Chapter 5: The Birth of Emotion Qi
The night sky trembled as if holding its breath.
Rain hissed against the cracked walls of the ruined monastery — the same place where Aiden Varos had buried his fear, guilt, and every human emotion that once chained him.
Now… they were his weapons.
He sat cross-legged in the darkness, his breath shallow, his mind a battlefield.
Inside him, the Psychology System pulsed faintly — each beat echoing like a whisper in his consciousness.
[System Notice: Emotional Resonance at 87%]
[Negative Affinity Stabilized — Preparing to Generate Emotion Qi]
Aiden clenched his fists. "Emotion Qi… the essence of all thought. The power born from what the world calls weakness."
His cultivation had reached the edge of the Mind Vein Realm, but his heart was unstable. He could feel it — like the edge of a blade against his sanity.
Memories flooded in.
His mother's dying smile.
The screams of his classmates as he lost control of his rage that day.
The world's rejection.
Every emotion he'd tried to bury now burned, begging to be unleashed.
⚡ The Awakening Ritual
He pressed his hand to his chest. "System, begin Emotion Integration."
[Integration Initiated. Warning: Emotional overload may cause mental collapse. Proceed?]
Aiden grinned — a faint, broken grin. "Collapse or evolve… either way, I'm free."
The ground cracked beneath him.
A violent wave of energy burst from his body, twisting the air like molten glass. Each droplet of rain evaporated mid-fall. Shadows danced around him, forming faces — anger, fear, sorrow, envy.
They screamed.
He screamed back.
Emotion Qi surged through his veins — not calm like spiritual energy, but wild, chaotic, alive.
[New Realm Achieved: Emotion Vein Realm — Stage 1]
[Trait Unlocked: Empathic Absorption]
Ability: Absorb emotional energy from others to fuel cultivation.
💀 First Battle: The Hunter's Test
Just as the storm began to fade, footsteps echoed through the ruins.
A man in black armor appeared, carrying a spear etched with silver lines — a Psych Hunter.
"Aiden Varos," the man said coldly. "By decree of the Mental Law Guild, you are to be executed for the manipulation of forbidden emotional energy."
Aiden rose slowly, eyes faintly glowing crimson. "Executed? No… observed."
He moved — faster than thought. His body blurred as tendrils of dark mist coiled around him.
The Hunter thrust his spear forward, the tip slicing through the air — but Aiden's body dissolved into shadow.
Then he was behind him.
"Fear," Aiden whispered, placing his hand on the man's back.
[Skill Activated: Emotional Drain]
Emotion absorbed: Terror
Energy gained: +43 Emotional Points
The Hunter's breath hitched. His hands trembled as invisible images — his past traumas — flooded his mind. He saw the family he'd failed to protect. The screams. The fire.
He fell to his knees.
Aiden looked down, his eyes filled not with mercy… but understanding. "You feared losing control. I live inside that fear."
With one motion, he snapped his fingers — and the Hunter collapsed, motionless.
🧠 Aftermath
The monastery was silent again, save for the whisper of wind through broken glass.
Aiden stared at his trembling hands. Power pulsed beneath his skin, but so did something else — guilt. Pity. The remnants of his own humanity.
[System Notice: Emotional Instability Detected]
[Warning: Host approaching Empathic Overflow. Recommended — Emotional Calibration.]
"Calibration?" he murmured. "No. Let it overflow. I need to feel it all."
He closed his eyes, letting every emotion rush through him — joy, hate, sorrow, longing — and as he did, a strange calm filled him.
The rain stopped.
The moonlight returned.
And Aiden Varos opened his eyes to a new dawn.
[New Quest: Path of the Sinbound — Collect Seven Core Emotions to Ascend to the Heart Realm]
Progress: 1/7 (Fear)
A small, cold smile formed on his lips.
"The world fears emotion because they can't control it… But I will."
He stepped out of the monastery, cloak billowing, eyes glowing faintly crimson.
Behind him, the corpse of the Hunter dissolved into mist — absorbed by the unseen power of the Sinbound System.