His hands had already finished the hand signs by the time the words left his mouth.
"Wind Style: HEAVENLY GALE JUTSU!!"