Cascading electricity and direct ki forces in on me from all sides simultaneously burning and crushing me. Blood pooled in my mouth and the pain only grew, what was I supposed to do? In a situation like this isn't it already too late?
My vision blurs then focuses before blurring again, I feel the sharp pain as violent hou strands pressure me in wave after crushing wave.
My focus was shot and thinking about anything other than the pain was a futile effort in that situation.
But even that was a futile endeavor the edges of my vision blackened and everything slowly went dark.
***
I've failed...
Ha, no surprise...
Now all of master's efforts have truly been wasted.
I just wish I could have done something for her at least.
The pain had subsided, it was quiet now too... ah, I've done a lot... maybe I should just sleep... just for a bit..
As I lay naked in that inky blackness a familiar voice calls out to me. Softly and so quiet that I almost mistook it for my own imagination.
"Wh.. Jiya?...."
You, really won't let me quit, will you?
There she stood, in all her glory.
"Is this all you're capable of?" Her gaze cold and one of disdain. "Did this queen really overestimate you? Pity."
"Eh?" I sat up slowly, "jiya, wh..what are you saying?"
She looked at me as if I disgusted her. so much so that I wanted to hide my nakedness from her.
"If you can't surpass this then what do you count for? Why did I have to lower myself to helping a weakling you like you?"
I reached out, "jiya!"
She was gone and only I was left, "... jiya."
Why would she say that?
I wanted to cry out her name again but I couldn't, my voice wouldn't.
Why would she say that?
Why?
Was I really...
No... no... She wouldn't say something like that... whatever that was, how dare it sully my Jiya's image how dare it try to make me think that she only used....
No, I refuse.
I refuse to believe I'm that gullible,
I refuse to believe that Jiya thinks about me like that and I refuse to accept that I've failed! Something inside me opened, something that had been growing, waxing at my confidence and having my mind wane. Now its black nothingness leaking into my golden orb corrupting my cultivation.
I'm always depending on others, its always like this, I really don't want to stay like this...
I hate...
I hate this..
I gathered all my strength and returned to the lotus position sitting and centering my focus on feeling and gathering any and every strand of world energy there was to find.
The pain had returned in its entirety, but my rage numbed me to it, hou strands surrounded me in a turbulent vortex before entering directly into my golden black core.
More!
***
This amount was now clearly too much for my body to handle however my anger and mutated core wouldn't let me stop, I didn't want to stop.
the pain snaked its way around my body following my blood vessels pulsing every so often with unimaginable pain.
"Urgh!"
I'll show them.
"what I can or can't do, no-one decides that but me!"
I opened my eyes slowly to see a look of fear on master's face, I'd been taking in waves of hou none stop and master looked about drained.
"How long?.." I breathed.
Master smiles weakly "You were unconscious for quite a while but its been a month since you started absorbing without pause."
How could that be? I still feel so... empty and angry.
My persistent rage had made me a hollow shell of my former bubbly self but even so, I could feel natural world energy at my finger tips even though I couldn't reach it. This energy must be from outside if only I could just reach it ah, its so close, its rich tendrils tempting me.
The room was beginning to grow dim, the torches had been extinguished by the turbulent hou vortex that enveloped me before, but even though it had all been absorbed and master could no longer maintain the pressure, I wasn't done yet.
I breathed in and then stood, "Master, this room was sealed by a powerful ki intent wasn't it?"
she nodded, her breathing labored, "then ill absorb that too," I concluded.
"you mustn't, ki intent is very dangerous!" she warned weakly "It could destroy your meridians."
"Master... do you really intend to remain here?"
"Child you are far too young to be worrying for this senior here." she replies "Just sit and continue meditating, this senior here will recuperate and we'll continue afterwards."
Ignoring master's warning I concentrated and it didn't take long to find the subspace seal trapping master and currently me in that room, it was formed from incredibly dense hou strands which interwove in intricate patterns.
"Lalie!" she called noticing my intentions "You are my first student this master doesn't wish to lose you!"
I turned to look at her "Master, I have never asked for anything this whole time, this is something I must do, you must allow me to do this, I promise ill be safe."
She hesitated for a moment before sighing, "You must promise me that you'll stop at the first sign of danger."
I nodded before returning my attention to the subspace seal.
Ki... Intent.
It seamed like an incredible act of will and prowess not to mention a stupidly large amount of hou stands refined into ki.
It was designed to maintain its integrity no matter what type of damage it took, but before my mutated golden black core it unraveled like paper before being absorbed.
This surprised me I never thought that it would be so easy.
I was suddenly made aware of a tattoo like mark growing on the back of my hands.
"What is this?" I murmured mostly to myself the small shape grew darker until they resembled little four point starshaped figures. It didn't hurt but I could sense the enormous ki which had been a part of the subspace seal hidden behind them. "I guess ill have to ask master about it later."
What was more important was that this place could now be opened and I could taste the world energy already.
Focusing on the small distortion I placed my fingers into it.
I felt cold on the other side but that wouldn't deter me. it was too small for me to pass through and because of that I knew what to do placing my other hand into the small distortion I gripped the outer edges and pulled. It was hard and it only opened slightly but it was still too small.
"You.. will.. open... for me!" I groaned pulling harder this time with all the strength I could conjure.
The distortion tore and everything went white....
I breathed, rich world energy flowed into me continually, i could feel the power building behind the star marks on the back or my hands.
Power.