RUDRA'S POV
"What!?" I exclaimed, my voice a strangled squeak. What does that mean? My mind reeled.
"The thing you called meridians," the colossal Mr. Tiger patiently explained, though a faint rumble of something akin to amusement vibrated through his deep voice, "doesn't exist in the human body."
Yes, and I have a bicycle that flies when I pedal, I thought sarcastically, an immediate surge of disbelief. It was an absurd claim, flying in the face of everything I'd known about chi.
"How can you be so sure?" I asked, trying to keep my tone even, even as a desperate hope that he might reveal something profound flickered within me.
"Because I know it!" he declared assuredly, his voice echoing with ancient authority.
That is not an explanation, I internally grumbled, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. It was a statement of fact, not a scientific breakdown.
"How is that possible, then?" I pressed, trying to goad him into a proper explanation. "How come energy does flow through them? I've felt it."
"Because the greater your energy control, the more energy follows the paths you define," he explained, his tone shifting, becoming more like a lecturer. "So as your control increases, you simply feel like you are opening meridians."
At least he gave a proper explanation this time, I conceded, a grudging respect forming despite the sheer outlandishness of the conversation.
"How do you know it!?" I shot back, the question escaping before I could filter it. It was a raw demand for proof.
"Boy," the Tiger began, his massive head lowering slightly, his eyes seeming to bore into mine, "my first ancestor was the mount of Maa Shakti herself. He is the vehicle of the one who personifies the energy of everything in existence, and though my bloodline is quite thin, I know about the power and energies of the world much more than you humans." His voice vibrated with a history so vast and ancient it made the very air feel heavy.
My jaw almost dropped again. Maa Shakti? The primordial cosmic energy? This was a whole new level of 'fantasy genre.' My mind scrambled to reconcile his appearance with his lineage.
"The method you use was made by those dragon leeches," he continued, his tone turning dismissive, "as the energy of dragons is too strong for a human body to let it flow freely, coupled with its fiery nature. If they let it flow freely, it will destroy their body, turning them to ashes." He paused, letting that grim image sink in.
"So they slowly build channels while improving their control and their body's resilience and resistance," he explained the logic behind K'un-Lun's practices. "At the peak of practice, when channels cover the whole body completely, they can finally make this power their own."
I see, I thought, a sudden, blinding flash of understanding hitting me. That is why Danny's body starts getting damaged whenever he uses full power. It makes perfect sense. The pieces clicked into place, solving a mystery I hadn't even consciously realized was a mystery. Though I don't know if his words about his lineage are credible, with "Maa Shakti" and all, but hey, this world does have a fantasy genre now, so whatever. I'd take practical advice over metaphysical lineage any day.
"So what about me?" I asked, my voice suddenly urgent, my previous injuries and the cold forgotten in the face of this monumental revelation. "Is your power borrowed or your own?" and he deftly countered my question with one of his own.
"Of course, it's my own!" I declared, an immediate, defensive response. What kind of question is that? It felt like an accusation, a slight to the very core of my being.
"Then why would it hurt you?" he said, his voice surprisingly soft, a touch of a 'Tsundere' explanation in his tone.
I opened my mouth to retort, but no words came. My mind scrambled, searching for an answer, for a counter-argument, but found nothing. He was right. My power did hurt me only when I used it intensely, when I pushed it beyond certain limits.
"I see, but what is the problem with my current practice?" I asked, my frustration mounting, eager to find a solution.
"You still don't get it!? You're restricting it, boy!!" he roared, an exasperated shout that made the snow around us shudder.
"What should I do, wise one?" I quickly surrendered, raising my hands slightly in a gesture of submission, acutely aware of the hidden threat of a beating from a 20-foot-tall tiger. Discretion, at this moment, was definitely the better part of valor.
He let out a deep, rumbling sigh, a sound that seemed to deflate some of his immense presence. "Let it go," he commanded, his voice serious, his piercing blue eyes fixed on mine. "Let the lightning flow through your body as it pleases, let it rampage and when it calms down, then guide it, control it, and finally make it your own."
His words struck me like a bolt of lightning itself, far more impactful than anything I had previously experienced with chi. "Why are you helping me?" I couldn't help but ask, the question bubbling up from a genuine place of bewilderment and gratitude. I realized now he had no intentions to hurt me. He had stopped me, not for a confrontation, but so that he could tell me all this, to impart this profound, life-altering knowledge.
"Because I have an affinity with lightning," he said, a faint grumble in his tone, almost as if the admission pained him. "And I felt the lightning in you crying for freedom. It was... annoying."
I get it, I thought, a small, wry smile touching my lips. So, he's really a Tsundere. He feigned annoyance, but his actions spoke of a strange compassion.
"Okay, okay, I get it," I said, a genuine laugh almost escaping me. "By the way, what's your name?"
A moment of profound silence ensued, broken only by the gentle whisper of the wind. The vast, ancient creature looked away, his gaze sweeping across the snowy peaks. "I don't have one," he finally replied, his voice laced with a slight, unexpected sadness. "My parents left the world before they could give me one."
(Author - Is that so? Then you shall be the MC of my next book. I will give you a badass name.
Tiger - How badass?
Author - Like the most badass one out there!
Tiger - Okay!)