Sunlight streamed through the leaves of the tall trees that made up the canopy of the forest just outside the capital city. The early spring air was crisp and lively birdsong echoed through the branches. Aiden lay gasping for breath, his dark maroon hair plastered against his face as he struggled to slow his wildly beating heart on the banks of a fast moving river.
It was a large tributary of the one that runs through the city, the one he had been knocked into earlier that day. When he was sprinting away from his captor, he had run straight into one of the porters working the docks. The impact had sent him flying to the side and over the dock.
This led to him taking a long swim in the river. He had held his breath as long as physically possible before coming up for a quick breath and then diving back down. He had done this as long as he could to avoid detection.
He wasn't sure if he was lucky or if the heavens were smiling down at him but he had not only managed to escape pursuit but also avoid being eaten by a river beast that lurked in the depths of the river.
Just as humans could absorb and utilize aura, so too could animals and even plants. Animals that had this ability were generally referred to as Magic Beasts.
From what Aiden knew, a Magic Beast was often more powerful than a human cultivator at the same stage because their bodies were naturally stronger and more suitable for cultivation. They also lived in a more combative environment and were thus more fierce than a lot of humans who were used to city life.
As he was currently located in the Myr Wood, the large forest that bordered the capital city, Aiden knew that he was far from safe, it could even be said that he was almost worse off than before.
The city of LionHeart was built on a large aura vein to support the cultivation of countless warriors. An aura vein was a land formation similar to an ore vein where aura was generated in a larger quantity than elsewhere.
Due to the aura vein however, the forest that bordered the forest was also home to extremely powerful Magic Beasts. They benefited from the vast aura supplies just as humans did. The aura also allows for a large number of magical herbs to be grown and ores and minerals to form in the Myr Wood.
So although the forest is extremely dangerous, it is also a land of wealth and opportunity.
Aiden glanced around after managing to catch his breath. The banks of the river were surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides, the only break being his current location.
It seemed as though in this area a section of the cliffs had collapsed leaving a wide area sheltered beneath. It was only about a couple thousand square feet of open land filled with shrubbery, small plants, and a few trees scattered around.
Aiden's brows creased in worry, he needed shelter but there was no way for him to currently scale the steep rock walls, and heading back in the river was a risky proposition.
He carefully made his way over to the cliff wall, planning to see if there were any places that would be easier to climb up.
His clothes were soaked and his only possession was the small dagger he had grabbed from the servant, he had kept it tightly grasped during his escape downriver.
Now it was his only tool to survive in the forest. Aiden soon reached his destination and began walking along the perimeter of the cliffs, his eyes scanning for a suitable path.
He traced his hand along the wall as he walked, it was the first time he had ever been out in the wild. Although the situation was a bit concerning, he was also very excited. He had escaped from the suffocation of the Moore family and now was free to tread his own path.
As he thought idly, Aiden felt the wall beneath his hand disappear and he almost fell over. Hidden behind vines and creepers seemed to be the entrance to a cave!
Worry and excitement mixed together, it could be shelter or it could be occupied by something dangerous. He tried to push the vines aside, but they were heavily tangled together.
Eventually Aiden used his dagger to hack them apart so that he could pass through. He squeezed his small form into the cave, the gap in the vines allowing sunlight to illuminate the room.
It seemed empty, although there was plenty of leaves and rotting plant debris by the entrance. He carefully explored the small cave, it wasn't very large, only about 50 square feet.
There was a small rocky outcropping that he could use as a table once he had cleaned up in here. Aiden had already started planning how to use the space.
After all, he was stuck until he could gain enough strength to scale the walls or perhaps travel via the river.
His first course of action was to create a fire and dry himself off, before he became sick.
So Aiden went out to gather some sticks and perhaps some dry brush to help start it. After doing so he placed it in a pile in the center of his little cave and stared at it.
A frown began to deepen on his face, his amber eyes darkening slightly. How was he to light a fire? He had had almost nothing on him when he fled, certainly not the flintstones he had habitually used to light candles in his courtyard. If he couldn't light a fire then his life in the forest would probably be pretty brief.
Aiden began to scour his memory to search for a way to start a fire. He had heard some servants say that rubbing sticks together really fast could do it but he had no personal experience in seeing it done. That would probably not work. He didn't even have the slightest inkling of technique or principle.
Soon a thought came to him. The red strand! Wasn't it like fire energy? What if he tried to use it to make a fire? Aiden immediately took action and began to meditate.
As he closed his eyes he saw the glowing strands of aura floating around him. There were a lot more than there had been at the manor. They grouped together in thick clumps, except for the strands of different colors.
They would exclude each other and seek their own space. He frantically searched for a red strand, but it proved difficult. The air was filled with mostly green and brown strands, as well as the multitude of colorless strands.
He refused to give up however and spread his senses to the limit. He caught the faintest glimpse of something shining red at the edge of his perception. He desperately grasped it, using all of his willpower to force it over to him.
Like the one from before, it madly tried to escape from him releasing a burning energy towards him in an attempt to injure him.
A grin stretched across Aidens face, that was exactly what he wanted! He moved the struggling strand over the pile of wood and felt the energy ignite it.
Elation filled him, and he pulled the strand over to him. He didn't want to waste it and it seemed that red strands would be scarce here. The fiery energy filled and he forced it to circulate in his muscles this time.
The second stage of Body Tempering focused on strengthening and fortifying the muscles. The energy battered him in waves; each wave brought a sense of soreness and faint pain.
It didn't bother him however, because he knew that this was how he would become stronger. The energy soon faded, and Aiden opened his eyes. He stretched out to try and alleviate some of the soreness.
He could sense that this stage would need more aura to complete than the first stage. In fact the most effective would probably be the red strands of aura that he surmised to be fire aura.
However, it seemed as if it was going to be difficult to get those in any large quantity. He would have to be satisfied with the colorless aura for now.
Aiden then focused on the results of his work. The small fire flickered happily in front of him, giving off a gentle warmth and sense of coziness.
He smiled, he could make it out here after all. Aiden quickly pulled his clothes off and put them next to the fire so that they could dry. He then turned his attention to some of the other books in his inheritance. More specifically, Low Level Herbs and Alchemical Materials.
He was hoping that there would be things in the area that were edible, and if there were he would need to be able to recognize them. In fact the entries were extremely detailed; with habitat, growth conditions, as well as the usefulness of each part of the plants. There were even animals and different minerals in the book as well. It seemed as though Alchemy was not limited to plants.
It was as if a whole new world had opened up before him, and Aiden couldn't help himself from reading for several hours. He only stopped to occasionally add more wood to the fire and to put his clothes on after they had dried.